15 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . speak evil, a compassionate heart, a good conscience, a sound mind, a thousand, abundance, always comes through, at noonday, at thy right hand, be not afraid, Bless His Holy Name, courage, cover thee, curse, destruction, dwelling place, evildoers, faith, faithfulness, fall at thy side, fear, fearsome power, flieth by day, for righteousness sake, generously dole out, give an answer, gives us a task, God has never let me down, guidance, help us to accomplish it, hemming and hawing, hope, in every believer, in his time, keep thy foot from being caught, lays waste, loving-kindness, magnanimous god, mature faith, meekness, mercy, negative word, not come near thee, nourish, nurture, of love, of power, pestilence, planted, pressure, prosper, reassurance, resist fear, reverential awe, revitalize our faith, second nature, security, self-control, shield and buckler, strong will, success, sudden fear, suffer, sufferation, take refuge in, talent, ten thousand, terror, terror by night, testify to, the arrow, the desolation of the wicked, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Good Book, the Lord shall be thy confidence, the Lord's great mercy, the Most High, the spirit of fear, Thursday's Blessings, thy habitation, Timothy, trouble, trust, truth, under his wings, undeserving children, walk in darkness, water, wisdom, with His feathers, words of strength
Proverbs 3:25. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh.
Ah friends, I was just wondering what we should write about this morning, because I had nothing whatsoever in mind. But as always, I asked the Lord for some guidance, then opened the Good Book and shortly thereafter found something that He pointed me to. All Glory be to our great and wonderful God!
Friends, you all wouldn’t know the pressure there could be in having to write the Bit everyday, but thankfully I don’t feel any because of the Lord’s great mercy and faithfulness. All I have to do is remember to get up and write it, and I’ve been doing it for so long now it’s come like a second nature.
And if there is one thing I can testify to is the Lord’s ever-faithful faithfulness! (smile) He’s never let me down one day yet in the eleven years I’ve been writing the Bit. Granted, some days it might take a little longer than others to discover what He wants me to write about, but He always comes through – in His time! Bless His Holy name.
That’s why I can testify to the fact that He never gives us a task and then not help us to accomplish it! So whatever He’s asked you to do today, instead of hemming and hawing, simply go to Him in all sincerity and ask for His help, He will only be too glad to give it.
Now let’s see what He desires to share with us today from His word. More wise words from Cousin Sol: ‘Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh.’ What words of strength and reassurance my brethren!
And for those of you who are wondering why Cousin Sol gave that assurance. Here’s why: ‘For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov.3:26) Oh give our great and wonderful God some thanks and praise my believing brethren for his mercy and LOVING-kindness to we undeserving children of men!
So many times in His word He assures us that we should not be afraid of what the wicked can do to us…Let’s hear some of them nuh to revitalize our faith. And I guess we can begin with this one from Bruh Paul to Timothy, which so many of us quote, but don’t seem to live by.
‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7) Yes friends, that power to resist fear has been planted in every believer, it‘s then left up to each of us to water and nourish and nurture it so that it can grow into a strong and mature faith.
Now hear the psalmist as he exalts the fearsome power of our God to all who sincerely trust and take refuge in Him: ‘He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust (take refuge): his truth shall be thy shield and buckler (a small shield). Thou shalt not be afraid for (of) the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth (lays waste) at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come near thee…Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place).’ (Ps.91:4-7,9)
Yes my people, what security we have when we place our sincere trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And Peter puts it this way: ‘And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy (blessed) are ye: and be not afraid of their terror (threats) neither be troubled;
But sanctify (set apart) the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer (a defense) to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (reverential awe):
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation (conduct) in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing than for evil doing.’ (1 Pet.3:13-17).
Ah friends, I know that’s a mouthful, (smile) but all it’s basically saying is that if we are accosted about our faith, we should have a sincere and reverential answer for the hope we have in Christ, and to give it without offense. No need to get into any heated arguments.
And if we do suffer at the hands of the wicked, better it be for doing good than doing bad, and sometimes we are asked to suffer under those circumstances as a testimony to others.
However, the Lord will eventually reward us for any ‘sufferation’ we undergo in His name. So let’s not be afraid to stand strong and steadfast in the faith and assurance of our Lord God, the Creator and Controller of this great universe, for whatsoever He has promised, He will deliver! Amen!
And now it’s time to declare our Thursday Blessings; blessings that our most magnanimous God has so generously bestowed on us. And please remember that a blessing is not a blessing until it’s declared over someone or something.
So altogether now, in strong voice and sincerity of heart: ‘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 those blessings were not meant for us to selfishly hoard, but to also generously dole out to others like the Lord has generously doled them out to us. Much LOVE!
…we all need strong faith…but unfortunately…a strong faith can only be acquired through some ‘sufferation’…
14 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a leader, a rewarder, a witness, abominable sins, atoned for, believe, buy wine, call a nation, come, come ye to the waters, commander, covenant, diligently seek him, drink of my wine, dwell in heaven, eat of my bread, every one that thirsteth, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, find rest, finite souls, foolishness, forsake the foolish, free choice, glad to be alive, Glory be, go in the way, God's Son, hands on the plough, hath no money, hear the call of God, honour, humble, I have mingled, incline your ear, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, knowledge, live, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, lowly, meek, milk, not looking back, omnipotent god, precious blood, promises, raise him up, redeem our souls, redeemed, respond in wisdom, righteousness, run unto thee, sacrifice, seek ye the Lord, selfless sacrifice, show of faith, sins, spiritually hungry, take my yoke, the breath of life, the cross at Calvary, the fold of Almighty God, the Gentiles, the Good Book, the good shepherd, the Great God Jehovah, the great invitation, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord's invitation, understanding, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, without money, wonderful caretaker, work steadfastly, your best interest, your soul shall live
Proverbs 9:5. Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled (mixed).
Welcome, welcome my people, to another bright and glorious day in the fold of Almighty God! Bless His holy name! And please remember that you belong to the BEST fold in all the universe; the one overseen by God’s Son, His first born, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; such a wonderful caretaker that He’s known as the Good Shepherd! Glory be my brethren!
I don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t have Jesus nuh. We’d certainly be in a much bigger mess than we are currently in. But through His selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, His most precious blood redeemed us, our abominable sins were paid for, He took the weight of our sins on His shoulders and gave us His righteousness!
And the great fact of the matter is that He was the Only One who could have atoned for our ghastly sins under the holy and righteous rule of the Father! That’s why we need to constantly remember His great sacrifice and praise His name and exalt Him, like the Father has done. As the Good Book says, the Lord is a rewarder of all those who come to Him in faith, who diligently seek Him and believe. (Heb.11:6)
And the greatest show of faith that ever was, is that of Jesus, who believed that though His Father put the sins of the world on His shoulders and forsook Him for a moment, He would eventually raise Him up again, so that they could once more dwell in heaven…with all of His other children, now deemed righteous by His sacrifice.
Oh friends, can we have such a strong and wonderful faith? It might just be a tad much for our finite souls, (smile) but there’s no reason why we can’t work steadfastly towards as great a faith as possible in this earthly life. And that’s exactly what the Lord desires of us, for it’s only through faith that we can receive all the promises He’s laid out for us.
Now hear this awesome promise as stated by Cousin Sol in our Bit. ‘Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled (mixed).’ Yes friends, that’s the Lord’s invitation for us today…in fact every day He throws out the same invitation… ‘Come!’ And live in wisdom and honour, understanding and knowledge. Like Cousin Sol says in the next verse: ‘Forsake the foolish (foolishness), and live; and go in the way of understanding.’ (Prov.9:6)
How much clearer can it be eh my fellow believers? Not much. But our great and wonderful God always finds a way to do it. Listen to how He says it through His prophet Isaiah: ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price.’ (Is.55:1) Wow! What an amazing invitation! Only the Great God Jehovah can make such a promise and keep it!
And furthermore He asks? ‘Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satsifieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance).’ (Is.55:2) Oh my people which other supposed god has ever thrown out such an invitation eh? None other than the omnipotent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
And He’s still not done: ‘Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
Behold thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.’ (Is.55: 3-4) Ah my brethren what prophetic words of our great God!
Hear the scholars’ explanation of those verse. ‘55:1-7. God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come and eat and drink without money (or freely). He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to all men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’
And friends, what the Lord promises, He delivers, in spades too. He sent us Jesus to redeem our souls, and Bruh Paul to lead the Gentiles into His kingdom. And Jesus continued the Great Invitation: ‘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)
Oh friends, oh friends, what more must the Lord do for us to realize the wisdom of being one of His flock eh? I don’t know, and I don’t think the Lord knows either nuh, seeing that He has given us free choice to make our own decisions, else He would certainly do it. But be all that as it may, I’m imploring us to please hear the call of God today and respond in wisdom, for it’s in your best interest, not God’s.
Now for those of us wise enough to accept the call, let’s go home telling the world our position in Christ as we declare our Wednesday Wail. All together in harmony now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday!
Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And every time we declare it, my mind just boggles with how glorious that future will be! Much LOVE!
…blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness…for they shall be filled… (Matt.5:6)
13 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bad habit, a festive party, aberration, an elaborate banquet, appreciative of, bless thy name, bright lights, bring it on, ceaseless care, celebrate with streamers, celebration, church, every day will I less thee, extol, finite minds, fly banners, for ever and ever, forgiveness granted, grace, great is the Lord, greatly to be praised, greatness unsearchable, grow, heaven rejoices, hope, hurry, irresistible love, joy, joyful celebrations, king, lavish goodness, lighted torches, longings satisfied, LOVE, make amends, mature, medical appointments, mercy, my god, not too late, one lost sheep is found, One Year Book of Bible promises, praise, praise from the mointaintop, praise thy name, praise thy works to another, promises kept, raise flags, rebelled, run with, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, shout for joy, sound bugles, splendour of thy majesty, teach them right, teach them wrong, the beloved of God, the Good Book, the good life, the LOVE of Jesus, the wrong road, this generation, thy wondrous works, tough times, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unfailing protection, worry, write symphonies
Psalm 145:1. I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
Oh friends I don’t want to get you all into the bad habit of expecting the Bit this early every day, so please look on this as a simple aberration. (smile) But I have to go into the big city of Toronto for a couple of medical appointments this morning, which means I won’t be back till late this afternoon, and I don’t want it to be too late either.
Not to worry though, for this morning we’ll be in full ‘Celebration’ mode with the poem of the same name from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. So let’s get to it without any further talk nuh.
Please pray with me: ‘When I think of Your lavish goodness The longings You’ve satisfied The forgiveness You’ve granted The promises You’ve kept When I think of Your irresistible LOVE Your ceaseless care Your unfailing protection…
O Lord God I want to raise flags And fly banners And sound bugles I want to run with lighted torches And praise You From the mountaintop I want to write symphonies And shout for joy. I want to throw a festive party For ten thousand guests. I want to celebrate with streamers And bright lights And an elaborate banquet… Fine dear child. I’m ready.’
Oh friends, when you think of God’s great goodness and LOVING-kindness towards you, don’t you just want to jump for joy and shout it from the mountaintops? I surely hope so, else you would not be truly grateful for all the care, protection, forgiveness, protection, etc. etc. that our wonderful God has so undeservedly bestowed on us.
And I just LOVE God’s answer to all our joyful celebrations: ‘Bring it on! I’m ready to celebrate!’ And don’t think that the Lord doesn’t like to party nuh, just think about all the celebrations that go on in heaven…especially when one lost sheep is found and/or saved. Brother! The whole of heaven erupts with joy and gladness!
In all seriousness though my people, we ought to celebrate God’s inimitable, limitless, unparalleled goodness every day that we draw breath on this His marvellous creation called earth. Because without it, our lives would have been so much more miserable and worthless, and difficult and calamitous than they currently are.
And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit for today; these marvellous words of praise from Bruh David: ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.’ Yes my fellow believers, that’s how we ought to conjure up thanks and praise for Almighty God!
And hear how Bruh David continues nuh: ‘Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).’ (Ps.145:2-3)
And is it ever my brethren! Just like His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, so is His goodness and LOVING-kindness outside the realm of our puny and finite minds! That’s why we need to continually and continuously show our thanks and gratitude for His unlimited grace, mercy and forgiveness.
And Bruh David continues: ‘One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.’ (Ps.145:4-5) Now that’s where this generation has not come up to scratch my fellow believers!
We have certainly not praised God’s goodness and His mighty works to our children in the new generation as much as ought to have done! That’s why they are so lost and wandering all over the place, falling for any nonsense with which some false teacher or preacher fills their ears. Remember, if we don’t teach them right at home, somebody will be able to teach them wrong out in the great big, evil world in which we now dwell.
Oh friends, unfortunately we’ve taken the wrong road and attitude to our children. I guess because we had it somewhat hard and the Good Book and church were sometimes driven into us, we subconsciously, or otherwise, rebelled against that method of raising children, and went to the other extreme, being overly soft, sparing the whip and spoiling the child, which is even worse. And now we lament the poor fruits that our insincere labour has borne.
Remember, the human animal only appreciates stuff and grows in maturity when it experiences tough times. And I daresay that our children of this generation have not experienced enough tough and godly times, otherwise they would have been way more appreciative of the good life they’ve had. And we don’t have anyone but ourselves to blame.
Yuh think I wanted to go to church every Sunday morning and Sunday School every Sunday afternoon? Certainly not! But I had to go. And it eventually stood me in good stead; if nothing else, I knew right from wrong, which a lot of our children don’t know.
Anyway my people, it’s not too late to try and instill some godly virtues in our children, for as they say, while there is life, there is hope. So let’s see what amends we can make in the time we have left nuh.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. And I have to laugh because there is some reason that I keep spelling ‘declaring’ wrong…Oh I spelled it right there. (smile)
Now in strong voice and sincere sense of purpose: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now let’s go out and share that wonderful LOVE of Jesus with someone else nuh! Much LOVE!
…if the LOVE of Jesus truly dwells in is…then we’ll automatically want to share it…
12 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a decent livelihood, a job, a roof over our heads, alive and kicking, almighty god, aura of love, Bless His Holy Name, Christians, confidence, desperate situation, doh break no bone, down in the dumps, drunk or sober, dumb sheep, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, food on our table, for the sheep, forget thy commandments, gives his life, glorious kingdom, glorious promise, gone astray, good advice, gospel truth, Granny's warning, griping, hellfire, holy spirit, humble servants, iniquity, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, laid on him, lies, like lost sheep, LOVE, loved us, mercy, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, praising the Lord, prayerful song, raise our voices, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., sacrifice, salvation, save the lost, seek thy servant, sheep, sinless life, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, the Father's request, the good shepherd, the name that's above every other name, the only hope, the other side of the coin, trust, truth, ungodly world, vitality, we have Jesus, wisdom, wonders never cease, worldly stuff
Psalm 119:176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep: seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
Wonders never cease mih breddren! Monday has quickly rolled around again…Praise the Lord! (smile) And some miserable, disturbed body is wondering why we praising the Lord for Monday? Well because we’re alive and kicking; we have strong, healthy families, a roof over our heads, and food on our table, and a job to go to that pays us money so we can sustain our earthly lives…and I can go on and on.
But what we need to thank God most for on this Monday morning is that we have Jesus! Bless His Holy Name! Yes friends, please bless that name that’s above all other names, for without Him we might have some of the worldly stuff we now have, but we wouldn’t have salvation and the glorious promise of eternal life. And that’s worth more than anything in this world.
So instead of griping about having to go to work, let’s look on the other side of the coin and consider those who don’t have a decent livelihood, and would just LOVE to have what we have. So let’s be thankful for all that we have and are, and if we feeling a bit low and down in the dumps this morning, then please join us as we raise our voices in prayerful song to heaven, soulfully and sincerely declaring our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
In unison now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes my fellow believers, that will cure all your Monday morning ills! And I have to laugh because, as always, the loudest and croakiest voices were those of the people who do not have to go to work today. It’s not a full public holiday, but for some, because Remembrance Day fell on a Sunday, they get the following day off.
And for those of you who have already begun celebrating, getting into your cups, judging from your hoarse voices, please remember Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober please mind yuh business.’ That’s wonderful advice friends. And yuh know what the ole people say about that? ‘Good advice doh break no bone.’ Gospel truth that! And I just happened to hear it in a calypso on the radio yesterday afternoon. And all it basically means is that you can’t go wrong with good advice.
So now that everybody’s up and about, in good spirits, LOVING Jesus and each other, let’s concentrate on doing His will nuh, whatever plan(s) He has for each of our lives on this November day. And we going to follow some more good advice from the psalmist, that surely won’t break any bones, but more likely mend them, as we humbly cry out in our Bit to the Lord: ‘I have gone astray like a lost sheep: seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’
And is that ever the truth my people! So many of us have strayed from the straight and narrow path like, dumb, lost sheep, it’s not funny. And the only way to get back on the straight and narrow is for the Lord to search us out and bring us back.
And it’s not like we have forgotten His commandments, but for one reason or another, we’ve let them slide. And that’s not very wise. And sadly, we’ve been doing that for a very long time, which led Isaiah through God’s Spirit, to pen: ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is.53:6)
Yes friends, mankind was in a desperate condition, totally sinful, lost without a Saviour, until the Lord laid our heavy and abominable sins on the strong shoulders of Christ, the ONLY ONE who had the parts to bear them. And Jesus willingly took our sinful burden and compassionately gave us His righteousness in return. Wow! What an awesome Saviour He is!
As He said: ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) And also: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did my brethren; gave His sinless life for our sinful ones!
That’s why we ought to be everlastingly grateful to Him! He could have refused, but He knew that He was the ONLY hope for mankind, and He just could not refuse the Father’s request, because He knew how much the Father LOVED us, and it would break His heart if He lost even one sheep to the enemy. So let’s have no more questions about why we should praise God and thank Him for Jesus on this cold November morning! Just do it! (smile) Much LOVE!
…without the Good Shepherd Jesus… the dumb sheep…mankind…would be lost in hellfire for ever…
11 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 100 Anniversary, a sovereign God, all loves excelling, Alpha and Omega, amid the guns below, an empty religious profession, be more ready to hear, be not rash with thy mouth, bravely singing, break faith with us, breathe thy loving spirit, by rote, Charles Wesley, compassion, crosses, democracy, faithful followers, faithful mercies crown, felt dawn, fly, freedom, from failing hands, give the sacrifice of fools, go to church, God is in heaven, gratitude, hold it high, humble dwelling, hypocrisy, In Flanders Field, in the sky, inherit, into every troubled breast, John McRae, joy of heaven, keep thy foot, Lest we forget, let not thine heart be hasty, let thy words be few, like robots, LOVE, love divine, loved, make vows, mark our place, not let it happen again, now we lie, poppies, promised rest, promises, Remembrance Day, row on row, saw sunset glow, scared heard, sincerity, song of praise, take up our quarrel, the folly of, the Great War, the house of God, the larks, thou upon the earth, thy salvation, to utter anything before God, unbounded love, unnecessary wars, Veterans Day, walk prudently, we are the dead, we lived, we shall not sleep, we throw the torch, with the foe, without having lived life
Ecclesiastes 5:2. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Wow Friends, these Sundays come around so quickly that sometimes you don’t even have time to think! (smile) We just get up and go to church by rote, like robots, without preparing properly for it. And though it’s good to go to the house of the Lord and worship with fellow believers, I believe we should pay careful attention to these words of Cousin Sol writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes:
‘Keep thy foot (walk prudently) when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few.’ (Eccl.5:1-2)
Yeh friends, we have to be careful when we go to church, not to get too caught up in the moment and make vows and promises we can’t or won’t keep. The scholars offer this explanation on the verses. ‘5:1-7. The emphasis on the passage is on the folly of an empty religious profession before a sovereign God: God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth. God expects sincerity and meaningfulness in worship. He is not impressed with foolish vows.’
And sadly many of us don’t take worship seriously enough. But please, let’s not do that today. Instead, let’s lose the empty religiosity, and gather together with the sincerity and meaningfulness that our God expects of His faithful followers. And let’s begin by showing it in our song of praise, which today is possibly one of the master hymn writer Charles Wesley’s most popular: ‘LOVE Divine, All LOVES Excelling.’
As one harmonious and melodious choir, let’s put our hearts and souls into it. ‘LOVE divine, all LOVES excelling, joy of heav’n, to earth come down, fix in us thy humble dwelling; all Thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion; pure, unbounded LOVE Thou art; visit us with Thy salvation; enter ev’ry trembling heart. Breathe, O breathe Thy LOVING Spirit into ev’ry troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit; let us find the promised rest. Take away the LOVE of sinning; Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty. Come, Almighty, to deliver; let us all Thy life receive; suddenly return and never, nevermore Thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, serve Thee as Thy hosts above, pray and praise Thee without ceasing, glory in Thy perfect LOVE.
Finish then Thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation perfectly restored in Thee. Changed from glory into glory, till in heav’n we take our place, till we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, LOVE, and praise.’
What a marvellous hymn my brethren! And we sang it with much fervour and sincerity too! I’m sure heaven was deeply touched! (smile) Now here is a brief explanation of the hymn from Wikipedia: ‘Like many hymns, LOVE DIVINE, is loosely Trinitarian in organization: Christ is invoked in the first stanza as the expression of Divine LOVE; the Holy Spirit in the second stanza as the agent of sanctification; the Father in the third stanza as the source of life; and the Trinity (presumably) in the final stanza as the joint Creator of the New Creation.
Like many hymns, too, this one is a tissue of Biblical quotations, including “Alpha and Omega” (st.2) as an epithet of Christ, from Revelation 21:6; the casting of crowns before God’s throne (st.4), from Revelation 4:10; the promise that Christians shall be “changed from glory into glory” (st.2 and 4), from 2 Corinthians 3:18; as well as other, more general allusions.’
Whew! That’s what you call a brief, in depth, general explanation! (smile) But it all makes sense. Ah friends, today is also the day we celebrate as ‘Remembrance Day,’ in the British system, and ‘Veteran’s Day’ in the U.S. The day we remember all those who died fighting for our freedom and democracy. And believe me many many gave their lives on our behalf. So today we honour them with marches and speeches and memorials and services at their gravesites, etc.
And this year it’s the 100 Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty that ended the first Great War. But we never learned from it, and unfortunately the celebrations are somewhat tainted, because those who survived all our wars, and the relatives of those who died, are finding it very difficult to get the monetary benefits, housing and medical attention that they deserve. Our governments talk a good talk on days like these, but when it’s time to get down into the trenches, it’s all hypocrisy.
Just this past week the Canadian Government finally allocated a hundred and something million dollars that should have been paid to the veterans some time ago. And even with that allocation, who knows how long that will take to filter down to those in need. It’s the same poor attitude in the U.S. However, although we don’t treat the vets and their families as well as we should, at least we remember them in our prayers and ceremonies.
And we’ll close with that ever-popular poem ‘In Flanders Field,’ written in their honour by Lieutenant Colonel John McRae: ‘In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, LOVED and were LOVED, and now we lie In Flanders Fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.’
Ah friends, so many young men died in those unnecessary wars without having even lived life…But we thank them for their sacrifice and today we remember them, with LOVE and gratitude. Much LOVE!
…besides saying…lest we forget…what about saying…we won’t let it happen again eh…
10 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a divine place, a full slate, a guide, a passing grade, a servant, actions, agreement, Anselm, aspires to inspire us, bad food, be my people, be separate, be their God, being better, believers in Jesus Christ, better than somebody else, biblical principles, by example, caring, children, Christians, contaminate us, covered in white, defile not, desire to be first, enemy of mankind, examples, failure, fairness, friend, God hath said, good examples, gospel truth, greatness, humility, I will dwell in them, idols, indwells us, influences, integrity, Jesus' dictates, Jesus' economy, Joseph Andrews, lack of sleep, laugh, leader, licentious living, live, live holy lives, live obediently, lived, long and short of the story, my father, New Testament, northern climes, Old Testament, quotes, reflect the true nature of God, riotous, shall be last, shining brightly, snow, snowy winter, success, take care of your body, talk the talk, tell me how to live, than precepts, the Holy Spirit, the living God, the Sun, the temple of God, think of you, true greatness, walk the walk, walk with them, white powdery stuff, with the Lord's help, work more forcibly, your normal self
2 Corinthians 6:16. And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Hn, hn, hn! I have to laugh this Saturday morning yes mih people! Why? Because instead of telling you that it’s another wet morning in my neighbourhood, I have to tell you it’s a white and snowy morning. Chuh!
Yes indeed, that white powdery stuff called snow, the enemy of mankind, (smile) is on the ground, on the rooftops…everywhere and everything that’s uncovered is just covered in white! (smile)
Granted, it’s not a whole lot, but any snow at all is too much! And would you believe that the sun is shining brightly out there? Hn, hn, hn! I have to laugh again, because that’s possibly the second time I’ve seen it shine so brightly in the last couple of weeks.
But that’s life in the northern climes! Let’s just hope that this morning isn’t a prelude to a real snowy winter. And if so, we’ll just have to deal with it as best we can, with the Lord’s help of course. Amen!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And he sent us a full slate of them this week, all very plausible.
So here goes: ‘Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.’ Ah friends, is that ever so important, especially for believers in Jesus Christ. We can’t just talk the talk, we have to even more importantly, walk the walk.
And that segues quite nicely into the next quote, or the next quote segues quite nicely into that one. (smile) ‘My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.’ And that’s called living life by example!
And hopefully it’s a good example. Because as they say, ‘examples work more forcibly on the mind than precepts.’ Yes my brethren, we often learn much better and quicker when we see the words in action, rather than just spoken.
And I have to laugh here again, because, if I remember correctly, that quote about examples and precepts comes from a book titled ‘Joseph Andrews’ that I read in High School some fifty something years ago. But it has always stuck in my consciousness. That just goes to show the awesome power of the mind.
And let’s sincerely hope that the children of today can say that their fathers were good examples. I know that I’ve been found badly wanting in some areas, but overall, I might get a passing grade. (smile)
That brings us to this next quote: ‘Greatness: There is nothing great about being better than somebody else. True greatness is achieved by being better than your normal self…yesterday, last month, last year, last failure and last success.’
And that’s basically true! Being better than somebody else is not all it’s cracked up to be, especially in Jesus’ economy. Remember what He said to the disciples when they were disputing about the greatest amongst them?
‘And he sat down and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.’ (Mark 9:35) Yes friends, in Jesus’ kingdom, whoever wants to be first, must first understand the humility in being last and the servant of others!
And the penultimate quote says: ‘The journey is never ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.’ No disputing that friends!
As long as we are alive, again as believers in Christ, we are expected to grow and learn each and every day, and take everything in stride. As it says, ‘do what’s right,’ live obediently according to Jesus’ dictates. But please be careful about living in the moment, for we can overdo it. We have to give some thought to the future.
And the last quote simply says: ‘Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth! Your body is the only one you have, and will ever have, and it goes with you everywhere, so you need to take very good care of it, if you want it to last a long time. Unfortunately though, too many of us abuse our bodies with riotous and licentious living, bad food, lack of sleep etc.
And to make matters even worse, we don’t take the words of our Bit seriously. ‘And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; And I will be there God, and they shall be my people.’
Yes my fellow believers, if the Holy Spirit of God indwells us, then it follows logically that God lives within us, and wherever the Lord is it’s a holy and divine place, and therefore needs to be taken good care of.
Thus Bruh Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah (52:11) as he continues after our Bit. ‘Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord.’ (2 Cor.6:17-18)
That last verse is a combination of 2 Sam.7:14 and Jer.31:1,9. Bruh Paul always tried to use Old Testament scripture to back up His New Testament declarations, because unlike some current theories, the New does not negate the Old, it just backs it up and explains it further.
However friends, the long and short of the story is that Christians ought to live holy lives, lives that reflect the true nature of God, who saved us and caused His Holy Spirit to dwell within us as a guide and leader. Therefore we need to separate ourselves from ‘actions, influences, or people that will contaminate us,’ and live by biblical principles and standards. Amen! Much LOVE!
…defile not the temple of God…both physically and spiritually…
09 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hard week, a man should rejoice, advantage, all are of dust, another week of work, another wet morning, beat we too, boundaryless partying, bring him to see, carnal behaviour, destiny, do as we please, downward, drink, drive we plenty, drizzles, eat, effervescence, encourages the enemy, enjoy this good life, enthusiasm, eternity, faithfully serve God, feast on our souls, fellowship, flooded out, followers of Jesus christ, Friday chant, fun, further God's kingdom, generous help, God's LOVE, goodness, heritage, I perceive, in heaven, in his own works, in Jesus name, in soul body and mind, learn sense, let the waters flow, like beasts, like no tomorrow, like oxen, limitless, LOVE, massa, new times, nonsense, of the sons of men, one breath, party, people that fight, pittance, pouring rain, pre-eminence, refreshed, relaxation, Remembrance Day, renewed, rest, return to dust, sacrifice, safely through, selfless, slave driver, so does the other, spirit, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thanks and praise, that is his portion, the British Isles, the estate, the one dies, the spirit of man, the workingman, there's nothing better, to heaven, to the earth, Triune God, upward, we time, weekend, what shall be after him, yoke we up
Ecclesiastes 3:22. Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion (heritage): for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Can you believe it people…another wet morning! Chuh! I’ve lost count now. But thankfully, it has been mostly drizzles and not pouring rain, else we would have certainly been flooded out by now. I thought it was only in the British Isles that you had that kind of weather! (smile) And despite the cold, rainy weather this Friday morning, like the post office delivers be it rain, sleet, or snow, the workingman is out there singing his song.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! This week’s been a hard one; the massa really drive we plenty! Steups! He must be think we is oxen or something; the way he want to yoke we up and drive we. Chuh man! Ah sure he would beat we too, if he could get away with it. And all for the li’l pittance he pay we when the week done!
But these is new times, we learn sense, and we don’t put up with that kinda nonsense no more! But enough about the slave driver oui! This is we time to do as we please, to eat and drink and party like if there was no tomorrow…for who knows if we’ll see another day eh?
So let the food…and the waters flow…and remember this is Remembrance Day weekend…so we have to remember all them good people that fight so that we could enjoy this good life. So lift them up…and doh forget to treat the ones that still alive right eh! So leh we thank God for Friday’s, weekends and Remembrance Day, that we not warring no more, and we still around to remember!’
Yeh friends, the workingman was really worked up this morning! (smile) But as usual, he got most of it right, except the limitless, boundary less partying, which only encourages the enemy to feast on our souls.
That’s why as believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ, we institute limitations on our natural, animalistic, carnal behaviour. And that’s why our Friday Chant is different to the workingman’s song.
So please chant it now with me, bringing the same enthusiasm and effervescence that he brought to his praise offering. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers, we also have the right to enjoy life, because that’s one of the things Jesus came and died for; that we might have life, and even have it more abundantly, till it overflows. (John 10:10) We only have to be careful we don’t go overboard and keep Jesus first in all that we do.
And there’s no better scripture for our Bit today than Cousin Sol’s immortal words on man’s destiny and heritage. As the richest and wisest man ever, in his search for fulfillment – and he had plenty time, money and opportunity to do so – he finally came to the conclusion: ‘I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest (test) them, and that they might see that they themselves are (like) beasts.
For that which befalleth (happens to) the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence (advantage) above a beast: for all is vanity (futility).
All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth (knows if) the spirit of man that goeth (goes) upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth (goes) downward to the earth?
Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion (heritage): for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?’
Wise words indeed my brethren! As we saw above that’s one of the reasons Jesus came to earth; enjoying earthly life while we worked towards heavenly eternity. And He also answered one question of Cousin Sol’s; that regarding whether man’s spirit goes upward or not?
And we can say with a joyful shout that the spirit of ALL true and sincere believers go UPWARD, to enjoy a rich and glorious life with the Triune God in heaven until time eternal! Glory to God my people! Give Him much thanks and praise for His wonderful goodness to us, for He undoubtedly deserves it!
What would we be without God’s LOVE and the selfless sacrifice of Jesus eh? Absolutely nothing but dust and hell bound spirits! Thankfully now though, we’re still dust, but heaven bound spirits! Glory Hallelujah! So please friends, let’s remember all that we’ve spoken about today and work it into our earthly lives, so that we can enjoy eternity with God, for that’s our destiny! Much LOVE!
…a glorious heaven… patiently awaits…those who sincerely LOVE God…and who diligently and faithfully serve Him…down here on earth…
08 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a valiant battle, at Calvary, be stolen, caring, clear direction, compassion, compassionate heart, conform to their evil ways, conformed to this world, curse, dark clouds, decay, earthly treasures, Easter Sunday, enemies of the world, favour, forgiveness, fulfillment, glory to God, God and mammon, goes against the grain, good health, gospel truth, grace, holy spirit, in our corner, Jesus Christ, light of the world, lose sight of heaven, LOVE, love not the world, main focus, make all things right, mercy, moth will not eat, negative word, not of the world, obedient to God's will, pilgrims, prosper, providing light, resurrection, rewards, righteousness, sanctify, Satan's hell, scornful disdain, seek ye first the kingdom of God, self-control, self-discipline, self-serving culture, sojourners, succeed, the cross, the evil one, the greatest, the love of the Father, the One and Only, the same mould, the world hated them, thr renewing of your mind, Thursday's Blessings, thy word is truth, will of God, wisdom, worldliness, ye cannot serve two masters
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Well the sun seems to be fighting a valiant battle out there against the dark, evil clouds that want to cover it up and shut it out from providing light for our day. But yuh know what friends? Whether the sun wins, or the dark clouds prevail, we will still be awright, in fact blessed, because we have the GREATEST, the ONE and ONLY, Jesus Christ in our corner, and He has the power to make ALL things right! Glory to God!
So we don’t really have to be overly concerned about whether the sun shines or not, since Jesus is the true LIGHT of the world! Give Him much thanks and praise my people! And to further sweeten things, without His selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, and His triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday, we’d all be headed for Satan’s hell instead of Jesus’ heaven!
Wow mih breddren! No amount of thanks can ever be sufficient for those acts of selflessness by our Lord and Saviour! So let’s just worship Him, and praise Him, and give Him all the glory nuh, like we should, instead of trying to cozy up to Satan and his evil buddies, who only have evil in their hearts and no LOVE at all for their fellow man.
No, we definitely should not be kow-towing to their values, their beliefs, their self-serving culture, seeking to build up their earthly treasures, because it all goes against the very grain of what our Leader Christ teaches us. Our concerns should be more heavenly than earthly. Now that doesn’t mean we don’t have to pay serious attention to our earthly life, but that our focus should not be so steadfast on it, that we lose sight of our life to come in heaven.
Remember what Jesus said yesterday: that wherever our treasures are stored up, that’s where our hearts will be. (Matthew 6:21) Well the same way He declared to the Father, re our worldliness: ‘I have given them thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:14-17)
Ah friends, once we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and His Holy Spirit comes to indwell us, we automatically become enemies of the world, hated by it because our ways don’t conform to their evil ways. And they shouldn’t because Jesus teaches a whole different way of life; one of LOVE and caring, compassion, grace, mercy and forgiveness, and the world holds most of those things in scornful disdain.
So as Bruh Paul said so unequivocally to the church at Rome: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom.12:2) Yes friends, we are to steadfastly resist being poured into the same mould as the world, for we are only pilgrims, sojourners here on earth, and our real home is in heaven.
And the battle all begins and ends in our minds! That’s because the mind controls our actions. So that’s where the evil one keeps fighting for supremacy. But if we keep Jesus steadfast in our hearts and sight, we will be able to defeat the enemy.
And as John in his epistle so sternly admonishes: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.’ (1 John 2:15)
It couldn’t get any simpler or clearer than that my fellow believers. Satan is the ruler of this world, and if you LOVE the things in his world, then you cannot have true LOVE for the Father too.
As Jesus so rightly said: ‘No man can serve two masters…Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt.6:24) And that’s gospel truth. So if the things of the world are our main focus in life, then I’m sorry friends, but we don’t truly have God in our hearts. That’s just the simple logic of the situation.
And what’s the solution to the whole ‘confuffling’ situation? Again, Jesus provides us with the simple and straightforward answer: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Ah my people, please remember that God is the Creator and Provider of all good things, so it is certainly possible for Him to provide the things that we need in this world to live it successfully, but we have to be obedient to His will. It’s that simple.
And having said all of that, let’s go home declaring (Spelled it right! Glory to God!) our Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on His followers. All together now in strong voice, for remember a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
‘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 those blessings are not for us to selfishly hoard, but to go out and share with the less fortunate. That’s Jesus great desire. So let’s go out and do just than nuh my faithful brethren! Much LOVE!
…living for Jesus can indeed be tough…but just think about all the wonderful rewards…both earthly and heavenly…that moths will not eat…that will not decay…or be stolen…
07 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spoiled child, abundant life, atonement, be my Helper, blood, burning passion, captivating love, challenging, deprivation, disobedient, eternity, exaltation, eyes fixed straight ahead, foolish fears, for our benefit, forgive, full of adventure, glad to be alive, God's blessings, good things, gospel truth, guide me, halfway home, hand in the pie, hands on the plough, heavenly-minded, hold me, I resisted, I struggled, into a song, joy, just deserts, like the eagle's, Lord, magnanimous god, moth rust destroy, mount up with wings as eagles, my Friend, my light in the darkness, my vain grasping, not be weary, not faint, not looking back, obeying God, on a good foot, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sins, overwhelm me, praise, renew their strength, reverence, rewards, rich, run, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfies thy mouth, seize me, shattered, shenanigans, spoiled brats, staggered, steady me, thanks, the breath of life, the dungeons of hell, there is your heart, thieves steal, thread my tears, thy youth is renenwed, to a glorious future with Jesus, torn with grief, transitory change, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, unconditional LOVE, undeserving child, wait upon the Lord, walk, Wednesday Wail, where your treasure is, willful pride, with your wisdom, you love to say yes, your counsel
Psalm 103:5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Now please don’t blame me for this early Bit, blame my mechanic. (smile) He gave me an early appointment to come and get my chariot fixed, which means I have to get out there and face the early morning traffic shenanigans. But what to do eh? I’ve been waiting to get this particular repair done since before I went away, so I can’t put it off again.
And to get us all off on a good foot, this cold but dry Wednesday morning, here is this wonderful poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled, ‘Lord, You LOVE to Say Yes.’ And does He ever!
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I asked You for abundant life Rich, challenging, full of adventure And You said yes. I asked You for an undisturbable joy Independent of transitory change And You said yes. I asked You to thread my tears into a song When I was shattered and torn with grief And You said yes. I asked You to steady me when I staggered – To hold me when I struggled To seize me when I resisted And You said yes.
I asked You to forgive my vain grasping My foolish fears, my willful pride And You said yes. I asked You to be my Helper, my Friend My light in the darkness And you said yes. I asked You to guide me all my life With Your wisdom, Your counsel Your captivating LOVE And You said yes. Sometimes Lord I feel like a spoiled child who gets whatever he asks for. You overwhelm me with joy For You just LOVE to say Yes!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren? We have such an awesome generous, and magnanimous God, that we sometimes indeed feel like spoiled brats. And the great thing about it is that He has no real reason to treat us as generously as He does, because we’re such disobedient and undeserving child, but that amazing, unconditional LOVE that fills His heart towards us, just makes it impossible for Him to give us our just deserts.
Please give Him plenty praise and thanks and reverence and exaltation, because He is such a wonderful God! There’s NONE OTHER LIKE HIM! Glory Hallelujah! Now enough with the praise, because if you give me a chance, I can sing His praises all day long! (smile)
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit; thankful words of Bruh David as he offers thanksgiving for God’s mercy: ‘Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ Ah friends, sometimes when I sit down and think about all the goodness that the Lord has bestowed on me, tears come to my eyes.
And we have a perfect example of that in my recent vacation to Jamaica. Wow! Was it ever good…and did people ever LOVE on me…! Chuh! It was just amazing the way everything came together. His hand must have been in the pie; otherwise it could not have been so tasty! (smile)
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who enjoys God’s blessings, so I don’t understand why we’re so reluctant to LOVE and obey Him, giving so much of our time and space instead to the evil ruler of this evil world. My fellow believers, Jehovah God LOVES us with a burning LOVE, a passion that knows no end! That we can never dispute after He so sacrificially gave His sinless Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be the blood atonement for our sins!
And all He’s asking in return is that we obey His laws and exalt His name…Is that too much to ask? Certainly not! But here is the kicker: All He asks us to do is not for His benefit, but for ours. So if we refuse to live according to His will, we are the ones who will suffer, both here on earth and in the dungeons of hell later on.
Please remember these significant words of Jesus. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break in 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)
And that’s indisputable truth friends! Wherever our treasure is stored, there will our hearts be. And the sad fact of the matter is that too many of us are concentrating on storing up treasure here in the world, where it begins to decay from the moment you get it, and everybody wants to take it away from you. So please, let’s be more heavenly-minded nuh. Remember it’s up there we will spend eternity, and we can’t carry anything from down here with us.
And to lift us back up again, after all that admonishment, (smile) listen to this well-known and much quoted verse from Isaiah. ‘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.40:31) More indisputable, gospel truth my brethren! Give God the glory!
Now let’s go home declaring (Steups! Spelled it wrong again!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all the world know our current position in Jesus. As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And do I ever look forward to that glorious future! Hope you do too. Much LOVE!
…the rewards of obeying God…both earthly and heavenly…more than outweigh the deprivation we might suffer doing so…
06 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful keeper, a refuge, a sincere heart, a soul that's been saved, a willing mind, adversity, ancient seals, beloved of God, born again, calamity, came to their senses, cast thee off for ever, cry out for help, disobedience, dr robert h schuller, experience the joy, fell my heart opening, forsake him, friend of Jesus, God is good, great man of faith, greatest commandment, hear old chains break, His promise, Hour of Power Devotional, hurry, I've awakened, in god's eyes, in time of need, Jeremiah, know thou the God, know thy name, learn to know God, life's not fair, like a heavy door, listen to you, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, love thy neithbour, Moses, narcissistic nihilistic, not what I do, obits, Pharisee, Praise the Lord, pray unto me, put their trust in thee, respond positively, seek the Lord, seeking their maker, sense the footsteps of jesus, serve him, share His love, sinful times, Solomon, spiritual and emotional walls crack, stronghold, sun-filled day, the children of men, the Lord searches all hearts, the oppressed, thou shalt find him, trials, tribulations, Tuesday Mantra, understands all the imaginations, undeserved goodness, ungodly, walking into my life, welcomed them back, with a perfect heart, with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with opened arms, worry
Deuteronomy 4:29. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Oh brother! What is it eh? I’ve been back from sunny Jamaica for a week now and so far I’ve only awakened to one bright and sun-filled day! I believe that was Sunday. Man o man! That sure doesn’t do wonders for the spirit nuh. But nonetheless, I am thankful that I can say that I’ve awakened…Glory be!
Every time I read the obits and don’t see my name, I send up a grateful, ‘Thank You Lord!’ Oh, I know that one day I will read it there, but just not yet.’ (smile)
And to help us on this cold, dark, wet and cloudy day, I’ve been led to share this poem from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, titled, ‘Learn to Know God.’ So let’s do just that nuh.
Please pray with me: ‘Dear Jesus, I’ve got to get to know You better. Please help me! I can feel my spiritual and emotional walls crack. I can hear old chains break. I can feel my heart opening like a heavy door whose ancient seals have just begun to break. I can sense the footsteps of Jesus walking into my life. I am beginning to experience the joy of a soul that is being saved, a life that is being born again. Thank You Lord! Life’s not fair, but God is good. Amen.’
And that’s the gospel truth: ‘Life’s not fair, but God IS good!’ Ah friends, whenever we come to God, sincerely cry out to Him for help in time of need, we can be sure that He will hear our plea and respond positively to it! That’s’ His promise, and He’s a faithful keeper of ALL His promises! But we first have to seek Him, to get to know Him.
And every great man of faith has made that admonishment, as we will see as we go through the Good Book. We’ll begin with out Bit; Moses’ wise and true advice to the Israelites: ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’
Yes friends, whenever we seek the Lord with a sincere heart, we shall find Him. It doesn’t matter what we were doing before. And we have perfect examples of that in the many times the Israelites turned from God and suffered, but when they came to their senses and returned to Him, He welcomed them back with opened arms.
Likewise, in these evil and sinful times, if we turn back to God, seek Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, He will hear us and relieve the trials and tribulations, which we are suffering from disobedience to His holy will. And doh fool yuh fat nuh, we are undergoing adversity and calamity because of our sinful, ungodly way of life. But enough of my preaching, (smile) let’s see what some other great men of faith said on the subject.
Hear Bruh David now, as he admonishes Cousin Sol on the matter. ‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.’ (1 Chr.28:9) And that my brethren holds good for all of us, be we prince or pauper!
And on an even more important note, how many of us parents admonish our children with that information eh? Too few! Otherwise we would not have raised such an ungodly, narcissistic and nihilistic (rejection of beliefs in religion and morals) generation. Our parents taught us about seeking God, possibly more than we liked, but our generation have certainly not taught this current one enough about seeking their Maker.
Come the judgement day, we will have a lot to answer for in that regard. But moving right along, listen to Bruh David again, this time from Psalm 9. ‘The Lord also will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps.9:9-10)
And all God’s people broke out in a loud and grateful cheer: ‘Praise the Lord for His undeserved goodness to the children of men!’ Yes my brethren, we all know that the Lord NEVER turns His back on any one who comes to Him with a sincere and humble heart!
Now hear that lamenting prophet, Jeremiah. (smile) ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13) It couldn’t get any more forthright than that!
Now listen to the Master tell it like it truly ought to be. This is His response to a foolish Pharisee lawyer trying to provoke Him, by asking which is the greatest commandment? ‘Jesus saw through the ruse and simply quoted the Old Testament words to him, (Deut.6:5) which as a leader of the people, he ought to have known. ‘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)
And as a (langniappe, or brawta) a little extra thrown in for good measure, Jesus then informed him. ‘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.22:39-40) And that was only a reiteration of Leviticus 19:18, which the Pharisee lawyer also would have known.
But friends, just like how they were not living those two great commandments back in the times of Jesus, likewise we are not living them in these end times. That’s why our world is such an evil mess. And it’s only if we believers improve our LOVING, both for God and man, will it ever improve. It’s as simple as that.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere hearts 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!’
Our next move then is to go out and share that LOVE! Much LOVE!
…only as you seek the Lord…and with a sincere heart too…will you find Him…
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