14 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a God-centred revival, a Love Revolution, a part of my journey, allow me to appreciate the good, and with what measure ye mete, aspires to inspire us, be of good cheer, becoming like Jesus, can't appreciate joy, can't appreciate the sun, codemn not, count it all joy, criticize not, difficult times, do so ent like so, do unto others as you want them to do to you, filled with the Holy Spirit, for a better tomorrow, for with what judgement ye judge, from God's viewpoint, God'saints, God's faithful promises, gospel truth, grow in our christian faith, hazy and lazy, I choose not be critical, i have overcome the world, in the world, it is he who giveth thee, it shall be measured to you, judge not, let patience have her perfect work, like a boomerang, meditating on god's word, my potential to succeed is limitless, not to judge the inner motives of another, our friend Anselm, positive affirmation, prejudiced information, remember the Lord thy god, some semblance of normalcy, strife-filled mess, successful in God's mercies, successfully rise up over tribulation, test our mettle, the power to get wealth, the trying of faith, them's the breaks, then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, thou shalt have good success, turbulent days, until you have experienced sorrow, when ye fall into divers temptations, worketh patience, ye shall be judged, ye shall have tribulation, you have experienced the rain
Deuteronomy 8:18. Remember the Lord thy God: for it is he who giveth thee the power to get wealth…
Oh, it’s a lazy, hazy Saturday morning… and I’m late and hazy and lazy too! (smile) Did some other things before coming down to write the Bit, and now I’m a li’l miffed at myself for not getting started earlier. But them’s the breaks. Get over it self! (smile)
And what’s the news this morning eh? Nothing has changed! The world is still in a volatile, unholy, strife-filled mess. And if you like the status quo, then I suppose that’s good news for you. If you don’t… well what can I say eh? Nothing but keep praying, repenting, getting back to God…and tell everyone you know, shout it from the rooftops that that’s the ONLY way our world will ever recover some semblance of normalcy! Nothing much is going to improve until there’s a big God-centred Revival in our world; a LOVE Revolution! Now that’s my stand…and I’m sticking to it! (smile)
So, since it’s Saturday, let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And again, I only got three quotes instead of the usual five. And no, I’m not complaining – no way – because now I only have to wrap my head around three and not five quotes. Glory be!
And he’s also continuing this new style of prefacing each one with this proviso: ‘Positive affirmation you should tell yourself to remind yourself just how awesome you are. I’m calm, happy, and content.’ But please remember we are only awesome and truly happy, calm and content in Christ Jesus; when He’s in us and we are in Him! Much LOVE and thanks to our wonderful Lord and Saviour! And also as usual, we’ll leave out the proviso from here on in. But please remember it in the context of Jesus.
So here’s the first quote: ‘I choose not to criticize myself or others around me.’ Now that’s such a wonderful attitude! And besides our world is filled with too much criticism these turbulent days, unsupported criticism at that too. It’s one of our favourite games in this time of social media and rampant technology. And it’s one of those games where we like to give, but can’t take. We all LOVE to criticize, but we can’t accept it, even when it’s useful and true.
Let’s stop for a moment and remember these awesome words of our Leader, Jesus Christ nuh. ‘Judge not (condemn not, criticize not), that ye be not judged (condemned, criticized). For with what judgement (condemnation, criticism) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again.’ (Matt. 7:1-2)
In other words friends, do unto others as you would like them to do unto you, because whatever you do, in whatever measure, it will eventually boomerang right back to you, and most likely you will be appalled at it. (smile) As the ole people would say: ‘Do so ent like so!’ And that’s the gospel truth, for we don’t like getting back the negative stuff we throw in other’s faces.
But listen to this explanation from the scholars on the subject. ‘7:1-4. Judge not refers to an unfavourable and condemnatory judgement. This does not mean that a Christian should never exercise judgement of any kind under any circumstances. The point being made here is that we are not to judge the inner motives of another. We are not to render a verdict based upon prejudiced information. Nor are we to use ourselves as the standard of judgement for with what…ye mete (measure) you shall be judged. That ye be not judged refers to the ultimate judgement of God rather than our own judgement.’
Hope that clarifies the subject and means that our criticism level will drop by at least three quarters, because a lot of the time we criticize, it’s not even that we have prejudiced info, but NO info at all. That’s how bad criticism is in these troubled and uncertain times!
And the second quote proclaims: ‘My potential to succeed is limitless.’ Now that is certainly true…but again under the right situation and circumstances. One must first be filled with the Holy Spirit of Jesus and being obedient and obeisant to Him, so that we can be calm, happy and contented. But here’s the kicker in these words of Moses to the Israelites: ‘Remember the Lord thy God: for it is he who giveth thee the power to get wealth…’ (Deut. 8:18) Yes friends, unless we are living under God’s protective and powerful umbrella, our lives won’t be as thrilling, adventurous and successful.
Remember His words to Joshua on remembering and meditating on His word and doing all contained therein? Why? ‘…for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) It couldn’t be any plainer than that my people. And the thing we don’t understand about being successful in God’s mercies, is that with Him, success is lasting, not the uncertain, fleeting kind that comes when we try to accomplish it in our own strength following the ways of the world.
So here’s the last quote…and it’s a dandy! (smile) ‘Difficult times are part of my journey and allow me to appreciate the good.’ And is that the indisputable truth! Thus the sayings like: ‘you can’t appreciate the sun until you experience the rain,’ ‘you can’t appreciate joy until you have experienced sorrow.’ It’s only when we experience the bad that we can truly appreciate the good. And nowhere is that clearer than in Jesus’ economy, for ofttimes He allows us to go through rough times to test our mettle, to mature us in His style. For we all know that we only truly grow in difficult times, not much in good ones.
Now in this evil and sinful world difficulties do abound. And Jesus didn’t hesitate to remind us of that when He said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that ye might have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And He certainly overcame, hell, death and the grave. So he knows what He’s talking about.
And His brother James puts it thus: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4) Yes friends, we need to look at our trials from God’s viewpoint; that they are maturing us and making us more like Jesus in character which is God’s eventual plan for ALL of his children.
And yes, most of us try to find a way to escape from the trials and temptations, but it’s necessary that we go through them if we want to mature and grow in our Christian faith. And remember too that the Lord has promised to always be with us, helping us all the way. Now that belief is what our faith is built on, and with it we can successfully navigate any problems we encounter in this world! So let’s stand strong and steadfast, surrounded by all of God’s faithful promises! Much LOVE!
…when trials and tribulation come…God’s saints successfully rise up over them…
13 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 13th November, anxiety, avoid serious setbacks, be responsible, believeth on him that sent me, Black Friday, blessing and cursing, bring backsliders back to your fold, can't sit on the fence anymore, confusion, desperately need your help, everlasting life, faithful saints of Christ, Friday chant, handle the situation properly, havoc, hear the voice of the Son of God, heareth my word, I call heaven and earth, I have set before you life and death, in Christ-like manner, in the name of, judgement, legal battles, life everlasting, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, resurrection, second wave of Covid-19, shall not come into condemnation, stay safe, strife rampant, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, that both thou and thy seed shall live, the awesome word and hand of God, the healing of our land, the Holy Spirit surging through us, the hour is coming, the world gone mad, therefore choose life, time for mankind to put up or shut up, time for pussyfooting is over, to record this day against you, U.S. presidential election, unrest in the streets, vaccine, wannabe dictator, we children going to inherit, what kinda world, wise guidance and direction, world war 3
Deuteronomy 30:19. I call heaven and earth to record this day (as witnesses) against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live:
Ah friends, it’s a dark, cold, cloudy sombre morning; this Black Friday, the 13thday of November in the crazy, uncertain, unexpected, divisive, pandemic, election, eccentric year of 2020! Yeh, this year’s been all that, and its eccentricity and divisiveness are not over yet, not by a long shot. The confusion and legal battles over who won the U.S. Presidential election is still ongoing, getting more problematic by the minute, with the wannabe dictator refusing to concede that he lost.
The Covid-19 pandemic is still raging, going through a second phase all over the world, and we still don’t know how to deal with it properly, and with people refusing to do the things we know would temper it some. And strife is still rampant all over our world. So what new can the forces of evil and darkness perpetrate this Friday the 13th eh? The only place we have left to go is over the cliff, or be brought back to our senses by the awesome word and hand of God!
Right now those are our only two options friends! The time for pussyfooting is over. We can’t sit on the fence anymore. It’s time to make a final decision. And yuh know that making no decision is indeed making a decision. So please let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that we’ll just let it all ride and it will eventually blow over, because this time it most certainly won’t! It’s time for mankind to put up or shut up! And that’s my spiel for today! (smile)
But it’s Friday, so let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say too nuh. And as always he declares: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Thank God that the weekend is finally here and I could get to stay in mih yard with mih family and don’t have to venture out in this second wave of Covid-19 nuh! Brother! What it is so eh? How come Covid just turn back to bite we so hard again eh? Is it because people not doing what they supposed to be doing? Or we just can’t get a handle on the blooming virus?
But is more lockdown again…Steups! What in hell and heaven name going on eh? Like the world just gone mad oui! Everywhere is a mess; if not with Covid, then with political and racial and religious strife… So what it going to take to bring us back to normal eh? Ah vaccine for Covid? Who knows, because plenty people already say they not taking no blooming vaccine. Or is it World War 3…? Because all the other foolish strife an’ them not letting up either.
So what is to become of we world eh? What kinda world we children going to inherit eh? Chuh man! Ah have to shake mih head oui, because only the Lord knows yes…only the Lord knows! But right now ah very thankful for the weekend so I could stay home an consider it all, although I can’t do much about it.’
Ah mih people, those sentiments expressed by the ordinary workingman are being voiced all over our world! As I said before, this is the time for us to make some very wise and serious decisions because our problems are not going to go away because we wish them to. It’s going to take a lot of work between all of mankind to even halt them, much less turn them back. And the only power in this world great enough to change our circumstances is the hand of Almighty God!
And I proffer these two verses of His word from the mouth of Jesus Christ, His only Son and the Saviour of this world, to strengthen my contention. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgement); but is passed from death into life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.’ (John 5:24-25)
People, I give to you, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the ONLY hope for our salvation! Without Him in our lives, we’re all dead meat. It’s only a matter of time. But with Him, with His awesome Holy Spirit surging through our veins, our bodies, and souls, we are faithfully promised resurrection; life everlasting! There’s NO ONE else who can offer us that! So what’s it to be eh?
And here’s the clincher; (smile) these words of Moses, on the Lord’s behalf, to the people of Israel many moons ago. ‘I call heaven and earth to record this day (as witnesses) against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live:’ (Deut. 30:19) That’s it in a nutshell friends! Your choice!
And for those of us who wisely choose life, let’s turn to our God and through our Friday Chant sincerely plead with Him for the healing of our land and our nations! Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Yes my precious and faithful saints of Christ, it now behooves us to go out and handle the situation properly; in Christ-like manner! Much LOVE!
…only the unwise…would choose death over life…especially the eternal kind…
12 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after God's own heart, adoration, and he shall hear my voice, and he shall sustain thee, as for me I will call upon God, cast thy burden upon the Lord, clear direction for my life, compassionate heart, confident prayer for help, courage, crapaud smoke we pipe, creativity, curse, David encouraged himself in the Lord, evening and morning and at noon, forgive their sins, glory to God, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, heal their land, I shall not want, I will fear no evil, I will not fear what flesh can do to me, I will pray and cry aloud, I will trust in thee, if my people, In god I have put my trust, In God I will praise his word, in the broad scheme of things, leadeth me beside the still waters, like a snowball in hell, LOVE, negative word, One True Bright Light -Jesus, our goose is cooked, pandemic, Philistines, pray and seek my face, prosper, reverence, shall humble themselves, some killjoy, strife filled season, success, suffer want or need, talent, the foolishness' of satan, the gospel truth, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord shall save me, the sun's shining brightly!, then I will hear from heaven, though I walk through the valley of death, Thursday Blessings, turn from their wicked ways, turn to the goodness of God, unbreakable trust in God, waters of rest, What time I am afraid, who are called by my name, Ziklag
Psalm 56:3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Glory to God mih people! The sun’s shining brightly! And yes, as some killjoy notes, (smile) it’s somewhat chilly because our summery days are over possibly until next year. But in the broad scheme of things that doesn’t really matter because we ALWAYS have the One True Bright Light, Jesus, shining on us anyway! Give Him some thanks and praise for being so faithful in His light giving!
And to cement our contention there, I just opened the Good Book to Psalm 56, Bruh David’s confident prayer for help, and these magnificent and reassuring words jumped out at me: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4)
Wow mih bredrin! What surety in Bruh David’s words eh! That was his prayer, his contemplation when the Philistines took hm in Gath. Can you imagine us being in the midst of such a horrible, wicked enemy and declaring (yeahhh!) our unbreakable trust in God? It’s what we ought to be doing though.
And remember that other time when the Amalekites burned Bruh David’s city in exile Ziklag and took all their families hostage, and his men were so grieved and eventually wanted to stone Bruh David because they blamed him, as though his family wasn’t taken hostage too? Remember what he did? The Good Book says it thus: ‘…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam. 30:6)
Yes friends, that’s where Bruh David found his strength and his support, and why despite all his ungodly deeds, the Lord could still call him a friend and a man after His own heart. That’s simply because he always held the Lord in true reverence and adoration. The Lord knew that he was imperfect, but his heart was usually in the right place. And so should our hearts be my people, despite our sprinkling of evil and evil deeds.
We should know that God is our major refuge and retreat, our stronghold and fortress, the only place that we can be sure to obtain succour in time of need. And this pandemic and strife-filled season is one of those times when we need to be totally God-centred, to turn to Him like no other time in our lives, because without Him we don’t stand a chance, like a snowball in hell, our goose is cooked!
We desperately need to return to the times when these words of Bruh David from Psalm 55 – A cry against deceitful friends – stood true of our society. ‘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)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! If we call on the Lord in all sincerity, and live by His will and word, then He will never allow us to suffer want or need, because He has promised that! Remember this awesome promise? ‘If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ (2 Chr. 7:14)
All I’m trying to say friends is that our world is in such a terrible state because it’s so fraught with sin and evil, and the only way we’re ever going to come out of this desperate and deadly state is by sincerely turning back to the Lord God Jehovah like our forefathers did! And if we don’t, then crapaud smoke we pipe! So it’s our choice. Do we give up the foolishness of Satan and this evil world and turn to the goodness of God? Or do we stay as we are and suffer the terrible consequences inherent in that decision?
And just for argument sake, let’s hear these immortal and faithful words of Jesus concerning the subject nuh. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That’s it plain and simple my brethren! You seek God first, make Him and His kingdom your Number One Priority, and He will meet all of your needs!
Like Bruh David said in his most famous writing, Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters (waters of rest). He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:1-4)
And Bruh David could write that stuff friends because he lived, he experienced them. It’s not to say that our lives will always be rosy and without problems, since we live in a fallen, evil world, but if we hang with the Lord, we will come out on top most of the time, and we won’t have to walk around in constant fear, but will be assured and comforted even in the tough times like now. But all I can do is talk, or write – I’m done now – (smile), but everyone has to make their own decision as to the path they are going to follow, and my job is to encourage us to follow Christ, the Lord and Saviour of this world. End of spiel.
And am I ever surprised at the intensity I sometimes feel as the words pour out quicker than I can write them. But I guess that’s because I’m sincere about what I write. (smile) Anyway, for those of us who feel the same way, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Thursday Blessings, letting all and sundry know how blessed we are in Christ our Lord.
Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And if the Lord thought so much of us that He could give us those blessings undeservedly, then we can think the same of others and share them just as generously. Much LOVE!
…it stands to reason…that only the God who made this world…can save it…
11 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new thing spring forth, a state of pandemic and strife, Armistice Day, Behold, commemorate the end of the first world war, cowardly attacks on innocent people, death and birth at the same time, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, filled with the knowledge of God's will, godless sinful position, godly behaviour, gross disobedience, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, I will do a new thing, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not turning back, illiterate generation, in all wisdom, In Flanders Field, Indian summer, know it all, make a way in the wilderness, man's lust for blood, neither consider ye the things of old, now it shall spring forth, obedience, obeisance, poppies grow, proud, Remembrance Day, rivers in the desert, sincerely seek God, spiritual understanding, sufferation, terrorism, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the One and Only True God, the war to end all wars, through the eyes of faith, to a glorious future with Jesus, two minutes of silence, warm days in November, Wednesday Wail, what a waste of human life
Isaiah 43:19. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Well it’s another bright and sunshiny day out there, but probably the last warm one in this long run of Indian summer days! But yuh better believe that we in the north country up here are very thankful for them, for it’s been a long time since we’ve seen so many consecutive warm days in November! Thank You Lord!
And today is Remembrance Day, where we stand and acknowledge and remember the many who fell in the crazy wars of the last century. ‘Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919 throughout the British Commonwealth. It was originally called “Armistice Day” to commemorate the armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m.—on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.’ Yes, that was supposed to be the war to end all wars.
Hn! What a joke! For twenty something years later, another mighty world war broke out! What a waste of human life eh? And sadly, nothing much has changed. There are still way too many strife-filled countries in our world, and still way too much religious, economic and political differences that only lead right back to warring words and the modern term ‘terrorism,’ cowardly attacks on innocent, unsuspecting people. But I guess from the first killing, that of Cain on his brother Abel, man’s lust for blood has taken centre stage.
But since this is Remembrance Day, let’s remember; first with as someone puts it: ‘The most sacrosanct and central element in Remembrance is the Two Minutes of Silence.’ – Silence
And now, let’s really remember through the immortal poem‘In Flanders Fields’ written by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres.
Read with me: ‘In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,LOVEDand wereLOVED, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.’
What can I say eh? Not a whole lot nuh! But here’s this tidbit of info. ‘The symbol of Remembrance Day is the red poppy, which grows on the First World War battlefields of Flanders (in Belgium) and northern France. As the artillery barrages began to churn the earth in late 1914, the fields of Flanders and northern France saw scores of red poppies appear.’
Now is that symbolic or what? Death and Birth at the same time! Only an amazing and awesome God like ours could frame such a situation. And with our world currently in a state of pandemic and strife, we need that awesome and amazing God even more than ever, for without His grace, mercy,LOVEand forgiveness, our world willNEVERreturn to some sort of calm. It willNEVERbe like it was before, but some form of peace with less anxiety and frustration and uncertainty won’t return until we make peace with Jehovah God, until we return to His fold, until we give up our sinful, evil, wicked ways and start being obedient and obeisant to Him!
That brings to mind this awesome scripture from the prophet Isaiah to his people, Israel, on behalf of the Lord their Redeemer, in one of their times of ‘sufferation’ for gross disobedience. ‘Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’(Is. 43:18-19)
Oh friends, that was always God’s desire for Israel, and He showed them it as He moved them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. But all along they stumbled and turned away from Him and were subsequently afflicted. Now we are in the same godless, sinful position, and the Lord is putting forth that same standing promise for true believers and obedient nations. He is willing to do a new thing in our lives and countries if we are willing to turn back to Him and truly live in obedience and obeisance to His will and word!
And I never thought it was possible for people to be more foolish than the Israelites of old nuh, but I’m ashamed to say that this generation is so. In times of prosperity, the Israelites often turned away from God, but when they found themselves between a rock and a hard place, they quickly turned back to Him and were received with opened with arms. But we, this proud, knowledgeable, know it all, but yet illiterate generation, refuse to do that, even though nothing we try in our own strength is working!
As Bruh Paul prayed for the Colossians: ‘we desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his (God’s) will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.’ (Col. 1:9b) Yeh friends, that’s how Bruh Paul usually prayed for the churches he dealt with. Not that they had less problems or such stuff, but that they would be filled with wisdom and knowledge of God. That His will would be revealed in their lives. And that is exactly what we need to pray for in these turbulent and uncertain times: ‘That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge.’ (1 Cor. 1:5)
Oh my people simply praying for God to heal us and our land is not enough, will never be enough! We need to pray that we know Him, the One and Only True God more and more, both personally and societally! That will lead us to better, more godly behaviour: ‘That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.’ (Col. 1:10)
Friends, we need to seek God very deeply and very sincerely RIGHT NOW, if we want our world to improve. That’s just the simple truth! And for those of us, the relative few, who are endeavouring to do so, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our wonderful position in Christ through our Wednesday Wail!
All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. 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!’
Now let’s see that through the eyes of faith and endure till the end, because our future will indeed be more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…only when we sincerely seek the Lord…will a new thing spring forth…
10 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a direct directive, a good attitude, awesome words of wisdom and truth, but be of good cheer, but without sin, by the grace of God, cannot be touched by our infirmities, enjoy prosper and succeed here on earth, eternal life, fell the barren tree, find grace to help, for by grace you have been saved, for His great love, fulfilled the Messianic prophecy, God so loved the world, God who is rich in mercy, grace, grace - basis for salvation, have everlasting life, have it more abundantly, he gave his only begotten son, I am come that they might have life, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, i have overcome the world, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, in me ye might have peace, in the world, in time of need, it is marvellous in our eyes, it is the gift of God, let us rejoice and be glad in it, let us therefore come boldly, mercy, Nazareth, no one can take that from me, not always wine and song, not of yourselves, preserved from instant death, salvation, share His love with the world, spare him yet a little, tempted like as we are, that we may obtain mercy, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the expression of God's goodness, the interceding voice of Jesus, the local-yokel, the sharp axe of justice, the thief cometh but to steal, the unmerited favour of God, this is the day the Lord has made, this is the Lord's doing, toward the undeserving, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly men, unto the throne of grace, was in all points, we have not a high priest, wherewith He loved us, ye shall have tribulation
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (the expression of His goodness toward the undeserving).
Come Tuesday – another nice summery day, just like Monday! Oh yes, that would indeed be wonderful my people! That’s why we need to give much thanks to Almighty God for all the blessings He’s continually bestowing on us. As the psalmist so rightly says: ‘This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.‘ (Ps. 118:23-24)
Wow! What awesome words of wisdom and truth! And don’t forget what our Lord and Saviour Jesus said on the subject. ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal and destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
Mama Mia! If that isn’t a direct directive (smile) of our Lord’s to enjoy and be thankful for this earthly life, then I don’t know what is nuh! In addition to salvation and eternal life when our frail and fragile bodies wear out and return to the dust from which they came, He also desires us to enjoy and prosper and succeed in this earthly life. Oh, He certainly knows that it will not always be wine and song, because like us, He experienced trials and tribulations too. As the Good Book proclaims: ‘For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ (Heb. 4:15)
Yes my brethren, Jesus experienced all the problems that we experience down here on this evil and ungodly earth, but never did you see Him miserable and downcast, regardless of the circumstances He faced. Just look at how brutally they treated Him in His own home town of Nazareth nuh. I like how the website waynestiles.com puts it. ‘When Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth, He found a warm welcome at the synagogue—that is, until He preached. The young carpenter claimed to have fulfilled the messianic prophecy He had just read from Isaiah 61:1–2 (Luke 4:16-30).
The hearers took offense that the local-yokel Jesus would dare to be remarkable. After all, wasn’t He the guy who built their dining tables? The townspeople were so enraged that they took Jesus to the edge of the Nazareth Ridge and wanted to fling Him off into the Jezreel Valley. But He passed through their midst and departed. You think that made for awkward subsequent holiday gatherings?’
Yes friends, Jesus always exuded a good attitude, which He also expects His followers to exemplify. No, it’s not easy, and He promised us that it wouldn’t be, but with His help we could make it. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And if we’re finding it difficult of be of good cheer, then we can always go to our understanding and sympathetic High Priest, who will empathize with us and enable us to have good cheer.
Hear the author of Hebrews on the topic nuh. ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) Brother! Mercy and grace are the two great attributes the Lord uses in our everyday lives. Mercy is not receiving what we ought to, for example punishment for some disobedient act. Many of us know about that from our youth when our parents mercifully did not punish us for some verboten behaviour.
While grace…ohhh…grace is so marvellous, that there are no words to truly explain it. It’s basically God’s favour; the wonderful things He does for us that we do not deserve. Even salvation is through grace. The Good Book puts it thus: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (the expression of His goodness toward the undeserving). Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:8-9) So grace is the basis of our salvation, the unmerited favour of God.
The scholars offer this acrostic of grace. ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth, for it’s only through the expense of Christ’s life on the cross at Calvary did we receive salvation and the marvellous promise of eternal life!
And hear this li’l tidbit from the great English Baptist Preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) affectionately known as ‘The Prince of Preachers.’ On the subject of ‘By Grace Ye Are Saved,’ he apparently wrote: ‘It is by the grace of God that ungodly men are preserved from instant death. The sharp axe of justice would soon fell the barren tree if the interceding voice of Jesus did not cry, “Spare him yet a little.” And isn’t that the indisputable truth! Were it not for Jesus, the sharp axe of justice would certainly have fallen on sinful, disobedient, ungodly man long ago.
And yuh know friends, there’s only ONE real reason for all of that mercy and grace yes; God’s unconditional, irrational, indisputable, undying LOVE for us, His sinful and disobedient creation. Hear the Good Book: ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.’ (Eph. 2:4) And Jesus verified it, like only He could. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) And that says it all my precious saints of Christ!
So for those of us who sincerely believe, and also try to be diligent and excellent followers of Christ, wisely accepting God’s LOVE, grace and mercy, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, boldly and confidently proclaiming to the whole world, who and whose we are!
All together now, in strong voice with sincere hearts! ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the natural consequence of that pledge is for us to keep on trusting Jesus and generously share His awesome LOVE with others! Much LOVE!
…without God’s grace and mercy…His LOVE would have been just an ordinary word…
09 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little slumber, a process, all grown over with thorns, as one that traveleth, come short in obedience, compliance to your word, Covid-19, entitlement, forgive us, God gives you the power to be successful, heal our land, hear and answer our prayers, how long wilt thou sleep, I looked upon it, I received instruction, if you don't sow you can't reap, Jehovah Rapha, laziness, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, natural disasters, nettles had covered the face thereof, O sluggard, out of thy sleep, overseer, prepare for predictable circumstances, privilege, resting on our laurels, self-starting ants, sincere repentance, sleeping late, so shall thy poverty come, standards falling, standing in faith, storing up warmth in my soul, summer days, taskmaster, the field of the slothful, the God who heals, the man void of understanding, the stone wall was broken down, the true road to success, the vineyard, thy want as an armed man, we have all sinned, when wilt thou arise, wisdom to the nth degree, wise guidance and direction, work ethic, yet a little sleep
Proverbs 6:9. How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard (lazy one)? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Summer days are here again friends, summer days are here again! Yes, this past week has been sunny and fairly warm, especially yesterday, when I was out on my front porch getting a tan in the afternoon, enjoying the hot, bright rays of the sun, providing, storing up warmth in my soul for the upcoming winter, doing like the wise, self-starting ants. (smile) Who, like Cousin Sol says, doesn’t have a ruler or overseer or taskmaster, but nonetheless wisely gathers food in the summer harvests for the cold, famine like, winter days. (Prov. 6:6-8)
And according to the weather forecasters, we might even have a few more decent days this week. Thank the Lord yes! For how often do you have such summery weather in November eh? Not very often nuh. So let’s enjoy it while it lasts, because after that… Hn! After that comes the cold. (smile) And having spoken about the wisdom of the ants, Cousin Sol goes on to ask a most insightful question of us: ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard (lazy one)? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?’ (Prov. 6:9)
Now that’s a question which is very appropriate for our easy come, easy go society, where privilege and entitlement play such a great part, where so many of us are unproductive, not contributing anything worthwhile to our world. As the saying goes, if you don’t sow, you can’t reap. But then again, what you reap depends on what you sow. And if so many of us are sowing laziness and unproductivity, then what do we expect to reap eh, just more of the same? And Cousin Sol answers his question thus:‘Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep (to rest): So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth (as a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:10-11)
Oh my people poverty and misfortune don’t always fall upon us all at once, but more often it’s a process, when we’re not wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances or eventualities. Consequently, constant laziness will eventually bring dire poverty. And the sad part is that we don’t usually notice it, it creeps up on us gradually, until one day it suddenly hits us full in the face like an armed robber whom we didn’t expect to encounter.
And that is exactly what’s happening too much in our world today. Too many of us are resting on our laurels and as a result our standards are falling, our work ethic is slowly disappearing. And you know what eventually happens when the standards and work ethic of a society, of a nation decrease – that nation is on the way down!
And these words of Cousin Sol later on in Proverbs provide an appropriate picture of such unfortunate circumstances. ‘I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding. And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof (its surface), and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.’ (Prov. 24:30-32)
And what instruction do you think he received from that sorry state of affairs eh? The same thing he discovered earlier: ‘‘Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep (to rest): So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth (as a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 24:33-34)
Thus, as the scholars explain: 24:3-34. The slothful is too lazy to keep thorns and nettles out of his vineyard or to keep his stone wall repaired. His laziness is further exhibited in sleeping late when he should be working. Therefore his poverty shall come as one that traveleth; that is, a bandit or a vagabond. Small surrenders lead to great disasters.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! Small, seemingly unimportant things, do add up to large disasters. And right now our society is suffering from a lot of small happenings over time, that have finally become major matters, which we can’t seem to deal with successfully. So what is the answer eh, beside being productive and diligent? Turn to the One who created us, and is mightier than us. That’s wisdom to the nth degree! That’s the true road to success! So let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
All together now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
Yes precious people, our ONLY true hope is in our God, through our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus! Please, I implore us to sincerely turn back to Him in true repentance, so that He can keep His promises and heal us and our land! Much LOVE!
…remember God…for it is He…who gives you the power to be successful… (Deut. 8:18)
08 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a li'l love, all thanks and praise, and now abideth faith hope love, be thankful and glad, call him in the midnight hour, Covid-19, dancing in the aisles, everybody knows the solution, Father help your children, fellow saints in Christ, gobbled up by birds, grow among weeds, He's mine forever, Heroes album, his words will be our salvation, I wanna follow your star, I wanna walk with you Lord, indecision in the U.S., Jesus, Jesus is Love, Jesus won't let you down, Jesus' wisdom will be our helping hand, lift up your hearts, looking for something new, LOVE, love is an action word, money can solve the problem, never reach good soil, now we know only in part, now we see through a dark mirror, only love can break a heart, only love can mend it again, passionate soul, recognize each other, responsible for the salvation of mankind, seeds (children) fall by the wayside, shallow roots, talk with you, teach them to love one another, technology will solve the problem, the Commodores Live in Las Vegas, the greatest of these is love, the parable of the sower, the President can solve the problem, the world's in a lot of trouble, to our heavenly Father, walk in through temptation, wannabe dictator, when you fall, who can bring you joy, who can bring you love, who can heal your body, who can help you to hold out, who can make you strong, who can turn your life around, who will pick you up, who'll stand beside you, with love in their hearts
1 Corinthians 13:13. Now abideth faith, hope and LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE!
Well, my fellow saints in Christ, once more we are gathered here to offer sincere praise, worship and thanksgiving to Almighty God, our Creator, Provider, Lord and Saviour! And all God’s people shouted a loud and proud: ‘All thanks and praise be to our heavenly Father!’
And finally the indecision in the U.S. has been decided (smile), the wannabe Dictator has been deposed, and will soon be disposed of, regardless of all his bluster and talk of not giving up the Presidency because the election was rigged and illegal! Thankfully there were a few more sensible American voters than foolish ones.
Anyway, enough on that has been, let’s focus on someone that’s been around from time immemorial, and will be around till even after eternity; His name is Jesus; the person mainly responsible for the salvation of mankind. And today we’re going to open our worship with a wonderful song in His honour, a tune titled ‘Jesus is LOVE!’ And that is exactly who and what He is! That’s why He sacrificed His life on the cross at Calvary for us.
Now friends, one website tells us: ‘This song comes off of The Commodores (1980) album “Heroes”. It has since become both a gospel and R&B standard. There is an excellent live version of this track on YouTube by the Commodores. Lionel Richie sang this song at Michael Jackson’s funeral. There is an outstanding gospel version with a duet featuring Smokie Norful and Heather Headley.’
And believe me that live version is big and bad and beautiful, and it’s what we’re going to sing today: So please be prepared for an awesome visit with ‘The Commodores Live in Las Vegas’ And it’s a real ole throwback piece of touching soul my people, and that’s how I want us to sing it; full of soulful emotion and sincere heartfelt passion. Let our words and actions truly tell the story.
Now before we get into the song, here’s some info from the website https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13 ‘The song starts with a prayer. Lionel’s prayer is reminiscent of the parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 of the Holy Bible In this story, some of the seeds are (children) that fall by the side of the road. They never reach good soil and are gobbled up by birds, grow among the weeds, or have roots that grow too shallow. This is a prayer for all people in the world to recognize each other with LOVE in their hearts, amen.’
And all of that is ever so true friends. Too many of God’s children are falling by the wayside, and that is just not acceptable. Anyway, moving on: Before the band starts playing the drummer comes down front and makes this intro: ‘At this particular time ladies and gentlemen, we would like to do another song from our latest album “Heroes” And we would like to do this song especially for you (the audience) because the Commodores deeply believe, deep down inside, that the world, the world is in need of a song like this today. Ladies and gentlemen, if you please:’
So please let’s finally get into an explosion of passionate soul that will move all those in both heaven and earth…and don’t forget to answer the calls in brackets. (smile) ‘Father help your children And don’t let them fall by the side of the road. Mmmm…mmmm And teach them to LOVE one another And heaven might find a place in their hearts. ‘Cause Jesus is LOVE He won’t let you down And I know He’s mine forever Oh, in my heart We’ve got to walk on Walk on through temptation ‘Cause His LOVE and His wisdom Will be our helpin’ hand
And I know the Truth And His words will be our salvation Lift up our hearts To be thankful and glad That Jesus is LOVE He won’t let you down And I know He’s mine Deep down in my soul Jesus is LOVE Oh, yes, He is He won’t let you down And I know He’s mine, He’s mine, He’s mine, He’s mine, all mine Forever, ohhhh, in my heart Help me, heart, heart Ooh…ooh… (Deep in my heart) I know, I know, I know, I know Ah, cause His LOVE’S the power (Power) His LOVE’S the glory (Glory) Forever (Ever and ever) Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah) Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah) Ooh, yeah, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Oh wait a minute, I wanna follow your star Wherever it leads me And I don’t mind, Lord I hope you don’t mind I wanna walk with you And talk with you And do all the things you want me to do Cause I know that Jesus (Jesus is LOVE, I know) ‘Cause I know, Lord (And if you ask, I’ll show) (LOVE is the word forever) And ever and ever
Who can bring you love (Jesus) Who can bring you joy (Jesus) Who can turn your life around (Jesus), oh Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah) Yeah (Yeah, yeah) Hey Who will pick you up (Jesus) When you fall (Jesus) Who’ll stand beside you (Jesus) Who will LOVE us all Hey, hey, Jesus (Yeah, yeah) Jesus (Yeah, yeah) Oh, yeah (Yeah, yeah) One thing I wanna say Who can heal your body (Jesus) Who can make you strong (Jesus) Who can help you to hold out (Jesus)
A little while longer Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah) Yeah (Yeah, yeah) Jesus LOVES you (Yeah, yeah), Jesus wants you If you call Him, He will answer (Jesus) Call him in the mornin’ (Jesus) Call him in the evenin’ (Jesus) Call him in the midnight hour Hey, hey (Yeah, yeah) Yeah (Yeah, yeah) Yeah, yeah (Yeah, yeah) Yeah, y’all say it for me (Jesus is LOVE)… (Jesus Is LOVE)…’
That was indeed a soulful rendition friends, and both heaven and earth were moved. But it wasn’t all. At the end Lionel Ritchie got up from the piano, came down to the front of the stage and gave this soliloquy: ‘You know the Commodores, had two ways of letting you leave out of here tonight; either have you dancing in the aisles hollering and screaming, or we had to let you leave with something in your minds and on your hearts. Well tonight, I guess there’s no doubt in your minds, and certainly not in mine; we’re going to let you leave tonight with something on your minds and in your hearts.
You know, I don’t have to be the one to tell each and every one of you, but the world is in a whole lot of trouble right now everybody, the world is in a whole lot of trouble. And you know the funniest thing is this; everyone is looking for something new, something different to solve the problem. Some of us feel that technology sooner or later, will solve the problem. We feel that money can solve the problem. In 1980 we even feel that a President can solve the problem. But yuh know the funniest thing about the whole thing is this; everybody knows what the solution is; everybody knows what the solution is; because what the world needs now, what the world needs, right now is a little LOVE ,a little sweet LOVE…!’
And that’s the awesome truth my people! Can you imagine that forty years ago, our world was in such a messed up state, even without the Covid-19 situation. And we’re in an even worse place today, everybody looking for answers, everywhere but where they are supposed to look; in their hearts, to find the LOVE that our world needs to move forward in unison and compassion. Can you believe that forty years later we’ll still looking to technology, money and a President to correct our situation, when all we need is a li’l LOVE?
Are we that stubborn, hardhearted and foolish that we can’t see the lack of wisdom in our decisions? What is our problem eh my brethren? Are we like Bruh Paul told the Corinthians; that now we’re seeing through a dark or dimly lit mirror, and right now we only know in part, but later on we’ll see and understand properly. (1 Cor. 13:12)
Some might use that as an excuse, but believers ought to know better, we ought to know that ‘Now abideth faith, hope and LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE!’ (1 Cor. 13:13) And until we understand that and put it into serious action, for remember LOVE is an action word, our world will be forever in turmoil. Much LOVE!
…only LOVE can break a heart…only LOVE can mend it again…
07 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after one time is two, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, allowing others to influence us, as he aspires to inspire us, awesome in Jesus, blew His breath of life into our nostrils, come unto me, erode our calm and contentment, faithful in keeping promises, falling to our knees, feel happiness, feeling of ebullience, find rest for your souls, for a better tomorrow, frail and fickle feeling, get too big for our britches, gospel truth, happiness is ephemeral, I am meek and lowly in heart, I will give you rest, if one's foundation is built on Jesus, in misery and discord, incitement to unruly behaviour, inward satisfaction, Jesus is our rock, Jesus satisfies all your needs and wants, Jesus the one and only true foundation, joy, just how awesome you are, learn of me, made in the image of God, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, nothing new under the sun, our friend Anselm, our solid foundation, positive affirmation, strong and steadfast, take my yoke, the chief cornerstone, the great invitation, the headstone of the corner, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the only name for one stop shopping, the pandemic, the stone which the builders refused, U.S. presidential election, unique creatures, you can withstand anything
Nehemiah 8:10. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Well it’s a bright Saturday morning in my area, and there seems to be nothing new under the sun, (smile) as Cousin Sol said so long ago. (Eccl. 1:9). The vote counting and ridiculous claims and incitement to unruly behaviour is still happening down south in the U.S. What a ridiculous example is being set by a once proud and mighty nation eh! But I guess as the ole people would say, ‘after one time is two.’
And as it happens with men and nations, when we get too big for our britches, we generally end up falling to our knees in misery and discord. Anyway, we’re still waiting to see how the drama, that rodeo down there plays out. But however it does play out, one thing is for sure, the results and ongoing sentiments won’t be nice and sweet and friendly. (smile)
Enough on that topic now. It’s Saturday, so let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. We only got three quotes this week, so that should make my life easier. (smile) And he is still prefacing them with ‘Positive affirmation: you should tell yourself to remind yourself just how awesome you are.’ So I won’t repeat it the preface, but please be careful to remember that we are only awesome in and with Jesus in our lives. (smile)
And the first quote is ‘I don’t need someone else to feel happiness.’ And that’s oh so true. Too often though we depend on others to do or say things to make us happy. But please note that happiness is a feeling, a feeling which can be turned on and off at a whim, or change of circumstance. It’s a frail and fickle state or emotion, ofttimes with no suitable or strong foundation to keep it flowing. However, we are quite capable of raising that feeling of ebullience on our own.
It’s become a habit though, to claim that so and so has made me unhappy, or happy. But the truth is that no one can really make us happy or unhappy but ourselves. We hold the key to either situation, by allowing others to influence us one way or another. Now joy is a different thing. That comes from a strong state of inward satisfaction, a solid foundation, which doesn’t change with every change of direction of the wind or life, and which even in tough situations, like we’re now facing, keeps us strong and steadfast.
And it’s under those conditions that we can claim the next quote: ‘I’m calm, happy, and content. My imperfections make me unique.’ Now let’s deal with the last part of that quote first. Our imperfections don’t need to make us unique nuh, because our Creator has already done that. He made us in His own image, (Gen. 1:26) He blew His breath of life into our nostrils, (Gen. 2:7) That means each and every one of God’s creation is a unique being! There are no two people exactly alike.
As Bruh David so famously said in Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God – ‘I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ (Ps. 139:14) Yes my people, we are all magnificent and unique creatures, but unfortunately not enough of us can lay true claim to the first part of the quote, because too many of us are not calm, happy and contented. Yes, the current situation of a pandemic and all sorts of strife is stressful and can tend to erode our calm and contented situation.
However, if one’s foundation is built on Jesus, then friends, you can withstand anything, any kind of stress or strain or evil circumstance that tries to steal your joy and calm and contentment! For Jesus is our rock, our solid foundation! As Nehemiah said way back when, ‘for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10)
Mama Mia! What a marvellous acclamation and truthful proclamation eh! (smile) That’s why joy and happiness are different. For true joy comes from having Jesus in our hearts, but happiness is from man, that’s why it’s ephemeral; short-lived, flaky, vapour-like, with no solid foundation. And years later, Bruh Paul put it bluntly to the church at Corinth: ‘For no other foundation can no man lay than that that is laid, which is Christ Jesus.’ Yes my people, Jesus Christ is the ONE and ONLY true foundation of this world. He built it, and if and when necessary, He will destroy it. No man can do it unless He allows it.
As the psalmist so avidly proclaimed long ago. ‘The stone which the builders refused (rejected) is become the headstone of the corner (chief headstone). This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.’ (Ps.118:22-23) Ah my fellow saints, Jesus came to earth to build His kingdom, but oh so many rejected and abused Him, and He even quoted that scripture in His relating of the parable of the wicked husbandmen. (Matt. 21:42)
But thankfully, down through the ages, mankind has slowly woken up to the reality that Jesus is the only real Saviour available to ease hurts and pains and bring joy and gladness to the soul, and we have begun accepting Him as the foundation of our lives, though certainly not on a wide enough scale, so no wonder the minions of the evil one now have the world in grip, in a strangle hold, and causing endless strife and negative commotion.
But my brethren, if Jesus is in our lives, then we will be okay, for He has promised never to leave nor forsake us, and to work everything out for our good eventually. And He’s awesomely faithful in keeping His promises! So if things are rough right now and we are hurting and wounded and seeing no avenue for healing, don’t worry, come to Jesus, just as you are, and He will gladly accept and heal you.
And that brings us to the last quote: ‘I’m allowed to take the time to heal.’ Oh hurting ones, fear not, Jesus is the original Healer, and He will take His take His time with ALL those who come to Him for succour in sincerity and truth! Hear His Great Invitation nuh: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
And that’s the gospel truth people! Only in Jesus can a body find true joy and rest and healing and salvation! So please accept him today nuh. He’s knocking at the door to the hearts of ALL men. For your benefit, open up your heart and let Him in nuh. It will be the wisest decision you’ve ever made! Much LOVE!
…JESUS…the only place for ONE STOP shopping…He satisfies ALL your needs and wants…
06 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blast of sunshine, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a pipe dream, a world on edge, ambassadors, anxiety, avoid serious setbacks, Banana Republic, be full of salt, be responsible, be trodden underfoot of men, be true salt and light, brings out the best in mankind, Christians, confusion, Covid-19, craziness, divisive partisan leadership, embrace your love and compassion, endurance, faithful believers, foolish antics, Friday chant, glorify your father in heaven, good examples of His gospel, good for nothing, gospel truth, handle the situation properly, hemming and hawing, Immortal words of Jesus, in a world of violence, in the name our Lord and Saviour, it giveth light unto all that are in the house, it's been rough, Jesus Christ, least amount of loss to life, legal wrangling, Let your light so shine before men, monkey see monkey do, neither do men light a candle, perseverance, prayers are in order, put it under a bushel, racial strife, ready to fall over the precipice, rest from the slave master work, restoring faith in you, salt has lost its flavour, show their mettle, sinful world, stay safe, stop our world going over the brink, sunshine, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the ordinary workingman, the pandemic still raging, they may see your good works, U.S. elections, unexpected storm, wake up and smell the coffee, warm temps, warm weather, weekends, well flavoured, widespread unrest, wise guidance, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
And the election craziness and confusion continues in the good ole U.S. of A! What a surprise! (smile) On this spring-like Friday morning with glorious sunshine in my neighbourhood, it’s hard to pay much attention to the foolish antics that’s happening down there. The only sure thing is that there’s no sure thing, and won’t be for a while, what with all the hemming and hawing and legal wrangling and fake news and all the other stuff that’s recently made the U.S. look like one of those long-ago Banana Republics in South and Central America.
I wish them the best of luck, but it seems that with the pending results, we will have four more years of overwhelming, divisive partisan leadership down there, which doesn’t bode any good for anybody, neither the country itself nor the whole world looking on, who unfortunately suffer in some way according to how the U.S. goes. Prayers are in order, rather absolutely necessary, for all of us! End of spiel! (smile)
Now let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say today nuh. And as always, he crows: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! And it’s going to be a wonderful day, with sunshine and warm temps. Imagine that nuh, way down in November we been having temps in the high teens…Mama Yo! Today it might even rise to about twenty… Well that I can certainly handle! Ah don’t care what nobody says, but a blast of sunshine and warm weather brings out the best in mankind, at least in me! So let it shine bright and stay warm all the time nuh…Hn, hn hn!
Oh I know that is only a pipe dream up here in these northern climes, but who says a body can’t dream eh? And the pandemic still raging all over the world, but plenty more worried and concerned about what happening with the U.S elections, but not me nuh, because I know them people down there don’t care a darm about nobody else but themselves, so if they want to fight and kill each other over foolishness, I say let them go ahead yes! But unfortunately, we up here in Canada too tie up with the U.S yes, so whatever happens down there, we certain to feel some backlash up here, especially since we have plenty up here who like to play, monkey see monkey do, and behave like them down there. Steups!
Ah Lord eh, ah don’t know what the world coming to nuh, but it surely not as nice and warm and welcoming as it used to be. All a small man like me could do though is hope and pray and live one day at a time and give God thanks for Fridays and the li’l rest from the slave master work on the weekends yes!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends! The most a lot of us can do is hope and pray for better times and give God thanks for our situations. And yes, I know that’s difficult in a world that is on edge, that’s just waiting and ready to fall over the precipice, but we believers have been charged with the enormous task of not letting it go over the brink and plummet into war and all the negative things that will happen if we reach that unfortunate stage. And all I can do is quote these immortal words of Jesus concerning our behaviour and duty in this confused and divided world.
Please listen closely to our Leader, our Lord and Saviour. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand) ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13-16)
Yes my brethren, that’s what our leader expects of us; to shine bright like the morning sun and be full of salt, well flavoured in our lives, being good examples of His gospel, ambassadors of His kingdom, offering, help, encouragement and meeting the needs of our fellow man, wherever and however we can! Oh, I know it’s never been, and will never be an easy task, but with His awesome help, we can do it. So let’s spend a li’l time right now and go to Him for that help we need nuh. Let’s cry out to Him through our Friday Chant for endurance and perseverance and whatever else it will take for us to stop our world going over the brink.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, as the faithful believers we claim to be, let’s go out and do our best nuh; handle the situation in the best way we can! Much LOVE!
…in a world of violence and widespread unrest…Christians must show their mettle…be true salt and light…
05 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bubbling cauldron of hate, a compassionate heart, according to the dictates of man, age old tool, agree on a path of life, all Christians profess to believe in, anger, are true and righteous altogether, badly divided, blessed with success, bully boy style, by them is thy servant warned, curse, dictator-like behaviour, divide and conquer, divine duty, divine protection, for where envying and strife is, good leadership, happy are those who keep God's law, he'a all around, if love ruled the world, ignore a lot of it, in keeping of them is great reward, lack of class, legal suits, LOVE, making wise the simple, more to be desired than gold, negative actions of an evil heart, negative word, not to selfishly hoard, obnoxious behaviour, prophetic vision, prosper, rejoicing the heart, resnetment, Revelation, share generously, strife, strife-filled, succeed, sweeter also than honey, the BIBLE, the book, the commandment of the Lord is pure, the enemy is intrusive, the judgements of the Lord, the people perish, the people shall be scattered abroad, the statutes of the Lord are right, there is confusion and every evil work, Thursday Blessings, to resist the onslaught of the enemy, trying to create havoc, walk as men, what a wonderful world, when prophecy shall fail, where self-seeking exists, where there is no visioin, ye are yet carnal
James 3:16. For where envying and strife is (where self-seeking exists), there is confusion and every evil work.
Well the craziness down south is still going on; no official winner just yet, but a whole lot of claims and counterclaims and legal suits. Only in the U.S. of A, you say. That’s for sure! And what’s totally mind boggling is that despite the incumbent President’s rather poor showing over the last four years, his obnoxious behaviour, his lack of class, his bully boy style and having done nothing for the poor of his country, but plenty for the rich, half of the country, many of them the poor ones he cast aside, still apparently voted for him. How unbelievable!
One would never have thought that he had a real chance after all his callow, unpresidential and dictator-like behaviour. But that just goes to show the mentality and sad state of the nation and how badly divided and strife-filled it is. That reminds us of this ever-true statement from James: ‘For where envying and strife is (where self-seeking exists), there is confusion and every evil work.’ (James 3:16) And that’s no lie my brethren! We all know it, for we have seen it in our friendships, our families and it has recently taken over the whole globe, just more in some countries than others.
Yes friends, the whole world is now a boiling, bubbling cauldron of hate, resentment, envy, strife, anger and all the negative actions of an evil heart and nature. Our world is certainly not a very godly place in these disturbing and rather frustrating times. As Bruh Paul said to the Corinthians in his first missive when he heard that they were feuding amongst themselves. ‘For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men (according to the dictates of man.)’ (1 Cor. 3:3)
Oh my people, there’s no doubt that right now we are surely and rather sadly walking after the dictates of mankind more than of God, and that’s a very unfortunate and disastrous thing for any family, society or nation. As Cousin Sol so clearly points out in Proverbs: ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18)
Now the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘29:18. Vision refers to the divine revelation received by the prophet. Morality is based on adherence to God’s revealed will.’ And over the years people have used this verse conveniently to mean all sorts of things, but basically what it’s saying is that without good leadership and a godly, fairly unified purpose in a nation, that society will eventually crumble and fall. Everyone won’t always agree on a path of life, but most of them have to, if the society is to grow and prosper.
And just for our enlightenment, here are a few of the interesting translations from the 29 different translations of the Bible, I recently came across. Never knew there were so many translations of the Good Book. (smile) But here’s an interesting aside, why someone could so rightly answer a question on church building this way: ‘The answer to your question is simple. And it involves a look at the BIBLE. You know, that book that all Christians profess to believe in, yet seemingly ignore a lot of what is in it.’
I just could not help including that quote friends, because it’s oh so true. (smile) Too many of us, supposed believers talk about the Good Book, but hardly ever open it. In too many homes it sits gathering dust in a prominent position, where all can see it. But the truth is, we ignore it to our own detriment, not the Lord’s, because He knows what’s in there, since He caused it to be written. (smile)
Anyhow here are those translations. ‘Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.’ ‘When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.’ ‘Without revelation people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy.’ ‘A nation without God’s guidance is a nation without order. Happy are those who keep God’s law!’
‘In the multitude of the evil ones a people is breached and he that keeps the law is blessed.’ ‘There shall be no interpreter to a sinful nation: but he that observes the law is blessed.’ ‘Without a Vision is a people made naked, And whoso is keeping the law, O his happiness!’ ‘When prophecy shall fail, the people shall be scattered abroad: but he that keepeth the law is blessed.’
Ah mih people, the enemy is using that age old, but rather powerful and successful tool called ‘divide and conquer.’ And it’s certainly working in these perilous and uncertain times. We though, the saints of Christ, have the divine duty to resist the onslaught of the enemy, and where possible recapture the unity and godliness of our church and society. It’s up to us friends, the bride of Christ, the church, to start making amends to the ungodly and strife-filled behaviour that’s currently paralyzing our society. If we don’t do it, who’s going to do it eh? Certainly not the enemy and his evil demons who benefit greatly from it!
That’s why these words of Bruh David from Psalm 18 – The creation and covenants of God – are so true and mightily important even to this day. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear (reverence) of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the (drippage of the) honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps. 19:7-11)
That says it all my people. Without the law of God as our guide and stronghold, we will eventually perish. So now, for those who have accepted our role as godly uniters and not evil disrupters, let’s go home proclaiming (Hn, hn! Couldn’t spell that right either) our Thursday Blessings. As one strong voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And the natural consequence of all those blessings is not to selfishly hoard them, but for us to share them with others as generously as the Lord has shared them with us.Much LOVE!
…if LOVE…instead of hate…ruled the world…what a wonderful world it would be…
P.S. And the enemy is so intrusive, he just made me lose twenty minutes trying to find out why my computer stopped writing. It was all in the batteries of the keyboard. Steups! So be careful, he’s all around, trying to create havoc in our lives, anyway possible. Much LOVE!
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