06 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Psalm 92:12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Then it was Friday… And all the working people joyfully declared: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Can’t wait for the weekend to celebrate the freedom from work!’ In truth though Friends, many of us are more tired than ever, despite the fact that we only worked a four day week, because we partied too heartily on the long Labour Day weekend. (smile)
But whatever our physical state, let’s chant our Friday Chant, with as much oomph as we can muster, for it’s designed to show us the right way to handle the weekend. So as one loud and melodious chanteuse then, (smile) 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.’
Yes my people, that’s the right and proper way to use those couple days off from work! And here’s the crucial difference; we should be using the weekend as an energizer, rebuilding our spiritual fervour, so that we can begin the week fresh and enthusiastic, and therefore have the necessary strength, energy and enthusiasm to take the week in stride.
But instead, most of us live up the weekend, so that we’re of not much use to ourselves, our employers or Jesus during the week. That’s why Mondays are anathema to so many people. Just remember Friends, that Sunday is the first day of the week, and we should be using it to reinvigorate ourselves, so that we can go out fresh and bouncy, full of beans, on Monday, and all week to Jesus’ job. For when you get right down to the nitty gritty, it’s really Jesus we’re working for here on planet earth, not our fellow man.
And when we look at life that way, and try to live it as such, then we’re constantly energized and wonderful things happen, as our Bit so truly tells us. ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.’
Now isn’t that a true encouragement and confidence building scripture Friends? Of course it is! The palm trees are constantly fruitful and the cedars grow tall, straight and true! And that’s how those who sincerely live for and serve Christ will also grow and blossom.
And this is no recent development my brethren, for way back in time, when the Israelites were prospering, Balaak, the Moabite king hired Balaam, a false prophet to put curses on Israel and entice them away from Yahweh. (Numbers chaps. 22-23) But even Balaam saw the light, recognized that he was absolutely no match for the omnipotent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and instead he ended up foretelling the happiness of Israel.
Listen to him. ‘And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open (opened) hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
How godly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as the cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.’ (Num.24:2-9)
Ah mih people, Balaam’s vision of promise and blessing still holds true today for all who put their faith and trust in the Most High God Jehovah! Now let’s look at some explanations from the scholars.
’24:2. And the spirit of God came upon him: Previously God had put a word in Balaam’s mouth (23:5, 16). This phase in verse 2 is not just a stylistic variation, but suggests that this time Balaam fell into a trance as verses 3 and 4 indicate.
24:3. This parable is actually an “oracle.” With a different division of the Hebrew letters translated here as open, the translation “whose eye is perfect” (i.e., true) may be read.
24:4. The falling indicates a supernaturally induced state with his “eyes uncovered.” The Spirit was mentioned in verse 2, indicating the source of his revelation. The first two oracles were theological statements about God’s relationship to Israel and what He has done for them already, but now the subsequent oracles include visionary predictions of Israel’s future settlement in Canaan, the rise of the monarchy, and victories over specific foes.
24:5-9. Their future settlement is compared to that of trees, even cedar trees, which do not grow by rivers. Water is symbolic of fruitfulness, either fertility of the land from rain, or the growing population as the result of an accelerated birth rate. They will multiply further (Gen.17:5-6). The theme of a king is introduced (Gen.17:6, 16; 35:11). Agag was a king of the Amalekites (cf. Ex.17:14-16; 1 Sam. 15:8)
Oh Friends, we’ve covered a lot of ground today, so we’ll stop there. But I thought it necessary that you hear what the scholars have to say since it’s a somewhat confusing scripture, especially to those who are not accustomed to the Old Testament words. And as always, I invite you to read the references provided by the scholars, because they will give you invaluable insight into God’s Word.
Now let’s ponder seriously on it all, consider what it means and how we’re shaping up to the reality of the situation; whether we’re growing fruitful like the palm trees or strong and tall like the cedars of Lebanon. For if we’re not, then how can we expect God’s work to proceed successfully down here on earth eh? Think on that my Friends. Much LOVE!
…if God’s promised to flourish the righteous…and the supposed righteous are not flourishing…then something must be wrong with the supposed righteous…for God’s promises are ALWAYS fulfilled…
05 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, anger, appreciation, blessings, bondage in Egypt, bottomless morass, catastrophic history, christianity, compacent, covenant, deprivation, fat, finest wheat, first commandment, followers of Jesus, foolish pride, forgiveness, forgot who brought us to the dance, gilty of the same crime, gladness, god, God's dictates, God's goodness, gospel truth, greed, honey, house of bondage, I am the Lord, idolatry, In Touch, insular worlds, Israel's waywardness, Israelites, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, joy, lazy, let us rejoice and be glad, live as though everything matters, lives of excellence, lives of significance, LOVE, loving kindness, lust of their hearts, make a positive difference, mournful lament, my people would not listen, negative results, new mercies, no other gods before me, omnipotent god, one true God, pangs of want, peace, picture of your soul, prosperity, prosperous society, protective umbrella, psalmist asaph, rebellious, refuse to walk in covenant with God, religion, rumours of war, showing LOVE, sin, sincere repentance, sinful nature, stop focusing on ourselves, stubborn people, subdued their enemies, the day of the Lord, too big for their britches, topsy turvy world, tough times, true disciples of Jesus, true discipleship, true reflections, ungodliness, uniform authority, walked in their own counsel, walling in the mire, wars, wickedness, wisdom, worship strange gods, Yahweh
Psalm 81:9. There shall no strange (foreign) god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
Oh Friends, another new morn is here with new blessings, mercies and forgiveness! Wow! Are we ready to receive this new day and all the positive things it brings with joy, gladness and humble appreciation? I certainly hope so, because if we’re not, then we’ll lose out on the best stuff that Almighty God has to offer.
And all God’s children joyfully declared: This is the day the Lord has made, WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!’
Yes mih people, that’s the way I like to hear us shout out loud and proud in the name of Jehovah God! It’s the only way to go, otherwise we’re showing ourselves unappreciative of His wonderful blessings, mercies and forgiveness.
Now, while going through some papers here just now, I came upon this little note I’d taken from an article of the June issue of In Touch Magazine. It’s simple, but it says a whole lot. ‘The way you live your life everyday is a picture of your soul.’
Now that sounds like gospel truth to me! Why? Because we generally live our lives the same way everyday, and thus they are true reflections of how we feel, think and behave.
And to expand on that, I’m saying that we should therefore live everyday of our lives as though everything matters. We should try to make a difference, a positive one that is, and stop focusing on ourselves, and our little, insular worlds.
As believers we ought to live lives of excellence, lives of significance that impact positively in, and on the lives of others. Then and only then, will we be showing the LOVE and true discipleship that Jesus desires of His followers.
Now here’s our Bit: ‘There shall no strange (foreign) god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.’
Oh Friends, that verse comes from Psalm 81, where the psalmist Asaph is writing of God’s goodness and the Israelites waywardness. But in fact it’s the very first commandment the Lord gave His people when He brought them out of bondage in Egypt way back in time.
‘And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ (Ex.20:1-3)
Oh my brethren, those words are self-explanatory, simple and to the point, as are most of the words of our great God! That meant the Israelites were entering into an exclusive covenant with Yahweh, the One, True God.
But as we all know, they were a rebellious and stubborn people and did not keep the covenant for very long. In fact they reneged on it several times during their long, stormy and catastrophic history.
This led the psalmist to write of God. ‘But my people would not hearken (heed, listen) to my voice; and Israel would (have) none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts lust (stubbornness): and they walked in their own counsels.’ (Ps.81:11-12)
Ah Friends, there’s a direct connection and relationship between the Israelites turning away from God, and our present behaviour, for we are doing the very same thing. We’re refusing to walk in covenant with God, and instead are taking Him out of lives; schools, public places and even homes, as quickly as we can.
And like the Israelites, the Lord has allowed us to walk in our own counsel. Hence the negative results, just like it befell the Israelites, EVERY TIME they turned away from the God of their forefathers.
I don’t have to paint a picture for you of the wars and rumours of war, of the strife, greed, anger foolish pride and idolatry that’s engulfing, no sorry, that’s already engulfed our ungodly world. And it’s getting worse everyday my friends. Everyday we’re sinking ever deeper into the bottomless morass of sin and ungodliness.
That brings to mind the psalmist’s writing, re God’s response. ‘Oh that my people had hearkened unto (listened to) me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their enemies…. He should (would) have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should (would) I have satisfied them.’ (Ps.81:13-14,16)
Oh my people, our wonderful God is mouthing the same mournful lament today, as He sadly sees us wallowing in the mire of wickedness as put forward by Lucifer. But He’s also willing and able to help us. However, we need to first turn back to him in sincere repentance and start living obedient to His dictates.
The Israelites belatedly realized this, but they were smart enough to turn back to Yahweh when it finally dawned on them. And in accordance with His covenant their society prospered. But again, that holding on to the covenant only lasted as long as it took for them to become prosperous, and they then forgot who made them so.
We’re guilty of the same stupid crime today my people. Some years ago, when times were really tough, a majority of society worshipped the Lord God Jehovah, and eventually the land prospered. But then, as is our sinful nature, we got fat, lazy and complacent and forgot who brought us to the dance.
We began believing that it was our own hands that had brought us the prosperity. So the Lord left us to our own foolish ways. Now every thing is falling down, coming apart at the seams, because there’s no single, uniform authority, namely Almighty God, to hold it together.
Oh Friends, when are we going to learn that our omnipotent God controls the entire universe and all that happens in it eh?
Listen to what He said long ago through the prophet Isaiah. ‘I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed (proclaimed), when there was no strange (foreign) god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Yes, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let (reverse) it?’ (Is.43:11-13)
Yes mih breddren, the Lord’s omnipotence rules over His universe, and just like the Israelites, we are witnesses to it, especially with the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We’ve seen what Jehovah can do, so why are we so foolishly turning away from Him only to suffer the pangs of want and deprivation, when we could be comfortably enjoying peace and prosperity under the protective umbrella of His LOVING-kindness?
It makes no sense Friends, especially when history has a whole lot of societies buried in His dust, when they got too big for their ‘britches.’
So let’s be wise nuh mih breddren, and start turning back to Almighty God. That’s provided we want to see our topsy-turvy, troubled world stable and prosperous again. Now that’s certainly wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
… what is history eh….history provides a record of the past…to light the way of the future…but this foolish generation refuses to see the light of the future…Jesus…
04 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: absolute truth, active, affliction, ambassadors, assorted obstacles, beautiful earth, believers in Christ, bow to God's will, breathing, bumps, children of the living God, christianity, confidently declares, daily pilgrimage, dead, deity, disobedience, disquiet, distraught, doubt, empowering, eternity, everlasting king, faith, faults and frailties, fear, glorious day, God of Abraham, God's presence, greetings, hearts and souls, holy spirit, hope in God, idols, immobile, inanimate, indignation, intense longing, intense longing for God, Isaac and Jacob, Jehovah, joy of the Holy Ghost, joyfully receiving the faith, living, living truth, long and winding road, LOVE, Love the Lord, magnify God's Holy Name, meaningless, one true God, pagan gods, persecution, pilgrim feast, potholes, pour out my soul, praise God, psalm 42, relationship with god, religion, resounded, salutations, saviour jesus christ, son jesus christ, sons of Korah, souls thirsty for God, strengths and weaknesses, tears, thank God, the earth shall tremble, the living God, theology, troubled souls, true purpose, voice of joy and praise, where is God, wisdom, worship, worthwhile messengers, wrath
Psalm 42:2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Greetings and salutations my fellow believers in Christ! Our daily pilgrimage has begun, so let’s take a few moments and thank our wonderful God for so ably providing and equipping us with all we need to successfully traverse the long, dusty and winding road that we face today.
Please pray with me. ‘Oh Lord, we thank You for so graciously allowing us to see another glorious day on this beautiful earth. We know that there will be bumps, potholes and an assortment of obstacles along the way, but we’re not worried, for You’ve promised to safely lead and guide all who bow to Your will and accept Your Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
We ask You now to fulfill that promise through the Holy Spirit working in our lives, so that we can be worthwhile messengers and ambassadors of Your Word. We LOVE You Lord, and will do our best to magnify Your Holy Name. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.’
Yeh mih people, without the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob involved in our affairs, our lives would be completely meaningless and without true purpose. No wonder in this Maschil, this contemplation of the sons of Korah, Psalm 42, a longing for, or rather an intense longing for God is prevalent in their hearts and souls.
Our Bit says it nicely: ‘My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’
And as we said yesterday Friends, that’s a very good question, one I guess that each believer has to work through and answer for him or herself, according to their individual relationship with Almighty God.
The psalmist is so distraught over his situation that he sadly continues: ‘My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast) (Ps.42:3-4)
Oh Friends, are we undergoing such soul-troubled problems today? Are we like the psalmist asking: ‘Why art thou cast (bowed) down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me?’ (Ps.42:5a)
Now if we are, then we can assuredly answer that question with the psalmist’s response. ‘Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps.42:5b)
And that my brethren is the living truth, because we’re dealing with a LIVING God, who knows all, sees all, and can do all! He knows our strengths and weaknesses, our faults and frailties even better than we do. That’s why it pays to worship Him, and not some pagan god or idol created by man’s hands, supposed gods, but which are all dead and immobile; can’t hear, can’t talk, or even move.
Meanwhile, the ONE TRUE GOD, JEHOVAH, is living and breathing, active and empowering in the lives of His believers, and will continue to do so until eternity!
Now let’s check out some scriptures that prove our point. Listen to Jeremiah as he weighs in on the subject of God and idols.
‘But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.’ (Jer.10:10-11)
Absolute truth Friends, absolute truth!
Meanwhile, in speaking to the Roman church, re the Jew and the Gospel, Bruh Paul confidently declares: ‘And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children (sons) of the living God.’ (Rom.9:26)
There Bruh Paul is quoting the Old Testament prophet Hosea 1:10. Yes Friends, even way back then, all the true signs pointed directly towards the ONE and ONLY LIVING GOD!
Now hear bruh Paul in his greeting and commendation to the Thessalonians. ‘And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: so that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything.
For they themselves show of us (declare) what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.’ (1 Thess.1:6-10)
Yes my brethren, the Thessalonians accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour despite persecution, and they found it so true and meaningful that their faith rang out loudly, resounded everywhere! They were worthwhile examples of joyfully receiving the faith in spite of persecution, then sharing their faith with others.
Oh that we could be such great examples my people!
But what more do we need to keep us sincerely following Almighty God eh? It is very clear from His Word, that since day one, He was the only real Deity in the universe, and he had only the best interest of His people, His children, His creation at heart. For despite our constant disobedience, He’s always made and/or shown us a way to come to Him when we’re serious and ready.
So why don’t we get truly serious and ready to day eh, right now, mih breddren! Let’s cast aside all doubt, fear and disquiet, and instead be confident and positive like the psalmist, and loudly declare: ‘Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health (help, lit. salvation) of my countenance, and my God.’ (Ps.42:11b)
That’s indisputable wisdom Friends, since there is no other living God to turn to! Much LOVE!
…it’s so foolish and illogical to worship and pray to dead, inanimate objects…when a truly living, omnipotent and ever-LOVING Deity exists…
03 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dry and thirsty land, a longing for God, appear before God, back to work, christianity, commandments, common sense, control of the universe, deer pants for the brooks, depressing news, dr robert h schuller, ever-LOVING God, extol, four seasons, freedom, frivolity, fun, get aquainted with God, God alone can satisfy our thirst, God satisfies the thirsty soul, Hour of Power, improve our standing, intense longing for God, Jesus Christ, joy, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, man's fault, meditate on God's words, my flesh longs for God, my soul pants for God, my soul's thirsty for God, northern climes, partition in our souls, partition reserved for God, peace, permeate our being, planet earth, polluting the atmosphere, ponder God's work, positive stuff, power, Prayer for Success, pressure, religion, running from enemies, sad state of our world, school, schools reopen, scriptures, shedding of leaves, sojourn in the wilderness, spirituality, spring summer autumn, summer, the living God, thou art my God, trees turning brown, true peace, truly find God, undeniable fact, vacation, wealth, what I am, what I do, wisdom, work, work of God, zenith
Psalm 42:2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Well mih Friends, all the summer frivolity is now ended in the north country! That’s so sad! (smile) Schools will reopen today, and many adults who have been on vacation will also go back to work, having closed up the cottages for another year.
And though the summer wasn’t as hot and sunny as it usually is, it’s way, way better than what we’re about to receive. Would you believe that it’s only the third day of September and trees are already turning brown and shedding their leaves?
Ah Lord eh! But that’s what we bargained for when we decided to live in the northern climes. The Lord promised us four general seasons, spring, summer, autumn and fall, but He didn’t say exactly how long they’d be, or what temps we’d have on what days.
All that we have are man’s approximation. So if the leaves begin falling at the start of September rather than at the end, around the 22nd, when we audaciously declare that autumn begins, then that’s our problem.
The Lord God Jehovah is still in control of His universe, although I believe that the divergence between what should be and what actually happens is basically man’s fault, due to his polluting the atmosphere and thus setting the finely tuned work of God awry.
And having given us that somewhat depressing news (smile), here is some positive, uplifting stuff. It’s a Prayer for Success from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. I don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but even if I have, it’s certainly worth sharing again.
So let’s pray together for success this Tuesday morning, when our lives will get busier and change from much fun and freedom to much school and work.
As one voice now: ‘As I become a success with your help, Lord, let me never forget that what I am is more important than what I do. Faith stimulates success. Hope sustains success. LOVE sanctifies success. So I cannot and I dare not succeed without your power, peace, and pressure in my life, Jesus Christ. Amen.’
And again my true believers in Christ, we say a loud and lusty, ‘Amen!’
Now all of that just fits nicely with our Bit: ‘My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’
Now that’s certainly a good question my people! And it’s certainly how we ought to feel! A longing for God, just dying to get acquainted with Him and His ways should permeate our very being.
Please note how the psalmist begins the psalm. ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.’ (Ps.42:1)
Oh Friends, do we pant after God, do we have that intense longing for our Creator as Psalm 42 is superscripted? And do we say, as the author of Psalm 119 says: ‘I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.’ (Ps.119:131)
I surely do hope so, although from the physical evidence reflected by the sad state of our world, it’s obvious that enough of us feel that way, otherwise planet earth would be in much better shape.
But let’s look now at some scriptures that also extol the longing for God, starting with Psalm 63, God satisfies the thirsty soul, penned by Bruh David during his sojourn in the wilderness of Judah, while running from his enemies.
‘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 no water is;’ (Ps.63:1)
Yes Friends, whenever we find ourselves in a dry and thirsty situation, be it physical, spiritual or emotional, the correct place and first person to run to is our ever-LOVING God, for He ALONE can satisfy our thirst!
Meanwhile, Psalm 84, a psalm of the sons of Korah, confidently proclaims: ‘How amiable are thy tabernacles (lovely are thy dwellings), O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.’ (Ps.84:1-2)
Oh Friends, I couldn’t put it any better or simpler! To be a longing for God is just how and why we were created!
That’s why none of us are ever fully satisfied with the mere wealth and things of the world, regardless of how much we have, but can be satisfied with little or nothing, if we truly find God.
We never find true peace, wealth and joy until that little space, that small partition in our souls that God reserved for Himself, has been filled with a sincere longing for the Almighty.
And that’s an undeniable fact my people! Check out all the rich and famous and powerful, and you’ll find very few are truly happy, unless that part of their souls reserved for God is filled with Him.
And we’ll end with some true and stellar words of Bruh David, when he was again beset by enemies. ‘I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse (ponder) on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.’ (Ps.143:5-6)
Yes my brethren, let’s muse, let’s ponder on that today nuh! Let’s see how we personally shape up on the matter of longing for, of panting after God. Then let’s make and take the necessary actions to improve our standing in so important a matter. For that’s undeniably wisdom and common sense at their zeniths! Much LOVE!
…if there’s NO longing in our souls for God…then there’s NO God in our souls…
02 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24/7 society, all ends of the earth, anxious, aura of love, battle hymn, bitter days, bombarded, buffeted, clear as day, confidence, contented, continue fighting, corrupt governments, days of slavery, deaths, don't glory in riches, don't glory in strength, don't glory in wisdom, drunk or sober, economic slavery, enthusiasm, ever increasing profits, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear, feudalism, fights, forefathers, freedom, further your glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, glory in the Lord, Granny's advice, hard fought victories, hard won rights, heritage, hold water, holy spirit, human animal, humble servants, in these things I delight, indentured servants, indifference, Jesus Christ, jobs, justice, justified, Labour Day, labour struggles, learn our history, lies, lord god almighty, loving kindness, mind yuh business, Monday Morning, nature of the human animal, no weapon, omnipotent god, owners of capital, poor getting poorer, praise, Praise the Lord, read and spell, rejuvenation of spirit, remuneration, renewed vitality, rich getting richer, righteousness., rise against, sally forth, salvation, satiated, saved, seed of Israel, servants of the lord, shall prosper, shame, slavery, sloth, solidarity, spiritual armour, standard of living, steadfast faith, struggle, take for granted, the word is gone out of my mouth, true wisdom, truth, useful purpose, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, worker's rights, world problems, worthwhile inroads
Isaiah 54:17. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday… And a raucous shout of joy rises up. ‘Yeah! Labour Day Monday to boot, which means we don’t have to go to work! Glory Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!’
Yes Friends, it is indeed Labour Day Monday, and many of us don’t have to go out and face the common grind and daily task. But I wonder how many of us ever take the time to reflect and contemplate on how this Labour Day holiday came about? How many of us moreover take the time to look up the chronicles of the serious struggles, fights and deaths that our forefathers suffered to win the rights of workers now enshrined in our society, and which we so casually take for granted?
It didn’t just come about like that nuh. It wasn’t granted out of the goodness of the hearts of the owners of capital. It was a long and hard fought struggle; much blood flowed and many lives were given up for it, from the bitter days of slavery and feudalism, to indentured servants and finally some freedom and worker’s rights that we now enjoy.
But it’s the nature of the human animal to get lazy, contented and satiated after fiercely struggling for something, be it material, spiritual or emotional. Having won it, we then tend to think that’s all there is to the struggle, and we get too comfortable, thus allowing our hard fought victories to slip away through sloth and indifference.
And sadly Friends, that is exactly what’s happening in our society today. Most of us have become so comfortable, we figure nothing or no one can take away our hard won rights. But that’s obviously not true, for if we look around at our societies, our economies and our general standard of living, we’ll see that they all are falling. Good, solid jobs are being lost by the thousands, while wages are being cut and rights inevitably infringed with the help of the corrupt, inept governments that we have elected.
Meanwhile the owners of capital are laughing all the way to the banks, which themselves are laughing all the way to wherever with their ever increasing profits. I don’t know of any company leader who’s worth around 400 times more remuneration than an ordinary worker. But that’s the current standard, and it’s only fulfilling the old adage of the rich getting richer, while the poor get poorer.
Just a word of warning my people. So please let’s get involved, learn our history and continue fighting for those rights that have made our society the best the world has ever seen, cause if we don’t, the greedy, conscience-less owners of capital will drive us right back to economic slavery, while they keep on living high on the backs of our labour.
Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in solidarity with those who have to go out and labour today in our modern 24/7 society. All together, in full voice 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 mih people, let’s hope that raises the adrenalin of our faith to levels where we don’t get too scared and anxious about our individual and world problems, for as true believers we do have the ever-faithful promises of our most omnipotent God to hold on to, as our Bit so admirably demonstrates. ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me.’
But as we said yesterday, the operative aspect of that promise is that we must be ‘servants of the Lord,’ otherwise the promise doesn’t hold water. Today though, we’re going to look at the part of our Bit that deals with righteousness, which it tells us comes from God.
Hear Jeremiah: ‘Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercises LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:23-24)
Oh Friends the Lord’s words are as clear as day; we should know, understand and only glory in Him!
Now listen to Isaiah as he revels in the subject. ‘Look (turn) unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear (take an oath).
Surely shall one say (He shall say to me), in the Lord I have righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed (angry) against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.’ (Is.45:22-25)
Oh Friends, once again the Lord is reading and spelling for us. If we can’t understand and obey, then I don’t know what else to say.
Enjoy your Labour Day, but please remember Granny’s advice, for Lucifer is on the serious prowl: ‘Son, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ Words of true wisdom my brethren! Let’s attain unto it nuh. Much LOVE!
…of a truth…salvation, righteousness and glory…are of the Lord…
01 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Ariel, awesome promises, calamity, children of Israel, chocked full of LOVE, Christ's work, christianity, Creator, dangerous times, deadly strife, departed mother, dilly-dally, disaster, disastrous happenings, disobedience, distresses, earthly pilgrimage, empty soul, evil times, fallacy, far from oppression, fear, future generations, God's everlasting LOVE, God's promises, heritage of the Lord's servants, hungry man, Jerusalem, lion of God, Lord God Jehovah, man's history, misery, mount Zion, multitude of nations, New Testament, night vision, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, null and void, Old Testament, out of context, pass muster, peaceful world, provider, pure foolishness, rally round the cross of Christ, religion, righteousness., servants of the lord, spiritual protection, spreading God's Word, strife, teach our children God's Word, terror, the great wars, theology, thirsty man, tumultuous times, turbulent times, walking obedient to God's will, worldly endeavours
Isaiah 54:17. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me.
Oh Friends, it seems like I owe my poor, departed mother another apology on this Sunday morning, the first day of September 2013. Not only did it take me almost two years to go and visit her, it seems that I was so taken up with T&T’s Independence celebrations yesterday, that I failed to mention it was also the second anniversary of her going to be with the Lord. I guess the ole fella’s simply showing his age and human frailty. (smile)
Thanks for reminding me Di, although as I told you, it wasn’t a complete forgetting, because the flowers on the altar at church today will be donated in her memory. And you know Mols sugar, that whatever nonsense or mistakes your Sonny Boy might make, he will NEVER forget you!
How could I eh, after the wonderful relationship we shared for sixty something years, especially since it was an experience chocked full of LOVE? For as Cousin Sol says in his Song, your banner over me was one of continuous LOVE! That’s not to say there weren’t some tumultuous times, but they were few and far between and never lasted very long.
And I’m not the only one who thinks that time is going by rather quickly, because everybody I tell that she’s been gone to Paradise for two years now can’t believe that it’s already been that long.
That’s why, my fellow believers, we can’t afford to dilly-dally with the work we’ve been commissioned to do for Christ here on earth, since we can be called home unexpectedly at any time. And what are we going to tell the Father when He asks why we didn’t do a better job eh, that we didn’t have enough time?
No Friends that’s not going to pass muster, because he’s going to turn back the clock and show us all the time we wasted being involved in sinful worldly endeavours, when we could have been spreading His Word.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me.’
Now a lot of us claim that promise, and so we should, but as with a lot of other scriptures, we take them out of context, and only use the parts that seem beneficial, while conveniently forgetting the other aspects. And in this particular promise, we always seem to leave out the very important proviso: ‘This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord…’
Yes Friends, if you’re not a servant of the Lord, then that promise is null and void! And furthermore, whatever righteousness we might have, doesn’t come from our own efforts, but from the Lord God Jehovah, our Creator and Provider. And having straightened that out, (smile) let’s look at some scriptures that fortify that, no, those awesome promises, because we’re promised physical, vocal and spiritual protection with righteousness.
Wow! And people still refuse to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! How unwise and foolish!
Isaiah himself tells us, re Ariel (Jerusalem; lit- lion of God) and her enemies, that though the Lord distresses Jerusalem, yet in the end: ‘And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel (Jerusalem), even all that fight against her and her munition (fortress), and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.
It shall even be as when a hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite (still craves): so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.’ (Is.29:7-8)
And just before our Bit, Isaiah trills thus to God’s everlasting LOVE for the children of Israel, and those who follow His commandments. ‘And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument (weapon) for his work; and I have created the waster (destroyer) to destroy.’ (Is.54:13 -16)
So my people, there’s nothing to fear if we are walking obedient to God’s will, for as we’ve seen, He has promised on several occasions to protect us from our enemies when we so do. But unfortunately in these evil, turbulent and dangerous times, we have forsaken our God, have not even taught our children His Word. So what else can we expect but disaster, calamity and misery eh?
I don’t know if there’s ever been a time in man’s history, even during the two great wars, where mankind has been engaged in warfare on so many fronts at the same time. The scale of fighting might not be as large as in the two world wars, but we have many more nations inflamed in both external and internal strife. It’s possibly easier to pick out the few nations that are not involved in some kind of deadly strife.
Oh Friends, when are we ever going to learn eh? The Most High God created us, and though He’s given us freedom of choice, He still retains overall control. And He has continually warned us to keep His commandments, to serve and worship Him in sincerity and truth, while also providing glaring examples of the disastrous happenings disobedience can bring.
So it’s up to us now Friends to rally round the cross of Christ and try to drum some sense into the hard, stubborn minds of our fellowman. That is if we want our children and future generations to live in a somewhat peaceful world.
And in closing, I know that some people try to knock the Old Testament, saying it’s out of date and of no use now. But my brethren, that’s a fallacy, pure foolishness, because the Old Testament is the setting, the foreshadowing, for fulfillment by the New Testament. And throughout the New Testament you’ll find Jesus and all the disciples and apostles quoting important scripture from the Old Testament.
So please don’t listen to anyone who tells you that nonsense! You can’t properly understand the New until you understand the Old, just like you cannot tell where you’re going, until you know where you’ve come from. Much LOVE!
…our earthly pilgrimage may be rough and rocky…but if we concentrate on walking with God…then though we occasionally stumble…we’ll never fall…that’s the Lord’s faithful promise…
31 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: colonial masters, day of freedom, servants of the lord, tea in china, weather forecaster
Isaiah 54:17. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.
Oh Friends, I won’t venture to say what kind of weather we can expect today, but I will say that yesterday’s contradictory forecasts turned out that the day time was hot and sunny, while the evening hours had some rain. So to some extent there was truth in both forecasts. (smile) I wouldn’t want a weather forecaster’s job now for all the tea in China! Aye mih old time West Indian breddren, you remember that one?
Anyway, today is Independence Day in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, better known as T&T, the home of sweet pan, kaiso, roti, doubles and limbo. Wouldn’t mind checking out some of all of them right now. (smile)
To tell the truth though, I was in the middle of my teenaged years, in High School, when the country received Independence from Great Britain in 1962, and I cannot remember what I did over that holiday period of great excitement and enthusiasm, but I do know that the festivities were plentiful.
There was also much talk about freedom from Colonial powers in the air, as the mother countries were beginning to relinquish their strangle holds on their former colonies. But everyone in T&T saw it as a day of freedom, freedom to assert ourselves as we saw fit.
However Friends, unfortunately, 51 years later, T&T, and for that matter most of the other countries who gained independence around that time, have all made a mess of the freedom they were granted back then. It seems that no one thought about the immense responsibility that freedom to govern oneself, or any kind of freedom confers on a freed man or nation. We were all apparently too concerned with severing the umbilical cord that bound us to our colonial masters.
And sadly now, T&T, despite its oil wealth is tottering economically, its crime and violence are world renowned, so too is its corruption, with inept governments ruling the roost for some time now, with too many people who don’t seem to care about what’s happening, once things are okay with them, and the Carnival mentality is just as strong as it’s always been.
But by the same token Friends, most of the world’s countries are being plagued by the same negative things, so T&T is not alone in its shortcomings. And say what yuh want, it is still one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with a mixture of beautiful women you won’t find anywhere else on God’s great earth, as well as festivals celebrating races, creeds and cultures from all over.
So All Hail T&T! You might be a bit down for the count right now, but you’re definitely not out. And I know for sure that we’re a very resilient people, a nation that can bounce back from adversity like no one else. So have a Happy 51st Independence Celebrations T&T!
And please do like the Wack 90.1 morning show theme song says; sincerely and reverently ask the Lord to stay His hand on T&T, if He has any further disasters to bring upon the country. And my people we all know that’s a very probable outcome if we’d only turn back to Almighty God and be obedient to His will, because He’s promised that in His Word, as evidenced by our Bit:
‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’
Yes my fellow believers, that’s one of the many promises that our ever-faithful God has given us. But the problem is that we need to show Him some faithfulness too. Many of His promises are conditional on our behaviour towards Him and His edicts. And that’s what we can’t seem to get through our thick skulls, so mesmerized and hypnotized as we are by Lucifer and the material and flimsy things of this evil, ungodly world.
And we have a good example of that in Isaiah 17, where Damascus and all those aligned with it, are prophesied to be destroyed because of their turning away from their God. Listen to the Good Book tell it. ‘At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made either the groves (incense altars) or the (wooden) images (of Asherah, a Canaanite god).
In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation. Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength (stronghold), therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips (set out foreign seedlings): In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.’ (Is.17:7-11)
Oh Friends, that’s a universal promise! And according to the scholars the prophecy was fulfilled when Damascus was destroyed by the Assyrians in 732 B.C and there was a big famine followed by the devastation of the land and deportation of the northern tribes by Sargon of Assyria in 722 B.C.
So isn’t it time we pay serious attention to the Lord’s promises, whether they’re for good or for evil? And coincidentally, Damascus and its allies are right now in a serious fight for survival. Shouldn’t that tell us something?
But then again our God is so marvellous and wonderful to those who worship Him in sincerity and truth. Here’s what he says at the end of the chapter. ‘Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not (no more). This is the portion of them that spoil (plunder) us, and the lot of them that rob us.’ (Is.17:12-14)
So Friends, the moral of the story is that it does pay to serve and worship the omnipotent and ONLY true God of the universe, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Please, let’s try our best to get our fellow man to follow that eternal wisdom nuh. It would do so much for our calamitous world right now. Much LOVE!
…if you don’t hear…you most certainly will feel…
30 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advantages, banner, believers, blazing fire, blessings, brotherly LOVE, christ-like attribute, christianity, commandments, conundrum, Cousin Sol, dangerous times, death, despised, dilly-dallying, dire enemies, disciples, discipleship of Christ, doing a good job, drunk or sober, exciting, extinguished, feelings and actions of LOVE, fellowship, fight a good fight, flames, floods, forgiveness, Friday, Friday chant, Friends in Christ, fun, further God's kingdom, generous help, heavenly Father, humble, hunger, impossible task, increase more and more, indwelling Holy Spirit, jealousy, jesus name, joyful shouts, Labour Day, labour day weekend, let it all hang out, liars, lies, LOVE, Love cannot be bought, love cannot be destroyed, LOVE FOR EACH OTHER, Love makes the world go round, LOVE one another, LOVE Walk, loving, loving kindness, mama yo, material things of the world, mercies, mind yuh business, modicum of circumspection, napping, opportunities, oppression, party down, party-hearty attitude, perennial warning, poverty, pre-eminent position, prevention, prowling, refreshed in body and soul, relaxation, religion, rest, right perspective, rudiments of brotherly love, selfish ways, sickness, special emphasis, spiritual armour, spirituality, strong as death, suffering, summer's day, tests of true knowledge, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the evil one, the grave, the LOVE of God, titivating, trolling, true disciples of Christ, true predator, truth, very vulnerable, walk as Jesus walked, weather forecasters, weather patterns, week of work, wiles, wise words
John 13:35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one for another.
Oh Friends, through the eternal LOVING-kindness of our heavenly Father, we’ve been granted another day on planet earth, with all its new mercies, blessings, and forgiveness! Wow!
And it plans to be either a bright, scorching hot summer’s day, or a hot rainy one, to kick off the last long summer weekend of this year, which culminates on Labour Day on Monday.
I’ve said that it could either be sunny or rainy because I’ve seen and heard forecasts for both types of weather. We definitely have to say some prayers for the poor weather forecasters yes, for their job was hard and unrewarding enough before, but now with the changing weather patterns that are devastating our world, it becomes an even more impossible task.
But Friends, be the day sunny or grey, it’s still Friday…
And that obviously brings forth joyful shouts from tired workers. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday again yes! We’ve been working hard all week, and with this long Labour Day weekend on tap… Mama yo! We going to party down the place like we crazy!’
Oh mih breddren, please take care, we can’t let it all hang out like that, for remember the evil one is out there prowling, just trolling for defenceless victims, like the true predator that he is. And it’s in these throw down, anything goes party times that he catches us napping and very vulnerable to his wiles and lies.
So here’s Granny’s perennial warning, that most of us don’t like because we feel it inhibits us, but which we certainly cannot afford to set aside. ‘Son, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ And that’s a most essential warning for this weekend my beautiful friends in Christ!
Now to tone down the party-hearty attitude somewhat, not to kill it completely, and thus get things in their right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant, with extra special emphasis for this long and dangerous Labour Day weekend.
All together 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, we definitely need to handle this weekend with a modicum of circumspection and prevention! And please, let’s wear our spiritual armour all the time! Don’t leave home without it! (smile) Because that’s the only way we can fight a good fight when the enemy calls us out to do battle.
And all that we do this day my people, please, pretty please, let’s do it with feelings and actions of LOVE nuh. For as Jesus tells us in our Bit: ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one for another.’
And I know that we all desperately want to be true disciples of Christ… but we aren’t ever going to be, if we’re not dealing in that wonderful emotion termed LOVE, the exciting, titivating and Christ-like attribute that makes the world go round.
Awright Friends, so I’m laying it on a bit thick, (smile) but isn’t that what LOVE is supposed be all about? But anyway, enough with the dilly-dallying, let’s get to the rest of the scriptures I promised yesterday.
And we’re going to begin with John, from his first epistle, re tests of true knowledge and LOVE, where he wisely declares: ‘And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the LOVE of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked.’ (1 John 2:3-6)
Yes Friends, that’s the conundrum many of us face. We claim to know Jesus, but we don’t keep His commandments, or walk as He walked here on earth, humble and LOVING, so therefore we’re liars and only fooling ourselves and each other.
And Bruh Paul had this to say to the Thessalonians: ‘But as touching brotherly LOVE ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to LOVE one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;’ (1 Thess.4:9-10)
He didn’t need to teach them the rudiments of brotherly LOVE, because Christ Himself, through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit plus hearing of the Word had taught them that. And furthermore they were doing a good job of showing it towards the believers throughout all Macedonia.
What Bruh Paul expected of them was that they continually increased in the showing of that brotherly LOVE!
AND MY PEOPLE, THE VERY SAME THING IS EXPECTED OF US TODAY!
Please note I put it in capitals and also highlighted it, because it’s very important that we understand the pre-eminent position that walking in LOVE plays in our discipleship of Christ, especially in these very trying and dangerous times.
And since we have many more advantages and opportunities than the Thessalonians had, why can’t we, or aren’t we doing a better job than them of showing brotherly LOVE eh? Why are so many millions of people still suffering sickness, poverty, hunger and oppression all over God’s great earth eh? Possibly because we’re still too caught up in the selfish ways and material things of the world.
But if that’s so, then Friends, we’re not doing what Jesus expects of us, we’re not showing that we’re His true disciples. In fact we’re being more His dire enemies, because we’re turning others away from Him by our selfish, worldly ways.
And we’ll end with some of Cousin Sol’s wise words from his Song. And though in this particular instance, it pertains more to romantic than brotherly LOVE, it truly shows the power of ALL and ANY kind of real LOVE. Listen up now my brethren.
‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for LOVE is strong as death; jealousy is cruel (hard, severe) as the grave: the coals (flames) thereof are coals (flames) of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench LOVE, neither can the floods drown it: if a man should give all the substance (wealth) of his house for LOVE, it would be utterly contemned (despised).’ (Song 8:6-7)
Now this is what the scholars have to say about those two verses: ‘These verses are clearly the climax of the story. The maiden describes in the most vivid terms the unquenchable nature of true LOVE: it cannot be destroyed by death or the grave; it burns like a blazing fire that cannot be extinguished; and it cannot be bought.’
And that my fellow believers in Christ is everlasting truth! True LOVE cannot be bought or extinguished!
Let’s ponder on that today nuh, and see if we can’t improve on our own LOVE-walk, because then, and only then, will we be true disciples of Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!
…and his banner over me was…LOVE… (Song 2:4b)
29 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: activates our minds, agape, appreciation, attention spans, attributes, benefits, Bible Study, bitterness, bosom, busy schedules, catalyst, civility, concern for others, dissension, disunity, emotional distance, essence of LOVE, essential elements, eternal truths, everlasting truth, evil doings, evil thoughts, faults, forgiving, Friends in Christ, fulfilling of the law, fun, god, gospel truth, great difference, Guide, harmful intents, hate, helping, holy spirit, information age, ingredients of life, Jesus Christ, joy, joy in hearts, lead, life is short, Little Flower Society, living in LOVE, lockstep with Jesus, long and short of the story, LOVE, Love does no harm, Love makes the world go round, LOVE one another, love starts at home, my disciples, nonsense, peace, positive change, read our Bible, regularity, religion, resentment, righteous life, saviour jesus christ, separation, serving, society's most important unit, sowing peace, spirituality, St. Therese, sustainability, talking lies, Thank the Lord, the family, thursday morning, true disciples, tumultuous world, turmoil, understanding, unfathomable negative waters, walk in LOVE, We can do all things through Christ, wisdom, wrong places
John 13:35. By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.
Well hello there my fine Friends in Christ! Unfortunately, this Thursday morning at the end of August, in the summer of the year 2013, the ole fella has nothing to say…
And immediately a great cry of joy rose up to heaven. ‘Wow! Is that really possible? But thank the Lord for it anyway!’ (smile)
Yes Friends, some of you will consider that rather fortunate, but as I keep reminding us, we can do any and all things with the help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So please remember this is not my word I’m writing about, but the Lord’s, so my not having anything personal to say is of no account, for the Lord’s Spirit will lead and guide me to what HE wants me to say.
Got all yuh eh! (smile) Oh Friends, life is so short, we need to have some occasional fun in it. And remember yesterday we spoke about mixing and matching the daily ingredients of life at our disposal? Well everyday we should endeavour to put useful ingredients like joy, peace and LOVE in the mix, because those things will benefit us the most in this already rough and trouble-filled life. No sense in making it harder than it already is.
But again, unfortunately that’s what a lot of us do to ourselves and consequently to those around us. We interject things like hate, resentment and other evil doings into our souls, which eventually flow from us to others. Now with stuff like that seething and raging in our spirits, how can we enjoy life eh? No way Jose!
Jesus says in our Bit that we ought to live in and by LOVE. ‘By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’
But sadly, for one reason or another, we seem to find that difficult to do on a regular, constant and sustained basis. But it’s that regularity and sustainability that truly makes it LOVE!
And furthermore, it’s even sadder when the place that LOVE should be the most evident and palpable, in the family, the smallest and most important unit of our society, that’s where it’s least evident these days.
Oh my brethren, too many families live in turmoil and hate, dissension and disunity, as well as emotional distance and separation in this information age!
And if the LOVE doesn’t begin at home, where it ought to, where else will it crop up eh? If all we take from home is resentment and bitterness, how will we find joy and LOVE? Obviously we’ll end up looking for them in all the wrong places, like so many of us are doing today, and thus find ourselves in even deeper, unfathomable, negative waters.
Now the LOVE that Jesus is talking about here is not the romantic, hugging and kissing thing, but what the Greeks term ‘agape.’ That’s simply being decent with and showing concern for others, helping and serving one another, forgiving each other’s faults, but also trying to live a righteous life, so that there won’t be too many faults to forgive.
Oh my brethren, if we could just treat each other with a little more civility and a modicum of appreciation, you wouldn’t believe the great difference and positive change that would bring about in our much too troubled and tumultuous world.
And here’s an interesting, but also very practical quote from St.Therese, the patron Saint of the Little Flower Society. She declares, that ‘To live by LOVE is to go through life sowing peace and joy in hearts.’
Oh Friends, that’s as gospel truth as we can get outside of the gospel! (smile) And that’s exactly what showing and living in LOVE should bring forth; joy and peace in your heart, as well as those with whom you interact. If we’re not providing things like joy and peace and righteousness in our hearts and those with whom we come into contact, then we’re NOT living in LOVE, and we’re not being true disciples of Christ!
That’s the long and short of the story my brethren. There’s no getting around it. Anything that truly bears the name of LOVE, MUST HAVE attributes like peace, joy, understanding, help, service and understanding emanating from its work! And if those essential elements are missing, then it’s NOT TRUE LOVE!
And now that we’ve understood the essence of LOVE, let’s look at some scriptures that fortify that reasoning… sorry, that fortify those eternal truths. (smile)
Hear Bruh Paul as he encourages the Roman church to walk in LOVE. ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom.13:10)
More gospel truth my brethren! For true LOVE doesn’t have wrong, harmful or evil intents and thoughts in its bosom or spirit.
And yuh know what Friends? I think we’ll end here for today, because I just looked at my notes and the rest of stuff I’d planned to say would definitely make it too long. And I don’t want to turn us off, since we have these busy schedules and short attention spans, and we also have to get in our own Bible Study time.
Now mih people, I surely hope that you’re doing your own reading of the Word and not just relying on the Bit. For how else would you know if I’m simply talking lies, nonsense, or the gospel truth eh?
So as I’ve being saying from day one, reading the Bit is great, because it gets you thinking, activates your mind, but in the long run it’s still only a catalyst for turning your mind to God. Therefore, it is still ESSENTIAL THAT EACH AND EVERY BELIEVER, READS HIS OR HER BIBLE, PREFERABLY EVERY DAY!
And Friends that is indeed the height of wisdom and the very kernel of everlasting truth!
Some of you must be wishing now that I had something to say at the beginning eh? (smile) But Friends, I’m just giving it to you as it should be. So until tomorrow, our great God in favour, please, let’s walk in lockstep with Jesus as best we can nuh, and that means walking in LOVE! Much LOVE!
…the song’s not wrong…for LOVE is truly…what makes the world go round
28 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an adventure, assurances, attributes, awesome promise, backbone, be of good courage, believers in Jesus, belly, bountiful promises, choices, chronic illnesses, common sense, complaining, courage, covenant, daily devotions, definite promise of Almighty God, depressing, differing days, don't be afraid, don't be dismayed, enthusiasm, ever-faithful, ever-LOVING God, evil world, faith, faithful God, generous, God has faithfully promised, God will not fail you, God will not forsake you, God's Law, godly answer, good courage, good success, groaning, Hallelujah, have success, Herculean task, ingredients of a day, Israelites, Joshua, joy, life, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, LOVE, meditate on God's law, mix and match, moaning, Moses, naysayers, negative day, never ending cycle, optimism, ordeal, patiently, personal example, positive energy, positive expectation, positive spin, praise, praise his holy name, problems, Promised Land, prosper, psalm 27, redemption, River Jordan, sacrificial act, sad, sincere communion with Jesus Christ, sincerity, sins, stand strong in the Lord, standing on God's promises, strength, strengthen your heart, survival, the cross at Calvary, the Lord, to the Lord in prayer, truth, unbelievers, ungodly world, wait in faith, wait on the Lord, walk in obedience to His will, we can do all things with Christ's help, wisdom
Psalm 27:14. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.
And here we stand once again Friends, in cold amongst the ingredients that it takes to make another day! Ingredients that according to their quantity, their mixing and matching, have the ability to produce anything along a continuum; from a very sad, depressing and negative day at one end, to one that’s full of joy, enthusiasm and positive energy at the other.
And the results we obtain, all depend on the amounts of each ingredient we use, and how we mix and match them. That’s why all of us have differing kinds of days.
Now here’s some sound advice on the subject, taken from the footnote of an old devotional, One More Day, Daily Devotions for People with Chronic Illnesses. And the advice is: ‘Life is an adventure of choices to be lived, not an ordeal to be survived. I choose optimism and joy.’
Yes my people, that’s the way it should be! Life was meant to be lived, not merely survived! So whatsoever ingredients we’re dealt today, let’s adjust the mix to bring us positive energy and joy in our spirits nuh. That’s only simple common sense.
Regardless of how difficult or hopeless things might seem, or even actually be, there’s always a way for us to put a positive spin on them. And that’s especially true for believers in Jesus Christ, seeing that we have all those beautiful and bountiful promises and assurances from our generous, ever-faithful and ever-LOVING God!
And when we add the greatest sacrificial act ever done in the history of this world, Christ’s redemption of our abominable sins by His death on the cross at Calvary, how can we not be joyful and full of positive energy eh?
And all God’s people gave out a deafening roar of ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name!’
Yes Friends, that’s the kind of response we need! So please, let’s not go about moaning and groaning and complaining today, though our entire world might seem to be crumbling around us. Let’s stand strong in the Lord, as He’s asked us to do.
Let’s show the unbelievers and naysayers, by personal example, why we’re true believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Today, and everyday, we need to do as Bruh David so wisely advises in our Bit: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’
Yes my brethren, after taking our problems to the Lord in prayer, we need to remain in patient and positive expectation for His godly answer. And I know that it oftimes takes a lot of courage, belly and backbone to do that sort of thing. But then again, as believers, we must remember that we can do all things through Christ’s help.
Yeh, it often feels like an ongoing, never ending cycle. We need courage and strength to deal with our problems. But that courage and strength can only come from close and sincere communion with Jesus Christ. And when we’re finally granted those attributes, we need to apply them to our problems. But having done that, the cycle begins again.
Ah Lord eh mih people! It might be rough, but there’s no need to be afraid, for our God has faithfully promised to look after us, once we walk obedient to His will. Now listen to this awesome promise God gave to the children of Israel, through Moses, when he anointed Joshua as his successor.
‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them (your enemies): 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 Friends, what an amazing promise! And while the Israelites walked sincerely with God, that promise was never broken. But here, to my mind, is one of God’s greatest promise moments in all of the Good Book. It was when He personally anointed Joshua.
Now listen to our heavenly Father, as He reassures and energizes Joshua, to whom He’s given the unenviable and Herculean task of taking the Israelites over the River Jordan into the Promised Land.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance (you shall give as a possession) the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success) withersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:5-9)
And all God’s people declared in loud voice: ‘Wow! What a mighty and faithful God we serve and worship!’
Indeed we do Friends, because God kept His Word as long as Joshua held up his half of the bargain. The same applies to us today my people. Those very words have been spoken over us by Jesus Christ, which means we’re in covenant with Him, and once we do our part, He will definitely do His. But it all depends on us, being strong and courageous and keeping His laws.
So let’s get ourselves together nuh, let’s seriously meditate on His Word, be strong and take heart from it, so that we can be prosperous and successful in this evil, ungodly world. That’s not a remote possibility Friends, but a sure and definite promise of Almighty God to all who serve and worship Him in truth and sincerity.
Now my people, that’s what is termed awesome wisdom! Let’s grab hold of it and hang on tightly nuh! Much LOVE!
…standing…standing…standing on the promises of God my Saviour…standing…standing…I’m standing on the promises of God…
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