16 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful ambassador, a flaming desire, a wicked messenger, Advocate, ambassadors, aura of love, blameable, brings health, by the quality of our lives, celebrating Christ's birth, Christmas, come up higher, compassion, enthusiasm, examples, falleth into mischief, God's mercy, gratitude, holy spirit, humble servants, inclement weather, inexhaustible energy, into foolish heads, invincible, Jesus Christ, knock some sense, laggards, lies, LOVE, made him to be sin, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, odious, on Christ's behalf, precepts, reconciled to God, spiritual armour, teach them, the righteousness of God, traumatized, trite, trouble, true observation, useful purpose, wicked taunts, wiles, work more forcibly on the mind
Proverbs 13:17. A wicked messenger falleth into mischief (trouble): but a faithful ambassador is (brings) health.
Well I hope we all had a good and pleasant weekend, filled with God’s mercy and compassion, and were not too traumatized by the inclement weather a lot of us had to undergo. (smile) But be that as it may, today’s that great day we call Monday, where we get our acts together and get out and face the music! So what we waiting for eh? Let’s do it nuh! Yeh, I know, there will always be some laggards, some of us who are just not up to it, for whatever reason. But don’t despair because we have you covered.
Our great God has taken all possibilities into consideration and has designed this one specially for our Monday morning ills. It’s titled our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, because it gets us fighting ready for battle with the devious and deceitful enemy. So as one pleading, but humbly hopeful and expectant voice, let’s take our problem to the halls of heaven nuh, where our Advocate, Jesus Christ, is there waiting to take our case to the Father.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And with a wonderful Advocate like Christ on the case, what else can we expect but VICTORY! Yes friends, almost immediately, we all feel the renewing of our spirits and the overwhelming enthusiasm filling our souls through the miraculous working of God’s Holy Spirit! And now we’re just bursting with a flaming desire and seemingly inexhaustible energy to get out into the evil world and knock some sense into some foolish heads on Christ’s behalf!
But the truth of the matter is that Jesus doesn’t really want us to physically knock sense into the heads of those who refuse to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour, but rather to teach them, by the quality of our lives, our own LOVE, care and compassion for them in this rough and tumble world. For remember, as the man said so long ago, (smile) … Oh brother, now I can’t remember the rather appropriate quote from the 18th century novel, ‘Joseph Andrews’ by Henry Fielding. Steups! But in today’s parlance it boils down to something like actions speak louder than words. And indeed they do.
Thank God for computers yes, they do serve some useful purposes sometimes! (smile) I got the bright idea to google the book and author’s name, and lo and behold, much to my surprise, there it was; the whole book. But all I needed was the first line of the first page: ‘It is a trite but true observation, that examples work more forcibly on the mind than precepts: and if this be just in what is odious and blameable, it is more strongly so in what is amiable and praiseworthy.’ Wow! It’s amazing how that passage has stuck with me, having read it fifty something years ago in High School.
That means our lives, as living examples for Christ, will touch others much more than what we say to them. It’s like people will forget what we say, but not how we treat them. That’s why Jesus encourages us to be good salt and bright lights in the world, leading exemplary lives. Note, not perfect ones, but as close as we can get. Remember we’re supposed to be ambassadors for Christ, His earthly messengers, and in the wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘A wicked messenger falleth into mischief (trouble): but a faithful ambassador is (brings) health’
That’s why in this world ambassadors are carefully chosen and have to know a fair amount of the culture and laws and mores of the places where they are sent, so they don’t bring shame and disgrace or trouble to their country or government. Likewise friends, we can only be good ambassadors for Christ if we read and study and inculcate His Word, so that we know what to do and how to live in this evil world, so that we don’t bring disgrace to His name and His kingdom. For as Cousin Sol also says: ‘For as the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.’ (Prov.25:13)
Are we refreshing Christ’s soul with our earthly lives friends? No wonder Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (implore) you in Christ’s stead (on Christ’s behalf), be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Cor. 5:20-21) Yes my people, it’s all for Christ’s sake! How can we not settle down and be good ambassadors for Him eh, after the Lord put our sins on Him, and His righteousness on us?
So this Monday morning, as we’re in the process of celebrating Christ’s birth, please, I implore us, let’s take a serious look at our ambassadorship in His name and with God’s help try to make it better. We can all come up higher for Christ, that’s a fact! Much LOVE!
…for what Christ has done for us…a worthy ambassadorship is…the best gratitude we can show…
15 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a covenant to the Jews, a light to the Gentiles, abominable sins, Adeste Fidelis, all things are of God, Bethlehem, can't trust nobody, Christ the Lord, Christmas, citizens of heaven, come and adore Him, compassion, fake news, festive season, giveth breath, good thing we have Jesus, goodness, is fulfilled in your ears, joyful, king of angels, lift up your heads, mercy, mighty in battle, Nazareth, O come all ye faithful, rain, Simeon, sing in exultation, snow, strong and mighty, the king of glory, the Lord, this day, this scripture, triumphant, undeserving children of men, warmth
Luke 4:21. This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing).
Ah mih people, I don’t know where or how the weather people come up with their info nuh! Remember yesterday I said it was supposed to be rain with some ice pellets later in the day? Well yuh better believe that by the time I came upstairs from writing the Bit, outside was white, and it wasn’t no ice pellets nuh, but heavily falling snow, and by the evening hours it had turned back to rain again. Chuh! Yuh can’t trust nobody nowadays nuh! No wonder the man calls it all ‘fake news.’ (smile)
What a good thing we have Jesus yes my people, else I don’t know what we’d do. He’s the Only One who keeps His promises, the Only One faithful to His word these days. And that’s the very reason we’re in His sanctuary today; to give Him thanks and praise for His faithfulness, for His goodness and mercy towards the undeserving children of men.
And as we get into the festive season of Christmas, where we celebrate His earthly birth, His first coming as a babe in swaddling clothes, in the appearance of a man, through His incarnate Birth, let’s remember that that occasion was one of the most momentous in man’s history, the greatest gift given to mankind after the Lord breathed His breath of life into our mortal souls.
So let’s celebrate those facts now by opening the proceedings with one of our favourite songs for this special season, titled ‘O Come All Ye Faithful.’ Now it’s an adaptation of the Latin hymn ‘Adeste Fidelis’ meaning ‘Come you faithful ones.’ But there’s no agreement as to who wrote the English version.
However as one web site describes it. ‘This popular Christmas Hymn harkens to the biblical story of the birth of Christ. It is considered a reference to the shepherds, after hearing the angels singing, coming to Bethlehem to adore their new-born savior. Today this hymn signifies and celebrates our coming together in worship to adore the LOVING blessing of Jesus, as He sacrificed Himself for our salvation.’ Wow! It couldn’t be said any better!’
So let’s do just that nuh; worship together in song, as we prepare to welcome the birth of our saviour. All together in strong voice, sweet harmony and sincere hearts: ‘O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, Born the King of Angels! (Chorus: O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.) God of God, light of light, Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb; True God, begotten, not created: (Chorus)
O Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation, O sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above. Give to our Father, Glory in the highest! (Chorus) Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be the glory giv’n; Word of the Father, Now in the flesh appearing, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.’
Beautiful friends, just beautiful! True and praise worthy sentiments sung in sincere and praise worthy fashion! And an interesting thought just occurred to me: Does Jesus remember every year at Christmas, the time He came to earth, and does He celebrate His earthly birthday every year in heaven like we do on earth? And the same questions can be asked for such momentous occasions in His earthly life like Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Does He sit alone, somewhere quiet and ruminate on those oh so important occasions?
Or does He even sit with the Father, who apologizes for having to put Him through the ringer, abuse and forsake Him, because there was absolutely no other way to pay for the abominable sins of mankind? And I’m sure Jesus doesn’t hold it against the Father, but understands the bind that the Father had found Himself in, because that’s the understanding kind of person He is. (smile) Oh friends, it’s impossible not to LOVE Jesus when you truly know Him yes; know His warmth and compassion and care for us lost sheep. And I’m chuckling here. Look how all yuh have me gone off on a tangent here eh, instead of sticking to the script!
And what is the script you ask? Well, though we might sing about Jesus, it all has to do with the glory of God. That’s what everything is about. As Bruh David said in his psalm – the King of glory: ‘Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.’ (Ps.24:7-8) Yes friends, that’s the King of glory – the Lord God Almighty! And Isaiah puts it thus when he speaks of the servant (Jesus) coming to glorify the Lord.
‘Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of (to) the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold the former things have come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.’ (Is.42:5-9)
Ah my people, that was God’s promise of His Messiah – a covenant for the Jews, and a light to the Gentiles! And we all know it came to pass in the coming of Jesus. And Luke tells of the prophet Simeon who had been promised life until he saw the Lord’s Christ. When Jesus was presented at the temple, Simeon, through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit knew who he was, took him in his arms and blessed God, and repeated the words of Isaiah: ‘A light to lighten (to bring revelation to) the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.’ (Luke 2:32).
And when Jesus taught in His hometown of Nazareth, He read Isaiah’s prophecy and promise from Chapter 49, verses 6-9, (Luke 4:18-19) basically the same ones in Chapter 42 above, foretelling the Messiah’s coming. Then He told them: ‘This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing).’ And when we hear it two thousand years later my people, it’s still blessing us! So let’s be thankful and give God all the glory nuh, for that’s how it ought to be. Much LOVE!
…for of him (God)…and through him…and to him…are ALL things…to whom be glory for ever…Amen… (Rom. 11:36)
14 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of success, a state of flux, afflictions, all that will live godly, always seems impossible, ankedness, Anselm, aspires to inspire, be of good cheer, distress, faith, famine, for a better tomorrow, forgivenss, grace, gravy train, hang in there, hope, i have overcome the world, I have spoken unto you, ice pellets, impossible task, in me, in the world, keep a good attitude, looking on the bright side, mercy, optimism, optimistic attitude, persecution, pessimism, pessimist, salvation, sufferation, sword, the living truth, the Lord delivered me, the weather, these things, until it's done, unto death, we are more than conquerors, wet and woolly, ye might have peace, ye shall have tribulation
John 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Well it looks like it’s going to be a wet and woolly Saturday in my part of paradise, with the distinct possibility of ice pellets later on! (smile) But the sad fact of the matter is that all over the world, the weather is in a state of flux; fluctuating like we’ve never seen or experienced it before. We’re either not getting what we’re supposed to get at this time of the year, or too much or too little of it, and that’s creating a lot of havoc in our lives. Now the reason for this state of affairs, or who’s fault it is, that’s another story, (smile) which we won’t get into this morning.
Instead, we’ll check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And speaking of Anselm, miraculously, just this morning I received an e-mail from one of our Scrip-Bit friends saying that her curiosity had been piqued by Anselm and his quotes. Consequently, she wanted to know if he was a real person and where he gets his quotes from. My answer was yes, he is a real person, but I don’t know where he gets his quotes from. And for those of you whose curiosity has also been piqued by our friend Anselm’s identity and otherwise, please remember the ole people’s saying that curiosity killed the cat, so be careful it doesn’t kill you too. (smile)
Ah friends, it’s good to have a li’l fun sometimes, life is too short to be serious all the time. And here is Anselm’s first quote: ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’ And isn’t that the living truth! So many things we need or try to do seem so hard that they teeter towards the impossible side of the ledger. But having completed the seemingly impossible task, it then seems as though it was a piece of cake, and we wonder why we thought it was impossible in the first place. But that’s just the way life is friends; tasks always seem more difficult than they really are, before we tackle them. And since we know that nothing is impossible with Jesus as the Master of our lives, let’s think in terms of possibilities rather than impossibilities nuh, our lives will improve ever so much.
And the next quote tells us that, ‘An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.’ Now that’s surely an interesting way to put it. And the optimistic attitude is obviously the better way, since it makes us look forward to better times in the coming year than we’ve had in the one just past. Chuh! Can you imagine if I had not been optimistic in the past three years when I was so sick, even unto death, as some people thought, but definitely not me, (smile) I certainly would not be around today!
That does say something for optimism, for looking on the bright side, even when there seems to be no reason whatsoever for doing so. That leads us to this next interesting quote: ‘Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.’ More optimism, more faith and hope and belief in the good and faithful promises of Jesus my people! That’s the only way to live this life with a modicum of success; optimistic, and strong and steadfast in our Christian faith; the only faith that has all the magnificent benefits like mercy and grace, salvation and forgiveness, and that’s only a few, where we don’t get what we deserve, but the good things we don’t deserve.
Ah my people, I can’t begin to tell us how good and great and merciful and gracious is the God that we serve nuh! The Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Creator and omnipotent ruler of this magnificent universe! So here ‘s the last quote. (smile) And we keep the best for last. ‘I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.’ And do I ever, for as far as I’m concerned my best days are still ahead of me! Glory be my brethren! And so should ALL believers think and believe, because with Jesus running our lives we’re on the gravy train. (smile)
Remember He said, ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) That means He doesn’t desire us to be living struggling lives all the time, but enjoying the kingdom of heaven down here on earth too. And the talk about the gravy train was a bit facetious, because life will not always be wine, song and laughter, but as Jesus also warned us: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’
What a marvellous and encouraging verse of scripture that is friends, from our Lord and Saviour Himself! But until we truly believe and live them, our lives will not improve. And in strong support of Christ’s words, here are a couple of scriptures from Bruh Paul. The first one, written to Timothy, after outlining his own suffering, he confirms our earthly ‘sufferation’ ‘Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra: what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly for Christ shall suffer persecution.’ (2 Tim. 3:11-12)
So though trials and persecutions may – no, will come, if we hang in there, the Lord will eventually deliver us from them all. And as Bruh Paul defiantly proclaimed to the church at Rome: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:35 & 37) Glory Hallelujah my brethren! What words of positive and encouraging faith!
That means, as true believers, there is a lot of good stuff for us to look forward to, including heaven and eternity with Jesus eventually. There’s nothing better than that available friends, so please, let’s keep a good attitude and believe that even better times than these are in our future. Much LOVE!
…what’s the point of faith eh…if it doesn’t give one true hope…
13 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a black cat, affliction, as a roaring lion, be sober, Black Friday, compassions, cross my path, death, deceptions, drunk or sober, eternal glory, folklore, Friday 13th, Friday chant, God's LOVE, grace of God, Granny's warning, hell, joyful for a season, lasts till eternity, level of joy, lies, make you perfect, mercies, mind yuh business, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, ordinary workingman, Peter's warning, renewed and refreshed, rest, seeking whom he may devour, settle you, sin, stand under a ladder, sufferation, suffered a while, temptation, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the devil, the forbidden fruit, the God of all grace, the grave, the trash heap, times of celebration, to him be glory and dominion, trouble free, victory, vigilant, walketh about, we give him the power, withch's tales, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
It’s a beautiful though cold morning, the sun’s shining, and the air is filled with all of God’s LOVE, mercies, compassions and His many other attributes! Glory be! And contrary to folklore and witch’s tales, no evil is in the ascendance today, just because it happens to be Friday the 13th! In fact I’m feeling more spiritually alive than I’ve been in a while, and am seriously rejoicing, because like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘Something good is going to happen to me…and furthermore…something good is going to happen through me today!’ All praise and glory to our great and wonderful, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God my faithful and believing brethren!
And yes, there seems to be a somewhat higher level of joy in the ole fella’s spirit this morning. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know the reason for it, but coming down the stairs a short while ago, carrying my cup of java, a sudden spurt of joy just entered my soul. And it’s only the Lord to be thanked for that! Bless His holy name! And believe me, when the Lord suddenly cranks up the joy in your spirit…oh…it’s such a wonderful thing that words cannot truly convey. (smile) But enough about me, let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say this ‘Black Friday’ morning nuh.
‘Well TGIF! Thank God is Friday at long last! I do need a break from the slave master’s work! But then we have this foolishness about Black Friday again, because is Friday the 13th! Chuh! How much Black Fridays we going to have eh? We have one to thief we money after Thanksgiving, and another one to frighten we whenever the 13th of the month falls on a Friday. The powers of evil really trying to trap we into falling for their nonsense yes. But I have more sense than that…though I’m not going to walk under a ladder on purpose today, or just stand up and let a black cat cross mih path…Hn, hn hn! That’s because prevention better than cure!
But seriously though, I just hope this weekend is sunny and bright, so that I can get out and do some things I want to do. Doh need no snow further fouling up the works, when it done cold already. But thank God for Fridays and weekends oui! Don’t know how I’d mange without them.’
And that’s for certain sure friends, what would we do without Fridays and weekends eh? So let’s be truly thankful and sincerely declare our Friday Chant, which gives our Christian take on the situation. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my people, even though we have the weekend to relax and be refreshed, we can’t afford to drop our guards because the enemy is always lurking around trying to catch us napping, so he can slip into our souls and create confusion. And yuh know what, that’ s always easiest to do in times of great celebration like this Christmas season, because we naturally let our hair and our guards down when we celebrate. And it certainly won’t do for us to be caught up in the devil’s net while we’re celebrating the oh so important and momentous birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
That’s why we have to be very cognizant of both Granny’s and Peter’s warnings this Christmas time. And the first one, we all know and LOVE: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ Peter’s though is scarier and more religious in tone. ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ Now that can strike fear into some of our hearts, but please remember that the devil cannot do us any real harm unless we allow him to. He’s been broken and relegated to the trash heap by Jesus’ wonderful victory over his dominion; hell, death and the grave, though he still likes to think he’s a hot number.
And please don’t be fooled by his lies and deceptions, for he’s still the master of those, but he can’t truly hurt us unless WE give him the power to do so, like our forefathers, Adam and Eve did back in the Garden of Eden when they listened to his deception that the Lord wouldn’t really kill them if they ate of the forbidden fruit, but it would open their eyes and they would become like God. (Gen.3:1-24) And yes, it did open their eyes, but to the knowledge of sin, from which came the ‘sufferation’ that’s enveloped our world since that foolish and fateful day.
And yes, they didn’t die suddenly, but suffered an even worse faith: separation from God’s goodness, spiritually cast out into eternal darkness to live with Satan for all time. And that’s the curse we’ve all borne until Jesus came and sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to set us free! Glory to His wonderful name! The problem though, is that unless we turn to Jesus and receive Him as our Lord and Saviour, we’re still headed for Hades and eternal darkness with its master. That’s why we need to pay serious attention to Peter’s warning, as he continues: ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet. 5:9)
Yes, I know the fact that all the brethren are suffering affliction and temptation doesn’t help some of us, but it does show that we’re not alone in our problems. However, if we do stand steadfast against the enemy, we can be assured of this most important fact. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (establish), strengthen, settle you.’ (1 Pet. 5:10)
Ah my people, it is unfortunate that we can’t go through this sin-filled world trouble free, but we do have God’s faithful promise, that in His time, He will strengthen, settle and establish us. And when we take sincere hold of that promise, then we can truthfully declare: ‘To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen!’ (1 Pet. 5:11) So let’s be on our p’s and q’s this Christmas season nuh. Much LOVE!
…sin can seem joyful for a season…but the grace of God lasts till eternity…
12 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city set on a hill, a positive outlook, B.S. baffles brains, before men, cannot be hid, compassionate heart, curse, every knee shall bow, every tongue swear, exemplary, favour, full of compromises, genrously share, gentleness, glorify your father in heaven, god lives in a home, God's in the house, good friends, good health, gospel truth, have the light of life, hide the light of Jesus, I am the light of the world, I have sworn by myself, in righteousness, Jesus shining in our lives, kindness, laughter, let your light so shine, light a candle, lights for Christ, like the morning sun, magnanimous god, negative owrd, never a secret, problems mixed with prayer, prosperselfishly hoard, put it under a bushel, raison d'etre, Ruth Harms Calkin, Scrip-Bit friends and family, self-control, set free in the darkness, shall not walk in darkness, shining bright and beautiful, sincere effort, success, take an oath, the Great First, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the word is gone out, they may see your good works, this ungodly world, Thursday Blessings, wishy-washy, Ye are the light of the world, You cannot be hid
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Well hello there my beautiful Scrip-Bit friends and family! Oh… you’re shining bright and beautiful like the morning sun outside my window! Now that’s the way our Lord and Saviour likes to see His people blooming and blossoming in this evil world! Yes, I know you’re thinking that B.S, does indeed baffle brains, but why couldn’t what I’ve just said all be true eh? That’s exactly how followers of Christ ought to be! And a lot of us are…just not enough!
But we won’t belabour the point, I’ll just share this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, which shows exactly how believers are when Christ is in the house. And it’s titled, quite appropriately, ‘You Cannot Be Hid.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I’ve discovered it’s never a secret When You live in a home For You simply cannot be hid. The neighbours soon know You are there Even strangers learn of Your presence. When You are the Great First in a home There is a radiance that speaks of joy There is gentleness, kindness Laughter and LOVE. There is a commotion mixed with contentment There are problems mixed with prayer. Lord, Your own Word says it so vividly: “It was known that He was in the house.”
Oh Mama Mia people! That says it all so wonderfully! When Jesus is truly in the yard, it must show! If it doesn’t, then He’s not there! And this Christmas season when we celebrate Christ’s birth, let’s make sure that others can clearly see Him in our homes and lives nuh, because that’s the biggest advertising and selling point we could ever have: the light of Jesus shining in our lives. And Jesus Himself said it in the promise for our poem: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’
Wow! What a gospel truth, from the very mouth of our Lord and Saviour! That means, as true believers our lives ought to be exemplary, not wishy-washy and full of compromises. Oh don’t worry, Jesus knows that we’re not perfect, and never will be, but what He desires is the sincere effort on our part. As He further enables and reassures us by these reassuring words. ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) What more assurance can we ask for or need eh friends?
Please let’s not be like the Pharisees disputing His authority because He witnessed to Himself. Who else could He witness to or by eh, when he was God, the Creator, the Highest of all beings? As the Lord said so emphatically in Isaiah concerning salvation. ‘Look (turn) unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return. That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear (take an oath). (Is. 45:22-23) Yes my fellow believers, the Lord could not be more emphatic than that re His sovereignty and overall position in the cosmos!
So since we are His disciples, His ambassadors in this ungodly and wicked world, our lives ought also to be bright and shining like His was. For, as He continues in Matthew after our Bit: ‘Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt. 5:15) More gospel truth that friends! We don’t light lights then hide the light, so why are we trying to hide the light of Jesus that dwells in us and wants to be set free in the darkness of this world eh?
No, we have to do like He says: ‘Let your light shine so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16) Now that’s our very raison d’etre, our very purpose for being alive my brethren; to glorify God! That’s why He created us; so that we could worship and glorify Him, praise His holy Name and live just for Him alone!
But getting back to the heart of the matter, this Christmas season when we’re celebrating Christ’s birthday with lots of lights, please, please, let not the lights be only on the trees and ornaments and buildings, but even more importantly, sincerely shining from our hearts, radiating in our faces and blossoming forth in our LOVING actions! As I said earlier on, the sincere light that shines in our lives is the best testimony we can ever give for Christ!
Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Thursday Blessings which our ever magnanimous God has showered down on us so we can do His work, be bright, shining lights in a dark world. Altogether in full 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 everyday! Amen!’
And it pays to remember that those blessings are for us to generously share, like the Lord generously shared them with us, not to selfishly hoard for ourselves. Much LOVE!
…as lights for Christ…we can choose no better time to shine…and shine brightly too…than at Christmas…
11 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, all about the money, blase, blatant, corruption, deliverance, depravity, don't give up, eyes fixed straight ahead, feelings of greed, frame of mind, glad to be alive, halfway home, hands on the plough, highly contagious, hopeful prayer, knowledge, not looking back, not turning back, please hang in there, said in his heart, seek God, snow, spawn, thank God, the atheist, the breath of life, the children of men, the fool, the human race, the Lord looked down, the opportunity, there is no god, to get wealth, unbelievably foolish, understand, wanty wanty nuh get it, Wednesday Wail, workers of iniquity
Psalm 14:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable iniquity (works): there is none that doeth good.
Oh my people, let me begin by apologizing for the lateness of the Bit. But I was really abed rather late this morning and thus my rising was also rather late. The devil got in my spirit! Chuh! I looked at the clock and thought I saw eight, but it was really nine. (smile) And to upset the apple cart even further, remember yesterday I spoke about missing seeing the snow on the housetops? Well who says there isn’t a dusting of snow on the housetops and the ground this Wednesday morning eh!
As the ole people would warn, be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it, but then realize it’s not what you really wanted. And I guess that can be a warning for many of us this Christmas season, where we tend to desire so much stuff, half of which we don’t really need, but the season just seems to spawn our feelings of want and greed. Remember too, the old Jamaican saying: ‘wanty wanty nuh get it.’ (smile) I guess the ole fella is in an ole people frame of mind this morning. (smile)
And keeping all that stuff in mind, the Lord has led me to this rather potent scripture for us to check out this morning; something dealing with the foolishness of men. Oh my people, has mankind ever gotten unbelievably foolish in these trying times! It seems like the more worldly knowledge he acquires, the more foolish he becomes. Listen to Bruh David’s opening statement in his contemplation on the subject. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable iniquity (works): there is none that doeth good.’
And if Bruh David thought that things were bad in his time, he should see them now. He would hold his head and bawl like crazy, such is the ungodliness and sinfulness of man. As I said earlier, it seems like the more prosperous and knowledgeable the Lord allows him to become, the more evil and ungodly he becomes. Yeah, because he thinks that all that increase is his doing. How foolish and short sighted can we be eh my people? How can we ever forget that it’s the Lord God Almighty who created us in the first place and now allows us the opportunity to get wealth and knowledge?
As Bruh David continues: ‘The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God.’ (Ps.14:2) Oh friends, don’t you think the Lord is doing the same thing today? Most definitely! And what do you think He’s finding eh? The very same thing Bruh David found in his time; a whole set of ungodliness and unrighteousness, and in greater numbers too. ‘They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy (corrupt): there is none that doeth good, no not one.’ (Ps. 14:3)
And you don’t have to be a seer, or overflowing with wisdom to know and see the indescribable level of corruption that’s present in our current world. And what makes it even worse, is the blatant, blase, don’t care, ‘unfearing’ way in which it’s been promoted and promulgated! The question God asked through Bruh David back then is also very apropos to our time. ‘Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.’ (Ps. 14:4) Oh my faithful brethren, I guess the answer to that is a loud ‘NO!’
Now check out this info from the scholars. ‘Psalm 14. This psalm could be dedicated to the atheist. With the denial of God’s existence comes the moral decay described in verses 1-6, and which was used by Paul to prove the universal depravity of the human race (Rom. 3:10-12). While the fool may deny that God is, the righteous finds in Him the object of hopeful prayer for deliverance (vs.7).’ And I had to chuckle when I read about the psalm being a possible dedication to the atheist.
And yuh wouldn’t believe how bold face the atheist and them could be nuh? Recently I heard something about them fighting to be called a church! Steups! If you don’t believe in the existence of any god, how can you have a church eh? But it seems like what they really want is the ability to become a non-profit or charitable organization, so they can reap the tax and other monetary benefits. As usual; it’s all about the money!
And I don’t know why, but the same psalm is also found in the Psalter as Psalm 53. According to the scholars, it’s been slightly revised. ‘Two major differences are apparent: this psalm (53) substitutes the generic word for God, Elohim, for the personal name of God used in Psalm 14, Yahweh. This was done evidently to give the psalm a wider appeal. Second, verse 5 has been rewritten and has become an encouraging affirmation of God’s protection.’
So let’s hear it nuh: ‘There they were in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.’ (Ps. 53:5) Oh my fellow believers, our great, powerful and ever-faithful God will do the same thing for us, because He still despises the workers of iniquity and has promised to eradicate them and send them into the realms of eternal darkness, just in His own time. So please hang in there and don’t give up!
Now let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail letting the heathen, the atheist, the workers of iniquity know right well our strong and potent position in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 please be reassured that if we keep that up, we will be rewarded with a future so glorious that our puny, finite minds won’t be able to comprehend it. (smile) That’s how great and wonderful our God is! Much LOVE!
…foolishness is highly contagious…so please stay away from it…
10 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all that is written there, belief, capricious, constantly in thy mouth, Darius, do according to, fairer sex, faithfulness, female empowerment, finicky, have good success, he will deliver thee, hunker down now, hurry, immortal words, in god's eyes, Joshua, make they way prosperous, not what I have, now is the time, pleasing to the eye, put on our battle armour, reassuring word of God, share His love, sore displeased, surrender, the book of the law, the Holy Spirit, the king spake unto Daniel, the time is now, thou servest continually, through Christ, thy God, trust, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, turbulent times, we can do all things, what I do, who strengthens us, words of faith, worry
Daniel 6:16b. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
Ah friends, the weather nowadays can be so finicky and capricious, just like… hold that thought mih brother, because in these days of female empowerment, the fairer sex is liable to get all over yuh case. (smile) But seriously though, just two days ago there was snow all over the rooftops and ground, but now there’s little trace of it, because the temperature went up to almost double digits yesterday, thus it ended up being a rainy day, and all the snow was washed away.
And I must say that I now miss seeing the snow covered rooves of the houses when I look out my window. Imagine that nuh! But that’s the kind of guy the ole fella is; if it’s pleasing to the eye, then say so, although the presence of said thing might be inconvenient and dangerous. (smile)
And I just want to point out to us today, how unconventional our great God can be. Remember when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den because he refused to fall in line with King Darius’ decree ‘that every man who shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?’ (Dan. 6:12) Now we all know that was simply a set up to get Daniel thrown into the lion’s den since they knew he would not bow down to any other God save that of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And when the king realized that he’d been played by his senior bureaucrats, he was heartbroken, ‘sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured (greatly strived) till the going down of the sun to deliver him.’(Dan.6:14) That shows how important and close Daniel was to the king. But unfortunately he couldn’t do anything about it because no decree or statute of the Medes and Persians could be changed once the king established it. So with a sad heart he watched as Daniel was thrown into the den of lions.
But here’s what I want us to pay particular attention to; the kings last words to Daniel before he was thrown in. ‘Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.’ Wow! What words of faith and encouragement the Lord placed in the pagan king’s mouth! The king knew of Daniel’s faithfulness to his God, and obviously had heard and seen some of the miracles He wrought in and through Daniel, so his supposedly last words to Daniel were not as far-fetched as they might at first seem.
Oh my people, how many of us can truthfully say that we serve our great and wonderful God with zeal such as Daniel eh? Not very many; certainly not enough, especially in this current mish-mash world of ours! But NOW friends, NOW is the time when our zeal for the Lord ought to be the highest it’s ever been, because the enemy is getting more powerful every day, and we simply cannot allow that to happen! We simply cannot allow the fear of the world to stop us from fighting tooth and nail for Jesus’ eternal cause. We desperately need to stand on the words of king Darius: that the God whom we serve continually will deliver us in any and every situation!
It’s all about belief and faith friends! And those two things will bring trust and surrender and courage and confidence! It’s already all inside of us, we now have to water those seeds with faith and let them grow strong and true! If we’re to be victorious in Jesus’ cause, then we have to hunker down NOW, just like the enemy is doing, and fight, fight the good fight in our Lord and Saviour’s name! Nothing less will do! Now it’s not going to be easy, since life’s never easy, but with Almighty God in our hearts and souls remember that everything is possible; we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!
This is the time when we need the powerful and reassuring Word of God to reassure us. But it can’t do that unless we seriously and continually read, study and write it indelibly in our hearts. Please remember the immortal words of the Lord to Joshua when He appointed him leader of Israel after Moses died. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
Oh my faithful brethren, that is the most defining verse in the entire Word of God! Study it, and live it, then you will have good success! It’s clear as day! Please note the importance of the word ‘good’ there, for you can have success by following the enemy, but that’s bad success, a success that never lasts or get’s one into eternal life with God. And that’s simply why so many of us are not leading lives as prosperous as we can; we don’t spend enough serious and sincere time in the Word, and thus we can’t live it as we ought.
Oh my people, I do hope that my words, or rather the words put into my heart and fingers by the Holy Spirit will be of great encouragement to us today, because we do need to increase our faithfulness and trust, so that we can fight the good fight that’s called for in these most trying and turbulent times!
Now let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 that should lead us to put on our battle armour and excitedly go out and share Christ’s LOVE and friendship! Much LOVE!
..the time is NOW…the time is NOW…NOW is the time…
09 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Amen, aura of love, clogs up our souls, confidence, covenant, do Jesus' work, enthusiasm, give thanks unto the Lord, gladness, glory, he is food, his mercy endureth for ever, holy spirit, humble servants, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, loving people, loyal love, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, praise the Lord of hosts, precious people of God, raise our hearts, renewed vitality, sacrifice of praise, salvation, taunts, the enemy, the Lord God of Israel, triumph, voice of joy, voices to high heaven, wiles
Psalm 136:1. O Give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.
Come now precious people of God, let us get ourselves together in fine style and fashion this Monday morning, and go out and do Jesus’ work with a good, upstanding attitude nuh! It’s the least we can do to show our gratitude for all that He’s done for us. And all God’s children said: ‘Praise the Lord!’ It’s amusing, but sad, that every Monday morning the enemy clogs up so many of our souls and spirits that we can’t function the way we ought to. It’s just something we have to keep fighting through though.
And to help us do that, we have this awesome prayer we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we take our troubles to the Lord, asking for His beneficence in this our time of need, reminding Him that it’s His Son’s work we’re seeking strength, courage and wisdom to do. So altogether now, let’s raise our hearts, souls and voices to high heaven: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah friends, heaven heard that sincere, heartfelt prayer and the Lord immediately directed the Holy Spirit to begin working in us, to start energizing us so that we can go out and successfully do Jesus’ work; LOVING people, helping them, and causing them to want to come to Him to lay down their heavy burdens and find rest for their weary souls. No wonder the psalmist could pay the ultimate tribute to our God by declaring (steups!) in the very first verse of his psalm: ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.’ What gospel truth friends!
And the psalmist felt so strongly about it that he continued: ‘O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of Lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 136:2-3) And yuh better believe that the other 23 verses of the psalm all end in “for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (smile) According to the scholars, ‘The psalm was no doubt sung antiphonally with the people responding with the refrain: “for his mercy endureth for ever.” The word mercy was important in the Psalter. It refers to God’s loyal LOVE for His people. He is in covenant with them, and He LOVES to be loyal to that covenant.’
And just to show how important mercy (LOVING-kindness) was to the psalmists, please check out Psalms 106 and 107, they both begin the same way. Jeremiah also declared it when he promised that Judah would be revived. ‘The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land (the captives to return), as at the first, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.33:11)
And just to remind us, the Lord still delights in the sacrifice of praise. So if you’re in dire need of mercy, of LOVING-kindness, then that’s the way to go! (smile) Even Bruh David used it in his psalm of thanksgiving after he’d brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr.16:34-36)
Oh my fellow believers, we could not end this morning on a better note. So please, let’s cry out to our great God, He of our salvation, to help and save us, and offer up a sincere sacrifice of praise. And all God’s children said a loud and grateful ‘Praise the Lord!’ Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing that delights the Lord more…than hearing His awesome praises being declared…
08 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a right relationship, batteries need recahrging, beheld his glory, born of a woman, Charles Wesley, Christ is born in Bethlehem, Christmas, dwealt among us, fellowship, full of grace and truth, give thanks, glory to the new born king, God and sinners reconciled, Hark the herald angels sing, heavenly journey, hostility, in bondage, incarnation, invaluable tool, Jesus first coming, joyful, mercy mild, mighty god, miracle birth, obedient unto death, peace on earth, praise, prince of peace, reconciliation, second birth, stall fed calves, Sun of righteousness, Sunday, the angelic hosts proclaim, the cross, the only begotten of the Father, the triumph of the skies, the word was made flesh, under the law, we no more may die, Wonderful Counselor, worship
John 1:14. And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us. (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
And since there are only seven days in a week, it is expected that we’d come back to the first one, Sunday, in a mere seven days time. (smile) Yeh, I know it seems to come around too quickly for our liking, but that’s the way our wise and wonderful God made it, so we had better learn to accept it with a good attitude. I think that the Lord, since He created us, also knew that our batteries would only stay charged for that long, so we’d not be of much use to Him unless we were recharged every week. And that’s why He chose Sunday as a day of rest, for us to come and fellowship and worship, and praise and give thanks and be refreshed and recharged so that we can go out in the following week with restored confidence and enthusiasm.
Anyway, enough palaver, (smile) let’s get the show on the road. And today we’re going to open with one of our favourite Christmas hymns: ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing,’ that rousing number from the pen of the master hymnist, Charles Wesley (1707-1788). So what we waiting for eh? Let’s belt it out nuh, with strong harmonious voices and sincere hearts, as we think on Jesus’ First Coming at Christmas time.
‘Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King: peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!” Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies; with the angelic hosts proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” (Refrain: Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King”) Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord, late in time behold him come, offspring of the Virgin’s womb: veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the ‘incarnate Deity, pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus, our Immanuel.
[Refrain] Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by, born that we no more may die, born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth. Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King” Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King”
Ah friends, that was indeed a rousing rendition of that ageless ditty! Now I’m going to strive to show Wesley’s mastery of the scriptures by pointing out some of the timeless and important verses he used to cobble the whole thing together. We’ll take it stanza by stanza. In stanza one he relies on the words of Luke and 2 Corinthians. ‘And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. ‘ (Luke 2:13-14)
‘And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit (that is), that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them (forgiving them): and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor.5:18-19) And was that ever a wonderful day when Christ was born and the Lord removed all hostility caused by sin, between Himself and mankind and thus allowed a renewed and right relationship!
And for the second stanza, he uses verses like this one: ‘Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under elements of the world (the rudimentary teachings of the law). But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.’ (Gal. 4:3-5) In God’s time, He sent His Son, born of a woman, under the law, to die for our sins.
And the second verse also reflects this potent scripture in John. ‘And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us. (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:14) Yes Friends, through Christ’s incarnation (miracle birth), the world saw the Father in all His glory, through the Son, who was both human and God at the same time!
And we all know where the beginning of verse three hails from; the mighty prophecy of Isaiah: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.’ (Is. 9:6) And Malachi is also in there: ‘But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall (grow fat like stall fed calves).’ (Mal. 4:2)
Then these words from Philippians also play a part in Wesley’s thinking. ‘Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made of himself no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:6-8) And this verse from 1 Peter also seems to have some bearing on the last stanza. ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’ (1 Pet. 1:3)
So my Christian brethren, you see that a good knowledge of God’s word is an invaluable tool in our lives! If Wesley didn’t know the Good Book as well as he did, he’d never be able to write such a marvellous and all-embracing hymn. That’s why we have to strive diligently to learn the Word, for only when it’s safely ensconced in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, are we able to work wonders on God’s behalf. Much LOVE!
…Christmas is only the beginning…of our heavenly journey…
07 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's life and heart, a hindrance, a storm of outrage, and took courage, book called opportunity, bully boy, busy loving your life, busy with Christmas, by prayer and supplication, clothed with thanks, common tasks, decisions, fear, for all things, get positive, give thanks, giving thanks always, gratitude, he thanked God, in everything, in the name of Jesus, Jesus first act, keep commitments, Love Jesus more than ever, negative force, New Year's Day, no time to hate, our friend Anselm, positive aspects of life, quotes, regret, rest, serious consideration, stay committed, stay flexible, Thanks be to God, thanksgiving, the giving of thanks, the Last Supper, the vicissitudes of life, things of joy, transform, unto god and the Father, who gives us the victory, wishy-washy attitude, your approach
Ephesians 5:20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rest my people, rest! It’s Saturday and after a hard week of work we need to rest before we begin anything else. But no doubt many of us will be already up and doing, busy with the Christmas shopping and decorating and planning and what have you! Bless all you fine souls! (smile) Thankfully the ole fella is into none of that. The duchess doesn’t need my help in doing her business. In fact, she considers me a hindrance in her path…and I’m quite happy with that, although some of the decorations she puts up around the house tend to be inconvenient in doing things like climbing the stairs. (smile)
Anyway, let’s get positive on this dreary looking Saturday morning and check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And I do hope that like the last two days, the afternoon will turn out to be bright and sunshiny. And here is the first quote: ‘Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.’ Now that first part is of the utmost importance, especially for believers! Sadly, in this current world the word commitment doesn’t exist. Very few of us are serious about doing what we say we will do.
And it’s not only the worldly who don’t keep commitments, but lots of believers too. Just think what would happen to us if Jesus decided on some whim and fancy, that He simply could not be bothered any longer and was tired and fed up with us, and refused to keep His commitments eh? We would all send up a storm of outrage, of shock and disappointment! Well it’s the same thing that happens when we don’t keep our commitments; people bank on them and are disappointed when we renege on them, especially without any warning. Yeh, we do need to be somewhat flexible in our approach, but the decision to commit to something must first be made with serious consideration, not a wishy-washy attitude, thinking we can easily get out of them.
And I like this next quote: ‘Be so busy LOVING your life that you have no time for hate, regret or fear.’ Oh friends, what wonderful advice that is! When you consider and concentrate on the positive aspects of your life, there’s no room left for the negative ones to infiltrate and sour up your situation! Granted, life won’t be always rosy, but it’s up to you to bring a good attitude to it, because life itself is basically a negative force and a bully-boy to boot! So therefore this situation will present itself: ‘We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.’
Oh yes my people, we have an opportunity at the start of every year to begin a new chapter in our book of life with a new attitude toward the numerous opportunities that will come our way. But here’s a li’l ‘secrat’, as my young daughter used to say: The first words on that bright clean new page of opportunity ought to read: ‘LOVE Jesus more than ever this year!’ And why is that you ask? Because when we hobnob with Jesus, we get more and better opportunities! As simple as that! No rocket science education is needed to decipher that. So let’s promise ourselves that those words will open our new book and chapter for 2020 nuh, because 2020 will be the most important year ever, in many of our lives, and the life of this whole confused and turbulent world!
And as always, we try to keep the best for last: ‘Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.’ Oh my people, those are indeed awesome and amazing words; words of gospel truth! There’s nothing that can transform our lives and attitudes like gratitude, like being thankful, like having a heart that’s bursting with thankfulness! Yes friends, when we’re truly thankful, our ordinary, mundane days become days of thanksgiving; we don’t dread them, or complain about their same old, same old nature.
And on top of that whatever job(s) we need to do, they morph into things of joy, instead of routine or difficult tasks. And better still, simple, ordinary opportunities become blessings in our enlightened and thankful eyes! Oh mih people, there’s nothing like thanks and gratitude to help us endure the vicissitudes of life! No wonder the Good Book is chock full of scriptures on giving thanks and being grateful. Let’s look at a few as time and space permit. And it’s ever important to notice that Jesus though he was God, ALWAYS gave thanks to the Father.
Note His words in Matthew 11: ‘At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.’ (Matt. 11:25) And please notice too that when He fed the five thousand, His first act was thanksgiving: ‘and looking up to heaven, he blessed and brake, and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.’ (Matt.14:19) And likewise, when Jesus fed the four thousand, His first act was to give thanks. ‘And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them…’ (Matt.15: 36) Even at the Last Supper, thanks was uppermost. ‘Jesus took bread and blessed it… And He took the cup, and gave thanks…’ (Matt. 26:26-27)
Consequently Bruh Paul filled his writings with the giving of thanks. ‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 16:57) ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph.5:20) ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6)
And check out this last scripture when Bruh Paul was on his way to Rome to be tried and most likely killed. ‘And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as the Appii Forum, and The Three Taverns (Inns): whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.’ (Acts. 28:15) Yuh see friends, thanks and gratitude can even bring you courage in rough times. So let’s decide today to live the life of thanksgiving that as believers we’re required to live nuh. Our lives would be ever so much more abundant, prosperous and filled with joy! Much LOVE!
…a true believer’s life and heart…are clothed with thanks and thanksgiving…
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