21 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a kind word, after you, better world, Christ's Church, Christian living, Christian soldiers, disaster, dissension, division, each one, faith, fellowship, handshake, harmony, healing, Holy Ghost, hug, humble apologies, knowledge, live better, marching to war, maturity in Christ Jesus, miracles, misfortune, old hymn, power of the holy spirit, principles of jesus, sense of oneness, sense of togetherness, smile, speaking in tongues, spirituality, testimony, thank you, tornados, treat one better, unity of the Holy Spirit, wisdom
Acts 2:4. And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
‘Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war. With the cross of Jesus, going on before.’
Oh Friends and fellow believers, are we living the kind of life that old hymn depicts? Is the testimony of our lives reflecting the principles of Jesus embedded in it? Do our actions verify the words we speak?
I would like to think so, but from the sad and sorry state of our world, our church and our individual lives, it just doesn’t seem so. For there is no way that we could ever be living a godly life and yet be engulfed in so much misfortune and disaster on a worldwide scale.
Just look at the many natural disasters that are occurring, and with increasing frequency too. Recent examples of just this past weekend are the terrible tornados that touched down in Oklahoma, reputedly killing 51 people. Then we had snow in Newfoundland; 58 centimetres in 36 hours, beating the record of 49 centimetres for the whole month of May. There were also serious snowstorms in the U.S Midwest, and the Canadian Province of Manitoba.
The natural disasters just keep happening. And I won’t even bother to mention the many man-made ones, for we see, hear about, and experience them every day.
Oh Friends, this is a wake up call! For if we want to live in a better world, or see our children live in one, then we absolutely have to live better with each other, starting RIGHT NOW.
And the great thing is that it doesn’t have to increase by leaps and bounds and all at once. That would be highly unrealistic. A little bit each and every day is fine. If each of us decided that every day we’d treat at least one person we come into contact with decently, you wouldn’t believe the great multiplier effect it would have.
A good motto would be: Each one, treat one better every day. And it doesn’t have to be anything special, or anything we go to great lengths to do or provide. A simple handshake, a hug, a smile, a kind word, a ‘thank you’, or ‘after you’, or ‘I appreciate that’ will do.
Those simple, decent, everyday things will eventually forge a harmony, a sense of togetherness in mankind, the way Jesus desires. That’s why He sends His Holy Spirit to indwell us when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour. The Holy Spirit is supposed to bring a sense of oneness, of fellowship, of belonging to the same body, Christ’s church.
But unfortunately we don’t seem to be using it for that purpose, because the great amount of dissension and division currently present in Christ’s church certainly doesn’t reflect that unity of the Holy Spirit.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’
Yes my brethren, such is the power of the Holy Spirit, that it can work many wonders in us, and also cause us to work many wonders!
In 1 Corinthians chapter 12 – please read it for yourself – Bruh Paul talks about the spiritual gifts given to each of us; whether it be wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, the working of miracles, etc. etc.
‘But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing (distributing) to every man severally (individually) as he will.’ (1 Cor.12:11)
Each of us has a special gift or gifts given to us, but it all comes from the same, the one and only Holy Spirit of Christ. Just like our physical bodies have different parts to perform different functions, likewise we have individual gifts to do certain things, which in concert, are expected to bring together and solidify the necessary aspects and functions of Christ’s church here on earth.
Bruh Paul spells that out for us in 1 Corinthians 12. ‘For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into the one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slaves) or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.’ (1 Cor.12:12-13)
That’s why my fellow believers, it is so important to use those gifts we’ve been given. We can only spread God’s Word, increase His kingdom and thus glorify Him by doing the things He’s gifted and entrusted us to do.
If we don’t, then we won’t be able to fulfill the mandate given to us by Christ: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
But until we understand what the Holy Spirit is all about, how it works in us, and how we’re supposed to use it, we won’t be able to maximize its resources and great potential. That statement leads me to chuckle, because I had fully intended to continue explaining the two basic aspects of the Holy Spirit; baptism, as we read yesterday, and the filling and regeneration today. But obviously I got somewhat sidetracked. (smile)
But that’s okay, because we still dealt with the topic of the Holy Spirit. And anything we can learn about it is going to prove invaluable in all areas of our well being, be it physical, or spiritual, earthly or heavenly. So I’m asking us to please remember that the Good Book and the Holy Spirit are the two main tools we have for wise Christian living on this ungodly earth.
More on the Holy Spirit tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, please walk safely, using the tools and gifts the Lord has given us to enable us to LOVE Him, LIVE our Faith, and to SPREAD His Holy Word. Much LOVE!
…our maturity in Christ…depends in direct proportion to how we use our gifts and tools…
P.S. The Bit’s somewhat late because I got up late. Stayed up till some ungodly hour watching hockey. Please accept my most humble apologies. (smile) Much LOVE!
20 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty creator, aura of love, baptism of the Holy Spirit, confidence, Cornelius the centurion, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, energy, Holy Ghost, humble servants, infinite wisdom, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, New Covenant, Pentecost, Queen Victoria, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, speaking in tongues, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, truth, useful purpose, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, wonderful god
Acts 2:4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday! And I receive two different reactions to that news: An irritable ‘Chuh! Steups!’ from those who had to get up and go to work. While those with the day off in honour of Queen Victoria, exhaled a grateful sigh of relief, turned off their alarms, rolled over and uttered an enthusiastic, ‘Thank You Lord!’
But what can I say eh Friends? Them’s the breaks. You win some, you lose some, but it will all work out for our good in the end, as our wonderful God has so faithfully promised. (Rom.8:28) Anyway, in solidarity with those who have to venture out to the battlefield of work today, let’s all sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to help them go out there safely, brimming with confidence and energy.
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!’
And a word of warning to those who are not going to work; please don’t get too smug and reckless in any celebrations today, because the enemy never takes even one minute off. He’s always on the prowl for ways to cause our downfall. So please remember Granny’s advice: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’
And here are the answers to the Bible questions I posed yesterday. Re the most frequently mentioned woman, between Eve, Sarah, the Virgin Mary and Rachel? That’s Sarah! And as to the most frequently mentioned man other than Jesus, between Bruh David, Moses, Abraham and Bruh Paul? The winner, hands down was Bruh David! (smile)
Now let’s look at our Bit. ‘And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’
And what I want to do today, is offer some enlightenment, some information on the workings of the Holy Spirit. The scholars have provided me with so much info, in different places and contexts, let’s see if I can pull it together and make a coherent whole, so that even the newest believer can get a decent understanding of that miraculous force and power that indwells him.
Now there are two basic acts or parts to the Holy Spirit; baptism and then the filling and regeneration. Baptism occurs when a person receives Christ as Lord and Saviour. As per the scholars: ‘that’s the act by which Jesus, through the Spirit, at conversion brings the believer into relation with Himself and makes the believer part of God’s people, the church.’
We can attest to that from John telling the Pharisees and Sadducees who enquired about his baptism: ‘I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.’ (Matt.3:11)
The scholars further explain that ‘John’s baptism in water was not Christian baptism. The death and resurrection of Christ had not yet occurred in order to be depicted by this baptism. John’s baptism was similar to the Old Testament offerings (washings) that symbolized a cleansing of personal repentance on the part of the believer. Notice that Jesus submitted to this baptism to “fulfill all righteousness.” (v 15)’
That’s when Jesus came to John to be baptized. ‘But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer (allow) it to be so now: for thus it becometh us (is fitting for us) to fulfill all righteousness. Then he (John) suffered (allowed) him.’ Matt.3:14-15)
The scholars then explain Jesus’ baptism by John thus: ‘By identifying Himself with those He came to redeem, Jesus inaugurated His public ministry as the Messiah. In regard to the Jewish religious observances, such as synagogue worship, attendance at feasts, and payment of the temple tax, Jesus always met the duties of a faithful Jew.’
So although, He came to provide a New Covenant, a new way of life, He always met the requisites of the Old, once it did not contradict or contravene His moral requirements.
And we’ll look at one more passage of scripture that deals with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That’s when Peter is rebuked by the Jewish Christians for hobnobbing with the Gentiles at Cornelius the centurion’s house. (Acts 10)
In his defence, Peter states: ‘And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. (Pentecost) Then remembered I the word of the Lord how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?’ (Acts 11:15-17)
And that’s a very good question my Friends. Who are we, mere mortals, that we should try to withstand the Living God, Creator of the universe and all therein?
Enough for today though. Let’s now read, mark and inwardly digest all that we’ve heard today, and come back for more tomorrow, God in favour of course. Because it’s ever so important that we learn as much as possible about that mighty power that lives and works in us, the Holy Spirit. Much LOVE!
…in His infinite wisdom…the Father marks us as His…by putting His wondrous Spirit in us…to lead and guide us in all truth…
19 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bajie, baptized, calaloo, christianity, church, cut to the heart, danced before the Lord, fry plantain, heavenly Father, holy spirit, humble position, joy in heaven, moving experience, one purpose, Pentecost, Pentecost Prayer Breakfast, praise, prayer, remission of sins, rushing mighty wind, speak in tongues, spinach, spiritual joy, straight and narrow path, walk of faith, worship
Acts 2:1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose or mind) in one place.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, our wonderful God does move in mysterious ways yes! Remember yesterday I opened by talking about what we were going to do? Well I completely forgot about my own plans. Hn, hn! And that was to attend the First Annual Pentecost Prayer Breakfast held by my church. Praise the Lord! Now it wasn’t a large gathering, about forty or fifty people, but believe me Friends, there certainly was much joy in heaven as we celebrated. There was good music, so we sang and clapped and danced before the Lord, with spiritual joy, (smile) like Bruh David did when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. (2 Sam.6:14) We prayed, praised and worshipped, and last but not least, we enjoyed some good food. The food was as varied as the congregation, with North American staples like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and pancakes. And I’ve saved the best for last, the West Indian fare of Jamaican style calaloo, called ‘bajie’ in T&T, really spinach, ackee and saltfish, green bananas and fried plantain. And though the plantain wasn’t as ripe as I prefer it, fried plantain is fried plantain. (smile) Obviously all the other ancillary stuff was present, like tea, coffee, juice, fruit and cakes. We even had a multiple choice quiz to see how well we knew the Bible. Here are two of the questions. Which of the following is the most frequently mentioned woman in the Bible: Eve, Sarah, The Virgin May, or Rachel? And who is the most frequently mentioned man, after Jesus Himself in the Bible: Bruh David, Moses, Abraham or Bruh Paul? Ponder them. I’ll give you the answers tomorrow. Oh my fellow believers, a fine time was definitely had by all. The most important aspect though is that God’s people joyfully fellowshipped together in His house -a room off the main sanctuary- and hopefully, no, not hopefully, but surely the Holy Spirit moved some of us, touched some hearts, inspired us to come up higher, just like it moved the disciples two thousand years ago on that fateful Day of Pentecost. I don’t believe any of us went home speaking in tongues though, (smile) but the attitudes and the atmosphere were as close to true Christianity as we can get. Oh, if we could only have more of that, even a li’l more on a regular basis from God’s people, our world would certainly improve by leaps and bounds, and there would also be much more joy in heaven on a regular basis. But in my humble position, all I can do is natter in our ears, and try to set a good example myself, hoping that the Holy Spirit will then convict us and get us going along the right path, the straight and narrow one, at the end of which we shall come face to face with our heavenly Father and all the other saints who have gone home before us. Oh what a day of rejoicing that will be my brethren! But until then, we’ll just have to make do with what we have, which is still a lot. Much like that day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first came to indwell the apostles and other believers on a permanent basis. Our Bit leads us in to that momentous occasion: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose or mind) in one place.’ And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4) Ah mih people, that undoubtedly was a real moving experience! The atmosphere was certainly electric, with foreign born residents of Jerusalem hearing the apostles speak in their native languages. ‘And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?’ (Acts 2:7) They were so amazed and ‘confuffled”, wondering what it all meant, even believing that the apostles were drunk. But Peter, fully strengthened by the Holy Spirit got up and preached his famous sermon to the gathered multitude, telling them that it was too early in the day for them to be drunk, but it was the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. You can read Peter’s speech for yourselves. (Acts 2:17-36) And the Holy Spirit was so convincing through Peter’s words, that when the crowd heard it, ‘they were pricked in their (cut to the) heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord shall call.’ (Acts 2:37-39) Ah Friends, there certainly is enormous power in the Holy Spirit! And that Day of Pentecost was a perfect example, as the Good Book tells us: ‘Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.’ (Acts 2:41-42) Yes my brethren, three thousand souls received Christ on that awesome day and were saved. Glory Hallelujah! Now Friends, it’s time for us to ponder, to search our hearts and see if we are making proper use of that powerful Holy Spirit that indwells us. Are we using it to improve our Christian walk of faith, our maturity? And just as importantly, are we using it, to the best of our ability, to bring others to a saving grace in Christ? Let’s try and ascertain true answers to those two questions today nuh, then ask God for help to improve in whatever area(s) we need to. Much LOVE!…the power of the Holy Spirit working in man….can do Christ-like things…move mountains, or people…let’s learn to use it to advance God’s kingdom…
18 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a furious man, abundant wisdom, an angry man, anger, bickering, bitter pills, bitterness, busyness, charcoal, coal-pot, coals, contented, contention, forgiveness, God's handiwork, happy, human-rights, impatience, LOVE, mercy, mistrust, molten lava, nature, negative emotions, obedience, peace, petty actions, prince of darkness, resentment, rumours of wars, satisfied, selflessness, spirit of LOVE, spirituality, stirs up strife, strife, transgressions, troubles, wars, worthwhile attributes
Proverbs 29:22. An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.
‘Saturday, O glorious Saturday! What shall we do this Saturday eh? Take a walk in the park, or a drive out into the country and admire God’s handiwork in nature? Visit the open air markets and country fairs? Or just sit at home and do nothing, relax, take a break from the madding crowd that’s out and about this weekend?’ Oh Friends, there are any number of things we can do today, but there’s just one proviso to whatever it is we intend to do; make sure it includes Jehovah God, for without His active involvement, our actions have the sure potential to turn into disasters. And here’s an interesting quote from an anonymous source. ‘When you dig another out of trouble, you find a place to bury your own.’ And that’s oh so true, my people! I’ve experienced it, and so have many of you. When you help someone with their troubles, yours just seem to naturally fade into the background, at least for the time that you’re helping the other person. Then you’re more concerned with the unfortunate plight of your fellow man, than with your own. But this act of helping must be done out of selflessness, and not merely because it’s the right thing to do, or it will make us look good. That’s because helping others is an integral part of our faith and our general mission in life as followers of Jesus. We have to do it from a spirit of LOVE and obedience. Remember the Good Book tells us that Jesus spent His days going about doing good and healing people, (Acts 10:38) and so too should we. But unfortunately that’s not always possible on account of the negative attitudes some of us hold, as our Bit so wisely points out. ‘An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.’ That’s the gospel truth Friends, as many, or most of us can attest to, since we’ve been there and done that. Oh my fellow believers, anger is a dreadful poison. It’s possibly the most potent weapon in Lucifer’s arsenal, since so much negativity flows from it. Just look at all the turmoil and strife in the world right now; the many wars and rumours of wars, the mistrust and contention, most of it can be traced right back to anger. And too often that anger has been passed down through the ages, constantly simmering and flowing out like molten lava from a volcano. It’s so prevalent that in many cases the ones involved in the strife today couldn’t tell you why there’s such antagonism between their neighbours and themselves, just that it has always existed. And the sad part is that oftimes it began over some petty action or remark, but the human spirit is so aggressive and warlike in its natural state that the strife has been handed down through numerous generations. Friends, I’m putting it to us today that that’s no way to live! Unfortunately though, our world is currently programmed to produce anger: what with the sorry downturn in all areas of our once so prosperous lives, the busyness and inherent impatience born of that same busyness, as well as the egotistical pride and selfishness that’s running rampant. It’s a veritable breeding ground for instability, lack of self-disciple and control. And an angry man is certainly an unstable man. When we’re angry is the worse time to make important decisions, for then our out-of-sync emotions are in control instead of our reason, and we’re liable to do all kinds of crazy, negative things. That means, as the second half of our Bit points out, we’re liable to engage in much wrongdoing, since then it’s the prince of darkness who’s controlling our sprits and not God or wise reason. Cousin Sol wrote an interesting analogy earlier on in Proverbs 26. ‘As coals (charcoal) are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.’ (Prov.26:21) And there’s a whole lot of truth to that statement Friends! Most of the young people nowadays won’t even know what coals or charcoal are. I don’t even know for sure how the coals was made, since I was a town boy (smile) and we just bought the ready made coals to fire up the coal-pot. I just know that it was made from burning wood in some form and fashion. And a lot of people would contend that food cooked on a coal-pot or wood fire, tastes sweeter than that cooked on a stove, that’s why so many people are enamoured of their barbecues. But as far as I know the new fangled coals used in barbecues is somewhat different to what we grew up with in the West Indies. But just as coals and wood are very combustible, likewise a bickering, contentious, unreasonable person has a great tendency to cause or kindle strife. And what does strife do? Just cause negative things like bitterness, resentment, hatred, anxiety and fear to creep into our souls and set up shop. And once we have those negative emotions festering in us, we can never be satisfied, contented or happy, and will therefore be unable to lead a productive life based on the teachings and principles of Jesus. And Friends, that’s definitely no way to live this earthly life! It’s rough enough without us making it rougher. That’s why it’s so important to stay away from strife, anger and all the bitter pills they produce, as well as the people who like to induce them. Listen to this guideline Cousin Sol gives on the subject. ‘A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife (contention).’ (Prov.15:18) But my people the only sure way to avoid and/ or control that negativity caused by those emotions of darkness is to immerse ourselves in the body of Jesus; accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, read His Word, learn His statutes, and try to live our lives using His earthly sojourn as our example. When we do that, then the myriad of negative emotions won’t have any place in our lives. Instead, worthwhile attributes like peace, LOVE, mercy and forgiveness will reign supreme in our souls. So please, let’s seriously consider today, what part anger and its negative counterparts play in our lives, and penitently ask the Lord to help us get rid of them, so we can walk in the brilliant light of His Son Jesus Christ. Therein lies abundant wisdom! Much LOVE!… the best way to avoid the dangers of anger…truly LOVE our God… sincerely LIVE our Faith…and diligently SPREAD His Word…
17 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: apostasy, British Commonwealth, confusion, damnation, death, deliverance, dominion over us, drunk or sober, fellowship, Friday chant, frogiveness, glorious kingdom, God never changes, God's Sovereignty, great god almighty, humbled themselves, humility, hymn of praise, let our hair down, long weekend, longevity, mercy, negativity, obedience, Old Testament, one true God, other gods, prosperity, Queen Victoria, relaxation, repentance, rest, reverence, sonny boy, starting prescription, sufficent fun, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, times of celebration, transgression, turmoil, wrath, yoke of burden
Isaiah 26:13. O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, the day that heralds the coming of the weekend! And a mighty shout rises from the people: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank Him that work will soon be done for another week! Thank You great God Almighty!’
And in the British Commonwealth of Nations, this shout is going to be even louder today, because it’s a long weekend in celebration of Queen Victoria’s (1819-1901) birthday on Monday. She reigned for some 63 years, from 1837 to her death, longer than any other British monarch. The current Queen Elizabeth I believe has just hit her sixtieth year on the throne.
Anyway, that means many people won’t be going back to work until Tuesday, which brings us the need for Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, remember, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ (smile) Yes Friends, we have to be very careful when we we’re celebrating this weekend, because it’s usually in times of celebration, when we let our hair down, that the ole scoundrel Lucifer manages to finagle his way into our souls and cause us to disobey God.
But luckily we have a starting prescription for that problem, our Friday Chant. So let’s chant it now and set the right tone for the upcoming weekend. ‘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.’
Now remember Friends, that’s only the opening prescription. You also have to take other stuff like praying, reading the Good Book and fellowshipping with other believers, if you want to keep away the wiles and lies of the enemy this long weekend.
And we seem to have a rather appropriate Bit to help us do that, taken from Isaiah’s hymn of praise for Israel. ‘O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.’
Yes my brethren, it’s high time to cast aside all the other gods, worldly idols and images which have kept us away from the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! For without a doubt, that disobedience is what’s ruining our lives in this modern age.
And remember too that our God, His Word and dictates never change. So if He said long ago, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me,’ (Ex.20:3) then that admonition still prevails today. And we’ll consider a pertinent example from the Old Testament of how our God works when we don’t obey.
It’s in the time of Rehoboam, Cousin Sol’s son, who reigned after him. Foolishly, Rehoboam increased the yoke of burden on the people, and eventually those of the kingdom of Israel rebelled against the house of Bruh David. But Rehoboam continued reigning in the kingdom of Judah.
Now this is the telling passage. ‘And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.’ (2 Chr.12:1) So you can imagine the apostasy and the sinful living and whatever that went on then.
But Friends, as the old people were wisely wont to say; ‘time longer than twine.’ And as usual, they were right, for as the Good Book declares: ‘And it came to pass that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord.’ (2 Chr.12:2)
Yes my brethren, the Lord did not allow Judah to go a whoring forever, just for five years. ‘And he (Shishak) took the fenced (fortified) cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them,
Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, the Lord is righteous. And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying,
They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know (distinguish) my service and (from) the service of the kingdoms of the countries.’ (2 Chr.12:4-8)
Oh Friends, our God doesn’t make jokes over His sovereignty! Please remember that. He might put up with our shenanigans for a while, but sooner or later He’ll take us to task. As in Rehoboam’s case, Shishak took away all his treasure, even the gold shields that Cousin Sol had made, leaving Rehoboam to make shields of brass, and not very many either, as the Good Book describes. (2 Chr.12:9-11)
So my fellow believers, unless you’re thoroughly blind, you can see that a lot of the negativity, the turmoil and confusion that’s currently engulfing our world is a direct result of our constant and wilful disobedience to God’s Word. We have to band together and bring the world back to its Creator. For He’s very willing, able and exceedingly glad to grant mercy and forgiveness to those who turn to Him in sincere repentance.
A fact that’s proven by this scripture. ‘And when he (Rehoboam) humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.’ (2 Chr.12:12)
So if we want things to start going right with our world again, we have to cause and/or encourage, repentance, humility and reverence to be brought before Almighty God. Now that’s certainly wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…the equations are simple…obedience to God’s law equals prosperity and longevity…disobedience to it equals wrath, death and damnation…
16 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: atonement for sins, awesome truth, blessings, burnt offerings, christianity, contrite hearts, faith, forgiveness, formalism, heart reality, loving kindness, mercy, one more day, one more morning, path to righteousness, peace offerings, penitence, psalm 40, reception of God's goodness, sacrifices, showers of grace, sin offerings, truly blessed, unblemished Lamb of God, understanding, walk humbly, windows of heaven, wisdom
Psalm 40:6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire: mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
And the choir sang: ‘One more morning, One more day. Filled with blessings and mercies new. One more morning, One more day. The Lord’s opened the windows of heaven, and sent us grace, through forgiveness; sufficient for One more morning, One more day.’ Oh Friends, are we ready to receive the steady showers of grace, mercy, blessings and forgiveness that our wonderful God is preparing to rain down on us today? I surely hope so. Because, if we’re not, then we’ll be missing something very special in our lives, something only believers can experience and receive. And therein lies the rub; the reception of God’s goodness. Many of us know and talk about it, but don’t really receive it. And that part is solely up to us. It’s just like if someone offers us something physical. If we don’t accept and receive it, we’ll never have it. It’s the same principle with God’s LOVING-kindness, only this time it’s spiritual and not physical offerings, but you still have to actually receive it in and by faith. A good example is when we ask for forgiveness, the Lord grants it, but until we acknowledge it ourselves, and actually feel forgiven, the forgiveness is wasted. So it’s essential that each and everyday, we brace ourselves to sincerely receive God’s grace, mercy and blessings through our faith and the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us. That will enable us to get on and stay on the path to righteousness. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’ And in passing, I’d like to say that the weatherman actually got it right yesterday, because by mid-morning the sun had come our bright and sparkling, though the wind played a hard and fast tune all day. Hurrah for the weatherman! (smile) When he screws up, we let him know, so in all fairness we should applaud him when he gets it right. And he says it’s going to be hot and sunny again today. Let’s hope he can get it right two days straight. And now turning to our Bit: ‘ Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire: mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.’ Words of awesome truth my brethren! Sacrificing things or animals doesn’t cut it with our God. As we saw yesterday, it’s our penitent and contrite hearts and minds that He’s interested in. Today, we’ll continue to highlight scriptures that deal with this fact. Listen to the prophet Amos on God’s behalf, in a call to repentance. ‘I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell (savour) in your solemn (sacred) assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols (stringed instruments). But let judgement (justice) run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.’ (Amos 5:21-24) That’s surely telling us eh! The scholars explain that scripture thus. ‘I hate, I despise your feast days: Religious activity without heart reality is repugnant to God. God-ordained forms of worship and religious expression without heart reality become only nauseating, empty formalism: and they anger rather than appease God.’ Truth in spades my people! And if we read Hebrews 10:1-18, we’ll find the subject discussed in greater detail, where we see Jesus, the unblemished Lamb of God, being the once and for all time atonement for sin. Hear the Good Book: ‘But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.’ (Heb.10:3-4) And that’s the honest truth! Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices for the remission of sins had to be made every year. But God, in His infinite wisdom did away with that under the New Covenant, where Christ atoned for the sins of ALL mankind for ALL time. We surely are wonderfully blessed, my fellow believers! There’s no other faith but Christianity where forgiveness of sins can be had by contrite repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. What a kind and caring God we worship! So I can’t understand why we’re so bent on removing Him from our society. He is the One who created us, cares for us, causes us to get health, wealth, peace, wisdom and understanding. And have you noticed that since we embarked on the erroneous task of removing God from our lives, that we’ve had much less of all those things mentioned above. Everything has gone into a deathlike tailspin because God is the One who causes all of that to happen, and if we’re not dealing consistently and truthfully with Him, then He’ll obviously stop blessing us. Now let’s end with another very informative and telling scripture. This from the prophet Micah, re the requirement of the Lord. ‘Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body (my own child) for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God.’ (Mic.6:6-8) That says it all Friends! So today, let’s ponder our individual situations and see how we shape up per those requirements, then ask the Lord to help us rectify whatever is wrong in that respect. That’s truly wisdom of the highest order. Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…or else he’ll pay an exorbitant price for his disobedience…
15 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: amazing, awesome, broken spirit, burnt offerings, christianity, contrite heart, divination, forgiveness, glory, God's people, God-given day, going backward, grace, Living Lord, majesty, mercy, might, obedience, obey my voice, our great God, Praise the Lord, psalm 40, sacrifices, Samuel, Saul, shiver of joy, shout of joy, sin offering, soul smile, state of confusion, stubbornness, theology, total obdience, turmoil, weather service
Psalm 40:6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering has thou not required.
And here we are again Friends, alive and kicking on another God-given day here on Planet Earth. My kicking is a bit less than normal though, for I apparently have the cold or my allergies are in full swing, been sneezing and blowing ever since I came down to write. But that won’t stop anything really, just make it a tad inconvenient. And I wonder what’s happening with our weather service. Yesterday it said that today would be rainy in my area, and outside it is raining, but as I turned on the computer just now and looked at the forecast, it says bright and sunny all day with a high temp of 21. Ah Lord eh! But yuh know what? The sun is shining beautifully in many other parts of the world, and although I may not be able to see it, I know for sure that it’s somewhere up there, as it has been for ages, and will continue to be, until our great God decides otherwise. And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of joy: ‘Praise the Living Lord, for He is most worthy to be praised!’ And that’s a veritable fact my people! He is so awesome and amazing in might and glory, power and majesty, that there is NONE like Him, NEVER was, and NEVER will be! And today we have a Bit which tells us exactly what He does not require of us: ‘Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering has thou not required.’ Now that’s as close to the truth as we’ll ever get my brethren! And while looking for a Bit just now, when my eyes beheld that verse, a little shiver of joy passed through my soul (smile) because I knew that it’s something we desperately need to address in this modern society, and that there were several Bible verses that dealt with it. Now let’s look at some of those verses. And I guess the first and possibly best known comes from Samuel, when Saul, Israel’s first king did not completely obey the Lord’s command to totally destroy the Amalekites and all their belongings. Instead Saul kept the king alive and some of the choicest livestock, ostensibly to use as burnt offerings and sacrifices to God. But as Samuel later informed him: ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam.15:23-24) Yuh see mih people, Saul lost the Lord’s favour and his kingship by simply not obeying the totality of His commands! That’s what happens when we disobey, or are not totally obedient to the Lord’s directives. Then we have Bruh David solemnly declaring in Psalm 51, his prayer for cleansing, after the prophet Nathan draped him up for his affair with Bathsheba. ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps.51:15-17) Yes my brethren, what the Lord desires from us is a repentant heart and spirit coming to him in sincerity and truth, not offering other stuff as atonement for our disgusting sins. From our own hearts, souls and minds is where He expects the regret to come. And I like the way the Lord say it through Jeremiah. ‘To what purpose cometh there to me incense (frankincense) from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.’ (Jer.6:20) Now here’s the last scripture for today. It comes from Jeremiah, from a section dealing with the punishment for Judah’s rebellion. ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Put (add) your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.’ (Jer.7:21-24) Oh Friends, does that ring a bell? It should, and very loudly too, because it’s the same thing we are doing today! We have not listened to the Lord, in fact have tried to take Him out of our society, and as a result we’re going backward, not forward, with our world and many of our individual lives in a state of terrible confusion and turmoil. And we’ll close with this appropriate explanation from the scholars. ‘These verses do not minimize the importance of the Old Testament sacrifices, but call attention to the necessity of the believer living a life of total obedience and devotion to God. The Scriptures consistently teach that religious observances devoid of spiritual reality are worthless. (cf. 1 Sam.15:22-23; Ps.40:6-8; Is.1:10-20; Mic.6:8) So Friends, today, let’s ponder our individual situations and see if we’re in total obedience to God’s will. And if not, then let’s come before Him with a penitent heart and contrite spirit and ask for His forgiveness, mercy and grace. That’s wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!…the three requirement for following God…obedience…obedience…obedience…
14 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: awesome advice, best friend, blame someone else, broken, busyness of the world, cares of the world, cast your cares on God, christianity, comfort, computer problems, faithful proclamation, glorious morn, grace, grateful acknowledgement, humble, humility, impatience, jehovah god, let go and let God, LOVE, patiently waiting, psalm 138, resist the devil, salvation, sick, suffering, the Magnificat, theology, unconditional LOVE, undeniable truth
Psalm 138:6. Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
Oh Friends, what a glorious morn is breaking out there this Tuesday in mid May! Are we so excited to greet this new day that we can’t bear the excitement? (smile) Though the cares of the world beset us before and behind, we should always have a decent amount of excitement and expectation going as each new day dawns. And now these last two and most important questions. Have we told Jehovah God that we LOVE Him, and thanked Him for bringing us safely through the dark night, then awakening us with strength to face the day, to do His will? And also, have we sincerely asked Him to guide us through the day, then believe that He will? Now if the answers to all those questions are in the affirmative, then we’re ready to begin the day on the right foot. But here’s what happens to us a lot of time in our communication with our heavenly Father. It’s stated in a poem taken from the Hour of Power Devotional by Dr. Robert H. Schuller. The title is ‘Let go and Let God.’ Awesome advice Friends! The poem says: ‘As children bring their toys with tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God, because He was my best Friend. But then, instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back and cried; “How can you be so slow? “My child,” He said, “what could I do? You never did let go.’ What undeniable truth my brethren! And we don’t only do that with God, but with most of our earthly acquaintances too. We’re always so busy and in such a rush in this modern life that we need stuff done yesterday. We’re always looking over the shoulders of those doing stuff for us because we’re so impatient. Waiting, or rather patiently waiting is definitely not a trait of this society. The problem though, is that we never see ourselves as the problem. It’s always someone else’s fault, as we saw in the poem. But if we follow the busyness of the world and don’t wisely develop that wonderful trait termed patience, then we’ll just have to pay whatever price is demanded for our impatience. And many of us do just that. But please remember that too many cooks spoil the broth, and besides the Lord’s not there to simply run and jump at our beck and call. Anyway, let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto (He regards) the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.’ Hopefully today will be the last day for this one. I never expected it to run for so long, but every day the Spirit guided me to include something else. So we’ll continue looking at some scripture that talks about God choosing the humble and lowly to do His great work. And one of the most significant of His choices is Mary, the Mother of His incarnate Son Jesus. Listen, as she gratefully acknowledges and faithfully proclaims the Lord’s goodness in her song of praise, the Magnificat. ‘My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his handmaiden (maidservant): for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things: and holy is his name.’ (Luke 1:46-49) Right there Friends, you can see the contrariness of our God! Instead of having His only Son Jesus born in a wealthy, high-bred, blueblood family, like we would expect, seeing that He was God and all that, the Father chose a lowly carpenter and his fiancé from the backwater town of Nazareth. There again ‘confuffling’ the wisdom of man. And James weighs in with his two cents worth, when talking about worldliness and pride. ‘But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you…. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:6-7,10) Words of indelible truth my people! Peter then strengthens James’ argument, and tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:5-7) Oh Friends, there’s nothing I can say that hasn’t been said already. I can only warn us again not to get too proud and high and mighty over our earthly status or achievements, and don’t despair if you’re poor, lost and lowly, because those are the people God has at the forefront of His to do list. God is very much interested in helping those who can’t help themselves. So please don’t give up, regardless of your circumstances. Remember your Creator LOVES you unconditionally, so in whatever state of disrepair you find yourself today, just call out to Him in sincerity and truth, and He will gladly help you. That’s His promise, so test Him today, right now, and prove His awesome faithfulness. You’ll never be the same. I can guarantee you that from personal experience. Much LOVE!…are you broken, sick, suffering, lost…then turn to God today… for He will never turn away those in need of…mending, healing, comfort, salvation…and LOVE… P.S. I apologize for the lateness of the Bit, but the computer problems I experienced earlier on, just put a spoke in my wheel. But that’s what we get from putting too much reliance on manmade machines and the software it takes to run them. Our brave new world! Much LOVE!
13 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, awesome truth, burden, celebrations, Christ crucified, christianity, confidence, downtrodden, enthusiasm, foolishness of God, forgiveness, glorious kingdom, grace, holy spirit, humble servants, humility, invincible, jobs, lies, loving god, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, oppressed, power of God, renewed vitality, scorn, sincere heart, steadfast faith, summer weather, sure conquerors, the Lord respects the lowly, the weak and pitiful, though the Lord be high, totem pole, true repentance, useful purpose, weakness of God, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, wisdom, wisdom of God, yoke
Psalm 138:6. Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
Ah Friends, unfortunately it’s Monday once again, and the Mother’s Day celebrations are over for another year. Sadly, they were marred somewhat in my area by cloud, rain and strong winds. I understand that we had hailstones too, and some places further north even had snow. So much for the blossoming summer weather. Chuh! Hopefully though, not too many of us are suffering this morning from the aftermath of those celebrations, (smile) and won’t get up feeling worse than is customary on a Monday morning. I know celebrations are wonderful, but when we overdo it, the price we pay later on is simply not worth it. Anyway, life goes on, whether we’re feeling up to it or not. The good thing though is that we worship a healing, caring and LOVING God, who’s only too willing to fix us when we’re hurting and/or broken. And one way He does that is by hearing our cries for help, our prayers, and granting them. So on this rough Monday morning, let’s cry out to Him for help and sustenance by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Now, in whatever voice you can manage, croaking or otherwise (smile) but with a sincere and true heart, let’s sing. ‘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!’ Oh Friends, that wasn’t very powerful. Truthfully, it might be better termed pitiful. But that’s the whole idea about crying out for help. If you’re strong and able, then you don’t need help. And if it’s one thing our God LOVES to do, is to help the weak and pitiful. Our Bit declares that quite plainly. ‘Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto (He regards) the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.’ Yes my brethren, it’s the same Bit from two days ago. I wasn’t finished with it, but Mother’s Day forced me to put it aside till today. And if you remember, we ended that day with Jesus quoting Hosea 6:6, to the hypocrite Pharisees, re the Lord desiring mercy, faithfulness and not sacrifice from His followers, when they complained to the disciples about His eating with sinners and tax collectors. And as Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ”For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than man.’ (1 Cor.1:22-25) Words of awesome truth my people! Remember too, that Jesus Himself dealt more with the sick and suffering, the outcasts and those from the lower rungs of society. As He said: ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) And unfortunately, those at the bottom of society’s totem pole, are usually the lost ones, who need healing and saving more than those higher up. However we put it though Friends, our God is undoubtedly a champion of the small, oppressed man. Cousin Sol wisely tells us: ‘Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly (weak, humble) (Prov.3:34) And Isaiah solemnly declares, re condemnation of Israel’s idolatry: ‘For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’ (Is.57:15) Yes my people, it is always the Lord’s will to help those who are downtrodden, oppressed, fallen on hard times and any other negative situations that may affect their lives! But we have to call on Him in humility and true repentance. That’s the key to His mercy and forgiveness. Please, let’s remember that and act accordingly today. Our lives will be all the better for it. Much LOVE!…come unto me…all ye that labour and heavy laden…and I will give you rest…for my yoke is easy…and my burden is light… (Matt.11:28, 30)
12 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse, childbirth, commercial undertaking, emotional celebration, festive occasion, happy, heartache, honour thy father and mother, human-rights, joy and gladness, joyous, long life, mother, Mother's Day, negative recognition, neglect, nurturing, pain and sorrow, patriarchal societies, rough economic times, scorn, spirituality, strongest sex, Ten Commandments, ultimate in wisdom, unconditional LOVE
Exodus 20:12. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Oh Friends, on this comparatively chilly Sunday morning in May, where we’ve gone from highs of twenty odd last week, to highs of around ten this weekend, with rain in the forecast, a lot of Mother’s Day celebrations will have to be brought inside. But nonetheless, we wish each and every mother a joyous and happy Mother’s Day! It’s unfortunate that we only set aside one day every year to celebrate Motherhood, when in fact it should be celebrated every day, in view of their very valuable contribution to society. Do you realize that once a woman becomes a mother, she never has a real day off, because she’s always concerned about something in her family, be they old or young. And sadly too, like so many other festive occasions, Mother’s Day has become more of a commercial undertaking than a true emotional celebration. But regardless of all the negative aspects that have crept into the day, all mothers should be celebrated, whether they are good, bad or indifferent. And that’s the outspoken and provocative dictate of Almighty God, our Creator and Controller! Our Bit states it in no uncertain terms. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ Yuh see my brethren, honouring one’s parents was so important to our great and wise God that He made it one of the rules, one of the Ten Commandments He gave to the Israelites when He made them His chosen people. So giving mothers honour and respect should not depend on their individual qualities, but on the blanket command of our God. And really Friends, which member of all societies is truly the most important eh? Without a doubt it’s Mothers! For they carry us in their womb for nine months, imagine the discomfort nuh, all the time still working and keeping the home. Then consider the pain and agony of childbirth. No pain in this world can be as excruciating as that. That’s what mothers say, and I won’t doubt them. I’m just glad I don’t have to experience it. (smile) But yuh know what? After all that pain and anguish, when they think that their nether regions will be torn apart, they embrace the young one with such LOVE and joy, it’s unbelievable. And then, the many years they spend guiding the young, nurturing them physically, mentally and emotionally, having to put up with a lot of negative behaviour from the same ones they’re trying to raise and help. That reminds me of our behaviour with our LOVING God. And nowadays, in these rough economic times, many mothers are forced to go out to work, while still bearing the responsibility of looking after her husband, children and home. And yuh tell me they’re not worth much more LOVE and affection than we show! One day a year can never recompense them for all the LOVE, pain, heartache, neglect and abuse they suffer from the very ones they LOVE and care about. No wonder the Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites once again in Leviticus: ‘Ye shall fear (revere) every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.’ (Lev.19:3) Yes Friends, our parents are God’s representatives here on earth, so just as we revere the Lord, we ought to hold our parents in great reverence. And I know that there are many unworthy parents out their in our evil and troubled world, but the quality of parenting doesn’t really matter in the larger scheme of things, for they are all human and thus fallen and liable to make mistakes. The Lord however says to respect them, simply because they are your parents. And if you’re a believer, then you ought to do just that, whether or not their parental efforts deserve it. And it’s also very unfortunate that mothers bear the brunt of scorn and negative recognition in most societies, almost all of which are patriarchal, with the father figure holding enormous sway. But wise fathers know the real power behind their thrones, the mothers! For without them, family life would suffer even more than it’s doing now, because they are the cornerstones of the family, the ones who hold it together despite all the negative factors. There’s no doubt also that women are the stronger of the sexes, for men, with all their machismo and strong, well sculpted bodies could never do all the jobs that mothers do without whining and complaining every step of the way. I appreciate mothers, but sure am glad that I’m not one. (smile) And Molls baby, I haven’t forgotten you sugar. This is the second Mother’s Day that I’m without you, but you know you’re always right here in the centre of my heart, you and God. How could I ever forget you eh, after all that you’ve done for me? NEVER! NO WAY! I miss the good times we use to have, and the way I could come to you with any problem and you wouldn’t put me down, even though I was wrong. Above all, you showed me real unconditional LOVE in action. I know you never took an easy step in your life, and sometimes I didn’t understand what was happening, but you never complained, just did what you had to do. And your LOVE for the Lord enabled you to make it through those many rough spots in your life. You showed me the way a true mother ought to behave, though I didn’t always agree with you. And for that I will be forever thankful. I know that one day we’ll meet again, when there’ll be no tears, no pain, no sorrow, just joy and gladness in worshipping the Lord. Till then, I’ll do my best to be worthy of your LOVE and upbringing. Now Friends, let’s end this Mother’s Day Bit with appropriate advice from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.’ (Eph.6:1-3) That’s the ultimate in wisdom my people! So let’s honour our parents, especially our mothers today. The Lord will look upon us with favour for doing that. Much LOVE!…a mother is the closest thing to God on earth…conceiving, bearing, birthing, nurturing, guiding, providing, caring, LOVING…etc, etc…
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