08 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, a good impression, a possibility in disguise, adoration, blessed be God, character of mercy, compassion, deliverance, divine favour, dr robert h schuller, dying, forgiveness, God exists, god of all comfort, hands on the plough, healing, heaven is for real, Hour of Power Devotional, immeasurable mercy of God, inferior stuff, just deserts, life, life beyond death, light, LOVE, loving-kindness, mercy, negative occurrences, not looking back, opportunity, our rescue, pardoneth iniquity, personal abuse, plenteous in mercy, positive potential, Possibility Thinkers, Praise the Lord, rising again, sacrificed, saints, Satan, sicness, sin, sinless life, sinners, siren call, sonship, soothing rain, sorrow, spiritual possibilities, the breath of life, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live for Jesus, transgression, Undetected Possibilities, Wednesday Wail
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.
Ah friends, some more gentle soothing rain fell in my area this morning. Praise the Lord! And this time it was no big shower, but just a light, continuous drizzle. I was already up, but it’s soothing properties drove me back to bed, I just could not resist its siren call. (smile) That’s why the Bit might be a bit late.
And we are going to begin with some inspirational and wise words from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, where he talks about ‘Undetected Possibilities.’
And he reminds us that ‘To Jesus every problem was a possibility in disguise. Sickness was an opportunity for healing. Sin was an opportunity for forgiveness. Sorrow was an opportunity for compassion. Personal abuse was an opportunity to leave a good impression and show the world how Possibility Thinkers react. To Jesus every person was a gold mine of undiscovered, hidden possibilities…!
To Jesus the important fact about you and me is not that we are sinners, but that we can be saints. So Jesus proclaimed the greatest possibility: the immeasurable mercy of God.’
Yes my people, in most negative occurrences or circumstances there is a seed of positive undertaking, if we will only look for it, and not concentrate solely, or so much on the negative aspect of the problem.
And there is no better example than the one quoted above, where Jesus didn’t concentrate on the fact that we were sinners, for if He had done so, if He had thought that we couldn’t change, wasn’t worth saving, He might never have sacrificed His sinless life for us.
But thank the Lord He saw possibilities in us! And likewise, He is calling on us to see the enormous possibilities in others and ourselves. As they say, God doesn’t make inferior stuff, so whatever He has made has positive potential.
And Gramps Schuller continues: ‘To Jesus the whole world was jammed, pregnant, loaded, bulging with untapped, undiscovered, undetected possibilities! Jesus really believed in the supreme spiritual possibilities! Man can be born again! Character can be changed! You can become a new person! Life can be beautiful! There is a solution to every problem! There is a light behind every shadow!’
And so should we as His followers. ‘Yes! Jesus had an unshakable faith in these ultimate spiritual possibilities: God exists! Life goes on beyond death! Heaven is for real! Jesus was prepared to prove it. By dying – and rising again! Jesus was impressed by what the world could become – never depressed by what the world does.’
And friends, if we as Jesus’ followers adopt His positive attitude, we will be able to change the world, just like He did! Glory be my people! Jesus was the greatest Possibility thinker ever! And a good thing too, else we’d be Hades bound with nary a hope of redemption.
But for that to happen Jesus had to proclaim, like Gramps Schuller says above: ‘the immeasurable mercy of God.’ Yeh friends, it’s only through God’s mercy, not giving us what we deserve, His divine favour, His wonderful compassion, that drove Him to send Jesus to our rescue, so we can now stand up proud and strong.
As Bruh Paul puts it so appropriately in our Bit: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’ What an awesome God we serve and worship my people!
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘1:3-4. Blessed (Gr. eulogetos, “well spoken of”) is used in the New Testament of God (e.g. Eph.1:3). It is a term of adoration and praise. The Father of mercies: The mercies in view here include everything from deliverance from the world, sin, and Satan, to participation in sonship, light, and life. But the force is even more than this. The stress is that the Father is characterized by mercy (cf. Ps. 86:5: Dan. 9:9; Mic.7:18).’
And are we ever grateful for that merciful character of our wonderful God! Now let me spoon feed you with those scriptures mentioned above. (smile) Bruh David proclaims in Psalm 86: ‘For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:5) What truth!
Meanwhile, in Daniel’s prayer for his people, he solemnly declares: ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.’ (Dan.9:9) How magnanimous is the God we serve, not giving us our just deserts!
And Micah says with strong authority and experience, as he talks about God’s concern for His people. ‘Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by (over) the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy (LOVING-kindness).
He will turn again, he will have compassion on us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their (our) sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform (give) the truth to Jacob, and the mercy (LOVING-kindness) to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.’ (Mic.7:18-20)
Oh friends, our God isn’t only merciful, but faithful to His promise! Praise His Holy Name! And because of all that, we the faithful believers in His Son Jesus Christ, can boldly declare our Wednesday Wail, which shows our position in the ongoing universal catharsis. (smile)
Altogether 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 if we’re wise, we’ll continue on that path of eternal wisdom. Much LOVE!
…to live for Jesus…is the only thing worth living for…
07 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a daisy bouquet, awesome embrace, be joyful, be obedient, cascading down from heaven, coincidence, disciples, drought-stricken earth, empty promises, epitome, for our sins, friend of Jesus, God's creation, God's Holy Will, he first loved us, hinges on, hug you more often, hugged me, hugging yourself, hurry, hypocrisy, I love you, lightning, living God, LOVE, love his brother, loves to love, mirrors God's love, mistake, no discernible reason, nourish, One Year Book of Bible promises, practiced my lessons, real love, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, showers of blessings, slow down, soothing to the ears, Thank You Lord, the beloved of God, the centrepiece, the propitiation, thunderstorms, to the soul, too busy, trust Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, ulterior motives, waiting in the wings, we love God, weather reporters, Who Me, wonderful god, worry
1 John 4:19. We LOVE him, because he first LOVED us.
Thank You Lord…thank You, thank You, thank you! And you all must be wondering what I’m thanking the Lord so profusely for eh? Well it’s for finally sending showers of blessings on my area yesterday. After a couple weeks of empty promises from the weather reporters about thunderstorms etc., yesterday afternoon they finally delivered.
And I have to chuckle, as at one stage I went out on my front porch to witness the phenomenon, (smile) and was promptly driven back inside by two brilliant flashes of lightning. Then later in the night we got a couple of good showers, so much so that the ground is still wet this morning.
And yuh know friends there’s no sound as soothing to the ears and the soul as that of showers of blessings cascading down from heaven to nourish the drought-stricken earth. And that didn’t happen by mistake or coincidence, but was planned by our wise and wonderful God. How great and thoughtful is He eh!
And here is another instance of how great and wonderful and caring our God is. Check out this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled, ‘Who Me?’
‘Lord All of a sudden today You picked me up And hugged me And hugged me For no discernible reason. I was puzzled. After all – I hadn’t picked up my toys Or practiced my lessons Or brought You a daisy bouquet – Hesitantly, I asked why. You smiled and said: I LOVE you, that’s all. Then you added: I long to hug you more often. Why don’t You Lord? You are too busy. Too busy, Lord? Too busy hugging yourself.’
And isn’t that the awful truth my brethren? We’re too busy hugging ourselves and going about our business to notice that the Lord is waiting in the wings to just take us up in His awesome embrace and shower us with some of His most wonderful LOVE, so that we can be joyful here on earth and be obedient to His holy will.
And He doesn’t have any ulterior motives. He just LOVES us because we’re his awesome creation! Don’t we all hold dear the things we create? Of course! And so does our living God! Remember what the Good Book says? ‘And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.’ (Gen.1:31)
Yes friends, God admired His handiwork, of which we were the most important aspect, so it’s just natural that He LOVES to LOVE us…if we’d only slow down and allow Him to. And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today: ‘We LOVE him, because he first LOVED us.’
Aw my fellow believers, such touching, heartwarming and truthful words! Our Creator LOVED us from the moment He made us, before we were even aware of the emotion. He placed that emotion of LOVE in us as the centerpiece of our very existence.
And John earlier explains the whole scenario in these few choice words of gospel truth. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10) Now that’s what you’d call REAL LOVE!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘4:10. No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’
Yes my brethren, our puny and finite minds cannot understand God’s action, of sending His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to die on our behalf, piling our sins on Him as the great scapegoat, so that we could be reconciled to Him, have fellowship with Him, and once again become righteous in His holy eyes. But nonetheless, it is the standard to which faithful believers and followers of His marvellous Son, Jesus Christ are expected to follow.
As John says: ‘If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God whom he hath not seen?’ (1 John 4:20)
Now that’s a very good question my people. How can we LOVE something or someone we’ve not seen, and hate what or whom we’ve seen? In this context about LOVING God, it’s just impossible! But we do it nevertheless and unfortunately show ourselves to be hypocrites of the highest order.
But here is the final word on the situation as John tells it. ‘And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVE his brother also.’ (1 John 4:21)
And the scholars spell it out in simple language for us: ‘4:19-21. Our LOVE, if it exists and mirrors God’s LOVE at all, is not our own but God’s doing. The epitome of hypocrisy is the claim to LOVE God while withholding LOVE from others. For Jesus Himself commanded that he who LOVES God is to demonstrate this through LOVING others.’
And with that reminder tugging at our heartstrings my precious people, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, proudly letting the world know who and whose we are.
Now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 if we truly believe that, then we need to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others. Only then will we be His true disciples! Much LOVE!
…in God’s universe…everything hinges on…LOVE and LOVING…
06 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and not faint, at noon, aura of love, blessings, Caribana Monday, cast thy burden upon the Lord, Christians, come together, confidence, cry aloud, disobedience, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, evening, faith, fears, foolishness, give up on prayer, glorious kingdom, grace, Granny's warning, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, ill-will, in every thing give thanks, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus spake a parabble, joy, keep God close, lies, lose heart, LOVE, marrow to our bones, mature believers, men ought always to pray, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morning, negative consequences, parable, peace, petty differences, pray without ceasing, put aside, raising our song to heaven, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, take them to heart, the Father's listening ears, the will of God, trust, ungodly world, victories, will I pray, wisdom
Luke 18:1. And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
And then it was Caribana Monday… Oh I’ve been calling it Caribana all weekend, but that’s no longer the official title nuh since the original committee was stripped of the authority to put on the festival a few years ago, and they ended up in court over the name.
Don’t ask me what the official name is nuh, because I don’t know, and don’t particularly want to know either. (smile) History will always call this weekend, what it’s supposed to be called: Caribana! End of story.
And by the way it’s not a Federally instigated holiday, but a local government proclamation, so it’s mostly the banks and government offices that are closed, meaning that a lot of folks still have to get up and go out to work, while a blessed few are able to stay home or go out to the numerous parties around the place.
That means there will obviously be some ill will between the two groups, but as mature believers I’m sure we can put our petty differences aside and come together to sing out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn which will energize and refresh all of us, because we’re all tired from participating in the weekend’s festivities So whether you’re going to work or have the day off, let’s concentrate on raising our song to heaven and the Father’s listening ears.
Altogether 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!’
And now we’re all ready and rearing to go out and do Jesus’ work! Wow! How invigorating and refreshing is sincere prayer! You just can’t beat it for restoring the doldrums in our souls. That’s why Jesus gave this strong advice in our Bit. ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
Yes my breddren, we ought never to lose heart, to give up on prayer and our faithful, omnipotent and gracious God! That’s because prayer lends sustenance to our souls and our spirits. No wonder Bruh Paul also told us to ‘pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) That means to lend ourselves continually to prayer.
And it’s not like we’re supposed to walk around praying audibly every minute of every day, but we ought to be in a godly space most of the time. That’s a place where God is more on our minds than He is not. Where we don’t do stuff, or make decisions without consulting Him. Where we share our fears and hopes, and thank Him for even the small victories that we have as we journey through each day.
Bruh Paul said that too: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:18) So whether the times are good or the times are rough, we need to keep a good prayerful, thankful attitude. The important thing is to keep God close at hand, let Him be an integral part of our everyday lives, the way He desires to be.
Oh, and for those of you who will be in the party scene today, please remember Granny’s wise words: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober mind yuh business.’ And I know some of you think it’s foolishness, but if we’re truthful, we can all look back at some particular time(s) and genuinely wish that we had followed it, because of the negative consequences we’ve suffered, or might still be suffering for our disobedience.
And we’ll close this Caribana Monday morning with some appropriate words from Bruh David. ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice…. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.55:16-17,22)
Truer words were never spoken friends. So let’s be wise and take them to heart nuh, they will be marrow to our bones (strength to our souls). Much LOVE!
…as believers…we ought to spend more time in simple prayer…and the giving of thanks for small mercies…
05 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, ask, believing, blessings, Caribana, Charlotte Elliot, cleanse, coming to Jesus, confidence, deep devotion, excellence, faithful prayer request, fears, feeble in body, festivities, fightings, Give God glory, holiday weekend, humble servant, I believe, I come, intellectual mind, it shall be given, it will be opened, Jesus, Just as I am, just as you are, knock, knocks on the door, made us imperfect, many a conflict, many a doubt, no excuse, O lamb of God, of one dark spot, open arms, pardon, perfect rhythm, praise, receive God's word, relieve, rid my soul, seek, simplicity, soften our hearts, spent time with God, spiritual-mindedness, strong imagination, tenderness, Thank You Lord, thanskgiving, the answer to all our problems, the end of yourself, the great invitation, the Lord's sanctuary, thy promise, to stay away from church, tossed about, washed his disciples feet, welcome, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, without one plea, worship, ye shall find, ye shall receive
Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Oh my brethren, the Caribana holiday weekend is in full swing with lots of festivities happening all around the province, especially in and around Toronto. But that’s no excuse to stay away from church today.
Most of you won’t remember the days when nothing of any relevance happened in the city on a Sunday until after lunch. That gave people a time to visit the Lord’s sanctuary and fellowship with others in worship, praise and thanksgiving, while receiving His blessings and confidence for the upcoming week.
And though those times are long past, as true believers, we are now expected to make that decision for ourselves. So let’s make sure we give God some of our time today nuh. There’ll be lots left over afterwards for us to play and have fun and enjoy our lives. That’s exactly what He wants us to do, but only after we’ve spent some valuable time with Him.
So as always, let’s begin with a song of praise, to both give God some glory and soften up our hearts to hear and receive His awesome Word. And today we will sing a hymn penned long ago by an interesting lady, Charlotte Elliot (1789- 1871)
‘The first 32 years of her life were spent mostly at Clapham. In 1823 she removed to Brighton, and died there Sept. 22, 1871. To her acquaintance with Dr. C. Malan, of Geneva, is attributed much of the deep spiritual-mindedness which is so prominent in her hymns. Though weak and feeble in body, she possessed a strong imagination, and a well-cultured and intellectual mind.
Her love of poetry and music was great, and is reflected in her verse. Her hymns number about 150, a large percentage of which are in common use. The finest and most widely known of these are, “Just as I am” and “My God, my Father, while I stray.” Her verse is characterized by tenderness of feeling, plaintive simplicity, deep devotion, and perfect rhythm. For those in sickness and sorrow she has sung as few others have done.’
So let’s sing with that heartfelt and plaintive simplicity that her most popular hymn calls forth: ‘Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidd’st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot, to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.’
Ah friends, that’s the beauty of finding and coming to Jesus: You can do so just as you are! You don’t have to clean up yourself or anything like that, cause He will do all the cleansing and whatever else you might need, when you come to Him. Isn’t that great? It surely is!
Any other deity wants you to come clean and polished, but Jesus, our humble servant and friend is willing and able to do the dirty work Himself, just like He washed His disciples feet when He was here on earth. (John 13:1-20) Yeh friends, Jesus welcomes with open arms, anyone who sincerely comes to Him. As He says in our Bit: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ It’s as simple as that!
Once you’ve come to the end of yourself and realize you can’t get any further ahead on your own strength, all you have to do is turn to Jesus in prayer. Ask Him to come into your heart…and He will. Seek Him with all your heart, mind, body and soul…and you will find Him. And when He comes and knocks on the door of your heart… gladly and humbly open it and let Him in and say a joyful ‘Thank You Lord!’
People believe that becoming a child of God is difficult, but on the contrary, it’s one of the easiest families to become a member of. However, living according to His rules and regulations and doing what He expects of us after we become His brother or sister, that could become somewhat difficult, because the Father seeks excellence and wants us to conform as much as possible to our Big Brother’s image, especially in terms of obedience.
Oh, He knows that it’s impossible for us to be Jesus’ perfect clone, because He made us imperfect, but we still need to come as close as humanly possible, and He does help us. So if you’re down and dirty, sick and suffering, downtrodden and abused, and you just can’t take it anymore…please turn to Jesus, He will accept you JUST AS YOU ARE, and care and comfort you like no one else can. It only takes a simple, but faithful prayer request.
Here’s how Jesus put it: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22) Yes friends, Jesus is the answer to ALL our problems…but we have to go to Him with a sincere and humble heart. Much LOVE!
…there is no other invitation in the universe like Jesus’…which asks so little…but delivers so much…that’s why it’s called…the Great Invitation…
04 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, aches and pains, Anselm, ask, ask bread, aspires to inspire, be in the same place, best y date, Caribana, come to the Father in prayer, come tumbling down, do all things in His name, exercise our authority, exhilaration, fall in love, fervent prayer, find the courage to let go, frequent prayer, friend, generosity of god, genuine prayer, give a serpent, give a stone, give good gifts, Glory to christ, go after what you want, go out and party, high pedestal, it shall be given, it shall be opened, Jesus' logic, knock, learn to let go, living for Christ, LOVE, love others like yourself, make ends meet, make the sacrifices, multitasking, narcissistic times, no excuse for failure, nothing is impossible, perseverance, puny minds, raise clenched fists, relief, seek, self-esteem, self-worth, selfish, sleeping in, spread thin, step forward, step out in faith, venture forth, victory, what you're doing now, where you want to be tomorrow, working, ye shall find, your Father in heaven
Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
And so we come to Saturday – Caribana Saturday in Toronto…and again I’m up before I planned to because of the many aches and pains coursing through the ole bod. But I don’t think they are as bad as yesterday morning. And in any case, though they might slow us down some, we’re not going to let them stop us. Glory to Christ Jesus who strengthens us and allows us to do all things in His name!
So some people are getting ready to go out and party, some are sleeping in, and some are working, like me here, asking the Lord to show me what He wants me to write about today. But before we get to that, let’s look at some quotes from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And we have a full slate of them this week.
The first one tells us: ‘Learn to let go.’ Now that is indeed some wise advice, because we often hold on to things and people we ought to let go, because their season in our lives is over. And holding on to stuff and people who’s best by date has expired, does us no good whatsoever, just causes more problems than we need.
And that segues very nicely into this next quote: ‘One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you can’t change.’ Yeh friends, letting go brings a kind of exhilaration and relief to our spirits, as we say ‘Yes!’ and raise our clenched fists in victory.
And then there is this: ‘Fall in LOVE with yourself before anything else.’ Now there is some truth to that statement, but we have to be very careful with it, especially in these selfish and narcissistic times. LOVE for ourselves should be one about self-worth and self esteem, in conjunction with Jesus command to LOVE others as ourselves.
Now there’s no way we can LOVE anybody else if we don’t first LOVE ourselves. So please pay close attention to how you think about yourself. Do appreciate and value yourself, but don’t put yourself up on any high pedestal, and think you’re so much better than others, for you’ll eventually come tumbling down.
And the next quote poses a very interesting question. ‘Ask yourself if what you’re doing today will get you closer to where you want to be tomorrow?’ Now that’s a question a lot of us need to ask ourselves! So many of us are doing stuff we don’t like, and are spread very thinly amongst so many things that we can’t focus on the thing or things we truly want to focus on.
And in these days of multitasking and people having to work at several jobs just to make ends meet, steadily focusing on, and getting ahead in the area you particularly desire is difficult. But you can do it, if you know what you want, and are ready to make the sacrifices involved, and above all, with God’s awesome help. Remember NOTHING is impossible to Him!
And last quote gives us: ‘Three life rules: 1. If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. 2. If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no. 3. If you don’t step forward, you will always be in the same place.’ And they are all quite true. We just have to put them in the context of living for Christ and what He said concerning those things. ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’
Yeh friends, it’s only when we venture forth, we step out in faith that things truly begin to happen for us. As Jesus continues: ‘For every one that asketh receiveth; and that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt.7:8) And here Jesus was referring in particular to prayer, but in reality before we do anything, we ought to come to the Father in prayer about it.
The scholars offer this explanation. ‘7:7-10. The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer. Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (v.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
Now that’s certainly a very interesting statement…and it’s also true. Our wonderful God has given us ALL that we need to be successful down here on Planet Earth. We just need to exercise our authority over it all! And what better way to close than with the words of our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as he concluded His talk on the above subject.
‘Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matt.7:9-11)
You can’t beat Jesus’ logic there my people. If we, in our sinful nature, know how to give good things to our LOVED ones, then can you imagine the generosity of the God of LOVE and Giver of ALL good things? No! Our puny minds won’t allow us to. But if we have faith, and persevere in fervent prayer, we will get some idea of how generous He is. Much LOVE!
…asking…seeking…and knocking…are the only ways…to truly find out what’s happening…
03 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comfortable position, a modicum of circumspection, a rollicking good time, ambassadors of Christ, an ordeal, bodily aches and pains, Caribana, crying out, doing Jesus' work, efficient, Friday chant, fruitful, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, get a foothold, getting down, give thanks, in Jesus name, in resistance, in the world, Jeeves, joy, Judas Iscariot, kept thy word, leggo beast, level of excellence, LOVE, manifested thy name, may be one, not of the world, nothing that comes against us will conquer us, out on the boulevard, out on the limb, refreshed, renewed, sanctify them, serving Jesus, set us apart, showing off, Steelband Competition, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the evil one, the prince of darkness, the scripture might be fulfilled, the son of perdition, the workingman's song, the world hated them, the world spotlight, thy word is truth, to go quietly, Toronto's big day, up the ante, we bumbulum, we're special, week of work, wining, with the Lord's help, worthwhile
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Ah friends, it’s a sad day when bodily aches and pains contrive and conspire to drive you out of your bed! But that’s what came against me this morning. I got up around 5.30 to go to the bathroom and found I could barely walk the few feet to it. And that’s after going to bed around two thirty in fairly good shape. Every joint was crying out in resistance. Then when I went back to bed I couldn’t find a comfortable position to get back to sleep.
But with the Lord’s help I weathered it and did get some more spasmodic rest. However, the aches and pains in my back, both knees, both hips and both shoulders refused to go quietly into the sunrise, (smile) and I eventually got up somewhat earlier than I had planned.
But brother, what an ordeal! And I’ve been taking the pain pills fairly regularly. So why this painful episode now eh? Steups! But yuh know what? The aches and pains won’t keep the ole fella down for long. He’ll rally and fight back. And with the Lord’s help we’ll win, because the Lord has promised that nothing that comes against us will conquer us. Glory be!
And it’s Friday, Caribana Friday to boot, Toronto’s big day in the worldwide spotlight, so you know the workingman will be out and about blaring his song to all and sundry! ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Caribana Friday! A long weekend…and official time to play true leggo beast!
Yuh going to see we out on the boulevard tomorrow in we pretty costume…with the music blasting…and we doing we thing, getting down and wining, showing off we bumbulum and having a rollicking good time! Oh people, oh people, is Caribana weekend, the summer soon done, time to get out and have some fun, and thank the Lord for Fridays and weekends, especially the long ones!’
Yeh mih breddren, we must give thanks for our days off from labour, but we don’t need to go that far out on the limb like the workingman, where the evil one can easily get a foothold in our affairs. But like Jeeves says, a modicum of circumspection is necessary.
And it’s strange how life changes as one gets older. At one time Caribana was a big deal for me. Now I don’t even remember that it exists. That’s because I can’t handle all the walking and jammings again, as well as it has lost its flavour. It’s not as nice and authentic as it was before.
I’m not even enthusiastic this year to go to the Steelband Competition, the only aspect I support these days. I haven’t even heard from my buddy Bas, who usually goes with me. But who knows what will happen. It’s still early times. And don’t tell me that I’m getting old and cold, because I’m not. (smile)
Anyway, in response to the workingman’s song, let’s chant our more sedate and less frivolous Friday Chant. 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 people, in Jesus organization, we don’t behave like the world, that’s ruled by the prince of darkness behaves. As Jesus prayed to the Father on our behalf: ‘I have manifested (revealed) thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them (to) me; and they have kept thy word… I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine…
And now I am no more (longer) in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost (destroyed), but the son of perdition (Judas Iscariot); that the scripture might be fulfilled.
And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath 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 that 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 17:6, 9, 11-17)
Oh friends, yuh see how important Jesus thought we were? He spent the whole of chapter 17, 26 verses praying for us. Even for the believers who’d come down through the ages (vs.20). He asked the Father not to take us out of the world, but to keep us filled with His joy and to set us apart from the world, so we don’t get too contaminated by it.
Now we do have to be in the world, otherwise how would we bring the lost and suffering to Him eh? But we don’t have to be a part of the world, meaning doing the things the world does, or living the way it does. We’re special friends. And we need to know it and behave accordingly!
As we said yesterday, we’re ambassadors of Christ, therefore we have to behave in a special way, a way that glorifies and exalts His Holy Name. And we definitely can’t do that by behaving the way the world behaves. So let’s up the ante nuh, let’s raise our level of excellence in doing Jesus’ work, otherwise we won’t be His fruitful and efficient ambassadors, like we’re supposed to be. Much LOVE!
…serving Jesus in this evil world… is not easy…but it sure is worthwhile…
02 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a calm spirit, a good attitude, a loving persona, a mighty stream of power, a morass, a pleasant smile, a strong foundation, ambassadors, anger, awesome tools, be ye reconciled to God, bringing shame, Christ's Church, courage, creativity, curse, dignity, disgrace, divine protection, dwelling in us, extraordinary stuff, faith, favour, First lady of american Theatre, forgiveness, formative years, fruit of the Spirit, good health, greed, handle life, heaven, Helen Hayes, helpfulness, high self-esteem, in Christ's stead, Jesus' mandate, Jesus' Spirit, joyousness, kindness, long-suffering, LOVE, make a difference, meekness, mercy, most important basis, murder, negative consequences, negative doings, negative word, opportunity, optimism, outgoing nature, positive attitudes, poverty, prinicples, privilege, prosper, Redwood trees, regulations, representatives, rules, same old, save the lost, self-discipline, show the same example, sickness, sincere hearts, something bright, spoken out loud, strife, strong roots, succeed, success, temperance, the ability, the affairs of men, the downtrodden, the end of time, the less fortunate, the right tools, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, to cope with stress, to look forward to, to obey, what's new
2 Corinthians 5:20. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (implore) you in Christ’s stead (behalf), be ye reconciled to God.
So it’s Thursday…what’s new eh friends? I guess most of us will say the same old, same old. And we may be right, because that’s what life mainly consists of. However, with Jesus ‘ Spirit dwelling within us, we have the opportunity, the privilege to take that same old and turn it into something bright and beautiful!
Yeh friends, if we have heaven and all that extraordinary stuff to look forward to, from now till the end of time, then we should at least be able to put a pleasant smile on our faces and have a good attitude in our hearts, because that’s how our Lord and Saviour, our Leader Jesus Christ walked while He was here on earth, and followers are supposed to show the same example as their leaders.
And in keeping with that philosophy, here is some wise advice from the ‘First Lady of American Theater,’ Helen Hayes (1900-1993). She dispenses that ‘Positive attitudes – optimism, high self-esteem, and outgoing nature, joyousness, and the ability to cope with stress – when established early in life, may be the most important basis for continued good health.’
And that’s no lie friends, for whatever you’re building needs a strong foundation. And in the affairs of men, the earlier you build that strong foundation the better off you will be, the better able you will be to handle life.
Like the Redwood trees in California that grow to enormous heights and live for a long time because they have put down long, strong roots in the earth in their formative years, so too we need to have a solid root system if we intend to live long and make a difference in this life.
And each believer in Christ is expected to make a difference in this life, be it big or small. Why? Because as Bruh Paul tells the Corinthians in our Bit: ‘Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (implore) you in Christ’s stead (behalf), be ye reconciled to God.’
Yes my fellow believers, we are ALL ambassadors for Christ! And ambassadors have certain rules and regulations to obey, and a certain type of behaviour to exhibit because they are representatives of a higher authority and ought to do so in a proper manner. That means behaving with dignity and a calm spirit and not bringing shame and disgrace on their higher ups.
Likewise, as ambassadors of Christ, we have the responsibility to behave in a manner consistent with Jesus’ mandate and not bring negative consequences to His organization. And in Christ’s organization, His church, we do that by being faithful to His principles.
First and foremost is the principle of LOVE; God’s defining attribute from which flow a whole lot of other things, like kindness, helpfulness, mercy, forgiveness, grace, joy, peace, long- suffering, faith, meekness, temperance (self-control). Those are things that Bruh Paul define as the fruit of the Spirit, and are expected to be a major part of a believer’s life.
And you’ll notice my believing brethren that none of those attributes or behaviour is a mainstay of today’s world. Instead, the world glorifies all the opposites of those spiritual fruit, with the resultant consequence that it is a morass of greed, poverty, sickness, murder, strife, warfare, anger and all sorts of evil doings.
Now that’s not what our Jesus wants to see in His world. Remember He came to save the lost and downtrodden, and there are way too many of those in our current world. Thus, as His representatives, we are called to show a different attitude, a better example to this sinful world, a more graceful and LOVING persona.
We also need to spread His faithful Word to all and sundry, so that the lost and suffering will see what they are missing by not being a part of His kingdom and will reach out, cry out to Him for help. That’s our mandate, our bounden duty my brethren.
And Jesus has given us some awesome tools to work with, namely our Thursday Blessings. So let’s proclaim them now nuh, to remind us of them, and to claim their awesome power, because the Word of God unleashes a mighty stream of power when spoken out loud.
All together now in strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Yes friends, what awesome tools and blessings! Now let’s go out and put them to full use, sharing them with the less fortunate, as Jesus so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…Jesus never sends His workers out…without the right tools to do His work…
01 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, a new creation, a new creature, afraid of light, all things are become new, atoned for, awesome privilege, be born again, be born of water and the spirit, be in christ, brings light to our souls, bron of the Spirit, choose Jesus, cold weather, common sense, compass your soul, deeds are evil, enter into the kingdom of god, eternal life, evil, fleshly nature, God the Good, Hades, holy spirit, if any man, live in obedience to christ, look forward to heaven, LOVE, Lucifer, lusting, Nicodemus, not looking back, old things are passed away, one presence, only one power, paid for all your sins, pain, peace, reconciled to the Father, sacrifice, sins, sorrow, spiritual nature, spiritually minded, stick staunchly, summer, summer memories, talk personally, the breath of life, the cross at Calvary, the gift of God, the prince of darkness, the things of the flesh, the throne room, the wages of sin is death, thumb their noses, true colours, washed white as snow, weather patterns, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Can you believe it friends, it’s already the first day of August, which means that the summer is almost over! Steups! Only thirty more days before the cold weather begins ominously creeping in… And oh, sometimes it doesn’t even creep in, it just comes roaring in full blast. So we need to make as many special summer memories as we can this month, because with the strange weather patterns going nowadays, who knows what will happen.
But before we go any further, let me remind us of this momentous and everlasting truth: ‘There is only ONE Power and ONE presence here – God the Good Omnipotent! Wow mih breddren! And is he ever Good and Omnipotent! He had to be; otherwise we’d be ALL now heading for Hades to dwell with Lucifer, instead of having the option to look forward to heaven with Christ! Praise His Holy Name!
And it really surprises me that so many people refuse to even look at the option with Jesus that brings light to our souls, even thumb their noses at it and stick staunchly with the prince of darkness and evil. Why are we so afraid of light eh? I guess because our deeds are evil and we’re afraid to expose them to the light because then others will see our true colours and know that we’re not what or who we claim to be.
But friends, when you wisely choose Jesus, that’s not a problem, because He washes away all of that muck with which you’re covered. His sacrifice on the cross at Calvary has already paid for all your sins for all time, and you become a new creation in Him, washed white as snow, atoned for and reconciled to the Father, with the amazing opportunity to go right to the throne room and talk personally with the Father.
Wow! What an awesome privilege that is my breddren! Yuh think Lucifer has time for you like the Lord does? Yuh think Lucifer is waiting to care for and comfort and relieve your sorrows like the Lord is? Not on yuh life! Lucifer just wants to get you into more evil and compass your soul with more pain and sorrow.
Thus Bruh Paul tells us in our Bit, in his second letter to the church at Corinth: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ Glory be mih people! What a blessing it is to throw off our old sinful, fleshly nature and receive the new, refreshed spiritual nature of Christ!
That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus when he asked about eternal things. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) That means a new beginning, however a spiritual one, must be had to be associated with Christ.
As Jesus further told Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes); and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:5-8)
Yes friends, once we get in with Jesus, we no longer live an earthly or carnal life, we begin living a spiritual life, one from the inside out, not vice versa. That’s because once you become a believer the Holy Spirit of Jesus comes to dwell within you and lead and guide you in a spiritual manner.
As Bruh Paul reminds us when he wrote to the church at Rome, dealing with life in the Spirit: ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life, and peace.’ (Rom.8:5-6)
So to keep on lusting after the things of the flesh, the things of the world is death. However when we become spiritually minded, live in obedience to Christ’s Holy Spirit, we achieve a sense of peace and look forward to eternal life. And Bruh Paul puts it all nicely together earlier on in his missive to the Roman church. ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23)
Ah friends, knowing that, how can we not LOVE and revere the Lord eh? If we have the slightest amount of common sense or wisdom, that verse would surely enlighten us to the fact that if we hang out with Jesus, through God’s mercy and LOVING-kindness, His unmerited favour, we won’t get what we deserve; eternal damnation, but rather eternal life. It’s up to each individual though to make a choice. Let’s hope we all make the right one.
And for those of us who have already made the right decision, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, proudly letting the world know our position in Christ. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 my fellow believers, as I keep saying, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…why foolishly choose death…when we can wisely choose life eh…
31 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brief candle, a man on a mission, a relay runner, a splendid torch, ambassadors, be glad, beloved of God, brave, burn brightly, care, caring, comfort, continum of faith, courageous, cramped vessel, dangling my feet in the water, doesn't happen overnight, dominion, doubt God's love, failing faith, faith, faithfulness, falter, frailty, friend of Jesus, furthering God's kingdom, future generations, generous God, George Bernard Shaw, glorifies Jesus, God's Word, handing it on, hurry, I trust you, Immediately, Jesus is always there, Joyce Meyer, life, light, like Peter, losing courage, maturing in faith, miffed, mire, morass, never stepping out of the boat, One Year Book of Bible promises, planet earth, rejoice, rescue us, run our earthly race, Ruth Harms Calkin, salt, save me, share, sink, the baton, the lost, thou of little faith, to catch me, touch their hearts, tough times, Tuesday Mantra, under God's wing, unfortunate, walk on the waves, walking towards Jesus, weaknesses, weary, when tomorrow dawns, why did you doubt, wisdom, work diligently, worry
Matthew 14:31a. O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Well mih people, our gracious and generous God has granted us dominion over another beautiful day on Planet Earth, so let’s show our wisdom and rejoice and be glad in it nuh! But please note we’re not expected to just sit on our already large fannies and do nothing but rejoice, but even more importantly to work diligently and excellently in furthering God’s glorious heavenly kingdom.
And to enable us to do Jesus’ work, today we want to share lots of informational wisdom with you, beginning with this bon mot from George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950), the famous Irish playwright, critic, polemicist, and political activist. And George wisely declares: ‘Life is not a “brief candle.” It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.’
Glory be mih breddren! That’s exactly what our God expects of us. We ought to run our earthly race with plenty salt and bright light, so that others can vividly see it and hopefully touch their hearts. Then, when our race is run, we can turn it over to them like a relay runner turns over the baton, so that they can keep on running the glorious race that glorifies Jesus and brings the lost and unfortunate to Him for comfort and care.
Mama Yo! What wonderful ambassadors we can be for our Lord and Saviour, if we’d only put our all into it! That brings us to this plea to our heavenly Father taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Immediately.’
Please pray with me. ‘Dear Lord I’m so tired of living In my little cramped vessel – So weary of dangling my feet in the water But never stepping out of the boat. I want to walk the waves with You Just as Peter did. True, he only took a few steps Before losing his courage But at least he was heading toward You. Lord, I’m coming, too! If I begin to falter or sink I trust You to catch me Just as You caught Peter. Remember, Lord? You caught him immediately.’
Oh friends, even when we try to be brave and courageous, deep down we still doubt the LOVE and caring and faithfulness of our heavenly Father. And He says, somewhat miffed: ‘Chuh! What kind of talk is that eh mih chile? Why do you even think that I will let you sink if you are coming to me?’
No my fellow believers, our wonderful God will NEVER let us sink into the morass or mire if we are sincerely seeking Him! Why would He ever do such an ungodly thing eh, when all He wants is to take us under His wing and guard us from the evil one?
And the incident with Peter walking on water exemplifies what we’re talking about. He steps out of the boat boldly and confidently and is walking towards Jesus like a man on a mission. ‘But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.’ (Matt.14:30)
Oh my people, so many of us are like that; we start out with courage and faith, but when the tough times come, we crumble and begin to sink back into the mire from which we’re trying to extricate ourselves. But have no fear, our Jesus is there, is ALWAYS there to rescue us from our failing faith.
Listen as the story with Peter continues. ‘And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt.14:31)
Yeh friends, oftimes our faith fails us, but that is not a crime, or anything to be ashamed of. Jesus knows our frailty and our weaknesses, and He is just thrilled to know that we want to come to Him, and will help us to do just that, in spite of all our shortcomings. Glory Be mih people! How can we want a better Lord and Saviour and King than that eh?
However friends, our earnest desire should be to let our faith fail us as little as possible, which means we have to concentrate on growing it, becoming mature in the things of God. And the only way to do that is by reading and studying and meditating on God’s Word, by having constant communication with Him through prayer, by fellowshipping with other believers and by sincerely trying to live the life He has prepared for each and every one of us.
Only then can we avoid Jesus asking us why our faith is so small. (smile) But remember too that maturing in the faith is an ongoing process, it doesn’t happen overnight, but as sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) says, ‘It doesn’t matter how far we’ve got to go, it’s how far we’ve come from.’ In other words it’s not where we were yesterday, but where we’ll be tomorrow. And if we do what’s required of us, then we’ll ALL be further along that continuum of faith… when tomorrow dawns.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice with sincere hearts now: ‘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 if that’s true, then let’s go out and share the LOVE and friendship of Jesus with the world, as He so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…to truly show our LOVE for Jesus…we must generously and unselfishly share…ALL that He is…with others…
30 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, almighty god, anxiety, aura of love, calamities, Christians, climate change, confidence, Creator of the universe, dictatorial leanings, economic upheaval, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fellowship, flurry of leaders, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, grace, happy, heat waves, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peace, raises up, record-breaking weather, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, sex abuse, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strife, surrender to Christ, the god of Jacob, the Lord upholds all that fall, those that are bowed down, transgender issues, trust, truth, ungodly world, was, wildfires, wisdom, worry
Psalm 145:14. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
Well friends, what’s next eh? Let’s ignore war and strife, as well as economic upheaval, poverty and sickness, for those seem to be staples of our modern supposedly prosperous society. This year we’ve already had record-breaking cold weather and winter storms and we’re now in the midst of record-breaking heat waves all over the world.
There’s also extensive drought. But on the other hand, we have excessive rainfall and breaking dams that cause terrible flooding, with ongoing dangerous volcano activity, not to mention the spate of deadly wildfires wreaking havoc around the globe. What else is on the agenda eh? Oh hurricanes and tornadoes! They haven’t set in seriously as yet. But be sure they will come around eventually.
And when you add to all that the flurry of leaders coming to power with definite dictatorial leanings, who insist that climate change is not a factor in our ongoing adversity, it doesn’t augur well for our world. Oh, and don’t forget sex abuse and transgender issues; the new kids on the block. Hn! I don’t know if Mother Earth has ever been in such a sad state.
But yuh know what mih breddren? Be all of that as it may, the most important thing to remember is that Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe is still on His throne and NOTHING will happen unless it fits into His overall plan. And that plan is a wonderful one, especially for those who trust and surrender their lives to Him, through the auspices of His Son, Jesus Christ!
So if you are one of those wise and blessed people, you won’t allow the calamities our world is currently experiencing to drive you crazy with worry and anxiety. However though, some of us are definitely disturbed by the fact that it’s Monday and we have to get up to go to work. Our minds and bodies just don’t seem up to the task.
But don’t worry, as followers of Jesus, we have the right antidote for that disturbing Monday morning feeling. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! So let’s raise it up to heaven and allow the Father to uplift our souls and spirits in return.
As one 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 friends, I know your spirits have been uplifted! I can see the new gleam in your eyes and the aura of confidence that’s now being exhibited in your body language. (smile) So let’s go out and do whatever we have to do for Jesus nuh, with diligence and excellence, as is our bounden duty.
And as we go, let’s write these immortal words of Bruh David deep and indelibly in our hearts, so that they can help to keep our faith strong. ‘The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.’
Oh my people, that’s no lie! And we have a good example of that in Bruh David himself. Whenever adversity came against him and his spirit plummeted, the Lord always lifted him up. But that’s because he cultivated a good, constant relationship with God, and thus could cry out to Him for help. And the Lord will do the same for us if we stay close to Him and cry out for help in our time of trouble and confusion.
Remember what Jesus said, that He came to save those who were lost, to help the sick and suffering, the poor and needy. So anytime you fall into one of those categories, be assured that Jesus will be there to help you. And as He said again in His 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 for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Friends, there will NEVER be a better or more sincere invitation than that! And there’s absolutely no need to worry about if Jesus will keep His word. Just look at what He has already done for us nuh; sacrificed His sinless life so that we could be saved from our sins. Why would He then turn us away after that eh? It would just be negating all His sacrifices.
And the psalmist puts it this way: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God…Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous.’ (Ps.146:5,7-8)
Of all of that stuff there is no doubt my fellow believers! Consequently, it is of the utmost importance for us to get thoroughly acquainted with God, so that we won’t wallow in the mire of life for too long. Much LOVE!
…whether you’re on your knees in prayer…or have fallen from grace…the Lord will always lift you up…you just have to sincerely call on Him…
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