21 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, and none shall make them afraid, blessed be the name of Jesus Christ, bring backsliders back to your fold, Christ comes back, Christ is working all things out for good, come let us go up to the mountain of God, common pandemic, down by the riverside, Friday chant, God shall wipe away all tears, hast spoken it, in the last days, introduce a new flock, is as a thousand years, it shall be exalted above the hills, keep our promises, lay down my burden, learn to rely on Christ and His word, mankind is capable of much evil, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war no more, neither sorrow, no more death, no regard for human life, nor crying, omnipotent help, one day with the Lord, our sinful world can wake up, peace and love instead of violence, right motives, smell the coffee, soon come, study war no more, take heart, the days of the Millennium, the example your faithful believers set, the former things are passed away, the mouth of the Lord of hosts, the unrest in our streets, to set up His earthly kingdom, tongue in cheek, unexpected storm, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
Micah 4:4b. and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.
Oh blessed be the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for filling us with life, LOVE and sunshine on this real cold winter’s Friday! According to my computer, the temperature out there is somewhere around minus 15 degrees Celsius. And that’s plenty minus! (smile) But with the strength and perseverance that Jesus brings to our lives, we will handle it superbly! And I can say that tongue in cheek because I don’t have to go out there today…at least not yet.
So what’s happening today eh friends? Friday is here, meaning the end of the workweek and not a whole lot of frivolity, for Covid is still here too, as well as political, racial, religious and economic strife. All over our world, despite the common pandemic, which ought to bring us together, we’re still finding time to physically fight each other, senselessly kill each other with no regard for human life, purposely impoverishing some, while holding back much needed and affordable relief from others.
I don’t know if all the evil and ungodliness in mankind has ever shown up all at once, like it has now. And believe me, mankind is indeed capable of much evil. He can be truly the devil’s son when he chooses to be! But then again, he can be sweet, LOVING and caring like Jesus! The problem though is we don’t know which aspect of his nature will show up on any given day. And I don’t know if anything will change much until Christ comes back to set up His earthly kingdom, as this passage from Micah foresees.
He confidently declares: ‘But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in (on) the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people (peoples) shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth (out) of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And he shall judge among (between) many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks (pruning knives): nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.’ (Mic. 4:1-5)
Oh my people, how our world longs for that blessed day when war and strife will be no more! When our weapons of war will be turned into productive instruments ensuring peace and LOVE instead of violence! And it will come, but we just don’t know when, for these last days are kind of lasting rather long. (smile) But that’s to be expected when time, in the Lord’s sight is totally different to time in ours.
As Peter so sensibly reminds us: ‘But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’ (2 Pet. 3:8) So if we figure that the last days began around the time of that momentous Pentecost Day, when the Holy Spirit fell on the early church, that’s two thousand years ago, then it’s only about two days in the Lord’s sight. (smile) So it’s early days yet.
But getting back to Micah’s prophecy, the scholars tell us this: ‘4:1-3. The phrase in the last days, as well as a comparison with other prophecies (e.g. Is. 2:2-4), indicates that the prophet is looking beyond the restoration from Babylonian captivity to the days of the Millennium when every promise given to Abraham and to Israel will ultimately be fulfilled.’
Yes friends, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed the same thing (Is. 2:2-4) and we know that all of God’s promises will eventually come true, but it’s taking so long to come, like the Jamaicans ‘soon come,’ and in the meanwhile our world is such a mess with the enemy in the ascendance right now. But as followers of Jesus, we must take heart and learn to rely on Him and His word. Remember, He’s working all things out for the good of those who LOVE Him, and that takes time.
But until Christ comes again, we can hold on to this great promise from the Book of Revelation, where John says: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev. 21:3-4)
It’s coming my fellow saints, it’s only a matter of time. Till then though we have to make the best of what we have by staying close and faithful to our great God. And there’s no better way to do that than through prayer. So let’s go to Him right now nuh, through our Friday Chant and ask for His divine help in our earthly matters. As one confident but humble voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now please remember that the Lord not only listens to our voices in prayer, but more importantly, checks out the motives of our hearts, and if He finds them wanting, will not grant our desires. So it’s always to our benefit to have right motives and to keep our promises. Much LOVE!
…I’m gonna lay down my burden…down by the riverside…and study war no more…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
20 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, be careful for nothing, but of power love and a sound mind, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, courage, creativity, curse, duty to share our blessings, every tongue that rises against you, faith, favour, fear and faith don't mix, feeling down, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, grieve not the Holy Spirit, I am persuaded, let not your heart be troubled, let your moderation be known unto all men, LOVE, my peace I give unto you, nay in all these things, negative word, neither let it be afraid, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, Peace i leave with you, plenty practice and perseverance, Rejoice in the Lord always, Seasonal Affective disorder, self-control, separate us from the love of God, shall guard your hearts and minds, that neither death nor life nor angels, the heritage of the Lord, the inclement weather, the Lord is at hand, the Lord's love for His people, the peace of God which passeth all understading, Thursday Blessings, we are more than conquerors, ye are sealed unto the day of redemption
2 Timothy 1:7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.
Oh friends, our God is so good and thoughtful that over the last few days He’s opened each day with bright sunshine to help those of us who might be feeling down because of the inclement weather or suffering from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Praise His holy name! And thus, in conjunction with the light and life that Jesus brings, believers should have no problems adjusting to whatever comes against them in these turbulent times.
For just as the prophet Isaiah declared the Lord’s LOVE to the people of Israel, that same LOVE also applies to us right now. And Isaiah’s reassuring message was as follows: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17)
Now, add to that, Bruh Paul’s message to the church at Rome, where he declares: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) Brother! Does all of that ever provide an airtight cushion of LOVE to protect us from the enemy’s assaults. And all God’s children gave a grateful shout of: ‘Praise the Lord, for His goodness to the children of men!’
And to further encourage us, Bruh Paul continues his message by saying: ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:38-39)
And that should come as no surprise to us my fellow believers since Bruh Paul also told the Ephesians: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto redemption.’ (Eph. 4:30) That means once we receive Christ as Saviour and His Spirit comes to dwell within us, then we are sealed as belonging to Him, and no one can break that seal.
So there is no real reason to fear anything that comes against us in this life. Yes, we must be careful and concerned, and some fear will always come upon us when life surprises us, but lasting fear should not ever be numbered amongst our many attributes. That brings us to this other most encouraging scripture, more words of Bruh Paul, this time to his protégé Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! Through Christ Jesus we have received all the tools we need to run this race of earthly glory in His mighty name! And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then hopefully, you will believe Jesus, when He says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
But some of you remark, that’s all well and good for Him to say so, but how do we do that in real life? Well, I believe if you follow Bruh Paul’s recipe to the Philippians you can certainly accomplish it. Listen up as he details it. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (graciousness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand (He is coming back soon and He is always spiritually near).
Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7) And there you have it my brethren; the way to find the peace of God in this unpeaceful world!
Now, that’s not always easy to do, especially with the evil and ungodly world doing their best to derail our good intentions. Meaning, it only comes through experience, in other words, through plenty practice and perseverance. (smile) But when we continually rejoice, are gracious, thankful and prayerful, with the wonderful fruit of the Spirit thriving in us and manifesting itself in our lives, then obtaining that peace of God should not be a problem.
And on top of all that, our God is so wonderful that He’s also bestowed numerous blessings on those who choose to sincerely follow His will and do His bidding. We call them our Thursday Blessings. And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been declared, let’s go home declaring (yeah!!!) them right now nuh, so that they can be put in place for godly use.
Altogether 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 every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our duty to go out and share all those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! That’s His ardent desire! Much LOVE!
…fear and faith don’t mix…but only through Christ…can the latter prevail…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
19 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a high price to pay to follow Jesus, abide in me and I in you, acclaim Jesus' name, cannot be my disciple, endure to the end, except a corn of wheat, fall into the ground and die, he that hateth his life in this world, he that loveth his life shall lose it, him will my father honour, I am halfway home, I am the vine ye are the branches, I'm not turning back, if any man serve me, if it die it bringeth forth much fruit, in comparison to one's devotion to Christ, it abideth alone, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, one's family ties must be secondary, shall keep it unto eternal life, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the future will be even more glorious, the hour is come, the Son of man shall be glorified, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, which is the great commandment, whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, without me ye can do nothing
Luke 14:27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
And it’s another cloudy, frosty Wednesday morning! A little of the white stuff fell in my area last night, but not enough to make a difference, but we are still surrounded by a sea of white, although the roads are passable today, and we might have more problems with ice than snow. (smile) Oh, and by the way, the duchess’ prediction re the snow removal, did not come through, because the trucks and scoops came early in the evening to remove it, instead of late in the night as she had forecasted, and as they often do.
But that’s enough about snow and the unfortunate weather we’ve been having. It’s time to talk about something that will truly make a difference. And what’s that you ask? We’re talking about some of the many immortal words our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ spoke while on His earthly sojourn. These were spoken around the time of His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, when the disciples informed Him that a group of Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the feast were desirous of talking to Him.
The Good Book relates it thus: ‘And Jesus answered them (the disciples), saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn (grain) of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth (remains) alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that LOVETH his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my father honour.’ (John 12:23-26)
Yes friends, Jesus expects a high degree of selflessness from His followers, but to be sure, they are well rewarded for it. Now let’s clear up one major point before moving on. It concerns the matter of LOVE and hate in the scriptures. The scholars offer this explanation of verse 25 above. They say: ‘Whenever we see LOVE and hate contrasted we should understand that LOVE for the one is so undivided that it may appear as hate for the other; although it is not necessarily so (cf. Luke 14:26, disciples hating mother and father; Rom. 9:13. God hating Esau.’
Oftentimes, it’s not an emotional thing, but just the Father’s will; like with Jacob and Esau. Jacob was blessed while Esau was not. So every time we see LOVE and hate in the scriptures, we need to take a moment to stop and consider the true meaning, whether it was an emotional problem or just one party being more favoured than another. And if we consider the verse referenced above in Luke, we can see exactly what they are talking about.
There Jesus counted the cost of following Him, to the multitude around Him, when He says: ‘If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren (brothers), and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.’ (Luke 14:26-27)
Oh my people, it is indeed a high price to pay to follow Jesus, but that’s just how important it is to follow Him. And He doesn’t mean we have to dislike our family or friends, just that, as the scholars put it. ‘In comparison to one’s devotion to Christ, one’s family ties must be secondary. This does not set aside Jesus’ other teachings to LOVE one’s enemies, to honour father and mother, and the like. It does highlight that absolute loyalty to Christ is paramount, even though in many societies, including the one in which Jesus taught, as well as many today, following Him involves precisely the either-or that this verse sets up.’
And that’s so sad, because Jesus never meant for us to give up our friends and families, but just to put Hm first. But in way too many cases, religiosity unfortunately, and wrongly forces us to give up one or the other. Yes, you can’t serve God and mammon or money, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have much money, because money is important in forwarding Christ’s kingdom in this sinful world.
So please, let’s not allow religion to drive us to one camp or the other, for in Christ, remember, we are all ONE! There’s no difference between the rich and the poor, the slave and the free, the Jew and the Gentile in Christ’s eyes. It’s only important that we live our lives sincerely trying to obey His will. So what’s the long and short of the story, you ask?
Well, I believe it’s spelled out in two sets of scriptures. The first is Jesus’ sincere admonishment to the disciples. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5) Now that’s Jesus telling it like it really is! In this world, we can do nothing of any consequence without Him!
And the second set of scriptures that I believe explains our purpose on this earth, is Jesus response to the question, posed by an uppity, self-righteous, hypocritical lawyer of the Jewish ruling class: ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36-40)
Yes my fellow saints, from the beginning of time, that’s what the prophets been preaching; the absolute and miraculous power of LOVE! It’s marvellous ability to bring things and people together to live in harmony, with Almighty God and with each other! And that’s what our world is sadly lacking in these troubled times; a real sense of caring, of compassion, of LOVE for God and each other. So it seems that’s where our focus should be centred, be concentrated in these calamitous times, if we sincerely desire true improvement in our world. And that’s the long and short of the story! (smile)
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to preach and practice LOVE, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one loud, confident voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And believe me people, if we endure to the end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! So let’s hang in there and acclaim Christ’s name nuh, like He so richly deserves! Much LOVE!
…to God the Father…be the glory…through Christ Jesus…the Son…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
18 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a proof of spiritual rebirth, a search for righteousness, bad money management, blessed are the meek, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, complete satisfaction, exalted them of low degree, for he satisfieth the longing soul, from them that walk uprightly, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I'm not what people say about me, infringe on our free will, led astray by our sinful nature, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, made allegiance to Christ, no good thing will he withhold, no one can take that from me, reading and meditating on God's word, satisfy our famished souls, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, share His love with the world, spiritual awakening, spiritual famine, that's life, the Beatitudes, the big cleanup, the lies and deceits of the enemy.reading God's word, the rich he hath sent empty away, the Sermon on the Mount, there is no want to them that fear God, they shall be filled, they shall inherit the earth, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry
Psalm 107:8. He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
And the big cleanup is in progress this bright, sunshiny Tuesday morning after the big storm yesterday. And it was a real big one, one like we haven’t seen possibly in a decade. My driveway is clean now, but not the lane, especially the entrance to it, where the snow plow just moves up and down the main road cleaning that, while blocking up the laneways with piles of unpassable snow.
The lanes are always left for last, though I don’t know how they expect us to get to a clean main road, if we can’t get out of our lanes. And when they do the lanes they block up the driveways, so that ofttimes you can’t get out because the snow pile at the bottom is so big and icy. But that’s the government for you!
Now let’s hope that we don’t get any more snowfalls even close to the magnitude of this one, because then we’ll hear that they’ve run out of money to do the clean up properly. Steups! Every year they raise the taxes that’s supposed to pay for that amenity, but every year they clam to run out of money. Is it just bad money management…or something entirely different eh? (smile)
But that’s a story for another day. Today, let’s consider something much more important – a search for righteousness, one that will automatically improve that money situation we were just talking about. (smile) Now, Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount spoke of some traits that believers ought to possess, and what happens when they possess or ardently seek them. We call them the Beatitudes, and one of them goes like this: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6)
But before we get into what that means, let’s look at another even important statement Jesus made later on, where He warns His listeners. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33). Now, if we are supposed to seek God’s righteousness, then that gives us some idea of how important righteousness is, and it’s a continual thing.
Once you have found God, made allegiance to Christ, you don’t ever stop searching for righteousness. And righteousness is basically wanting to do the right thing. Most of us know what’s right from wrong, but don’t always do it, being led astray by our sinful nature and the lies and deceit of the enemy and this evil world. And seeking righteousness is just trying not to be led astray, through reading God’s word, meditating on it, praying, mingling with other believers, and accepting His promises for your future.
And going back to our Beatitude, we find this explanation from the scholars. ‘5.6. These future possessors of the earth (referring to the previous Beatitude – blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth: Matt. 5:5) are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst after righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is a proof of their spiritual rebirth.
Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognizes the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed : ‘He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:9).’
Yes friends, that’s one of the many promises of our faithful God! If you come to Him spiritually hungry and thirsty, He will indeed fill your soul with His righteousness. But sadly, in these times of great spiritual hunger and thirst, of spiritual famine, not enough of us are recognizing our drastic need for spiritual awakening, and thus are not turning to Almighty God to refresh and satisfy our famished souls.
How sad is that eh? And it’s one of the reasons why our world, why Christ’s church, and our own lives are in such disarray, that we are miserable and unhappy, and not living the abundant life that Christ died for us to have, first down here on earth, and then with Him in heaven for all eternity. Now let’s check out a few scriptures that reinforce our contention of blessedness for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
And the first one comes from Bruh David’s immortal, or more correctly, one of his immortal psalms. (smile) That’s Psalm 34, where he writes with exceptional confidence: ‘O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear (revere) him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:9-10) How reassuring and encouraging are those words when we take them seriously!
Then we turn to one of my favourite passages of scripture, the Magnificat, the soul and spirit baring or emptying words that Mary, Jesus’ mother spoke of her rather unusual situation when she went to visit her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother. Amongst her outpouring of heart-felt words, were these, on our current topic. ‘He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of low degree (the humble). He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away.’ (Luke 1:52-53)
Oh my people, our God does take pleasure in exalting and filling the humble with good things, but those who don’t have time for Him, He leaves up to their own devices. The Lord LOVES and cares for us all, but He desires us to come to Him. In most cases, He won’t infringe on the free will that He’s given us. So the responsibility lies with us to answer His call.
And the last scripture again comes from the psalms, this time from the pen of the sons of Korah, who in Psalm 84, positively declare: ‘For the Lord is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (ps. 84:11-12) And that’s the gospel truth, as all of us who trust in Christ Jesus know from long experience!
Now for those of us who sincerely seek the Lord’s kingdom and His righteousness, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and confident voice! ‘In God’s eyes, 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!’
Now let’s go out and action those statements like Jesus desires of us, sharing His amazing LOVE and awesome friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…in Jesus…we find ALL that we need…no ifs, ands and buts about it…
P.S. They have finally cleaned my lane, but if you see the two big piles of snow they set up in front of my two neighbours’ houses, completely blocking sight of the main road. Then, as the duchess complained, there will be noise all during the night as the big trucks come to remove the snow. But that’s life! You have to put up with some discomfort to get the final comfort! (smile) Much LOVE!
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
17 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a horse of an entirely different colour, better late than never, for thou Lord art good, God moves in ways His wonders to perform, hope in the Lord, humble servants, insincerity a hall mark of our world, Jehovah Rapha, mass confusion, miniscule flakes of white stuff, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, of great kindness, plenteous in mercy, plenteous redemption, ponder the rationale, pray and sincerely seek your face, put a spiritual spin on it, ready to forgive, rend your heart and not your garments, right our own displaced house, show oodles of mercy, show this evil world, sincere repentance, slow to anger, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, topsy turvy, unto all them that call upon thee, worshipping the God of our forefathers
Psalm 86:5. For thou Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous (abundant) in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
And the miniscule flakes of white stuff fell…and they fell…and they fell…from mid-evening until mid-morning! And such was the magnitude of that white stuff, that it caused endless problems. Ah friends, a snowfall is a beautiful thing to behold from an artistic standpoint…the way it floats gently down and covers everything in a solid blanket of white. But when you have to walk through, drive in or shovel it, then that’s a horse of an entirely different colour. (smile)
And we all know that whatever mankind puts his hands on, or into, he sullies it, and it eventually turns ugly. It’s the same way with the beautiful white snow, when man gets involved in it, it turns black and ugly. But seriously though, I haven’t seen this much snow in one fell swoop for some time. When I opened my side door this morning, I could barely get out because the snow had blown right up against it. And when I did get down to the ground my feet sank down to my knees in some sections of the driveway. That means there was a good six to eight inches of heavy snow in my driveway and in my laneway.
So I can imagine the toll it’s taken on the Monday morning commute, because this extreme snowfall is not only happening in my neck of the words, but all over North America! The U.S. has already been deluged by snow in places that are not accustomed to it, with all sorts of disasters occurring, and more of the white stuff is expected. The same goes for our fair land of Canada. And I could easily put a spiritual spin on the entire situation, saying that it was God’s way of warning us to wake up to our sinful behaviour and return to sincerely and faithfully worshipping Him…but I won’t. (smile)
Although that could be the gospel truth, since our God does move in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. But yuh know what, even if it’s not God’s hand moving to prove a point, we’ve also got to consider the fact that He is allowing it to happen, when He has the means to stop it. He is allowing a whole lot of us to be tested all at once. So much so, that we don’t have the time, the energy or the resources to help each other, because we are too busy trying to right our own displaced house and sunken canoe.
Now, if I was a wise man, I would certainly ponder the rationale for such terrible weather to be pounding so much of North America at the same time, on top of all the other serious and unresolved problems we are currently facing. But right now, I guess we are more concerned with digging ourselves out of the snow, than pondering the whys and the wherefores of the storm. (smile)
But please, when it’s all over, when the damage has been ascertained, can I please ask us to ponder on those whys and wherefores, because we might just come up with a wonderful reason to turn back to worshipping the God of our forefathers, since nothing else we have tried to do in our own strength is working, or has even come close to a plausible solution. And I just noticed this marvellous and most appropriate verse of scripture from Psalm 86, where Bruh David confidently proclaims: ‘For thou Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous (abundant) in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps. 86:5)
And that’s the indisputable truth my people! Our God is always ready to forgive and show oodles of mercy to ALL who call upon Him! Forgiveness and mercy, grace and LOVE are the hallmarks of His magnificent kingdom! Nowhere else can you find such an abundance of goodness and mercy as with the Lord God Jehovah! And there are so many scriptures in the Good Book that endorse that point, that we most certainly should look at a couple.
First off, here is the prophet Joel calling Israel to repentance and fasting. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend (tear) your heart and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).’ (Joel 2:12-13) Oh my people, that’s such an appropriate word picture of our great and wonderful God!
And it’s necessary to hear this explanation from the scholars of those two verses above to fully understand them. ‘2:12-13. The customary way a Jew showed his grief was to tear his outer garments. This external sign could be meaningless. The tearing of the outer garment is useless, unless the heart is broken in repentance and contrition.’ And that’s why we have to be sincere, tearing our hearts and not merely our outer garments as is happening so much today. Insincerity is one of the hallmarks of our current world!
And one last scripture, this from Psalm 145, where Bruh David again proclaims his God’s goodness. ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion: slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.’ (Ps. 145:8-9) And since we are God’s greatest work, then it means that all His grace and mercy, His LOVING-kindness are constantly being bestowed on us, if we sincerely reverence and worship Him.
So, with all that we’ve said today, let’s take this great opportunity to go to God in prayer nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for His divine help and mercy, for grace in this time of great need. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now let’s remember to rend, to tear our hearts and not our garments, if we want to receive positive answers from our ever-faithful God. Much LOVE!
…let Israel hope in he Lord…for with the Lord there is mercy…and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption… (Ps. 130:7)
P.S. Oh friends, I’d like to sincerely apologize for the lateness of the Bit, but today’s been a somewhat confusing and unpredictable day, with several unexpected things happening, thus causing my whole schedule to turn topsy turvy. But, as they say, better late than never! (smile) And I do think it contains solid stuff for us to ponder on. Much LOVE!
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
16 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a need is something that's necessary to sustain life, a reason for the hope that is in you, a want is a desire wish or aspiration, all who labour and are heavy laden, another day of worship, Christ satisfiers all our needs, come to me, do it with gentleness and respect, draw near to the throne of grace, even unto the end of the world, every hour I need you, go ye therefore and teach all nations, Holiness is Christ in me, I am with you always, I will give you rest, I'll fall on you Jesus, in your hearts honour Christ as holy, Jesus is our All in All, Jesus the author of all righteousness, let us then with confidence, Lord I come I confess, Lord I need you, my one defense, my righteousness, no hope of eternal life, renewal of our spirit, renewing our faith in christ, take my yoke upon you, teach my song to rise to you, the great invitation, to help in time of need, we may receive mercy and find grace, when I cannot stand, when temptation comes my way, where grace is found is where you are, where you are Lord I am free, without you I fall apart, you are the one that guides my heart, you will find rest for your souls
Hebrews 4:16. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Another Sunday, another day of worship friends! That ever so important time every week, when we praise and glorify our most wonderful God corporately, even if it’s by technological means and not actual physical gathering. That’s because worship is worship whether you are in a sanctuary together or a million miles apart, connected only by TV or computer.
And worship isn’t only to give God His much deserved thanks and glory, but also a time of restoring and renewing our faith in Christ Jesus, where we receive His strength and renewal of our spirit, so that we can go back out again in the new work week and raise up His name to all the world. Like Jesus said to the disciples: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) 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 friends, that’s one of our major earthly purposes, and worshipping together every Sunday, helps to give us the wherewithal to do our bounden duty. So let’s begin our worship with a song of praise that’s rather appropriate for these turbulent times in which we are currently living. It’s aptly titled: ‘Lord I Need You!’ And do we ever need Him, my faithful brethren! So let’s offer up our sacrifices of praise through the contemporary Christian song, as sung by one of its writers, Matt Maher.
In a soulful, scintillating, heartfelt manner, let’s sing! ‘Lord I come, I confess Bowing here, I find my rest Without You, I fall apart You’re the one that guides my heart (Chorus) Lord, I need You, oh I need You Every hour, I need You My one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You) Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more Where grace is found is where You are And where You are, Lord I am free Holiness is Christ in me (Chorus)
So teach my song to rise to You When temptation comes my way And when I cannot stand, I’ll fall on You Jesus, You’re my hope and stay (Chorus. Lord, I need You, oh I need You Every hour, I need You My one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You You’re my one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You My one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You.’
Oh my fellow saints, Jesus is indeed ALL of those things to us! That’s why we so desperately need Him, every minute, every hour of every day! And what’s a need you ask? One explanation goes like this: ‘A need is something that is necessary for an organism to live a healthy life. Needs are distinguished from wants in that, in the case of a need, a deficiency causes a clear adverse outcome: a dysfunction or death. In other words, a need is something required for a safe, stable and healthy life (e.g. food, water, shelter) while a want is a desire, wish or aspiration.’
And that’s the thing about needing Jesus; without Him we can’t live, safe, healthy, stable lives, in fact we can’t live at all, we’d die spiritually, with no hope of eternal life! And that, as we all know, is the saddest thing that can ever happen to a human soul and sprit. Now the website, Godtube, tells us: ‘This song confesses our need for the Lord every hour as our “one defense, my righteousness.” And that’s the indisputable truth! Christ is the first line of defense for believers and also the author of all our righteousness. It’s only through Hm that we are made righteous in the eyes of the Lord God Jehovah.
Then, they invite us to discover some of the scriptural influences in the song, pointing out that verse one: ‘Lord, I come, I confess Bowing here I find my rest Without You I fall apart You’re the One that guides my heart,’ reflects the Great Invitation of Jesus. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) And you can’t find fault with that reasoning.
And per the Chorus: ‘Lord, I need You, oh, I need You Every hour I need You My one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You,’ they say that points to these two magnificent and encouraging scriptures. First, one from Hebrews: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
And isn’t that the awesome truth! Once Jesus broke the curtain of the veil that separated us from God by His magnificent resurrection, we can now freely go to the Father for help in each and every situation. The problem here though, is that too many of us don’t make use of this awesome provision, still retaining the old thinking that God is too holy and far away for us lowly, sinful minions to go to Him on what we consider trivial matters.
But the truth is my people, our God wants to get involved in EVERYTHING we do, in EVERY aspect of our lives. That’s why He gave His only Son Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins. Thus reconciling us to Himself, bringing us back to His fold as His beloved children. And what child doesn’t admire His father and go to Him in times of need eh? And since Jesus is our Advocate, High Priest, Defender, Provider, our ALL in ALL, it means we can go to Him without fear, but with confidence to meet our needs.
Then the second verse they say the chorus reflects is this one from Peter. “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15) Yes friends, we must always be ready, willing and able to tell others why we believe so wholeheartedly in Christ, but in a gentle and respectful manner, like Jesus would.
So with the sun shining brightly in my area this very cold Sunday, it is indeed a good day to be alive, and to worship our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and ever-faithful, ever-LOVING God, who, through His marvellous Son, Jesus Christ, satisfies all our needs. Please give Him much thanks and praise today my people for His marvellous grace, goodness and mercy to us underserving folks! Much LOVE!
…once you have Christ in your life…you don’t need anybody else…Glory Be!
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
15 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a life of total obedience and devotion to God, a nation that obeyeth not the voice of God, behold to obey is better than sacrifice, calamity filled, denying the power thereof, disaster prone world, having a form of godliness, hope and pray, I will be your God, inthe imaginations of their evil heart, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, lovers of their own selves, nor inclined their ear, nothing to lose, obedience -God's number one requirement, obey my voice, our friend Anselm, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, religious observances devoid of spirituality, so much to gain, stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry, that it may be well unto you, the Lord does not change, they hearkened not, to hearken than the fat of rams, truth is perished, walked in the counsels, went backward and not forward, ye shall be my people
1 Samuel 15:22b. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Saturday, Saturday! A somewhat cloudy, but ever so cold Saturday! Yeh friends, it seems like we are moving into the serious part of the winter weather with mostly minus temperatures. Hn! But I remember saying that earlier on in the season, then we were hit with spring-like temps. I wonder if that’s going to happen again? (smile) One can only hope and pray!
But nonetheless, it’s Saturday and we can lay abed a little longer, take things easy and begin recuperating from a tiresome workweek. Unfortunately though, our usual Saturday expose of our friend Anselm’s quotes will not happen, since I have been locked out of my Microsoft e-mail account, meaning I cannot access any quotes our dear friend might have sent me. And that will most likely be the situation until I can regain use of my account.
So what shall we ponder today eh? And the Lord didn’t miss a beat! (smile) I turned a couple pages in the Good Book and there it was right before me; the wise words of Jeremiah, on the Lord’s behalf concerning the punishment of Judah for their rebellion. ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Put (add) your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imaginations (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.’ (Jer. 7:21-24)
Now aren’t those some very interesting verses of scripture my brethren? They certainly are! And I daresay that they thoroughly reflect our situation today. But before we get into the meat of the matter, let’s listen to this explanation from the scholars re verses ‘21-23. These verses do not minimize the importance of the Old Testament sacrifices, but call attention to the necessity of the believer living a life of total obedience and devotion to God. The Scriptures consistently teach that religious observances devoid of spiritual reality are worthless (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22-23; Ps. 40:6-8; Is. 1:10-20; Mic. 6:8).’
And that’s the problem right there in a nutshell; there is way too much religiosity without the necessary obedience in our society today. As Bruh Paul told Timothy in his second letter about what would happen in his time. ‘For men shall be lovers of their own selves…lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:2, 4-5) That’s right friends, many of us today have a lot of religion, but without the power gifted by a real spiritual life.
And yes, sacrifices were important back in olden times, but obedience has always been the NUMBER ONE requirement of our God! Remember how Israel’s first king, Saul, lost his kingdom, through disobedience to God’s directions. He chose to save the enemy’s king and their animals for sacrifices despite the Lord telling him to destroy everybody and everything. And we all know how the prophet Samuel, his mentor, draped him up over the matter, saying to him.
‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam. 15:22 -23)
Yuh see mih people, Saul lost his kingship simply because of disobedience. And I wonder if we sit down and ponder some of our own misfortunes, if we wouldn’t see a similar pattern in our lives? For remember, since our God does not change; is the same, yesterday, today and forever, it means that obedience is still His NUMBER ONE requirement for those who consider Him their God. And the good thing is that we no longer have to make burnt offerings or animal sacrifices because Jesus has fulfilled that necessity once and for all time. But yet we still refuse to obey.
And yuh know friends, the more things change, is the more they really stay the same, because listen to what the Lord told Jeremiah way back then. ‘Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction (instruction): truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.’ (Jer. 7:27-28)
And isn’t that the indisputable truth! Our society today doesn’t listen to God’s voice. Instead, a great number of us want to get rid of Him completely from our society…which by the way will never happen. And truth… what is it today eh? What we knew as truth no longer exists, for there used to be one truth, but nowadays there are any number of truths on the same subject. Everybody has their own truth, and the word of the Lord no longer prevails.
So what do we truly expect when we disobey God, even try to kick Him out from amongst us eh? Sunshine, lollipops and roses… prosperity and peace? Not on your life! But the same calamity filled, disaster prone and strife filled life that the rebellious Israelites experienced, and that we are currently experiencing. Friends, it’s not pure happenstance, chance or whatever you choose to call it, that our world is in such turmoil and dissatisfied uproar, our stubborn rebellion, our total disobedience and turning away from God has a lot to do with our current unfortunate situation.
And sadly life will not get better until we have some semblance of a serious return to walking with Almighty God in obedience and LOVE for Him and each other. I don’t know how else to put it. But let’s hope more of us will come to understand and accept it as the truth, as our lives continue to deteriorate under our own leadership. Much LOVE!
…we’ve tried all we know to solve our problems…without any success…why not try God now…we have absolutely nothing to lose…and so much to gain…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
14 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hint of sunshine, a means of restoring faith in you, all things are become new, as God for Christ's sake, backsliders, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, be ye angry and sin not, be ye kind to one another, change in our mindset, Covid-19 virus, created in righteousness and true holiness, embrace your love and compassion, except a man be born again, forgiving one another, Friday chant, grieve not the holy Spirit of God, hath forgiven you, he cannot see the kingdom of God, he is a new creation, I am the vine ye are the branches, if any man be in Christ, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, LOVE, neither consider ye the things of old, new vistas open, old things are passed away, our sinful world, put on the new man, remember ye not the former things, solar power, spiritual power, the example your faithful believers set, wake up and smell the coffee, without me ye can do nothing
Ephesians 4:23. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Now that’s more like it! There’s a hint of sunshine in the air, not the total murkiness we’ve suffered for the past couple of days. Sunshine has been so lacking that lights which are recharged by sunlight have not been coming on because there hasn’t been sufficient sunlight to recharge them. I wonder what’s happening to those who use solar powered equipment in their homes, like on their rooves to provide heat, if they don’t have a large storage of that solar power.
It’s a good thing that we don’t have to worry about our spiritual power, because we have Jesus, the ‘awesomest’ power person there is, rooting for us in everything we do! But first we need to put our trust and faith in Him, believe in what He says, and live the way he directs, otherwise His power won’t work in us. It’s all conditioned upon our sincerely accepting Him as Lord and Saviour and doing His will.
And when we do that…Brother! Such new vistas will open before us, exciting things will begin happening, good changes will be made in our lives, in fact a complete turnaround will take place, and we’ll wonder why we hadn’t accepted Him into our hearts and lives before. As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)
Yes friends, when you’ve found Christ, you become a brand new being. As the scholars put it: ‘When a man comes into vital union with the risen and glorified Lord, he is a “new creation,” and perceives Christ in a new way.’ And that’s borne out by the words of Jesus, first to Nicodemus, who came by night seeking information from Him. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3)
It’s a spiritual rebirth my brethren! And unless it happens to us, we won’t see the kingdom of God. It’s as simple as that. And Jesus drives home that point later on when He tells the disciples: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) Now that’s laying it all on the line. And it is the indisputable fact; without Jesus, we are very limited in what we can do.
And when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour, we make a break with the old things of our lives. We have to, because all the old carnal, sinful, fleshly stuff doesn’t work in Christ’s domain. That means a lot of new things, interesting changes must happen in our new life with Jesus, if we are to abide in Him, and He in us. As Isaiah writes: ‘Remember ye not the former things, neither consider ye the things of old.’ (Is. 43:18) And the wonderful thing about it all my people, is that once we come to Christ, our union with Him abides forever!
But here are some interesting words from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians, on some of the practical changes that we make when we come to Christ. ‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct of) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:22-32)
Yes my fellow saints, just a few practical changes to make when we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour! (smile) But seriously though, we desperately need to consider how all of the above resonates in our personal lives, because it’s all a big part of our current angry, strife -filled world. And it’s not always easy to differ from the world, but we must, if we are to fulfill Christ’s mandate.
The major aspect though is a change in our mindset, because it’s in our mind that all the battles between the old and new take place. That’s why Bruh Paul wrote: ‘And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.’ (Eph. 4:23) Now, the only way we can do that is through purposeful meditation on God’s word, sincere prayer and the genuine encouragement of other believers. And, since we’ve already pondered the Lord’s word, and encouraged each other, let’s go to Him in prayer now, through our Friday Chant, asking for His divine help and guidance.
As one strong, confident, but humble voice. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, please remember that we just portrayed ourselves as faithful believers, and unless we live up to that promise, the Lord won’t answer our prayers. Much LOVE!
…being a new creation in Christ is wonderful…but it’s not always easy…we have to keep at it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
13 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a part of our Christian walk, abundance, alive and kicking, be of good cheer, challenges our faith, Christ is ever-faithful to those who trust Him, contemplate life with christ, courage, creativity, curse, favour, from Him cometh my salvation, fulfillment, God - our first line of defense, God is a refuge for us, God speed, God's promised to bring us safely through, good helath, gospel truth, great family, he is my defense (strong tower), he only is my rock, helps us to grow, i have overcome the world, I shall not be greatly moved (shaken), in me ye might find peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, LOVE, negative word, pour out your heart before God, self-control, self-discipline, supernatural wisdom, talent, the li'l things in life, the little things in life, Thursday Blessings, truly my soul waiteth upon God, trust in him at all times, words of wisdom
Psalm 62:8. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Hallelujah my Scrip-Bits family! We are alive and kicking for one more day! The Lord has blessed us with His awesome breath of life so we can do His wonderful will for at least one more day! Now isn’t that just marvellous? It certainly is! For there’s nothing like waking up to a brand new day, be it cloudy and cold, like in my area, or sunny and warm, like in the tropics.
It’s so good to wake up and contemplate life; life with Christ, and wonder what interesting things He has in store for us that day, for with Him, each day brings something unknown that challenges our faith and helps us to grow. And is He ever faithful to those who put their trust in Him. And I’m talking from personal experience here, not hear say. And just one example.
Remember yesterday I had to go into Toronto for a medical check-up. Well I caught the bus, because I don’t drive into Toronto anymore, as it’s too annoying and frustrating. So I got on the top floor of this new double-decker bus, one with seatbelts to boot, (smile) and checked out the dark, gloomy sights from ahigh up. Got into the city in about thirty five, relaxed, non-frustrating minutes. Oh by the way, every few minutes a gush of warm air would blow over me and keep me nice and toasty. (smile)
But the problem began on exiting the bus at the terminal, for the terminal is crazy, that’s the only word for it. It stretches in all directions and if you don’t know where you are going, the Lord help you. And yuh better believe He definitely helped me yesterday, because when I got into the concourse and began muttering about which direction to take, a kindly, middle aged black gentleman offered his assistance, saying that he was going my way and I could walk with him.
And was it ever a walk…Brother! It seemed like it would never end. And it’s a good thing I had put on my walking shoes. But eventually, after about ten minutes of walking, we reached where I wanted to go. Then to my surprise, after bidding me God speed, this Ghanian gentleman, Paul, said he had to go back inside, because his exit lay in another direction. Now if that wasn’t God’s doing then I don’t know what it was nuh, because he strayed from his direction to guide me to where I wanted to go. God bless you Paul.
And yuh see friends, those are the li’l things in this life, actually miracles, that we often don’t acknowledge, because as far as we are concerned miracles are big events. But not so in our God’s sight. He does hundreds of small ones in our lives everyday, and if we would only look out for them, our lives would improve so much; be much more joyful, faithful and trusting. And to make things even better, I was in and out of the hospital in about fifty minutes, with a clean bill of health, well as clean as it could be under the given circumstances, and thank the Lord I did not have to walk back to the bus terminal, but with a much shorter walk, I was able to take the train home!
So, although the day was grim-looking and grey, and although I did not want to go, and although there were a couple of disconcerting moments, the Lord, as He’s promised, took me safely there and back. Yes friends, He doesn’t promise that there will be no problems, but that He will bring us safely through them all. Please write these most reassuring words of Jesus indelibly in our hearts and minds, so that we can automatically recall them in times of need. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Now that’s the gospel truth friends, but it’s not always easy to do in this evil and ungodly world. However, the more often we do it, the better we get at it. And when people appear out of the blue to help you, like happened with me yesterday, it reinforces your trust and faith in Christ. But we have to pay attention to the little, seemingly insignificant things that happen in our lives, for they are all a part of our Christian walk.
That’s why Bruh David could confidently declare in Psalm 62: ‘Truly my soul waiteth (waits silently) upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock , and my salvation; he is my defense (strong tower); I shall not be greatly moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 62:1-2) Yes my people, when we have the Lord God Almighty as our first line of defense, though the enemy comes against us in great numbers and some fear assaults us, we will not be terrified, because we know the awesome strength, power and faithfulness of our wonderful God!
And that’s why Bruh David repeats himself later in the psalm, but with an added warning and wise advice: ‘In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps. 62: 6-8) Now those are what you call words of wisdom!
And for those of us who trust in God, and pour out our hearts to Him, while sincerely endeavouring to do His holy will, He showers us with rich and undeserved blessings so that we can further His name and glory. We call them our Thursday Blessings. And since a blessing is not a blessing unless it’s declared out loud, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings out loud, so that they can take a rich and enlightening effect in our lives.
Altogether 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 every day! Amen!’
And in these troubled times, do we ever need to get out and share those wonderful blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…the little things in life…are just as important as the big ones…sometimes even more important…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
12 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a plausible reason, be not forgetful to entertain strangers, carry out God's good pleasure, Complaining is not a fruit of the Spirit, destructive and debilitating, do all things without murmurings and disputings, endure to the end, glorify your Father which is in heaven, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, I'm not turning back, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, let brotherly love continue, Let your light so shine before men, LOVE, more than we can ask or imagine, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, putting myself in harm's way, sacrifices are a part of life, so glad to be alive, some have entertained angels unawares, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the future will be even more glorious, the Lord will look after me, the only common denominator in our world, the sons of God, the world's darkness is covering our light, they may see your good works, to a glorious future with Jesus, under God's guidance no reason for complaining, use hospitality to one another without grudging, using our light to uncover the world's darkness, Wednesday Wail, with fear and trembling, without rebuke, work out your own salvation, Ye are the light of the world, ye may be blameless and harmless, ye shine as lights in the world
Philippians 2:14. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings:
Well it’s Wednesday, not bright like the other days, but just as cold. And would you believe I have to go into the great city of Toronto for a medical check-up. Chuh! It’s a pain going there with all the traffic and confusion, and I would just LOVE to cancel it. (smile) But I can’t find any plausible reason to do so, and, like in most of our problems, I am the beneficiary of the check-up, not the medical people. So if I don’t go, I’m not doing them anything, I’m just putting myself in harms way.
And deep down I know that the Lord will look after me, but I guess it’s just my laziness, or desire not to have to go out into the cold. But sacrifices are a part of this life, and furthermore, it’s a sacrifice for my life, not for anyone else’s. So if you can’t sacrifice for yourself, whom are you going to sacrifice for eh? So enough with the complaining, with the hemming and hawing of whether I should go or not. And I guess, under these circumstances we should take a look at what the Good Book says about complaining. Hn, Hn!
Now Bruh Paul says it loud and clear to the Philippians. ‘Wherefore my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according to) his good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:12-15)
Yes friends, complaining, grumbling, murmuring, disputing or any such negative sentiment, should not be numbered amongst the Christian’s tool kit. Why is that, you ask? I like how the gotquestions.org website explains it in an article on the subject.
‘Complaining is certainly not a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and, in fact, is detrimental to the peace, joy, and patience that come from the Spirit. For the Christian, complaining is destructive and debilitating personally and only serves to make our witness to the world more difficult. Who, for instance, would be attracted to a religion whose adherents are dissatisfied with life and who continually grumble and complain?’
Ah mih people, It’s hard enough to get the unbeliever to respond when we’re kind and contented, much less if we’re continually dissatisfied! And the scholars’ offer this explanation re ‘2:14. Since God is producing in the Philippians the willing and doing of His good and perfect will (vs. 13), there can be no legitimate reason for murmurings and disputings. Not only are they forbidden to complain about the difficulties and persecutions that will befall them in carrying out God’s good pleasure, but quarreling among themselves is also prohibited.’
So all of the nonsense that’s going on between us, supposed believers, re the Covid-19 virus and the many other problems is totally unchristian. And that’s one of the major reasons why we can’t solve any of them; no agreement on how to handle the situations. And that will cause problems every time. For it’s only when we agree, to at least disagree, that healing can begin. And is there ever so much disagreement in our world right now!
I don’t know if there’s anything that we even agree on, and it’s causing so many unnecessary fires both literally and figuratively, to be lit and to keep burning incessantly and with much rage. In fact, rage might be the one common denominator in our world today, for we are all up in arms about something, and nobody wants to give an inch.
That means Peter’s words are continually falling on deaf ears: ‘Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling).’ (1 Pet. 4:9) It’s sad, but ever so true, that the amount of infighting that’s going on between, families, organizations, societies, and nations is mind-boggling and most definitely intolerable, if we are to ever defeat our common problems. And it’s also obvious that we have not taken the immortal words of Hebrews to heart: ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb. 13:1-2)
Oh friends, we never know who is going to cross our path that will eventually play a large role in our affairs, that’s why it’s so necessary to treat each other with kindness and hospitality, and the only way to bring about some much needed peace and quiet in our tormented and troubled world. Remember what the Good Book says: We are to be ‘blameless and harmless,’ that’s innocent and above rebuke, so we could shine like bright lights in an evil and misguided generation.
That means we are also undoing and disobeying Christ’s desire, when He said: ‘Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14a, 16) And let’s remember that whomever we may be, or whatever our position, our major purpose on this earth is to glorify our heavenly Father!
Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. So 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 my faithful brethren, let’s not forget either, that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! That’s just a li’l something to keep us excited, strong and continually motivated to work for Christ! (smile) Much LOVE!
…unfortunately…we believers…instead of using our light to uncover the world’s darkness…we are allowing the world’s darkness to cover our light…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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