07 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a conquering army, a good soldier of Christ, a soldier for Christ, able to stand, affairs of this life, all one body, all roads leading, any two edged sword, Arthur Sullivan, ashamed of ourselves, assurance, be strong in the Lord, breastplate of righteousness, buckle down, Christ, Christ's followers, confidence, countless ages, dividing asunder, doctrine, endure hardness, feet shod, forgiveness, forward into battle, God's house, gospel of peace, happy throng, hardship, in his name, keep on keeping on, leads against the foe, living, loins girded, LOVE Revolution, men and angels sing, militant, minions, misfits, my heart hurts, not divided, one in charity, one in hope, onto victory, Onward Christian soldiers, perilous times, perseverance, petty stuff, praising, prayer, praying always, quench the fiery darts, receptive, refresher course, reuel our souls, rise to heaven, Sabine Baring-Gould, Salvation Army, Satan's host flees, see his banner go, sharper, sincere hearts, singing, soften our hearts, soul and spirit, spiritual war, St. Gertrude, storms of controversy, supplication, tender mercies, the church of God, the cross of Jesus, the evil one, the evil world, the helmet of salvation, the Lord's sanctuary, the Lord's Word, the royal Master, the saints have trod, the shield of faith, the sign of triumph, the sword of the Spirit, the whole armour of God, the wiles of the devil, the Word of god, to the Holy Scripture, treading, triumph song, truth, turning away from God, war, weathered, worshipping
2 Timothy 2:3. Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
So where are all roads leading this Sunday morning eh friends: to church or not to church? I sure hope that the road to the Lord’s sanctuary will indeed be the one more travelled by His children.
That’s because we need to refuel our souls and spirits on a weekly basis, and there’s no better place to do so than in God’s house with other believers; singing and praising, worshipping and receiving His tender mercies, forgiveness, assurance and confidence to keep on keeping on in His name.
And as always, before we receive the Lord’s Word, we like to engage in some praise and worship, to soften our hearts and make them more receptive to the Holy Scripture. And today’s song of praise is one written way back in 1865 by Sabine Baring-Gould.
However it never became popular until 1871 when Arthur Sullivan composed some music he called “St. Gertrude,” after the wife of his Friend Ernest Clay Ker Seymer, at whose country home he composed the tune. In time, the Salvation Army adopted the hymn as its favoured processional.’
But it was never clear sailing for ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ because some religious people considered it too militant and militaristic. But as all good tunes do, it has weathered the storms of controversy, and is now one of our favourite processional hymns.
So let’s blast it out now nuh, in full voice and sincere hearts. Let out song rise to heaven so mightily and sincerely that it will have them up there marching and singing with us.
‘Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before! Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle, see His banner go! (Refrain: Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before!)
At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee: On, then, Christian soldiers, onto victory! Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise; Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise! (Refrain)
Like a mighty army moves the church of God; Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod. We are not divided; all one body we, One in hope and doctrine, one in charity. (Refrain)
Onward, then, ye people, join our happy throng, Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song; Glory, laud, and honour, unto Christ the King; This thro’ countless ages men and angels sing. (Refrain: Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before… (Repeat).’
Yeh friends, what better way to describe Christ’s followers than as a victorious army marching forward, subduing all the evil world before it! Unfortunately though, I don’t think Jesus would look at His church right now as a conquering army, but more like a divided, lazy, compromising, bunch of misfits, for all the progress we’re making.
On our current watch, more people seem to be turning away from God than are turning to Him. So how does that make us victorious eh? Hell’s foundations aren’t quivering, neither is Satan’s host fleeing because our efforts on Christ’s behalf are not powerful or compelling enough to do either.
My heart hurts when I sing the line, ‘We are not divided; all one body we, One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.’ That’s just not true, because the church of Christ is more divided than it’s ever been, and mostly over petty stuff, that’s why the evil one and his evil minions are having such a heyday in today’s world.
The theme of the song is apparently based on Bruh Paul’s encouragement to Timothy regarding the Christian being a soldier for Christ. ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’
And remember my fellow believers, it’s not a physical but spiritual war we’re fighting. Thus Bruh Paul continues to Timothy: ‘No man that warreth entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.’ (2 Tim.2:4)
And Jesus is the one who has chosen us to lead His LOVE Revolution in these combative and perilous times, so we ought to be about His business more seriously and diligently than we are. I guess what we need is a refresher course in what it takes to be a true soldier in Christ’s army.
Hear Bruh Paul spell it out to the Ephesians, and consequently to us. ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (Let yourselves be constantly strengthened by His mighty power.) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness (wicked spiritual beings) in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:10-13)
Yes mih people, the first rule in being a good soldier is to put on protection, in this case God’s armour. And what’s that? ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt (girded) about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:’ (Eph.6:14-17)
Yuh see friends, just like a soldier has armour, protection to fight a physical war, we believers in Christ’s spiritual army also have protective armour; truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and God’s word.
But you know that still isn’t enough, Bruh Paul then concludes: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:18) That’s right my brethren, with all that armour, prayer is still a necessity for us to win the fight, and prayer for all of God’s children too.
So now that we’ve had that refresher course in spiritual soldiering, (smile) let’s buckle down and do better nuh. Look at all Christ has done for us, can’t we just stand up strong for Him? Aw shucks friends, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves with the miserly effort we’re putting forth on His behalf! Much LOVE!
…the word of God is quick (living)…sharper than any two edged sword…piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit…
06 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new creation, a short visit, a Spirit filled life, accept Christ, all things become new, an earthly decision, Anselm, be in christ, build a new model, carnal lusts of the flesh, Christ-like ways, come calling, comfort zone, Communist revolution, contented, cruel, cry, damnation, different people, dilemma, don't hurry, don't worry, drag us down, easier than change, eternal separation, eternal youth, eternity, fighting the existing reality, friend, get better, gives life, hate change, heavenly bliss, hell fire, household chores, human nature, human warmth, in heaven, in love with life, indwelling of the holy spirit, inhumane, insight, key to, know christ, Lord and Saviour, manifested on the outside, metamorphosis, mosey along, negative emotions, obsolete, old before our time, old things passed away, putt off for tomorrow, resentment, returns to dust, significant other, sinful ways of the world, sleeping in, smell the coffee, smell the flowers, smile a lot, snuggle up, sparkling, the butterfly, the French Revolution, the grim reaper, the spirit quickeneth, things to remain the same, Triune God, what you can do today, worst fate possible, young
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (new creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Ah, a rainy Saturday morning, just right for sleeping in! Yeh, woke up to find showers, or rather drizzles of blessings watering the land. And I know that many of you are going to take this opportunity to sleep in this morning, as the mind is saying: ‘Chuh! Forget all the household chores yes! Forget the groceries yes! There’s enough stuff in the fridge for another day!
Snuggle up next to your significant other and enjoy their human warmth, which is like no other warmth in the universe! Just pamper yourself today; rest and relax and smell the coffee gurgling away in the coffee-maker downstairs.’
And that ties in quite nicely to our first quote from our friend Anselm, whose quotes we review each Saturday, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. He says: ‘You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.’
Yeh friends, that’s absolutely true! Earthly life is very short in comparison to eternity, so we don’t need to get all uptight and worried, just mosey along confidently and enjoy all the stuff the Lord has placed down here for us to enjoy.
And that leads us to this next interesting quote: ‘I think being in LOVE with life is a key to eternal youth.’ No doubt about that my brethren! When we LOVE life, it keeps us young and sparkling! We smile a lot, are contented a lot and have much less resentment than those who struggle with life. For it’s really the negative emotions we harbour and display that really drag us down and make us old before our time. (smile)
Now listen to this quote: ‘You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.’ I don’t necessarily agree with that, because the changes needed are sometimes small and very doable within the existing model. And just look at our current situation, where everyday we have a new model of something; oftimes they are no better than the old one, but inevitably they make the old ones obsolete.
And look at the amount of different models we have of human societies! People are trying to change them from both inside and outside, but they’re not getting any better. Some of the old models worked much better than the new ones. Look at the French Revolution, and the Communist Revolution in Russia. Neither made life any better. In fact both were more cruel and inhumane than the previous models.
And there’s much truth in this next quote: ‘People can cry much easier than they can change.’ For sure, for sure! Crying comes much easier than changing because ‘Our dilemma is that we hate change and LOVE it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.’ What insight into our human nature!
We all want things to change for the better, but we hate to go through the tough changes that change always brings. As the quote says, we want it to get better while staying the same. That’s because change takes us out of our comfort zone, into one we don’t know, and might not like. But friends, change, whether for good or bad, always means changing something in our lives.
Look at the butterfly nuh, look at its metamorphosis; how it creeps along like a snail for a while, then sheds its reptile-like skin and suddenly transforms itself into a beautiful butterfly! I’m sure it’s no easy task to shed that skin, but it knows the rewards that will come from making such a painstaking change.
And so it is with us friends, we all are changed, go through our own metamorphosis, when we come to know, LOVE, and work for Christ. As Bruh Paul says to the Corinthians in our Bit: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (new creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ And that’s gospel truth my people!
When we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour we just become entirely different people! We stop living by the carnal lusts of the flesh, by the evil and sinful ways of the world. We are first changed on the inside by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, then others gradually see those changes manifested on the outside as the Holy Spirit begins to work Christ-like ways in us. We embrace a totally new way of life; a Spirit filled life.
As Jesus told the disciples once when they were murmuring about His teaching: ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ (John 6:63)
Yes friends, the flesh is basically worthless, because it eventually dies and returns to the dust from which it was made. However, the spirit lives on forever; either in hell fire and damnation, or in heaven with our Triune God.
But that distinction can only be made by an earthly decision to accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Believe me people, it’s the wisest decision you can ever make in this earthly life, because failure to do so, will bring the worst fate possible to a human soul; eternal separation from Almighty God for ALL of eternity!
And believe me, that’s a long, long, long…exceedingly long time! So please make that oh so wise decision today nuh; right now, because the Grim Reaper can come calling at any time. And once He comes, it’s too late! Much LOVE!
…don’t put off for tomorrow…what you can do today…it can mean hell fire…instead of heavenly bliss…
05 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: attitudes, awareness of pitfalls, baby and all, be dislocated, before the eyes of the Lord, boundaries, brings joy, celebrate, circumspection, conversation, days off with pay, do it all over again, down will come cradle, dying, eats away, entitled to enjoy, fellowship, fighting, follow peace, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, glory to God, goess to far, he ponders all his goings, healed, hear a word behind thee, holiness, in Jesus name, in soul body and mind, inherent danger, invite the enemy, Jesus on our side, joyful smiles, juiciest fruit, keep your eyes fixed, lame, let all thy ways be established, lift up the hands, make straight paths, more brittle, no man shall see God, our own bootstraps, ourselves to blame, out on the limb, party hearty, ponder, pull ourselves up, refreshed, relaxation, remove thy foot from evil, renewed, rest, sinful soul, spiritual strength, steadfastly on Jesus, stooped, tears, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the bough breaks, the feeble knees, the fruits of our labour, the Holy Spirit's advice, the ordinary workingman, the path of thy feet, the slave massa's eyes, the ways of man, thieving, this is the way, turn not to the right nor to the left, two short days off, unbridled carnal living, upcoming weekend, veer off the straight and narrow, walk ye in it, week of work, weekends
Proverbs 4:26. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
And I can see all the joyful smiles and hear all the joyful conversation simply because it’s Friday, and the working population has only the upcoming weekend on their minds. What a way our attitudes can change from one day to the next, when something that seems good is on the horizon. Wish we could have that joyful attitude come next Monday morning. (smile)
And there is no stopping the ordinary workingman come Friday morning, for he will sing his song, come hell or high water. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday mih breddren! The weekend come…and while it brings joy to our lives, it brings tears to the slave massa’s eyes, because he has to pay us for not working for two whole days! Glory be!
You wouldn’t know how that eats away at his thieving sinful soul. But God is good…and fair too. And after plenty fighting and dying we finally get some days off with pay. Wow! And as always, we going to party hearty and celebrate that fact, because we entitled to enjoy the fruits of our labour! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
Ah friends, the workingman does make some good points in his song, but just goes too far out on the limb in pursuit of the ripest, juiciest fruit. Yes my brethren, there is inherent danger in pursuing that at the edge of the limb, it’s liable to break more easily, because it’s usually smaller and more brittle out there. And when the bough breaks, you’ll fall, and down will come cradle, baby and all. (smile)
And as that pertains to our Christian faith walk, it means allowing the enemy to get into our lives and settling in to spoil them, and have us walk away from Jesus, rather than with Him. Now that’s one thing we definitely don’t want to happen, and the best way to avoid it is to stay away from what appears to be the juiciest fruit at the edge of the limb.
We need to erect some boundaries as to how far we’re going to go, so that we don’t invite the enemy into our lives. That’s why our Friday Chant is different from the workingman’s song, with more circumspection and awareness of the pitfalls of unbridled carnal living. So let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, with even more enthusiasm than the workingman, because we know that we have Jesus on our side. Glory to God!
Altogether 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.’
Ah friends, to live sincerely for Jesus means always being aware of the world around you and its constant efforts to make you succumb to its evil ways. But we’re blessed, for Jesus’ Holy Spirit that dwells within us warns us of the pitfalls. Oh, we don’t always pay attention to, or take heed to the Holy Spirit’s advice, so we have no one else to blame but ourselves, when that unwise attitude gets us into trouble.
That’s why Cousin Sol warns us in our Bit and beyond: ‘Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov.4:26-27) And that jells nicely with these words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Isaiah. ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is.30:21)
Yes friends, anytime we veer off the straight and narrow path that Jesus advises us to follow, we will hear His Holy Spirit calling us back to it, for the broad way of the world only leads to eventual destruction. As Cousin Sol further declares: (Chuh! Spelled it wrong again). ‘For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth (weighs, observes) all his goings.’ (Prov.5:21)
So please don’t foolishly believe that we can do stuff that the Lord doesn’t see, because His eyes are always on our goings and comings. That’s why we have to pay close attention to the warning against disobedience in Hebrews: ‘Wherefore lift up (strengthen) the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way (dislocated); but let it rather be healed.’ (Heb.12:12-13)
And the scholars explain: ‘12:12-13. Some of the runners of verse 1 have grown so weary that they have become stooped and need spiritual strength to be straightened up again. They must be given help, yet they themselves also must strengthen their paths by avoiding obstacles that would spiritually trip them up.’
Yuh see friends, neither the Lord, nor our fellow man can or will do everything for us. At some stage of the game we need to strengthen ourselves, pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and set out eyes firmly on that straight and narrow path.
And here’s a fitting end from Hebrews to today’s message. ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb.12:14) So let’s be wise and try our best to do that nuh my people! Much LOVE!
…there’s only ONE way to stay on the straight and narrow…keep your eyes fixed steadfastly on Jesus…
04 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brother is born for adversity, a compassionate heart, a friend, a friend loveth at all times, a pagan women, a second option, abundance, aught but death, belief and faith in Jesus, bright sunshine, clap of thunder, come to ruin, comforted me, courage, creativity, curse, damnation, dr robert h schuller, eternal life, Euripides, faithful, flooding the land, forgave me, friends show their love, godly favour, greater love, hath no man, hellfire, horde of women, Hour of Power Devotional, in the name of Jesus, in times of trouble, Jesus' lineage, large entourages, lay down his life for his friends, lifted me, lonely- struggling, most valuable gift, Naomi, negative word, never failed, not in happiness, obedient, part thee and me, plague of locusts, rejoiced with me, renewed me, Ruth, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, serving, share blessings, show himself friendly, sinking, sinning, steadfast, sticketh closer than a brother, succeeding, success, suffering, supported me, thanks and praise, the cross at Calvary, the Lord reciprocates, the throes of sleep, Thursday's Blessings, thy god my God, thy people my people, truth, What a Friend, what a friend i have in Jesus, wisdom
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Looks like a gloomy, ‘riney’ day. But who knows eh? By the time I go back upstairs after writing the Bit, bright sunshine might be flooding the land. The weather is so temperamental these days; temperamental like… wisdom dictates that I not say it, else I might just have a whole horde of women on my case like a plague of locusts. (smile)
But brother, a majestic clap of thunder echoed through the area sometime in the early hours of the morning! It resonated like a true thunderous boom – that’s the only comparison I can find. I haven’t heard one as loud and powerful as that in a long time. It sure did catch my attention though I was caught up in the throes of sleep.
This interesting prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional also caught my attention, and I’m going to share it once again because we desperately need this kind of prayer in these desperate times in which we live. This one’s titled ‘What a Friend!’ Wow! And you should know who that friend is!
But please pray with me. ‘You have never failed, Lord, to be my one, essential, intimate friend. When I was: Lonely in striving – you encouraged me. Lonely in struggling – you lifted me. Lonely in serving – you supported me. Lonely in suffering – you comforted me. Lonely in sinning – you forgave me. Lonely in sinking – you renewed me. Lonely in succeeding – you rejoiced with me. What a friend I have in Jesus! Thank you, Lord. Amen!’
Oh my people, my people, what a friend we do indeed have in Jesus! None else can compare to His everlasting friendship! And He backs that up with the words of our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth! The most valuable gift we can give to someone is our life on their behalf.
And Jesus did just that for us! Glory to the Most High God for preparing such a wonderful plan and then bringing it to fruition! And we have to give Jesus much thanks and praise too, because if He wasn’t obedient to the Father’s wishes, we’d ALL be headed for hellfire and damnation eternally. But because of His death on the cross at Calvary, we have a second option; salvation and eternal life, but only through belief and faith in Him.
Now let’s look at a few scriptures that deal with friendship. First off is Cousin Sol’s famous statement that: ‘A friend LOVETH at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ (Prov.17:17) That just happens to be the true purposes of a friend and brother; to stand by one’s side, especially in the rough times. And as the Greek philosopher Euripides said so long ago: ‘Friends show their LOVE in times of trouble, not in happiness.’
Oh my faithful brethren, we do have the greatest friend in the universe always by our side, that’s Jesus, but we do need a few human friends too, but not too many, as Cousin Sol wisely says: ‘A man that hath friends, must show himself friendly,’ (Prov.18:24a) meaning that if you have too many friends, you’re likely to come to ruin.
And that’s the gospel truth, as some of us have experienced, and we still see happening in our society everyday. Those people with the large entourages never seem to last long, because when their money is gone, so are the supposed friends. However, Cousin Sol does wisely continue: ‘and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ (Prov.18:24b) That’s Jesus my people!
But there are a few human friends who will stick closer than a brother, and we are certainly blessed if we can find just one of those. One like this moving bit of scripture indicates between Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, after their men-folk had passed into eternity and Naomi decided to return to her homeland of Bethlehem. Naomi tells Ruth to go back to her people.
‘And Ruth said, Entreat me not (urge me not) to leave thee, or to return (turn back) from following thee: for wither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.’ (Ruth 1:16-17) What faithfulness my brethren!
As the scholars explain: ‘1:16-17. Ruth’s faith and faithfulness are in evidence throughout the book, as expressed here in her commitment to Naomi’s God as her own. Ruth’s own concern for Naomi is bound by a strong oath made before the Lord Himself.’
And yuh know what friends, our God is so wonderful and faithful and rewarding that for her kindness and steadfastness to Naomi, Ruth ended up being the great-grandmother of Bruh David, and thus of the lineage of Jesus! Wow! Imagine that nuh! A pagan woman being in Jesus ‘ lineage! Only our God could and would do such nonconformist things. (smile) And we don’t have time for that other great friendship between Jonathan, Saul’s son, and Bruh David. But you can read about it in 1 Samuel 20.
Yes my people, let’s hope that in this lifetime we can all have at least one lasting and faithful friendship, because we all need one. Now let’s go home declaring (spelled it right) our Thursday Blessings, letting the world know what it’s like to live and work for Jesus.
Altogether now, in sincerity and truth: ‘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!’
Now remember we were given those blessings to share with others, not to hoard for ourselves. So please let’s go out and faithfully do that nuh, in Jesus Name. Much LOVE!
…when we are steadfast and faithful in our friendships…the Lord reciprocates with overwhelming godly favour…
P.S. I went upstairs a while ago, and the sun is out. Glory be! And yes, it’s long…and late, but good! (smile) Much LOVE!
03 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a roof over our heads, accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, acclamations, aches and pains, agree with God, arrogant, attitudes, bears all things, believes all things, born of God, building blocks, common sense, communication, conquer the world, constant level, cover the multitude of sins, covers all sins, direct your paths, Dr. Charles Stanley, eternal life, faith, faith walk, food on our tables, forsake sin, get sufficient rest, goes against the grain, good and bad, halfway home, hatred, hit our full stride, hope, hopes all things, in full swing, Jesus' programme, kind, knows God, lean not on your own understanding, leave all the consequences to Him, listen to God, LOVE, Love God, Love suffers long, middle of the workweek, never fails, obedience, obey God, of God, prayer, precarious predicament, puffed up, rejoices in truth, rejoices not in iniquity, rude, salvation, seeks not her own, stirs up strife, Thank the Lord, the Boss, the breath of life, the greatest of these, the only way to the Father, the straight and narrow path, trust God, unseemly, waiver, walk in the same direction, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wishful thinking, with all thine heart, with the Lord's help, without Jesus
Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth ALL sins.
And then it was Wednesday, the middle of the workweek…and we in full swing now. We’ve hit our full stride and feel like we can conquer the world, even without the help of Jesus…wishful thinking though. (smile)
But that just shows the difference in our attitudes between Monday, the start of the work week and today, when we’ve gotten accustomed once again to getting up and getting out to labour for a penny to keep food on our tables and a roof over our heads.
Yeh friends, it’s all in our attitude, our state of mind, and we can’t afford to let it waiver between good and bad, because then our lives also waiver between good and bad. It’s in our best interest to keep our attitude at a constant positive level, in tune with Jesus’ programme for His followers.
And before I forget, let me thank the Lord for a much better beginning to today, than I had yesterday, the aches and pains are nowhere near as bad. Brother, yesterday was truly a rough day! But with the Lord’s help I weathered it…Praise His holy name!
And I believe the aches and pains are directly related to how much time I spend in bed. I’ll be fine with three or four hours at a time…But Chuh! Once we hit the five or six hour mark, like the body begins to stiffen up. And I won’t even mention seven or eight hours… (smile) So it seems like my best bet is to sleep in four hour spurts.
But that’s not always practical, and it goes against the very grain of one of my most important acclamations; that I will get sufficient rest each and every day. But if I want to avoid the worse of the aches and pains, with the Lord’s help, I will find a way to do it. Amen!
Now let me share some stuff from Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) that I just glimpsed on one of the many bits of paper on my desk. I believe it deals with walking and having a full life with God. (1) Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Now that should be obvious because we can’t walk with God unless we go through Jesus, since He is the only way to the Father.
(2) Listen to God. That’s through prayer; the method of communication He made for us to get to know each other. And we can’t listen alone, we also need to talk to Him.
(3) Trust God. And here Uncle Charles points us to his favourite scriptures; the immortal words of Cousin Sol: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov.3:5-6) Yes friends, those verses should be the foundational building blocks of our faith walk!
(4) Agree with God. That’s wisdom in spades, for He is the Boss! And you know what happens when you don’t agree with the Boss; you’re liable to get fired. (smile) (5) Obey God. And that brings us to Uncle Charles’ favourite statement: ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him!’ Sure words of wisdom my people, because obedience is one of the few things that the Lord totally demands of us.
(6) Walk in the same direction. Now that’s simple common sense. You can’t be a true and sincere member of an organization and not walk the path the leader proscribes. And with Jesus, it’s the straight and narrow one; the hard to find and difficult to navigate path, but the oh so rewarding one, leading to salvation and eternal life.
(7) Stay in step with God. Now that’s also basic common sense. If God is leading the way – as He most definitely is – then you can’t go ahead of Him, else you’ll get lost in the dark and tumble over an unseen cliff, since you don’t know where you are going. And for our purposes here, I’ll change Uncle Charles’ line up. I’ll put as number (8) Forsake sin. And that’s oh so important my brethren, because it’s sin that has us in the precarious predicament we’re currently in.
But this last point is the most important because it covers everything. (9) LOVE God! Wow mih people! When we do that sincerely, we don’t have to worry about anything else. And here is some scripture that proves it. First off is our Bit, the treasured words of Cousin Sol: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth ALL sins.’ And isn’t that the glorious truth my people? It surely is! And Peter corroborates it. ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet.4:8)
But here now is the piece de resistance on the subject from Bruh Paul from the famous Way of LOVE Chapter. ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not…vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, (keeps no records); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) NEVER FAILETH…’ (1 Cor.13:4-8a)
And that my fellow believers is the gospel truth! For if we have sincere LOVE, then we’ll be like John says: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7) Now with all that LOVE just percolating madly through our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, let’s go home sincerely declaring (wow! spelled it right) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in Christ.
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 it’s indeed going to be more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Our finite minds can’t comprehend it! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth…faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
02 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, a fair try, a right spirit, abnormal situation, acceptable excuse, alacrity, be not ashamed, beloved of God, blameless, choice to obey, command me to do, create n me, cry out for mercy, diligence, distresses, doddering old man, ease the pain, expect me to do, faith, faithfully promised, fickle, fool myself, for Christ's sake, friend of Jesus, generosity, give grace, give light, glory in my infirmities, gospel truth, great reward, grin and bear the apin, have faith, hawing, hemming, holy spirit, humanly possible, hurry, indisputably true, infirmities, intimating, keep, keep thy heart, let my heart be sound, light, LOVE, magnanimity, make all things right, maturity, mind, mind-boggling situation, motives, my grace is sufficient, my strength, natural weakness, necessities, obey me, One Year Book of Bible promises, outward actions, perfect, perfection, power made perfect in weakness, power to obey, principles, racked with pain, ramifications, reproaches, rest upon me, Ruth Harms Calkin, salt, seat of the intellect, seductive rain, seek, share with the world, smiling, statutes, take pleasure, the issues of life, the keeping of my word, the power of christ, the soul of man, the thorn in his side, then I am strong, true colours, Tuesday Mantra, unalterable truths, unreachable standards, walking hand in hand, when I am weak, wisdom, worry
Psalm 119:80. Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
Oh mih people, would somebody please explain it to me, because I obviously have not been granted the heavenly wisdom to understand the ramifications of this mind-boggling situation! And I’m talking about how a body can go to bed feeling perfectly fine – well not perfect perfect, but fairly decent – then some five or six hours later wake up racked with pain in body and soul, reduced to moving around like a doddering old man?
Oh, I know some of you will say than I am old, so that’s no surprise… But please, I beg to differ. I’ll grant that I’m somewhat aged, (smile) but nowhere enough yet to be doddering! And to make matters worse, while lying there contemplating the pain and getting up, I was seduced to stay in bed for another forty five minutes by a couple showers of seductive rain. Yes, it looks like it’s going to be a ‘riney’ day. But how fickle is the soul of man eh! (smile)
And though I’ve asked the Lord a couple of times about this abnormal situation, I’ve gotten no answer, which leads me to thinking that He’s intimating to me, the same thing that He said to Bruh Paul, when he asked for relief from the thorn in his side. ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor.12:9a)
And though I know that, and gratefully acknowledge it, it still doesn’t ease the pain. (smile) I guess the Lord’s waiting for me to say like Bruh Paul did after receiving that Bit of info. ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor.12:9b-10)
Oh my brethren, I’m trying, but I’m nowhere close to Bruh Paul’s maturity nuh, and the Lord knows it. So I’m not going to fool myself by saying all those things that he says above. I’m just going to move around as best as I can, grin and bear the pain, and/or cry out for mercy, (smile) and have faith for the Lord to make ALL things right as He’s faithfully promised.
Now let’s hope that I have enough space to write what I really intended to write, before the Holy Spirit led me to write what I’ve actually written. (smile) And it’s a most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled, ‘Three Unalterable Truths.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, through the years Of walking hand-in-hand with You I have learned three unalterable truths: First, what you command me to do You consistently expect me to do. Never do you say, “Give the command a fair try.” Nor do You say, “Consider and then decide.” My natural weakness is never An acceptable excuse. Nor is my inability To reach unreachable standards. Rather, You tell me to seek And then to keep your commands.
Second, all of Your commands Are always for my ultimate good. “Obey me,” Your Word says “So that I can do for you All the wonderful things I promised…” “In the keeping of My Word There is great reward.” Third, whatever You command me to do You fully enable me to do. As You give light to reveal a command So you give grace to fulfill it. Your divine energy is always at my disposal. The choice to obey is always mine. The power to obey is always Yours.’
And the sad, humorous and glorious fact friends, is ALL of that is indisputably true! When the Lord gives us a command, He expects us to obey without a lot of hemming and hawing, as we so often tend to do. And that’s simply because He never asks us to do something without giving us His powerful grace to enable us to do it.
And the best part of it all my brethren is when we obey with alacrity and faith, there are innumerable rewards to be reaped from His magnanimity and outrageous generosity! Give Him His much deserved glory my people! And the Bible Promise associated with that poem is also our Bit for today: ‘Let my heart be sound (blameless) in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.’
Yes my brethren, being blameless in keeping the Lord’s principles is something we should all aspire to. And don’t worry, He knows that we’re not perfect, because He didn’t make us perfect, but He does expect us to try and get as close to perfection as is humanly possible. It’s all in the state of our hearts friends. As Cousin Sol warns: ‘Keep (look after) thy heart (and mind) with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ (Prov.4:23)
And the scholars explain: ‘4:23. Heart could often be translated “mind” in the book. Since the Hebrews had no separate word for “mind,” the word “heart” often served to represent the seat of the intellect. The key to the whole man is his mind. Whatever captures the mind captures the man.’ Gospel truth that my fellow believers!
And remember the Lord doesn’t go by our outward actions, He searches our hearts and minds to discover our true motives. That’s why we have to cry out like Bruh David did in his prayer for cleansing: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.’ (Ps.51:10)
And having taken all of that to heart (smile), let’s go home declaring (Steups! Spelt it wrong again) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In loud voice and strong sense of purpose: ‘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!’
And the obvious corollary to that is for us to now go out and share Jesus’ amazing LOVE with the rest of the world, as He so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…Jesus is still waiting for us to show our true colours…to be the salt…and the light of the world…as He asked us to be…
P.S. It’s certainly been a smiley day! But why not eh? That’s why the Lord gave us the wonderful ability of smiling…to smile! Much LOVE!
01 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lifetime of Mondays, above every other name, acclamation, antidote, ask the father, at the name of Jesus, aura of love, confidence, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, do battle, enthusiasm, eternal damnation, eternal life, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, evil, evil minions, faith, fellowshipping, for my name's sake, forgiveness, friends, fun, given him a name, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God hath highly exalted him, gospel truth, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, humility, in Jesus name, in my name, inherit eternal life, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, joy, learn to live with it, look to Jesus, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, none other name under heaven', obedience, on the right path, prepare on sundays, raise our levels of peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, saving grace, selfless sacrifice, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that can ever befall a human soul, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Life, the Truth, the Way, this is the day the Lord has made, trust, ungodly world, we will be glad and rejoice in it, whatever ails you, where two or three are gathered together, wisdom, worst fate, your joy may be full
Philippians 2:9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every other name.
Aye mih breddren, is Monday, that great day of the week that causes us so many problems. But since we can’t get rid of it or get around it, we need to learn to live with it. And we better had learn to do that early in life because we’re going to be bombarded by a whole lifetime of Mondays. (smile)
And one of the best ways to do that is to prepare for it by fellowshipping with other believers on Sundays to raise our level of peace and joy, for remember the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh.8:10) And then on Monday, begin the day by acclaiming this wonderful acclamation: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24) That ought to set you on the right path.
But just in case it doesn’t, then you can join with us in singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which I’m sure will get you going, because it’s the antidote for whatever ails you on Monday mornings. (smile) So without further ado, let’s get with the programme and sing; sing in unison with whatever enthusiasm you can muster.
‘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, fellow children of God, yuh see how that has brought a whole different outlook to the Monday morning! I told you it would. Now you’re feeling ready and able to go out and do battle with entire world with Jesus as your Field General! All glory to His holy name! For that’s how His Holy Spirit works wonders in our lives!
Remember too that there is awesome power in the awesome name of Jesus as Bruh Paul informs us in our Bit. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Ah mih people, you couldn’t get any better than that! What an honour the Father bestowed on Him for His obedience and humility and selfless sacrifice for going to the cross on our behalf! Yes friends, the name that is above all others is ‘JESUS!’ Please remember that, for your eternal life depends on it! Because if you don’t call out to Him for help, for mercy, forgiveness and saving grace before you depart this earthly life, then sorry…crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
You’ll be sadly headed for eternal damnation with Lucifer and his evil minions. And as I keep saying, that’s the worst fate than can ever befall a human soul! So please look to Jesus. I plead with you to get truly acquainted with Him so that you can call on Him in times of trouble and need, because His name is definitely the most powerful in God’s magnificent universe!
And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul or me, then listen to what Jesus says about His name. ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) Who else can make such a statement and live up to it eh? NOBODY!
Now hear this: ‘And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life.’ (Matt.19:29)Again, who can make such dazzling and daring promises and keep them eh? ONLY JESUS!
For as Peter said before the High Priest: ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:12) And that’s the gospel truth!
And if you still don’t believe (smile), then check out this statement of Jesus. ‘And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ (John 16:23-24)
There you have it friends, right from Jesus’ mouth, and He does not lie. So it’s all up to you now, to seek earthly joy and eternal life by calling on the most powerful name in the universe. But as for me and mine, we will be calling on Him in true faith. Please let wisdom be your guide, and do the same. Much LOVE!
…I am the WAY…the TRUTH…and the LIFE…no man comes to the Father but by ME… (John 14:6)
30 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roadway, a sacrifice, a song of praise, Abednego, able to bear it, all things work together for good, assurance, awesome praise, Babylon, backbone, be my guide, be tempted above that ye are able, belly, called to his prupose, cares, common to man, confidence, cried out to God, deity, Don Moen, evil likeness of Beelzebub, exalt His name, followers, foolish people, found solace, furnace, gave His only Son, glory to God, God is faithful, God will do something new today, God will make a way, golden idol, grief, hear his word, heartfelt thanks, heaven and earth will fade, heavenly Father, help, His word shall remain, hot on their heels, Hour of Power, in the desert, in the wilderness, in the world, Israelites fled bondage, Jesus' colours, lies, loves, Lucifer, make a way to escape, Meshach, Nebuchadnezzar, never leave nor forsake you, no temptation, not of the world, not overflow thee, obedience, obeisance, omnipotence, omnipotent god, pass through the waters, Pharaoh's army, presence required, promises of our God, ringing of the phone, Rivers, salt, scorch you, shadrach, shall not be burned, sincerity, smelling of smoke, soften our hard hearts, sorrow, strength, suffer you, television ministry, testify, the flame kindle upon thee, the Jordan River, the Lord's sanctuary, the Promised Land, the Red Sea, to those that love God, truth, walk one more time, walk through the fire, ways we cannot see, with love
Isaiah 43:2, When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
Awright my faithful brethren, let’s walk one more time, one more time to the Lord’s sanctuary! It’s Sunday and our presence is required in the house of our great God, to worship and give Him awesome praise, exalt His holy name with other believers, hear His Word and receive His confidence and assurance that He will always be with us, never leave nor forsake us.
No other Deity has ever made the promises our God has, because they’re not really interested in their followers, and in any case they don’t have the omnipotence to keep such promises. But our heavenly Father sincerely cares about and LOVES us so much that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for us. Glory to God! And all He expects from us in return is obeisance and obedience.
And as always, to soften up our hard hearts, we’ll begin with a song of praise. Today’s song is one written by Don Moen, once the music director for the Hour of Power television ministry, but now retired. I believe the story behind this song is one late night in the mid 1980’s Don was awakened by the incessant ringing of the phone. On answering it, he was shocked to hear the news that His brother in-law and his sister had met in an accident with their four children, and one of the boys had died.
In his grief and sorrow, Don cried out to God for help, and these are the words he found solace in, as he put them to music in the song, ‘God will make a way.’ So let’s raise our voices in all sincerity and truth, declaring the words of Don’s song with heartfelt thanks.
In soulful unison now: (‘God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me. He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way.) (Repeat)
By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His Word will remain And He will do something new today. Oh, God will make a way where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me.’
And that’s the awesome truth my brethren as all of us sincere believers can testify, because at some stage in our walk with Almighty God, He has made a way for each of us, when there absolutely seemed to be no way! Praise his holy name my people! Give Him enormous thanks for being the wonderful Deity He is!
And if you don’t believe me, listen to this mind boggling promise of our Bit nuh. ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.’
And there are instances where He kept all those promises: When the Israelites fled bondage in Egypt and came to the Red Sea, with Pharaoh and his army hot on their heels, it seemed like they were destined to either drown or be slaughtered by their enemy. But their omnipotent God made a way for them by simply parting the Red Sea and giving them dry land to cross over upon. And it was the mighty Egyptians who drowned that day. (Ex.14:21-31)
Likewise, when they crossed the Jordan River to go into the Promised Land, the Lord parted the river for them to walk across on dry land once more. (Josh. 4) And if yuh think His talk about the fire scene was just idle talk, then read Daniel 3: 8-30, where the story of the three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is told.
They refused to bow to a golden image made by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and were thrown into a furnace of fire heated seven times hotter than normal. Hn! It consumed the men who threw them in, but those faithful young men came out without a scorch, not even smelling of smoke!
Wow mih breddren! As I rave every day: what a wonderful and powerful God we serve and worship! Give Him the praise and thanks He so rightfully deserves nuh! And the hordes of foolish people, believing Lucifer’s lies that we ought to get rid of God from our society? Deh mad yes! We ought to be begging Him to come back, not go away!
And if yuh think all of that was in the now irrelevant Old Testament, then listen to Bruh Paul writing to the church at Corinth. ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor.10:13)
Yes friends, even when the tempter comes with His best shot, our ever-faithful God will find a way for us to escape the temptation entirely, or walk through it with us, helping us to endure it. But He will NEVER allow us to handle more than we can bear! That’s His promise!
And even more compelling are these words of assurance from Bruh Paul to the Roman church. ‘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)
Oh my people, our wonderful God is working out ALL things for good, but we who LOVE Him appreciate that fact more than others because we LOVE Him no matter what! Like Shadrach and them told King Neb, we know the Lord can save us from the fire, but whether He chooses to save us or not, we not bowing to yuh foolish lifeless golden idol! And that is that! You could do whatever yuh want now!
Oh my fellow followers of Jesus, that is the kind of salt and belly and backbone that we need to have in these oh so evil and ungodly times! For Jesus’ sake, let’s get our act together and be solid nuh. We way too wishy-washy and compromising with the world! Much LOVE!
…remember…we must be in the world…but showing Jesus’ glowing colours…not be of the world…in the dark and evil likeness of Beelzebub…
29 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundantly, an iron bird, Anselm, Be All, brought progress, Burden bearer, carnal, change, come easy, Comforter, confusing, cozy corner in heaven, cry, discomforts, doing the same thing, drawbacks, eccentric, end all, eternal separation, excitement, exclamatory mood, exotic delights, faithfulness, follow Jesus, gives his life for the sheep, God is faithful, good news, great to be alive, heart and soul, heart problems, heavenly advocate, human animal, humiliation, I am the good shepherd, irrelevance, joyful, laugh, leading mankind astray, Lucifer's evil empire, lustful, medical limitations, medically fit to travel, Messiah, mirrors the truth, offer up, onerous bondage, our everything, our Lord and Saviour, pain, praise his holy name, price, Price of Peace, quieted my heart, quotes, resist change, sacrificially gave up, Saturday, save our sinful souls, sing, sinking into the muck and mire, sinless life, standing stationary, stay the same way, testin, the cross at Calvary, the good shepherd, the name above every other, the price of change, the world hates change, they might have life, to get better, to whom all knees must bow, trial, ungodly way of life, working for Jesus
John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Ah friends, sorry for the Bit’s lateness, but I went to bed late, got up late, and had a few things to do before I began writing. But the good news is, here I am at last! Glory! Glory! (smile)
Oh isn’t it just great to be alive? To be able to laugh and sing, run and jump, (not me… just yet), and even cry once in a while? It surely is, especially when we are living with and working for our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Oh praise His holy name my faithful brethren; exalt the name that’s above EVERY other name, to whom ALL knees MUST eventually bow!
Yeh, that’s our Messiah, our Prince of Peace, our heavenly Advocate, Our Burden Bearer, Our Comforter, in fact our Be All and End All, our EVERYTHING! Wow! Are we ever so blessed to have a Leader of such awesome proportions! Let’s give Him the thanks and praise He deserves…and all day long at that!
Yeh, the ole fella’s in a joyful, exclamatory mood this morning! And why not eh? I just got some most excellent news; news that my heart problems have improved…Glory to God! And I’m now medically fit to travel…Oh mih brethren, that’s the best news ever!
It’s been almost three years that I’ve been parked up here without the ability to get on an iron bird. But yuh know what, as I keep saying our God is ever so faithful, because many a day I’ve lain in my bed and looked through my window at the iron birds coming and going to and from the nearby airport, wondering when I’d be able to get on one.
And the Good Lord has always quieted my heart by promising that one day, in the not too distant future, He will lift the medical limitations and free me from this onerous bondage… And now He has done just as He has promised! Bless His holy name! So in light of that extraordinary faithfulness, why wouldn’t I just offer up my whole heart and soul, thanks and praise to Him eh? No reason whatsoever my people!
But enough of my excitement…let’s get on with the Bit. It’s Saturday, that means we need to look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week. And we do have a whole slew of then this week, all dealing with change. And we will begin with this one: ‘If you don’t like change, you will like irrelevance even less.’
I’m not so sure about that nuh, because the human animal is so eccentric and confusing, and dislikes change so much, that a lot of us will probably prefer to be irrelevant rather than to change. That leads us to this quote: ‘The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change.’
Now that I definitely disagree with! In my many years and much trial and testing on God’s earth, I’ve usually found that the price of change is usually much higher than the price of standing stationary. In particular the effort that one has to put out to make whatever change is necessary. That’s why so many people just stay the same way in the same place.
That’s why this next quote is the living truth! ‘Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.’ Now that’s exactly why so many of us resist change, even change that’s obviously in our best interest! Change just doesn’t come easy. And this one mirrors the truth of the last. ‘The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.’ And so it has my brethren… though not always for the better!
That brings us to the last quote: ‘I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.’ And isn’t that that the undeniable truth people? Unless our world changes, and drastically too, and also towards Jesus, until we stop trying to drive God out of our society and instead, embrace Him with all our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, our world will just continue sinking inexorably, relentlessly into the muck and mire of Lucifer’s evil empire.
And that is not what our Saviour came to earth and suffered so much for. That’s definitely not why He suffered such pain and humiliation and eventually gave up His sinless life on that wooden cross at Calvary. If He wanted us to become part and parcel of Lucifer’s evil empire, He would have just remained in His cozy corner in heaven enjoying all the exotic delights provided by His Father. But He sacrificially gave all of that up to come and save our sinful souls.
Remember friends, Lucifer is the master of thievery, lies and deception, an evil genius in leading mankind astray. Just look at how he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, and he’s still doing it to us to this day. However Jesus declared, and proved it too: ‘The thief cometh not, but (except) for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:10-11)
And there is absolutely no doubt that that’s what Jesus did on the cross at Calvary; give His sinless, holy life on behalf of our abominable sinful souls, so that the Father could justifiably forgive us and reconcile us to Himself. So why are we still foolishly running behind Lucifer and his evil, lustful, carnal, ungodly way of life eh? A way of life that will only lead to eternal separation from our heavenly Father; the worst fate that can ever befall a human soul!
I don’t know the answer to that nuh friends, but I am surely trying my best to stay away from that end result…and I sincerely hope that you are trying to do the same, because that’s the ultimate in wisdom! Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will definitely follow Jesus…
28 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future, a hope, a little too far, alive and kicking, an expected end, appreciation, at hand, back-breaking week, be glad in it, believers, broad is the way, calamity, chant up a storm, circumspection, damnation, eat and drink, enjoy, enthusiastic, enticement of the enemy, eternal life, eternity, everlasting life, evil minions, exuberant, fellowship, few find it, forgive us, forgiveness, fraught with difficulty, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous, generous help, get a foothold, good for a man, have mercy, hell fire, human souls, in Jesus' name, in soul body and mind, leadeth to destruction, leadeth unto life, loving thoughts, Lucifer, magnanimous, mama yo, mislead agenda, muddy the waters, narrow is the way, never regret it, not evil, not to tread, obedience, obeisance, only one way, opens wide the door, our best interest, pay the price, praise, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, salvation, seek to enter in, sincere repentance, slave-like labour, Solomon, strait is the gate, strive to enter, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thanks, the celebrating thing, the error of our ways, the fruits of his labour, the Life, the limb of freedom, the Most High, the Truth, the Way, the weekend, the wisest man ever, the workingman, this is the day the Lord has made, thoughts of peace, through Jesus, time to celebrate life, to tread, Triune God, truth, two short days off, victory, we will rejoice, week of work, wide is the gate, wiggle room, wisest decision
Matthew 7:14. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Awright friends, it’s bright and sunshiny out there, so let’s get with the thanks and praise, as we all joyfully declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And we’d be very foolish and ungrateful not to do so my brethren, because that’s why the Lord made the beautiful day – so that His precious people could enjoy it. Glory to our Most High God, whose kind, gracious and LOVING thoughts are always upon us, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
Yes my dear brethren in Christ, our God only has our best interest at heart, but we foolishly screw it up when we don’t pay Him His much-deserved obeisance and obedience. Anyway, He’s also overflowing with forgiveness, so when we realize the error of our ways and come to Him in sincere repentance, He WILL have mercy on our poor human souls, and forgive us. That’s just how magnanimous and generous He is!
And that’s why the workingman, even in his somewhat mislead agenda, can cry out in thanks and appreciation this Friday morning to the Most High: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! MamaYo! The weekend is at hand; the time to celebrate life is upon us. So what we waiting for eh? Let’s celebrate life!
We alive and kicking, and the wisest man ever, Solomon, said that it was good for a man to eat drink and enjoy the fruits of his labour! So leh we do that nuh, celebrate the end of another back breaking week of slave-like labour, as we give thanks for Fridays and weekends!’
Ah friends, as always, I have no complaints re the workingman’s song, except that he takes the celebrating thing a little too far, so that he opens wide the door for Lucifer and his evil minions to get a foothold in his soul. And that’s why, as believers, our Friday Chant is somewhat different; still exuberant and enthusiastic, but with tighter boundaries and a li’l more circumspection. So let’s chant up a storm now nuh, as we declare our thanks for the weekend to Almighty God.
‘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 people, we have to be careful to not go too far out on the limb of freedom, so that we don’t allow the enemy to muddy our clean, clear waters. And remember too, that not because a wide door or path has been opened to us, that we have to go through or take it, for oftimes, it is the enticement of the enemy.
That’s why Jesus warned us: ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
And that’s the God awesome truth friends! Living and working for Jesus, does take away some of our wiggle room. (smile) Meanwhile, Luke puts it thus: ‘Strive to enter in at the strait (narrow) gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.’ (Luke 13:24) Yes my brethren, the way to eternal life is narrow and fraught with difficulty, and only those who sincerely seek it and are willing to pay the price will find it.
And it’s not only narrow, but there’s only ONE WAY, that through Jesus, as He succinctly informed doubting Thomas. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Right there you have that narrow, one-way street to eternal life my people! Jesus didn’t mince words; He told it exactly like it is: ONLY through Him can one get to the Father and bypass eternal damnation with Lucifer in the lake of fire!
So what’s it going to be eh: eternal salvation in the amazing company of our Triune God, or hell fire and damnation with the fallen angels? It’s a decision each individual has to make for themself; nobody else can make it for you. They can suggest it, or even lead you to that narrow path, but it’s always going to be your decision to tread or not to tread it.
Let’s hope today my people, that we all make the wise decision; that to follow Jesus on the narrow but difficult and self-sacrificing path to victory and everlasting life. It’s the best and wisest decision we can ever make in this lifetime! And we will never regret it, all the way through eternity! Much LOVE!
…if Christ…who cannot lie…says He is the ONLY way to the Father…then it must be true…
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