30 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, be not wise in thine own eyes, bind them about thy neck, curse, despise not the chastening of the Lord, faith, favour, fear the Lord and depart from evil, fellowship, find favour and good understanding, God always comes first, he shall direct thy paths, health to the navel, honour the Lord with thy substance, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in the sight of God and man, Jesus Christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, length of days long life and peace, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, LOVE, marrow to they bones, mercy, my son forget not my law, negative word, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him, self-control, success, Thursday Blessings, thy barns shall be filled with plenty, thy presses shall burst out with new wine, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, truth, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, wisdom, with the firstfruits of all thine increase, with the Lord's help, write them upon the table of thine heart
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
Well, the penultimate day of this work week, Thursday, and the last day of this month, November, has chosen to open bright and sunny, though somewhat cold. But this is the winter season, so what do we expect eh? (smile) Let’s at least give thanks for the sunshine, which I didn’t have when I was doing my errands yesterday. But with the Lord’s help we did handle them successfully though. And in the long run, that’s the important thing…We can do whatever the Lord desires us to do because He anoints and strengthens us to do it! All glory be to His blessed name!
And today friends, all we’re going to do is read, peruse, study and find some useful insights into perhaps one of the most important and insightful passages in the entire Bible. Yes, friends, if we follow these simple, but ever so important commands as outlined by Cousin Sol in Chapter 3 of Proverbs, our lives will be filled with the Lord’s grace, mercy and understanding. So let’s read from Proverbs Chapter 3, verse 1. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.’
Wow! Right there we have the ultimate in fellowship and discipleship. The overwhelming need to remember the commandments of God, if you are a follower of God. Why? ‘For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov. 3:2) And aren’t those things that all of us desire? For sure! So we now know the way to find long life, length of days and peace…keep the commandments of God. We therefore have no more excuses. (smile)
Then the next verse kindly informs us: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:3-4) There again we have the formula for finding favour in the sight of both God and man; the strong keeping of mercy and truth in our lives; so strong that they become like an adornment, like a necklace around our necks.
So now we know how to acquire long life, length of days, peace, favour and high esteem. Mama Mia! Are we ever going to go out and acquire them now! But wait a minute, not so fast, there are still a few other things we have to know and consider. (smile) Listen to the two basic, but perhaps the two most important verses in this section. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
Yes my brethren, if we practice those three things: trust in the Lord, don’t depend on our own native instincts and acknowledge God, that’s have fellowship and intimacy with Him all through our life, then He will guide our paths, make them straight before us. Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have problems, but when the problems come He will give us the wherewithal to handle them. So how can we ever go wrong if we do those three basic things eh? Never!
Then there are some other reminders that further build our lives in Almighty God. Hear this one: ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.’ (Prov. 3:7) Now that should be a no-brainer! It’s obvious we cannot put too much trust in our finite and puny understanding, while reverencing the Lord and staying away from evil are all important parts of being a Christian. And Cousin Sol tells us just how following that advice helps us. ‘It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:8) Now good health and strength are things we all desire. So now we know how to get them. (smile)
And here’s another bit of awesome wisdom: ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:9-10) There we have it friends; if we want to be blessed with abundance, we need to honour God and man and give generously of our firstfruits, not from the remainder. God must ALWAYS come first!
And having heard all the comparatively easy things to do in this section of scripture, here comes another important but ofttimes difficult bit of wisdom to handle. And Cousin Sol puts it as nicely as possible. (smile) ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of (detest) his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12)
Ah mih bredrin, we know that’s a hard pill to swallow, but we won’t always do right, and just like our earthly fathers correct us when we do wrong in their sight, likewise the Lord corrects us when we do wrong in His sight, not because He just wants to punish us, but because He LOVES us. Allowing us to do wrong and not correcting us is not LOVE, but and absence of LOVE, more like encouragement to do wrong.
And the author of Hebrews, using Cousin Sol’s thoughts, puts it like this: ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons). My son despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:5-6)
Yes my fellow saints, even the best of us have faults and foibles that don’t belong in us, which stop us from becoming more Christlike, which is the Lord’s end plan. Therefore, He has to remove them by disciplining us. So let’s not be upset and disappointed when He chastens us nuh, for it’s only for our good. And He’s such a wonderful God that He’s even bestowed numerous undeserved blessings on us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare (yesss!!!) them out loud now, so that they can be activated.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them on the Lord’s behalf, just as generously as He bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!
…the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (very) beginning of knowledge…but fools despise wisdom and instruction…(Prov. 1:7)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
29 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and all these things shall be added unto you, be careful for nothing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, casting all your care upon him, catch our second wind, childish intensity, distractions bombarding us, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, free to be myself, give balance to my boggled mind, hands on the plough, he careth for you, holy spirit, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, I'm frightened, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, infuse me with your poise and power, Jesus Christ, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, mercy, my total self is submerged in you, not easy times to navigate, not turning back, One Year Book of Bible promises, pull me off the merry-go-round, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, so glad to be alive, thank God, the breath of life, the peace of God, the tension etching my somber face, to a glorious future with Jesus, too many irons in the fire, Wednesday Wail, What's Myself Doing to Myself, which passeth all understanding, your plan for my personal fulfillment
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And then it was Wednesday, the mid-week workday when we are supposed to catch our second wind and move on down to the end Friday with improved enthusiasm and excellence. (smile) Unfortunately, I don’t know if it actually works that way, because from my own experience, I’ve found that you get more tired as the week winds down. But it’s always nice to have something to fall back on to liven up our days, give us a reason to go on. (smile)
Now, let me apologize for the lateness of the Bit, but I had to go out the street early this morning and do some time sensitive errands, and by the time I got back from running around in the cold, cloudy, windy morning with the occasional snow flurries floating down from on high, hunger, thirst and tiredness and taken over my ole body, so I had to satisfy those needs before I could do a worthwhile Bit. (smile)
And today we’re going to get into this most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, aptly titled ‘What’s Myself doing to Myself?’ And that’s surely a good question for many of us to be asking ourselves in these trying and difficult times.
So please read with me: ‘With childish intensity she asked “What’s myself doing to myself?” I couldn’t help but smile As she stood before the mirror Struggling so impatiently With a stubborn jacket zipper. But I’m not smiling now, Lord As I pass my own mirror and glance at the tension Etching my sombre face. I’m frightened, Lord. Her innocent question clutches me. “What’s myself doing to myself?” Frustrated, frantic So often breathless Too many irons in the fire…
What am I doing to my body – To my mind, my emotions? What am I doing to my family? What am I doing to Your Plan For my personal fulfillment? Why do I live like this, Lord As though Your world Couldn’t exist without me? Why do I so often Tear myself from Your control? Dear Lord, calm me. Pull me off the merry-go-round Of converging conflicts. Give balance to my boggled mind. This very hour, Lord Infuse me with Your poise and power Until my total self Is submerged in You – Yourself. Only then will I be free To be myself.’
Wow! What very appropriate but encouraging words! Yes friends, many of us are doing harm to ourselves, physically, emotionally and spiritually, trying to live up to the all the conflicting convergences that are engulfing our lives. And when we do stop and think about it, we realize that we can’t fix them all, if any. And furthermore, the only way to find peace in our daily struggles is by turning back to Almighty God and surrendering our all to Him. Placing all the conflicts in His hands, while receiving His grace and mercy to go about our many tough tasks in peace and contentment.
Now, that’s not always easy to do either, especially when the many distractions of this ungodly world are constantly bombarding us from all directions, and the bills, the rent-man and whoever else is breathing down our necks for what we owe them. No my bredrin, these are not easy times to navigate, especially on our own, but we’re so blessed to have the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, our Comforter, our Go-to -Guy, whom we can count on to help us in our troubles. However, if we desire His awesome help, we have to be confident and faithful enough to give ourselves and our troubles over to Him.
As the poem so rightly expresses: ‘This very hour, Lord Infuse me with Your poise and power Until my total self Is submerged in You – Yourself. Only then will I be free to be myself.’ Yes my fellow believers, if we sincerely ask the Lord for His poise and power, He will give it to us, fill us with His Holy Spirit that will allow us to be free to be ourselves once again, and not totally distracted and confuffled by the many headed dragons that the world is constantly sending against us. It’s the only way to win the battle against Satan and his evil doers.
And yes, the theory is very sound, but how does one go about it practically? Well the Bible Promise for today’s poem gives us some idea of how to do it. They are words of encouragement written long ago by Bruh Paul to the Philippians, but words which are still filled with strength and encouragement for today. He wrote: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing 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. 4:6-7)
And that sounds oh so easy, but like everything else, it takes practice. The more often you do it, the easier it becomes. And when the world is coming at you, it’s not so easy not to worry, but please remember that He that is in You, the Lord Jesus Christ, is greater than he that’s in the world, Satan. (1 John 4:4) And that’s the awesome truth! But you have to believe it and then put it into action by humbling yourself and casting all your care on Christ. Peter says it quiet nicely: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7)
Now there’s the magical or miracle words my brethren: the Lord cares for us! And since He cares, He will not allow us to suffer more than we need to, if we bring all of our troubles to Him in a humble and sincere manner. And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, John, Peter, or me, mayhap you’ll believe Jesus when He tells you:
‘Wherefore, if God so clothe (clothes) the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought (don’t worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles (unbelievers) seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; ad all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:30-33)
Now, let’s hope that you believed Jesus! (smile) But for those of us who do, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! 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 we’ve also been promised that if we endure right to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s plan to mee there nuh! Much LOVE!
…only in Jesus Christ…can the answers to our problems be found…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
28 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gorgeous sight to behold, behold I make all things new, faith, first taste of snow, he that sat upon the throne said, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, I'm not afraid of tomorrow for God is already there, in god's eyes, into the glory of God's tomorrow, Jesus Christ, Jesus gave the big K.O to Satan, LOVE, no more pain, one of the bonuses of being a Christian, share His love with my neighbour, sufficient unto the day, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, the former things are passed away, the glorious hope that extends beyond the grave, the One who holds tomorrow, to be forewarned is to be forearmed, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, where I am there ye may be also, wisdom, worry, write for these words are true and faithful
Revelation 21:5a. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
Oh friends, how interesting it was to wake up this morning and see the neighbourhood all clothed in white! Then to see the bright sunlight shining beautifully on it! Yes, we had our first real taste of snow sometime in the early morning hours. I went to bed around 4. A.m. and it wasn’t there, so sometime between when I went to bed and when I arose around nine it happened. But it surely was a gorgeous sight to behold! (smile)
Oh, I don’t favour snow, but you can’t deny its beauty when it’s fresh and clean. And anyway, this wasn’t much, just enough to cover the ground and the roof tops, and present a dazzling white picture as the sunshine framed it. Since we’ve had such ideal weather these last few months, I guess it was a wakeup call, letting us know the realities that lie ahead. And as they say, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. So I do hope we are going to make all the necessary preparations and be ready for when the big snow hits.
Enough talk about snow though, let’s see what the Lord wants us to seriously and sincerely consider this last Tuesday in November 2023, when our world is just covered in chaos and disaster, with tragedy after tragedy happening, as though there was to be no sane and secure tomorrow. And yes, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ warned us about worrying, and in particular worrying about tomorrow: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34)
But as true believers in Christ, we know that there will be a tomorrow, even when this evil world is all dead and gone, for Jesus has promised it, and He is ever faithful to His promises! The tomorrow might not be in this world but certainly in eternity with Him. As Billy Graham reputedly said: “One of the bonuses of being a Christian is the glorious hope that extends out beyond the grave into the glory of God’s tomorrow.” And as Sister Joyce, (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: “You don’t need to know what tomorrow holds; all you need to know is the One who holds tomorrow.” And Jesus surely holds all the tomorrows in His hands, just like He holds all the yesterdays and todays!
And as someone else so wisely said: “I’m not afraid of tomorrow because I know God is already there!” And He certainly is! So although tomorrow seems to be a somewhat nebulous, vague, hazy, cloudy indistinct, unsure situation and place, we don’t have to worry about it because our great God already inhabits it, and He’s promised that wherever He is, we will be with Him.
Jesus said it thus: ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ ( John 14:1-3)
Oh mih bredrin, what a joyful promise that is! What a wonderful time to look forward to with Jesus. Wherever He is, we will be also! And we know that won’t be in hell, eternally separated from the Father, because Jesus has already defeated hell, death and the grave! Yes, on that first Easter morn when He rose triumphantly from Hades, He gave the big K.O to Satan, and there’s no going back there! That means wherever He is will be pleasant and peaceful, so we have a pleasant and peaceful eternity to look forward to.
As John wrote in Revelation: ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.’ (Rev. 21:1-5)
Oh my people, I don’t know about you, but I’m living for that day when there are no more negative things like, pain, sorrow, crying and death; when all of that has been abolished and only positive things like peace, LOVE and joy finally abound! What a time that will be; dwelling in perpetual peace with Jesus and the Father, worshipping and praising them and doing whatever they require of us. And no, we won’t be just sitting on our fat fannies doing nothing. There will be work to do. Can’t say exactly what kind of work, but be sure it won’t be just a life of luxury and laziness!
No sir! That’s not the way the Father drew it up. But the important thing is that it will be much more pleasant, peaceful, joyful and LOVING, than our current world! And that’s more than sufficient to put your trust in Jesus! So, for those of us who have already done that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel!
As one sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And now that we’ve made our position known, we need to go out and share that wonderful LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…tomorrow never seems to come in this fallen world…but in the new world with Jesus…a beautiful tomorrow will come…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong and steadfast burst of faith, abolished death, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, be not ashamed of the Lord's testimony, be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, brought life and immortality to light, confess before my Father in heaven, face adversity for Christ, faith, holy spirit, humble servants, I'll deny before my Father in heaven, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make full proof of thy ministry, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative response in our souls, please him who hath chosen him, salvation, saved by God's grace through faith in Christ, sincere repentance in our hearts, the distractions of the world, the God who heals, thou therefore endure hardness, truth, whosoever shall confess me before men, whosoever shall deny me, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Timothy 2:3. Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship) as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Ah friends, even on the fairest day, Monday is tough enough to execute, but when it’s also damp from yesterday evening’s rains, chilly and windy, as it is today, then it just triggers a bigger negative response in our souls. (smile) Oh, we know we are going to get through it all right with the help and guidance of Jesus and His Holy Spirit, but it just takes a li’l more out of us than normal, requires a strong and steadfast burst of faith, trust and surrender. I guess that’s when we have to do like Bruh Paul told Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship) as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Tim. 2:3)
Now that seems like a very simple scripture, but it is rather profound, and it is not always easy to do in this modern day society, with all the distractions and evil deeds that constantly bombard us from all different directions. However, like everything else Christ asks us to do, we can do it, because He always anoints us to do His will. But the doing then depends on us, if we are willing to stand up and face the adversity in His name. And again, it’s like Bruh Paul admonished and exhorted Timothy later on. ‘But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.’ (2 Tim. 4:5)
Yes friends, those words also pertain to us, because it’s not only pastors who have ministries, for every believer has a ministry; meaning whatever job the Lord has anointed us to carry out on His behalf, whatever plan He’s laid out for our life. So we don’t need to be the shepherd of a large congregation to talk about our ministry, for even if we’re only mentoring one new believer, or being the only believer in a group of unbelievers, then that’s our ministry, and we ought to carry it out with the zest and zeal like if we had a worldwide organization to look after.
For, as Bruh Paul continues to hammer home to poor Timothy. ‘No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.’ (2 Tim. 2:4) That means if Jesus has appointed us to be His soldier, disciple, agent or whatever, we cannot get entangled in the affairs of this world and all its evil and futile distractions, but we need to pay serious attention to Jesus’ work, concentrate on what He’s asked of us, because He’s the one that’s hired us to look after His affairs.
Suffering privation, or affliction is an essential aspect of any soldier’s job. Consequently, we must also heed these words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’ (2 Tim. 1:8-10)
Oh my fellow believers, one thing we should never be found guilty of is being ashamed of the testimony of Christ, that’s His gospel. It’s the story of His life and death and the good news of salvation, of eternal life and the reversal of sin that it brought about through the unmerited favour and grace of God, absolutely not of our doing. Remember too these very important words of Jesus. ‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is heaven.’ (Matt. 10:32-33)
And I know that scripture has some of us scratching our heads and wondering if we fall under it, because for whatever reason(s), we’ve denied Christ at some stage of our life. But I believe this excerpt from a commentary on the subject helps to clarify the matter. It says: ‘The full context of Scripture strongly suggests that a single, panic-driven denial of Jesus will not necessarily end a believer’s opportunity to spend eternity with the Father. Christians are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, not by perfect performance in acknowledging Him (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Peter will most famously deny Christ at a crucial moment because of his own fear of being arrested and killed (Matthew 26:69-74). After Jesus’ resurrection and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, though, Peter will spend the rest of his life powerfully acknowledging Jesus to others (Acts 2). Where this warning becomes more dire is in the lives of those who consistently, or easily, dissociate themselves from Christ for the sake of health, wealth, popularity, or freedom. Those who aren’t willing to be associated with Jesus on earth won’t be allowed to claim association with Him in eternity (Matthew 10:37; Mark 8:36).’
And I do hope that explanation settle the queries in some of our minds. (smile) And now, having spoken about some of the difficult but necessary stuff, needed to live sincerely for Jesus, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn asking for divine help to accomplish it. As one voice: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
And the easiest and best way to acquire divine help is by doing exactly what we say above there; turn from our evil ways. Yes friends, that’s the first step in any reconnection with Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…any soldier worth his salt…will stand up strong and steadfast in battle…so should Christians for Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
26 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joy divine, Anthony J Showalter, Elisha Hoffman, everlasting security through Christ, faith, fellowship, fellowship with other believers, give his angels charge over thee, he hath set his love upon me, he is my refuge and my fortress, holy spirit, how bright the path grows, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim's way, I will set him on high, in him will I trust, Jesus Christ, leaning on the everlasting arms, Lord thou hast been our dwelling place, LOVE, mercy, no evil shall befall thee, the eternal God is thy refuge, thrust out the enemy from before thee, to find refuge in pur Father's arms, tread upon the lion and adder, underneath are the everlasting arms, what a peace is mine, what have i to dread, what have I to fear, where two or three are gathered, wisdom, with long life will I satisfy him
Deuteronomy 33:27a. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:
And would you know that it’s Sunday again, which means it’s time to worship and fellowship with other fellow believers in the Lord’s sanctuary, or wherever two or three people are gathered in His name. He’s promised to be there, and we all know that He keeps every promise faithfully. And today friends, when our world is in a state of deadly chaos and total uproar, when we all need something to hold on, to give us some kind of comfort, to be a bright light in our shining world, to lend encouragement to our puny efforts to turn things around, we’ll open with this old but ever favoured hymn written in the late 1880’s by Anthony J Showalter and Elisha Hoffman, most appropriately titled ‘Leaning On the Everlasting Arms.’
It’s reputed that the hymn came into being when Showalter was answering letters from two of his of his former pupils who had earlier written informing him of the death of their wives. And in answering them, this verse from Deuteronomy 33:27 inspired him. ‘The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, Destroy them.’ Yes my brethren, that is indeed a powerful verse of scripture. And it’s so powerful that later on Showalter realized that the verse would make a great theme for a hymn. Thus was born this great hymn for times of solace, as we are encouraged to lean on the Everlasting Arms of God when seeking comfort.
And I don’t know if there’s ever been a time in this modern world when we need comfort more desperately than right now. So let’s open our hearts and mouths and allow sacrifices of sincere praise to rise to high heaven, as we offer up a soulful, mid-tempo version of the hymn. And as one commentary advises, as we sing the hymn, let’s ‘contemplate what it truly means to find refuge in our Father’s arms in times of fear and trial, and to allow His joy and peace to replace our loneliness and anxiety.’ Oh friends, we could not get better advice than that this Sunday morning in these trying times. So please let’s do it.
Singing: ‘What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms. (Refrain: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.) O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim’s way, leaning on the everlasting arms; O how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms. [Refrain]What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms, Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning on the everlasting arms…leaning on the everlasting arms of Jesus… oh how good it is to be, leaning on the everlasting arms of Christ my Saviour….’
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! It doesn’t get any better than that! Even Moses in his only psalm acknowledges it, when he declares (steups!!!) in the opening verses of Psalm 90: ‘Lord , thou hast been our dwelling place (refuge) in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed (gave birth to) the earth and the world, even from everlasting thou art God.’ (Ps. 90:1-2) And Moses had so many close and intimate dealings with God, he ought to know what he was talking about! (smile)
Meanwhile, the author of Psalm 91, enlarges on the scene with even greater figurative splendour. (smile) Please read with me: ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God: in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler (bird trapper), and from the noisome (deadly) pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust (take refuge): his truth shall be thy shield and buckler (small shield).
Thou shalt not be afraid for (of) the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth (lays waste) at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh (near) thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation (dwelling place). There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh to thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder (cobra): the young lion and the dragon (serpent) thou shalt trample under feet.’ (Ps. 91: 1-13)
Ah friends, that’s the kind of security one will find when you make the Most High God your refuge and dwelling place. Obviously we will have problems, but they will not overwhelm us or make us afraid and anxious. But the psalmist left the best for last. As the scholars tell us: ‘There are two distinct voices in the psalm, and each speaks to the trusting believer in the Lord. The first voice assures the faithful of God’s protection (vs. 1-13). The second voice is that of the Lord Himself who likewise pledges His watchcare (vs. 14-16).’
Listen to them: ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16)
Oh my fellow saints, that’s the kind of stuff we have to look forward to when we place our trust in Jehovah God, when we lean on His everlasting arms. Fear doesn’t overcome us, a divine joy is ours, blessed peace envelops us, while our path grows brighter day by day. How can we ever refuse such security and blessedness for the only other option available, that of Satan’s evil desires and eternal damnation. Not if we are wise! Much LOVE!
…everlasting security…can only be obtained…through Jesus Christ…
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25 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: celebrate the incarnate birth of Christ, cleanse your hands ye sinners, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you, faith, he arose and came to his father, he that hath clean hands and a pure heart, his father had compassion, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, increase me awareness of You today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let our lights shine, LOVE, our good works be manifested before men, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, quiet my soul, ran and fell on his neck and kissed him, receive the blessing from the Lord, resist the devil and he will flee from you, righteousness from the God of his salvation, slow my thoughts, so that they can glorify our Father in heaven, submit yourselves to God, The Christmas season, the grace and mercy of God gives us the power to turn from sin, the Word of God richly percolates within us, total obedience to the Holy spirit, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, your love both surrounds and fills me
James 4:7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
And this last lazy-day Saturday in November seems to have opened somewhat cold and cloudy, but with an underlying promise of sunshine. (smile) Can you imagine though, that in another few days November will be over…and then it will be Christmas? But yuh better believe that Christmas is already in the air, the music is on the radio and the lights are up on the outside trees and houses, and all the Christmas sales are being advertised. Like people were just waiting with bated breath to break into the Christmas season. I know the business people certainly are, because that’s usually the time of year they have their best sales.
But despite all of the Christmas hoopla that’s on the way, I want us to be peaceful and relaxed, though joyful as we get ready to welcome and celebrate the awesome incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And hopefully our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer will help us to do just that. (smile) So let’s pray it like we mean it.
As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And especially in these troubled and godless times it’s of overwhelming importance that we get to know our great God better than ever, because that’s the only thing that will keep us from falling into the unsavoury and evil arms of the devil. And is he ever on the rampage these days, as he sees his kingdom exploding with new followers. That’s why James so assuredly warns us: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ (James 4:7)
Yes friends, if we stand strong against the devil, don’t submit to fear or run from him, he will flee from us, for he cannot draw us into sin against our wishes. However, we cannot stand up strong to him until we have submitted ourselves to Almighty God! For it’s the grace and mercy of God which gives us the power to turn away from the evil one, to put him in his rightful place. So, please understand, that unless we’ve sincerely submitted ourselves to our heavenly Father, we won’t be able to drive away or resist the evil enemy who is constantly badgering us to commit sins and wrongdoings against the Word of God, deeds, acts and thoughts that most certainly don’t fit who we are as children of the Most High God.
And James continues his exhortation: ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.’ (James 4:8) And as per that verse, the scholars give us some explanations. They say that when you draw near to God, ‘He will not be unmoved. His welcoming response is always near.’ And they give references on that subject to Deut. 4:7; Lam. 3:57; and Luke 15:20, which we’ll preview here, because it’s more pertinent to us today than the other scriptures.
It’s Jesus telling the parable of the prodigal son, who after wasting his fortune in a faraway land, and finally coming to his senses, decides to go back home to his father as a servant. Jesus tells us: ‘And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.’ (Luke 15:20) Oh my fellow saints, that’s exactly how our heavenly Father treats us when we come back to His fold. Note though, He’s always on the lookout for us. How could the father see him from so far away if he wasn’t looking for him eh? Likewise our heavenly Father is always waiting and looking for us to turn from our evil ways and come back to Him.
And as per the cleansing of hands and purifying of hearts, the scholars tell us: ‘The cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward deeds and inner thoughts.’ And they reference Psalm. 24:3-4, which says: ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity (unto an idol), nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek thy face, O Jacob, Selah.’ (Ps. 24:3-6)
Yes my brethren, I gave us more than the scholars referenced because I believed we should know exactly what the clean hands and pure hearts will eventually get us; blessings and righteousness from our wonderful God. (smile) That’s why we need to do our best to have clean hands and pure hearts, which is not an easy thing to do in this violent and evil world. But if we have Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and His Holy Spirit as our earthly Guide and Comforter, then we are fully equipped to do whatever the Father requires of us.
We just have to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit’s voice, read and study the Word of God, and do our best to put it into action, for faith without works is dead, is of no use to God nor man. And that, my fellow saints, is our sincere prayer for us all this last lazy-day Saturday in November; our total obedience to the Holy Spirit, as the Word of God richly percolates and moves within us, and we let our lights shine, our good works be manifested before men, so that they can glorify our Father in heaven! Much LOVE!
…if our hands and hearts are not clean…how can we ever glorify our wonderful God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
24 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of the Most High God, a new flock of believers, always a catch to a sales pitch, Black Friday, but denying the power thereof, covetous, crying out for help, do Satan's dirty work for him, false accusers, Friday chant, from such turn away, having a form of godliness, in the last days perilous times shall come, Jesus Christ, laughing all the way to the bank, like a magicians set up -illusory, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, man's inhumanity to man makes millions mourn, men shall be lovers of their own selves, psychological illusion, return backsliders to your fold, Satan's quick demise, set a good example, simmering unrest in our land, soar with eagles, stop falling for Satan's evil wiles, the error of their ways, the throne of grace, truth, trying to push God out, wake up and smell the coffee, we seldom ever get something for nothing, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Timothy 3:1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
And after only one measly day of Thanksgiving in the U.S, the world has followed it back to its favourite pastime; making money! Yes, today is Black Friday, the day of the biggest sales events of the year in the U.S. and neighboring countries like Canada, have no recourse but to follow the foolishness, which is mostly like a magicians setup, illusory; consisting of good hand and eye coordination, wands and staffs making you feel like something is going on, when in reality it’s all an illusion.
It’s the same with many of these supposed big Black Friday sales, they promise the world but only offer a few items truly on sale. The desire of the whole operation is to get you into the store and wave their magic wands at you, confuse you into buying stuff you either don’t need, or you can’t afford. And it’s sad that every year the same things happen; people fall for it, rushing and pushing to get into the stores, which usually leads to some sort of unnecessary violence.
But the store owners don’t care, they are just interested in the congested traffic and the money been spent in their businesses. Then tomorrow they’ll holler about their big profits, laughing all the way to the bank, celebrating another successful exercise in psychological illusion on the masses.
Ah Lord eh! When are we ever going to learn? We seldom ever get something for nothing, or less than it costs the sellers. The business people are there to make money, not to give it away There’s always a catch to their sales pitch, a price to be paid, be it up front or later. But we keep on falling for the sales pitches, especially in these times of high inflation and low monetary rewards in the comparatively few jobs available.
And it’s interesting how prices keep on rising, along with profits, but the wages of the workers remain stagnant, and if the purveyors of the criminal economic actions, could, they would even try to lower the wages of their employees. No wonder the ongoing truth in the sad statement; man’s inhumanity to man, makes millions mourn. And, unfortunately, it seems like we have reached the stage of world evil and ungodliness that Bruh Paul warned Timothy about in his second letter.
‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty),lovers of pleasures more than (rather) than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
And isn’t that a most accurate picture of our current world? Sad to say, it most certainly is! Our world has gone crazy, with no kind of discipline, everyone just looking out for themselves, doing what they want with no regard to how their actions affect other around them. And don’t talk about ungodliness, for I don’t know if there’s ever been such an ungodly time as this.
We’ve even reached the stage of attempting to push God out of our society, which only shows how proud, haughty and foolish we’ve become, because the Creator of the universe will NEVER allow himself to be pushed out of His own creation! But we haven’t learned from Satan’s quick demise when as the Archangel Lucifer he tried to overthrow God, but was summarily kicked out of heaven to dwell in the fires of hell. Satan has learned his lesson, but he’s trying to get us to do his dirty work for him, and unfortunately too many of us are listening to him and doing it.
But friends, wisdom dictates that if you want to live the abundant life, you can’t walk with the chickens or fly with the low flying birds, you must soar with the eagles. And that’s what the Lord is expecting of each one of us who calls himself a child of the Most High God! And yes, it’s not easy to soar with the eagles when the crows and chickens keep nipping at your feet, but we do have an avenue to help us get away from them, that’s the throne of grace. So please, let’s go there right now nuh, through our Friday Chant to get the help we need to keep soaring with the eagles.
As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And the first item on our to do list my people, is to set a good and godly example to those around us, otherwise there will be no divine help forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…as true believers in Christ…we need to stop falling for the evil wiles of Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be always ready to meet our Maker, be ready, caught up together with them, comfort one another with these words, coyrage, creativity, curse, eating and drinking, for ye knoweth not what hour your Lord doth come, giving in marriage, I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, in the days of Noah, Jesus Christ, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, negative word, positive outlook, Rainbow Bridge, the antichrist, the beginning of sorrows, the dead in Christ shall rise, the expansion of the church, the Great tribulation, the Millennial kingdom, the rapture of the church, Thursday Blessings, to judge the world, to meet the Lord in the air, truth, U.S Thanksgiving, wars and rumours of war, watch therefore, when it's not one thing it's another
Matthew 24:42. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING U. S. OF A!
Well, a Happy Thanksgiving Day to our Scrip-Bit friends and families in the U.S. of A! I do hope you all have a most blessed and rewarding day, as you gather with your people to give thanks to our great God for all the many wonderful blessings He’s showered down on you all over the years. Unfortunately, the celebration will be marred for some folks because of the tragic occurrence on the Rainbow Bridge Border Crossing between the U. S and Canada at Niagara Falls yesterday morning. Apparently, while going through the crossing from the U.S., a runaway car took off into the air and exploded causing the death of it’s occupants, some injuries to those nearby, and a whole lot of damage to the area.
That sudden and unexpected occurrence caused the authorities to err on the side of caution, treat it like a terrorist attack and shut down all the border crossings in the area, until further information was forthcoming. That meant some Americans who had come to Canada for the day, were unable to go back home last night, and some of the many Canadians heading south for the holiday were also unable to cross the border. The good news though is that it’s been determined that it was not a terrorist incident and I believe most of the other border crossings have now been opened up, except for the Rainbow Bridge because the damage was so extensive.
Ah Lord eh! When it’s not one thing, it’s something else yes! That’s why we have to be constantly living for Jesus and ready to meet our Maker at anytime, for we never know when we’ll be called home unexpectedly, or He will return unexpectedly. And Jesus gave us sufficient warning that we should all live prepared, both for the Rapture of the church, and then Christ’s coming to begin His Millennial reign after the Great Tribulation.
He promised to come back for us: ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-4) The scholars explain that refers more to the Rapture of the church than to Christ’s coming after the Great Tribulation.
Meanwhile Bruh Paul made his famous statement on the subject of the Rapture. ‘But I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep (dead).
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (trumpet) of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (! Thess. 4:13-18)
Now that has to do with the Rapture and the resurrection for the dead when Jesus comes for the church, and comforts us in knowing that we will be with our LOVED ones in heaven when all is said and done. But then again, no one knows when that will be, which means we have to be in a state of constant readiness, because Christ can come for His church at any time, and after that the Great Tribulation will ensue for seven years, with Christ finally coming to destroy the evil doers and set up His Millennial kingdom.
He gives some warnings re wars and rumours of wars, then famine and pestilence and all sorts of natural disasters. But those are only the beginning of sorrows; for then follows martyrdom, the rise of false prophets and the Antichrist, and the age of iniquity, but also the expansion of the church and preaching of the gospel to all parts of the world…and then shall come the end. (Matt. 24:6-14) Jesus then described the prevailing situation thus: ‘For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.’ (Matt. 24:21)
Yes friends, those seven years of tribulation will have so much universal suffering and destruction like the world’s never seen before, or will ever see again. That’s why you have to make sure that you are all right with Jesus when He comes for the church in the Rapture. Then Jesus turned His attention to the time frame for those happenings. ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe (Noah) entered the ark. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be… Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ (Matt. 24:36-39, 42)
Oh my brethren, it’s all so simple. In the first coming Christ comes in the clouds for the church, to settle them in heaven. In the second coming, He comes with the church to ,judge the world. And the exceeding chaotic state of our current world, clearly tells us that the time of both situations could not be too far off. Therefore, let us get ourselves prepared, that is, if we want to spend eternity with Jesus, because if He comes at either time and you’re not ready, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to be ready, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) and thus activating our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 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 behooves us to go out and use those blessings on God’s behalf, just as generously as He bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!
…the three most important b’s and r’s…be ready…be ready…be ready…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: eyes fixed straight ahead, to a glorious future with Jesus, worrying only brings negative results
Matthew 6:33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Well, we got the promised rain yesterday, but thankfully none of the white stuff. (smile) Meanwhile, after a night of fog, this Wednesday morning has opened wet and cloudy, and who knows how it will work out, but anyway it does, we believers in Christ will be able to handle it, because our Lord and Saviour is at the helm of our good ship Life. That’s the beauty of living for Jesus; He’s always there to help, no matter the circumstances!
And today we’ll share the monthly prayer found in the In Touch Devotional. So please pray with me: ‘God, it’s easy to focus on what is wrong in my life rather than what is right. I find myself overwhelmed by all the injustice, pain, and division in the world. Forgive me for the times I’ve chosen to feed negativity, to spread hopelessness among my friends and family. But I’m not alone in my grief. You are heartbroken by these things too. So, Lord, I pray for Your guidance in sorrow. I want to lament all that is wrong – without being consumed by it. Teach me to balance grief with the assurance of Your LOVE. May my heartbreak, empathy, and faith play a role in Your healing of the world. Amen.’
Oh friends, that’s a very interesting prayer, as our world is in utter chaos and we’re feeling overwhelmed by the atrocities and disasters that are taking place, but at the same time we cannot afford to get lost in all the negativity that’s happening around us. We need to keep a fine balance between what’s happening, how we can help, mainly in prayer, and not let our grief at the situation drag us down and make us lose our assurance of God’s LOVE and healing power. We need to see the overall situation, lament it, but still keep our fate and hearts strong and steadfast in Christ, and do what we can in our own li’l sphere to prevent it from spreading there.
The overall situation is God’s to deal with, and we do need to have empathy for others in their dire situations, but our role predominantly is to deal with the problems we have close to home. And that’s a major problem right now, for too many of us are allowing the world situation to confuse and confuffle our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, and thus lack the necessary strength, both physically and spiritually to take care of our own business. We’re looking too intently at the world and wondering what’s going to happen, and allowing the negativity to dampen and even quench the fire in our lives.
And that’s not hard to do, when we already have a propensity, as the prayer says, for focusing on what is wrong in our lives rather than what is right. Now is that ever so true. If ninety nine things out of a hundred are right with us, we automatically seem to focus on the one thing that’s wrong, rather than the ninety nine that are right. For whatever reason, we tend to focus on the bad, even when the good is much more predominant in our lives. Look at how we behave when we see one pimple on our faces, one hair falling out, we’ve put on one pound. We hold our heads and bawl, and lament, woe is me, although everything else is perfectly fine with us!
But what did Jesus teach us about worrying eh, especially when you can’t do anything about the situation. He said: ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothes)?’ (Matt. 6:25) Yes, it certainly is! But until we are sufficiently mature in Christ, we will always place clothes and food at the top of our most wanted list and worry unnecessarily when they seem to be in short supply.
But listen to Jesus as He expounds further on the subject. ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?’ (Matt. 6:26) For sure, we’re better than the birds, so if they don’t worry about food and are constantly fed, why should we, who enjoy a much better position in Christ than them. And as Jesus asked: ‘Which one of you by taking thought (worrying) can add one cubit unto his stature (height)?’ (Matt. 6:27) Not a single one of us can do that friends! So why worry eh?
Then Jesus goes on to point how the lilies of the field are so pretty, even better dressed than Cousin Sol in all his glory, but yet they neither toil nor spin. ‘Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?’ (Matt. 6:30) And I like how Jesus doesn’t mince words, He just comes right out and says it, re our importance to God, showing the smallness of our faith, despite all our big talk.
And He continues: ‘Therefore take no thought (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (don’t worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:31-34)
And please note that Jesus isn’t saying that we pay no attention whatsoever to our needs or planning some for tomorrow, but it should not completely take over our souls and lives, so much so that we can’t put God first. Yes friends, when we focus more on the spiritual than the physical or material, God will provide all the material things we need to function in His kingdom, ‘for where God guides, He provides.’ How did Bruh David put it in Psalm 37? ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread.’ (Ps. 37:25) And that’s the gospel truth, for the Lord looks after His own.
And now, for those of us who consider ourselves God’s own (smile), let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our sincere and secure position in Christ Jesus. As one 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!’
Then there’s this addendum: if we endure to the end with Christ, then the promised future will be even more glorious than we can think or imagine! Wow! So let’s vow to all meet at the very end nuh! That’s what wisdom dictates. Much LOVE!
…if you can’t fix it…then don’t worry about it…for worrying only brings negative results…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
21 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a little light uncovers much darkness, Christian light, come the judgement day, faith, glorify your Father which is in heaven, have seen a great light, holy spirit, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, it giveth light unto all that are in the house, Jesus at the helm of our lives, Jesus Christ, Jesus our Master Pilot, Let your light so shine before men, light a candle and put it under a bushel, LOVE, on a candle stick, rainy day Tuesday, share His love with my neighbour, the blind leading the blind, the hump day of Monday, the people that walked in darkness, the precipice of hell and eternal damnation, they may see your good works, they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, upon them hath the light shined, use our talents to the best of our ability, using our blessings wisely, we are put on earth to work, wisdom, worry, Ye are the light of the world
Matthew 5:15. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket) but on a candle stick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
And then it was a rainy day Tuesday, with even some snow promised in the forecast. But for most of us, when we’ve gotten over the problem day of Monday, we can handle things much more comfortably during the remainder of the week. It’s just that hump day of Monday that tends to trip us up. (smile) Anyway, it’s Tuesday, and we’re moving along well with our Master Pilot, Jesus at the helm of our lives, taking exceptional care of the difficult waters we sometimes traverse. And all of Christ’s church shouted a loud and grateful ‘Thank You Jesus for taking care of us! Don’t know what we’d do without You!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth? We have no idea how we’d manage without Jesus at the forefront of out lives. We’d be ever so lost and trapped in the darkness of this evil and ungodly world, that we’d be like the blind leading the blind, unfailingly headed toward the precipice of hell and eternal damnation. But thanks ever so much to the sacrificial death of Jesus, we have the marvellous option of walking in the light, His marvellous light, headed straight for the beautiful environs of heaven!
Wow! As the Good Library so faithfully prophesied in the Book of Isaiah: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2) And wasn’t that a most grateful and wonderful day when the light of Jesus shined upon the earth, upon the sinful and ungodly children of men? It surely was! And likewise, what a glorious day it will be, when we encounter Father, Son and Holy Spirit at the pearly gates of that everlasting retreat called heaven! Can’t wait to experience it….although I’m not quite ready, since I have stuff to complete down here before I go there! (smile)
But seriously though friends, I believe that the darkness of our world right now is so overwhelming that the populace don’t know whether they’re coming or going. The terrible chaos that’s currently consuming our world, leading to so much hatred, war, anger and all the negative things that Satan perpetrates, is blinding many of us to the light of Christ. And we true believers are not doing enough to try and reduce the darkness by shining our light into the shadow of death that’s right now in control of our world.
And remember, that light doesn’t have to be a big, all-embracing light to blind the world, but if each one of us simply shone our li’l light into the darkness that’s right around us, just in our neighbourhood or workplace, you’d be surprised at the huge results that will accrue. Why? Because just a li’l light covers, or rather uncovers a whole lot of darkness. For argument sake, let’s say that one whatever of light can uncover at least ten times that amount of darkness. It’s like when you shine a small pencil torch into a darkened area, the small plume of light, brightens up much more than it’s size would suggest.
It’s as Jesus said: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket) but on a candle stick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt. 5:14-15) Yes mih bredrin. A small candle or lamp lights up much more darkness than its size would lead you to expect. Likewise, our small lights, if we allowed them to shine in the dark areas around us, we’d do much more good than we can ever imagine. Thus Jesus continued: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16)
That simply means we’ve got to get out there and be our true selves, act like true believers, so that the unbeliever will see the good things in our lives brought about by our strong and secure faith in Christ and come to Him, as they desire to have the strength and security that we posses. And no, it’s not always easy to shine like a bright and sparkling Christian light, but on average, we ought to do more shining than not. None of us are perfect, and we all have good and bad days, we just keep on hoping and praying that the good days totally outnumber the bad ones, so we can do Christ’s work with fervour and excellence.
And yuh know what friends, Christ doesn’t expect us all to be zealots and/or miracle workers nuh, but He does expect us to use the talents we’ve been granted to the best of our ability. It’s like the parable of the talents that Jesus told, found in Matthew 25, where this master was heading out into a far country, but before he went, called his servants and gave them his goods. To one servant he gave five talents, to another two, and to the last, one. Then he went away for a long time.
When he returned, he called the servants to account. The one who was given five talents had produced through his work, another five. The one given two, also produced two more. However, the servant given only one talent produced the same talent and no more, saying to his master. ‘Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed (scattered seed). And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.’ (Matt. 25:24-25)
Oh friends, the moral of the story can be found in these two commentaries that follow. ‘First and foremost, the Parable of the Talents teaches us that we are put on Earth to work. This is evident not only in this particular parable, but in several other Bible stories. God rewards those who put considerable effort into bettering their lives and the lives of those in their community.’ Yes friends, believe it or not, work is indeed a large part of our earthly journey. (smile)
And the next commentary tells us: ‘The parable of the talents is much more than a financial tale. In this story, we see the importance of using our blessings wisely and sharing with others. This doesn’t just refer to monetary possessions or physical belongings, but to the time and talents that God gives all of us.’ And that’s the indisputable truth my people. We’d better remember it, because come the judgement day, when the Lord questions us on what we’ve done with the talents, the gifts, He so generously bestowed on us, we won’t want to tell him we were afraid and just hid them. No sir! That will only get us into a heap of trouble.
So, please, let’s wake up right now and begin using the gifts God has given us nuh, for our benefit as well as for those of others around us. That’s the only wise way to live. And now, for those of us who are sincerely endeavouring to live that way, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
It’s now our duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…this li’l light of mine…let it shine…let it shine…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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