07 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after one time is two, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, allowing others to influence us, as he aspires to inspire us, awesome in Jesus, blew His breath of life into our nostrils, come unto me, erode our calm and contentment, faithful in keeping promises, falling to our knees, feel happiness, feeling of ebullience, find rest for your souls, for a better tomorrow, frail and fickle feeling, get too big for our britches, gospel truth, happiness is ephemeral, I am meek and lowly in heart, I will give you rest, if one's foundation is built on Jesus, in misery and discord, incitement to unruly behaviour, inward satisfaction, Jesus is our rock, Jesus satisfies all your needs and wants, Jesus the one and only true foundation, joy, just how awesome you are, learn of me, made in the image of God, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, nothing new under the sun, our friend Anselm, our solid foundation, positive affirmation, strong and steadfast, take my yoke, the chief cornerstone, the great invitation, the headstone of the corner, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the only name for one stop shopping, the pandemic, the stone which the builders refused, U.S. presidential election, unique creatures, you can withstand anything
Nehemiah 8:10. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Well it’s a bright Saturday morning in my area, and there seems to be nothing new under the sun, (smile) as Cousin Sol said so long ago. (Eccl. 1:9). The vote counting and ridiculous claims and incitement to unruly behaviour is still happening down south in the U.S. What a ridiculous example is being set by a once proud and mighty nation eh! But I guess as the ole people would say, ‘after one time is two.’
And as it happens with men and nations, when we get too big for our britches, we generally end up falling to our knees in misery and discord. Anyway, we’re still waiting to see how the drama, that rodeo down there plays out. But however it does play out, one thing is for sure, the results and ongoing sentiments won’t be nice and sweet and friendly. (smile)
Enough on that topic now. It’s Saturday, so let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. We only got three quotes this week, so that should make my life easier. (smile) And he is still prefacing them with ‘Positive affirmation: you should tell yourself to remind yourself just how awesome you are.’ So I won’t repeat it the preface, but please be careful to remember that we are only awesome in and with Jesus in our lives. (smile)
And the first quote is ‘I don’t need someone else to feel happiness.’ And that’s oh so true. Too often though we depend on others to do or say things to make us happy. But please note that happiness is a feeling, a feeling which can be turned on and off at a whim, or change of circumstance. It’s a frail and fickle state or emotion, ofttimes with no suitable or strong foundation to keep it flowing. However, we are quite capable of raising that feeling of ebullience on our own.
It’s become a habit though, to claim that so and so has made me unhappy, or happy. But the truth is that no one can really make us happy or unhappy but ourselves. We hold the key to either situation, by allowing others to influence us one way or another. Now joy is a different thing. That comes from a strong state of inward satisfaction, a solid foundation, which doesn’t change with every change of direction of the wind or life, and which even in tough situations, like we’re now facing, keeps us strong and steadfast.
And it’s under those conditions that we can claim the next quote: ‘I’m calm, happy, and content. My imperfections make me unique.’ Now let’s deal with the last part of that quote first. Our imperfections don’t need to make us unique nuh, because our Creator has already done that. He made us in His own image, (Gen. 1:26) He blew His breath of life into our nostrils, (Gen. 2:7) That means each and every one of God’s creation is a unique being! There are no two people exactly alike.
As Bruh David so famously said in Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God – ‘I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ (Ps. 139:14) Yes my people, we are all magnificent and unique creatures, but unfortunately not enough of us can lay true claim to the first part of the quote, because too many of us are not calm, happy and contented. Yes, the current situation of a pandemic and all sorts of strife is stressful and can tend to erode our calm and contented situation.
However, if one’s foundation is built on Jesus, then friends, you can withstand anything, any kind of stress or strain or evil circumstance that tries to steal your joy and calm and contentment! For Jesus is our rock, our solid foundation! As Nehemiah said way back when, ‘for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10)
Mama Mia! What a marvellous acclamation and truthful proclamation eh! (smile) That’s why joy and happiness are different. For true joy comes from having Jesus in our hearts, but happiness is from man, that’s why it’s ephemeral; short-lived, flaky, vapour-like, with no solid foundation. And years later, Bruh Paul put it bluntly to the church at Corinth: ‘For no other foundation can no man lay than that that is laid, which is Christ Jesus.’ Yes my people, Jesus Christ is the ONE and ONLY true foundation of this world. He built it, and if and when necessary, He will destroy it. No man can do it unless He allows it.
As the psalmist so avidly proclaimed long ago. ‘The stone which the builders refused (rejected) is become the headstone of the corner (chief headstone). This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.’ (Ps.118:22-23) Ah my fellow saints, Jesus came to earth to build His kingdom, but oh so many rejected and abused Him, and He even quoted that scripture in His relating of the parable of the wicked husbandmen. (Matt. 21:42)
But thankfully, down through the ages, mankind has slowly woken up to the reality that Jesus is the only real Saviour available to ease hurts and pains and bring joy and gladness to the soul, and we have begun accepting Him as the foundation of our lives, though certainly not on a wide enough scale, so no wonder the minions of the evil one now have the world in grip, in a strangle hold, and causing endless strife and negative commotion.
But my brethren, if Jesus is in our lives, then we will be okay, for He has promised never to leave nor forsake us, and to work everything out for our good eventually. And He’s awesomely faithful in keeping His promises! So if things are rough right now and we are hurting and wounded and seeing no avenue for healing, don’t worry, come to Jesus, just as you are, and He will gladly accept and heal you.
And that brings us to the last quote: ‘I’m allowed to take the time to heal.’ Oh hurting ones, fear not, Jesus is the original Healer, and He will take His take His time with ALL those who come to Him for succour in sincerity and truth! Hear His Great Invitation nuh: ‘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)
And that’s the gospel truth people! Only in Jesus can a body find true joy and rest and healing and salvation! So please accept him today nuh. He’s knocking at the door to the hearts of ALL men. For your benefit, open up your heart and let Him in nuh. It will be the wisest decision you’ve ever made! Much LOVE!
…JESUS…the only place for ONE STOP shopping…He satisfies ALL your needs and wants…
06 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blast of sunshine, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a pipe dream, a world on edge, ambassadors, anxiety, avoid serious setbacks, Banana Republic, be full of salt, be responsible, be trodden underfoot of men, be true salt and light, brings out the best in mankind, Christians, confusion, Covid-19, craziness, divisive partisan leadership, embrace your love and compassion, endurance, faithful believers, foolish antics, Friday chant, glorify your father in heaven, good examples of His gospel, good for nothing, gospel truth, handle the situation properly, hemming and hawing, Immortal words of Jesus, in a world of violence, in the name our Lord and Saviour, it giveth light unto all that are in the house, it's been rough, Jesus Christ, least amount of loss to life, legal wrangling, Let your light so shine before men, monkey see monkey do, neither do men light a candle, perseverance, prayers are in order, put it under a bushel, racial strife, ready to fall over the precipice, rest from the slave master work, restoring faith in you, salt has lost its flavour, show their mettle, sinful world, stay safe, stop our world going over the brink, sunshine, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the ordinary workingman, the pandemic still raging, they may see your good works, U.S. elections, unexpected storm, wake up and smell the coffee, warm temps, warm weather, weekends, well flavoured, widespread unrest, wise guidance, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
And the election craziness and confusion continues in the good ole U.S. of A! What a surprise! (smile) On this spring-like Friday morning with glorious sunshine in my neighbourhood, it’s hard to pay much attention to the foolish antics that’s happening down there. The only sure thing is that there’s no sure thing, and won’t be for a while, what with all the hemming and hawing and legal wrangling and fake news and all the other stuff that’s recently made the U.S. look like one of those long-ago Banana Republics in South and Central America.
I wish them the best of luck, but it seems that with the pending results, we will have four more years of overwhelming, divisive partisan leadership down there, which doesn’t bode any good for anybody, neither the country itself nor the whole world looking on, who unfortunately suffer in some way according to how the U.S. goes. Prayers are in order, rather absolutely necessary, for all of us! End of spiel! (smile)
Now let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say today nuh. And as always, he crows: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! And it’s going to be a wonderful day, with sunshine and warm temps. Imagine that nuh, way down in November we been having temps in the high teens…Mama Yo! Today it might even rise to about twenty… Well that I can certainly handle! Ah don’t care what nobody says, but a blast of sunshine and warm weather brings out the best in mankind, at least in me! So let it shine bright and stay warm all the time nuh…Hn, hn hn!
Oh I know that is only a pipe dream up here in these northern climes, but who says a body can’t dream eh? And the pandemic still raging all over the world, but plenty more worried and concerned about what happening with the U.S elections, but not me nuh, because I know them people down there don’t care a darm about nobody else but themselves, so if they want to fight and kill each other over foolishness, I say let them go ahead yes! But unfortunately, we up here in Canada too tie up with the U.S yes, so whatever happens down there, we certain to feel some backlash up here, especially since we have plenty up here who like to play, monkey see monkey do, and behave like them down there. Steups!
Ah Lord eh, ah don’t know what the world coming to nuh, but it surely not as nice and warm and welcoming as it used to be. All a small man like me could do though is hope and pray and live one day at a time and give God thanks for Fridays and the li’l rest from the slave master work on the weekends yes!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends! The most a lot of us can do is hope and pray for better times and give God thanks for our situations. And yes, I know that’s difficult in a world that is on edge, that’s just waiting and ready to fall over the precipice, but we believers have been charged with the enormous task of not letting it go over the brink and plummet into war and all the negative things that will happen if we reach that unfortunate stage. And all I can do is quote these immortal words of Jesus concerning our behaviour and duty in this confused and divided world.
Please listen closely to our Leader, our Lord and Saviour. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand) ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13-16)
Yes my brethren, that’s what our leader expects of us; to shine bright like the morning sun and be full of salt, well flavoured in our lives, being good examples of His gospel, ambassadors of His kingdom, offering, help, encouragement and meeting the needs of our fellow man, wherever and however we can! Oh, I know it’s never been, and will never be an easy task, but with His awesome help, we can do it. So let’s spend a li’l time right now and go to Him for that help we need nuh. Let’s cry out to Him through our Friday Chant for endurance and perseverance and whatever else it will take for us to stop our world going over the brink.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that 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 sure and 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, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. 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, as the faithful believers we claim to be, let’s go out and do our best nuh; handle the situation in the best way we can! Much LOVE!
…in a world of violence and widespread unrest…Christians must show their mettle…be true salt and light…
05 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bubbling cauldron of hate, a compassionate heart, according to the dictates of man, age old tool, agree on a path of life, all Christians profess to believe in, anger, are true and righteous altogether, badly divided, blessed with success, bully boy style, by them is thy servant warned, curse, dictator-like behaviour, divide and conquer, divine duty, divine protection, for where envying and strife is, good leadership, happy are those who keep God's law, he'a all around, if love ruled the world, ignore a lot of it, in keeping of them is great reward, lack of class, legal suits, LOVE, making wise the simple, more to be desired than gold, negative actions of an evil heart, negative word, not to selfishly hoard, obnoxious behaviour, prophetic vision, prosper, rejoicing the heart, resnetment, Revelation, share generously, strife, strife-filled, succeed, sweeter also than honey, the BIBLE, the book, the commandment of the Lord is pure, the enemy is intrusive, the judgements of the Lord, the people perish, the people shall be scattered abroad, the statutes of the Lord are right, there is confusion and every evil work, Thursday Blessings, to resist the onslaught of the enemy, trying to create havoc, walk as men, what a wonderful world, when prophecy shall fail, where self-seeking exists, where there is no visioin, ye are yet carnal
James 3:16. For where envying and strife is (where self-seeking exists), there is confusion and every evil work.
Well the craziness down south is still going on; no official winner just yet, but a whole lot of claims and counterclaims and legal suits. Only in the U.S. of A, you say. That’s for sure! And what’s totally mind boggling is that despite the incumbent President’s rather poor showing over the last four years, his obnoxious behaviour, his lack of class, his bully boy style and having done nothing for the poor of his country, but plenty for the rich, half of the country, many of them the poor ones he cast aside, still apparently voted for him. How unbelievable!
One would never have thought that he had a real chance after all his callow, unpresidential and dictator-like behaviour. But that just goes to show the mentality and sad state of the nation and how badly divided and strife-filled it is. That reminds us of this ever-true statement from James: ‘For where envying and strife is (where self-seeking exists), there is confusion and every evil work.’ (James 3:16) And that’s no lie my brethren! We all know it, for we have seen it in our friendships, our families and it has recently taken over the whole globe, just more in some countries than others.
Yes friends, the whole world is now a boiling, bubbling cauldron of hate, resentment, envy, strife, anger and all the negative actions of an evil heart and nature. Our world is certainly not a very godly place in these disturbing and rather frustrating times. As Bruh Paul said to the Corinthians in his first missive when he heard that they were feuding amongst themselves. ‘For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men (according to the dictates of man.)’ (1 Cor. 3:3)
Oh my people, there’s no doubt that right now we are surely and rather sadly walking after the dictates of mankind more than of God, and that’s a very unfortunate and disastrous thing for any family, society or nation. As Cousin Sol so clearly points out in Proverbs: ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18)
Now the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘29:18. Vision refers to the divine revelation received by the prophet. Morality is based on adherence to God’s revealed will.’ And over the years people have used this verse conveniently to mean all sorts of things, but basically what it’s saying is that without good leadership and a godly, fairly unified purpose in a nation, that society will eventually crumble and fall. Everyone won’t always agree on a path of life, but most of them have to, if the society is to grow and prosper.
And just for our enlightenment, here are a few of the interesting translations from the 29 different translations of the Bible, I recently came across. Never knew there were so many translations of the Good Book. (smile) But here’s an interesting aside, why someone could so rightly answer a question on church building this way: ‘The answer to your question is simple. And it involves a look at the BIBLE. You know, that book that all Christians profess to believe in, yet seemingly ignore a lot of what is in it.’
I just could not help including that quote friends, because it’s oh so true. (smile) Too many of us, supposed believers talk about the Good Book, but hardly ever open it. In too many homes it sits gathering dust in a prominent position, where all can see it. But the truth is, we ignore it to our own detriment, not the Lord’s, because He knows what’s in there, since He caused it to be written. (smile)
Anyhow here are those translations. ‘Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.’ ‘When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.’ ‘Without revelation people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy.’ ‘A nation without God’s guidance is a nation without order. Happy are those who keep God’s law!’
‘In the multitude of the evil ones a people is breached and he that keeps the law is blessed.’ ‘There shall be no interpreter to a sinful nation: but he that observes the law is blessed.’ ‘Without a Vision is a people made naked, And whoso is keeping the law, O his happiness!’ ‘When prophecy shall fail, the people shall be scattered abroad: but he that keepeth the law is blessed.’
Ah mih people, the enemy is using that age old, but rather powerful and successful tool called ‘divide and conquer.’ And it’s certainly working in these perilous and uncertain times. We though, the saints of Christ, have the divine duty to resist the onslaught of the enemy, and where possible recapture the unity and godliness of our church and society. It’s up to us friends, the bride of Christ, the church, to start making amends to the ungodly and strife-filled behaviour that’s currently paralyzing our society. If we don’t do it, who’s going to do it eh? Certainly not the enemy and his evil demons who benefit greatly from it!
That’s why these words of Bruh David from Psalm 18 – The creation and covenants of God – are so true and mightily important even to this day. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear (reverence) of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the (drippage of the) honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps. 19:7-11)
That says it all my people. Without the law of God as our guide and stronghold, we will eventually perish. So now, for those who have accepted our role as godly uniters and not evil disrupters, let’s go home proclaiming (Hn, hn! Couldn’t spell that right either) our Thursday Blessings. As one strong voice 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 everyday! Amen!’
And the natural consequence of all those blessings is not to selfishly hoard them, but for us to share them with others as generously as the Lord has shared them with us.Much LOVE!
…if LOVE…instead of hate…ruled the world…what a wonderful world it would be…
P.S. And the enemy is so intrusive, he just made me lose twenty minutes trying to find out why my computer stopped writing. It was all in the batteries of the keyboard. Steups! So be careful, he’s all around, trying to create havoc in our lives, anyway possible. Much LOVE!
04 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors of God, becoming more like Christ, bright lights, children of the Most High God, dictator in waiting, divine commendation, divine summons, eccentricities, exist in a vaccum, faith is the substance of things hoped for, fire ringed hoops, for the prize, forced to jump through, forgetting those things which are behind, from glory to glory, God tests our faith, God tests our mettle, grow in hope and faith, halfway home, hands securely on the plough, high and noble goals, I count not myself to be apprehended, I press toward the mark, in accord with God's will, in christ Jesus, in God's realm, Jesus' stature, more glorious than we can ask or imagine, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, nothing happens without God allowing it, our fortress, our high tower, our rock, personal satisfaction, prisoners of hope, proselytize the whole world, reaching forth unto those things which are before, rougher days ahead, salt is still full of flavour, salvation, see through eyes of faith, spiritually mature, the breath of life, the evidence of things not seen, the high calling of God, to a glorious future with Jesus, to the glory of Jesus, troubled times, U.S. presidential election, wait expectantly, Wednesday Wail
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Okay, so the bubble hasn’t burst yet, there is no clear winner of the U.S. Presidential Election, but His Imperial Dictatorship in Waiting, has already declared it as being rigged and planning to fight it in the courts. I wonder if he will do that if he wins eh? However, knowing the eccentricities of His Dictatorship, anything is possible where he is concerned. (smile)
Ah mih people, rougher days seem to be ahead. Can you imagine it eh, after all the fire ringed hoops we’ve been forced to jump through in the last six months, we might still have more serious ones to navigate? No, it’s not a pleasing thought, but please let’s not get any more worried and/or frustrated than we already are. Let’s remember that we are children of the Most High God Jehovah, living in a world that He created and still controls, and nothing happens without Him allowing it. No, He doesn’t always create or begin something, but unless it falls into line with His imperial and divine plan it does not last!
Furthermore, He has faithfully promised to never leave nor forsake us, and that no weapon formed against us will ever prosper, not in this lifetime or the next. So if we sincerely believe that He is our rock and our fortress, our high tower and divine protector, then we should not be overly worried about what’s happening around us in these troubling times. Concerned, yes, but not worried, otherwise our faith is worthless. For, as the Good Book states: ‘Faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for. The evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb. 11:1)
Yes my fellow saints, in God’s realm, we need to hope for and believe we have received things we haven’t yet seen! That’s the basic difference between the believer and the unbeliever; the former being able to wait expectantly and see through their eyes of faith, stuff that hasn’t happened as yet, once it’s in accord with God’s will. And in these troubled times, that is exactly where many of us are failing, are falling down. Our hope and faith levels are too low. But remember, it’s only in tough times that our faith and hope do grow. When life is good and easy, faith and hope merely exist in a kind of vacuum, waiting for the tough times to come along.
And above all, the Lord wants us to grow in hope and faith, to become spiritually mature in the manner and character of His son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! That’s why, sometimes, in times like these, He tests our faith to see what we’re truly made of. He tests our mettle, to see if we can really walk the plenty talk we usually have in the good times. Our God desires to see if our salt is still full of flavour, and thus useful, and also if our lights can still burn bright and thus give light to the dark world that surrounds us.
Oh fellow believers in Christ, our Lord is expecting us to stand strong in these crucial times. He’s expecting us to be examples of fortitude and perseverance, of help and encouragement to those who are shaking it rough. To be good ambassadors of his holy kingdom and take His word and His dedication to those around us. We can’t save or proselytize the whole world, but we can certainly be fully flavoured salt and bright lights to those in our neighbourhood. And I just came across and interesting scripture from Bruh Paul that I believe will be of much benefit to us this Wednesday morning.
Hear him to the church at Philippi: ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (reached spiritual maturity, fully knowing Christ): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)
Oh friends, that is the kind of attitude we need to adopt in these trying times. Let’s forget what has gone before, our successes and failures, and press on, move forward, towards the high calling that God has in mind for each of His children. Yes, He has a unique plan for each and every one of us, as Jeremiah says, a good plan, one to give us a hope and a future. And that high calling pertains to us knowing Christ better and better, and becoming more like Him in character and purpose as the Lord raises us from glory to glory!
And here are some interesting explanations from the scholars. ‘3:13. Those things which are behind refers both to his (Bruh Paul’s) religious credentials (vs.5-6), now counted as “loss” (vs.7), and to his past Christian achievements and successes. In ever pursuing his goal to know Christ (vs. 10), he refuses to let past guilt pull him down, or to rest on his past laurels. Either could spell spiritual disaster. Those things which are before refers to his goal of knowing Christ, with all that implies: experiencing His power and participating in His suffering, becoming more like Him in death (vs. 10), and experiencing the resurrected life (vs. 11).’
Wow mih bredrin! Are those ever high and noble goals for us to live up to eh? But it’s what our heavenly Father desires of us, and simple fact is that we can’t approach Jesus’ stature if we just live the good life and don’t suffer some of His problems. (smile)
And per our Bit, the scholars explain: ‘3:14. The mark is the objective of vs.10-11 (i.e., knowing Christ). The prize is the personal satisfaction of having attained it, as well as the divine commendation and reward to be granted in heaven for having reached this goal on earth. The high calling of God is the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation.’
Oh my people, today, let’s reinvest in ourselves nuh; let’s set our objective, that goal to know Christ as best we can, so that we can win first prize; the satisfaction, the divine commendation and reward as we heed the divine call to salvation. That’s the true purpose of the believer! And for those of us who have already set those goals and objectives, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail nuh, letting all and sundry know our serious, sincere and joyful position in Christ Jesus!
All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. NO! 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 there’s no need to remind us, but I will anyhow, (smile) that if we endure steadfastly to the end, that the future will be indeed more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…in these troubled times…let’s all be prisoners of hope nuh…so that our faith can grow…and be spread abroad to the glory of Jesus…
03 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a diligent and excellent God, a future and a hope, a God of peace and love, a wake up call, according to God's plans, action our words, all things work together for good, beloved of God, bring light to the darkness, carelessly mixing pigment, colours appear unblended, difficult times, dissolve my apprehension, divine purpose, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, false and selfish, frightening and mysterious days, god is still in control, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, keep our vow, leave all the consequences to Him, like an amateur artist, LOVE the Lord with all our hearts, Master Artist, more problems that before, mouth service, my song of affirmation, not of calamity, not of evil, nothing is ever left to chance, obey God, one thing's sure, set the captive free, settle my conviction, share His love with the world, splash across, strokes haphazard, the canvas of my heart, the greatest commandment, the pattern is perfectly clear, the world is unfurling as it ought to, thoughts of peace, to give you an expected end, to those that love God, total immersion of self, trials and tribulations, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, U.S. Presidential Electios, wasted strokes
Jeremiah 29:11. 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).
Well today is the big day friends; the final day for voting in the U.S. Presidential elections! And believe me, the only thing that’s sure, is that there will be a host more problems than we currently have because of all the craziness and foolishness that’s brought us to this crucial and most critical point. But I guess that means the world is unfurling as it ought to, according to God’s plans. Yes friends, never forget that regardless of what happens in our evil and ungodly world, our great God Yahweh is still in control and He allows whatever he wants for His divine purpose, and no man can say him nay! Argument done! (smile)
And furthermore, I sincerely believe that this poem titled ‘Master Artist’ from our One Year Bok of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin is very appropriate for uncertain and difficult times like these, and crazy, anxious days like this one. So please pray with me: ‘There are days, Lord Frightening and mysterious When You seem to splash across The canvas of my heart with wasted strokes – Like an amateur artist Carelessly mixing pigment.
Frankly Your colours appear unblended Your strokes haphazard. Instead of design I see blobs of distortion. Today, Lord This very hour Dissolve my apprehension Renew my confidence Settle my conviction That You have planned The total design. Finally, Lord When the finished canvas Is luminously displayed Make this my song of affirmation: The pattern is perfectly clear.’
Oh mih bredrin, isn’t that the crazy, unblended, unplanned, helter-skelter pattern that so many of us are seeing as our lives today? But believe me, our great and wonderful God has not made us in a wishy-washy manner. He’s taken great pains to make us all different and unique individuals, so why wouldn’t He plan our lives and destinies properly too eh? Remember, He’s a diligent and excellent God! All He does has been perfectly planned to coincide with whatever divine purpose He has in mind. Nothing is ever left to chance in His realm, though it might ofttimes seem so.
But please, please, let’s remember what the Good Book proclaims about our lives nuh; the Bible Promise for our poem and our Bit for today. ‘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) Oh mih people, our God is not an evil God, but one of peace and LOVE, justice and mercy, righteousness and forgiveness! That’s why we can be assured that His plans for us are all for good and not evil.
Remember how Bruh Paul put it to the saints at Rome? ‘And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Yes friends, if we are called to do God’s work, and we sincerely LOVE Him, then our lives will eventually work out for good, regardless of what trials and tribulations we might endure on this evil and sinful earth. That’s the Lord’s promise! And we know that He’s a faithful keeper of ALL His promises, never reneged on a single one yet, and never will, so there’s no need to doubt His awesome words of truth and promise!
But that’s where our expectations, our heartfelt beliefs, our hopes and dreams, in other words, our faith comes in. Remember too, that in God’s economy we need to believe it before we see it. And if we don’t believe it first, most likely we’ll never see it. And the only way to build our faith to a level where we can accept God’s promises and Word without any doubt is by reading, by studying, by meditating on and by speaking His Word found in the Good Book! For as Jeremiah continues on the Lord’s behalf after our Bit. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13)
Oh precious saints of Christ, that’s our problem right there in a nutshell: we haven’t been calling on the Lord, haven’t been praying sufficiently to Him, paying sufficient attention to His orders. And even when we have attempted to call on Him, our hearts have not been right, our motives have been false and selfish. And we all know that the Lord checks out our hearts before He considers answering our prayers. Remember too Jesus’ declaration of the greatest commandment. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt. 22:37-38)
So you see, mouth service just won’t do, if we’re truly interested in serving the Lord. ALL of our heart, soul, body and mind must be involved! Serving the Lord calls for TOTAL immersion of self, which we obviously haven’t’ been doing, and all these trials and tribulations are a wakeup call for us to turn back to him in a serious manner, with absolute conviction of His goodness and mercy, LOVE and forgiveness, justice and righteousness. That’s just the way He set it up, and if we don’t obey, then there will be consequences, for there are always consequences to disobedience.
We’ve all seen and experienced that with our earthly fathers, so what yuh think will happen if we disobey our heavenly Father eh? Lollipops and ice-cream? No way Jose! That’s why Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) keeps reminding us that the best way to live this earthly life is to ‘obey God, and leave all the consequences to Him.’ We can’t go wrong with that wise and sensible approach friends.
So for those of us who are sincerely and seriously trying to live like that, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Tuesday Mantra, boldly and vociferously proclaiming who and whose we are. All together 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!’
Now let’s keep our vow and go out and action those words nuh! Much LOVE!
…ONLY true faith in God…will bring light to the darkness…and set the captive free…
02 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all flesh is grass, all scripture, awesome grace and mercy, blasphemers, boasters, carried about with divers doctrines, Christ is the only true refuge, compliance to your word, covetous, disobedient to parents, false doctrines, for correction, for reproof, forgive us, given by inspiration of God, God has no pleasure in fools, grow in spiritual maturity, heady, heal our land, high-minded, humble servants, I am the Lord thy God, I change not, in the last days, inclement weather, instruction in righteousness, it is a good thing, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus - a steady rock and refuge, Jesus Christ, Jesus is not temperamental, LOVE, lovers of pleasure, lovers of their own sleves, made a vow to God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, not lovers of God, our foundation is built on sinking sand, perilous times shall come, profitable for doctrine, proud, religious strife, repentance, sinned and come short of obedience, the coming apostasy, the flower fades, the grass withers, the heart be established with grace, the same yesterday today and forever, the unchangeability of our God, the word of God shall stand forever, traitors, uncertain like the weather, uncertain times, unholy, unthankful, wet snow, what a crazy world we live in
Hebrews 13:8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.
Well friends, we saw the first signs of inclement winter weather yesterday evening. Thankfully though, in my area, it was just some wet snow; the kind that falls and quickly dissipates. But a warning nonetheless of what’s in store in the not too distant future. (smile) But would you believe too, that the weather people are forecasting temperatures in the mid-teens for later this week? What a crazy world we living in eh Dr. Jack!
It’s a good thing that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ is not as temperamental and uncertain like the weather nowadays, otherwise we would be in even worse shape than we currently are. Thankfully the Good Book describes our Lord and Saviour thus: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Heb. 13:8) That means we have a steady rock and refuge to look to in times of need.
Our world is constantly changing…and so are we, but not our God. Malachi says it boldly and plainly on His behalf: ‘For I am the Lord thy God, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) Yeh mih people, if our God wasn’t steady and long-suffering, we would have been fish food long time! (smile)
And to cement the unchangeability of our God, and our everchanging hearts, hear the prophet Isaiah as he talks about the voice crying in the wilderness: ‘The voice said, Cry (out). And he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness (loveliness) thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit (breath) of the Lord bloweth on it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.’ (Is. 40:6-8)
I don’t think we need any more scripture to tell us of our frail and short earthly lives, or the everlasting standard that our God maintains. But because we are so frail and fickle, we tend to fall into all sorts of stuff, moving from one to the next without much rhyme or reason, unsure of what we want or intend to do. In other words, we don’t stick to any one thing for long; because our foundation is built on sinking sand.
That’s why the author of Hebrews, after telling us that Christ is steadfast, continues with this important warning. ‘Be not carried about with divers (various) and strange doctrines (teachings). For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats (food), which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.’ (Heb. 8:9) And are there ever a whole host of various, strange and false doctrines that abound in these turbulent times my brethren!
No wonder Bruh Paul could warn Timothy of the coming apostasy (abandonment of the faith). ‘Thus know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be LOVERS of their own selves, covetous (money LOVERS), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…’ (2 Tim. 3:1-2) And isn’t that the indisputable truth in these last days of the church age. All those things above are rampant in our current society.
And Bruh Paul also adds to the list of ungodliness of our time. ‘Traitors, heady (reckless), high-minded (haughty), LOVERS of pleasures, more (rather) than LOVERS of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:4-5) Yes friends, there are a whole lot of false teachers out there, who tout a form of godliness, mere religion, but without power or spiritual life. We definitely don’t want to get mixed up with that kind. We need to stay pure and true to the gospel of Christ.
Bruh Paul said to Timothy. ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (tell us how to live): That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17) Yes precious people of God, the Word of God was inspired by His Holy Spirit, meant for mankind to read, study and obey, to help us grow in spiritual maturity, and be useful in whatever situation we find ourselves. We need nothing else but the Word of God in this world to live a godly life! (smile)
So with all the false and evil stuff that’s currently bothering us, let’s go home now taking all of our problems to God in sincere prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. All together now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world.
We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have 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, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them.
Father, 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, please remember that we just made a vow to God change our evil ways and sincerely seek His face, so let’s pay that vow nuh, because God has no pleasure in fools, who don’t pay their vows. Much LOVE!
…in uncertain times…Christ is the only true refuge…
01 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a personal relationship with Christ, breaks our bands in sunder, breaks our chains, come to God in repentance, declare His works with rejoicing, disobedience to God, for all my life, for he satisfieth the longing soul, for his goodness, from the moment I wake up, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, heartfelt and true emotion, his wonderful works to the children of men, I lay my head down, I will sing of the goodness of God, I'm surrendered now, Jenn Johnson, my anchor in the wind, my joy every day, my provider, oh that men would praise the Lord, raise our voices in sacrificial praise, sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, sit in darkness, so wonderful in all your ways, soulful harmony, submission, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the goodness of God, the Lord is good all the time, the Lord's Day, the shadow of death, with my life laid down, you have been faithful, your goodness is running after me, your mercy never fails
Psalm 107:8. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
One more time, one more time, let’s do it one more time fellow saints of Christ! I mean, let’s get together on the Lord’s Day, by whatever means possible, and worship and praise His Holy Name as He desires of us on at least one day of every week! Yes my people, that is one of the duties for which we were created, along with the awesome blessing of having a close and personal relationship with the wise and wonderful Deity who created us. Glory to His blessed name, for there is no other supposed god who desires such a relationship with their followers as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob desires with His.
So let’s cut out the talk and get down to some serious worship nuh. (smile) And today’s song is one I sent to some of you by WhatsApp this week, titled ‘The Goodness of God’ sung by Jenn Johnson with the Bethel church. So some of you know it. (smile) And after listening to several versions of the song, all of them decent enough in their own right, I still had to come back to the Jenn Johnson version because it had a particular soulful and yet rocking sound that seemed rather appropriate for the song.
So without further ado, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise, offering up heartfelt and true emotion and sentiments to our majestic, magnanimous and magnificent God, Jehovah. In slow, soulful harmony to start, then breaking into a rocking, raunchy riddim at the chorus. ‘I love You Lord Oh Your mercy never fails me And all my days I’ve been held in Your hands From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head down, Oh I will sing of the goodness of God (Chorus: All my life You have been faithful And All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, Oh I will sing of the goodness of God.)
I LOVE Your voice. You have led me through the fire. In my darkest night, You were close like no other. I’ve known You as a Father, I’ve known You as a friend, Oh I have lived, in the goodness of God. (Chorus: Yeahhh! And all my life You have been faithful…I will sing of the goodness of God) Yeah, yeah, it’s so good! Your goodness is running after, It’s running after me. Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me. With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now, I give You everything, cause Your goodness is running after, It’s running after me. Ohhh, cause Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me.
With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now, I give You everything, cause Your goodness is running after, It’s running after me. Your goodness is running after, it keeps running after me. And All my life You have been faithful And All my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able, Oh I’m going to sing, Oh I’m going to sing of the goodness of God. For all my life You have been faithful, all my life You have been so good.
Oh You lead me in glory…ever-faithful, You are my anchor in the wind and the waves… You are my provider…Oh yeah…and You lead me in glory by your spirit…You are my joy…my joy…every day…Oh shepherd of my soul…what a joy to know You…Oh, the joy of knowing You God…You’re everything to me…so wonderful…so wonderful in all your ways…in all your ways. That’s why I will always sing of Your goodness Lord…I will always sing of Your goodness Lord.’
Mama Mia! What a great paean (song of praise, worship, triumph, thanksgiving) to Almighty God, in which our voices were gloriously united! It couldn’t get any better than that my brethren, because the sentiments were all true! And today all we’re going to do is look at some scripture that gloriously display God’s wonderful works to the children of men! And that’s the superscript of Psalm 107, from which most, if not all of our scripture will come. Hear how the psalmist begins nuh: ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.’ (Ps. 107:1-2)
The psalmist there was talking about the nation of Israel whom the Lord took out of bondage from Egypt, and because of their disobedience, they wandered in the wilderness, lost and without a shepherd, hungry and thirsty and faint. (Ps. 107:3-4) But eventually they smartened up, and ‘Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.’ (Ps. 107:6-7)
Yeh friends, that’s the difference between obedience to God and disobedience. If we want to be left alone, He will leave us alone to do our own thing, but when we decide to call on Him in true and sincere repentance, He comes running to our aid. As the psalmist further states: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!’ (Ps. 107:8) What a glorious observation! Why, you ask? Hear the psalmist’s answer. ‘For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:9)
Ah mih bredrin, when we come to God in repentance and submission, He looks after us. But when we turn away from Him, rebel against Him, He allows the evil one to cause us to ‘sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron (being prisoners);’ (Ps. 107:10) And when we wake up and cry out to Him again in times of trouble, He comes running and saves us out of our distresses. He brings us out of the darkness and the shadow of death, and breaks our bands in sunder (breaks our chains in pieces). And for that we should again praise Him for His goodness as our Bit says. (Ps. 107:11-16)
Oh my people, we are so near and dear to the God of our forefathers that He can’t deny us when we turn to Him in true surrender. Look at what He did for the Israelites…and look at what He did for us by sending His Only Son Jesus to be sacrificed for our sins. That speaks of a golden heart of LOVE in the Being we call our God. And that’s why the psalmist’s cry makes undeniable sense: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing (joyful singing).’ (Ps. 107:21-22)
And that’s what we’ve just done: declared His works with joyful singing! Glory be precious people! And we can go on through Psalm 107 and the rest of the Good Book and find innumerable reasons for praising God for His goodness. But time and space are against us. So let’s remember all those times that He’s bailed us out nuh, both individually and collectively, and stay under His protective umbrella, because that’s the ONLY safe place in this evil world! Much LOVE!
…the Lord is good…ALL THE TIME… because that’s His nature…
31 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an attitude of appreciation, an evil heart of unbelief, aspires to inspire us, awesome in Christ, begging for candy, bounden duty, calm happy and content, circumspection, cnatankerous, cometh down from the Father of lights, complain about what we don't have, costumed balls, Covid-19, departing from the living God, enjoy abundant life, every good gift, every perfect gift is from above, evil looking costumes, exhort one another daily, for a better tomorrow, from Genesis to Revelation, glorifies evil spirits, gravelicious, greedy society, Halloween Day, hang all the law and the prophets, help bring out the best in me, I appreciate everything I have, I approve of myself, I love myself deeply, I'll tell you who you are, Jesus died for us to have, Jesus is the best gift ever, just how awesome you are, LOVE the Lord with all our hearts, Love thy neighbour as thyself, miserable, more at ease everyday, my life is a gift, narcissism, neither shadow of turning, no man is an island, not thankful for the plenty we do have, our friend Anselm, pandemic time, petitions to ban Halloween, positive affirmation, proud and narcissistic, remind yourself, riotous parties, show me your friends, Stage 2 Lockdown, surround myself with positive people, the deceitfulness of sin, the first commandment, the Giver of the gospel, the Lord dislikes the proud, trick or treating, while it is called Today, witches and goblins, with whom is no variableness
James 1:17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.
Well at last we have a somewhat sunshiny opening to a day, not the cloudy, overcast stuff we’ve been having recently! And it’s a big Saturday in the northern climes; Halloween Day! It’s the day the society dresses up in ugly, evil looking costumes – the uglier and more evil looking, the better- and have the children go out ‘trick or treating,’ begging at other people’s houses for candy, and the adults have costumed balls and riotous parties. Well let’s see what’s going to happen this year of Covid nuh.
Halloween hasn’t been officially banned, and there have been all sorts of comments, for and against, but the Covid-19 numbers have not been coming down, although the more populous areas are still in Stage 2 Lockdown. So, in my humble opinion, it is pure folly to have children running around the streets in the dark in this pandemic time to beg for candy from people most of them don’t know, and for adults to be having parties with unprotected crowds without any physical distancing.
Even in the good times there have been petitions to ban the process because of the evil stuff people were putting in the candy and fruit to harm the children. And worse of all, if it glorifies the evil spirits like witches and goblins and the like, why have such a day in a supposedly godly society eh? But what does the ole fella know eh friends? Obviously not a whole lot. (smile) So we’ll just leave that subject alone and see what transpires later on.
And since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to more appropriate things, like the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And it seems like he’s adopted a new style, prefacing each quote with the words: ‘Positive affirmation you should tell yourself to remind yourself just how awesome you are….’
Now I think that statement contains elements of both good and bad. The bad part is that if we focus on it too much, it could lead us to believe that we’re so wonderful and awesome in our own strength and thus we develop proud and narcissistic thoughts and behaviour. However, on the good side, we are awesome and wonderful IN Christ! No doubt about that! So let’s put some wise and sensible reins on our thoughts about our awesomeness nuh. (smile) Anyway, I’m not going to reiterate the opening sentence in each quote, since we already know what it is. I’ll just give us the important last part.
And the first quote tells us: ‘My life is a gift and I appreciate everything I have.’ The first part is indeed true: our lives are gifts from God Himself. For God Himself, with His own hands, moulded man from the dirt of the earth, in His own image, then breathed His precious breath into his body. (Gen. 1:27; 2:7) And furthermore, James tells us thus: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.’ (James 1:17)
It stands to reason then, that if our lives and all the good stuff we have are gifts from God, then we ought to appreciate everything we have. But do we truly appreciate them? Not really nuh, not in our current greedy and ‘gravelicious’ society. For we complain more about the few things we don’t have, than we are thankful for the plenty we do have. Consequently, many of us can’t truthfully declare the next quote. ‘I’m calm, happy, and content.’ And we will never be able to do so until we realize that ALL we have comes from Almighty God…and begin appreciating it.
Yeh friends, calm and content only come with an attitude of appreciation. And also, until you show appreciation for all that God has done for you, and is still doing, you won’t be able to make this next statement either. ‘I’m more at ease every day.’ For ease, likewise, comes only with true appreciation of all our blessings. One can’t be cantankerous, miserable and unappreciative and enjoy the abundant life that Jesus died for us to have. (John 10:10)
Remember too that Jesus is the biggest and best gift that God gave us, through whom we achieve eternal life, despite our sinful, ungodly beginnings. Bruh Paul put it this way to the church at Rome. ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 5:23) And if we have become wise and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, then most likely we’ll be able to proclaim this next quote. ‘I’ll surround myself with positive people who will help bring out the best in me.’
Oh friends, that is indeed wisdom from above! Why? Because too many of us surround ourselves with those who bring out the worse and not the best in us. That’s why the Good Book tells us so specifically: ‘Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort (encourage, lift up) one another daily, while it is called TODAY; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.’ (Heb. 3:12-13)
Oh mih bredrin, it is ever so important to surround ourselves with wise, godly people, who will encourage us to do good, to do our best, for that’s what Jesus desires of His followers. Remember too that no man is an island, and we can’t live this life alone, or in too much seclusion, for the Lord made us to have fellowship one with another. As the old people would say; ‘Show me your friends, and I’ll tell you who you are.’ And that’s the living truth, since our friends’ behaviour and attitude rub off on us.
That brings us to this last quote: ‘I approve of myself and LOVE myself deeply.’ Now if all the other quotes are true of us, then we can make that kind of statement, but not too strenuously, (smile) because like believing we’re so awesome, it can lead us away from God, to the heights of narcissism, and we know there’s nothing the Lord dislikes like a proud, supposedly independent, self-LOVING person. Oh yes, we do need to LOVE and approve ourselves, but with a very careful attitude, so that we don’t go overboard and fall victim to the evil inherent in such thinking. As Jeeves would probably say: ‘circumspection my dear man – much circumspection.’ (smile)
And I can’t think of a better way to end today, than with these immortal words of Jesus as per our earthly duty. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)
And that’s the gospel truth my people, straight from the Giver of the gospel! So let’s go out and action them nuh. It’s our bounden duty as believers in Christ Jesus! Much LOVE!
…from Genesis to Revelation…it’s all about LOVE…God’s LOVE for us…our LOVE for Him…and for each other…
30 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fit of jealousy, adult doubleface, am I my brother's keeper, ambassadors for Christ, amidst all the confusion, anxiety, but to do good they have no knowledge, Cain killed Abel, Christ's Church, confusion, consider your neighbour's needs, controversial weekend, Covid-19 times, embrace your love and compassion, faithful believers, for my people is foolish, Friday chant, God so loved the world, grow in love and understanding, Halloween, handle the situation properly, have everlasting life, havoc, he gave his only begotten son, interested in the welfare of those around us, life rough and tough, make a difference, my heartfelt plea, no more real truth to be had, ole fashion, omnipotent help, our sinful world, racial strife, sacrificing ourselves to help others, serious setbacks, should not perish, stand strong and steadfast, standards falling, stay in my own li'l world, sufferation, suffering from so many maladies, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, they are sottish children, they are wise to do evil, they have none understanding, they have not known me, understand godly love, wake up and smell the coffee, we are our brother's keeper, whosoever believeth in him, wise guidance
Jeremiah 4:22. For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish (stupid or silly) children, and they have none (no) understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
So we finally come down to Friday eh…the last day of the work week, and plenty people happy. That is the ones and them who don’t have to go to work again for the next two days. But what happen to those who didn’t have no work to go to this week eh…and those who have had no work to go to for a long time now eh? And it have plenty people like that about the place. Life certainly rough and tough with them.
Yeh friends, plenty people out there really undergoing ‘sufferation’ in this here Covid-19 time yes. What we doing to help them eh? Remember, we are our brother’s keeper, regardless of what Cain said to the Lord: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ after he killed his brother Abel in a fit of jealousy, and the Lord asked him of Abel’s whereabouts. (Gen. 4:1-15)
Oh my fellow believers, in Christ’s kingdom, we are our brother’s keeper. We need to spend time and resources looking after, caring for and being interested in the welfare of those around us, be they real family or not, ofttimes placing their needs before our own, in other words sacrificing ourselves to help others.
As the website http://www.ucg.org/good news explains it. ‘To be your brother’s keeper means to consider your neighbour’s needs at all times, whether he is present or not. A brother’s keeper is one who understands godly LOVE as expressed in Christ’s sacrifice (John 3:16). ‘For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Yes fellow saints, that means we need to grow in LOVE and understanding for each other and encourage each other as best we can. And remember, Christ’s church, the body to which we belong, is supposed to be helping the poor and needy, the sick and suffering, the lost and weary, being shepherds and ambassadors for Christ, so that they can come to Him and be refreshed and renewed.
Unfortunately, I don’t believe that we are doing as much of that as we ought to, or as we can, but as of today, I am pleading with us to be better representatives of Christ Jesus in our immediate area. We don’t have to go far and wide, just minister to the needs of those in our vicinity, because too many people are suffering, mentally, physical, emotionally and financially. I don’t know if there’s ever been a time when so many have suffered from so many maladies at the same time.
And our job, our bounden duty as believers in Christ Jesus, as Christians, is to help as many as possible in as many ways as possible. So please let’s try and do more than we’ve been doing nuh – I know we can – so that we, Christ’s church, can make a difference. That’s my heartfelt plea today. (smile) And no, I have not forgotten the ordinary workingman’s spiel. I just had a longer and I believe more important one myself. (smile)
So hear him nuh: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! And the weekend is upon us once more. But this is going to be a crazy and disturbing and controversial weekend because is Halloween. Some people want it to go on as normal, others want to make changes, while others just want to ban it completely. Steups! Another instance of ungodly contention in we ranks! How we going to ever get through all this Covid business if we can’t agree on nothing eh? As for me, my children staying home yes!
Yuh don’t want big people outside and visiting others they not in a bubble with, but yuh want young children running around from house to house, in the dark night begging people they don’t know, for candy which yuh been telling them all the time is not good for them. Steups! What foolishness and what adult doubleface eh! Meanwhile the dentists, who themselves pan candy and sugar, going to be laughing all the way to the bank in a few months, after the children eat up all the sugar candy. Hn!
But that is the state of today’s world. Standards falling all over the place. No more real truth to be had, because everybody making up their own truth now. Chuh! That is why I stay in my own li’l world yes, and let them do their thing, because it just too much for me. Call me old fashion if yuh want, but I like it so yes!’
Ah mih people, this new world is indeed a handful to navigate, and not a whole lot of old-timers can do it successfully. But as believers, we are expected make a difference, a good difference, and as we do so, we make Jeremiah’s lament over Judah, less applicable to our society. (smile) ‘For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish (stupid or silly) children, and they have none (no) understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.’ (Jer. 4:22)
And we can begin turning around that rather applicable statement right now, by falling on our knees before Almighty God and offering up prayer in the form of our Friday Chant. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that 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 sure and 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, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. 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!’
So let’s get to it nuh, you faithful believers, let’s handle the situation like Christ desires! Much LOVE!
…remember…we are our brother’s keeper…through Christ our Lord…
29 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: apply our hearts unto wisdom, comapssionate heart, compared with eternity our lives are short, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, curse, deceitful and lying words, earthly wealth, eating of the forbidden fruit, every man walketh in a vain show, faith, favour, gain a heart of wisdom, good health, he heapeth up riches, heaven is the best choice, I may know how frail I am, Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, knoweth not who shall gather them, lay up treasures in heaven, living each day to its fullest, made my days as a handbreadth, make me to know mine end, making financial plans for eternity, man's best state is altogether vanity, negative word, one day at a time, only two options: heaven and hell, our bounden duty, our Guiding Light and Comforter, prosper, rejoice and be glad, Satan's hellhole, seize the day, share blessings generously, succeed, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, teach us to number our days, the brevity of life, the Grim Reaper came calling, the measure of my days, the number of thy days I will fulfill, the parable of the rich fool, Thursday Blessings, time is short, to whom we turn in all circumstances, use it wisely
Psalm 90:12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).
Oh mih bredrin, it’s Thursday, so let’s rejoice and be glad nuh, because our days on God’s great earth have been extended by one! Glory be! Remember way back in time when the Lord brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt, He made them this promise: ‘There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfill.’ (Ex. 23:26)
Yeh, God promised that we will be satisfied with a good, long life, but we can only live that long life one day at a time, which means we have to take each and every day as it comes, and enjoy it as though it’s the last one, for we know not when our time will be up. That brings us to Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90. ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’ (Ps. 90:12)
And I like how the websitewww.theologyofwork.orgexplains it. ‘Numbering our days means, as the NLT (New Living Translation) indicates, realizing the brevity of life. It means knowing that we only have so many days on this earth, and therefore we want to “seize the day,” living each day to the fullest. When we recognize that we have only so much time on this earth, that truth will help us think rightly about how to spend our time.’
And that is exactly what we need to understand this Thursday morning at the end of October 2020 my people. Our lives are short, compared with eternity and time as seen by God, so we need to enjoy it to the best of our ability, and we can only do that when Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour, our Guiding Light and Comforter. The One we turn to in ALL cases of difficulty or misunderstanding. The One who understands what we’re going through, because He also experienced the trials and tribulation of this earthly life.
Oh friends, Satan can’t do anything much to relieve our suffering in this his supposed world nuh, all he can do is increase that suffering, and eventually catapult us into his hellhole of fire and darkness. So please, let’s not place our misguided trust in him, despite his sweet, deceitful and lying words. And he is smooth and guileful; yuh see how easy he talked Eve into eating of the forbidden fruit. Please, let’s not allow him to do the same to us.
And when we remember Bruh David’s words in Psalm 39 – A prayer for self-understanding – the situation becomes even more critical. (smile) ‘Lord make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity (vapour). Selah. Surely every man walketh in a vain show (as a shadow); surely they are disquieted in vain (make an uproar for nothing): he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.’ (Ps. 39:4-6)
Oh friends, that’s all so true! We spend so much time building earthly wealth, and seeking power and importance, all to what purpose eh? To leave it all behind for others to enjoy, because we can’t take any of it with us. Too many of us behave like the rich fool in Jesus’ parable, (Luke 12:13-21) who was only interested in laying up treasure for himself here on earth. But what happened eh? That same night he made all his grandiose plans was his last day, the Grim Reaper came a-calling.
So precious people, we must not live only for the things of this earth, but also for the things of heaven, be rich towards God, lay up treasures in heaven, for you know not when your time will come. If it comes and you don’t have treasures stored in heaven, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe! (smile) And we’ve said all of that, just to say that our life on earth is fairly short, so we can’t afford to waste it, and our most important task down here is to decide where we will spend eternity, which lasts forever.
And unfortunately, there are only two options available to us: heaven, or hell. And I don’t need to tell us which is the best one – but I will nonetheless. (smile) Heaven is the best choice friends! No doubt about it! So let’s be wise nuh. Knowing that our time here is short, let’s begin laying up treasures in heaven nuh, for that’s where the wise money is headed; that’s where the best benefits and the highest interest rates are to be had, not down here on earth!
Oh my people, it’s time to examine our financial plans for eternity and bring them into line with true wisdom, otherwise we might just end up on the losing side of the equation, which will indeed be an irrevocable tragedy! And for those of us who are already engaged in making financial plans for eternity, let’s go home now declaring (chuh pool!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on those who sincerely seek Him, to enable them to do His earthly work.
All together 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 everyday! Amen!’
And yes, because some of us might forget, (smile) I will remind us that our bounden duty is now to go out and share those blessings just as generously with others as the Lord has shared them with us. Our God is wonderful friends, I don’t see how we can ever turn away from Him nuh! Much LOVE!
…time is short…so let’s use it wisely…
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