24 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advice, armour of light, backache, carnival celebrations, cell phone, drama, drunkenness, envy, faithful, fellowship, food stall, food stalls, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glasses, glorious kingdom, how high, jesus name, jump, lewdness, licentiousness, long and short of the story, long lost friend, LOVE, lusts of the flesh, Master Dramatist, North country, plastic shopping bag, rest and relaxation, revelry, right perspective, Security Office, slept in, soca, spirit, Store Bay, strife, tests, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the works of darkness, walk honestly, wantonness, week of work, wisdom, Wonderful
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, is Friday… And all the working people joyfully shout out: ‘TGIF! Thank the Lord is Friday yes! TGIF! Thank the Lord is Friday, time to party!’ Yeh Friends, the twin island Republic of T&T is hopping, as the pre-carnival celebrations build up, and the tension rises in expectations of a great carnival! Is pure soca, or what passes for soca these days, yuh hearing on the radio, plus all the ads for the big fetes and them in town.
But lemme tell all yuh about my personal drama, that the Master Dramatist put down on me. Hn! Hn! Ah have to laugh yes mih people, because we God is truly something else yes!
The story goes like this: Yesterday afternoon I went down to Store Bay to have my daily testimonial. I didn’t stay as long as the day before because the Duchess wasn’t bathing. So after I had my quick dip, I met her by the food stalls. We bought food and then left for home. On the way home, we stopped at the business place of one of her long lost Tobagonian friends, whom a lady had just told her about. We sat and chatted with her for a while then came home.
Ordinarily, I’ve been wearing my glasses hanging from my neck by its string, but sometimes when I’m driving, it gets hooked up in my seatbelt and makes the driving uncomfortable. So yesterday, after changing, I put it in a plastic shopping bag, along with my bath trunks, a comb and some dirty underwear. But then, in all the excitement of the evening, surprisingly I never needed my glasses until around six thirty.
Lo and behold though, when I went looking for them, they were nowhere to be found. Then I realized that my bag with the trunks was also missing. A hurried trip back to Store Bay, around 7 p.m. proved fruitless, for all the food stalls were already closed. So I had no option but to resign myself to wait until morning to retrieve them. I tried using the Duchess’ glasses, but they didn’t work well unless the writing was fairly large.
So I slept in this morning, since I couldn’t read or write, though I woke up with a backache. Can’t even get in a good night’s sleep without waking up with problems. (smile) But eight o’clock found me down at Store Bay enquiring about my bag. Now I had been under the impression that I had left it at a food stall. However, none of the food stalls had it. On further enquiry though, I discovered that two people had seen it on the steps leading up to a restaurant that a friend was renovating.
Then I remembered calling out to him the afternoon before, putting down the bag on the step and heading up the stairs to check him out. Halfway up though, his working partner had come out and told me that Greville, my friend, had already come and gone. I can only guess that after that, in my whatever you want to call it state, (smile) I came back down the steps and left the bag sitting there.
The long and short of the story though is that then ensued some talk about where the bag could have disappeared to, for two people claimed they saw the bag there when they left the compound in the late afternoon, but the morning cleaners hadn’t seen it when they came in.
Oh Friends, the people down at Store Bay were ever so helpful. I could not have asked for better cooperation. Finally, after everybody had checked where they could and called whom they could, it was decided that it could either be in the garbage, or the Security Office. However, the Security office didn’t open until ten o’clock, and it was then only minutes to nine. So I bought a big glass of Mauby, got out my novel, which I could read with the wife’s glasses and sat down on a bench overlooking the beach.
And then the drama heated up even further. I took out my cell phone to call the Duchess and advise her of the situation. But yuh better believe mih breddren, the cell phone was dead as a doornail! Mama yo! All I could do was laugh, for my cell phone never dies on me in the North Country, but that’s because I hardly use it up there, so it’s usually turned off. But down here it’s on all the time. And it was even funnier since I’d recently been giving some others a hard time about dead cell phones.
Who says the Lord doesn’t get you back one way or the other eh? So I read until about ten, then went to see if the Security people had come in as yet. But no luck. So I continued hanging around, until at minutes to eleven, the security lady casually sauntered in, calling out her morning greetings as she went.
Finally, we went to her office and she looked around, but couldn’t find anything. However, just as I was telling her thanks for her time, and walking away, having resigned myself to the loss of my glasses, for that was the only item that truly mattered, she called out, ‘Is this it?’
When I looked around, she had two plastic bags in her hand. Apparently she had found them in a cupboard under the counter. I was overjoyed and thanked her profusely.
Then the Spirit wisely prodded me: ‘Well since you’re here, you might as well take a dip. Remember you have to go to Harry’s birthday do later.’ (smile) And being the obedient fellow that I am, I followed the Spirit’s wise advice and had a dip, which means I didn’t get back home until around noon. Then I had to have breakfast; Miss Rosie’s carrot and coconut bake and saltfish, washed down with some of Miss Sylvia’s Mauby.
Ah Friends, yuh think it easy? (smile) Not at all nuh! But our God is so wonderful and faithful, that even though He had me jumping through hoops, He still sent people to help me jump through them successfully! Now which other of the many supposed deities does that eh? NONE! Because there’s only one real and true Deity, Jehovah God! And that’s why the Bit is so late. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
So let’s go home now, chanting our Friday Chant: ‘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.’
Oh Friends, that’s the perspective we need to adopt for the weekend, especially in these evil times when Beelzebub has upped his zeal and concentration in trolling for suspects.
For as our Bit so wisely reminds us: ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ (Rom.13:12-14)
Oh my people, we can’t ask or expect better advice than that! So please let’s take it and continue to deal faithfully with our God. For that’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…when our God tests us…when He says jump…the correct response is…how high Lord…
23 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accord, agreement, all things become new, any man be in Christ, backsliding, behaviour, Belial, Bruh Paul, cast off, Christ, Church of Christ, cloister, communion, consciousness, dark clouds, darkness, day of Christ's return, dough, down the wrong path, drawing closer, dreams, drowning, dry season, earthly pilgrimage, enemies, evil doer, evil powers of darkness, fall, Father, fellowship, feud, fighting diligently and faithfully, flesh is weak, friends, fruit of the Spirit, furthering God's glorious kingdom, glorious day, glory, godly behaviour, good effect, gospel truth, heavenly blessing, idols, immoral, immortal words, in the world, influence, intentions, joyous, keep the feast, lawlessness, leaven, light, living God, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lowlands, lush greenery, lusts, malice, material concerns, new creation, new man, not a part, old things, one bad apple, parched land, Passover, perishable world, personal experience, pineapple chow, pomp, purge, put on the armour of light, rain, righteousness., root out, sacrifice, seep in, separation from unbelievers, sin, sincerity, sinful flesh, soaking up the sea and sun, sons and daughters, spoil, Store Bay, stranglehold, temple of God, the day is at hand, the evil situation, the night's almost over, the sun rising, the works of darkness, transforming light of Jesus, truth, unclean thing, ungodly doings, ungodly hordes, unrighteous people, unrighteousness, victorious, weather forecast, wicked, wickedness, won the battle, yeast, yoked
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Aye mih people, how goes it this beautiful Thursday morning? I hope it goes well with all of you. Personally, I can’t complain, for if I do the Lord will strike me down.
It’s now been a week since I arrived in Paradise, and I’m having a great ole time. Had a wonderful couple of hours at Store Bay yesterday afternoon, soaking up the sea, sun and sand and eating pineapple chow for the first time- nice and peppery.
Oh brother! If only I could have about six continuous months of this lifestyle, I’d certainly be a new man! (smile) No harm in dreaming Friends, for that’s what dreams are made for.
But right now I’m standing on the balcony of my little bungalow at Lowlands, where the day is just breaking, overlooking the pool downstairs, gazing at the lush greenery all around me, and some dark clouds fighting for survival. However unfortunately, behind the big trees in the foreground, the sun seems to be rising in all its splendour, as the white clouds above the trees sparkle and shine.
But what amuses me is that I just saw Tobago’s weather forecast for today on the computer, and it’s calling for temps of 30 degrees, with oodles of rain, not even one pin prick of sunshine shows up in it. Let’s wait and see, though it would be nice to get some heavenly blessing in what’s termed the dry season down here, to nurture the now dry and parched land.
Ah Friends, half an hour later, the sun has won the battle! Just as the transforming light of Jesus will win the feud over the evil powers of darkness, when He returns in all his pomp and regal glory! What a joyous and glorious day that will be my brethren!
And as our Bit says: ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
Yes my people, that awesome day of Christ’s glorious return is drawing closer with each passing day! That means the evil powers of darkness ought to be subsiding, but unfortunately its getting stronger, because we believers are not fighting diligently and faithfully enough.
Oftimes we’re even helping the evil situation by joining with the ungodly hordes, drowning ourselves in the material concerns of this perishable world and the lusts of our sinful flesh. So how then my people, is the church of Christ to come out victorious, if we are joining with and supporting His enemies?
Please remember Friends, that we’re only supposed to be IN the world, not A PART of it. Remember too these immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor.5:17)
And following on from that most important and decisive verse, come these words from Bruh Paul, as he pleads for separation from unbelievers. ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship (in common) hath righteousness with unrighteousness (lawlessness)? and what communion (fellowship) hath light with darkness?
And what concord (accord) hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel (unbeliever)? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.’ (2 Cor.6:14-18)
Yes Friends, believers ought not to adopt or allow the ways of unbelievers to seep in their consciousness and thus their behaviour. When we associate with unbelievers, as we must do in a predominantly unbelieving world, we need to ensure that it is our godly behaviour that shines out and controls the situation, so that we can influence them, rather than they influence us.
And the best way to avoid the latter situation happening, is to stay away from wicked, immoral, unrighteous people and their activities. Now that doesn’t mean locking ourselves up in a cloister, but throughout our earthly pilgrimage we will encounter persons and situations that are obviously not going to provide good fruit of the Spirit.
These we ought to say away from, for though we might have the best intentions in the world, our flesh is weak, and we are not always able to handle ungodly people and their ungodly doings.
For as Bruh Paul warned the Corinthians in his first letter. ‘Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (a little yeast, spreads through all the dough)? Purge (clean) out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor.5:6-9)
Yes my brothers and sisters, even a little sin can spoil the whole soul! As we say, one bad apple can spoil the whole basket. And that’s gospel truth, as many of us have discovered from personal experience. Thus it is that one persistent sin or evil doer in our lives can cause us to fall.
So let’s therefore try and root out any known sin that has a stranglehold on us, or anyone who we associate with who’s leading us down the wrong path. And furthermore, let’s be very careful with what and whom we associate, and in whatever company we find ourselves, always endeavour to have our godly behaviour influence the gathering.
In that way, we will prevent ourselves from backsliding, and possibly have a good effect on others, leading them to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour, thus furthering the righteous and glorious kingdom of our great, wonderful and marvellous God. Much LOVE!
…there’s no influence as strong and pervasive as that of other humans…so believers must be very careful of whom they allow to influence them…
22 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accedptable to God, admonishing, arise from the dead, armour of light, awake, be not unwise, beautiful morning, beautiful morning in Paradise, blessed light of Jesus, character, charles stanley, children of disobedience, Christ's return, conformity, confront hypocrites, daily decisions, dark clouds, darkness, darkness of this world, deceive, desire to do God's will, dissipation, doing good, don't be drunk, earnestly, embrace outcasts, Ephesians, equip leaders, evil power, excess, exhortations, expose, filled with the Spirit, frivolity, fruit of the Spirit, giving thanks always, goal, God's little Acre, God's plan, goodness, hearts minds and souls, heavenly blessing, heavenly wisdom, hovering overhead, humbly, humility of Spirit, hustling pace, hymns, Jesus Christ, Jesus' 2nd coming, Jesus' work, joyous coming again, light, light in the Lord, long term basis, lord jesus christ, Lucifer, making melody in your heart to god, more like Jesus, morning splendour, obedience, onerous goals, partakers, patience, perseverance, poetic licence, ponder, priorities, psalms, rain, restore broken lives, reverence of God, righteousness., secret, seek God, serve others, shame, signs, spiritual songs, teach God's Word, the sun rose, time, time's moving fast, truth, understand the will of God, unfruitful works of darkness, vain empty words, walk as children of light, walk circumspectly, walk like Jesus, ways of a believer, We could handle this, works of darkness, write indelibly
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Well Friends, it’s another beautiful morning in Paradise! Wow! Since I’ve been here that’s been a recurring occurrence. (smile) And would you believe that I’ve already been here for almost a week? I left T.O. last Wednesday night.
Mama! Time sure is moving fast! A little too fast for my liking though. I need it to slow down some, to just an easy walk, so that I can properly enjoy my time on God’s Little Acre, rather than the hustling pace it seems all geared up for.
And by the way, I finally experienced my first rainfall since I arrived. Sometime last evening, while we were inside, we suddenly heard an unexpected loud, drumming kind of noise on the roof, and wondered if it was rain, so I went outside to investigate the matter. And behold it was indeed heavenly blessing!
However, after a minute or so, it stopped just as suddenly as it had begun. It wasn’t all that surprising, because over the past week, there have been numerous dark rain clouds in the sky, but nothing has ever happened. Apparently the strong breezes simply blow them away. Even when I went outside earlier this morning, there were dark clouds hovering overhead, but soon thereafter, the sun rose in all its earthly morning splendour.
Ah mih people, as the Duchess and I keep on saying: ‘We could handle this, yuh know – on a long term basis.’ (smile) And hopefully, one day we will, provided it falls into line with God’s plan for our lives.
But enough of my frivolity, let’s get serious with Jesus’ work. And this morning I found this note amongst my papers, which I’m being guided to share with you. It looks like something I scribbled down from one of Uncle Charles’ (Charles Stanley) sermons. It talks about the 7 Priorities of Jesus’ Daily Decisions.
And they are: (1) He sought the Father. (2) He embraced the outcasts of society. (3) He restored broken lives. (4) He confronted hypocrites. And did He ever! (5) He taught God’s Word. (6) He served others in humility of spirit. (7) He equipped leaders – providing training in obedience and a desire to do God’s will.
So Friends, if we want to be more like Jesus, bring our character into greater conformity with His, then we too have to make those things our priorities. They’re not onerous goals, but they do take time, perseverance and patience to build, obviously with God’s help. And who knows how much time we have left on this earth eh – either in terms of our personal lives, or Jesus’ 2nd Coming?
For as our Bit so wisely and rightly reminds us. ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
And as we saw yesterday, the night refers to Jesus’ absence from the world, when the evil power of Lucifer rules, while the day hails His joyous coming again. And without a doubt my fellow believer, from all the signs He’s given us, that day isn’t as far away as many of us believe.
And having heard Jesus’ serious pronouncement on the subject of His Second Coming yesterday, today we’re going to investigate some scriptures which encourage us to give up the foolish darkness of this world and wisely move into the blessed light of Jesus’ heavenly abode.
Let’s begin with some powerful admonishing and ‘exhortatious’ words (smile – poetic licence- it just sounded better) from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians, re the ways of a believer.
‘Let no man deceive you with vain (empty) words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest (known) by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear (reverence) of God.’ (Eph.5:6-21)
Oh Friends, I have to chuckle here because I never intended to use all of that scripture, but after reading it, I couldn’t find anywhere to break off and not lose the sense of the passage, since it all speaks so earnestly and appropriately to our Bit; being ready for Christ’s return, and the behaviour that’s necessary to achieve such a wonderful and important goal.
So please, let’s ponder all the stuff we’ve heard today, write them indelibly in our hearts, mind and souls, and walk accordingly, thereby bringing more righteousness to our lives and also improving our readiness for Jesus’ Second Coming. That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to be truly ready for Jesus…we must daily walk like He walked…humbly doing good…
21 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: angels of heaven, awful cold, be happy for me, believers in Jesus Christ, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, caght napping, cast off, caught unawares, christ jesus, Christ's Church, Christ's return, church age, cococut bake, condition of humanity, crapaud smoke we pipe, cut some slack, day is at hand, destruction, early morning, eating and drinking, eternal separation, flood, freeing souls, friends, giving in marriage, good news, gospel truth, heaven, heed, imminent, impending judgement, Jesus' return, judge the world, last generation, loss of our souls, marrying, mauby, Most High God Jehovah, night is far spent, only the Father knows, our peril, pleasure-oriented, powers of darkness, pray, preparedness, put on the armour of light, quickly passing days, redemption, restorative waters, Rosie's Bakery, saltfish, saving grace, Second Coming of Christ, self-gratifying, sensible way, set our houses in order, severity, sinners repent, Son of man, speculate, Store Bay, stranglehold, strong grip, suddenness, the days of Noah, the lost, the saved, the works of darkness, unbelievers, unprepared, watch, wise, you don't know when Jesus' is coming
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Well hello there all you beautiful believers in Christ Jesus! And a good morning to all you unbelievers too, because there’s nothing that Christ and I would like more than that you become believers, by accepting His saving grace and redemption and thus freeing your souls from eternal separation with the Most High God Jehovah. Oh what a day that would be in your lives, in the life of Christ’s church and in heaven too, where joy reigns when even one sinner repents. (Luke 15:7a)
Anyway Friends, it looks like I’m only going to have time to start the Bit then run, because we’re supposed to be going for breakfast down the street at Rosie’s Bakery at 9 – it’s now ten after – then head for the beach at Store Bay. So I won’t be able to continue until after that. Oh it looks like the Duchess is ready, so I’d better run. More time!
Aye mih bredden, the ole fella’s back to the Bit at last. I know you’re disappointed that it doesn’t always come in the early morning hours, but you have to cut the ole fella some slack. (smile) I’m on holidays, and have no idea what one day to the next will bring. So if some days it arrives a tad late, just be happy for me, because it will most likely mean that I’m out somewhere enjoying myself, before returning to that awful cold up north, or I enjoyed myself the night before and couldn’t rise early in the morning.
The good news though is that we’re here now, after a nice dip in the almost calm, beautiful, aquamarine, restorative waters of Store Bay, including a couple of turns up and down the beach. Then coming home to chow down on some carrot and coconut bake and saltfish from Rosie’s, washed down with some dark, delicious mauby.
Oh Friends, that’s surely what heaven’s like! And obviously, after all that exertion, (smile) I had to rest a spell. But now we’re up, bright eyed and bushy tailed, just rearing to go. And my Friends, we have to pay very careful attention to these quickly passing days, for as our Bit so wisely informs us: ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
And all of that is undeniable, gospel truth Friends! For the powers of darkness certainly have a strong grip, a stranglehold on our world right now. But have no fear people, for the cleansing light of day, Jesus’ return, is imminent! The problem though my brethren, is that no one knows exactly when.
For as Christ Himself said: ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt.24:36-44)
Oh my people, what could be simpler and more explicit eh? Jesus has put it there for us in Technicolour! How can we not understand and follow His wise advice eh? We do so at our peril, at the loss of our eternal souls!
That’s the best possible reason for us to get up and get ourselves ready for that most important and memorable occasion; the Second Coming of Christ! And remember, Jesus says that ONLY the Father knows when it’s going to happen, that’s why He cautions us to watch and pray, so we won’t be caught napping, caught unawares.
Now here are some interesting and important comments from the scholars. ’24:35-38. Verses 35 and 36 warn against attempts to set an exact date for Christ’s return at the end of the church age. To speculate that “day” and “hour” do not eliminate “year” is a gross oversimplification. The Father only knows the time of Christ’s return since it has been set by His authority (cf. Acts 1:7).
However, we are given a comparison to the days of Noah (and the Flood), which illustrate and prefigure the condition of humanity at the time of Christ’s return. The last generation, like the one of Noah’s day, is pleasure-oriented and self-gratifying by eating and drinking. The reference to marrying and giving in marriage may refer to carrying on the normal course of life without heeding the impending judgement.’
Oh Friends, I surely don’t need to point out to you that this generation fits that description perfectly! The pleasure-oriented and self-gratifying lifestyle fits us to a T!
Now hear these other comments of the scholars. ’24:39-42. The observation that the people of Noah’s day knew not the severity and suddenness of the coming destruction indicates that this last generation will be totally unprepared for the coming of the Son of man, the return of Christ to judge the world. (See 2 Thess.1:7-8.) The reference to two being in the field or at work at the time of Christ’s return implies the suddenness of His coming to separate the lost and the saved.’
And therein lies the dilemma my brethren! Christ’s return will be a sudden happening, so if we’re not prepared, then simply put; crapaud smoke we pipe! In other words, we’re lost forever!
So please, let’s wake up, let’s be wise and set our houses in order so that we will be ready whenever our Saviour returns. Be it today, tomorrow, or many years hence, let’s be prepared. Much LOVE!
…preparedness for Christ’s return is not an option…it is the only wise and sensible way…
20 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, anointing, aura of love, blessings, call to arms, changing the world, Church of Christ, come together, confess, confidence, conquerors, day of the awakening, destruction, devastation, direct my prayer, divide and conquer, Elijah, enthusiasm, equal rights, eternal life, evil, faults, friends, further your glorious kingdom, get down to brass tacks, God's people, good news, harm, heaven, hiding their heads in the sand, holy spirit, humble servants, importance of prayer, in the morning, invincible, Jesus Christ, justice, lies, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, make a difference, mickey-mouse stuff, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, natural disasters, nature, one day at a time, passions, peace, powers of evil, pray for one another, prayer, prayer of faith, prayer of the righteous, rain, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., rise up, rumours of war, saving and redeeming gospel, saviour, sins, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, strife, suffering, taunts, things of the world, trespasses, trust, ungodly world, unified fight, victorious, wake up call, wars, weary souls, wiles, wisdom, worthwhile inroads
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday: Monday 20 January 2014! The year that the Lord God Jehovah will make a mighty impact on this planet Earth, that He created! Fellow believers, this year we’re going to receive such a wake up call that we’ll be unable to avoid the Lord’s call to arms.
You’ll notice that since 2014 stepped in the strife around the world and the natural disasters have escalated. And believe me Friends, if we, the ones appointed by Jesus to take the good news of His saving and redeeming gospel all over the world, don’t do it, then we’ll see even worse strife and disasters, many of the latter man-made.
Oh my people, the talk about wars and rumours of wars is no longer prophetic, for it’s been currently fulfilled, with serious strife in more places than those where some semblance of peace reigns. So mih breddren, if we truly want our children to live to see a brighter day, then WE have to seriously step up to the plate and do some serious proselytizing, since it’s only by spreading the Word around the globe, that LOVE, peace, equal rights and justice will ever find a true foothold.
Oh my people, it’s high time we stop the mickey-mouse stuff we’ve been fooling ourselves with and get down to brass tacks, because the enemy; the powers of evil, Lucifer and his evil cohorts, have stepped up their programme of evil devastation and destruction. That means we have to take even bigger steps than them, if we even want to catch up, much less to pass them.
Friends, this is not just my feeling, but it’s right there out in front of us for all and sundry to see. But please remember that there’s none so blind as those who refuse to see. And sadly, a great many believers are either too taken up with the things of the world, or are foolishly hiding their heads in the sand like the ostrich, hoping that the evil tendencies will disappear on their own.
But Friends, I have news for us; that’s a fallacy, a very foolish one too! If we try to run and hide from the situation, it will only get worse, and eventually catch up to us and engulf us in its evil claws. So please, let’s stop trying to side step the problems nuh, for we’re only doing ourselves irreparable harm.
Oh Friends, this is the day of the awakening! This is the day that God’s people must rise up and take the fight to the enemy! And as our Bit so wisely advises, the best way to do that, is to begin the day in prayer, in serious communication with the Most High. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
So now my people, as we always do on a Monday morning, let’s look up, and raise our voices, direct our prayer, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to our wonderful Creator, Provider and Protector. As one harmonious, blessed union, let’s pray.
‘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 that adrenalin now pumping through our veins my brethren, let’s go out into the evil world that surrounds us, this first day of the work week, and make a serious and worthwhile difference in Jesus’ name nuh. I don’t like to keep harping on it, but it’s only through our strong, indefatigable and sustained efforts, RIGHT NOW, that our grandchildren will inherit a half-decent world.
Remember how we recently talked about changing the world, one day at a time? Well now it’s become imperative that we do so!
Now let’s get into the last scripture in this series of messages on the importance of prayer in a believer’s life. It comes from the epistle of James, recognized as Jesus’ earthly half brother. One of those who, in the early days chastised Him and didn’t believe, but who later came to see the light, as I’d like us to do.
And in talking about patience in affliction, James boldly proclaims: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent (supplication) prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are (with a nature like ours), and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth (land) by the space of (for) three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.’ (James 5:13-18)
Oh Friends, I can’t say it better than that! I can only hope and pray that this Monday morning, we will all go out and stand up steadfast and strong for Jesus. In His Holy name, we pray. And all God’s people gave a loud and rousing shout of ‘So be it! Amen!’ Much LOVE my brothers and sisters in Christ!
…only as the church of Christ comes together…and fights a serious and unified fight…will it ever be victorious…otherwise the enemy will keep on dividing and conquering us…
20 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable sins, advantageous system, alms, anger, avenue of prayer, believing, blagging, bully, cavorting, charitable gifts, children of God, chronic illness, Cornelius, direct my prayer, disputes, dive through, faith in Jesus Christ, friends, Gentiles, glory hallelujah, God's little Acre, good works, gospel of Jesus, grow to be like Christ, havoc, hear, holy hands, important aspect, in the morning, Jesus Christ, Jewish people, jump off the deep end, learning to swim, life is precious, life's problems, long lost friend, LOVE, medium of prayer, memorial, my voice, O Lord, obedience, path to success, peaceful, personal experience, plunge in, positive, pray everywhere, prayed to God, prayer for protection, prayers, pure life, receive Jesus as Lord and Saviur, resentment, reservations, Roman Centurion, sacrifice, saved, saving grace, sincere prayer, successful earthly life, take life by the horns, tears to my eyes, The Duchess, the Good Book, wings of Love, without wrath and doubting, wonderful day
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Oh Friends, it’s been another wonderful day on God’s Little Acre! Glory Hallelujah!
After church this morning, where a lady preached a sermon on sacrifice that brought tears to my eyes, and brunch at the nearby Magdalena hotel, the Duchess and I came home around 2 p.m. and just slept away the afternoon. I guess the old bones were just tired from all our cavorting. (smile)
Now I’m trying to get myself together so I can write a sensible Bit. Hn, hn! The Duchess is out on the balcony blagging to some long lost friend. But once she is happy, everything is all right in my world.
Anyhow, I saw this quote in my One Day More Devotional- Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness, and though I believe I’ve shared it already, it is worthwhile sharing again. It’s attributed to one Kyle Crichton, and says: ‘Life is a pretty precious and wonderful thing. You can’t sit down and let it lap around you… you have to plunge into it, you have to dive through it.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Life is indeed a beautiful and precious thing – but only when you jump into it without too many reservations, especially if you are suffering from some chronic illness. It’s like learning to swim; you’ll never learn if you only stay in the safe, shallow areas, you need to jump off the deep end and realize what it feels like to be drowning. And I can talk about that from personal experience, a long time aback. It certainly wasn’t as thrilling then, as it seems now though. (smile)
Yes my people, life is an advantageous system, a bully, so you can never allow it to get the better of you, otherwise it’s just going to keep on beating you down. So regardless of our physical condition, we have to take life by the horns and use it to our advantage. Shying away from life is the worst thing we can ever do, for that’s when the evil Lucifer will get into our minds and cause even more havoc than we’re already experiencing.
And the best way to handle life my people, is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! And all God’s people shouted out a long and loud ‘Amen!’
Yes Friends, accepting Jesus’ saving grace and submitting to His perfect will through obedience and prayer, is the answer to all life’s problems. Bruh David put it quiet nicely in our Bit, when he offered up his prayer for protection. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
Ah my people, there’s no way to a truly successful earthly life, followed by one in heaven, than through sincere and heartfelt prayer!
And we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that highlight that contention. In Acts 10, we read about the Roman Centurion, Cornelius, who helped to ease the pressure of the Jewish people under the harsh, authoritarian Roman laws. The Good Book describes him thus: ‘A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms (many charitable gifts) to the people, and prayed to God always.’ (Acts 10:2)
Cornelius was one of the first Gentiles to be saved. But as the scholars so wisely point out: ’10:2-4. Though Cornelius’s good works and prayers served as a memorial, they did not save him. He was saved after he heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. See verse 44; 11:10-14).’
So Friends, regardless of what we do, the most important aspect of our earthly life is to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, for without that monumental decision, all else in this evil, materialistic world is for nought, is worthless! But when we wisely recognize and accept Jesus as being The Way, The Truth, The Light and The Life, then our lives begin to have true meaning!
But my brethren, that’s only the beginning; for then we have to walk a narrow path of obedience intertwined with prayer, so that we can grow in character likeness to Christ, whom God so LOVINGLY sacrificed to pay for our abominable sins, and once again make us worthy to be called His children. And the perfect avenue for walking that walk successfully is down the avenue of prayer.
Listen to how Bruh Paul puts it to his protégé Timothy: ‘I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) Oh my brethren, that is without a doubt, everlasting truth and godly wisdom!
And the scholars explain it thus: ‘2:8. I will…that men pray every where (or, “I intend…that men in every locality pray”). The Greek word ‘andres’ means ‘males.’ Men are to lead audibly in public prayer; women are to pray silently. This directive remains the same “in every locality,” geography being no factor. The manner in which men are to pray is that of lifting up holy hands, that is, with a pure life, which is without wrath and doubting (disputes).’
Yes Friends, thankfully we no longer hold that only men can pray in public, but also women, otherwise I would have missed out on that moving sermon the lady preached this morning at the Mother’s Union service. However, wherever prayer is publicly uttered, it ought to be backed up by an obedient life and one lacking in doubts, anger, resentment and disputes. In other words, a positive, peaceful, believing life.
And we’ll close there for today. There’s more than enough material for us to ponder on, and try to bring our lives into sync with God’s plan for them. Till tomorrow then, if God is in favour of us meeting again, here on earth. And in the meanwhile, may He bless and keep us all safely under His amazing and enormous wings of LOVE! Much much LOVE my fellow believers!
…to walk this earthly life with God…through the medium of prayer…is the believer’s path to success…
18 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: beach, bless, blessings, call on God, Canada, captive's soul, christianity, Christians, clean spirit, confidence, connection to our heavenly Father, Connie Francis, contented, cut to the chase, dire siutations, direcct my prayer, drunk or sober, dry and thirsty land, early in the morning, fallible men, fight against God's will, friends, good news, good Samaritans, grace, guilty, hear my voice, heartfelt prayer, hot to trot, hunger and thirst for God, importance of prayer, joyful lips, learned my lesson, lifeline, longing flesh, look up, lost my way, LOVE, loving kindness, magnanimous god, man-made devices, mercy, mind your business, North country, onipotent, overflowing with thanksgiving, power and glory, praise, prayer, refuge, remember the cold, right heart, righteousness., satisfied soul, spirituality, strong breeze, sustenance, take my own advice, thirsty soul, umbilical cord, vacation, warm wind, wedding ring, wisdom
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning , O Lord; In the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Well Friends, the good news is that we’re somewhat earlier than we were yesterday, but we’re still not as early as I would like. Hopefully though, we’ll get better every day, and though I’m not making any promises because I’m on vacation – va-ca-tion – as the old pop song said, (smile) which I believe was sung by Connie Francis.
Anyway, at long last, on my third day in Paradise, I finally got the salt water that I’ve been so avidly desiring. I never rushed into it, partly because of the internet problems I was having, and also because I’ve learned my lesson from the time I went to California a few years ago.
That time I was real hot to trot, and though the sea was some distance away, and everybody else was too busy to accompany me, I jumped in the car and headed for the beach. Disappointingly, I ended up on a dismal patch of sand on the Pacific side, with cold, rough water, lost my wedding ring of thirty something years, then also lost my way back home.
But as always Friends, the Lord sent a couple of good Samaritans to help me out, and I returned home safely, having given my family some anxious moments. So now, with that lesson in mind, a rather expensive one, I’m trying my best not to fight against His will. Hn! Hn! I even ended up on two obscure beaches today since I didn’t feel like handling the crowds on the popular beaches.
The first, Arnos Vale beach, was a little too rocky and unpredictable underfoot for my liking. So after having a dip there, we hit Grange beach, which had better footing. And though they were both less than calm, I enjoyed Grange more because of the more sandy and predictable footing.
But brother, this area I’m in always seems to have a strong breeze blowing. Around 3 a.m. this morning, I was outside on the balcony and the wind was blowing so powerfully, that you would have thought a storm was blowing. It reminded be of the winds back in the North Country – only this wind was warm! (smile)
And as I was telling the Duchess earlier on, I feel somewhat guilty, because since I’m down here I don’t even remember the cold up in Canada. But as she so wisely said, I’d better forget the guilt and enjoy it, because we’ll soon be back in the cold. So I’m going to listen the duchess – as I always do anyway. (smile)
However my people, let’s cut to the chase and get into the Bit. I’m expecting some friends to come by and visit later, and today I intend to take my own advice; drunk or sober mind your business. Unfortunately I didn’t do that yesterday, so the Bit didn’t get done till very late, and I’m not going to allow it to happen again today.
So here goes: ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning , O Lord; In the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
Yes my brethren, prayer is our lifeline, our umbilical cord, our connection to our heavenly Father! And the good thing about it is that we don’t need any man-made devices to call on Him, just a right heart and a clean spirit.
So what scriptures pertaining to the importance of prayer in a believer’s life are we going to look at today? Let’s start with Psalm 63, where Bruh David talks about God satisfying the thirsty soul. That’s something he wrote while hiding out in the wilderness of Judah from his enemies.
And he begins it with this powerful verse: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where there is no water.’ (Ps.63:1)
Then not satisfied to stop just there, he continues to pour out his heart to his God. ‘To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary (so have I looked for thee out here). Because thy LOVING-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.’ (Ps.63:2-5)
Oh my fellow believers, is that the way we feel about our God? Is that the way we hunger and thirst for Him and His righteousness? And are our souls contented with His grace and mercy, so that we can praise Him with joyful lips? That is how it ought to be my brethren! And if we aren’t doing and feeling those things, then we’re foolishly missing out on a lot of God’s good blessings.
As the scholars say: ‘Psalm 63. The location of the writing of the psalm is described generally as in the wilderness of Judah. Unlike many of the psalms written in these dire situations, however, this psalm is overflowing with thanksgiving rather than lament and petition. David declares his longing for spiritual renewal (vv.1-2), he expresses his thankful mood (vv.3-6), he gives voice to his trust in God (vv.7-8), and he announces his hope for the future (vv.9-11). Enemies are mentioned only in passing (vv.9-10).’
Oh mih people, would we have been able to show such trust, desire and LOVE for God under such dire circumstances? I truly doubt it. We find it difficult to praise and thank Him when things are going well, much less when they are rough. But Friends that’s the attitude true believers ought to be able to display. In rough times we ought to have enough confidence in our omnipotent and magnanimous God not to whimper and turn turncoat.
And that’s the biggest problem with Christians today; we talk the good talk, but when the rough times crop up, we don’t run to the one place and person who can truly provide refuge and sustenance; our wonderful God. Instead we quickly turn to the cheap, perishable man-made devices and seek help from powerless, fallible men like ourselves. That’s not wisdom Friends.
So I’m saying to us today, that the first place we must turn in ANY kind of situation, is to Almighty God, our Creator, Provider and Protector!
That’s what He is there for. He prides Himself on being able to help His children, and if we don’t turn to Him FIRST, He feels very disappointed and offended. If He wants us to turn to other men for help, then He will direct us to them, after we talk to Him.
And that my people is one of the reasons why we and our resultant world are in such bad shape, we simply don’t talk seriously and enough to Father God. I’m therefore asking us today to try and change that unwise attitude by turning to Him for help and guidance in every situation, through constant, genuine, heartfelt prayer, for that is wisdom at its finest. Much LOVE!
…only sincere prayer to our heavenly Father…can set the captive’s soul free…
18 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Bruh Paul, internet service, smile
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Oh Friends, late is not the right word, but circumstances directed this lateness. (smile) This morning I had internet service for a while, but then I lost it for the remainder of the day, until about five thirty when it was finally discovered that the culprit preventing me from doing my thing was simply the communicating cord from the modem to the computer. Ah Lord eh, such simple things can cause such anger inspiring problems!
Anyway, that’s finally been solved, so from here on in, it’s clear sailing. However, as soon as I got that fixed, a few friends and family popped in to visit, to reminisce about bye gone days and make more memories for future reminiscing. Hn!
That obviously put paid to my writing the Bit. And after they left, I was somewhat tired from a harassing day, so I decided to get some rest first. Lo and behold though, I exceeded my nap time and only just got up. So here’s what I had written earlier this morning.
Oh Friends, it’s a beautiful morning and I’m outside enjoying the cool morning breeze and the beautiful view! It’s now around 8 a.m., and the old body is feeling refreshed after a decent night’s sleep. There’s one impediment though. It seems some people moved in downstairs last night, and now are sitting outside on the pool deck talking, rudely disturbing my early morning serene serenity. (smile)
Chuh! Now it’s not raucous or anything bad, but talk and laughter just seem out of place in such a tranquil setting. Let’s hope that it doesn’t continue for much longer, or become a habitual disturbance in the peaceful early morning hours. To make a bad situation worse, I don’t know what’s happening with the internet scene today. But one way or the other, I’ll try, with the Lord’s help of course, to get the Bit to you earlier than yesterday. (That obviously didn’t happen). So till later on, I guess I’ll just go inside and find a quiet spot and talk to the Father for a spell. More time!
Oh Friends, our God is so great and thoughtful, that I can’t even begin to comprehend Him! Remember a while ago I said that the talking downstairs was disturbing me a tad, because I wanted to be like Daniel, with my doors open, enjoying God’s refreshing breeze and presence?
Well shortly after that, He removed the loudest mouth from the gathering, plus they also moved away a bit, and the volume of the conversation was toned down. So now they don’t bother me, don’t really intrude on the conversation with the Father.
And by the way, the Spirit moved me to check the internet service, and wonder of wonders, it has returned! That means I don’t have to go anywhere to write the Bit today. Thank the Lord! The only drawback is that it’s a plug in situation, so it makes it a tad awkward to write on the computer, but they have promised to get a wireless set up today, and that should solve all the problems.
Most importantly, the duchess will be in a better frame of mind, since she’ll be able to play with all her wireless technological toys! And once she is happy, then I am happy. And who says the Lord isn’t good eh? Deh chupid! More time.
Well mih people, by the time I finished talking to the Father, about half an hour or so later, the net was gone again… and stayed gone for the whole day! Steups!
And thence began a whole lot of calls back and forth, involving frustration no all sides. But thankfully it never spilled over into outright anger, and you know from above, how the whole thing turned out eventually. So now that you’re up to scratch, let’s see if I can get this done before midnight. (smile)
Here’s our Bit. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
And we’ve been talking about the importance of prayer in the believers life, and looking at scriptures that enhance that belief. Let’s continue that trend with an appropriate scripture from Acts.
‘Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.’ (Acts 3:1) Another instance of where serious and devout men of God made it a habit to pray. So if two of Jesus’ main men made it a habit to pray, why can’t we do the same eh? It shows that it was important to them, thus it should also be important to us and to all believers.
And the scholars add this note. ‘3:1. According to Jewish reckoning, the day began at six A.M. Hence the ninth hour is 3 P.M. The Jewish prayer time was held in conjunction with the evening prayer sacrifices and offering of incense. (cf. Luke 1:8-10; Rev.8:3-4) Peter and John commonly went to the temple to pray at this hour. The Greek imperfect tense could well be translated “used to go up.”
Now hear Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. Having told them about putting on the spiritual armour of God, (Eph. 6:10-17) he adds this very important corollary. ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery (hidden truth) of the gospel. For which I am an ambassador in bonds (chains): that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.’ (Eph.6:18-20)
Oh my fellow believers, yuh see the importance Bruh Paul placed on prayer? Not only did he desire the Ephesians to pray constantly for themselves, but also for each other, and believers all over. You’ll also notice that he asked them specifically to pray for him, so that he’d get the necessary belly and backbone to preach the truth of the gospel without fear.
Again my brethren, I reason that if a man of God, like Bruh Paul thought prayer so important to believers of all stripes, why shouldn’t we do too?
And the scholars add this helpful note. ‘6:18. Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks. In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made.
Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both and individual and corporate matter.’
Oh Friends, I couldn’t put it any better. Prayer is indeed a universal matter for all believers. So today, please let’s ponder on all we’ve heard, then endeavour to improve our prayer situation nuh. There’s no excuse for not doing so, because we all have room for improvements in our prayer lives.
Till later then. And may the good Lord bless and keep us safely as we make encouraging improvements to our prayer lives. and we can start doing that by chanting our Friday Chant. See I didn’t forget, the Spirit reminded me. (smile)
So let’s chant. ‘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.’ Much LOVE my brethren!
…happiness is the result of…a radical, outrageous relationship with God… (Joyce Meyer) …and that’s the gospel truth…
16 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s in Paradise; God’s Little Acre; Robinson Crusoe’s Isle; Sweet, Sweet Tobago! It was an arduous journey, but the rewards will certainly be worth it.
Having left Toronto about 10.30 p.m last night, we got into Piarco airport in Trinidad at 5 a.m, then had to wait until 9.30 to get a flight to Tobago. There was one around six, but I listened to the Duchess when she queried what we were going to do in Tobago at that early hour of the morning.
But even if it was just lounge around the airport, like we did at Piarco, it would have been more refreshing, with cleaner air and more beautiful surroundings, although the Northern Range of mountains overlooking Piarco, did look splendid as the sun rose upon them.
At one stage I was so tired that I simply lay across a few seats in the Tobago Departure Lounge, and just rested for a while, And surprisingly it refreshed me.
Then when we finally got to Tobago, we had to wait for them to pick us up and negotiate some prices, because according to Expedia, they had booked the rental and sent us all sorts of confirmation. However the rental company claimed they had no reservation.
But wonder of wonders… sorry, there should be no wonder there at all my brethren, since from the moment I got to the airport, right at the check in counter, all through the night and into the day, people were wonderful to me! That’s because the abundant grace and favour of our magnanimous God shone extremely bright on me. We even got a cheaper rate than what Expedia had quoted us.
The long and short of the story Friends, is that by the time we settled everything and got to what they are calling a bungalow, but is actually an upstairs two bedroom apartment, it was after one p.m. Then we had to go and get something to eat, and unfortunately when we checked out the Internet, there was no service. Steups!
Apparently this part of the compound, including the sales and rental office is having service problems. But the sales people have graciously made arrangements for me to go up to the Hotel Magdalena, a luxurious resort on the compound to use their Internet service.
So I’m scribbling something here on my balcony overlooking the golf course, with some lovely greenery growing almost to the height of the balcony, while the cool sea breeze washes over me, surrounded by four other white buildings of similar shape and size. I believe that right now only one other is occupied, so it’s peaceful and quiet; just what the doctor ordered.
Ah Friends, the trees are all dancing to the scintillating, invigorating beat of the wind. That feels beautiful, and and old fellow just pulled up in his golf cart on the course on the foreground.
Now don’t all get jealous, (smile) all you have to do is like Bruh David and I did; follow the awesome words of our Bit. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
Ah mih people, our God truly does answer prayer! And if you don’t believe me, believe Bruh David, because you know his amazing story. It wasn’t an easy life, and he made some serious mistakes for which he paid dearly, but nevertheless, the Lord looked after him, showering him with great rewards, because He deemed him faithful, a man after His own heart.
And He will do the same thing for us Friends, if we follow Bruh David’s example, as well as Jesus’, especially on that faithful and most memorable night in the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion. That night my fellow believers, our Saviour’s heart was very heavy, and He went into the garden with His disciples to pray. He told most of them: ‘Sit ye here, while I shall pray.’ (Mark 14:32b).
Then He took Peter, James and John, His inner circle further on, ‘And he saith unto them. My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. and he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me; nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. and he cometh and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? could thou not watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:34-38)
Oh my brethren, I don’t know what to do to awaken the spirit of prayer in us nuh, to make us truly believe that prayer is the essence, the bedrock, the very foundation of our being. For without it, we would not be able to communicate with Almighty God, our Heavenly Father. Therefore we wouldn’t be able to enjoy His grace, mercy, favour, forgiveness, LOVE, salvation and eternal life.
Oh Friends, just listen to al those wonderful things He provides for us when we live in obedience to His holy will and reverence Him with true LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS!
And on that note I’ll close for today, so I can go up the street to the Magdalena and get the Bit on it’s way. Much Much LOVE my people, from my balcony on the little bungalow at Lowlands. (smile) God Bless!
…only a fool refuses to believe and accept…the wonderful blessings of God…on those who trust and adore Him…
15 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advice, alive and kicking, appliances, attitude of prayer, be happy, begin each day with prayer, behaviour to cultivate, better late than never, boycott threat, complications, Daniel, David, deliverance from death, direct my prayer, disciples, encourage, epistle, faults and foibles, fed the five thousand, freezer problem, friends, get serious about prayer, glory hallelujah, God's grace, greatest power on earth, ground swell, heartfelt, holds us captive, importance of prayer, in the morning, intermittent cough, Jesus, joyfully declare, lighten the soul, look up, LOVE, my voice, negative, new fangled, O Lord, planet earth, plastic, poor-me-one, positive attitude, pray without ceasing, prayer, prayer for protection, pronouncement, Psalm 88, recharge batteries, rejoice and be glad, rejuvenation of spirit, see another day, service charge, sincere prayer, sincerity, sorrowful, spiritual energy, the day the Lord has made, the Good Book, the other side, the power of prayer, tip of the iceberg, troubled world, true believers, truth, year of 2014
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Oh Friends, once again we have been blessed with God’s wonderful grace, enabling us to see another new day on His great planet earth! Wow! How thrilling that is!
And I know that you all will agree with me, for despite all the problems in the troubled world and our individual lives, very few really are ready to leave here and go over to the other side. There’s something about earth, with all its faults and foibles that still holds us captive.
Perhaps it’s simply because we know what’s here, but aren’t truly sure about what’s on the other side, although they claim it’s much better there.
In any case, since we’re here, and most likely want to be, let’s be happy, and like the psalmist, joyfully declare: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) That positive attitude certainly helps more than a negative, sorrowful, poor-me-one behaviour.
Oh by the way, a service man did come yesterday to look at our freezer problem, at an exorbitant service charge. Hn!
Apparently there’s a small plastic cup – no surprise there, for everything’s plastic now – where the water runs through to the icemaker. But whenever that cup gets clogged with ice, and the icemaker calls for water, the water cannot run into the cup and into the icemaker. So as water is wont to do, it finds other channels to run into.
Consequently, by the time he checked it yesterday, everything was clear and free, and the only thing we can do is keep a close eye on it, because there’s no finding out why it happens. Ah Lord eh! And last night we had to turn off the icemaker because the bucket was already full of ice.
And the techie agreed with my contention that the earlier appliances worked much better than these new fangled ones, neither did they have as many complications when something went wrong. Although it gave him more work, he wasn’t thrilled with the new stuff, and suggested that we complain to the manufactures themselves, not to the service people.
But which big manufacturer listens to the small man eh, unless there’s a big ground swell and a serious threat of boycotting their products?
Anyway, that’s enough preamble for today. (smile) Yesterday’s Bit was one of the longest, if not the longest one I’ve ever written, and I promise today’s definitely won’t be as long. So in keeping with that promise let’s get to our Bit from Bruh David’s prayer for protection.
‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
And I was up early enough today to do my prayer thing and still get the Bit to you at a reasonable hour. Glory Hallelujah! And we’ll continue looking at scriptures that show us the importance of prayer, as well as encourage us to get more involved in it.
And there’s lots of truth in the advice to begin each day with prayer. Bruh David and Daniel (6:10) did it, and in Psalm 88, a Maschil (Contemplation) of Heman the Ezrahite, a cry for deliverance from death, the psalmist also proclaims: ‘But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent (come before) thee.’ (Ps.88:13)
Now we already know that Jesus got up very early every morning to go out into a quiet place and pray. (Mark 1:35) But that wasn’t the only time He availed Himself of the power of prayer. And we have a good example of that after He fed the five thousand, (Matt.14:15-22) and sent His disciples over to the other side of the lake by ship, then went off by Himself to pray.
‘And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart (by Himself) to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.’ (Matt.14:23)
Apparently after using up all that spiritual energy, He needed some recharging of His batteries, some rejuvenation of His Spirit. And believe me Friends, nothing recharges or rejuvenates us like sincere prayer!
Now let’s move on to Bruh Paul. Oh my brethren, I don’t know if anyone has spoken about the importance of prayer more than him! In every epistle he encourages his readers to pray. And his most astounding pronouncement on the subject is simply this: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) Plain and straightforward my people!
The scholars dissemble the verse thus: ‘The Greek word here rendered without ceasing is used in secular literature to denote a man suffering from an intermittent cough – one that is not continuous, but occurs at intervals. Just as the individual has the tendency to cough, though does not always do so audibly, so the believer ought to remain in the attitude of prayer though not always praying audibly.’
Therefore Friends, as true believers, we ought always to have that attitude of prayer about us, though not necessarily praying aloud. It’s a most wonderful behaviour to cultivate. And as promised, we won’t ramble on any more today.
But my brethren, that’s only the tip of the iceberg concerning prayer in the Good Book. However we’ll leave you to ponder those few verses today. Don’t want to complicate your busy minds and lives more than they’re already complicated. (smile) .
But please, please, let’s get serious about prayer in this important year of 2014 nuh, both for others and ourselves, because it’s the greatest power on planet earth, when entered into with heartfelt sincerity. Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing like prayer…to lighten the believer’s soul…
P.S. Aye mih people, the Bit will most likely be plenty late tomorrow, because I’m going out of town this evening, and I don’t know when I’ll find the time to write it. But rest assured that once I’m alive and kicking, you will receive it. It’s just a matter of when. And as they say; better late than never. (smile) Much LOVE!
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