11 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate fire, angry, anointed, begged for mercy, blessings, bonafide believer, bounden duty, calamitous days, Christian trait, christianity, compassion, consumed, debtor's prison, delivered him, disastrous, do like christ did, doing good, dwelleth the love of God, eyes fixed straight ahead, finite minds, followers of Christ, for our benefit, forgave him, forgive not, fresh bread, from your hearts, generous to a fault, giving, glad to be alive, God was with him, God's manna, great is thy faithfulness, greed, had compassion, had pity on thee, halfway home, hands on the plough, have need, heart, his compassions fail not, hoarding, Holy Ghost, in deed, in time of need, Jeremiah, jesus of nazareth, Lamentations, lights a fire, looking to a glorious future, loving, loving-kindness, magnanimous god, mercies, new every morning, not love in word, not turning back, oppressed of the devil, owed money, power, sacrificing, sadly lacking, Scrip-Bit, sees his brother, selfishness, sharing, shutteth up his bowels, talk, talk your talk, thankful, the breath of life, the forgiven one, the land of the living, the Lord's mercies, thou wicked servant, to the tormentors, tongue, Top o' the morn, torturers, trespasses, truth, unchristian behaviour, walk your walk, Wednesday Wail, wroth
Lamentations 3:22-23. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Well top o’ the morn to all you Scrip-Bit friends and family…and top of the afternoon to those of you faithful readers on the other side of the world! (smile) It’s just another brilliant, sunshiny day in the land of the living, with all of God’s manna, mercies and whatever brand new!
Wow! It’s like waking up to fresh bread every day! And we should be much more thankful than we are for those blessings. But our God is what we call magnanimous, generous to a fault, so He gives us stuff that we don’t truly deserve.
And yes, we’ll continue with the same Bit, because there are so many scriptures on compassion, a most important Christian trait in which we current believers are sadly lacking.
Jeremiah knew exactly what he was talking about when he declared in His Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’
If you are a bonafide (true, sincere) believer, then you certainly cannot argue with that statement or the sentiments contained therein since it’s only through God’s LOVING-kindness that life is not more disastrous than it is. Now let’s check out some scriptures on compassion.
The first one we’ll look at today is Jesus’ telling of the parable about the two servants who owed money they could not repay. The first owed his master thousands of dollars, and when the master threatened to cast him into debtors’ prison, he begged for mercy, and the master forgave him the entire debt.
However that same forgiven one, found someone who owed him a measly few dollars, but when he couldn’t pay, he had him and his family cast into prison. Obviously that disgusting news got back to the master, who called the first servant and castigated him.
‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst (begged) me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth (angry), and delivered him to the tormentors (torturers) till he should pay all that due unto him.’ (Matt.18:32-34)
And it’s sad to say friends, that that kind of behaviour is still rampant in this world, amongst Christians too, believe it or not. But listen to the moral of the story as told by Jesus: ‘So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.’ (Matt.18:35) It couldn’t be any clearer than that!
And John says it thus in his epistle: ‘But whoso hath this world’s good (goods), and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels (heart) of compassion from him, how dwelleth the LOVE of God in him?’ (1 John 3:17) Good question friends? And the answer is that the LOVE of God does not dwell in such a person.
And to provide a solution to that unchristian behaviour, John therefore recommends: ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue (talk); but in deed and in truth.’ (1 John 3:18)
Oh my people, that is oh so necessary in the calamitous days our world is currently experiencing! We just need to have more LOVING action than just mere talk, as we all are so good at doing. I don’t know if there’s ever been a time that the saying; walk your walk and talk your talk, has been more important.
And this verse from Acts shows that is exactly what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’(Acts 10:38)
Oh my fellow believers, we have also been anointed with the same Holy Ghost and power that Jesus had, so it’s also our bounden duty to go around doing good and helping the less fortunate as much as we can, not keeping, hoarding and/or storing our power and anointing merely for our benefit. That’s what being a Christian means.
If we are followers of Christ, then we’re supposed to do like Christ did! And unfortunately we’re not doing it as much as we ought. Our compassion level is woefully low, while our greed and selfishness meter is way too high. So let’s hope today’s writing lights a fire, a compassionate fire under us. (smile)
But it’s time to go home now. And we’ll do so by declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the entire world know our situation in Christ Jesus. As one voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And yuh know what friends? Our finite minds can’t even truly imagine how glorious that future will be! Much LOVE!
…true Christianity is sharing…and giving…and LOVING…and sacrificing…and being there in time of need…
P.S. It’s a tad late because I got held up talking to a friend about the World Cup Soccer Tournament. Some things just can’t wait. (smile) Much LOVE!
10 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bear good fruit, blessed to the gills, blossom forth, by their fruit ye shall know them, Christ-like, Christian lives, compassionate behaviour, compassions, damnation, diligent, doctors, emotional pain, eternal life, evangelists, everlasting darkness, fainted, filled to the brim, forerunner, friend of Jesus, fully human, gratitude, great is thy faithfulness, grow those seeds, healing, Herod, his compassions fail not, hope, hurry, innate goodness, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, like seeds in the ground, LOVE, LOVING actions, loving-kindness, mercy of jesus, missionaries, moved with compassion, new every morning, nurses, our Lord and Saviour, philanthropists, planted in us, poverty, pray ye, preaching, prosperous society, responsibility, scattered abroad, send forth labourers, share jesus' love, sheep having no shepherd, sick, sorrow, sorrowful, thankfulness, the Good Book, the gospel of the kingdom, the harvest is plentiful, the labourers are few, the land of the living, the Lord of the harvest, the Lord's mercies, the lost, true disciples, trust, truthful words, Tuesday Mantra, we are not consumed, were weary, worry
Lamentations 3:22-23. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Well friends, here we are again on another beautiful Tuesday morning in the land of the living, blessed to the gills; filled to the brim with all the innate goodness and mercy of Jesus, just waiting to be brought forth in truthful words and LOVING actions!
Hn, hn! A good mouthful that! But it’s ALL true! Yes my brethren, all the goodness and mercy of Jesus has been planted in us, like seeds in the ground, since the day we accepted Him as our Lord and Saviour! Now it’s our responsibility to let those seeds grow in us and blossom forth with much good fruit.
Remember, Jesus said: ‘Wherefore by their fruit ye shall know them.’ (Matt.7:20) So the world will know whether we are true disciples of Jesus or not, by the fruit we bear. So let’s be diligent to bear good fruit in His name nuh.
And today we’ll continue with our Bit on compassions, because it’s such an important aspect of our God, and consequently our Christian lives. Moreover, compassionate behaviour is one of the ways that we are indeed able to bear good fruit.
‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’
Oh my people, every time I read that passage, thankfulness and gratitude just wells up within me! Let’s hope it does in you too, because it’s only through God’s exceptional LOVING-kindness that we have hope of eternal life and not everlasting darkness and damnation!
And finally I get to do what I wanted to from the beginning; show the compassion of our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ as recorded in the Good Book. (smile) Oh friends, if nothing else, Jesus was filled with compassion for the lost, the sick, the sorrowful; anyone who had a need, and to be true disciples of His, we also ought to have that compassionate mentality.
Hear the Good Book tell it: ‘And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’ (Matt.9:35-36)
Ah friends, sadly, that same condition still exists in our time today. There are numerous needy sheep scattered around our world, our individual countries and individual neighbourhoods with no shepherd. What are we doing, or going to do about them eh?
Listen to Jesus when He saw that sad situation. ‘Then saith he (Jesus) unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38)
Oh my people are we so moved when we see the poverty and sickness and great need that exist in this supposed prosperous society? Do we pray to the Lord to send forth more harvesters; missionaries, evangelists, doctors, nurses, philanthropists, etc. etc. to help those in need? And do we ourselves try to up our contributions to the betterment of the situation in some form or the other?
That’s what we as Christians, as true believers and followers of Christ ought to be doing! But obviously we are not doing it as well as we should, else the mass of needy humanity in our society would not be as great as it currently is.
Now here is another instance of Jesus’ compassion from the Good Book. This was after Herod killed John the Baptist and his head given to his (Herod’s wife). ‘And his (John’s) disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart (by himself): and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.’ (Matt.14:12-14)
Ah mih breddren, yuh think Jesus didn’t feel sorrow and emotional pain too? Remember He was fully human, so He certainly did, as indicated by His going away by Himself after hearing about John the Baptist’s death. Remember too that John was His cousin, His forerunner. And though they did not associate much, He was still moved, because He knew that it was basically on His account that John lost his life.
But even then, when He saw the multitudes of poor, needy and sick people, He could not avoid having compassion on them. Oh my fellow believers that’s how we ought to be too! Obviously we’ll not be able to alleviate all the suffering in the world, but come the judgement day it will be very beneficial to us, if the Lord could point out many acts of compassion which we did on His behalf, while here on earth.
Now let’s go home, declaring who and whose we are through our Tuesday Mantra, which has compassion as a central theme. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Yeh friends, sharing Jesus’ LOVE with the world is compassion. So let’s go out and do it nuh! Much LOVE!
…when Christians show true compassion…they are being truly Christ-like…
09 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pick me up, a wind that passeth away, a word of warning, adrenaline, asaph, aura of love, better late than never, blues, boundless, but flesh, cometh not again, compassion, confidence, consumed, disobedience, doctor's appointment, done like dinner, engaged the enemy, enthusiasm, enviable circumstances, flatter, friends, futility, get rid of God, glorious kingdom, glory to God, great is thy faithfulness, grin and bear them, Hades, his compassions fail not, hope, hot off the press, humble servants, in the middle of the day, indefatigable, iniquities, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, manna, mercy, Micah, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my benefit, new every morning, peace, play him for a fool, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, sin, spiritual armour, spiritual warfare, stale stuff, still enemies, still sinned, taking advantage, taunts, terror, the Lord's mercies, the words of our mouths, trouble, trust, tuned his anger away, ungodly world, vanity, wiles, wisdom, wondrous works
Lamentations 3:22-23. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Ah friends, sorry the Bit is this late, but I had an early morning doctor’s appointment in the city which means everything had to be rearranged. Chuh! If I say I’m not tired with doctor’s appointments now, I’d be lying. But they are for my benefit, so I just have to grin and bear them. And yesterday I planned to add a P.S. note about it, but I forgot. The old mind’s going. (smile) But as they say, better late than never.
So here it is now, hot off the press. And by now most of you are at work, so your day is well advanced and you have already engaged the enemy in spiritual warfare. You might even be still suffering from the Monday blues, so it’s definitely not too late to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our blues antidote. It’s also nice to have a li’l pick me up in the middle of the day. (smile)
So as one great voice now, 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!’
Ah mih breddren, what a relief to feel the adrenaline course through our veins, to feel the Spirit of Christ just rise up to the forefront once more, and we become indefatigable (not tired) and invincible once again. Glory to our great God!
Now yesterday we were talking about one of God’s many attributes, His compassion, and there is so much in the scriptures about it, that we’ll continue on that most worthwhile and awesome topic. As our Bit so magnanimously states: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’
Yeh friends, without God’s compassion we’d be done like dinner long time, roasting in Hades with that fool Lucifer! (smile) But thanks to our God’s magnanimous compassion, we’re not. And what I especially like about His compassion, His mercy, is that they are brand new every day!
Wow! Our God doesn’t give us any stale stuff. It’s like the fresh manna He gave the Israelites every day in the wilderness. Now how can we not appreciate and be grateful for that kind of treatment eh? Under those rather enviable circumstances, I don’t understand our strong desire to get rid of God from our society.
But some of us are just wiser than others, so let’s turn to the scriptures now and check out some more of it that deals with God’s compassion. Yesterday we saw the most important aspect of it, where while we yet His enemies, the Father sent Christ to die for us. (Rom.5:6-9) Yuh can’t beat that friends!
Now listen to Micah proclaim to the world, our God’s compassionate attribute. ‘Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by (over) the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their (our) sins into the depths of the sea.’ (Mic.7:18-19)
Oh my people, my people, what will it take for us to take the scriptures, the Word of God seriously eh? We’re behaving just like the Israelites did after the Lord brought them out of bondage in Egypt. The psalmist Asaph puts it nicely. Even after the Lord smote their stoutest men for their disobedience: ‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity (futility), and their years in trouble (sudden terror). When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early (sought diligently) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant. But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all their wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.’ (Ps.78:32-39).
Yeh friends, that’s the same way we are taking advantage of God’s compassion and mercy, making believe that we have right hearts and pure motives. But please remember He does not judge by outward appearances, so no matter how much we flatter Him with the words of our mouths, He will look at out hearts to see if they are sincere or not, and at some stage give us our just desserts.
A word of warning to the wise is supposedly sufficient. Let’s hope that we all accept that warning today. Much LOVE!
…although God’s compassion is boundless…it’s not wise…to try to play Him for a fool…
08 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a voice of hope, boundless love, Christ died for us, compassion, compassionate, confidence, cries of the hungry, Cross of Calvary, everlasting kindness, fathomless grace, fellowship, focus on christ, God of compassion, grace to the thief, great is thy faithfulness, grief, heartfelt sincerity, his compassions fail not, judgemental, let the children draw near, LOVE, new every morning, offering of praise, pardoned the scoffer, praise, radiance of heaven, ran to meet you, reached out your hand, reconciled, rescue the lost, sacrificial praise, shade of your rest, shared in our tears, sheep without a shepherd, still sinners, streams of forgiveness, suffering, the dead breathed again, the eyes of sorrow, the lame, the Lord's mercies, the sigh of the weary, thorns of oppression, we're not consumed, withouth strength, wounds of disgrace
Lamentations 3:22-23. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Well mih breddren, it’s Sunday morning, time to get thee hither to the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship, praise, worship and exalt our heavenly Father and receive His blessings and confidence through His word for the upcoming week.
Now yesterday we looked at the quote of our friend Anselm that talked about being judgemental in our youth, but after life humbled us with some serious life-lessons, we became more compassionate. Well since we dealt with judgmental attitudes yesterday I want to deal with compassion today.
And it so happens that I went looking for a hymn on compassion to match our topic, and in the Lord’s grace and mercy was pointed to this beautiful modern hymn written by Keith Getty, Kristyn Lennox Getty and Stuart Townend. And it’s appropriately titled the ‘Compassion Hymn,’ with words that are ever so appropriate and heart-rending, putting our focus directly on Christ and His compassionate work on our behalf.
You can google it and hear the beautiful melody and music that will definitely touch your heart and soul. So let’s sing it out soulfully now nuh friends, in a medium tempo, in strong voice, with heartfelt sincerity, truly meaning the words of sacrificial praise that we offer.
‘There is an everlasting kindness You lavished on us When the Radiance of heaven Came to rescue the lost You called the sheep without a shepherd To leave their distress For your streams of forgiveness And the shade of your rest
And with compassion for the hurting You reached out your hand As the lame ran to meet you And the dead breathed again You saw behind the eyes of sorrow And shared in our tears Heard the sigh of the weary Let the children draw near
(Chorus: What boundless LOVE What fathomless grace You have shown us, O God of compassion Each day we live An offering of praise As we show the world your compassion) We stood beneath the cross of Calvary And gazed on your face At the thorns of oppression And the wounds of disgrace For surely You have borne our suffering And carried our grief As you pardoned the scoffer And showed grace to the thief
(Chorus: What boundless LOVE…) How beautiful the feet that carry This gospel of peace To the fields of injustice And the valleys of need To be a voice of hope and healing To answer the cries Of the hungry and helpless With the mercy of Christ (Chorus: What boundless LOVE What fathomless grace You have shown us, O God of compassion Each day we live An offering of praise As we show to the world your compassion) (repeat)’
Wow! Isn’t that just beautiful friends! It’s like a listing of all that Jesus has done for us; and it all falls under the heading of COMPASSION! No one has ever showed compassion like our heavenly Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; that seems to be their middle name, as our Bit and the other scriptures we’ll share attest to.
‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’
Oh friends, we should all be extremely grateful that the Lord is merciful and compassionate yes, else we’d be lost in hellfire a long time ago. And are we ever blessed that His compassion for us is brand new every day! Glory be mih people. And we’re going to highlight God’s greatest act of LOVE and compassion through the words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.
‘For when we were yet without strength, in due (at the right) time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrates His own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship my brethren! In that while we were still sinful enemies, still estranged from Him, He showed His great and unconditional LOVE for us by sending His Son to die on our behalf, so that we could be reconciled to Him.
Mama Mia! And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Exalt His holy name!’ And the best way we can do that friends, is by showing our LOVE and compassion to others, be they believers or not.
Remember what we sang in the chorus above: ‘What boundless LOVE What fathomless grace You have shown us, O God of compassion Each day we live An offering of praise As we show to the world your compassion.’ Yeh, we claim that we show the world your compassion every day.
But is that really true, or is it as true as it can and should be? I don’t think so friends. If we were really showing the world God’s compassion through our actions, our world would not be such a divided, strife-filled and unhappy place, pervaded by so much poverty and sickness.
So please, let’s get serious and begin living the words we sing nuh. Remember if it wasn’t for God’s compassion, we’d never have Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and would be still hell bound instead of heaven bound. Much LOVE!
…only true compassion heals the wounds of the world…
07 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heavy thud, Anselm, back down to earth, beam, boomerang, brings us to our senses, changes in life, compassionate, condemn, Controller, Creator, disaster, dole out, evil, faults, friends, full of spunk, greedy, heat-wave, hot to trot, humbling, in your brother's eye, inner motives, judge not, judgemental, learn from them, life experiences, lived real life, measure ye mete, metaphorical comparisons, negative judgement, Northern California, offer help, opinionated, paly actor, plank, poetic justice, pray, prejudiced information, prescriptions, Protector, rafter, rain in Japan, render a verdict, selfish, solutions, Southern California, speck, steadfastly focused on Almighty God, takes time, the kind of person, the mote, the whole true story, thou hypocrite, too big for our britches, ultimate judgement, ungodly soicety, vey open, what was what, what you sow you reap, wildfire, ye be not judged
Matthew 7:1. Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged (condemned).
And so Saturday opened in my neighbourhood bright and beautiful…and cool! Thank the Lord! But down in southern California their heat wave apparently continues with temps reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit! Wow! And that wildfire in Northern California is still burning with a vengeance, causing people to run from their homes.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the rain is causing havoc, having killed several people over the last couple days. Mama Mia! On one side of the globe is one type of disaster, and on the other is a different kind.
But not to worry friends, the only way to handle all of that is by keeping our eyes and hearts steadfastly focused on Almighty God; our Creator, Protector and the Controller of ALL things. He has His reasons for allowing all that stuff, and there’s nothing much we can do about it but pray and offer whatever help we can.
And since it’s Saturday, guess we should turn to the quotes of our friend Anselm for this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, I only received one quote from him this week, but it is an interesting one.
‘Life experiences can, at times, be quite humbling, but you learn from them. But I like the changes in my life and what kind of person they’ve made me into. I’m very open, not as judgmental as I was in my twenties, and a lot more compassionate.’
And I know that’s true of many of us. In our early years we were full of spunk and hot to trot, figuring we knew everything and would show the world what was what. Hn! Hn! But instead the world showed us what was what! Isn’t that always the case when we get too high on our horses, or too big for our britches?
The world and our God has a way of humbling us, of bringing us back down to earth, and sometimes with a heavy thud, which quickly brings us to our senses. Unfortunately, that scenario usually takes time to materialize, so it’s often not until we’ve lived real life that we see the faults in our approach to it.
But as our quote says, eventually we become less judgemental and more compassionate. And oh how we badly need to reverse those two aspects of human nature in our mish-mash, evil and ungodly society today. Are we ever judgemental and opinionated about people and things we don’t know anything about. We see people and hear things and right away we jump to judgement, more often than not a negative judgement too.
But it seems we have forgotten the immortal words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on that particular topic. ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged (condemned).’ I couldn’t put it any better or simpler friends.
And Jesus continues: ‘For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete (use) it shall be measured to you again.’ (Matt.7:2) That’s just poetic justice friends, the law of God’s society, whatever you sow, you’ll reap; whatever you give out, you’ll get back. It’s like a boomerang; you throw it at someone but it comes right back to you.
Ah mih people, nobody can expand on a story like Jesus. Hear how He embellishes this: ‘And why beholdest thou the mote (speck) that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam (plank) that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote (speck) out of thine eye; and behold a beam (plank) is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote (speck) out of thy brother’s eye.’ (Matt.7:3-5)
Oh, is it ever refreshing to listen to Jesus! You’re always surprised and astonished by His metaphorical comparisons. And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘7:1-4. Judge not refers to an unfavourable and condemnatory judgement.
This does not mean that a Christian should never exercise judgement of any kind under any circumstances. The point being made here is that we are not to judge the inner motives of another. We are not to render a verdict based upon prejudiced information. Nor are we to use ourselves as the standard of judgement for with what…ye mete (measure) you shall be judged.
That ye be not judged refers to the ultimate judgement of God rather than our own judgement. The terms mote (Gr. karphos) and beam (Gr. dokos) are used metaphorically for a small fault and a great fault. A mote is a small speck of sawdust whereas a beam is a rafter used in building. Thus the idea of the text is that one cannot remove the speck from his brother’s eye until he has removed the rafter from his own eye!’
That hits the nail right on the head! And the scholars have another good one for verse ‘7:5. Thou hypocrite is the only statement that can be made for this play actor who pretends to be a physician when he himself is sick.’
And the sad part is that so many of us play actor doctors in this greedy, selfish and judgemental world are very sick ourselves, but we’re quick to dole out prescriptions to others. In other words, we’re hypocrites to the core!
Oh my fellow believers, please let us take a good look at ourselves before we go doling out solutions to others nuh, because very often we are doing worse than those we judge and condemn. Much LOVE!
…don’t offer opinions…unless you know the whole true story…
06 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ., after the Spirit, all is not lost, another week of work, boundaries, Canada Day, celebrations, Christ's kingdom, convicted, death, dying on our behalf, eternal life, everything will be made right, exciting things, fellowship, flooding, Friday chant, friends, fun, given another chance, glorious kingdom, glory to God, god is still on his throne, God's own time and way, havoc in Quebec, heat-wave, justified, know about Jesus, lack of sleep, likeness of sinful flesh, limits, live by the flesh, made me free, made righteous in god, no condemnation, ole body tired, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, partying, punished, pure Spirit of Christ, rain, relaxation, reminded, rest, salve job, sanctified, selfless sacrifices, sentenced to die, summer weekend, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the gift of God, the law of sin and death, the Spirit of life, the wages of sin, the workingman's song, to be sin for us, undeserving children, ungodly ways of the world, walk not after the flesh, weak law of the flesh, weekends, which are in Christ Jesus, wildfire in Northern California
Romans 8:1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Well friends, it seems like the heat wave is finally over! Thank the Lord! Some rain fell yesterday evening and in the night and cooled down the place some, but the heat wave certainly wreaked havoc in the Province of Quebec, where it seems thirty something people died during that excessively hot time.
Steups! When it’s not one thing, it’s certainly another. Meanwhile down in the U.S. some places had an exceeding amount of rain that caused extensive flooding. And out in Northern California that wildfire we spoke of yesterday is expanding its reach with a vengeance.
But yuh know what friends, all is not lost because of these negative circumstances, since we know that our omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present God is still on His heavenly throne overseeing things, and in His own time and way, everything will be made right. Glory to God!
And anyway, today is Friday, and nothing is going to stop the workingman from declaring his heartfelt song. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Brother! Don’t know if I could have made it one more day nuh. What with all the partying and lack of sleep from last weekend’s Canada Day celebrations, and the hard work on massa slave job, the ole body was really tired.
Glad that this was just a short week yes! Anyhow, is still the weekend, and the summer weekend calls for getting out there and making exciting things happen. And that’s what we’ll do, tired or not. Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
Ah mih people, I’m sure many of us feel the same way; tired after a long weekend of celebrations, then straight into a week of work under hot and exhaustive temperatures. But hopefully, we will not do like the workingman and continue in excessive celebrations over the weekend, because it doesn’t fit who we are.
We are followers of Jesus Christ and we have boundaries, limits to how far we can go along the continuum of celebrations…certainly not as far as the workingman goes. So let’s declare our weekend song, our Friday Chant, which is entirely different to that of the workingman.
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 friends, ours is a much more responsible situation. Oh we can party and such, but not to extremes, and we’re always on the lookout for ways to increase Christ’s kingdom and not denigrate it. That’s why we do not live by the flesh, by the wicked, ungodly ways of the world, but by the pure Spirit of Christ.
As Bruh Paul tells us in our Bit: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’
Oh my people, my people, what a delicious situation! Wow! If we live in Christ’s Spirit, under His law, we are no longer condemned, just convicted; not sentenced to die, but merely reminded and possibly punished, but given another chance, a much better situation. ‘For the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.’ (Rom.8:2)
Glory be mih breddren! Christ’s sacrificial death paid for our sins, and when we place our sincere trust and belief in Him, we no longer live under the negative law of sin, which says: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23) Praise Christ’s Holy Name for all that He’s done for us undeserving children of men!
As Bruh Paul continues to the church at Rome: ‘For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for (on account of) sin, condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteousness (righteous requirement) of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom.8:3-4)
And all God’s people gave out a loud and sincere ‘Thank You Jesus!’ And so we should, because it’s only through Jesus becoming human and coming to earth, but not committing sin, and dying on our behalf, in our place, that we’ve been set free from the weak law of the flesh.
As the scholars explain: ‘8:3. Law…was weak: There is nothing inherently wrong with the law. The presence of sin renders the believer powerless to do what the law demands. The likeness of sinful flesh: Christ was truly human but not a sinner (2 Cor.5:21).’
And instead of asking you to check out that scripture, which most of you will not do, we’ll just end with it instead. Oh, the spoon-feeding! (smile) ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us (to bear our sins), who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in (through) him.’ (2 Cor.5:21)
Oh friends, please remember and be very appreciative of the fact, that whatever we are today; righteous in the eyes of God, justified, sanctified, etc. etc. it’s all because of Jesus and His enormous selfless sacrifices! Much LOVE!
…if you know about Jesus…and don’t LOVE and worship Him…then something’s sadly wrong with you and your mind…
05 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better partner, all day, apt description, be prepared, blessed are the righteous, commandments, compassionate heart, conform to heavenly standard, contemplating, courage, creativity, curse, defender, delight, directions for godly living, divine protection, every evil way, firm to the end, friend, God's Word, gospel truth, great importance, grief, heat rash, hot sun, how sweet are they words, how tender, I love thy law, in the name of Jesus, individual directive, instructions, irritating, judgements, lathered in sunscreen, Law, law of the Lord, Maker, multifaceted character, my meditation, negative word, ordinances, Pentateuch, pondering, positive outlook, precepts, promotion, prosper, Redeemer, Revelation, road map, self-control, self-discipline, share blessings, sincere heart, skin cancer, steadfast, study God's Word, succeed, sunburn, sweeter than honey, Thursday Blessings, thy mercies, torah, uncomfortable, understanding, venture out, walks not in the council of the ungodly, wisdom
Psalm 119:97. Oh how I LOVE thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
And another hot one is on the way friends! So please make sure you are lathered in your sunscreen, have on your long sleeves and your hat, and even your gloves (smile) before you venture out into the hot sun today, because it will save you from much grief later on.
Yeh, I use to laugh at warnings like that too, but recently I’ve discovered that if I do too much sun, I get a heat rash on my arms, especially when driving and the sun is coming through the glass of the window. And believe me that kind of rash, or actual sunburn can be quite irritating and uncomfortable and even lead later on to things like skin cancer, etc. etc. So please be prepared.
Now hear this quote from one Robert Grant. There were so many, I couldn’t figure out which one said it. (smile) But whichever one said it, surely had his mind securely on the pulse of the matter. ‘Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end, our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!’
Wow mih breddren, that’s gospel truth! And Jesus is certainly all those things, from beginning to end, and steadfast all the time, no ups and downs in His behaviour! We couldn’t ask for a better partner in this life. And from that, our Bit ought to logically follow in our lives. ‘Oh how I LOVE thy law! It is my meditation all the day.’
Yeh mih people, if we think that Jesus is so wonderful, then His Word, His Law and all the other names used for His communication with us, ought to have a high place of honour in our earthly lives, such that we’re always meditating upon it, contemplating it, pondering it, And if that is not truly happening, then we’re not telling the truth and only fooling ourselves.
And here is this explanation by the scholars of the word ‘LAW.’ ‘The multifaceted character of God’s word is revealed by at least eight key synonyms for it in the psalm.
(1) Law (torah) is the most frequent of the words. It comes from a verb meaning “to teach,” and thus came to be applied to a wide range of revelation, from an individual directive to the entire Pentateuch (first 5 Books of the Bible, assumed to have been written by Moses). It emphasizes that God has taught us in His Word what He requires of us.’
So there we have it friends: basically, the ‘law’ is God’s directions for godly living here on earth. Consequently, we can only live a godly life when we know the law and what’s required of us. That’s why we need to meditate and ponder and consider it a great deal. That’s why the psalmist says so profoundly in Psalm 1 –Blessed are the righteous.
‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder, talking to oneself) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)
Glory be mih people! Yuh see what happens when we concentrate on God’s Word and put it into action! Our lives prosper! What more can we ask eh? So I really don’t know why we foolishly insist on following Lucifer and his wicked ways that the world embraces and trumpets as wisdom. And I think it’s only appropriate that we hear the rest of the scripture after our Bit, which makes up the portion of the psalm titled ‘MEM.’
‘Thou through thy commandments (commander’s authority, necessity of obeying God’s charge) hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than my teachers: for thy testimonies (God’s own testimony in His word) are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients (aged), because I keep thy precepts (instructions from a superior).
I have refrained (restrained) my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word (content of God’s revelation). I have not departed from thy judgements (ordinances from God as judge to make earthly behaviour conform to His heavenly standard): for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts (instructions) I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.’ (Ps.119:98-104)
Oh my brethren, I just LOVE that line about the Lord’s words being sweeter than honey! Mama Mia! What an apt description! And that’s how it’s supposed to be with ALL believers!
So my people, I implore us today to make the Lord’s word of great importance in our lives, because it is the road map, the guide to the kind of life He wants us to live down here on earth, the kind of life that will prepare us for life in heaven with Him.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, which our heavenly father has so generously bestowed on us. In strong voice and sincere heart 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!’
Ah friends, now let’s go out and share those blessings with the less fortunate, for that’s why they were given to us. Much LOVE!
…you can’t know God’s requirements…unless and until you study His Word…
04 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a millstone, a toenail entrance, appreciation of God's good gifts, as a little child, be converted, believing celebrants, born again, cause to sin, childlike faith, confusion, Daily Bread Devotions, divisiveness, drowned in the sea, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enjoy each and every day, eternity with Jesus, exhibited in children, extricate them, feel the heat, forgiveness, frobid them not, grace, Granny's warning, grow in faith, halfway home, hands on the plough, Happy 4th of July, hardhearted, hatred, have life, humble himself, in my name, kingdom of heaven, let us rejoice and be glad in it, looking forward, mercy, more abundantly, most sensible thing to do, negative happenings, Northern California, not turning back, outer darkness, produce good fruit, restore to us, S. of A, sincere Christian, steamy day, strife, such is the kingdom of heaven, Suffer little children, taken for granted, the breath of God, the childlike joy, the goats, the greatest in heaven, the sheep, this is the day the Lord has made, to a glorious future, to come unto me, to mar the day, trust, U, uncahrted waters, wasting Jesus' sacrificial death, Wednesday Wail, wildfires, worldly, young pups
Matthew 19:14. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for such is the kingdom of heaven.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY U. S. OF A !
Oh friends, this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it nuh! And you ask why? Because it’s the wisest and most sensible thing to do…And because that’s why the Lord made it…And because that’s why Jesus died, so we could have life and have it more abundantly….And abundantly means plentiful. So if we don’t enjoy each and every day that we’re alive, we’re just wasting Jesus’ sacrificial death.
And having settled that argument (smile) let’s move on to wishing the U.S. of A, a very Happy 4th of July, Independence Day. Now they are a tad older than us in Canada, 242 to 150, but in terms of age, compared to other European and Asian countries they are still young pups.
And for all you believing celebrants down there, please don’t forget Granny’s warning: Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business. That’s right, we don’t want to give Lucifer even a li’l toenail entrance into our spirits. (smile) Because if he gets even that, he’ll just settle himself there and unobtrusively dig and dig and dig until he gets right into our lives and spoil them.
Anyway, like us, down south they will be having a scorching, steamy day to celebrate one of their biggest holidays. Let’s hope there are no negative happenings to mar the day. What with the current state of confusion and divisiveness that’s overshadowing the country. And I know one place that will be definitely feeling the heat is out in Northern California where firefighters are battling a wildfire, hampered by winds of up to 25 miles (40 km) per hour.
Ah mih people, let’s pray for them, and the country as a whole, because they are certainly mired in some deep and uncharted waters, and only the Lord in His grace, mercy and forgiveness can extricate them without even more strife and hatred than what’s already being experienced.
And here is a li’l something from the Daily Bread Devotions that dovetails nicely with what we’re talking about; joy in our spirits. Please pray with me. ‘Father in heaven, please restore to us the childlike joy that appreciates your good gifts.’
And do we ever need to have a childlike appreciation of God’s great gifts to us my brethren! We’ve become so hardhearted and worldly, taking all that God has given us so much for granted, that most of us can’t even recognize those excellent gifts again.
But please remember what Jesus said, and how He rebuked the disciples when they tried to stop children from coming to Him. ‘But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for such is the kingdom of heaven.’
Yeh friends, heaven is made up of people with childlike faith and joy! And besides, you really can’t believe in and about Jesus until you experience simple faith and trust like that exhibited in children. Yuh see how your children trust you to take care of them and not to abuse and mistreat them, even though their small and undeveloped minds don’t understand what’s really going on?
Well it’s the same way we have to accept Jesus in simple, childlike fashion, if we are going to grow in faith and produce good fruit in His name. And please remember His immortal words when the disciples came and asked Him about the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them. And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. But whoso shall offend (cause to sin) one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.’ (Matt.18:2-6)
Extremely strong words my brethren! And if Jesus used them, then they must be true. So to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must be converted, (born again) and become humble and obedient like little children. And just like He said about the poor and needy, if you receive a young believer with open arms, it’s like you are receiving Him. However, if you cause one of those young believers to go astray, then your punishment will be great.
So friends, the long and short of the story is that believers ought to be humble, obedient, sincere and kind to others, including strangers. If we are not those things, then we are simply fooling ourselves, and when Jesus comes to His throne, unfortunately, we will be numbered amongst the goats who will be thrown into outer darkness.
Now that is a situation we definitely don’t want to experience. So please, let’s use the wisdom that God has so generously granted us and do whatever it takes to be numbered amongst the sheep that will dwell serenely in heaven with Jesus for all time nuh. And for those of us who have already made that wisest of all decisions, let’s go home proclaiming to all the world, our enviable situation in Christ.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And because Jesus promised it, we know that eternity with Him will indeed be glorious. Much LOVE!
…it’s not always easy to have childlike faith…but to be a sincere Christian…it is essential…
03 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bark, be careful of what you wish for, beyond comprehension, beyond expectation, boggles our imagination, by horsemen, by horses, by my spirit, by osmosis, bypass the Spirit's guiding, Canada Day, celebrations, communicating with the Father, creativity, diligent study, electrify me, escape, friend of Jesus, gently whisper, Glory be, go astray, God's unreal power, Godhead, grow in faith, happen overnight, heat-wave, heavenly Father, hide, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, Hosea, huffing and puffing, hurry, indwells us, invade, know the word, lead and guide, lends a hand, listen carefully, LOVE, loving-kindness, magnificent power, manmade inplements, mature in the faith, mercy, mystique, nor by battle, nor by power, nor by sword, not by bow, not by might, on our lonesome, One Year Book of Bible promises, pay attention to, penetrate every fibre, permeate me, praise, praise the performance, precious people, reality of work, revere, reward me, right from wrong, righteousness, run, Ruth Harms Calkin, searing heat, serve, share jesus' love, shout, sincere determination, startles me, summer weather, the beloved of God, the House of Judah, the intentions of God, the Task, the very thought of it, the Worker Bee, Tuesday Mantra, utterly impossible, will save them, wisdom, wonder of wonders, worry, worship, Zechariah
Zechariah 4:6b. Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
‘Heat wave! It’s a heat wave! Yes a heat wave!’ Ah friends, the summer heat wave continues on this Tuesday morning after our hearty Canada Day celebrations, and the reality of work hits us once again. (smile) And I believe the searing heat might continue all week. As they say, be careful of what you wish for. We wished for summer weather, and we’re getting truly summer weather.
That brings me to a poem I want to share from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s called ‘The Task’, and it resembles our reality so much that I just had to share it. Please read with me: ‘Lord, You give me a task So utterly impossible So totally beyond comprehension – The very thought of it Startles me. I want to run hide escape Anything, Lord.
Then you electrify me You invade and permeate me You penetrate every fibre of me Until the task is accomplished By your own magnificent power. Then you praise the performance Your creativity achieved And you reward me beyond expectation – As though I had done it All by myself My Father.’
Oh precious people of God, isn’t that just how our wonderful heavenly Father behaves! He gives us something to do that seems impossible and we want to run and hide, escape somehow from doing it because it just boggles our imagination. But then, in His LOVING-kindness, our Father steps in and lends a hand, guides us, and sometimes does most of the hard work, until we accomplish the seemingly impossible task He assigned us.
And then, wonder of wonders, He gives us much praise and glory and reward, as though we had done it all on our lonesome! Wow! How wonderful is He eh!
Mankind always want to take the glory for what they do, but our heavenly Father shares it with us, so that we can be encouraged and grow in faith and LOVE, because in the natural, we can’t do very much on our own. That’s why He never gives us more than we can do, and when our tasks seem overwhelming, He steps in and helps us to accomplish them. Now that’s the kind of God I can LOVE and revere, and praise and give thanks to!
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today, the awesome verse from the prophet Zechariah: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’
Yes my faithful breddren, our omnipotent God from way back when, does most of His work quietly and efficiently through the third part of the Holy Trinity; the Holy Spirit that now indwells us. You won’t see a lot of huffing and puffing and exaggerated action, just a cool and powerful mystique as it were. That just shows the awesome power that resides in the Godhead that we serve and worship! And so it should be, otherwise there’s no reason to worship it.
Now hear this scripture from Hosea that emphasizes God’s unreal power. Per the unfaithful people of Judah, He promised: ‘But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.’ (Hos.1:7)
Glory be mih people! The Lord doesn’t have to use man, nor animals, nor manmade implements to fight and win battles for us! He simply uses His Holy Spirit; what I term the Worker Bee of the Holy Trinity, because He does ALL the work that’s necessary in the Father’s domain.
But unfortunately too many of us don’t pay sufficient attention to the Holy Spirit, even though He now dwells in us and is there to lead and guide us in righteousness. That’s why we so often go astray. The problem is that the Holy Spirit will not shout and bark at us, but will gently whisper to our spirit, letting us know what’s right from wrong. So if we don’t listen carefully, and don’t know the word, it’s easy to bypass the Spirit’s guiding.
That’s why it’s so essential my brethren to know God’s word and to pay attention to what His Spirit is saying and doing within us, because that’s how He generally communicates with us. It’s all through the Holy Spirit friends! So to grow and mature in the faith, we need to be more circumspect in listening to and learning of and from the hard working Spirit of God that lives in us and is continually sharing the Father’s intentions with us.
And it just doesn’t happen overnight, or by osmosis, (smile) but by diligent study and sincere determination. So true wisdom dictates that we start paying better and more serious attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing within us. End of sermon!
Now for those of us who are serious about communicating with the Father through His Spirit, let’s go home today declaring our Tuesday Mantra, boldly and confidently proclaiming to the world who and whose we are.
In one, strong and enthusiastic 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!’
And as always, the corollary to that mantra is to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as He so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…the Spirit of God works within us…to show us the intentions of God…
02 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abide in my love, adrenaline, all men shall know, aura of love, bear good fruit, Canada Day, celebrations, celebratory times, Christians, commandments, complaining, confidence, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, faith, friends, frightened way, Granny's warning, grievous, harmful, holy spirit, hot summer's day, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, keep my commandments, keeping Jesus' word, know them by their fruits, lackadaisical, lies, long weekend, LOVE, LOVE one another, meet the enemy in battle, miserable, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Monday Morning Blues, much needed sleep, obey, poetic liberty, precautions, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, shame-faced, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, to the max, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, ye are my disciples, your joy might be full
John 15:10. If ye keep my commandments; ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his LOVE.
And then it was Monday; another hot summer’s day in this Canada Day long weekend! Wow friends! We’re celebrating 151 years of Canada’s existence! Granted that’s a short time in comparison to other countries, but we’re certainly doing it with a flair all our very own. No set of copy-cat ideas, be they good, bad or indifferent.
Anyway, the celebrations will be ramped up to the max today, and before we go any further, let’s just be reminded of Granny’s warning; Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business! And is that ever a wise warning, because if you don’t mind your business, somebody else will mind it for you, and you don’t know what they will do to it. So please take serious precautions during these celebratory times.
And since it’s Monday, it means that some people have to go to work…not us in Canada though! Praise the Lord! It also means that some people are miserable and complaining, so let’s trot out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and sing it with gusto, to quell all those Monday morning blues.
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 as always, the voices of those who aren’t going to work are the loudest and most enthusiastic, but also hoarse and somewhat hard to understand from the effects of too much celebrating. But be that as it may, I believe that all of us can benefit from the burst of adrenaline that our song produced, so let’s get a grip and just go out and serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the best of our ability nuh, because that’s all He asks of us.
As He said to the disciples, and consequently to us: ‘If ye keep my commandments; ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his LOVE.’ Yes friends, it’s simple; to do Jesus work, we need to keep His commandments. And they are neither grievous nor harmful.
Then He continues: ‘These things have I spoken unto you; that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:11) Yuh see mih people, when we keep Jesus commands, we are filled with joy! Wow! So why don’t we do it eh? Is it perhaps that we don’t like the joy of the Spirit that keeping Jesus’ word provides? Who knows?
Then He told them: ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:12-14)
Glory be mih breddren! We become Jesus’ friend when we obey His commandments…and even better than that He is the ‘BESTEST’ friend that ever existed, because He laid down His life for us! It couldn’t get any better than that!
And please note what Jesus told the disciples earlier on. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.’ (John 13: 34) That makes twice He declared that our LOVE for each other was ever so important. And why? ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:35)
And Jesus pounded it into their heads even further: ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained (appointed) you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye LOVE one another.’ (John 15:16-17)
And they did LOVE one another as best they could, and went forth and brought forth good fruit, that’s why we know Jesus’ words now. Ah mih people, how often does Jesus have to remind us that we are His disciples, He chose us, not the other way around, and we are supposed to go out and bear good fruit for His name’s sake eh? And not the lackadaisical, frightened and shame-faced way that so many of us do it, when we do it.
Remember friends, we all have to answer come the Big Day for what we did down here on earth. So it will be wise to get a move on and improve our planting and fruit bearing seasons. Much LOVE!
…they shall know them by their fruits…Christians that is…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit. I took a li’l poetic liberty (smile) and got some much needed sleep. Much LOVE!
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