Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 May 2024 Jeremiah 29:13.

16 May 2024 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 29:13.       And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Well, it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek, and tomorrow we get to celebrate the big day of Friday! I must say that this week has gone by awfully fast… and I’m yet to do any of the things I planned to do. Ah Lord eh! Between the devil and my own laziness and procrastination we’ve had a lazy and unfulfilling time. (smile) But dem’s the breaks! And I have no one else to blame but myself. 

Now, it’s not that I haven’t done anything at all, but not the supposed important things I wanted to do. And that’s just how life and the enemy work together in concert to delay or trip up our best laid plans. That means we have to be strong and steadfast in the Lord and, if necessary, bully our way through the enemy’s lines and get our God-given plans fulfilled. And it’s not like we don’t have the wherewithal to do it. No! We most definitely do! 

Starting with the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, plus all the wonderful and encouraging scriptures found in the God’s Word. Scriptures like: ‘Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) That’s Jesus’ faithful promise. Then Bruh Paul tells us, ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Then he says; ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) 

And what about this wonderful promise that Bruh Paul offers in his letter 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.’ (Phil. 1:6) Then you have this awesome scripture of godly strength: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil 4:13) And what about this marvellous promise of God’s provision?  ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) 

Yes friends, that’s wonderful news! God will not stop working in us until Jesus returns. That means we don’t have to fear anything, but we do need to keep up our personal intimacy with Him, through prayer, supplication and thanksgiving, while fellowshipping with other believers, to encourage and build up each other so that we can do the good works that God desires of us. That’s why Jesus told the parable to the end that men ought always to pray and faint (lose heart). (Luke 18:1) 

For prayer is the immediate method of communication between God and man, the method devised by the heavenly Father for us to share our thoughts and desires with Him. Therefore, when we are tempted to lose faith and give up, that’s the very time we have to be strong and steadfast in prayer! No wonder the Lord said through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you (listen to you) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) 

Ah mih people, if there’s one thing Christians ought not to be lacking in is encouragement, for the Lord’s Word, the Bible, is filled with so many encouraging scriptures to keep us alive and kicking in Christ’s employ. The problem though is that we don’t read and study the scriptures enough, consequently we don’t have those warm and faithful words of encouragement stored in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. Remember, we cannot be encouraged unless encouragement and reassurance lies within us. And the only way to get it there is by putting it there through reading, studying and memorizing the useful scriptures, so when the time comes, they are right at hand to put them into action. 

Now, if we do as we ought, then we don’t have to fear laziness and procrastination, for as the scriptures expound: ‘And God is able to make all grace abound toward you: that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor. 9:8) There you go my fellow saints, if we stand strong and steadfast to do the Lord’s will, we will never want for anything. His bountiful grace will supply all we need. And that’s why Bruh David could make this amazing but oh so true statement: ‘The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1) That says it all friends. Now we only have to believe it and put it into action. (smile) 

So, let’s get to declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been so generously bestowed on us, by the Father, to do His earthly work. And to activate them let’s declare them loud and strong. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having said that, we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings in the support of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…now set your heart and soul to seek the Lord… (1 Chr. 22:19a)

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 January 2024 John 14:16.

14 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

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

John 14:16.       And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever.

Oh, come one, come all to the Lord’s house on this Sunday, His special day, where there will be worship, praise, exaltation, fellowship, and a whole lot of other good vibes! Please don’t allow the inclement weather to prevent you from enjoying all that good stuff, for when you leave, you’ll be totally refreshed, rejuvenated and filled with the Holy Spirit, so you can step out into the world with the utmost confidence in the upcoming work week. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ 

Why? Because they know that’s the gospel truth! It’s exactly what happens when you visit the Lord’s sanctuary on His day. And we’ll start it all of with some worship, singing this favourite song, not quite an oldie, since it was only written around the middle of the last century, but certainly a goldie, written by prolific songwriters, Jimmy Duncan and Johnny Lange, respectively writers of hit songs ‘My Special Angel,’ and ‘Mule Train.’  No, the young ones won’t know those two songs, but they were big hits two generations ago, and still have the power to uplift hearts and move dancing feet. 

But the Duncan and Lange song we’re going to sing today is simply but rather aptly titled, ‘I asked the Lord.’ So, without further ado, let’s offer up sacrificial praises to heaven in a mid-tempo, sincere and grateful version of the wonderful song. By the way, I added the last two verse from a rendition by one Linus Wee, because I thought they rounded out the song rather nicely. Now, singing: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me When things weren’t going my way; He said to me “I will comfort you And lift your cares away.” 

I asked the Lord to walk with me, When darkness was all that I knew; He said to me, “Never be afraid, for I will see you through.” I did not ask for riches, He gave me wealth untold- The moon, the stars, the sun, the sky, And He gave me eyes to behold. I thank the Lord for everything, And I count my blessings each day; He came to me when I needed Him – I only had to pray: He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – He’s only a prayer away. I asked the Lord to lead the way, When each step was getting so rough, He said to me “put your trust in me, and I’ll direct your path.” 

I asked the Lord to come inside And take all my struggles away. He said to me, “Cast your cares on me, and live each day by day.” I did not ask for riches, He gave me wealth untold- The moon, the stars, the sun, the sky, And He gave me eyes to behold. I thank the Lord for everything, And I count my blessings each day; He came to me when I needed Him – I only had to pray: He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – For He’s only a prayer away. Yes… He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – For He’s only a prayer away.’ 

And that’s a certainty my people! Our great God is only a prayer away, so we don’t have to go far to look for Him. For as he says through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) So friends, communicating with our heavenly Father is simple, but it does take some effort and sincerity on our part. And having unintentionally begun at the end, (smile) let’s now go to the beginning of the song and check out some scripture references. 

And right there in the opening verse we can find some potent scripture to back it up: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me, When things weren’t going my way;…’ We’re talking about Jesus’ promise of a Comforter. He advises the disciples: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18) 

Yes friends, our Saviour is indeed wonderful, promising not to leave us comfortless, but to send someone like Him, the Holy Spirit, which the world didn’t know, but the disciples did, because He was already with them in their daily lives. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit would then come and dwell in them, and also in every other believer. And that miraculous event happened at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the believers sitting in the upper room, with cloven (divided) tongues like of fire, and had them speaking in different languages. (Acts 2:1-14) 

Jesus also told the disciples: ‘These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:25-26) Yuh see mih bredrin, how important the Holy Spirit is in our lives. He not only comforts us, but also leads and guides and reminds us of all that Jesus taught. 

And the second verse says: ‘I asked the Lord to walk with me, When darkness was all that I knew;’ And obviously the Lord promised to do so, as Jesus faithfully proclaimed: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) Then we have these great verses from the second most popular prayer, Psalm 23, where Bruh David confidently asserts: ‘He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:3-4) 

Oh my fellow believers, when we’re in the company of our God, there’s no need to fear anything, for the Good Shepherd always has us under His watchful eyes. Then we have these words from Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist: ‘Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:78-79) 

But yuh know what my people, there are so many wonderful scriptures I want to share regarding that song, but there’s just not enough time nor space today, so we’ll just have to continue it tomorrow. In the meanwhile, let’s just continue raising our passion for Christ, and do our best to live a Christ-like life, so that others will see Him through us and want to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour too! Much LOVE!

…comfort ye, comfort ye my people…saith your God… (Is. 40:1) 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ         

Today’s Scrip-Bit   29 December 2023 Jeremiah 29:13.

29 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 29:13.       And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

And on yet another wet and cloudy day, the world shouts ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and another long weekend is here!’ This time though, the grateful reprieve from work is for New Years Eve, which falls on the upcoming Sunday. So you know all the plans for the big party are already in full swing; with costumes, champagne, food, partners and all the other frills we need for ringing out the Old Year and ringing in the New one. 

And then there are the resolutions, most of which aren’t even worth the paper they’re written on, since they will be forgotten by the end of the week in which they were made. Don’t know why we keep on doing the foolishness, even when we know deep down that we won’t keep them. But, I guess that’s a part of the New Year’s Eve tradition, so we need to go with the flow. 

And 2023 has been such a rotten and ungodly year, with many people not even being able to celebrate its departure with their usual festivities because of unpredicted and unexpected strife and disaster in their societies. Let’s hope and pray that the new year of 2024 will bring us to our senses, so that most of the strife will end in peace and the disaster areas repaired so that the people can go about a peaceful and productive life once more. 

For, believe me friends, if we don’t wake up and smell the roses this coming year, and instead persist in all the foolish, unnecessary strife and violence, our world will surely implode or explode, or both, such is the high level of discontent and dissatisfaction currently existing on God’s great earth. That’s why we believers so badly need to get our act together, for the world is depending on us to turn this evil and ungodly time around and bring back the more worthwhile values of peace, LOVE and understanding. 

Sadly, those values are constantly being thrown out the window more and more every day, as another theatre of strife opens and more serious disasters befall us. And some of those natural disasters stem from climate change, from the terribly irresponsible and shortsighted manner in which we’ve treated the earth in the last few centuries, since the dawn of industrialization. So we have no one to blame but ourselves for most of the chaos now existing. 

Thankfully though we have our great, forgiving, merciful and gracious God to help us restore some semblance of sense and responsibility to our world. But it’s ever so necessary for us to seek Him out and throw ourselves on His mercy. Remember His promise through the prophet Jeremiah? ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil (calamity), to give you and expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) 

There we have it friends, the first step in returning some sense of peace and responsibility to our world. We have to seek the Lord with ALL of our heart if we desire His omnipotent help. And Jesus said the same thing when the foppish lawyer asked Him what was the greatest commandment. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL of thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)  

Yuh see that mih bredrin, it all hangs on the basic principle of LOVE: LOVE for God and for each other! But unfortunately that oh so important attribute seems to be sadly missing from our world today. And unless we revive it as soon as possible, crapaud going to smoke we pipe – both literally and figuratively. (smile) 

Thus, it behooves us Christians who talk so much about God and LOVE and peace to get up off of our comfortable fannies and make the effort to turn this world around. It’s our bounden duty. Jesus said that we were the salt of the earth and the light of the world, which means we are responsible for adding a godly flavour to it, and bringing light to the darkness and evil of Satan which is now threatening to overpower God’s earth. 

And my fellow believers, I’m not telling us anything that we don’t already know. The problem is to get us to fulfill the duties that have been assigned to us as ambassadors and agents of Christ. And if we truly and sincerely LOVE Him, then we will make the effort, sacrifice whatever is necessary so that our world can be a much better place to live. And to help get us started, let’s now go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant and aske for divine help in this dire time of need. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’  

Now it’s time to rise up and do what we promised: set a good example for the unbelievers. That’s the first step in receiving divine help! Much LOVE!

…talk is cheap…but action needs a price to be paid… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ                

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 November 2023 Jeremiah 29:13.

11 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 29:13.       And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

And it’s cloudy and windy on this lazy-day Saturday November 11th , 2023, as we celebrate Veteran’s Day, honouring the many brave souls who fell in the wars of the last century. Not many of them are still alive today, and if they are, they are not doing so well medically, financially or emotionally because down through the years their services had not been properly appreciated nor rewarded. 

And every year we drag out the few remaining veterans before the cenotaphs and other markers of those great wars, and make big speeches and promises, but nothing much still ever happens to improve their situations. But the Lord is in His high heaven and is closely watching down on the affairs of men, and we know that He has a heart for the poor, the marginalized and the downtrodden. So we’ll leave their affairs in His capable hands. 

Now, let’s say our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity of heart. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And do we ever need to know and be more aware of our great God in these evil and ungodly times, if we hope to come through them as unscathed as possible! Yes friends, in times like these, only a strong attachment to and knowledge of Jehovah God will enable us to overcome all the evil stuff that’s coming against us in droves. The big problem though is that we need to seek the Lord, not the Lord seek us. We desperately need Him, He doesn’t need us. He LOVES us a whole lot, but that doesn’t mean He’ll just roll over and satisfy our every need, like a doting grandfather. Not at all. 

The Lord God Jehovah is a just and righteous God, thus He must act justly and righteously and allowing us to do whatever we want without repercussions is not acting justly and righteously. Thus, He demands that we come to Him, in obedience and reverence, and if we don’t, then we’ll suffer the consequences. It’s as simple as that. And furthermore, it’s so easy to find the Lord if we truly desire to find Him, for He’s always around, not in some far off heavenly place, the way so many of us falsely think. 

And these words from the prophet Jeremiah say it all. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) Now that’s what the Lord has in store for us, but it does not happen automatically. We also have a part to play in this covenant relationship. 

And here’s our part: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken (listen) unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) There it is in black and white friends, written thousands of years ago but still the definitive way to find Jehovah God: search for Him with all your heart! 

Unfortunately, not enough of us are doing that, either individually or as Christ’s body, the church, and thus we have this great divide between our heavenly Father and ourselves. And we are the ones who are suffering, but we’ve become so stubborn, ignorant and hardhearted that we refuse to seek Him, even though we are been eaten up by the evil doers like the big fishes eat up the small ones. But yet we listen to the lies and the deceits of Satan and run down the material wealth of the world, instead of seeking the righteousness of God’s kingdom. And his evil majesty is laughing as it were, all the way to the bank, because of our foolish and unwise behaviour. 

When are we going to wake up and do what’s right my people? Every day it gets later, with less time left to make the necessary changes. And remember Jesus could come at any time, and once He comes, most likely like a thief in the night, it’s all over. So please, let’s do what we’re supposed to do nuh. We call ourselves Christians, believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, members of His august body, the church, that means there are things we need to do to keep it all afloat and successful. And we know what we need to do. So please, please, I plead with us, let’s do it nuh! 

Let’s lift up Christ’s name on high like we promised to do when we first believed. Let’s be the true salt of the earth and the light of the world as He desires of us. Let’s show the world that we’re truly His disciples by the LOVE we show to each other and to the rest of the world. That’s our bounden duty and what Jesus expects of us. Come on my fellow saints, let’s pull up our socks and do better nuh. We all know that there’s more in us than we’re showing, so for Jesus’ sake, let’s up the ante! We desperately need to, if we’re going to turn things around! Much LOVE!

…you’ll find God…if you look for Him in the right places… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ    

Today’s Scrip-Bit   4 November 2023 Philippians 3:10a.

04 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 3:10a.       That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection,

And the lazy-day Saturday began wet and cloudy, but now there’s sunshine filtering through the clouds, promising to be a good day after all. And since I enjoyed more of the lazy day Saturday morning than I should have, (smile) let’s get right to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Oh friends, how relaxing and peaceful is that prayer that quietly brings us into the presence of our wonderful God! And getting to know our Lord and Saviour better each and every day, ought to be one of our spiritual projects, for the better we know Him, the better we can serve Him! And why do we seek to know God better? This commentary puts is thus: ‘Why do we have the desire to know God? A lot of good reasons, but the chief ones are “to LOVE Him” and “to worship Him.” This is the Christian life and behind why God saved us from our sins. PRAYER: “Father, help me to pursue You to know You that I might LOVE and worship You.” 

And what does it mean to desire to know God? ‘If the desire of your heart is to know God more intimately, that is a sign that the grace of God is drawing you. Your part is to respond by setting yourself to seek after and pursue Him (Matt. 6:33). Those who seek will find (Jer.29:13) And for those of us who don’t those very important scriptures here they are. Matt. 16:33 says: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ And that simply means that God should be the number ONE priority in our lives. 

Meanwhile Jeremiah 29:13 says: ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ Yes my fellow believers we need to seek God with all our hearts. As Jesus said when asked what is the greatest commandment in the law. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ (Matt. 22:37) Oh friends, all of that just means that God must occupy first place in our daily lives. No wonder Bruh Paul so boldly stated in his letter to the Philippians: ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;’ (Phil 3:10) 

And the scholars say: ‘This verse may also be paraphrased: “In order that I may personally know Him, that I might both experience His resurrection power, and share in His sufferings, and thus I will be more and more conformed to His death.” Paul wants “the righteousness… of God” (vs. 9) so that he can obtain a personal relationship with Jesus in actual day to day experience. This knowledge of Christ is obtained by experiencing in daily problems, needs, ministry, and so forth, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. 

Knowing Christ also entails participating in His sufferings. Paul desires to share in the Lord’s sufferings because they bring him into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him; companionship in sorrow establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, as afflicted hearts cling to each other. The result of participating in Christ’s sufferings is that Paul is being made like Him in death. This word “death” has a double meaning here, including inward and outward, ethical and physical death. As Jesus died in regard to sin on the cross, so Paul is doing more and more in his daily life. As Jesus was bodily slain, so the apostle, should Caesar’s verdict go against him, is prepared to be slain.’ 

Ah mih people, Bruh Paul was a zealot of the first order, but the good news is that we don’t have to be as zealous for Christ as he was. Oh, we do need to work towards that goal, but not many of us will be forced to give up our physical lives for Christ, although it should always be an option, as Christ sacrificed so much for us. However, we do need to increase our witness and LOVE for Christ, because too many of us are just armchair Christians, merely sitting on our comfortable fannies and spouting a whole lot of scriptural rhetoric but doing nothing to truly build Christ’s church. 

That is totally unacceptable friends! Jesus put His life on the line for us, the least we can do is to show some appreciation by spreading His word around the world. And with all the technology we now have, you don’t even have to leave home to do it. So let’s ramp up our witness nuh, put our best foot forward, so that we can reclaim some lost souls for Christ. That’s all He’s asking of us; to get out there and let those still hiding in the shadows of darkness, know that the true Light has come into the world to save them! Much LOVE!

…disciples of Christ…must be willing to suffer in His name… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ  

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 August 2023 Psalm 119:176.

30 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 119:176.       I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.

And after a thorough cleansing from a steady drizzle last night, Wednesday had opened windy and sunshiny, but unfortunately some dark clouds are now entering the fray, and the power of the sun seems to be waning. However, we cannot afford to allow the weather, whatever it might be, to thwart our major purpose down here on earth; that’s spreading the good news of Christ’s gospel and living the way it says we’re supposed to live. That’s being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, showing our LOVE for each other in true discipleship. 

And the Good Library just opened at an interesting point, the last section of the longest psalm, Psalm 119.  And I don’t believe I’ve ever really considered before, but it does contain invaluable wisdom to help us do God’s work. So let’s read it together. ‘Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord; give me understanding according to thy word. Let my supplication (prayer of supplication) come before thee: deliver me according to thy word. 

My lips shall utter praise when thou hast taught me thy statutes. My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts. I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgements help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:169-176) 

Ah friends, such heartfelt prayer is what’s needed in these tough and troubled times. And we’ll notice two important things in the passage; the psalmist is crying out for the Lord’s help, but he’s also entreating Him to teach him His statutes, and commandments and to give him understanding so he can navigate the Lord’s word. It’s a combination of sentiments that cannot be separated. If we want the Lord’s help, we must lean His word and then give Him the praise He’s due. 

Hear these pleas: ‘give me understanding…deliver me…when thou hast taught me thy statutes…my tongue shall speak of thy word…I have chosen thy precepts…I have longed for thy salvation…thy law is my delight…’ Can we say those same things in utter sincerity my fellow believers? I don’t think so, because our current behaviour does not point in that direction. Too many of us supposed believers don’t read the Lord’s word, either because we claim to be too busy, or we’re simply not interested. But we surely are interested in receiving His mercy, grace and favour! 

However, we will not get one without the other. You’ll notice how the psalmist longed to know the word of the Lord because he found it to be righteous, it was his delight. But not many of us feel that way today. And the marvellous thing about learning the Lord’s word is that it encourages us to give Him praise. The psalmist declares (yesss!!!) ‘my lips shall utter praise…my tongue shall speak of thy word…let my soul live, and it shall praise thee…’ As the old people would say, it takes two to tango, and one hand can’t wash itself, it needs two. 

That’s the way our God has designed His universe: We are partners with Him; and partners all have a part to perform to make the partnership successful. The Lord has already done most of His, by sending his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven, washed clean, then help those who want help to come to the knowledge of His Son’s saving grace. Meanwhile we need to believe, to learn His word, and practice it. And sadly, we’re not doing such a good job, otherwise our world would not be in the disastrous and chaotic state it’s currently in. 

Yes my fellow Christians, if we had put up a better Christian performance down through the last few years, our world would definitely not have sunk so low in the devil’s evil morass. But no, we have disregarded our bounden duty so much that it has allowed the evil one to gain a strong foothold in our world. The good news though is that we’re not beaten…that is if we get up our godly gumption and come out fighting on the Lord’s behalf. No, all is not lost, but we have to retool; be unified, get into the word in a serious manner, then sincerely live it, while crying out for God’s help! 

You know there are several billion Christians on the planet, and if each one of us just made one good Christian decision each day, and put it into action, you’d be surprised at the difference we’d make in a short space of time. But we have to get serious and sincere…RIGHT NOW…for time is running out, and each day we delay, the enemy gets stronger and thus it gets harder to defeat him. And it’s not like the Lord isn’t there, only too willing to help us, but we need to pull ourselves together first. 

And this last verse of Psalm 119 seems like a most appropriate cry for most of us: ‘I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:176) Ah mih people, if that cry came up to heaven with all sincerity, I’m sure the Lord would not refuse to help us, but He must see sincerity and true desire in the motives of our hearts not simply a means to achieve our lustful desires. Remember His awesome promise in Jeremiah: ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:13) 

Now that’s what it will take for us to get the ball rolling, seeking Almighty God with all of our heart! So, let’s do it nuh mih bredrin. We have nothing to lose and so much to gain! And in light of al that we’ve said, it’s time to go home sincerely declaring (chuh man!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our awesome position in Christ Jesus! 

As one strong 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 there’s this added promise; that if we endure to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we ever ask or imagine! Wow! So let’s all promise to meet up there at the very end nuh! Much LOVE!

…living for God is a serious full-time business…and takes serious work and sacrifice… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ        

Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 July 2023 Jeremiah 29:13.

15 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 29:13.       And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

And it’s a cool, cloudy morning, with rain in the offing, but it’s the perfect kind of atmosphere for a lazy-day Saturday my bredrin! Where you don’t need to do anything or go anywhere, but just relax and laze some time away in idle but not evil thinking. (smile) Hopefully though, within that lazy time, we will communicate with our heavenly Father, for although doing nothing is sometimes an option, disregarding Him, is never one! 

And if there’s one thing our heavenly likes better than one on one communication is corporate worship, because it shows Him that there is unity in the body of Christ, and with the general state of the world, that most certainly warms the cockles of His heart. So, let’s communicate with Him right now through our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Oh my people, that prayer never ceases to touch me! I guess because it brings home to me the awesome presence and wonder of our great God spiritually interacting with us with amazing compassion and kindness as we humble ourselves and ask for His grace and mercy. Wow! I hope we realize what an awesome and amazing God we serve, one full of LOVE and tenderness towards His most precious but disobedient creation! 

Yes friends, when you truly seek to know the Lord, you’ll be surprised at the unusual and unexpected places you’ll find Him, see His unerring hand at work. It’ll be so unnatural that you’ll know without a doubt that it’s the hand of God moving in your life! Likewise with little things that will suddenly jump out at you. In the greater scheme of life, they’ll be small and insignificant, but somehow or the other they will make a big impact on you, opening your eyes to miraculous and mysterious ways in which our God moves. 

And one of the reasons I believe we don’t see out God more, or appreciate Him more, is because we tend to look for Him in the big things of life. However, He is more present and available, easier seen in the li’l, seemingly unimportant, everyday aspects of life. And a lazy-day Saturday is just the time to look for Him, to seek Him in all the most unusual and unexpected places. 

Remember what Moses said to the Israelites about repentance and seeking the Lord. ‘But if from thence (their disobedience and idol worship) thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” (Deut. 4:29) And many years later, on the Lord’s behalf, Jeremiah gave the Israelites the same warning, or solution for their problems during their captivity in Babylon. 

‘But I know the thoughts that I have toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord…’ (Jer. 29:11-14) 

Ah friends, the message is still the same today. When we are in distress, when problems overwhelm us, or we’re simply lonely or aimless, whatever the situation, seeking God with our whole hearts is the wisest decision we can make! And how do we seek God with our whole hearts? One commentary gives us this answer: ‘When Jesus gave His life for us on that cross, when God prioritized our salvation above everything else, it wasn’t for us to make Him a side thought. But for us to surrender our lives to Him and embrace the one He has for us. This is how we seek God with our whole heart.’ 

And this other commentary encourages us: ‘God is a God hearing prayer; he listens to the requests of his people, and answers them in his own time and way; which is no small encouragement to pray unto him.’ That’s for sure! If He is our Creator, our Provider, our Heavenly Father and controls all that happens in our lives, it’s only logical and sensible that we need to seek Him out for help in our topsy-turvy lives. 

Seeking and searching are ever so important in our Christian faith my brethren. Jesus set the stage for that when He warned: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Then He followed it up by later declaring (yesss!!!) ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) 

That undoubtedly means that Christians should always be asking, seeking and knocking, looking for the truth in all situations, as well as seeking to open the hearts of others so that they too can know Jesus and seek and serve Him with their whole hearts. Oh my fellow saints, our Christian life is supposed to be one of action, always moving along a path that leads to Jesus, doing our best to personally seek and serve Him, as well as spread the good news of His gospel to the many who have never heard it. 

And we can only do that successfully if we are united, united as one church, one body of Christ. So, let’s begin today by seeking unity amongst ourselves nuh, let’s ask for it, knock on closed doors for it. Let’s desire and actively pursue a unity that will propel Christ’s church to the forefront of this world, its rightful place! Much LOVE!

…to seek…to search…to find…that is the Christian’s duty… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ      

Today’s Scrip-Bit   3 June 2023 Jeremiah 29:13.

03 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 29:13.       And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Well friends, it looks like this lazy-day Saturday is going to be another hot, dry, sunshiny summer’s day. Mother Earth is crying out for some water, for some respite from the lack of heavenly blessings, and I’m crying out for an end to the allergy nonsense that’s been harassing me all week. I haven’t had any allergy problems like this for years, and the sneezing, weepy eyes and runny nose are rather inconvenient and positively annoying. (smile) And the medication only seems to relieve it for such a short time. Chuh! But as they say: that’s life! And we just have to grin and bear it as best we can. 

And by the way, I have decided to use that prayer I shared last Saturday from the In Touch Devotional as our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, since it seems appropriate for a quiet, lazy, relaxing, God-filled day. (smile)  However, unlike our other Scrip-Bit Prayers, this one will come at the beginning rather than at the end. So, without further ado, let’s pray our Lazy-day Saturday Prayer. 

As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Yes mih people! I like it, because it’s calming and soothing and takes us into the presence of God, where we diligently seek to find and know Him, which is exactly what He says He desires of us. And we can find one instance of that scripture in Jeremiah 29, where the Lord promises the Israelites their captivity in Babylon will only last for seventy years, then they will return home. 

‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) 

Yes my fellow believers, our God desires us to seek and search for Him with all our heart, that’s diligently. And what does diligently seeking God mean? ‘It means we keep seeking God until we find Him, not resting until we hear from Him in our situation or circumstance. Doing something “diligently” means doing it energetically and persistently.’ 

Now, how many of us can truly say that’s how we are seeking God eh, if we are seeking Him at all? Are we truly seeking Him with all of our heart, or diligently, in these evil and trying times eh? It’s certainly not as many as ought it to be, otherwise our sway and power, that’s God word in the world would be much stronger. 

And why do we need to seek God, besides His command? This commentary tells it nicely. ‘You long to be noticed, understood, and valued – to feel at home. When we feel out of place – like exiles – God is listening to us. He reminds us of his presence and his promise to bring us home.’ 

Oh, that’s for sure my fellow believers! And it’s just a reflection of our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, where we’re in an uncomfortable, unsure frame of mind, and need assurance of our worth and value, that someone out there truly LOVES and desires the best for us…and that someone is God Almighty! He is the ONLY One that LOVES us in that understanding and unconditional manner. All those others who claim to LOVE us have conditions attached to their LOVE, but not our heavenly Father. 

That’s why we can behave unseemly, inappropriately and His LOVE for us will not change. Oh, we will pay a price for our disobedience, but that doesn’t change His LOVE one iota. Our heavenly Father practices what I believe we call tough LOVE. That’s means His LOVE is steadfast, but you won’t get away with nonsense, you will pay for your disobedience. And oh, how I wish that more of us earthly parents had practiced tough LOVE on this current generation, for they would certainly not have been as irresponsible, entitled and ungodly as they are. But that’s another sermon for another time. (smile) 

And as always, Cousin Sol has something to cover every scripture. For our scripture of diligently seeking God, he says: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) There’s no doubt about that my people! 

And the psalmist in Psalm 91, concurs with all that we’ve been saying, when he wrote these marvellous words of reassurance in our wonderful God. ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life (length of days) will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16) 

Mama Mia! That’s what we get for seeking God diligently and sincerely my faithful brethren! We all want honour and safety and long life and salvation, and we go about seeking it either on our own or through man’s unfaithful help, but the surest way to get that is by sincerely and diligently seeking God. It’s the gospel truth friends! And there’s no better way to end this lazy-day Saturday, than with these astounding words of truth and faith from Jesus as He winds down His Sermon on the Mount. 

He sincerely advises: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt. 7:7-11) 

That says it all friends! And I’m pleading with us, on this lazy-day Saturday, let’s take some time to ponder our relationship to our heavenly Father, consider whether we are truly seeking Him diligently and sincerely, in other words, with all of our hearts, because the quality of our lives depend on it, as that’s what we were made for! Much LOVE!

…God created man…to seek Him…above everything else… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 September 2022 Psalm 105:4.

09 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 105:4.       Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

Oh friends, it’s Friday, and many of us around the world have already shouted that seminal phrase: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But unfortunately, many of us around the world are also mourning the passing yesterday of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, in her 97th year, having reigned for almost 71 consistent years on the throne of Great Britain, after being unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight by the abdication of her uncle and the death of her father. 

Just the numbers alone say a lot, and regardless of how you felt about the Queen herself, her family or the monarchy, you have to admit that we’ve lost one of the very few strong and steadfast leaders in our crazy world. Much of her power has been eroded over the years, but her diplomacy was legendary, and she was undoubtedly the one steady spoke in the wheel that kept the United Kingdom and many parts of the universe from falling apart or going on dangerous strategic runs. 

Let us pray that her son, King Charles III will keep that steadfastness and diplomacy of his mother going, because we desperately need a lot of that in our leaders, instead of the despotic, autocratic and dictatorial attitudes that are currently prevalent. Our sincere condolences to the Royal Family. We forget that they are people just like us, with the same human frailties and feelings. May the Lord receive you into His glory Queen Elizabeth the second! 

Ah mih people, with strife and hatred prevalent in more places around the world than peace and LOVE, it’s sad and frustrating to lose one of the few people who sincerely tried to keep matters on an even keel. But that’s life, we all have to go home to our Maker one day, and the world goes on in whatever fashion without us. And much to our chagrin, very few leaders in this day and age can be said to have made a positive difference in the lives of their people, and in the world in general. 

It’s interesting to note that the U.K now has a new King, or titular leader, and also a new Prime Minister, or active leader, a female at that. Hopefully that’s a sign for better days to come. In the meanwhile though, all of us plebs, (smile) must continue to do as the psalmist advises in Psalm 105. ‘Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth.’ (Ps. 105:4-5) 

Yes friends, seeking God’s face and remembering all that He’s done in our lives is extremely important, especially in times of serious change like our world is currently experiencing. That’s because the Lord God Almighty is the One who has brought us this far, and who will determine our future by our righteousness. 

Remember the promise of God the prophet Jeremiah made to the people of Israel, when they were in captivity in Babylon? ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) 

Oh my brethren, that is exactly what the Lord is saying to us today too. We desperately need to come to Him with full surrender and trust, seek Him with all our hearts, if we want our world to be improved. There are no ifs, ands, and buts about that! Only if we sincerely seek the face of the Lord God Jehovah, turn away from all the evil idols we’re currently worshipping, give up all the ungodly things of the world that are still so much a part of our lives, will we ever find the One, True, Living God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! 

Jesus also made that very clear when He commanded us: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 16:33) All of us know that foundational scripture, yet we refuse to practice it. Instead, we continue running down the things of the world like wealth and power, on our own. That’s the total opposite of what Jesus taught and what the heavenly Father expects. And please don’t think that because you are a Christian you cannot possess a lot of the earth’s wealth and power, because there are a lot of rich and powerful believers in the world, but you just have to do it according to the Lord’s will and timing. 

And it is of the utmost importance that we read, know, inwardly digest and practice these words of scripture from the first epistle of John. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17) 

Ah my fellow saints, when are we going to stop paying lip service to our God and His will eh? When are we going to begin taking His edicts and promises very seriously eh, and realize that a lot of our current suffering rests on our own sinful and ungodly desires and behaviour? Until we wake up and be transformed in our minds and actions, our world will continue to go down the drain in spectacular fashion. So, having said all of that that, the first thing on our agenda of change, is prayer. So, in confident but humble voice, let’s go to the throne of God, through our Friday Chant and ask for His benevolent help. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the viruses and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And if we sincerely want divine help, then we must keep our promises, and have right motives in our hearts. Much LOVE!

…true leaders lead by example…as Jesus did…not by deceit or force…as Satan does… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​       

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 March 2021 Jeremiah 29:13.

22 Mar 2021 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 29:13.     And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Rise and shine mih beauties! It’s another awesome day in God’s great universe! Blazing sunshine and warm temps! (smile) And be it known that His universe is unfurling exactly as He has planned it; with all sorts of new compassions and mercies made just for today! Wow! Yes friends, in God’s economy we don’t get any stale stuff, everything is brand new every day! (smile) 

But with those divine blessings, He does expect our faith and trust in Him, to grow with each passing day, and our total surrender of our will to His, just like Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before His crucifixion. ‘O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.’ (Matt. 26:42) 

Now that’s the kind of spiritual maturity that our God desires of each of us! Our faith and trust in Him must be so strong that we don’t doubt whatever plan He has in mind for us, knowing deep down that it will indeed be a good one, even though it may be filled with some rough times thrown in for good measure. (smile) Yes precious people, when we truly believe, we don’t doubt the goodness of God towards us. 

The following scriptures faithfully promise us His fatherly goodness and LOVE. Hear Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Oh mih bredrin, God is in the process of working everything out for good, but those of us who are called to do His bidding, and who LOVE Him no matter what, are best able to appreciate that fact. 

Meanwhile Jeremiah puts it this way to God’s chosen people of Israel, while they were held captive in Babylon. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) 

And Jesus, while teaching on judgemental behaviour and prayer, wraps it up thus: ‘Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt. 9-11) 

Yes my people, if we with our sinful nature are kind to our children, why wouldn’t our heavenly Father be kind to us eh? No reason whatsoever! But it all boils down to our coming to Him in sincerity and truth. As Jesus said earlier on: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) Words of divine wisdom friends! 

But we didn’t even need Jesus to tell us that nuh, because Jeremiah had said it long before that on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) Oh my fellow saints, how much clearer and plainer can our God put it eh? He has good plans and gifts for us, but we need to sincerely seek Him with hearts whose motives are pure. Then we’ll find Him, and He’ll listen to our requests. 

And the author of Hebrews tells us very clearly that because we have a high priest in Jesus up in heaven who can empathize with all our weaknesses, because He also suffered serious affliction: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in our time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) 

And the website christiantoday.com has an interesting article that gives us this very appropriate info. ‘The Bible encourages, even urges us to come boldly to the throne of grace, most especially for mercy and grace that we will need in trying times. Many of us know that we should do that, but many of us don’t, because we either don’t know how, or perhaps just feel like we cannot do that even if we wanted to. 

Whenever we refuse to come boldly before the throne, we deprive ourselves of our own needs. We deprive ourselves of the privileges that were already purchased for us. We deny ourselves the joy of coming to our own Father who LOVES us, waits for us to come, and longs to bless us with all the heavenly blessings in Christ (see Ephesians 1:3).’ 

Truer words were never spoken friends. So, in these ever so trying times that we’re currently experiencing, since our efforts have not met with any success, let’s go to God nuh, let’s seek Him with sincere and pure hearts, because deep down we know that we can’t do much without His divine help. And we have the perfect vehicle for that sincere gesture, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

So confidently, yet humbly, as one strong and sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

Now our next move is to prove to God that we are truly sincere, not just mouthing empty words. And as believers in Christ, we all know how to do that! Much LOVE!

…our heavenly Father has already come to us…through Jesus…now He’s waiting for us to come to Him…through Jesus… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8     

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries