04 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a means of restoring faith in you, be responsible and stay safe, bring backsliders back to your fold, brotherly LOVE, concerned about sin, Covid-19 virus, dead man-made idols, destruction unto them, embrace your love and compassion, Friday chant, giving thanks to his name, I am the Lord that is my name, introduce a new flock, Lenten season, let us offer the sacrifice of praise, living creations of Almighty God, LOVE, my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images, our sinful world can wake up, praising idols, return unto the Lord thy God, seeking the kingdom of God, show them the error of their ways, stand strong and steadfast, take away all iniquity, the fruit of our lips, they have fled from me, thou hast fallen by thy iniquity, use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee, we will render the calves of our lips, wise guidance, woe unto them
Isaiah 42:8. I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
So now it’s Friday…and our spirits are lifted because work will soon be done and the weekend will be open for fun and frolic. But please remember that we are now in the Lenten Season, which means we have cut down some on the fun and frolic, getting a li’l more serious about our life with Christ. Concentrating on opening up our true selves to Him, and getting to know Him better, through prayer, meditation, fasting and sincere brotherly LOVE.
In this time, we ought to be seriously concerned about the sin in our lives and truly seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness with a sense of purpose, so that we can be liberated by His awesome power and our worldly needs met through His divine intervention. Ah friends, if there’s ever a time when we need to seek God it’s in this season of Lent and the numerous problems facing us worldwide.
It recalls the words of the prophet Hosea when he entreated Israel to return to the Lord with these prophetic statements. ‘O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thy iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him. Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves (sacrifices) of our lips. Ashur (Assyria) shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say anymore to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.’ (Hos.14:1-3)
Oh my people, if we ever hope to improve our worldly condition, we ought to pay serious attention to the words of the prophet, because there’s no doubt that we have replicated Israel’s situation from way back then. We have turned away from God, foolishly worshipping the idols of our own hands and minds. Yes, our iniquity has completely overtaken us, like it had done to Israel, no wonder the sad and sorry state of confusion, strife and disaster we are now experiencing.
And the scholars offer this explanation of those verses above. ‘14: 1-3. Calves of our lips: The word calves (Heb. par, “a young bull or produce”) is best understood metaphorically, referring to the words that the lips produce – in this context praise to the Lord. The nation (of Israel) had used its lips to praise the idolatrous calves, now it will use its lips in praise to the Lord God.’
And that’s exactly what we have been doing for the last generation – praising idols, but it’s time now to turn back to the God of our forefathers, who is the Only One who can protect us and keep us save from the wiles and deceits of the enemy. He is the Only One who can provide grace and mercy to us, who are so badly in need of a gracious and merciful Father. Other created men and animals, or our dead self-created idols cannot save or help us; only the One who created us in the first place, can now provide sanctuary and solve our many serious problems.
And this other verse from Hosea re Israel’s rebellion also applies to our recent folly. ‘Woe unto them (Israel)! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.’ (Hos. 7:13)
Yes friends, although our good and ever-faithful God has redeemed us through the sacrificial blood of His Son Jesus, we have still turned away from Him and been blaspheming and lying on Him with such a fierceness that many others have also turned away from Him, and now it’s our concerted effort to remove Him completely from our society.
But as I keep saying, that’s a fool’s wisdom, for it will never happen, because the Lord will never give up His power and glory to any other. He’s said that quite clearly through the prophet Isaiah. ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is. 42:8)
That to me is quite plain and straightforward, but so many of us seem to believe otherwise, else we would not be trying to replace the Creator with dead graven images. However, this verse from the Book of Hebrews points us in the direction in which we ought to go if we truly need salvation. It says: ‘By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks (confessing to) his name.’ (Heb. 13:15)
Yes my brethren, it’s certainly time to turn back to our Creator and offer our prayers and praise to Him instead of the evil enemy who’s only bent on keeping us in his evil clutches, away from the grace and mercy of our heavenly Father. And the first step in that direction is always sincere prayer. So let’s go there right now nuh, through our Friday Chant and place our desires with confidence before the heavenly throne, knowing that sincere prayer will never be turned away by our Creator.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, please remember that we have to keep our promises, if we expect the Lord to keep His. Much LOVE!
…how can dead man-made idols…save living creations of Almighty God…it’s totally impossible…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
03 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a maturing affection for God and man, be reconciled with God the Father, bear good fruit, Christ sacrificed His sinless life for us, come unto me all ye that labour, conforming to God's will, curse, divine protection, faith, filled with the joy peace and love of Christ, follow after righteousness, for we brought nothing into this world, get close to Jesus, godliness, I am meek and lowly in heart, I will give you rest, in the midst of confusion, indwelling Holy Spirit, lay not up earthly treasures, lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, like white on rice, living for Jesus, LOVE, meekness, my yoke is easy and my burden light, negative word, patience, promotion, propser, rise from the dead, stay sane, succeed, take my yoke upon you, the great invitation, the only wise way to live, the ultimate way to live, Thursday Blessings, turbulent world, we can carry out nothing, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves break through and steal
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And a good morning to all you my wonderful Scrip-Bit friends and family out there in the many parts of this crazy and turbulent world! I do hope that your day is going well, that you are filled with the joy, peace and LOVE of Christ Jesus, for that is the ultimate way to live. But I know that’s not always easy because of our constantly changing circumstances, which tend to confuse and muddy the waters of this earthly life. (smile) However, if we want to stay sane and unruffled in the midst of the unprecedented confusion that’s going on around us, we have to get as close to Jesus as possible, and more importantly, stay as close to Him as possible, like white on rice. (smile)
Why is that you ask? Because it’s only when we are closely aligned with Him that we can successfully handle the trials and tribulations that surround us. Nothing, or no one else but Jesus can give us the confidence and the faithful promises of always walking beside us, of never leaving nor forsaking us, of their indwelling Holy Spirit leading and guiding and comforting us through all the hardships of our earthly journey.
Jesus Christ is the ONLY ONE who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross to pay for our sins, and who rose again from the grave, thus defeating death and its allies, and thereby giving us the magnificent opportunity to be reconciled with God the Father and rise also from the dead and live forever with Him! No one else can lay claim to such a miraculous feat! Now to me, that means Jesus is someone very worthy to be associated with, to live for…and even to die for!
And living for Christ is not that difficult if we truly consider it. Listen to how He puts it in His Great Invitation to all who would put their sincere trust in Him. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
Mama Mia! Can you find a better invitation than that anywhere in this world my brethren? Obviously not! And the good thing about it is that we know Jesus has the parts and the power to keep all the promises He makes! So why do we refuse to accept His marvellous invitation eh? Especially when we don’t have any better to turn to. Would you consider what Satan offers, better than Christ’s? Not on your life! Because all Satan has to offer is a bunch of lies, deceit, and fraud, with worldly stuff that rots and grows old.
Listen again, to how Jesus makes His case for hanging out with Him. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21) Yes friends, the treasures of this world are not worth losing our souls over, for they eventually rot and turn to dust, even when thieves steal them. (smile)
Furthermore, as Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (1 Tim. 6:7) Now that’s the gospel truth! We came with nothing and will leave with nothing! Even if they embalm you and put all your worldly wealth in a tomb like the Egyptian Pharaohs did, your spirit will float away to the next life and leave it all behind. So what’s the point of running down earthly wealth.
And the scholars provide a rather interesting explanation of that verse. They say: ‘Man enters the world at birth possessing nothing, in order to teach him that he will exit the world in the same manner – taking nothing with him. This is a divine means of showing man that since material wealth is relatively insignificant, he should pursue the important things mentioned in verse 11.’
Now what are those things you ask? Hear Bruh Paul spell them out. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (the LOVE of money, the root of all kinds of evil, the striving for material wealth and the resultant woes they bring); and follow after (pursue) righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.’ (1 Tim. 6:11) And those are the things which will cause us to store up treasures in heaven, as well as live a good and godly life down here on earth.
And the scholars explain those things as follows: ‘Righteousness is practical correctness, conforming to God’s will in one’s thinking and acting. Godliness is proper reverence for, and obedience to God. Faith is a trust in God that grows stronger. LOVE is a maturing affection for God and man. Patience is perseverance or steadfastness in life and service. Meekness is gentleness.’ And that’s the way we live for Jesus, in simple, practical and understandable terms!
Now tell me, is living for Satan in hate, sin, anger, evil, fraud, lies and deceit better than living for Jesus? No way! Especially when Jesus can also give you the worldly wealth without you having to sell your soul, like Satan requires. And whatever Jesus gives you will not diminish or disappear like whatever comes from his Satanic majesty!
And furthermore, does the evil enemy bestow on you any of these things we call our Thursday Blessings? That’s blessings we don’t deserve, but which Jesus oh so generously bestows on us so we can do His earthly work. Absolutely not! Now let’s declare them in strong voice so that they can take hold in our souls, bodies and spirits, and thus be manifested in our daily lives.
‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having said that, it’s now time for us to go out and let those blessings bear good fruit…some sixty, some a hundred-fold. Much LOVE!
…living for Jesus…is the only wise way to live life…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
02 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a peace beyond human comprehension, Ash Wednesday, bacchanal, be of good cheer, Carnival, evil doers, false gods, he trusteth in thee, i have overcome the world, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, intimate relationship with Christ, is still flowing through me, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, lean on God in total confidence, Lent, Lenten season, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, Mother Nature, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, not looking back at the past, Peace i leave with you, perfect peace, shalom, thank God, the breath of life, the Millennial kingdom, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the redemption song, thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, to a glorious future with Jesus, trust in God's promises, trust ye in the Lord for ever, Wednesday Wail, whose mind is stayed on thee
Isaiah 26:3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee, because he trusteth in thee.
Now is it ever bright and sunshiny this Ash Wednesday morning! We could not ask for anything better…well, perhaps no snow on the banks, (smile) although we expect some warmer temps and rain in the next couple of days, which hopefully will melt and wash most of it away. Brother, I’ve never seen such a confused mixture of snow and rain in a winter season yet. But if that’s the way Mother Nature chooses to behave these days, then there’s nothing much we can do, except grin and bear it.
Anyway, all the frolic, the carnival and bacchanal is done now, and it’s time to get serious about life and about Jesus. The Lenten Season is here, which means a time of praying, fasting, studying God’s word, being more generous and treating each other better! And I guess the Lord knew why He had me ask yesterday about the keeping of our New Year’s resolution, because all those things back there are an integral part of not only Lent, but also of getting closer, becoming involved in a deeper and more intimate relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And do we ever desperately need that in this ungodly, strife-filled, angry and greedy world! And I just saw a scripture that admirably describes our current plight. The prophet Isaiah said of his people Israel in his hymn of praise, a prophecy of the redemption song that will be sung in the Millennial Kingdom, when Christ finally comes to reign for a thousand years. ‘O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us, but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.’ (Is. 26:13)
And is that ever the gospel truth my people! We have allowed the evil and wicked idols and images to capture our lives and turn us away from the One and Only True God Jehovah! That’s why our lives and our world is in such a terrible mess. But as Isaiah continues: ‘They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore thou hast visited (punished) and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.’ (Is. 26:14)
Yes friends, the Lord is the process of destroying the false gods and evildoers. He began with the coming of Jesus, that first time two thousand years ago, where He was the first and only deity to die and rise from the grave, and live forever. And the Lord will continue that cleansing of evil from His world with the Second Coming of Christ. And though we might desire the evil and iniquity workers to be gone immediately, in God’s divine wisdom, He’s made it a long, drawn out process, and we can only do as He directs, and trust in His promises and faithfulness.
And to encourage his people, as well as subsequent believers, Isaiah, in the early part of his hymn of praise, also made this promise on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.’ (Is. 26:3-4)
Oh my fellow saints, the Lord God Jehovah is indeed our ‘Rock of Ages,’ upon whom we ought to place all our trust and faith, to whom we surrender ourselves completely, to live for His Son Jesus, so that we can be amongst those singing that redemption song in the Millennial Kingdom, helping to run it with Jesus.
And the scholars offer some interesting explanations of those verses. They say that ‘the emphatic expression in the promise of perfect peace (shalom), indicates a peace that goes beyond human comprehension (cf. Phil. 4:7). To have one’s mind…stayed means to lean on God in total confidence and security. Trust is the ultimate expression of that confidence. Notice that the object of one’s faith is as important as the act of trust. Here the object of faith is the Lord Jehovah.’
Yes my faithful brethren, it’s equally important not only that we trust, but also in whom we trust. And if we want to end up in the Millennial Kingdom and see that perfect peace, we need to trust in Jehovah God, and Him ONLY, because He is the ONLY ONE that can provide the shalom we all claim to seek.
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Bruh Paul as he spoke to the church at Philippi. ‘Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)
That says it all friends! If we need that perfect peace, that shalom, then the only way to get it is to believe in, surrender to, live for, and trust in Christ Jesus! Otherwise we will always be filled with doubt, distrust and turmoil. And there’s absolutely no doubt that right now we desperately need the peace of Jesus, that passeth all understanding, since none of us can really understand the myriad of sad and unbelievable things that are currently happening in our world. Let me say it once more: It’s only through belief and trust in Christ Jesus that we will ever find some semblance of true peace in this evil world.
And Jesus said it so clearly on two occasions during His earthly sojourn: The first one goes thus: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) So you clearly see that the peace found in Jesus Christ is not anything like the peace supposedly found in the world. It’s a spiritual kind of peace that operates at a much higher level than that of the world.
And in the second passage Jesus says: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now it’s up to us to believe that God is real and that His promises are faithful! And for those of us who believe that God is real, because we can feel Him deep in our soul, let’s go home joyfully declaring (yeah!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and confident voice. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And as always, we need to remember that if we endure to the end, that that future with Jesus will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…shalom…shalom…the perfect peace…that’s only found in Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
01 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: because I live ye shall live also, become more involved with Christ, Christ is the Good Shepherd, give God thanks, have life more abundantly, I am come that they might have life, I am the beloved of god, I will come to you, I will not leave you comfortless, if you love me keep my commandments, LOVE, make Christ our Number One priority, New Year's resolution, share His love with the world, sufferation, that I may know him, the Holy Spirit, the power of his resurrection, the thief comes only to steal and destroy, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra
John 14:15. If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.
Oh my people, please give our great and wonderful God much thanks and praise for getting us safely and successfully through Monday, the most difficult day of the week! That means the rest of the week will be easy, comparatively speaking. (smile) And don’t forget thanks also for allowing us to see a brand new day, Tuesday, and a brand new month, March. Can you believe that we’ve already gone through two months of this new and rather confusing and turbulent year of 2022?
The question that now remains to be asked is if we have kept pace with our New Year’s resolution, that of becoming more involved with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Christ, if He’s become a greater priority in our lives…in fact the NUMBER ONE PRIORITY! Yes friends, I hope the answer is a resounding ‘YES!’ That’s because until He becomes our very reason for living, we will never completely enjoy the abundant life that he died for us to have!
Now, we all know the definitive scripture found in John 10:10, where Jesus summarily declares: ‘The thief cometh not, but (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ And what does that mean eh? Simply what He says; that unlike the deceitful and destructive enemy, He came to earth to save us, both physically and spiritually, so that we could enjoy our earthly lives as well as look forward to one in eternity with Him.
But we need to believe Him and live exclusively for Him, be His sheep, His dedicated followers, because He is the Good Shepherd and looks after His sheep like no other shepherd, including dying for them. As He said later on: ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck (snatch) them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.’ (John 10:27-30)
Ah my people, like the scholars say, that gives us the divine ‘assurance that all believers will be utterly safe from any creature that might wish to destroy them.’ And does any other supposed god or deity give us such assurance eh? No way! How can they when they are dead idols and images? However, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ died on the cross at Calvary for us, then rose again from the dead to live forever, so that we also can live forever…if we live for Him.
Please note His words when He spoke to the disciples re His leaving and promised the coming of the Holy Spirit, our future Comforter. ‘I will not leave you comfortless (orphans): I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.’ ( John 14:18-20) Oh friends, further assurance that those who believe in Christ are safe and secure in Him, and Christ is safe and secure in the Father! Wow!
No wonder Bruh Paul could write to the church at Rome with overwhelming confidence: ‘For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:10-11) That is thoroughly logical. If we were reconciled to God by Christ’s death, then why shouldn’t we enjoy all that He is through His resurrected life? No reason whatsoever!
And in his second missive to the church at Corinth, Bruh Paul put it this way: ‘Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body…Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you…’ (2 Cor. 4:10, 14)
And he felt the need to be so much like Christ, that to the church at Philippi, he wrote: ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made comfortable unto his death.’ (Phil. 3:10) Now that is what you call real longing for Christ and to be like Him. And the scholars say that verse can be paraphrased thus: ‘In order that I may personally know Him, that I might both experience His resurrection power and share His sufferings, and thus I will be more conformed to His death.’
Oh my fellow saints, that’s what we all should be after! And I know that we don’t want to necessarily experience the sufferings of Christ, and most of us won’t experience the ‘sufferation’ He was forced to endure for our sake, but we can all enjoy the power of His resurrection if we stay faithful to Him. And if we do, He’s promised never to leave us alone, to send the Holy Spirit to comfort and lead and guide us, then, when the time is right, He will come back and take us unto Himself!
And one of the many the wonderful things about Jesus, is that He puts His requirements so simply and clearly. Listen to this one that truly covers everything. ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) Now how can it get any clearer or simpler than that eh mih bredrin? It just couldn’t! And that’s why those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Jesus can boldly and confidently go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one voice now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
So, let’s go out now and do just that nuh, share Jesus’ amazing LOVE and friendship with those who don’t Him, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him, like we do! Much LOVE!
…simply living for Jesus…that’s what this life is all about…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
28 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man hath joy by the answer of his mouth, a merciful forgiving gracious God, a modicum of peace joy and love, a timely and fitting word is precious, a word fitly spoken, a word spoken in due season, actions are expensive, actions work more forcibly on the mind, cheap talk, desire to make a dollar, divine help, expensive actions, fighting the elements, forgive us and heal our land, how good and how pleasant it is, how good is it!, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus is providing spirutal light, keep a roof over your head, like apples of gold in pictures of sliver, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our bounden duty, ranting and raving, sincere repentance in our hearts, spread of social media, talk is cheap, talkative generations, talked a lot but said nothing, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, traffic jams
Proverbs 25:11. A word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time) is like apples of gold in pictures (settings) of silver.
Oh friends, how good and how pleasant it is to awaken on a Monday morning to bright sunshine and dry ground, despite the cold temperatures. (smile) It’s hard enough to get oneself together to go back out to labour on a Monday morning after an energetic weekend. You don’t need to be fighting the elements as well as the traffic jams, in your desire to make a dollar, so you can keep a roof over your head and food on your table.
And since it’s physically bright and shiny and we also have Jesus with us providing His spiritual light, we ought to be in good humour and be excited to spread the good news of our Lord and Saviour to all we meet today. There’s no reason whatsoever for us to be afraid, embarrassed or ashamed of telling others about the wonderful life we now enjoy with Christ as our King, His indwelling Spirit as our Guide and Leader, all to the glory of God the Father! Praise His holy name my people!
And no, we don’t have to go ranting and raving about Jesus, but we must be careful how we introduce Him to others, since His name is very controversial in all the earth. And sometimes we even need to let our actions speak louder than our words. Somebody once said something to the effect that we should only use words when it’s absolutely necessary. And that’s true, if we can only bring ourselves to do it, since ‘actions work more forcibly on the mind than precepts.’ (smile)
That brings us to these apt words of wisdom from Cousin Sol in Proverbs, where he declares (chuh!!) ‘A word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time) is like apples of gold in pictures (settings) of silver.’ (Prov. 25:11) And is that ever the gospel truth my brethren! Timely words can be ever so important, encouraging and uplifting to one’s soul and spirit. The scholars put it thus: ‘A timely and fitting word is precious and pleasing.’
And that’s no lie! For we have all been receivers of timely and fitting words at some time in our lives, and have found them to be indeed precious and pleasing. Unfortunately though, this current age in which we are living, especially with the advent of and ferocious spread of social media, timely and fitting words are becoming ever fewer and further between, because we now can talk and share our unwanted and unnecessary opinions with much greater ease than ever before.
We no longer pick and choose our words, but just spout or tweet, or write whatever we feel with no compunction whatsoever to hold back or even think carefully about what we’re saying. So, our society has just become a cacophony of talk, a continuously loud, discordant noise, with everybody talking at the same time, but very few listening, or paying much attention. That’s just the way she goes today my people! We will certainly go down in history as the very first of the ever so talkative generations who talked a lot, but said nothing of much use.
And Cousin Sol felt the need for timely talk so much, that he said the same thing earlier on, though in a slightly different way. ‘A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season (at the right time), how good is it!’ (Prov. 15:23) It is very good my friends, no ifs, ands or buts about that! If only a handful of us would shut up for a moment, just stop talking about the things we know nothing about, our world would become a much quieter and more peaceful place.
Yes, it’s a lot of the foolish talk that’s currently going around which is stirring up the negative behaviour and thinking that’s ever so prevalent in our world right now. Oh, and don’t forget, we also need more talk and action about Jesus too! Less foolish and negative talk, and the increased spread of more information concerning Jesus! Wow! What a wonderful world we would then have! (smile) It’s true though my fellow saints. We all know that. If we sincerely live the way Jesus desires of us, we will have a modicum of peace, joy and LOVE in our world.
But since Satan’s currently running the show, evil and wrongdoing are on the upswing. However, we faithful believers need to try and tamp down Satan’s overwhelming presence by lifting up the name of Jesus. That’s our bounden duty! So please, let’s get serious about doing our duty nuh, as good soldiers and ambassadors of Christ, and if we want to provide a better world for our children and our descendants.
And the first step in any interaction with Christ is prayer. So, let’s go to the throne of grace with confidence, but humility, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and place our desires before Jehovah God, the Creator and Controller of the universe. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And now friends, it behooves us to be wise, to consider all that we’ve just promised, and put it all into positive action, so that our heavenly father can look down on us with pleasure and provide that divine grace and mercy we so badly need. Much LOVE!
…talk is cheap…but actions are expensive…and it’s time for Christians to increase their spending… on expensive actions…rather than cheap talk…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
27 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of life shall be, and Christ is Lord indeed, Carlene Davis, Christ's ambassadors, Dudley Atkins Tyng, fight to the death, fight us tooth and nail, freedom to worship, George Duffield Jr, God-given right, having done all to stand, let courage rise with danger, lift high his royal banner, live a life of sin, LOVE, put on the Gospel armour, sacrifice of praise, shall reign eternally, stand strong in the might of Christ, Stand up Stand up for Jesus, standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour, Standing on the promises of God, strength to strength oppose, take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, the arm of flesh will fail you, the breastplate of righteousness, the girdle of truth, the helmet of salvation, the king of glory, the next the victor's song, the power of prayer and perseverance, the principles of religious freedom, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the spiritual battle is real, the strife will not be long, the sword of the Spirit, the trumpet call obey, this day the noise of battle, till every foe is vanquished, to him that overcometh
Ephesians 6:13. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.
And it’s another Sunday morning, damp and cloudy, but nonetheless a blessed day because we are alive and able to worship our heavenly Father without too many problems, unlike some of our Christian family in other parts of the world. However my faithful brethren, our freedom to worship whom we please, where and when we please is in great danger of being taken away in the dictatorial times that seem to be currently upon us. But as true and faithful soldiers of Christ we cannot allow that to happen. It’s just inconceivable that in this Western world that was founded on the principles of religious freedom we will be denied that God-given right.
However, it’s up to us to stand up and fight to keep it. And if we refuse to do so, it will eventually be taken away from us. Please don’t fool yourself and think otherwise, for there’s a movement out there that basically fears Jehovah God and desperately wants to remove Him from our society, so they can worship their dead idols and live a life of sin and evil. But I say again; we cannot allow that to ever happen, because we are Christ’s ambassadors, agents, soldiers and representatives on this here earth, which He created and which He still controls, but He depends on us to keep things flowing smoothly.
Remember earlier on in the week we spoke about two people in Finland being criminally prosecuted for tweeting something from the Bible? That ought to be a serious wake up call for us friends, because if it can happen there, means it will soon be happening here…that is if we lie down and play dead and allow it. And that’s why today’s song in our worship is that awesome song of praise, encouragement and standing strong for Jesus, so aptly titled, ‘Stand Up Stand Up For Jesus!’ And that’s exactly what we need to do in these times of our faith being endangered.
So let’s sing a powerful, easy rocking Reggae version a la Jamaican gospel singer Carlene Davis. Altogether now, let our sweet sacrifice of praise rise to high heaven in all sincerity ad truth: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the cross; lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss: from vict’ry unto vict’ry his army he shall lead, ’til ev’ry foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; forth to the mighty conflict in this his glorious day: ye that are men now serve him against unnumbered foes; let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.
(Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.)
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in his strength alone; the arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own: put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with pray’r; where duty calls, or danger, be never wanting there. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; this day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song: to him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; he with the King of glory shall reign eternally.
(Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.)
Oh my fellow believers, in these trying and very threatening times that is what we are called to do as representatives of Christ: stand up strong and fight the evil enemy who wants to destroy His kingdom! And it’s interesting how the inspiration for this song came to its author George Duffield Jr. (1818-1888) the American Presbyterian Pastor. He claims that he was inspired by the words of his dying friend and fellow pastor Dudley A. Tyng, who had been ‘ousted from his own congregation for his strong anti-slavery stance.
Tyng preached to large crowds in weekday meetings sponsored by the YMCA. His work spearheaded an evangelical revival in Philadelphia early in 1858. At Tyng’s deathbed, caused by a farm accident in which he lost an arm, Duffield and others asked if he had any final message. Tyng replied, ‘Tell them to stand up for Jesus!” At Tyng’s memorial service on April 25, 1858, Duffield preached on Ephesians 6:14 and concluded his sermon by reading his new hymn text, “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.”
So you see friends, living sincerely for Christ, is, was, and will always be a battle, because the enemy, the ruler of this evil world does not want us to do so, and will fight us tooth and nail through every fraudulent and deceitful avenue possible. And it’s important to know that we’ve got the victory, but we still have to fight the spiritual battle, against the spiritual wickedness in high places and wherever the enemy has secluded his evil associates. That’s why Bruh Paul so strongly admonished us in that portion of Ephesians 6: ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.’ (Eph. 6:13)
We definitely cannot fight this spiritual battle without God’s spiritual armour, which we all know as the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, with the added power of prayer and perseverance. (Eph. 6:14-18) And when we have put on that marvellous armour, then we are required to STAND! To stand strong in the might of Christ!
And I want to end with this interesting quote that tells it like it is, don’t remember where I got it from though. (smile) ‘The challenge of “Stand Up for Jesus” is proclaimed through the military metaphors Paul uses in Ephesians 6:10-18. Although some decry the warlike imagery, the spiritual battle that Christians must fight is very real. Christ’s victory is assured even if we do not always move “from victory unto victory” in our earthly lives.’
Oh friends, please believe that there is a great spiritual battle taking place in all of our lives, against the Church of Christ and its members. Yes, Christ has indeed won the overall victory, but if we don’t put on our spiritual armour and stand up strong for Christ right now, then we are in danger of losing our battle in our time. And I don’t think we want to be looked upon as losers in Christ’s army. So let’s seriously and sincerely stand up and be counted nuh; that’s the wise and faithful thing to do. Much LOVE!
…all good soldiers are required to fight courageously…fight to the death…if need be…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
26 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a talkative society, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, being confident of this very thing, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, can't hang out with negative people, death and life are in the power of the tongue, delight thyself also in the Lord, enjoy the worldly delights, every idle word that men speak, expect to live a positive life, give God thanks for seeing another day, gospel truth, he shall give thee the desires of thine heart, he which began a good work in you, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, LOVE, our dreams intertwine with God's will, our number one purpose on earth, quotes from our friend Anselm, sleeping in eternity, social media platforms, talk from personal experience, the best days of your life are ahead, they shall give account of on judgment day, they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof, times are less than stellar, to give you an expected end, to glorify God's name, will perform it until the day of Jesus, with Jesus complications are manageable, you will catch fleas from a flea-ridden dog
Proverbs 18:21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Sunshine, lollipops and roses… Well one out of three isn’t bad on this cold winter Saturday morning. (smile) Yes friends, the snow has been cleared away and we’ve gone back to a cold, crisp sunshiny day to rest and laze about in. Please give our great, gracious and merciful God thanks for been able to see another wonderful day on His amazing planet earth!
Yes, times they are currently somewhat rough, but how many of us would really prefer to be sleeping in eternity right now eh? Not many of us, because there’s something about this earthly life that very few of us want to leave, though times are less than stellar. For some of us it might be fear of the unknown, while others just want to enjoy the worldly delights available, but whatever the reason, we are not quite ready to leave the confusion and troubles of this earth. (smile)
So having ascertained that fact, let’s turn to our Saturday routine; that of checking out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us to a better tomorrow. And the first quote tells us: ‘You cannot hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.’ Now that’s the gospel truth, and it ought to be simple logic for most of us. But unfortunately it isn’t, for many of us hang out with negative persons, their negative words and behaviour and don’t expect any of it to rub off on us.
That’s foolish my brethren! It’s like playing with a dog that has fleas and don’t expect some of the hardy and annoying critters to rub off on us. And I know that we can only bring the negative believers to Christ by interacting with them, but we have to be very careful that our positivity in Christ rubs off on them, and not their negativity rubs off on us.
That brings us to the next quote, which ties in with the one above. It says: ‘The more you talk about negative things in your life, the more you call them in. Speak victory, not defeat.’ Another statement of gospel truth my people! You can’t talk in one way, that’s negatively, and expect to receive something different, meaning positivity, for each breeds the same thing, not the other. As they say, you reap what you sow, you can’t plant peas and expect to reap corn. (smile) But that’s what a lot of us do. We have a negative reaction to life, but expect it to end up positively.
That will never happen friends, as this next quote explains: ‘You can change your world by changing your words… Remember, death and life are in the power of the tongue.’ More truth from God’s word! Cousin Sol said it very clearly. ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21) Yes my brethren, whatever words we speak we will only receive the fruit they bear. So, if our words are negative, then we will reap negativity, and if they are positive, we will reap positivity.
Please note that we are talking about a constant pattern of both kinds of activity, not just one or two instances, because we all have moments when we briefly touch on the other side. And even more importantly friends, not only shall our words have a serious effect on our earthly lives, but also on our eternal ones, for Jesus said it loud and clear. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37)
Oh my people, that ought to put the fear of God in our hearts, especially in these times when idle talk rules in our society. The social media platforms and the great advances in, and interconnectivity of telecommunications has given rise to an inordinately talkative society, where we can speak about what we don’t know, and even do it anonymously. So, if we are wise, we’d better begin thinking about what we say now, since our words will count against us come the judgement day.
Meanwhile, the next quote also offers words of wisdom, as it advises us thus: ‘Why don’t you start believing that no matter what you have or haven’t done, that your best days are still out in front of you….’ It’s just another way of saying think positively and believe that with God’s help you can always rise up higher in your walk with Him. And we are only going to quote a couple of scriptures in support of that argument.
First up is one we all know but fail to put into action, the words of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah, where he declares: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11)
And what about this other verse from Bruh Paul’s missive to the church at Philippi? ‘Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Yes friends, the Lord will continue working His good work in believers until Jesus Christ returns to earth, meaning that our security is eternally assured, so there’s no need to fear that you will go backward instead of forward with Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
And the last quote directs us to ‘Do all you can to make your dreams come true.’ Now that sounds good and true, and Bruh David enshrined it in scripture in this memorable verse: ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps. 37:4) However, as a believer in Christ Jesus, we must be careful that our dreams intertwine with His divine will, otherwise they won’t come true. The Lord, the devil, or we might put desires in our hearts, but only the ones that fall within the will of God will come true.
And I can talk from personal experience here, because I’ve tried a lot of things, dreams that I believe He’d put in my heart. And although He allowed me to get involved in all of them, and I had some success, they never were as successful as I desired, because they were not really His will for my life. So, I eventually had to give them up for one reason of another. And to prove my point, writing this Scrip-Bit was never my idea, not even one that I thought I could accomplish, and laughed when He proposed it. But it was obviously in His will, for with His faithful help, I’ve been doing it successfully now for fifteen years.
That says it all! But don’t worry, I still have several other dreams that I’m working on, other desires of my heart that I believe He’s put there, (smile) and hopefully those will fit in nicely with His will, and we will eventually accomplish them…with His divine help of course! So please, let’s not jump around willy nilly thinking that every desire of our heart will be fulfilled, but let’s concentrate on finding those that fall into God’s will for our lives, so that He can raise us up and glorify His holy name. Remember, that’s our number one purpose on this earth. Much LOVE!
…life is certainly complicated…but with Christ in our hearts…the complications are certainly manageable…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
25 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a harbinger of times to come, a vexing and worrisome situation, a white winter wonderland, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, be responisble, bring backsliders back to your fold, Christian faith, facing jail time for tweet, fight tooth and nail, freedom of speech, Friday chant, I have finished my course, I have fought a good fight, introduce a new flock, LOVE, marching as to war, omnipotent help, Onward Christian soldiers, our sinful world, re LGBTQ issues in finland, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Bible doesn't trump Finnish law, the two bulwarks our society was founded on, thou therefore endure hardness, time to stand up and fight for Christianity, time to walk our talk, tweeted out a Bible verse from Romans, wake up and smell the coffee, wise guidance, with the cross of jesus going on before
2 Timothy 2:3. Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Oh friends, it’s Friday; the last day of the workweek, or as some like to say, the start of the weekend and shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But I wonder how many of us shouted that this morning when we awoke to a white, winter wonderland and had to drive through it to work? (smile)
Yesterday, we were exulting a dry, sunshiny day with no precipitation whatsoever, but during the night the white stuff precipitated, and it’s still precipitating right now! (smile) The weather report says -11degrees Celsius with some snow showers. And this is one of the few times they don’t seem to be wrong.
But yuh know what mih people, if snow was our biggest problem that would be quite all right, but I heard about a very vexing and worrisome situation yesterday, which seems like a harbinger of times to come. It’s been said that a female member of the Finnish Parliament tweeted out a Bible verse from the Book of Romans talking about the LGBTQ issues in Finland and now is supposedly facing charges that can bring up to two years of jail time.
That’s not all though. Apparently, a Bishop did the same thing, and now he is also facing up to two years of jail time. The Prosecutor it seems says that the Bible doesn’t trump Finnish law, and you can keep your Bible, but you just can’t say that you agree with it.
Now my fellow believers that’s certainly madness, and if it’s in Finland, a supposed Western democracy and a place of supposed free speech and disagreements, don’t think it won’t soon get to us on this side of the ocean. The Bible, our faith, is literally on trial here, and we can’t allow that to happen, otherwise all that Jesus and our forefathers suffered and died for would have become a total waste! We simply cannot allow that to happen!
The embarrassing and unfair thing with these fringe groups who talk so much about their own rights being subjugated, is that when they get their rights acknowledged, they quickly forget where they came from, turn and begin to subjugate the rights of others, behaving as though their platform is the only correct one, and brook no disagreement with it. They begin doing the same thing they had earlier accused others of doing to them.
Furthermore, it seems they are saying in Finland that the word ‘sin’ can be harmful, and therefore illegal! Imagine that nuh, you can’t talk publicly about the Bible, or sin, which we all commit, but can ramble on about and blatantly commit all the things the Bible tells us are wrong, are sinful.
My fellow believers, it’s time we throw off our mantle of laxity, of laziness, of compromise and get serious about our faith, because such a situation most definitely threatens the very foundation of our Christian faith, of freedom of speech, the two bulwarks that Western Society were founded on!
Yesterday, I believe we talked about others in Eastern lands being persecuted for their faith and having to hide and secretly practice it, well, look at what’s soon coming to us at the nearest theatre nuh; the very same thing…that is unless we get up and seriously fight tooth and nail for our freedom of speech and freedom to worship the One and Only true God Jehovah.
And as mentioned in the clip that I saw, one Holocaust survivor said that the worst crime leading up to the Holocaust was SILENCE! And that’s a fact friends, for when anything negative is happening and a lot of us keep silent, we only embolden the perpetrators.
Now this a fight for our very way of life, our Christian faith, for the right to worship Jesus Christ in our own land, are we going to stay silent and let it happen without a serious fight? I certainly hope not! It’s time we put on our spiritual armour and with sincere prayer stand up and face the enemy mano-a-mano. There’s absolutely no room for backing down or compromise on this situation my faithful brethren.
We all talk a good talk about standing up for God, well this is the time for us to walk that talk! As Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Tim. 2:3) Time to do like Bruh Paul did, so we can later say: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith:’ (2 Tim. 4:7)
Yes friends, it’s time we live up to the song we so LOVE to sing: ‘Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus, going on before. Christ the royal Master, Leads against the foe; Forward into battle, See His banners go. At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee; On, then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!’
The time has finally come my people, for us to put up, or shut up, there’s no more room to run from our problems. So, let’s begin by doing what we ought to do, go to the Lord in prayer, through our Friday Chant, and ask for His divine assistance in these turbulent times. As one confident but humble voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, let’s set about being the faithful believers we claim to be. Much LOVE!
…Christ, fought, suffered and died to get His church going…now it’s time for us to do the same…to keep it going…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
24 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a name which is above every other name, a positive outlook on life, became obedient unto death, being in the form of God, bounden duty, curse, divine protection, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, exiled to eternal death, good friends, harmonious living, Jesus christ is Lord, Jesus keeps us well-balanced, Jesus put the Father's will first, Jesus turned the world upside down, Jesus' triumphant resurrection, let this mind be in you, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, negative word, pen-ultimate day of the workweek, reconciled back to the Father, selflessly sacrificed himself, the gospel truth, the only god that's alive and kicking, the Only real God, There's no God like Jehovah, Thursday Blessings, to the glory of God the Father, took upon him the form of a servant, whcih also was in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (harmonious living):
And then it was the pen-ultimate day of the work week, Thursday…sunshiny and cold, like winter is supposed to be! (smile) Ah friends, the weather has been playing such tricks and games on us recently, moving from one extreme to the next with such ease, that we are glad to finally see a dry, but cold sunshiny day, with no precipitation whatsoever. And it’s oh so good that we have Jesus to keep us well-balanced in our emotions and feelings, otherwise the recent see-sawing weather would certainly drive us crazy.
And as the song’s saying, ‘There’s no God like Jehovah!’ And that’s the gospel truth, for He is the ONLY real God, the ONLY One that’s alive and kicking! All other supposed gods are dead and immobile without any power to move themselves much less to move and impact a world of several billion lost souls. And that, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has done! Done it in spades too!
He’s turned the world upside down, so much so that His name is now the most LOVED and adored, as well as the most controversial on planet earth. That’s because He makes a substantial and wonderful difference through His Holy Spirit, in the lives He enters. You either LOVE Him completely, with all your heart, mind, body and soul, or dislike Him the same way, like the evildoers do. There’s no in-between where our Jesus is concerned; it’s either one or the other!
And why has this magnificent transformation taken place in our evil world down through the ages? Because Jesus came to earth two thousand years ago and selflessly sacrificed himself on the cross at Calvary so that man’s sins could be forgiven, and that we could be reconciled back to the Father, our Creator and Controller, from whom we had been long separated by our abominable sinful behaviour. And in return for that, for that selfless obedience, the Father honoured Him like never before.
Listen as the Good Book tells the story through the words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (harmonious living): Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8)
Oh friends, what a marvellous example Jesus is to us all with our sinful disobedience! And what all that means is Jesus believed in and preached and practised harmonious living while here on earth. And though He possessed a divine nature, was God in man form, He did not boast about it, ‘made himself of no reputation,’ but in all things put the Father’s will first, even being obedient to dying a horrible, unfair, sacrificial death on the cross for a bunch of ungrateful sinners.
But the Father asked Him to, because there was no other just and righteous way to absolve mankind of sin without blood being shed to pay the price for our heinous iniquities. And Jesus LOVED the Father so much that He acquiesced to His request despite the terrible ‘sufferation’ He knew He would have to undergo, even to being forsaken and cast aside by the Father as the bearer of the world’s sin, for a couple of days until His triumphant resurrection on that first Easter morn.
Wow! What a giant is our Jesus! And the Father appreciated Jesus’ great sacrifice so much, that He rewarded Him for His unswerving obedience and selflessness. Hear Bruh tell it nuh. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 4:9-11)
And that my people is why Jesus’ name is so great, so controversial and so compelling – it’s the highest name there is besides the Father’s! And one day, hopefully very soon, every being on planet earth will bow their knees to Him, acknowledge and submit to His sovereignty as Lord, as God, to the honour of the Father!
Now that’s the good side of the equation, but those unwise people who refuse to bow down and worship Him will be banished, exiled to eternal death and damnation because of their unbelief! It’s as simple as that my people. Either accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, or suffer eternal separation from the wonders of His amazing LOVE and marvellous kingdom.
And I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to take that chance. I’m going to do my best to stay close to Jesus, as close as white on rice (smile) so that when He comes again, I’m going home with Him and remain with Him forever, for wherever He is, I know that’s the best place to be!
And now, for all of us who think that way, let’s go home declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings granted to us to do His awesome work down here on earth. Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share those gifts, or the fruit from them, as selflessly and generously with others, as Jesus shared them with us. It’s the only way to glorify His name. Much LOVE!
…there’s no other name that moves and fascinates mankind…like that of…JESUS…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
23 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be of good cheer, can't call the name of Jesus aloud, carrying the torch of Jesus, continue the good fight, endure to the very end, fanning the flames of His gospel, for what shall it profit a man, gain the whole world and lose his soul, give lip service to His words, Glory Hallelujah!, He giveth power to the faint, hide and meet secretly, i have overcome the world, keep moseying along in comfort, let him deny himself, living for Christ, living the life of the rich and idle, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, not turning back, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, religious freedom, sacirifce, separate the sheep from the goats, shall mount up with wings like eagles, so glad to be alive, take up his cross and follow me, thank God, the breath of life, the bright and exciting light, the difference maker, the evil and depraved world, the same shall save it, the youths shall faint, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint, they that wait upon the Lord, this adulterous and sinful generation, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be the flavoursome salt, Wednesday Wail, who shall be ashamed of me and my words, whosever shall lose his life for my sake, wisdom of the highest order
Mark 8:36. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Well friends, it’s Wednesday, the middle of the week, and I do hope that we’ve made some headway into being the difference maker that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ expects us to be. Yes, that’s why He’s placed us on the earth at this particular time, to make a difference in His name, to be the flavoursome salt and the bright, exciting light to the evil and depraved world that currently reigns.
And though it’s a very rewarding and interesting task, it’s not always an easy one, because it sometimes calls for a lot of sacrifice on our part, giving up our will to ensure that His is forthcoming. And that issue of sacrifice is not something that Christ hid, but He said it very clearly and plainly.
The Good Book tells us: ‘And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ (Mark 8:34-38)
And is this generation ever sinful and adulterous! So that means a lot is expected of us my fellow saints in Christ. But the basic thing is to live for and like Him, spread His gospel and not be ashamed of Him, because when he returns in all His glory, He will be ashamed of us and not recognize us as being amongst His followers.
Unfortunately though, many of us supposed believers are indeed ashamed of Christ, and afraid of the very sinful and adulterous world in which we now live, so we only give lip service to His words and way of life. But as the scholars note per verse 38 above: ‘Jesus makes a very close connection between Himself and His Words.’ So we cannot separate one from the other as we like to do.
The problem is that life is so good with us out here in the western world, with all the privileges and amenities we enjoy, that we don’t want anything at all to disturb it. We just want to keep moseying along in comfort, living the life of the rich and idle. But friends, life does not, never has, and never will run smoothly! It’s a series of ups and downs, and until we learn to take the good with the bad, and live accordingly, we will be forever destined to live unhappy and ungodly lives.
Even Christ confirmed that life is full of trouble when He said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now that’s a scripture that all of us know, but don’t truly take to heart, otherwise we wouldn’t be living the scared and anxious lives we’re living. Jesus has indeed conquered and overcome the world by His sacrificial death and resurrection, and only in and through Him can we ever have peace in this crazy, warlike world.
That’s what He gives to us, when we truly accept Him as Lord and Saviour and try to live the way He desires of us. Oh, He knows that we will have hard times, for nobody had harder times than He did, and sometimes we will fail to do His will, but He is also very forgiving and expects us to get back up and continue the good fight in His name. He gives us the grace and power to do that, but we have to truly believe and surrender ourselves to His holy will.
As the prophet Isaiah said so long ago: ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak), and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:29-31)
Oh my people, what more can we ask eh? Especially those of us living in the religious freedom of the West, while many of our fellow believers are still living very persecuted lives in so many other countries of the world. Please take a moment to ponder the situation where you could not get up on a Sunday morning, put on your finery and traipse to church to gather and celebrate with other believers, because that would get you incarcerated and even killed. But you had to hide and meet secretly, and couldn’t even call the name of Jesus out loud, otherwise crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
A lot of our fellow believers are living under those strenuous and unfair conditions, but they are still carrying the torch of Jesus alight, still fanning the flames of His gospel and way of life. Meanwhile, we ole hypocrites out here, who have the freedom to do so much for Jesus, live scared but comfortable, talk a good talk, but have no action to back it up.
Oh friends, if we don’t smarten up and begin living right, when Jesus returns, He will have a whole lot of separating to do, between the sheep and the goats. And sadly, many of us will find ourselves on the left hand, with the goats, and not on the right hand, with the sheep. And if you don’t know that scripture, then it’s high time you became very familiar with it, found in Matthew 25:31-46.
Anyway, for those of us who are doing our best to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. So, in a strong, joyful and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And lest we forget; if we endure to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! So let’s endeavor to endure nuh! It’s wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…living for Christ is not easy…but if we are serious…He generously gives us the grace and power to do it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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