02 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lively jig, action words, Eden, flora, grae, lift up mine eyes, made heaven and earth, majesty, mercy, my friend Jesus, my help comes from the Lord, Paradise, power, repercussions, share His love, sleepy lagoon, songs of gratitude, Store Bay, suffer thy foot to be moved, to the hills, Tuesday Mantra, whence cometh my help
Psalm 121:1-2. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Oh hear the birds singing their sweets songs of gratitude for their daily bread; and admire the beautiful flora all dressed in red, orange, green and white as they exhibit their Creators masterful artistry; and listen to the gentle waves, at low tide, as they roll into the sleepy lagoon and lap against the rocky shore; and feel the cool, gentle breeze as it blows off the multi-hued sea and ruffles the leaves of the trees, causing them to dance a lively jig, under mostly blue skies with just a hint of cloud cover!
Oh Eden, that first paradise, could not have been more beautiful… and if it was, then I wouldn’t have the words to justly describe it!
Awright, awright, I know you all tired hear me describing the beautiful tropical scene I’m currently experiencing down here in paradise, aka, Tobago, but how can I ignore it eh? Yeh, I know it just raises up oodles of jealousy as you look out from your totally secured houses on to a scene of white snow and dry, stick like branches of the surrounding trees. (smile)
But not to worry, your time will come, just like mine finally did, and then I will be the one trying my best not to feel envious of you as you loll on some distant exotic shore, admiring the beautiful scenery! (smile)
Ah friends, I just can’t help it. On mornings, I get up and walk, in shorts and T-shirt, to the end of the patio, turn around and look at the sun coming up behind the house and thankfully declare, like the psalmist of old did: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.’
Yes my people, although I can’t see the mountains themselves, I know they are there and the sun is rising beautifully and powerfully up and over them because of the Lord’s grace, mercy, majesty and power, and I try to let it all seep into my spirit and make me strong!
I don’t know if it worked yesterday though, because the duchess had me out in the hot afternoon sun, going to the beach, where the sand was so hot that it scorched my bare feet. However it was on my favourite beach, Store Bay, where the water was calm and a mind blowing aquamarine, and I enjoyed every moment I romped in the refreshing, regenerating and oh so therapeutic salt water!
One unfortunate thing though, Store Bay now has a dangerous trench in the sand as you enter the water. You can’t see it, and unless you know of it, it can take you unawares and make you stumble, with possible bad repercussions. And getting out of the water, although you now know about it, you still encounter it unexpectedly. But once you get out into the less shallow parts of the water, Store Bay is still as wonderful as ever! And yes, I am biased and prejudiced, but I don’t care. (smile)
Chuh! I’m missing a gem of a quote to share with you all. After leaving the beach I turned into a gas station to top up my tank, and as I was going into the station to pay, it’s a pay before you pump place, I saw this wonderful daily quote on a board at the side of the door. I read it, but don’t ask me what it said now, because just as I got to the cashier she told me I had to move my car because the gas truck had just pulled in to fill up their tanks, and by the time I’d moved the car, I was then told that I had to wait until the gas truck was done with their job before I could do mine.
Well being in no fit frame of mind to wait, I drove away without the gas, and thus never got the chance to see the sign and jot it down to share. But have no fear, I will be back down there soon, and this time I’ll make sure I get whatever quote is there. Promise! (smile) But then the duchess had me stop in the supermarket and walk around looking for stuff that we lacked and either needed, or thought we needed. So by the time we got home after five, the ole fella was tired like a dog, the duchess too, although she believes she is superwoman! (smile)
When yuh hear we didn’t even put away the stuff we bought right away, like we’re accustomed doing, but just sat down in the cool of the patio and rested for a spell, you must know that we were well tired, what with the hot sun, the tiring sea, the hot sand and walking round the grocery! I guess we’re not as young and strong and accustomed to this weather as we used to be! (smile)
And I was just bothering the duchess, as I am wont to, asking if she could handle the idyllic scenery on a long term basis…And she said: ‘Yes! Of course I can!’ So who knows what might happen in the future? But for the time been, I ‘ll just concentrate on my current situation, and believe like the psalmist did with his uncertainties on his pilgrimage journey.
‘He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber not sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for ever-more.’ (Ps.121:2-8)
Yeh friends, that’s for certain sure, since He promised it! Now let’s go home as we usually do on a Tuesday, declaring (right ho!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are! All together now in strong voice and sincere belief: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now let’s action those words by going out and sharing Jesus’ LOVE and friendship as He so greatly desires of us! Much LOVE!
…the sun can’t smite you…if you don’t go out in it… wise advice I think we’ll take today… (smile)
01 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ailments, antidote, aura of love, beneficial influence, bread was buttered, Christian nature, continue in prayer, Daily Bread Devotional, dangerous, do all in the name of Jesus, do in word or deed, don't be jealous, enthusiasm, faith, feed four thousand, five loaves, flourish, for all things, further your glorious kingdom, giving thanks, giving thanks always, god, grace, grateful praise, Guide, holy spirit, humble servants, humility, in Jesus' name, in the name of, indwelling word of Christ, inroads, jobs, keeping families together, lead, lies, listen to the sea, LOVE, mainstays, meet the enemy in battle, merry-go-round, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our Lord Jesus Christ, pleases, pray without ceasing, prayer, raise our voices, rejoice, satisfies us, snow, songs of thanksgiving, spiritual armour, taunts, thanksgiving, the nature of the beast, the will of God, two fishes, unfair, unto God, watch in the same, wiles, work life, worship
Ephesians 5:20. Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so we continue round the merry go round of our work life once again, as Monday has blazoned into our consciousness on this beautiful and sunny day in sweet Tobago! Glory to God! I’m truly sorry to hear that you all had snow in my area in the northern climes yesterday, but them’s the breaks, that’s what the northern climes are all about! (smile)
Hope you didn’t have to trudge and drive through any snow to get to work this morning while I blessedly sit here writing on the porch, listening to the birds chirp their sweet songs of thanksgiving, admire the beautiful flora and listen to the sea lap gently and playfully on the rocky shore line. No, don’t be jealous! Let your Christian nature take hold and be glad for me, seeing that I have not enjoyed such blessings in a number of years! (smile)
Oh don’t worry, I know it’s hard not to be envious when one of your associates is enjoying fair weather while you are experiencing the foul kind! But wherever we are in this fine universe of God’s, it’s Monday and we need to get out and labour to provide the necessities of life for our families and ourselves. And regardless of how hard we try, somehow we still always get fouled up by Monday’s. I guess it’s just the nature of the beast.
But thankfully we have an antidote for all of our Monday morning ailments, called the Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and it just chases away all those dark and cloudy Monday skies. So let’s raise our voices and declare it (chuh- wrong again!) in sincere faith, with as much enthusiasm as we can muster:
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah friends, what a quick and pleasant change sincere prayer can make in our sad and miserable spirits eh! It’s simply the awesome power of God! The amazing solution that He has developed to right our spirits; those who believe in Him and His Son Jesus Christ! For if you don’t believe in them, then NONE of what we’re talking about will work!
As this quote from a Daily Bread Devotional so truly declares (right ho!) ‘Grateful praise satisfies us and pleases God!’ Yes my people, both parties are satisfied with words uttered in praise and thanksgiving; it corrects our spirits, and it pleases God, who made us most of all to be a source of vital communication, through praise and thanksgiving.
No wonder Bruh Paul informed the Ephesian church thus: ‘Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ And there are no truer words than those to be found in our faith my people! And Bruh Paul said the same basic thing to the Colossians: ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him. (Col.3:17)
And the scholars have this to say about that verse: ‘3:17. The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (vs.16), but it is also to control ALL areas of a Christian’s life.’ Yuh see that friends, thanks and praise and the Word of God are to be the mainstays in a believer’s life!
You can’t be running around crazily with and longing for the things of the world, ignoring Almighty God, your Creator and Provider and expect to flourish, either in this life or the one to come! And you’ll notice too that even Jesus, the Son of God gave thanks. Check out when He fed the four thousand with seven loaves of bread and a few fishes: ‘And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks…’ (Matt.15:36)
And He did the same thing when He fed the five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fishes. ‘Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.’ (Luke 9:16) Yes friends, Jesus knew where His bread was buttered; in heaven, at the Father’s throne, and the only reason He could do those miracles is because He looked to the Father and also gave thanks!
And if Jesus needed to do that, then how much more we mere sinful mortals need to come to the throne of grace in humility and thanksgiving eh? Even when Jesus initiated the holy act of communion in His remembrance; ‘He took bread and blessed it…And He took the cup, and gave thanks…’ (Matt.26:26-27)
Not much more to say friends, except to add Bruh Paul’s directive to the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:16-18) Now as obedient children of God, let’s go out and do exactly that today nuh! Much LOVE!
…continue in prayer…and watch in the same…with thanksgiving…
31 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 0ppressed, afflicted, as a lamb to the slaughter, as a sheep before here shearers, casting lots, Cecil Frances Alexander, common criminals, crucified, demise of Christ, disastrous consequences, discouraged, dumb, favourite hymns, Gentiles, Good Friday, Hades, he who has ears to hear, hung and suffered there, in the earth, inhumane, judgement, justice, let him hear, living in darkness, love him, my chosen one, nationality, no barriers, opened not his mouth, pains, pay the price of sin, race, redeeming blood, rest, sinless, smoking flax, sufferation, take umbrage, the Lord's servant, There is a green hill far away, to save us all, truth, try his works to do., vacation time
Isaiah 53:7. ‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.’
Aye friends, just a gentle reminder that this is vacation time so the Bit will not always be early or even at the same time every day. (smile) It all depends on where I have to go or what needs to be done. So please don’t feel badly, or take umbrage, if it shows up at all weird sorts of times.
Anyhow, we done late already this Sunday morning, or rather afternoon; had to go to church and then fellowship afterwards, then come home and eat some of the breakfast stuff I bought at church, bake and saltfish, then rest. Yuh know the rest is essential for the ole fella these days. (smile)
So let’s go directly to our song of praise and worship. It’s one of my favourite hymns from my boyhood days, and as I was resting there a while ago contemplating what song we’d sing today, the Lord reminded me of that one and requested it. And it’s obvious I could not refuse His request. (smile)
It’s titled ‘There is a green hill far away.’ It was written many moons ago by Cecil Frances Alexander (nee Humphreys) (1818-1895), the Anglo-Irish hymnodist and poet. And just for your info, she apparently also wrote that other popular hymn ‘All things bright and beautiful,’ and the Christmas Carol, ‘Once in Royal David’s City.’
So let’s now sing those fateful and true words of ‘There is a green Hill far away,’ like if we really mean them nuh, because in another few weeks, on Good Friday, we ‘re going to be truly celebrating the sad and sorrowful but oh so necessary and important demise of Christ on that cross in a far away land!
All together in strong, sweet, harmonious voices: ‘There is a green hill far away, Without a city wall, Where the dear Lord was crucified, Who died to save us all. We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains he had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there. He died that we might be forgiven, He died to make us good, That we might go at last to Him, saved by His precious blood.
There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate Of heav’n and let us in. Oh, dearly, dearly has he LOVED! And we must LOVE him too, And trust in his redeeming blood, And try his works to do.’
Yes my faithful brethren, we cannot doubt those truth bearing words of Cecil Frances Alexander, because without the redeeming deeds of Jesus we’d still be living in darkness and headed for Hades at the end of this miserable earthly life. But all thanks and praise be to God the Father, who sent Him, and to Jesus, God the Son, who obediently went to the cross to die for our abominable sins which had kept us very removed from the holy and righteous Jehovah God!
Ah mih people, I don’t know about these words of Frances nuh: ‘We may not know, we cannot tell, What pains he had to bear,’ because the Good book plainly states them; lashes with a cruel whip, taunting and jeering and spitting, a crown of thorns pressed down upon his head, then made to carry His cross through Jerusalem like a common thief, then to make matters even worse, nailed to that cross between two common criminals after being speared in the side and His clothes auction off by casting lots!
So don’t tell me we don’t know what pain He had to bear, because it was immense and inhumane! But it definitely was for us that He underwent that horrific ‘sufferation!’ No doubt about it! As Isaiah had foretold eons before that terrible day at Golgotha: ‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.’
Yes friends, Jesus did it all for us on the basis of LOVE which personifies the Father, and also to bring to reality, the magnificent and ever-faithful promise of the Father, as Isaiah also prophesied when talking about the Lord’s servant. ‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect (my chosen one), in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgement (justice) to the Gentiles.
He shall not cry (cry out), nor lift up (raise his voice), nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking (dimly burning) flax shall he not quench (extinguish): he shall bring forth judgement (justice) unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgement (justice) in the earth: and the isles (coastlands) shall wait for his law.’ (Is.42:1-4)
And so said so done, my people! In fact it’s not quite done as yet, because Jesus has to return to clean up the mess that’s the earth today. As the scholars explain: ‘The ministry of the Servant of the Lord will be to bring forth judgement or justice to the Gentiles and in the earth. His kingdom knows no barriers of nationality or race. Of all the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah saw this fact most clearly. While Jesus’ early ministry was to the house of Israel, His ultimate commission extended to the Gentiles as well.’
And just for our info, the New Testament quotes this prophecy as being fulfilled in Jesus in Matt.12:18-21. Please check it out. (smile) So what’s the long and short of the story my people? Christ died that our sins might be forgiven, He paid the price that ONLY He could pay with His precious, sinless blood, so that we could be reconciled to the Father and thus have the wonderful option of enjoying eternal life in the company of the Triune God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Ah friends, it was not an easy row that the Father gave Jesus to hoe, but He did it obediently because He LOVED both the Father and us. Consequently, our response to all of that should be exactly what we sung in the hymn above: ‘Oh, dearly, dearly has he LOVED! And we must LOVE him too, And trust in his redeeming blood, And try his works to do.’ Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…otherwise the consequences will be…extremely disastrous…
30 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Anselm, aspires to inspire, blessings, comes into the world, courage to continue, failure, failure is not fatal, fools, friend, giving up, God is light, God's attribute, gospel truth, growing in Christ, in him is no darkness, Jesus saved us, keep on learning, lights every man, looking for love, LOVE, pick sense from nonsense, rest on the plateau, say something, settling down, shut up, social media, something that finds you, something to say, something you find, success is not final, sweet Tobago, thanks and praise, the duchess worried, the Holy Spirit, the true light, walk in darkness, walk in light, wisdom, wise men speak
John 1:9. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
And then it was Saturday, a day of rest. All the confusion of getting from there to here and settling down in Sweet Tobago has finally gotten to me. (smile) Would you believe I was up around 7, had coffee on the porch, gave some thanks and praise for all my many blessings, then went back to bed? That had the duchess worried about me because that’s not my style.
And would you believe that I got up again around 9, had coffee again, and I can go back to bed again? But no! I am going to stand up strong and write the Bit before going back to bed, it is already late, can’t allow it to be much later. And with all that jawing, (smile) since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to the quotes we received from our friend Anselm this week, as he sincerely aspires us for a better tomorrow.
And this first one is very interesting and applicable to our lives as true believers in Jesus Christ: ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ Yeh friends, when we achieve success in whatever walk of life, that is not our final pinnacle, we don’t just stop there and rest on that plateau, but we keep on learning and attempt to have more success, for resting on our laurels just gives the enemy a brighter spot in our lives.
As true believers, we need to keep growing in Christ until the day He takes us home. And we all know that what we term failure is not the end, but just the beginning of getting up and starting again. Remember there are no words in Jesus’ vocabulary like ‘failure’ and ‘giving up!’ And He imbues us, through His Holy Spirit with the courage to carry on. So we are not lacking in any way!
Then there’s this: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ And that’s the living truth my people! When we as good and righteous men do nothing to rectify a wrong situation, then the evil people win! Oh, we often say that it’s not our business and we’re not going to get involved, but what yuh think happens when we don’t eh? The bad guys win! No decision is a decision!
That brings us to this interesting quote: ‘Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! Just look at the amount of nonsense that fools are talking over social media nowadays eh! It’s appalling, like we have no life unless we’re totally involved in it. But all power be to them yes, I beg to refrain from it! I talk enough foolishness without spreading it on all the forms of social media that we have nowadays. (smile) Oh, how our society would be greatly improved if some of us would just shut up!
And the next quote says: ‘LOVE isn’t something you find. LOVE is something that finds you.’ And I guess there’s some truth to that, because ofttimes when we go searching for LOVE we don’t find it, but it’s at the most unexpected and unsuspecting times that LOVE falls right in out laps! I’m sure many of us have fallen in LOVE when we least expected it, with people we’ve least expected to fall in LOVE with! (smile) But that’s the nature of LOVE; God’s greatest attribute! It can hit you at any time, in any place, with anyone! Glory to God!
And the last quote says: ‘It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.’ And that my friends is the God-awesome truth! When our world and circumstances are the darkest, that’s when we have to focus most intently and intensely on the light that’s there in our souls, but hidden from us just then. The name of that light that’s always there is Jesus! Yes friends, as John says: ‘That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’
Yes my brethren, even if you profess not to believe in Jesus, His light has been branded, burnished into your soul on the day you came to be. There’s a li’l pocket in each of us which can only be filled by God, and in there is that true light that shines at the end of the tunnel, we just have to seek it with all our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, it doesn’t just show up, and even if it should, we still have to receive it and accept it, that’s a condition of having the light shine in our lives.
And now listen to these fateful words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the subject of the Light. ‘Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light…’ (John 12:35-36)
There you have it friends, Jesus declaring that He was the Light of the world! And we all know that Jesus does not, cannot lie, so that must be gospel truth! And His wise advice to the people of His time, to walk in the light, has also been given to us in these turbulent and very strife filled times. However, just like the people of Jesus’ day refused to accept His advice, in like manner, a whole lot of us nowadays are also refusing to accept that heavenly wisdom.
Chuh! How foolish that is my people, because Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can shine true light on our dark times. But I guess until we really reach the end of our rope, we don’t consider it important to turn to Jesus for help. But that’s so unwise my brethren, because the Father made us, Jesus saved us, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us to show us the way to the true Light. You can’t get away from those facts my brethren, so please let’s make up our minds to seek the true light which will brighten our world for ever and ever nuh! That’s wisdom at its brightest! Much LOVE!
…God is light…in him is no darkness at all… (1 John 1:5)
P.S. Yes, it is late and long, and probably a tad ditzy too, (smile) but I know that with the wisdom of Jesus indwelling you, you can pick sense from nonsense! (smile) Much LOVE!
29 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Pharisee, a roaring lion, afflictions, be glad, be sober, be thankful for small mercies, beautiful surroundings, boundaries, busy working, cheerful, confirm, cool breezes, crazy weather, don't be jealous, enthusiasm, eternal glory, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, generous help, give God the glory, glory by glory, God's li'l acre, grow my faith, heavenly Father, idyllic scene, in Jesus' name, in soul body and mind, Jesus Christ, King Solomon, land of slat water, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, make my heart glad, perfect, powers of darkness, reassuring message, Redeemer, refreshed, relaxation, rest, rocky shore, seeking whom he may devour, sense of purpose, settle you, slave master, strengthen, suffered, sunshine, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the adversary, the chasm of hell, the devil, the God of all grace, the wisest man ever, the workingman, Tobago, Togetherness, trials, tropical flora, undulating sea, victory, vigilant, walks about, whining husband
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Oh friends, please give God the glory! Yes, give him much thanks and praise for bringing the ole fella home to sweet Tobago…the land of salt water and sunshine…togetherness and LOVE! Yeh, the ole fella is in Paradise, God’s li’l acre!
Don’t blame me! I was quite prepared to spend the whole winter in the cold climes, but the duchess got fed up with the crazy weather and a sickly, whining husband and decided to bring me here to see if I could get better some! (smile)
As she said to me this morning when she got up and looked out on her idyllic scene: beautiful tropical flora, blowing in cool breezes flowing off the gently undulating sea as it washes up on the rocky shore – she knew it would make my heart glad…and hers too…and does it ever! And you know I’ll never refuse a trip to sweet Tobago!
Sorry to leave you all back up there in the cold, but I myself am sick and tired of being sick and tired – never happened to me before – (smile) and I do believe my old bod will do good with the constant sunshine and salt water…just wish it could be for at least six months…but as my wise mama always taught me: ‘Son be thankful for small mercies!’ And yuh better believe I am!
Anyway, it’s Friday and the workingman is just dying to trill out his weekend song. So let’s allow him to have his say nuh. “TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Wow! Another weekend already! This one really caught me by surprise! I was so busy working I didn’t even notice the days just flying by!
But yuh better believe that now is my time! I put in mih required time in the slave master work, now is time for me to enjoy mihself and party and eat and drink and enjoy the fruit of my labour as the wisest man ever, King Solomon said, cause that’s the benefit from our great and generous God!
And since spring is in the air, although it still chilly when the day come with the cold wind blowing, is now time to get ready for all the stuff that’s going to be soon happening. Mama Yo! Everybody will be sure glad to see the end of this crazy winter! But in the meantime we going to give God thanks for Fridays and weekends, otherwise life woulda been real rough with we yes! Thank you Lord, thank you!’
Yes friends, we do have to give much thanks and praise to our heavenly Father for looking after us the way He does…even the ordinary working man realizes and appreciates that, so how much more should we true believers recognize and appreciate it eh? Much much more! And really the basic difference between our Friday Chant and the workingman’s song is that we recognize tighter, narrow boundaries than He does.
Our Redeemer, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ doesn’t want us hanging off the edge of the limbs, because they might just break and send us plunging headlong into the chasm of hell with the powers of darkness and that would be very unfortunate for us. So to celebrate His ultimate wisdom, let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, with the enthusiasm and sense of purpose that the workingman showed in his song.
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!’
Yeh friends, as believers we always need to be cognizant of what’s happening around us because the enemy is always lurking around trying to bring us down to his disreputable level, then laugh cowardly at how we have fallen. We must try our best however not to give him that pleasure as Peter advises, by casting all of our care upon God, because He cares very much for us. And then, ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’
Yuh see I wasn’t lying! The devil is always trying to get some toehold or foothold in our business so he can drag us down then cackle at our fall from grace. But as Peter continues, he’s a monster, ‘Whom (we need to) resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished (are experienced) in your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:9)
Yeh mih people, all of us experience afflictions and trials in this earthly life, but our Redeemer has said that He’s overcome the world and we ought not to let the trials of this world bother us too much, instead we should be more cheerful than fearful, because He has already given us the victory! Praise His Holy Name!
And Peter, in his reassuring message, puts it this way: ‘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 (confirm), strengthen, settle you.’ (1Pet.5:10) Yes my fellow believers, we have to believe that, otherwise our faith is useless.
And you can bet your bottom dollar that I am believing it yes; believing that all the sickness and other unfortunate stuff that’s come against me in the last couple of years will be improved with this trip to Tobago, and thus grow my faith, glory by glory! (smile)
Anyhow, enough for today, lemme go outside and enjoy some of the nice sunshine and hot weather and beautiful surroundings, because that’s what I came here for. (smile) Don’t be jealous – be glad for me, because it will make me a better person! Much LOVE!
… if you claim to be a believer…then you have to truly believe…and let it show in your life…otherwise you’re nothing but a Pharisee…
28 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a battlefield, acquiesce to the Spirit's desires, by their fruit, cannot do the things ye would, Christian, compassionate heart, contrary to one another, curse, Daily Bread Devotional, depend on the Spirit, desires of our fleah, faithfulness, forget the things we say, from God the Father, fruit of the Spirit, fulfill the lust of the flesh, gentleness, gospel truth, grace, greetings, Holy Spirit of God, hypocrites, joy, kindness, live by the Spirit, LOVE, meekness, mockery, negative word, our lives, our Lord Jesus Christ, passing judgement, peace, Pharisees, practice what we preach, prosper, remember the things we do, sorry lot, speak louder than our words, spiritual confrontation, success, temperance, the flesh lusts against the Spirit, this I say then, Thursday Blessings, thwart the Spirit, tug-of-war, walk in the Spirit, whitewashed tombs, ye shall know them, yield to the Spirit
Galatians 5:16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Ah friends, in the wonderful words of Bruh Paul: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God and our Father; To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Gal.1:3-4)
Yes my faithful brethren, greetings in the name of our most amazing and magnanimous God and His awesome Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, on this dry but somewhat chilly Thursday morning! And please don’t marvel at how early the Bit is because it’s just an anomaly. I simply have to go out of town early this morning and so decided to write it before I go, rather than when I reach my destination, which could be fairly late.
So please don’t go getting any weird ideas about receiving it at this hour every morning. (smile) Tomorrow, God willing, we’ll be back at the usual time. And today, on a most practical level we’ll talk about this quote from a Daily Bread Devotional: ‘Our lives speak louder than our words!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! Those around us pay more attention to how we live than what we say. They quickly forget what we say, but quite easily remember the things we do. That’s why we can’t talk one thing and then do something else in our daily walk with the Lord.
And that’s what a lot of us supposed believers do, no wonder so much of the world consider us to be such hypocrites, whitewashed tombs, like Jesus called the hypocritical and overbearing Pharisees of His day. Yes, there are still a lot of Pharisees in our midst today, and please don’t go passing too much judgement, like they did, because you never know, you might just be numbered amongst that sorry lot. (smile)
So how do we get our lives to speak louder than our words eh? As Bruh Paul says, to do that, we need to walk and live in the Spirit; the Holy Spirit of God! ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.’ (Gal.5:16-17)
And the scholars offer these interesting and useful explanations. ‘5:16. Walk in the Spirit (i.e., “live by the Spirit”). Christians are to live with the Spirit’s help. How does one “live by the Spirit”? (1) The Christian must believe that the Spirit is with him, having been sent by God into his heart (4.6). (2) In every spiritual confrontation the believer must yield to the Spirit, that is, submit his own desires to those of the Spirit.
(3) One must depend on the Spirit for help, enabling him to live a God-pleasing life (v.5). (4) The believer should anticipate the effects of the Spirit’s help in his daily life. The believer who “lives by the Spirit” will not fulfill (accomplish, carry out) the lust (strong desires) of the flesh (sinful nature).’
Yes mih people, it’s all about our living this earthly life in strong association with the Holy Spirit of God, who was sent by the Father to live within us when we believed on His Son, to help us live a holy and sanctified life. But if we don’t acquiesce to the Spirit’s desires, then we make a mockery of the whole thing.
For as the scholars explain: ‘5:17. One’s sinful human nature (flesh) and the Holy Spirit lusteth against one another, that is, they have desires and yearnings that are contrary to one another. The Christian, then, is a battlefield, having desires to do good and evil. The outcome is that ye cannot do the things that ye would: the flesh seeks to thwart the Spirit, who, in turn, attempts to frustrate the flesh’s evil desires.’
Yes friends, it’s a constant tug of war between our flesh and our Spirit. And it’s only with a constant effort and the help of the Spirit, that we can overcome the evil desires our flesh. The Spirit will guide us, but we have to accept it’s guidance, otherwise it will be all for nought. And we won’t bother to list the sinful desires of the flesh because we all know them, (smile) and it’s the fruit of the Spirit that we really want to show in our lives, so that we can practice what we preach.
So here is what Bruh Paul says constitutes the fruit of the Spirit. ‘But the fruit of the spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal.5:22-23) And that’s how we make our lives speak louder than our words my fellow believers; by letting the fruit of the Spirit proceed from us, rather than the evil desires of the flesh!
Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Thursday Blessings, those most generous and magnanimous blessings that our great God has poured down on us as sincere believers. In strong voice and heartfelt sense of purpose: ‘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 please don’t forget that those blessings were not given so we can hoard them, but to share them just as generously with others less fortunate than us. So let’s go out and do just that nuh! Much LOVE!
…Jesus said of His followers…by their fruit ye shall know them…
27 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bet your bottom dollar, breath of life, but as for me and my house, capitalist society, choose whom you will serve, coated junk, condemn the world, damnation of hell, deceitful, encouragement, every knee will bow, evil, facade, faithful, fancy baubles, focused on the future, forgiveness, gave his only begotten Son, glad to be alive, God so loved the world, gods of the amorites, goes the extra mile, going out of style, grace, greedy, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, have everlasting life, heartbreak, heavenly advocate, hell on earth, Jesus promised it, keep on fighting the good fight, lies, light at the end of the tunnel, LOVE, Mammon, mercies, mid-week blues, name above every other name, not looking back, offers benefits, prince of darkness, prince of peace, Redeemer, right minds, rotten, Satan, save the world, serve God, serve the Lord, shall not perish, social aspect, steals, the bottom line, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, true, we will serve the Lord, Wednesday Wail, whosoever beleives in him
Joshua 24:15d. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Well friends, what do we have to say about Wednesday eh? Does it bring us the mid-week blues? Or does it offer us a li’l encouragement, knowing that we’ve made it successfully to the middle of the week, thus causing a dim light to appear at the end of the tunnel? However yuh take it, it’s Wednesday, and you can’t get away from it! (smile)
So just buckle down and keep on fighting the good fight in the glorious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour; the name that’s above every other name, and to whom all knees must eventually bow and worship to the glory of God the Father!
Wow! What a mouthful! But what a truthful, energizing and encouraging one! One that will reward us with everlasting life and unimaginable blessings, mercies, grace, forgiveness and unfathomable, unconditional LOVE!
You certainly can’t get any better than that nuh my people! That’s why I’m always amazed and sorrowful when believers turn away from Jesus, and proceed to blaspheme His holy name, or others simply reject Him out of hand. That’s not wisdom, but pure stupidity, for who or what else offers the benefits that Jesus does eh? NOBODY or NOTHING!
It’s like when we’re looking for a job, we usually try to find one with good benefits, even though the pay might be a bit smaller, because benefits cost much more and thus we often can’t afford to pay them out of our own pockets, even when we get a healthy raise.
No wonder many companies these days are not offering the kind of benefits they used to, because they’ve become so expensive and hurt the bottom line…and we know in our capitalistic, read greedy society, everything is about the bottom line, the social aspect hardly matters anymore!
So as the man says, when times get tough, who yuh gonna run to eh? Beelzebub? Steups! He doesn’t have anything good to offer. All he has is a nice looking façade on the outer portion of his business, the inner portion stinks; because it’s rotten, evil, greedy and strife-filled! Plus he lies, steals and is very deceitful.
You can’t believe anything he says. Not to mention the fact that all the supposed fancy baubles he offers are just nicely coated junk, and start to deteriorate as soon as they are made and you certainly can’t take them with you when you die! So why would anybody in their right minds want to knowingly associate with the prince of darkness eh? But that just means there are a lot of people in this world who are definitely not in their right minds! (smile)
Thankfully my fellow brethren, we are not numbered amongst that unfortunate lot. For we believe in the ONE TRUE and FAITHFUL GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who’s Son is Jesus, our Redeemer, heavenly Advocate and Prince of Peace, amongst many other things, and as we said before, the Name that’s above every other name! Praise His High and Holy Name! He is faithful and true and offers benefits like they’re going out of style! (smile)
And Jesus goes one step further, the extra mile, by showing concern for our earthly status as well as our life in the hereafter. Satan doesn’t give a damn about that! He just wants to get us in his evil grip here on earth, and then see us perish down in Hades with him.
But hear what Jesus says: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) You can’t beat that friends! The Lord our God is concerned about all aspects of our existence because He created us with His own two hands, that’s why He LOVES us so much and was willing to undergo extreme heartbreak to save us.
As Jesus continues: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) Glory to our great God! In other words, God is concerned with saving us from the damnation of hell, while Lucifer wants us to go down there and suffer with him. Now which one will you choose? I do hope you choose the right one yes friends, because if you don’t, life will be a real hell, both here on earth and in hell below.
And I’ll quote these famous words of Joshua to the Israelites on the above subject. ‘Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (Euphrates river), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood (Euphrates River), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh.24:14-15)
Yes friends, in this world we must serve somebody, and there are really only two options, Satan or Jehovah God. The decision is yours to make. Let’s hope you choose the wise one like Joshua and myself, and choose to serve the Lord God Almighty, your Creator as well as your eventual judge.
And for those wise ones, let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Wednesday Wail, proudly letting the world know 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 that future will certain sure be glorious indeed my people! If Jesus promised it, then you can bet your bottom dollar on it! Much LOVE!
…you’ve got to serve either God…or mammon…you can’t serve both…
26 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed day, a catalyst, accept the promises, at such times, be strong, blessings, comprehend, confident, crumbling state of mind, cry out for help, daily journey of prayer, discombobulated, don't be afraid, draw heavily, enjoying, fear not, focused, foolish pride, forgiveness, friend of Jesus, grace, grasp, grounded in God, grow, have good success, he goes before thee, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, hurry, in god's eyes, in the midst of heartache, in trouble, Israelites, look to God first, LOVE, make our paths straight, mature, mercy, neither be dismayed, neither forsake thee, no comfort, no longer endure, no solace, of a good courage, One Year Book of Bible promises, perplexed, power, Praise the Lord, promises, quiet reassurance, remember God's goodness, Ruth Harms Calkin, saints, seeking, shaking it rough, share His love, strain, stress, take heart, the beloved of God, the benefits of God, the children of men, the Lord, the Scrip-Bit, transforming peace, trust in the Lord, Tuesday Mantra, undeserving goodness, unfathomable love, worry
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Well a blessed and prosperous day to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and family! We’ve gotten over our Monday Blues and we’re now headed steadfastly for the Promised Land of Friday and another exciting weekend! Isn’t that good news? It surely is!
Ah mih people, we all know that life’s not easy, especially in these unfortunate times of much war and strife, but as true believers in Christ Jesus, we do have that assurance that all will be well with us, if we just hold on to Him and stay the course like good soldiers. And it is our avowed intention through the Bit to help us do just that!
We’re not here to ‘preachify’ (smile) but to act as a catalyst, a way and means of staying focused and grounded in the Lord and His Word, for that’s the only way we will ever grow, mature and have good success! So please don’t think that reading the Bit is enough. No! It’s only the beginning, the start of your own intimate and personal daily journey of prayer, study and meditation. It hopefully gets you going and keeps your mind on the Lord and His wonderful Word.
And I think you’ve gotten the picture by now, so enough talk. (smile) Here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that will help us handle the day, whatever it brings against us. It’s titled, ‘At Such Times.’
Please pray with me: ‘God, there are times In the midst of heartache and heartbreak When there is no comfort, no solace Anywhere at all. There are times When in my crumbling state of mind I feel I can no longer endure – Not for a day, not even an hour.
It is at such times, O God That I draw heavily Upon your unfathomable LOVE. At such times I implore Your transforming peace. At such times I live By the power and promises Of a Father who cares infinitely more Than I can begin to grasp or comprehend. Today, dear God, is “such a time.”
Ah friends, as I said above, what confident and quiet reassurance we have in the trust and promises of our wonderful God! And if by chance, today is a day where you are shaking it real rough, then don’t be afraid to cry out to Him for help and comfort! Because that’s what He’s there for!
Just like our children cry out to us earthly fathers when they find themselves perplexed or in trouble, our heavenly Father wants, expects us to call out to Him before anyone else! So please don’t put yourself through any unnecessary worry, stress and strain by looking to others to help solve your problems. Look to God FIRST, and if He so desires, He will guide you to someone else to help!
Please don’t allow foolish pride and any other nonsense to keep you from seeking and enjoying the benefits that the Lord has provided for His saints. And the Bible promise for today’s poem is also our Bit. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Oh what magnificent words of comfort and reassurance spoken by Moses to the Israelites! But yuh know, because of foolish pride or whatever, they didn’t believe nor follow them, that’s why they wandered aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years and never entered the Promised Land. And the same thing will happen to us today if we don’t seriously take hold of God’s promises and apply them to our daily lives!
Please remember that whatever is written in the Good Book is for OUR BENEFIT, not the Lord’s, and when we follow it we are the ones who benefit, not the Lord. Granted, He’s happy when we follow His Word, but nothing will happen to Him if we don’t, we are the ones who will suffer the consequences.
So please, please, let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh. Let’s not be like the unbelieving, unfaithful Israelites! Would you believe that only two verses before our Bit, Moses also encouraged them with these fateful words? ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6)
Oh my people, how many times do we have to hear that the Lord goes both before and with us in this life before we truly believe it eh? Many of us have experienced His wonderful blessings before in times of trouble, but forget them when more trials appear.
That’s wrong friends. Those are times on which to build our faith, so that when more trials appear, as they surely will, we won’t be so discombobulated, because we remember God’s goodness, His mercy, LOVE, grace and forgiveness in earlier times. And if He’s done it for us once, there’s no reason for Him not to do it again!
And all God’s children declared (right ho) a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord for His undeserving goodness to the children of men. We LOVE you and bless your holy name! Amen!’ Awright mih breddren! So let’s take heart, be of good courage and trust in the Lord, so that He will make our paths straight.
Now let’s declare (right ho) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere sense of purpose: ‘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!’
And if you really mean it, then let’s go out and share that LOVE and friendship with others as Jesus so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…if you won’t accept the promises…then what’s the sense in believing…
25 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joyful time, a living soul, a roof over our heads, adrenaline, antidote, atone for our sins, aura of love, choice scriptures, Christians, condemn the world, confidence, corroborate, Creator of the universe, destiny of Monday, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fondness for man, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God created, God so loved the world, grace, hate, have everlasting life, holy spirit, honour, humble servants, in the beginning, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus redeemed us, jobs, joy, let everything that hath breath, lies, LOVE, LOVE to hate, man fell from grace, miraculous act, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negativity, power, power in the Word, Praise the Lord, put food on the table, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, shall not perish, sinless life, spiritual armour, spoke into being, steadfast faith, taunts, the breath of life, the heaven and earth, the Word, thou art worthy O lord, to receive glory, to save the world, trust, truth, ungodly world, unto him that sitteth on the throne, unto the Lamb for ever, whosoever believeth in him, wiles, wisdom
Revelation 4:11: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.
Awright friends, the work cycle has come full circle again! (smile) Yeh, unfortunately it is that famous day that we all LOVE…LOVE to hate…Monday! What a sad way to spend a lifetime eh, being disliked by the many you try to help! But that’s the destiny of Monday! When you’re first, the majority of the negativity falls on you, especially when it has to do with humankind going to work after a short respite. (smile)
But in this life we have to do what we have to do, and going to work on a Monday is paramount amongst those have to do things! That is if we’re lucky or blessed enough to have a job, and we desire to put food on the table and have a roof over our heads. And if we don’t, then there’s absolutely no reason to work! Enough with the philosophy though, it sounds good, but it doesn’t bring home the bacon! (smile)
We all know we’ve got to go, so let’s get ourselves together and do it afraid and/or unwillingly nuh, many other lives are depending on us. And as always, to help boost our spirits, let’s summon up some confidence and enthusiasm and declare (steups – wrong, wrong, wrong) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our wonder antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday morning.
As one now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And we can both see and feel it working right away by the rush of adrenaline now coursing through our bodies and the sudden spring in our step. So let’s just keep it going and get out there and do our thing for Jesus! Glory to God! And does our God ever deserve much glory! As the Good Book proclaims: ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.’
Now if you ever want to know what truth really is, then you can use that passage as a definition, because that’s just what it is – TRUTH! And we’re using the same Bit as yesterday because I want to touch on some choice scriptures that corroborate those words.
And in the very first words of the Good Book, we discover the biggest truth: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ (Gen.1:1) And from nothing too – through an instantaneous and miraculous act! What power, what absolute and marvellous power that signifies! And then He spoke everything else except mankind into being! That’s why there’s such awesome power in the Word and we believers ought to make much more use of it than we currently do.
And even when He formed man’s physical body out of the dust of the ground, He had to breathe the breath of life into him before he could become a living soul. (Gen.2:7) That shows another extension of God’s amazing power! First He created the heavens and the earth from nothing, then He spoke the rest of the stuff into existence, and finally He breathes the breath of life into man! Wow!
Please note His fondness for man in the fact that He didn’t just talk him into existence, but took the time and effort to personally mould him with LOVE and affection and attention to detail, for man is the most complex of His creations. And even when man fell from grace through his addiction to sin, God did not give up on Him. Listen to these momentous words from the Son of God, who eventually gave His sinless life to pay for our sins.
‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) Oh my people, in these troubled and turbulent times, those are words for us to live by! No others will get us through!
No wonder John saw in his vision of the new heaven, where the beasts and elders fell down before the Lamb: ‘And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book (the Book of Life) and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred (tribe) and tongue and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.’ (Rev.5:9-10)
Yes friends, that’s what Jesus did for us. Consequently, John continues: ‘And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ (Rev.5:13)
And that’s how it ought to be…and how it will be my fellow believers! So let’s stand strong and steadfast in faith nuh, if we want to be numbered amongst the thousands and ten thousands witnessing that wonderful spectacle at some time in the future! What a joyful time it will be! Much LOVE!
…let everything that hath breath…praise the Lord…praise ye the Lord… (Ps.150:6)
24 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pardon receives, all may go in, Amen, are created, atonement for sin, atonement of sins, Billy Graham, cast their crowns, come to the Father, delebrates, eternal life, every believer, Fanny Crosby, feloowship, finite minds, for thy pleasure, four and twenty elders, from Jesus, greater, he gave us his son, higher, him that lives for ever, honour, I was glad, Jesus' sacrifice, lay down our labour, let the earth hear his voice, let the people rejoice, let us go into the house of the Lord, lifr up our heads to the sky, making a mockery of, opened the life gate, our rapture, our wonder, perfect redemption, power, praise, Praise the Lord, purer, rejoice, resurrection, Sabbath, sacrificed his son, sinless blood, so loved he the world, soaring harmony, spirit of gratitude, Sunday morning's coming down, Thank You Lord, the believer's strength, the cross at Calvary, the greatness of God, the hallowed halls of heaven, the joy of the Lord, the promise of God, the purchase of blood, the universe, the vilest offender, the whole weight of the world, they exist, thou art worthy O lord, thous hast created all things, through Jesus the son, Tiune God, To God be the glory, to receive glory, truly believes, unfolding as it should, when Jesus we see, when they said unto me, William Howard, worship, yielded his life
Revelation 4:11: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.
Sunday morning’s coming down friends…in fact, by the time you receive this missive, it will have already come down! (smile) But don’t worry, God’s great universe is unfolding as it should. But what else do we expect from the great architect and planner eh? Nothing less than things running the way He planned them.
And so it is with us, His greatest creation: He planned us to worship and praise Him and pray to Him and receive answers to those prayers. He also stipulated that once a week we should lay down our labour and gather in His sanctuary to fellowship with other believers, and we have designated Sunday as our Sabbath, our day of rest and worship.
So let me invite us to gather in the Lord’s house nuh. And let us be also glad, the way Bruh David was, when they invited him to go into the house of the Lord. (Ps.122:1) (smile) And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with some praise and worship in glorious song!
According to the Internet site ‘godtube,’ our song for today,’ To God be the Glory’ is a hymn with lyrics by Fanny Crosby and music by William Howard, possibly written around 1872, but first published in 1875. It soon became popular in Britain, but never had any success in the U.S until the 1950’s when it was added to the songbook of Billy Graham’s crusades. Now it’s one of our very popular hymns.
And we can certainly understand why: Because it ‘celebrates the greatness of God and calls upon an appreciation for the wondrous things “He hath done.” It is a glorious hymn to be sung rejoicefully in the spirit of gratitude.’ And that’s no lie! So without further ado, let’s sing it nuh, in sweet, soaring harmony, rejoicefully, and most definitely in the spirit of gratitude!
All together now: ‘To God be the glory, great things He hath done; So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life gate that all may go in. (Refrain Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice! O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.)
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives. (Refrain) Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see.
(Refrain: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice! O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.)
Oh friends, oh friends, that was beautiful! We sounded like the heavenly host that continually worships God. ‘The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are (by your will they exist) and were created.’ (Rev.4:10-11)
O my fellow believers, is our great God ever worthy of tumultuous praise and worship, glory, power and honour! He certainly is! Just look at the marvellous things He’s done nuh! He LOVED us so much that He sacrificed His only Son, like a lamb on the cross at Calvary, so that His sinless blood could pay for the atonement of our sins! And with His resurrection, opened the gate of eternal life for anyone who believes on Him to enter into the halls of heaven!
Wow! For that the Lord is certainly worthy of praise! And we ought also to rejoice over that perfect redemption performed by Jesus. And what a wonderful situation Jesus’ sacrifice caused, so much so that even the most disgusting offender is instantly pardoned once he sincerely believes! And in the doing of all those great things, our majestic God has also taught us great things!
And if yuh think we rejoicing now through Jesus earthly work, just listen to Fanny’s words as she reflects those of the Good Book: ‘But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see.’ Yeh mih breddren, the celebration now is incomparable to what it will be when we bounce up with Jesus face to face in the hallowed halls of heaven!
Ah friends, that’s why Christians are supposed to be the happiest and most joyful people in the world! We have been accorded such wonderful privileges and blessings down here on earth, along with the faithful promise of more to come in the afterlife that our puny finite minds can’t even truly comprehend them!
I guess that’s why so many of us drag ourselves around like we’re bearing the whole weight of the world on our shoulders. Sorry friends, Jesus has already assumed that position! You don’t have to go around feeling sad and sorrowful and beating up yourself any longer. Otherwise you’re just making a mockery of Jesus’ sacrifice. And I’m sure you don’t want to do that.
So please, let’s lift our heads, hands and hearts to the sky and shout a loud, proud and grateful, ‘Thank You Lord! You are indeed worthy to be praised! We LOVE You and bless Your holy name! Amen! And again we say: ‘Amen!’ Now let’s go home rejoicing in the goodness and wonder of our great Triune God – the ONLY REAL and TRUE DEITY that exists! Much LOVE!
…the joy of the Lord…is the true believer’s strength…
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