10 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a new day, a positive outlook, abundance, an inspired record, answers, assured of, authored by God, authority, broken in the name of Jesus, Christian, clear direction, Comforter, correct wrong, correction, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, doctrine, equipped, eternal life, faith, faith in Jesus Christ, family, favour, friends, from a child, fulfillment, God's help, God's work, godly inspiration, good works, groundwork, Guide, guidelines, health, History, inspiration, inspiration of God, instruction, learned, life, LOVE, maturity, may be perfect, meditating, ministry, negative word, number one priority, oral instrcutions, original manuscripts, our daily walk, perfect, personal relationship, prayer, privilege, prosper, reproof, righteousness, salvation, scriptures, self-control, self-discipline, strong will, succeed, supernatural guidance, supernatural wisdom. promotion, talent, Thanks be to God, the BIBLE, the Book of answers, the divine Word of God, the gift of the present time, the Good Book, the holy scriptures Old Testament, the Holy Spirit, the man of God, the Spirit of God, thoroughly furnished, Thursday Blessings, Timothy, today, tomorrow, unconditional love of God, unique character of scripture, wise, wise unto salvation, yesterday
2 Timothy 3:17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.
Oh my precious people of God, a new day has been birthed, and we’ve been blessed with the privilege of seeing it, experiencing it, and enjoying it!
And all God’s people loudly and gratefully declared: ‘Thanks be to God!’
Yes friends, it’s all because of the great unconditional LOVE that our heavenly Father has for us, and we’d be very wise to accept and use it to benefit His holy kingdom.
We can’t do anything about yesterday because that’s already past and gone, annotated in the books of history, no more to be seen. And as for tomorrow, we’re not sure that we’ll be around to see, much more enjoy it.
So we’re left with only today, the gift of the present time, and wisdom dictates that we dedicate ourselves to using it fully, with God’s work being our number one priority.
And how do we do that? First off, by having a close personal relationship with the Father through prayer, and reading and meditating on His holy word found in the book we call the Bible, which contains His guidelines for our daily walk on this planet earth.
Now it’s not an easy walk, but if we stay steadfast in prayer and in the scriptures, we will be ably assisted by the Holy Spirit that dwells within it us, as our Guide and Comforter.
Yuh see friends, our wonderful God has it all planned out; we hang with Him, read His word and be guided by His Holy Spirit and we’ll be fine.
And what I want to deal with here today is the authority found in the scriptures and how they came to be. We’ll begin by listening to Bruh Paul as he tells his young protégé Timothy before our Bit.
‘But continue thou in those things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ.
All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim.3:14-17)
Yes friends, the Good Book has been created through godly inspiration to make us wise in Christ, so that we can achieve salvation and eternal life.
Wow! What a great God we serve and worship my brethren!
Now here are some insights from the scholars on those verses.’3:14-17. Continue literally means “remain.” The things which thou hast learned were his oral instruction in the holy scriptures (the Old Testament here) by his mother (Eunice) and grandmother (Lois).
Inspiration of God (Gr. theopneustos), lit, “God breathed”) describes the unique character of Scripture. It is not only written by men, but authored by God. For doctrine means to tell one what to believe. For reproof means to tell one what is wrong.
For correction means to tell one how to correct wrong. For instruction in righteousness means to tell one how to live. Perfect (Gr. artios, “proficient, capable”) is having everything needed to do what God wants.
Thoroughly furnished means “thoroughly equipped.” God’s inspired word, properly used and applied, provides all we need for life and ministry.’
Ah my fellow believers, God has left nothing to chance, He has given us the groundwork for earthly living, filled with answers for any and every situation we’ll ever face! That’s why the Bible is called ‘The Book of Answers!’
And I’d be amiss if I didn’t share these further insights on Inspiration as set out by the scholars. ‘3:16. This (Inspiration) refers to the supernatural guidance of the writers of Scripture by the Spirit of God, so that what they wrote was the divine Word of God, transcribed accurately, reliably, and without error in the original manuscripts (“autographs”). The word inspiration itself pictures God breathing out His Word to men.
Illustration: Not everything written by an apostle or a prophet was necessarily inspired. Paul wrote at least three epistles to the Corinthians, but apparently only two were an inspired record (1 Cor.5:9). Samuel, Nathan and Gad each wrote accounts of David’s life, only one of those prophets produced and inspired record (1 Chr.29:29).
Application: Since the Scriptures are given to help the Christian grow in maturity, they should rely on them for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instructions in righteousness (right living). First Ref. Gen.1:3; Primary Ref. 2 Tim. 3:16-17; cf. 2 Pet.1:21).’
Oh friends, I do hope that all that info will help us better understand the use and purpose of the Bible, because it’s essential for us to do so, if we intend to grow in Christian maturity.
Now let’s go home this gracious Thursday morning declaring our Thursday Blessings with much enthusiasm and faith. Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
All together now: ‘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 everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go out into the world and make it all come through, with God’s help of course! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
09 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a done deal, a glorious future with Jesus, a hump in the road, a new day, a sense of healing, all aspects, as the U.S goes, aspiration, astonishment, be counted, bluster, Christians, despise, divided country, Donald Trump. President elect, double vision, earthly journey, edifying statement, end of the world, enslavement, enthusiasm, expect the unexpected, figuratively, forsaken me, glad to be alive, glitter and glamour, glory hallelujah, God's work, gospel truth, greater priority, halfway home, having loved the world, having put his hand to the plough, heaven, hold my head and bawl, is fit for the kingdom of heaven, Jesus, Jesus said unto him, literally, looking back, loyal, loyalty, material possessions, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, negative rhetoric, no man, no man can serve two masters, no reason to be afraid, not looking back, number one, rejoice, righteousness, seek ye first the kingdom of God, sense of purpose, serve the Lord faithfully, shaking their heads in astonishment, stand up strong and steadfast, suitable, the breath of life, the goodness of God, the Lord's mysterious way, usable, wealth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, you can't serve God and mammon
Luke 10:62. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Well friends, a new day has dawned, both literally and figuratively! Someone once said these wise words; expect the unexpected, and have we ever been hit by the unexpected – Donald Trump is the new President-elect of the United States of America.
Ah Lord eh! I don’t know if to rejoice that a different time is coming, or to hold my head and bawl having listened to his foul, negative rhetoric over the long period of the U.S Election campaign.
Let’s hope that a lot of the stuff he said was just bluster, and that he will work instead to bring a sense of healing to the country that’s become so severely divided over the last few months.
Whatever happens though, this is indeed a time for ALL Christians to stand up steadfast and strong and be counted, for in one way or another our faith and its institutions will surely be affected.
To tell the truth, the whole world be affected, because as the U.S goes, so does a lot of the world. And a lot of people all over the world are indeed shaking their heads in astonishment and dismay at Trump’s surprise win.
But as I’ve been saying all along, too many people in the U.S believed what Donald Trump said, and his rallies were getting bigger all the time, plus the media gave him so much attention that we had to respect the possibility that he could pull off the win.
It’s a done deal now though; the Lord in His own mysterious way has allowed it to happen. He obviously has a plan and a purpose in mind, so the sooner we stop questioning it and try to work with or around it, the better off we’ll be.
And all God’s people said a loud and somewhat less than genuine ‘Amen!’
Oh my people, it’s not the end of the world, just a hump in the road, though possibly a significant one. That doesn’t mean we have to give up on our faith, we need to keep keeping on, possibly even more than before.
And to help us do that this most significant Wednesday morning, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with a strong sense of purpose and enormous enthusiasm.
Wailing: ‘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!’
Ah mih people, though times may be difficult and somewhat unnerving, there is no reason to be afraid, it’s still great to be alive; to feel that awesome breath of God just pumping through us. But that also means there are plans of God in place for us to accomplish on this earthly journey.
That brings us to what I think is a rather appropriate Bit for today: ‘And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’
And the scholars explain: ‘9:62. Fit, occurring elsewhere only in 14:35 and Hebrews 6:7, means “suitable” or “usable.” One who makes life’s lesser matter of greater priority than God’s work is of little use to him.’
Now when and why did Jesus use those words? Several people were coming to Him, wanting to be His disciple, but first wanted to go and do something else. This one fellow said to Jesus: ‘Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.’ (Luke 10:61)
Sorry friends, when we become Christians, it’s not just for the pleasure and promise of going to heaven, but also to serve the Lord faithfully down here on earth. His work must always come first, not the world’s.
As Bruh Paul pointed out to Timothy: ‘Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having LOVED the world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.’ (2 Tim.4:9-10)
Yuh see friends, Demas found the world more interesting than Christ’s work and forsook the ministry. Unfortunately, that’s what happens to many of us; we are drawn to the glitter and glamour of the world and thus place Christ’s work last.
Remember what He said about trusting one master. ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt.6:24)
And the scholars tell us: ‘6:24. This kind of spiritual double vision causes one to believe he can serve two masters. Total loyalty to God cannot be divided between Him and loyalty to one’s material possessions. A master (Gr. kurios) is a lord or an owner.
That God claims total lordship over His own is obvious in this passage. Therefore Jesus rightly proclaimed, Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The term ‘mammon’ is derived from the Aramaic term for possessions of wealth. Jesus is not condemning money or possessions in and of themselves, but the improper attitude of enslavement toward wealth.’
And sadly friends, these days a lot of us, too many, both Christians and non-believers, are enslaved by the material possessions of the world. It’s thus impossible for us to put God’s work first.
And we’ll close with this other edifying statement from Jesus. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:32)
And that’s gospel truth my brethren! So if we want to experience the goodness of God, then we have to make Him, NUMBER ONE, in ALL aspects of our lives. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…true and total loyalty to Christ… should be the Christian’s number one aspiration…
08 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool is considered wise, a little memebr, a man of understanding, a saved soul, a world of iniquity, ancient seals, anger inflames talk, batting our gums, believers in Jesus Christ, boasteth great things, born again, bridle, bridleth not his tongue, chains break, control, deceiveth his own heart, distracts, dr robert h schuller, draw near to hear, edifying, eventful day, evil, experience joy, faith, fool, footsteps of Jesus, heartache, hell, hold my peace, Hour of Power, ideals, iniquity, joy, keep thy foot, keeps silent, learn to know God, level of faith, listening to God, living a godly life, LOVE, my friend Jesus, of hell, on God's great earth, our worst enemy, Paradise, patience, pep in our steps, perfecting of the saints, Praise the Lord, principles, righteous, Satan, set on fire, share His love, shut my lips, silence is golden, silence., slow to speak, slow to wrath, spiritual and emotional walls, strife, swift to hear, talk inflames anger, the beloved of God, the body of Christ, the course of nature, the house of God, the righteousness of God, the sacrifice of fools, the tongue, the work of the ministry, the wrath of man, this man's religion is vain, trials, tripp off our tongues, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unworthy children of men, useless, walk prudently, war
Ecclesiastes 5:1. Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
All hail, my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! It’s a glorious Tuesday morning…Praise the Lord!
Yes friends, we’ve been granted another eventful day on God’s great earth! Wow! Isn’t He wonderful to us unworthy children of men? He surely is! That’s why we ought to give Him a lot of thanks and praise throughout the day.
And to do that, some of us might just need these words of encouragement from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. It’s titled ‘Learn to Know God.’
Please pray with me: ‘ Dear Jesus, I’ve got to know You better. Please help me! I can feel my spiritual and emotional walls crack. I can hear old chains break. I can feel my heart opening like a heavy old door whose ancient seals have just begun to break.
I can sense the footsteps of Jesus walking into my life. I am beginning to experience the joy of a soul that is being saved, a life that is being born again. Thank You, Lord! Life’s not fair, but God is good. Amen!’
Ah my people, when Jesus is walking in our lives there’s such joy in our souls, and such pep in our steps! For remember, ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ (Neh. 8:10)
And to further raise the joy in our souls, the level of our faith and the pep in our steps this Tuesday morning, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with the utmost sincerity and belief.
As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Yes mih breddren, it’s certainly a wonderful God we believe in and great Friend and Saviour we have in Jesus! Nothing in this world can beat it!
We just have to remember whose we are, and behave in a fashion suitable to their ideals and principles; basically living a godly life and sharing the LOVE of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
And the awesome advice in our Bit will surely help us to do that. ‘Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.’
Yeh friends, we’re still on that Bit because it covers such a wide area, especially where our mouths and our promises are concerned. We can either be righteous or evil with those two things. And James deals with them very nicely, obviously pointing us towards the righteous aspect.
Listen to him: ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20)
And the scholars add this info to those verses. ‘1:19. This is a key verse because it expresses three topics that James develops later: hearing, verses 19-27; speaking, 3:1-12; and wrath, 4:1-12.’
‘1:20. Trials require silence and patience because talk inflames anger, and anger inflames talk. Anger also distracts from listening to God.’ So true friends, so true!
And later on in that same passage, James tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘If any man among you seem to be (thinks he is) religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain (useless).’ (James 1:26)
What indisputable truth! We can’t claim to be truly religious if we don’t know how, what and when to speak. The old adage that says ‘silence is golden,’ is very true on a lot of occasions.
We’d be better served by remaining silent than by batting our gums, for as Cousin Sol reminds us: ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted wise (is considered wise): and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov.17:28)
And I pray: ‘O Lord please help me to hold my peace, to shut my lips, so that I will be considered a man of understanding, even though I’m a fool!’ (smile)
Ah friends, sometimes our mouths are our worst enemy, our tongues cost us more heartache than anything else. As James says: ‘Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire).
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue (the tongues is so set) among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-6)
And the scholars explain: ‘3:6. The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan (cf.3:15).’
Yes precious people of God, the tongue is one of the smallest parts of our bodies, but it has unnatural control of the entire body. Since the beginning of time, our tongues have caused more war and strife than anything else, but we still can’t, or refuse to bridle them.
Thus our lives are oftimes turned topsy-turvy by the words that trip off of our tongues. But today, I implore us to take good care, to ask the Holy Spirit to help us keep silent and think before we talk, and then to only talk that which is: ‘For the perfecting (equipping) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.’ (Eph.4:12)
If we successfully do that, then our lives and our world will surely become more a representation of paradise, than one of hell, as it currently is. Much LOVE!
…many of us would be better off…if we had no tongues…harsh…but true…
07 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's voice, a godsend, antidote, aura of love, broken promises, burnt offerings, cause thy flesh to sin, Christ-like, Christians, complain, confidence, conquerors, do evil, energy, enthusiasm, fired up, friends, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, holy spirit, hope, human beings, human frailties, humble servants, idolatry, iniquity, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, joy-filled attitude, keep the pedal to the metal, keep thy foot, let our words be few, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, multitude of words, Old Testament, outward show, Pharisees, promises, rash with thy mouth, ready to hear, rebellion, rejected the word of the Lord, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, religious ritual, renewed vitality, rest, sacrifices, salvation, Saul, sin, sovereign Lord, spiritual armour, spiritual reality, steadfast faith, take the bull by the horns, taunts, the fat of rams, the house of God, the sacrifice of fools, thy mouth, to obey is better than sacrifice, total allegiance, true believers, trust, ungodly world, useful purpose, walk prudently, wiles, wisdom
Ecclesiastes 5:1. Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.’
Awright friends, it’s Monday, so what’s it going to be eh? Are we going to be grumpy and complain, or are we going to rise and shine with a good, joy-filled attitude, ready and eager to go out and face this new workweek? The choice is up to us, but I do hope that as true believers in Jesus Christ we would adopt the latter option, for it is the more Christ-like one.
However, I know that all of us are human, filled with human frailties, so it’s not every Monday morning we’ll be filled with energy and enthusiasm to take the bull by the horns and wrestle him to the ground. (smile)
That’s why we have an antidote for such days. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It gets us all fired up so we can meet the enemy head on and defeat him.
So let’s sing out in full, harmonious and melodic voice 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!’
Yes mih breddren, except for a few hoarse voices, that was a decent rendition. Our choirmaster, Jesus, had an amused twinkle in His eyes as He guided us with His baton. And once Jesus is happy with us, then all’s right with the world! (smile)
So now that we’ve jump started our engines, let’s keep them running at high speed, keep the pedal to the metal, so to speak, and just go out there in a good frame of mind and do excellent work for Jesus, for that’s what He expects of us.
And I do hope, for our sakes, we kept the wisdom of our Bit yesterday: ‘Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.’ What awesome words of wisdom my fellow believers!
And here’s how the Preacher ended that passage. ‘Suffer not (do not let) thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel (messenger) that it was an error, wherefore should God be angry at thy voice (excuse) and destroy the work of thy hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.’ (Eccl.5:6-7)
Ah mih people, more wonderful words of wisdom! Yuh know, if we’d just follow the first 7 verses of that chapter, we’d be almost perfect! We can start by walking prudently, drawing near to hear, rather than that to expatiate, not give the sacrifice of fools, thinking that we’re not evil. That’s an awesome beginning!
As Samuel admonished Saul when he disobeyed God’s order to fully destroy the Amalekites. ‘And Samuel said, 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.15:22-23)
Yes friends, obedience to God’s word is the zenith of wisdom! And the scholars tell us, re those verses: ‘15:22-23. These verses reinforce the Old Testament viewpoint that religious ritual devoid of spiritual reality and of a life of total allegiance to a sovereign Lord is worthless (cf. Ps.40:6-8; Is.1:10-20; Mic.6:8).’
And that’s gospel truth! Why do you think the Lord checks our hearts instead of just simply accepting our outward show eh? Because He knows that the real you is on the inside, and it doesn’t necessarily match with what you are showing on the outside. Many of us today, are just like the Pharisees in Jesus’ time; put on a great religious outward show, but are empty and evil inside.
Now let’s continue looking at those 7 verses at the start of chapter 5. The 2nd verse warns us not be rash with our mouths and make hasty statements to God; to let our words be few. Oh friends, what a godsend it would be to this world, if most of us would stop talking as much as we do! And that lines up nicely with the wisdom of verse 3; ‘a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.’
And we’ll end with the best advice; don’t make a promise to God and not keep it, because He doesn’t take pleasure in broken promises. It is better not to promise, than promise and not pay. And as I said yesterday, that also pertains to our dealings with fellow human beings.
So let’s keep that in mind as we go out to labour today nuh, for it will certainly stand us in good stead, both with God and man. Much LOVE!
…it’s time Christians learn to do less talking and more listening…
06 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's voice, a wretch like me, all and sundry, an empty religious profession, an oasis, associate with Jesus, be not rash, but now I'm found, dangers, Daylight Saving Time, defer not to pay, do evil, fearful storms of life, followers of Jesus, fools, give the sacrifice of fools, God has no pleasure in fools, God is in heaven, grace, grin and bear it, hasty to utter anything, heavenly things, how sweet the sound, I once was lost, keep thy foot, laziness, lead us home, let thy words be few, life-line of grace, mirages, multitude of business, multitude of words, promise and not pay, promises, rash promises, ready to hear, rudderless ship, Sabbath Day, sacrifices of praise, saving grace, snares, socail media, storm tossed sea, storms, taught my heart to fear, the hour I first believed, the house of God, them's the breaks, time difference, timely advice, toils, vowest a vow, walk prudently
Ecclesiastes 5:1 Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Aye mih people, a blessed Sabbath Day to you and yours! And we’ll begin as usual with some praise and worship to get us ready, to get our hearts softened up for the Word. So let’s belt out that wonderful hymn we all know and LOVE, ‘Amazing Grace’! Let’s raise our sacrifices of praise heavenward, like we truly mean it nuh.
‘Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, Was blind, but now I see. ’twas Grace that taught, my heart to fear. And grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. ’tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead us home. The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we first begun. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now, I see.’
Yes friends, it’s all through God’s amazing grace that we can aspire to heavenly things and places! Without His saving grace, we would truly be lost like a thirsty man in an endless expanse of desert, only seeing mirages, or a rudderless ship adrift in the dark on a storm tossed sea. Only through God’s grace can we find an oasis in the desert, or a clear path in the storm.
That reminds me of the picture in one of my Bibles showing a ship caught in a storm with a young lad standing at the ship’s steering wheel that’s bigger than him, but comfortingly, behind the lad stands Jesus, with His left hand on the boy’s left shoulder and His right hand pointing the way through the storm.
Ah friends, that’s how it is with all those who sincerely believe in Jesus and seek His saving grace; He takes us gently by the arm and guides us safely through the fearful storms of life. Now, given that generous life-line of grace, I don’t understand why anyone in their right mind wouldn’t have a great desire to associate with Jesus. But, I guess, if you don’t believe His Word, then you won’t see any reason for such an association.
All I can say friends, is that I’m truly sorry for those who, for whatever reason, pass up the wonderful opportunity to walk closely with Jesus. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, so let’s pray that they will come to their senses before their earthly lives are over, because then that glorious opportunity will cease to exist.
Oh, before we get to our Bit, let me apologize for a typo in yesterday’s message. Don’t know how many of you noticed it, but one heading had the 5th of November while the other had the 4th.
Chuh! I didn’t notice it until after I sent out the Bit. Obviously it annoyed me, but it was too late do anything about it then. And it all stems from laziness yes, copying the heading rather than typing it all over again, then forgetting to change the date. Ah Lord eh! I guess that just shows that I’m human, and thus liable to make mistakes. (smile)
Then this morning the clocks went back an hour, bringing an end to Daylight Saving Time. I don’t know why we continue the practice nuh, because it doesn’t seem to help anybody I know, and many other countries don’t use it and seem to get by very well. But them’s the breaks, we just have to grin and bear it, and once more figure out and remember the time difference in places we deal with.
Anyway, we’ve finally come to our Bit, a caution against hasty vows, which seems rather appropriate for this Sunday morning as we go to church. ‘Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear (draw near to hear, rather) than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.’
A very timely bit of advice indeed my brethren! And the Preacher continues: ‘Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business (effort or activity); and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.’ (Eccl.5:2-3)
Yes friends, wisdom for the ages from Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher. And the scholars enlighten us thus. ‘5:1-7. The emphasis of the passage is on the folly of an empty religious profession before a sovereign God: God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth. God expects sincerity and meaningfulness in worship. He is not impressed with foolish vows.’
Ah mih people, unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, a lot of us offer lengthy prayers and make rash, unwise promises to God, which we obviously can’t or don’t intend to keep.
But listen to these awesome words of wisdom from the Preacher. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl.5:4-5)
The truth of the matter though my fellow believers is that wisdom doesn’t only apply to our dealings with Almighty God, but should apply to our dealings with all humans! As sincere followers of Jesus, it is imperative that we keep our promises to all and sundry. He keeps all of His promises, and consequently expects us to do the same.
Sadly though, our social media revolution has made this a time of many words – most of them foolish and unnecessary – and rash promises – many of which we have no intention of keeping, or simply can’t keep. That’s why we are cautioned to not promise, rather than to promise and not pay. Please let that be our motto from now on my people, it will keep us out of many troubles. Much LOVE!
…whatever happened to the old adage…promises were meant to be kept…not broken…
05 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful heart, alive and kicking, Anselm, aspires, awesome God, be counted, be not dismayed, bitter waters, Christ, Christians, comfort me, cynical thoughts, deliverance, destroy both body and soul, dwell in the house of the Lord, Egyptians, evil, faithful, fear not, fear thou not, fearlessly, feckless, fickle, focus on today, for His name's sake, foundation, friends, God's LOVE, good pleasure, goodness, green pastures, I am thy God, I am with thee, I shall not want, I will fear no evil, I will help thee, I will uphold thee, in the presence of mine enemies, information, information intake, inspires, invade our minds and spirits, Isaiah, Israelites, Jesus, kill the body, lies, little flock, LOVE, make each day count, make hay while the sun shines, Marah, mercy, miracle, misinformation, more value than sparrows, Moses, negative, paths of righteousness, personal growth, Pharaoh, positive, positive news, prevarication, promises, recompense, Red Sea, restores my soul, righteousness, salvation, save you, Scrip-Bit family, see the salvation of the Lord, social media, spend more time with God, stand still, steadfast, still waters, television, The Lord is my shepherd, the right hand, the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff, Top o' the morn, trusting, truth, vengeance, Zion
Isaiah 41:10. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Well top o’ the morn to you my Scrip-Bit family! Hope this missive finds you alive and kicking on this lazy, hazy Saturday. (smile) Life is short so we might as well enjoy it. We know not when our time will be up, so here is the first of two quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us to greater heights.
And first off he tells us: ‘Make each day count. We don’t have all the time in the world. So focus on today and do the things you really want to do.’ That’s exactly what I was saying above. It is imperative that we make hay while the sun shines!
And the second quote is also inspiring. ‘Reprogram your information intake. Program out negative and cynical thoughts from the media and society. Reduce your information intake. Then program in positive news and entertainment, more of your own thoughts and useful information such as personal growth tapes and books. Be selective and keep it positive.’
Ah friends, a lot of us certainly need to do that in this age of so much information and misinformation! Our world is going crazy with the wealth of information that’s now available. The problem though is that too much of it is negative and we can’t easily tell what is truth from prevarication to out and out lies. Therefore our minds are filled with lots of unnecessary and unproductive stuff, that’s why Anselm’s advice is so worthwhile.
We desperately need to clean up our minds; purge what’s not useful and negative, and then replace it with only useful, positive, godly stuff. Give the television and social media a break; spend more time with God, your family and yourself. That way we won’t be bombarded with all the nonsense that’s out there, seeking to invade our minds and spirits.
And last but not least, seek to raise our faith and trust in the God of our fathers. Believe what our Bit says: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’
Oh my people, why are so many of us supposed Christians still walking in deep fear of the world around us, when we have such awesome promises from our awesome God eh? We know He’s faithful to keep those promises and that He will work out everything for our good in the end, so why are we still so fickle and feckless?
As Job says, we have to learn to take the good with the bad. (Job 2:10) We can’t be fearful of every little hiccup in our lives. And this morning I want to bombard us with some ‘Fear nots’ in the hope that it will encourage us to stand steadfast and strong in the power of God’s Word.
Listen to Moses on the occasion of the biggest miracle of the time, when the departing Israelites were caught between the army of Pharaoh and the deep Red Sea. ‘And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.’ (Ex.14:13)
And as promised, Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea which parted and allowed the Israelites to cross over on dry land, but when the Egyptians followed, the two halves came together again and drowned Pharaoh’s army. Now one would think that after such a mighty miracle, the Israelites would have been trusting and steadfast forever. Hn! But in the wilderness, three days later, at the bitter waters of Marah they were complaining, wanting to return to Egypt.
Now hear Isaiah, as he talks about Israel being restored to Zion. ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ (Is.35:4)
And now, listen to these words of Bruh David that we all know and claim to LOVE and believe. ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the day so my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps.23)
Yeh mih people, if we believe all that Bruh David says there, then we should not be afraid of the vicissitudes of life. Then there’s Jesus to his disciples: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul….Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.’ (Matt.10:28,31)
Yes friends, ONLY the Lord can destroy body and soul, and we are much too valuable in His sight, for Him to destroy us, that’s why He sent Jesus to save us.
And we’ll close with a simple, but powerful statement of Jesus. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32)
How much more do we need eh my brethren, before we can truly stand strong and steadfast on the solid foundation of God’s eternal LOVE and ever-faithful promises eh? Steups! God alone knows yes! Much LOVE!
…it’s high time for those of us who call ourselves Christians… to FEARLESSLY stand up and be counted….
04 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: another glorious day, assurance, be not dismayed, blame, blessed, boggles the imagination, condolences, different perspective, diligently, encouragement, end times, evil world, fail thee, faith, faithful God, faithfully, fear not, fellowship, forsake thee, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, God the Good, godlessness, godly upbringing, gospel truth, hold thy right hand, I am thy God, I am with thee, I will help thee, I will uphold thee, in Jesus' name, Isaiah, Israel, judgement, leadership, like there was no tomorrow, live it up, miracles, mortality, of a good courage, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, on God's great earth, our work for christ, plodding on, promises, rampant, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, righteousness, sad news, security, Selvin Goldson, sincerely, smell the roses, stand strong, strong, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the grim reaper, the Holy One of Israel, the Holy Spirit, the onus, the right hand of my righteousness, the weekend, the Word of god, thy Redeemer, time of grief, wake up, week of work, widespread, worm of Jacob
Isaiah 41:10. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Ah friends, the working people as usual declaring their loud shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Hurray! The weekend finally here and we going to live it up like there was no tomorrow. Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’
But my heart really isn’t in the celebration nuh, because once again I turned on my computer this morning and received the sad news of the passing of one of my University mates, Selvin Goldson in Jamaica.
Apparently he died of a heart attack while driving. That’s all I know. But…Chuh! This scenario is playing out too often these days yes! One day I might just turn on the computer and see news of my own demise. (smile)
But seriously friends, each passing of our friends and associates makes us think more acutely about our own mortality. We know we all have to go over to the other side at some time or other, but for some reason or other we never seem prepared for it. It always seems to take us unawares.
Anyhow, there’s not much we can do when the Grim Reaper comes a calling, and I’d like to extend sincere condolences to the Goldson family, and let them know that our thoughts and prayers are with them in their time of grief.
Those of who remain though, have to keep diligently and faithfully plodding on in our work for Christ, and since today is Friday, let’s chant our Friday Chant with sincere appreciation for being blessed to see another glorious day on God’s great earth.
All together now: ‘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.’
Yeh mih people, we need to handle our weekends differently than the majority of the world. We need to put a different perspective in place if we truly want to be followers of Christ. And our God is so wonderful that He gives us oodles of encouragement and security in these difficult times.
Listen to our Bit: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’
What awesome promises my brethren! The problem though is that God makes them, but we have to receive them, and that’s where we often fall down. Our faith sometimes doesn’t allow us to accept and believe them, since they seem contrary to what we’re facing in this evil world.
But friends, by now we should all know that our wonderful God is also a faithful God! He never promises stuff that He can’t deliver. And since He’s the Creator and Controller of the universe, since He’s omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present, then there’s absolutely NOTHING He can’t do.
That means the onus is on us to build our faith, to stand strong on His word. That’s why He also gave us His Holy Spirit; to help and comfort us in times of need and sorrow. And if we don’t find strength in our Bit, then listen to Isaiah a few verses later.
‘For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.’ (Is.41:13-14)
How much more encouragement and assurance do we need eh my brethren? With all the Lord has done for us, the many miracles He’s wrought in our lives, our faith should be much stronger by now.
And the scholars offer these insights on that section. ’41:10-20. In view of the judgement that is coming upon Israel, God reminds her, I am with thee…I am thy God.
The designation thou worm Jacob is a reminder to Israel of her frailty and need for God who is pictured as her redeemer and the Holy One of Israel. The latter designation is Isaiah’s favourite expression for God and appears equally throughout both halves of the book…’
And friends, do we ever need God’s help in these end times. I believe we’re in even worse shape, even frailer than Israel back in those days, for godlessness is so rampant and widespread now that it’s unbelievable to us of the older generation.
We have seen it go from being pretty good to being pretty bad in such a short time, that it boggles the imagination. But then again, a lot of the blame lies with us; we weren’t as strong and faithful as we ought to have been, therefore this generation doesn’t have the same godly upbringing that we had.
But it’s not too late for us to try and recapture some of what we’ve lost, if we sincerely and diligently get in the groove with Jesus and work steadfastly towards it.
Now let’s end with some help from Moses, as he passes on the mantle of leadership to Joshua. He tells him: ‘Be thou strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go before thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6)
And that’s gospel truth precious people of God! Therefore, let’s wake up and smell the roses and try to make the world a better place than it currently is nuh. Not so much for us, but for our children, and our children’s children. That is wisdom for all time! Much LOVE!
…there is only one Power…and one Presence here…God the Good Omnipotent…!
03 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accomplishments, assurance, be not dismayed, blessed, confirmation, courage, creativity, curse, death, dr robert h schuller, eternity, faith, faith can move mountains, family, faults, fear not, God's presence, health, honour god, hope, I am thy God, I am with thee, I will help thee, I will strentehn thee, imperfections, Isaiah, keep keeping on, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, negative word, new beginning, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, one door closes, opportunity, pride, promise, prosper, regrets, restoration of Israel, resurrection, right hand of my righteousness, righteousness., self-control, self-discipline, shortcomings, success, sunrise, sunset, the light of Christ, the road ahead, Thursday Blessings, time of ending, uphold htee, work for Jesus
Isaiah 41:10. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
‘Oh rain, rain, go away, come again some other day!’ Aye mih people, how many of you remember that li’l ditty we sang so long ago, when the rain seemed to never stop falling?
Well I think I’m singing it this morning yes, because the rain’s been falling through most of yesterday evening right into this morning.
Obviously it’s dark and dreary out there, but believe me, the light of the Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is brilliantly shining like the noonday sun! Glory Be!
Let’s remember that even though we may not see it, God’s light is always brilliantly shining in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
Now listen to this devotion titled ‘When the Road Ahead is Short,’ from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. I’ve shared it before, but I think we need to hear it again.
Please pray with me. ‘O God, from the vantage point of today the road ahead looks very short. I sense that I am about to reach the end. Remind me that every time of ending is always a time of new beginning. Every time one door closes, another door opens.
Every sunset is a move closer to a new sunrise. Death is always the prelude to resurrection. Help me to forgive myself for my imperfections and faults. I dishonour you when I disgrace myself by nursing regrets over my human shortcomings.
Help me to honour you by recalling great accomplishments you’ve made possible through my life. So let me come to the end of the road with pride behind me, LOVE around me, and hope ahead of me – only to discover that what I thought was the end of the road is a bend in the road leading me into an exciting new world of opportunity or eternity. Amen.’
Yes friends, oftimes what we consider the end is merely a bend, and new opportunities flower and blossom before us, through new doors opened by our magnificent and magnanimous God. So we’re always to have hope, even, or rather, especially in the difficult times, for we never know what wonderful things our God is up to.
And that prayer blends in quite nicely with our Bit for today; Isaiah’s prophecy on the final restoration of Israel. Listen, as our great God faithfully proclaims: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’
Oh my fellow believers, our God doesn’t change, which means that promise is still valid even today! And brother, do we ever need the assurance and confirmation of God’s renewing and strengthening presence in our lives in these end times.
Our world is swirling out of control with all sorts of war and strife, so we have to have something to keep us buoyed and strong enough to keep keeping on, though times look dark. And there’s nothing like the Word of God to do that.
Listen to Isaiah again as he promises that our enemies will be vanquished. ‘For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm of Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.’ (Is.41:13-14)
Ah mih people, how many times do we encounter those two blessed words ‘Fear not,’ in the Good Book eh? Numerous times!
Our Redeemer keeps telling us not to be afraid, but we keep on being fearful, because our faith is lacking, and in the face of the world’s problems, we just can’t seem to settle down and take them in stride.
But friends, if the One whom we worship and adore tells us not to be afraid, then why should we be eh? He is the Creator and Controller of the universe; the omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Being, who sees and knows everything and is everywhere.
As I said before, if we are still fearful with such a powerful, caring and compassionate Deity in our corner, then our faith is weak indeed. And remember the words of Hebrews: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6)
Oh precious people, I know it’s not easy in these trying times, but we do have the best of the best on our side; Almighty God. So there is no reason to fear or be anxious for anything, because with Him leading and guiding us through His Holy Spirit, which indwells us, we are certainly in the best of hands!
Now let’s go home, full of assurance and confidence, boldly declaring our Thursday Blessings, for remember a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
As one now: ‘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 everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go out and put them all into action, as we sincerely and diligently work for Jesus. Much LOVE!
…faith can certainly move mountains…but it must be strong faith…
02 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 110 percent, a faithful Creator, a glorious future with Jesus, apostle, assurance of salvation, be counted, brought to his knees, case from anger, Christians, commit thy way, confidence, cut off, delight thyself, destroyed, enthusiasm, evildoers, faithful, for I know whom I have believed, for the which cause, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, giving everything, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, God's gifts, God's grace, halfway home, hands on the plough, he is able to keep, honour, I also suffer these things, I am not ashamed, I am persuaded, inherit the earth, Jesus is the best, judgement, justice, keeping of their souls, mercies, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, negatives, new blessings, no leftovers, not looking back, obedient, passion, positives, preacher, principles, prospers, Rest in the Lord, righteousness, salvation, sincerity, stand up, stewards, teacher, template, thank God, that which I have committed unto him, the breath of life, the desires of thine heart, the judgement seat of christ, the noonday, the will of God, this is the day the Lord has made, Timothy, today's journey, trust, trust in the Lord, until that day, wait upon the Lord, walk of faith, walking in God's will, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, well doing, wicked devices schemes
2 Timothy 1:12. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
And then it was Wednesday! Yes friends, it’s a brand new day filled with brand new blessings and mercies made especially for this day. No leftovers or anything from yesterday.
So please let’s appreciate it as such and seek all that our wonderful God has prepared for us today, starting by proclaiming with confidence; ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps.118:24)
That’s the first step in today’s journey my people, acknowledging that we will enjoy the day. That will just lead us to focus on all the positives in our lives and not the negatives.
And to help us do that, let’s wail our Wednesday Wail, again with supreme confidence, overwhelming enthusiasm, strong passion and heartfelt sincerity.
Wailing: ‘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!’
Oh my people, what a wonderful declaration!Who isn’t glad that they are alive today eh? I certainly am!
And the breath of life is one of God’s greatest gifts to us mere mortals. Consequently, it should be highly appreciated, for a lot of people have lost that gift just today, and we are the blessed ones.
And on top of all that, we’re being faithful and obedient in our walk of faith, looking ahead to a glorious future with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Wow friends; that is the ‘mostest!’ (smile)
Yeh, nothing can beat a long and glorious time with Jesus, for He is the BEST!
That’s why, when Bruh Paul was finally brought to his knees by Jesus, he spent the rest of his earthly life working his ‘soulcase’ out in his honour and glory!. Long time I haven’t hear that word ‘soulcase.’ It just means giving your everything, 110 percent.
Therefore, as a preacher, an apostle and a teacher to the Gentiles, he could confidently declare to the young pastor Timothy, the words of our Bit.
‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’
And the scholars offer these insights into that verse. ‘1:12. Persuaded (Gr. peitho): The perfect tense indicates that “I was persuaded in the past and remain so now.“ That he is able to keep refers to the assurance of salvation which is committed…against that day, when we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ.’
Yuh see friends, our faith and our assurance of salvation are not things to be trifled with. They are very serious aspects of our lives, both here on earth and in eternity.
That means we have to be strong in Jesus, be fully committed to doing His earthly work, being good ambassadors for Him, not ashamed of Him, or be afraid to stand up and be counted in His name. Only then can we consider ourselves true followers.
Believers believe, but followers act on their beliefs!
Now hear this corroboration of Bruh Paul’s words by Peter, talking about being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.’ (1 Pet.4:19)
And so it should be my brethren! If we’re walking in and suffering in God’s will, then it’s only logical that we should commit our very beings to Him, especially since He is also our Creator, and a faithful one at that.
But it’s Bruh David who puts it in true layman’s terms, as he confidently declares in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:3-9)
Oh friends, I couldn’t put it any better. Bruh David has laid out the template for all Christians in that short passage of scripture. If we sincerely adhere to it, then we won’t go wrong.
Please, I implore us to check our lives today and see if we’re adhering to those wise principles, and as always, ask the Lord to help us wherever we are not coming up to scratch. Much LOVE!
…a Christian’s vocabulary should abound in these words…trust, delight, commit, rest and fret not…
01 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy calling, a mere mortal, a sound mind, abolished death, afflictions, apostle, ashamed, baptizing, before the world began, bounden duty, bountiful blessing, christ jesus, Christians, climate confusion, comprehend, confident certainty, divine destiny, enjoy the day, eternal life, eternity, fathom, for the which cause, forever linked, Gentiles, glorious day, God has chosen me, God has not given us a spirit of fear, grace, he is able to keep, I also suffer these things, I am not ashamed, I am persuaded, I am with you always, I belong to the God of the universe, I do know, in the name of the Father, in the palms of his hands, indescribable universe, inscribed me, Jesus Christ, lavish love, LOVE, loving family of God, made manifest, mercy, mine, neck of the woods, One Year Book of Bible promises, overwhelmed, partaker of the afflictions, power, prisoner, purpose, realtionship with God, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, share His love, spread the good news, sure confidence, talk the talk, teach all the nations, teacher, testimony, Thanks be to God, that which I have committed, the beloved of God, the end of the world, the friend of Jesus, the gospel, the Great Commission, the Holy Ghost, the life of the Son, the love of the Father, the magnitude of God, the power of God, the power of the Holy spirit, the SON, thoughts of kindness, Timothy, trust, Tuesday Mantra, until that day, vast, walk the walk, whom I have believed, works
2 Timothy 1:12. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
Oh my people, another glorious day is blossoming in our earthly lives! Thanks be to God!
And would you believe that in my neck of the woods, on the first day of November the temperature is supposed to rise up into the high teens? Wow! Talk about climate confusion!
Anyway, whatever the state of the weather in our particular area, please, lets enjoy the day, because that’s why the Lord made us to see and experience it.
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘I Do Know’. When I read it recently it reminded me so much of our Tuesday Mantra that I had to share it with you.
It says: ‘There is much I cannot begin to fathom concerning the vast, indescribable universe created by our majestic God. There is much I will never comprehend. I want to sing and shout, so utterly overwhelmed I am with the magnitude of God.
But I do know with confident certainty that I belong to the God of the universe – the Creator of all that exists. I know that I am a mere mortal, am forever linked to divine destiny.
I know that God has chosen me as the object of His lavish LOVE; that his thoughts toward me are thoughts of kindness and mercy; that he has inscribed me in the palms of his hands.
I know that all the LOVE of the Father, and the life of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit are freely, inseparably mine – now and throughout all eternity. This I do know!’
Ah friends, isn’t that a beautiful description of our relationship with Jehovah God? It certainly is!
And if you don’t believe it reminds you of our Tuesday Mantra, then, let’s declare it right now with all the enthusiasm and sure belief that it deserves.
As one beautiful voice now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Mama Mia! Oh what a bountiful blessing to be the beloved of God and the friend of Jesus! It definitely couldn’t get any better than that!
And the writing above just expands on our Mantra; giving more detail of the awesome relationship we have with the Creator and Controller of the universe. Between them both, we ought surely to confidently know and understand who and whose we are – the blessed and LOVING family of Almighty God!
Now here is the promise of scripture for that writing above, it is also our Bit for today. ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’
Oh glory be my precious people! Bruh Paul is confidently proclaiming his trust and sure confidence in the Lord his God to his protégé Timothy. And we should also be able to proclaim it, if we truly believe what we say we believe.
In the verses before our Bit, Bruh Paul lays out his reasoning for his certainty in Christ. ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions (share with me in the sufferings) of the gospel according to the power of God;
Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world (time) began.
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light though the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.’ (2 Tim.1:7-11)
What a moving passage of scripture friends! Bruh Paul lays out why he believes what he believes. And the same should apply to all who consider themselves Christians!
Jesus was victorious over hell, death and the grave so that we could have eternal life and light, and it’s our bounden duty as His followers to spread that good news to all and sundry, in each and every part of the world.
So my brethren, if we are assured of salvation through Christ Jesus, then we need to behave like it, and speak it boldly, not be ashamed of our faith, as so many of us tend to be when in the company of unbelievers.
Remember Jesus’ last directive to His disciples: ‘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)
Yes precious people of God, that is our Great Commission, which we are able to do because our wonderful God hasn’t ‘given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’
So please let’s manifest those things in our walk of faith today, let’s boldly and gladly, share the LOVE of Jesus with the rest of the world, because only then, can we be considered true believers. Much LOVE!
…true Christians not only talk the talk…but also walk the walk…
P.S. Just one of those late nights and thus late mornings. (smile) Much LOVE!
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