05 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of thorns, by whom, Easter, flow mingled down, God forbid, I count but loss, I unto the world, love so amazing, my richest gain, of our Lord Jesus Christ, on all my pride, pour contempt, save in the cross, so divine, sorrow and love, that I should boast, the death of Christ, the Prince of glory died, the world is crucified unto me, total surrender, when I survey the wondrous cross
Galatians 6:14. But God forbid that I should glory (boast), save (except) in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
And then it was Sunday…the third Sunday after Easter, that great and momentous day when our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ rose triumphantly from the grave, sparking a new way of life…that of resurrection, salvation and eternal life, and thus creating a spiritual revolution that has not been matched since, and will never ever be matched!
And that’s because the Easter Sunday triumph encapsulates God’s greatest gift to man; atonement for his sinful soul, through Jesus’ sacrificial paying of the gargantuan price it took to redeem man’s sins worldwide for ever and ever! But pay it He did! And that’s why we LOVE, honour and adore Him so much and trek to His sanctuary every Sunday to praise, give thanks, worship, fellowship and hear His Holy Word that provides confidence and comfort for the upcoming week.
And as always, we open the proceedings with a song of praise, worship and thanksgiving, and today’s hymn is one of my real boyhood favourites, ‘When I survey the Wondrous Cross.’ I remember how at Easter Time that old hymn written by Isaac Watts, apparently on the basis of our Bit, would resound within the walls of the old Anglican Church in Scarborough, Tobago, when a full congregation belted it out. That’s before Hurricane Flora blew it down in 1963.
So please, let’s do it justice this morning nuh, because the Cross is the symbol of our faith; it’s where our sins were laid to rest and our lives given back to us through our heavenly Father’s ambitious and most audacious plan. Enough talk though, (smile) let’s sing out that soulful anthem with heartfelt sincerity and true gratitude.
In one harmonious voice now: ‘When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? His dying Crimson, like a Robe, Spreads o’er his Body on the Tree; Then am I dead to all the Globe, And all the Globe is dead to me. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.’
People, O people, what a soulful and touching rendition of that old but ever so pertinent song! All of heaven was touched by it, bringing tears to many eyes when they heard the words of gratitude we sang from our souls, and remembered the agonizing, painful and heart-rending moments of Jesus’ excruciating pain on that lonely rugged cross some two thousand years ago!
His ‘sufferation’ was enormous, no doubt about it. But as they say, without Good Friday, there’d be no Easter Sunday and no cause for our pandemonium of celebration! (smile) Because that’s exactly what Jesus’ resurrection caused; pandemonium! But let’s take a few moments and check out some of the remarkable and true words of the song nuh.
That old rugged, but nonetheless wondrous cross, was certainly the one on which the ‘Prince of glory died.’ And He died for us friends! Imagine that nuh? The Prince of glory died for a bunch of ungrateful, disobedient sinners. That’s why the writer could genuinely say: ‘See from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and LOVE flow mingled down! Did e’er such LOVE and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?’
Most definitely not my fellow believers! It was the greatest outpouring of LOVE the world has ever seen! And when mixed with the sorrow that was felt by His disciples as well as His heavenly Father, how could there ever be a more momentous moment eh? Not by a long shot friends!
And to be truthful, we have NOTHING with which to repay that sacrifice! Even if the whole universe belonged to us, it would be ‘a present far too small; LOVE so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.’ And it truly does my people! Our lives, obedience, worship, LOVE and honour; in other words, TOTAL SURRENDER, is the closest we can ever come to repaying that enormous sacrifice!
Consequently, all our earthly deeds are rather miniscule in comparison, meaning we have nothing, no accomplishments of our own to boast of. Our one true boast as the song says should be ‘in the death of Christ my God’…and His eventual resurrection! And that was Bruh Paul’s most ardent wish: ‘But God forbid that I should glory (boast), save (except) in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.’
And friends that should also be our position in Christ! The world should be dead to us, and we to the world! As Jesus desires of us, we should be IN the world but not OF the world! Bruh Paul renounced all his many noteworthy but worldly accomplishments. As the scholar say: ‘He renounced his old life and all its ways, along with its values and religious accomplishments in which he used to boast. Taking pleasure only in Jesus’ atonement and all the spiritual blessings it brings.
‘What heavenly wisdom my fellow believers! Please, let’s spend some time to day considering and contemplating our own position on the subject nuh. And hopefully, with God’s help, at the end of the contemplation, we will also come to the same conclusion! Much LOVE!
…the ONLY thing worth boasting on…and glorying in…on planet Earth…is Jesus’ atonement for our sins…
04 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accept yourself, anointed us, Anselm, aspires to inspire, be grateful for what you have, be the reason someone smiles, believes in goodness of people, bounden duty, complicate our lives, debt, disappointment, face the rigours of the day, friend, fulfilling our destiny, Gentiles, God anointed, God is LOVE, God was with him, goes against the grain, greater is he that's in you, healing, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, jesus of nazareth, keep moving forward, Lord and Saviour, Love thy neighbour as thyself, love yourself, no better example, oppressed of the devil, Peter, raison d'etre, sleeping in, soaring, someone feels loved, stress, than he that's in the world, the Holy Ghost, the wild blue yonder, this society, unnecessary baggage, went about doing good, with power
Acts 10:38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Aye mih people, the ole fella took the liberty of sleeping in some this morning. Oh, we were actually up earlier on, but then we, my triune self and I; soul, body and spirit, decided that we were not well rested enough to face the rigours of the day, so we voted unanimously to go back to bed! (smile) I’m sure many of you know how that is.
But an hour and a half later, I’m still not sure that we’re properly rested. However, being the good souls that we are, we’re up and about the Lord’s business. So the Bit will be late, later than it ought to be, because even then I took some time to catch up on some of the trending news on the computer. But so what? It’s Saturday, the day to unwind and relax! (smile)
And just in case any of you are interested, it is wet and gloomy in my area. But that seems to have become the norm these days, so not to worry, because as true believers in Jesus Christ, we still have the greatest power in the universe dwelling in our hearts, souls bodies and minds! We talking about the Holy Spirit of Christ; that amazing and oh so powerful Being that dwells within us and leads and guides us on the pathways to righteousness!
Glory be my precious people! And it’s so wonderful and reassuring to know, as the Good Book says, that ‘Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4) And that’s gospel truth friends! The Holy Spirit is indeed greater than the evil one who rules this evil and ungodly world, so please don’t forget it, and even more importantly, please act like it!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘People tend to complicate their own lives, as if living weren’t already complicated enough.’ And that’s ever so true friends! In these modern times with so much stuff available to us, we tend to complicate our lives so much more than we ought to. Life was ever so simple in our parent’s generation when they didn’t have so much to complicate it.
And this next quote is also filled with truth: ‘Live the Life of Your Dreams: Be brave enough to live the life of your dreams according to your vision and purpose instead of the expectations and opinions of others.’ Oh we do have to take the expectations of some people near and dear to us into consideration, but in general, we should be living our dreams, our lives, not those of others.
The Lord has a plan for each and every life He creates, (Jer.29:11) so it’s our duty to seek out that plan, and then live it to the best of our ability, with His awesome help of course! Too often we allow others to interfere with our lives and dreams, and then we end up not fulfilling our destiny. And that is always a mighty disappointment, both in God’s eyes, and our own!
And this next one is also excellent advice: ‘Accept yourself, LOVE yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.’ The first part is biblical. John says: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE!’ (1 John 4:8)
And the Lord instructed Moses to tell the people of Israel: ‘thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ (Lev.19:18b). So accepting and LOVING yourself should be the norm, and if you want to fly, then logically, you need to dispose of any unnecessary baggage, because too much weight stops one from soaring into the wild, blue yonder.
Then there is this: ‘Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.’ Now that goes against the very grain of this society, where wanting more is a way of life. Appreciation of the stuff, or being grateful for it is not important, just having more stuff seems to be the reason for living for too many of us.
Our society has become too greedy and unappreciative. And the sad part is that most of the stuff we accumulate just sits around gathering dust, because like children who get fed up playing with the same toy, we always want something new, preferably the latest and the greatest, which just leads us into more debt and eventually more stress, when we can’t pay the debt.
All of us have plenty stuff that we thought we needed, but now just sits collecting dust and deteriorating in some unknown part of our homes. Yes friends, more stuff doesn’t really satisfy the soul, it just leads it further astray. It’s oftimes better to be satisfied with a little, or whatever you have, and work diligently towards what you really want, not what you think you want.
And the last quote tells us: ‘Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels LOVED and believes in the goodness in people!’ Oh isn’t that beautiful friends! It surely is, because it’s our raison d’etre; yes my fellow believers, that’s our very reason for being! That’s what we were born to do! It’s a part of God’s plan for every human body He creates; doing good, putting a smile on people’s faces, letting them know that they are LOVED both by God and their fellow man!
Mama Mia! When we do that, we’re following the greatest example ever, that of Jesus Christ. For as Peter said when he preached to the Gentiles: ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’
Oh my people, the same thing goes for us: the Lord has also anointed us as His special children and placed the Holy Ghost in us, so that we too can go out and help others, do good to all and sundry! That’s our bounden duty! So please let’s get with it nuh, let’s do what is expected of us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…as true believers…we can follow no better example…than that of our Leader…Jesus Christ…
03 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a parable, a stickler, a testimony, another week of work, asaph, captivity in Babylon, charismatic person, charity begins at home, comportment, deprtment, diligently, endless rain, excellently, Ezra, family relationships, fellowship, finicky, flooding, Friday chant, from generation to generation, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, getting me safely, give ear, in Jesus name, incline your ears, invade our space, Jesus Christ, keep his commandments, liste, Nehemiah, no soild foundation, not forget the works of God, out and about, pray for unfortunate ones, rain, refreshed, relaxation, remove God from schools, renewed, rest, restrictive, secular society, set their hope in god, slave master's job, soft and sappy, susceptible, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the evil one, the ways and means of God, the words of my mouth, word was lost, workingman's song
Psalm 78:7. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.
And if you think that the showers of blessings from heaven haven’t been cascading down, then you’re sadly mistake! (smile) It’s been going on for most of the night! Yeh friends, the ole rain is continuing its onslaught against the land, and still causing serious flooding in several areas around the country. Please, let’s pray for those unfortunate citizens, and help in whatever way we can, for we never know when our number is going to play, and then we need help too.
And one unhappy camper is our ordinary workingman, as he sings his Friday song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes, but more bloody rain again! Last weekend was the same blooming thing; rain and more rain! And during the week too! Most days I had to be wading through the thing to get to the slave master job…and he doh care if hell or high water come, he want you to reach his slave job on time…and yuh can’t even tell him that yuh sick nuh, else he want a doctor note and all that chupidness!
Ah Lord, when the nonsense going to stop eh? I’ll live with it during the week, but come the weekend, that is my time to play…and I can’t play in endless rain, especially when the weather just getting warm! Steups! But I guess we have to be thankful for small mercies yes! I don’t have to go to work for two whole days, and it might just give me some useful time with the family, instead of being out and about palavering and partying. Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
Yes mih people, at least the constant rain is causing some of us to stay at home, instead of being out and about. That just might do something to improve family relationships, or too much time together might just spoil them…who knows? But anyway, let’s chant our Friday Chant, which is somewhat more restrictive than the workingman’s song, because our Leader, Jesus Christ, wants us to be a tad more finicky in our comportment and deportment. (smile)
So as one loud voice now, let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers, we too are entitled to fun and games, but just a li’l more cautiously, so we don’t allow the evil one to invade our space. But rest and relaxation are also important, otherwise we won’t be able to fulfill our duties properly next week. And just like the slave master, Jesus is also a stickler for workers being on time and doing their duties diligently and excellently. So there you have it! (smile)
And today I think we need to read and remember the words of Asaph, as he expressed them in Psalm 78. ‘Give ear (listen), O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare (yes!) them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.’ (Ps.78:1-7)
Ah friends, those are mightily important words! Words that we too ought to know and do! In the olden times there was no written Bible or anything like it, that means the history of the people had to be told orally, handed down from generation to generation. And that’s how the stories in the Good Book managed to keep going until they reached a time that they could be written down.
But the inherent commandment, well it’s not really inherent, but totally spelled out, is that one generation should enlighten the next about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, His character and good works towards sinful mankind. Moses told it to the Israelites when they came out of bondage in Egypt. The Lord told it in spades to Joshua (Josh.1:8-9) when He made him the leader of Israel after Moses’ death, before they actually went into the Promised Land.
And it’s been handed down from generation to generation after that, until it has come to ours. Unfortunately though our generation has made a sad mess of things. We have not adequately instructed our children in the ways and means of Almighty God, that’s why so many of them are lost and gone astray, have no solid foundation on which to build their lives, and are so susceptible to any nonsense that some charismatic person promotes.
I don’t know if a generation in modern times has been so ungodly, been so badly taught, or not taught at all, as our children. And there’s nobody to blame but ourselves. We’ve allowed this ungodly and secular society to take God out of the schools and other places, where there was at least a smattering that the children could access. But even worse, we the parents of this generation have stopped going to church, have stopped teaching the children at home.
Remember charity begins at home, and it’s our responsibility to teach our children, not the schools or the church! But as parents we have become soft and sappy, afraid of our children, letting them have their own way, assisted by the numerous worldly things that are constantly spewed at them!
Chuh friends! We’ve done a bad job raising our children in a godly manner. There are no doubts about that! But we’ve still got a li’l time left, so please, please, let’s do what we can with our children, but more than ever, work on our grandchildren, so that the Word of the Lord won’t be lost to the following generation.
Remember how the Word was lost to the children of Israel when they went into captivity in Babylon, and a whole generation heard it for the first time when Ezra and Nehemiah read it to them. (Neh.8) I sincerely pray that that won’t happen to our children, and our children’s children! In Jesus’ name! Amen! Much LOVE!
…how sad…if our generation caused the Word…to be lost to generations to come…
02 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good foundation, abides forever, all or nothing at all, be loyal to one, be obedient to His word, compassionate heart, curse, despise the other, do good, do his bidding, earthly riches, Emmanuel, enmity with God, eternal life, Everlasting Father, faith, favour, friendship with the world, gave us His freedom, generously shared, good works, gospel truth, grace, halfway measures, hate the one, haughty, highminded, immaculate conception, King of Kings, lay hold on eternal life, laying up for themselves, Lily of the valley, Lord of Lords, LOVE, love not the world, love of the Father, love the other, lovers of God and the world, lust of the eyes, majesty, negative word, no man can serve two masters, positive outlook, pride of life, revere, Rose of Sharon, sacrificed His sinless life, self-control, self-discipline, selfishly hoarded, Sermon on the Mount, sinless character, success, surrender our lives to Jesus, the mighty God, the things in the world, the time to come, the will of God, the world passes away, Thursday Blessings, took our sins, virgin birth, Wonderful, you cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly riches).
And yes, it’s a cloudy, foggy Thursday morning in my li’l part of the world, but hopefully the sun will push through and decimate all the fog and cloud in a short while. But even if it doesn’t, if the sun doesn’t shine, we must remember that we have a friend, a Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ who controls the calm and the storm alike and He can decimate whatever ills, or storms that are blowing through our lives with one single, simple touch of His favour, mercy, grace and/or LOVING-kindness! Give Him the thanks and praise He so well deserves my faithful brethren!
Ah mih people, our Jesus is so wonderful that there are no words in any language that can truly describe Him! We try, but all our man-made descriptions fall far short of the ideal, of the magnificent Deity that He is! Only Deity like Himself might be able to find language to truly describe Him.
But until we get to heaven and hear the Father and the Holy Spirit describe Him, we’ll have to settle for insufficient terms like: ‘Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Rose of Sharon, Lily of the Valley, Emmanuel, A name above every other Name, to whom ALL knees must bow, Heavenly Advocate, High Priest, Son of God, Saviour of the World, ‘Uniter’ of Jews and Gentiles, He of the Immaculate Conception and of Virgin Birth…etc. etc.’
Yes friends, those are only some of the many names we use to describe Jesus, but the great thing about it is that ALL of them are true and reflect some aspect of Jesus’ great and godly character and the extensive list of jobs that He performs with such grace and majesty! How can we not LOVE and revere Him eh? And if we LOVE and revere Him, then we ought to be delighted to do His bidding, be obedient to His Word and His dictates!
But unfortunately that’s where too many of us draw the line! Yes, we all claim to LOVE Jesus and spout a good talk, but when it comes right down to the nitty gritty, doing as he says, that’s an entirely different subject. We hem and haw about giving up our independence, about surrendering completely to the One who LOVES us so much that He sacrificed His sinless life for our sinful ones. He took our sin and gave us His freedom, His sinless character.
But friends, there can only be one driver of a vehicle or ship or plane at any one time, and it’s either we surrender our lives completely to Jesus and let Him run them as He sees fit, or we don’t. There’s no halfway or in-between measure! You can’t sit on the fence and hope one side or the other will work out. With Jesus, it’s either ALL or NOTHING AT ALL!
As He says so vividly in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly riches).’
Yes my people, that’s gospel truth! In this world you have to serve somebody, but you can only truly serve ONE somebody at a time, and the choices we have are simply Jesus Christ or the riches of this world controlled by the evil Satan himself. And today I just want to look at a few scriptures that promote serving Jesus as opposed to the evil one and his lure of earthly wealth and power.
First up is Bruh Paul in his first missive to Timothy, where he warns. ‘Charge (command) them that are rich in this world (present age), that they be not highminded (haughty), nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute (to give), willing to communicate (share). Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.’ (1 Tim.6:17-19)
Yes friends, nothing is basically wrong with being rich, God gives earthly riches to many of us, but we need to be generous and godly with those blessings. As the scholars explain: ‘6:19. When wealthy believers generously share (v.18), they secure an assurance (laying up in store for themselves a good foundation) that in the future (against the time to come) they will indeed enter heaven (lay hold on eternal life).
Salvation is not purchased by the giving of money, but generosity demonstrates the reality of one’s faith. Since the believer trusts God and not money, he gives. This giving shows where his heart is and that he views his wealth in light of eternity.’
Now James says it thus: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (makes himself) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4) Yes my people, we cannot be both LOVERS of God and the world at the same time, as John says so clearly in his epistle.
‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Ah friends, please pay particular attention to the part that says the things of the world pass away, but he who does the will of God abides forever, because it’s gospel truth. End of sermon! (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has rained down on us to assist us in doing his earthly work.
All together now with sincere hearts, in loud voice: ‘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!’
Oh true believers in Christ, how blessed we are! Now let’s go out and share those wonderful blessings as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…all that we’ve been given…is meant to be generously shared…not selfishly hoarded…
01 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things work together for good, an action word, as for me and mine, benefits of the working class, Book of the Law, C.E.O of Disney, called to his purpose, catching their nen-nen, claw back, Daily Bread Devotionals, dance the maypole, day of judgement, do according to all therein, exorbitant remuneration, faith, faithfulness to God, fourteen thousand times more, greedy, halfway home, hands on the plough, hard won rights, have good success, in the darkest hours, Labour unions, life hands us lemons, looking to the future with christ, LOVE, loving hand of God, make lemonade, make thy way prosperous, Management Class, May Day, meditate day and night, not looikng back, out of thy mouth, pass through the fire, pass through the water, power hungry, profit margin, promises of God, shall not depart, the bottom line, the breath of life, the eyes of faith, the righteous judge, to them who love God, true success, we will follow the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wet Wednesday
Joshua 1:8. This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Welcome to a dark, wet Wednesday first of May in my neighbourhood friends! Hn! And just the day I have to go out the street and do some stuff. But as the old people would say, ‘a li’l rain never hurt anybody!’ I really don’t want to get caught up in it though, since I haven’t fully recovered from this cough and cold that’s been harassing me for the last ten days or so.
And speaking about coughing, would you believe a bout of that seemingly unrelenting cough just took me by surprise? Ah Lord eh! But we all have to do what we have to do. Unfortunately the May Day Parades, if any, and the dancing of the Maypole will be wet affairs.
But look at how things can go out of style eh? When I was growing up dancing the Maypole was a big thing, and May Day Parades were plentiful and well attended. But now most people don’t know what dancing the Maypole means, and May Day Parades are smaller and less plentiful because Labour Unions are weaker, as the greedy and power-hungry Management Class steadily claw back hard won rights and benefits of the Working Class.
Nowadays very few work places have any real meaningful benefits, and oftentimes the workers have to pay a healthy amount into them. But it’s all about the bottom line, the profit margin and the exorbitant remuneration of the executive class. I read recently where the C.E.O. of Disney made something like 14,000 times the amount of the ordinary working person in that company. Yes fourteen thousand times, something like sixty something million!
By whatever standards friends that is ridiculous! I don’t believe that any C.E.O. anywhere does that much more work than the ordinary people in the company, and thus deserves so much more. Meanwhile a lot of the folks working there are catching their nen-nen to make ends meet. Long time I haven’t heard that term. (smile) ‘Nen-nen’ is jut an old term for ‘Aunt,’ but used thus, means finding life difficult.
Whatever happened to social justice eh my people! Steups! I don’t see how you can be living high on the hog and see others just scratching and scraping to get by and feel comfortable! But friends, please remember that the Lord is THE righteous judge, and He will have His day of judgement and the wicked will pay for all their wrongdoing!
Meantime, let me remind us of two very important details of this earthly life, as described by Daily Bread Devotionals. The first is that in the darkest hours of life, only through the eyes of faith can we see the true and LOVING hand of God. And secondly, Faithfulness to God is true success!
Ah mih people, there’s no doubting those two things! When life is really throwing us lemons, the only way we can make lemonade is by having true and strong faith, knowing that our wonderful God is riding shotgun with us even through those rough times and He will eventually turn them around and bring us out even better than before.
That’s why we have and hold on tightly to promises like this: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28)
And don’t forget this immortal promise given through Isaiah: ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned: neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place).’ (Is.43:2-3)
Oh friends, it’s only with true faith can we accept those promises and live by them. And yuh notice that the Lord wasn’t only talking figuratively there, but also literally, as we see in the annals of Daniel where the three Jewish boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were rescued from the fiery furnace in Babylon because they refused to bow down to any other God but Jehovah.
The Good Book says they came out of the furnace that had been heated seven times hotter than normal, not even smelling of smoke! (Dan.3:8-30) Mama Yo! All glory and power and exaltation to our great God, who created this wonderful universe and still controls it from His heavenly throne! So there’s no need to be afraid of what man can do to us, because man is just a creation of Almighty God, and He has both the first and last say in all matters!
But friends, we do have to believe and stand strong in our beliefs. And the only way we can do that is by continual reading of God’s Word, meditation upon it, and serious and sincere communication with the Father Himself. That’s what He expects of us, as He so plainly said to Joshua when he made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’
Oh my brethren, those aren’t my words, but the Lord’s, and if you don’t believe Him, then that’s your funeral, but I know that as for me and mine, we WILL follow the Lord. And for all of those who are in heady agreement with me, let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
Altogether in strong voice and sincere belief: ‘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 just to remind us…that future will be even more glorious than we can even imagine with out puny, finite minds. So please hang in there! Much LOVE!
…like LOVE…faith is an action word…so please…let’s action it nuh…
30 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: action it, continual conversation, David's prayer, discernment, excuse disobedience, forty years, give into temptation, God is forever faithful, God will never let us down, God's goodness, God's matchless love, have our own way, into the land of uprightness, Jesus desires, lead me, Lead me in thy truth, manna, Monday, Nehemiah, never leave nor forsake us, nothing can separate us, on thee do I wait, one of a kind, One Year Book of Bible promises, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, Show me thy ways, sustained them in the wilderness, teach me, teach me thy paths, The God of my salvation, the Israelites of old, the love of his Father's heart, thou art my God, Three Discoveries, thy spirit is good, to do thy will, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unmatched fierceness, water for their thirst, Whom God loves he chastens, with God's help
Psalm 143: 10. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
Awright friends, we got through Monday with God’s help and we’re now focused on Tuesday, which we will also get through successfully with our heavenly Father’s help. Praise his holy name my people for His undeserving goodness and mercy to the sinful and rebellious children of men!
And all God’s children declared (right ho!) a loud, proud and sincere: ‘Thank You Lord for being so good and kind to us, even though we don’t deserve it! We praise Your holy name and bless You and will try to live obedient to Your Will! Please remember though Lord, we still need Your awesome help and generosity to do it successfully. We give you thanks and glory! Amen!’
Yeh friends, despite our talents and education and what not, whatever we need to do, to do it successfully, we NEED God’s amazing help and generous nature, otherwise our efforts won’t be as successful as they can be. And to reinforce that statement, here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Three Discoveries.’
Please read with me: ‘I have made three overwhelming discoveries regarding God’s reliable faithfulness: The first: God will never let us go – NEVER! We may fall flat on our faces. We may resist until we feel exhausted, but NOTHING can separate us from His matchless LOVE.
The second: God will never let us down – NEVER! He is forever faithful, even when we are faithless. He cannot deny Himself. He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us.
The third: He will never let us off – NEVER! Whenever we give in to temptation, when we determine to have our own way – He says with all the LOVE of His Father’s heart, “I LOVE you too much to excuse disobedience.” Whom He LOVES, He chastens.
God is determined to bless us. He is eager to show us His kindness. He is glad to teach us the proper paths; but He MUST have access to our hearts. He will allow our guilt to become a burden until conviction comes, then confession, and finally renewed commitment! May David’s prayer be our prayer.’
Yes my faithful brethren, ALL the above is true! The Lord expects a lot from His children, and He knows exactly how much we’re capable of without His generous help, that’s why we need to pray as Bruh David did in Psalm 143: ‘Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.’
O friends, O friends, we can’t do God’s will unless and until we know it, and we can’t know it until we ask Him what it is! He is our Creator and our God and has made us to do His bidding, so to fulfill that mandate, discernment must be at the top of our to do, or to seek out list.
In my personal life, discernment is something I’m continually asking the Lord for, because once I know His will, doing His bidding isn’t so difficult, but knowing what He wants me to do, causes some problems. Oftimes I think I know His will, but when I do it, it turns out all wrong.
So it’s necessary to come back like Bruh David did in Psalm 25 and beseech Him: ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps.25:4-5)
Ah friends, it has to be a constant and continual conversation between us and our heavenly Father if we truly want to stay on the right path, know His will and do it obediently. And we definitely can’t doubt the goodness of His Spirit, since Nehemiah spells it out for us in spades, re the Israelites of old in the wilderness.
‘Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and witheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old (did not wear out), and their feet swelled not.’ (Neh.9:20-21)
Oh my people, we definitely can’t doubt the Lord’s goodness after reading that! What other supposed deity would have kept such a disobedient, sinful and rebellious people well supplied with all the necessities of life for forty years eh? NONE but the Lord God Jehovah! That’s why we ought to be so grateful for all His tender mercies and worship and praise and exalt His holy name before all the earth!
He is a ONE OF A KIND! And on top of all that, He LOVES and cares for us with an unmatched fierceness, and won’t allow anyone to hurt us. And if all of the above doesn’t convince you of God’s goodness and LOVE for human kind, then I truly don’t know what will!
But for those of us who are thoroughly convinced and believe with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, let’s go home declaring (chuh! wrong again!) our Tuesday Mantra, in loud voice and strong and sincere sense of purpose, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In unison now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ And if you truly believe it, then let’s go out and action it as Jesus desires of us! Much LOVE!
…sharing the LOVE and friendship of Jesus…is what we were created to do…
29 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a thorn in the flesh, accomplishments, answer the bell, any man should boast, aura of love, blessings, born again, bounded duty, confidence, conquerors, created in Christ Jesus, deserve, diligently, doing good, enjoy god's largesse, enthusiasm, evil, exalted above measure, example, excellently, faith, for good works, friends, generous help, giging back something, glory in my infirmities, glory to God, God hath ordained, God was with him, God's creation, grace, His workmanship, holy spirit, humble servants, in the Spirit, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus went about, Jesus' atonement, lies, LOVE, mercy, merit, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pep in your step, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, spiritual armour, spirtual blessings, steadfast faith, surrender our all, taunts, the cross of our Lord, the gift of God, the weekend, to buffet me, truth, ungodly world, we should walk in them, weary souls, wiles, wisdom
Ephesians 2:10. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.
At ‘em friends, at ‘em! The weekend is done now and work calls, and as a true believer in Christ, you have to answer the bell on time, diligently and efficiently! And I hear some of you steupsing and muttering: ‘What is his problem eh? Who he think he is eh, to tell us when to reach to work and how to do our work eh?’
Ah mih people, is not me saying that nuh, but your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; that is the example He wants us to set to the world. So please don’t get on my case nuh, cause I’m just the messenger. Doh kill the messenger, just accept the message! (smile) Remember the Good Book says that whatever you do, you ought to do it as unto the Lord and not unto man.
Anyway, the important thing is to get ourselves out into the workplace and do our duty. And if the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak this morning, then we have something that will liven up both body and spirit; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; that wonderful antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday morning. Glory to God! So let’s get right with it nuh!
All together in sincerity and strong sense of purpose: ‘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!’
Oh yes, I can see it’s working already, by the new pep in your step and the light that’s shining in your eyes. Give God the glory! Then let’s get out into the evil world and do the work God has destined for us; having His grace and mercy and strength to do it diligently and efficiently.
That brings us to this pertinent reminder of Bruh Paul’s to the Ephesians. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any many should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:8-10)
Yes friends, those are important things we ought not to forget. It’s only by God’s grace, His unmerited and undeserved favour that we are saved. It is only when we believe in Jesus Christ, are spiritually born again and develop faith in Him, that God’s grace flows down on us and salvation becomes a reality, and not by any good works that we might have done. In fact, there are no good works that we can ever do to merit or deserve salvation!
And the Lord in His ultimate wisdom made it thus, because He knew that if it were otherwise, men would be boasting all over town about their good works and what it had earned them. That’s why Bruh Paul says that with all his accomplishments and revelations, he was given a ‘thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me (beat him), lest I should be exalted above measure.’ (2 Cor.12:7)
Whatever it was, it was painful and problematic, causing shame and embarrassment, so that he could not get too big for his britches. And even when he asked the Lord three times to remove the blemish, the Lord refused, stating: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. ((2 Cor.12:9a) And that’s the gospel truth! God’s awesome power is usually more apparent when we are going through times of weakness.
All of this drove Bruh Paul to declare: ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me…for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b, 10b) Good logic friends, so that God’s power may show up more in his life.
Bruh Paul also resisted boasting of his achievements, when he told the Galatians: ‘But God forbid that I should glory, save (except) in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.’ (Gal.6:14) And so should we too friends, only boast, take pleasure in Jesus’ atonement and all the spiritual blessings it brings, not our own accomplishments.
But all of that aside, the Lord does want us to do good works, that’s one of the purposes for which He morally recreated us in Christ Jesus. He expects us to be like Christ and do good works when we are born again in the spirit, not just enjoy His largesse without giving back anything. So on this day that we are once again blessed with earthly life and the free gift of salvation, let’s go out and do our bounded duty nuh; good works in Christ’s name. Much LOVE!
…Jesus went about doing good…for God was with Him… (Act.10:38)
28 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after my skin, allows us to draw breath, at the latter day, bless me with his love, calm my troubled heart, champion his cause, comfort one another, comfot me, depths of degradation, feed my hungry soul, fellowship, future generations, give thanks, graven with an iron pen, he shall stand, how my heart yearns, I know that my Redeemer lives, Jesus Christ, Job, judge Job favourably, king, Old Testament, praise, priest, prophet, recorded for posterity, Redeemer, resurrected body, righteousness, rise to meet the Lord in the air, Samuel Medley, satisfy my needs, silence all my fears, Sunday, sweet joy, the Lord's sanctuary, the Rapture, vindicate him, will I see God, wipe away my tears, worms destroy, worship, yet in my flesh
Job 19:25. For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day (at last) upon the earth:
It’s that day and time again friends; Sunday and time to meet in the Lord’s sanctuary to worship and fellowship, praise and give thanks and hear His Word, and thereby receive assurance and confidence to handle the upcoming week. And with the Easter season still resounding powerfully in our hearts minds, bodies and souls, it’s most appropriate for us to open today’s session with this glorious hymn that tells of Jesus’ awesome work on our behalf.
It’s something written by Samuel Medley way back in the mid-18th century and awesomely titled ‘I know that My Redeemer Lives!’ And isn’t that the God-awesome truth? It certainly is, because our Jesus rose triumphantly from the grave on Easter Sunday to live for evermore as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Glory Hallelujah! So let’s shout it out in perfect harmony with the sincerity that only true belief in Jesus can bring.
Voices strong and sweet: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives; what comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives, He lives, who once was dead; He lives, my ever living Head. He lives triumphant from the grave, He lives eternally to save, He lives all-glorious in the sky, He lives exalted there on high. He lives to bless me with His love, He lives to plead for me above, He lives my hungry soul to feed, He lives to help in time of need.
He lives to grant me rich supply, He lives to guide me with His eye, He lives to comfort me when faint, He lives to hear my soul’s complaint. He lives to silence all my fears, He lives to wipe away my tears, He lives to calm my troubled heart, He lives all blessings to impart. He lives, my kind, wise, heav’nly friend, He lives and loves me to the end; He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King. He lives and grants me daily breath; He lives and I shall conquer death; He lives my mansion to prepare; He lives to bring me safely there. He lives, all glory to His name! He lives, my Jesus, still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives, “I know that my Redeemer lives!”
Oh friends, oh friends, that was a wonderful rendition, filled with pure, unadulterated soul! It was so sweet and sincere that all heaven joined in and Jesus blushed as we sang of His wonderful and well deserved accolades, and the Father reached out, took both His hands, squeezed them, and whispered a heartfelt ‘Thank You Son!’ Oh what a wonderful moment in the kingdom of God!
And my people, it’s not like we’re singing untruth; it’s all true, and wasn’t granted free by the Father either, but was sacrificially earned by Jesus. He paid a high price with His sinless life in a tortuous crucifixion, so He deserves all the pomp and glory and exaltation. Let’s look at a few of the things He’s done and is still doing for us nuh as entrenched in the words of the song.
He died, but rose triumphantly, is still living, and will live forever more exalted in heaven on high! And what’s His purpose for living? To bless me with His LOVE, to plead my sinful case with the Father, to feed my hungry soul, to be my help in time of need, to satisfy all my needs through His riches in glory, to guide me, comfort me when I’m weak, listen to my soul’s complaints, to silence ALL my fears, wipe away my tears, as well as to calm my troubled heart!
And don’t forget the blessings He bestows, and the wise friend and brother who never leaves me in the lurch and will LOVE me to the end! Mama Mia! Could there be any more that our Lord and Saviour does for us? You bet your bottom dollar! Remember, He’s also our Prophet, Priest and King, the One who allows us to draw breath each and every day!
And don’t forget, because He lives, we too will live, in those mansions He’s preparing for us! And how can we not laugh and sing uproariously when we experience the sweet joy of the sentence: ‘I know that My Redeemer lives!’ We’d be unfaithful and foolish to do otherwise!
And believe you me, we are not the only ones who knew that they had a Redeemer! Way, way back in time, old Job knew that. Even though the Lord humiliated him, when he had done no real wrong, brought him to his knees with untold trials and tribulations, to prove his righteousness to Satan, so much so that his friends and family deserted him, and he’s left to seek pity, he maintains his righteousness by declaring (Steups! wrong again):
‘Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever.’ (Job 19:23-24) The scholars put it this way: ‘But from the depths of degradation he expresses the confidence that if his case could only be recorded for posterity, future generations would judge him favourably. Furthermore, he knows confidently that he has a Redeemer. One who will champion his cause and vindicate him.’
And he proclaims it in no uncertain terms: ‘For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day (at last) upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh (resurrected body) will I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold; and not another; though my reins be consumed (how my heart yearns) within me.’ (Job 19:25-27)
He could not have said it any plainer than that! And it just lets us know that the Old Testament people also believed in the resurrection of the human body, although they might not have had as much physical evidence as we do.
The long and short of the story though, is that all who believe, both the dead and those alive, shall rise ‘to meet the Lord in the air (the Rapture): and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess.4:17b-18) Bruh Paul said it, and he should know, so please be comforted my people. Much LOVE!
…there is only ONE Redeemer…His name is JESUS…
27 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a ladder, a lifeboat, Anselm's quotes, aspire to inspire, be a lamp, be of good cheer, courage, crucifixion, do what is right, don't depend on others, don't worry about what you can't control, eternal life, excessive rain, flooding, for your own happiness, gives his life for the sheep, glorify your Father, God sent not His Son, help heal someone's soul, horrific torture, howling wind, i have overcome the world, in heaven, in me, into the world, Jesus, Jesus' amazing love, Jesus' friendship, let your light so shine, light of the world, like a rocking chair, live a righteous life, man's selfish nature, might be saved, not what is easy, put our best foot forward, reassurance, sacrifice, salt of the earth, salvation, see your good works, shining example, take advantage of our situations, take responsibility, the good shepherd, the right thing, the world through him, to condemn the world, to make you happy, tribulation, Tuesday Mantra, wasted energy, what is popular, with God's help, won the victory, worry, ye might have peace
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Ah friends, thankfully my area did not get as much rain as expected yesterday, but we did get a lot of wind! Chuh! The wind howled most of the afternoon straight through the night, and at 7.30 this cloudy Saturday morning it is still carrying on out there. At one stage I wanted to go out the street and run some errands, but after hearing the wind on a particularly loud pass with stuff rattling all around, I decided to leave them for another day. (smile)
Let’s hope that no serious damage was done to any properties around here. Unfortunately though, several places around the country have been flooded due to excessive rain. The least we can do is pray for them, but if we can also help in any other way, please let’s do so.
Ah mih people, when it’s not one thing, it’s another yes! But that’s life, and fortunately, as true believers in Jesus Christ we have the wherewithal to withstand all the stuff that comes against us in this crazy world. Give Him some much deserved thanks and praise my brethren!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s have a look at the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one is awesome truth: ‘Take responsibility for your own happiness, never put it in other people’s hands.’
Oh friends, that’s one of the first things we ought to learn in this life: we are responsible for our own happiness! We can’t depend on others to make us happy, because too often they will take advantage of our situations and instead cause us unhappiness. It’s just a part of man’s selfish nature!
And then there’s this: ‘Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.’ More awesome truth my people! Why worry about something you have no control over eh? Remember our Tuesday Mantra, where we don’t hurry or worry, just go about our business basking in Jesus’ awesome friendship and sharing His amazing LOVE with the world?
Worrying just brings wasted energy. As Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, ‘Worry is like a rocking chair, you can do it all day, but it will get you nowhere.’ Instead, we need to use that energy we waste in worry on stuff that’s productive and moves our lives along.
Now hear this: ‘Do what is right, not what is easy nor what is popular.’ That’s nothing new, because we’ve been taught that all our lives. However, the problem is that the right thing is usually not easy or popular! It’s often very difficult and very unpopular, especially if you’re trying to live a righteous life with Jesus as your bright and shining example.
But please note, Jesus didn’t do what was easy or popular. He went against the religious hypocrites of His day, and suffered horrific torture and crucifixion for His beliefs and earthly agenda. Now most of us won’t have to make such a critical and crucial sacrifice, but we will be required to make lesser ones, all in His name, because that’s what He was and is all about; sacrificing for others!
And He gave us that awesome reassuring scripture to hold on to when things get difficult. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
What a mighty and magnificent scripture that is my brethren! It gives us something to hold on to, to take courage from, knowing that Christ has already won the victory over the evil world, and we just have to hang in there and put our best foot forward.
And all of that just segues nicely into the last quote: ‘Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.’ Glory to God my people! That’s what Jesus is asking of every believer: help somebody! That’s why He came to earth, to help us! As He said so plainly: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’
Mama Mia! Therefore, if we want to be true believers and followers of His, our earthly days should also be spent helping others, like He helped us. Remember, the Father doesn’t want to lose even one of His most precious creation to the enemy, that’s why Jesus called us out to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. (Matt.5:13-14)
Salt adds flavour to stuff and also helps it last, while light shines through the darkness and shows the way. That’s what Jesus did for us: He came to earth as the LIGHT of the world, shining His awesome light into this dark and evil world and illuminating it, showing those who believe in Him a straight and narrow path to walk safely along, leading to salvation and eternal life!
And right now, because He can’t be several places at once, He’s imbued us with His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, so that we can truly become His hands, ears, eyes and feet down here on earth, and take responsibility for showing others the way out of their darkness into His brilliant and life-saving light. And to do that effectively, we need to do as he asked: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)
Oh my faithful saints in Christ, it’s obvious that we’re not doing such a good job on that request, otherwise our world wouldn’t be in such a topsy-turvy, evil, ungodly, strife-filled mess. So please, let’s pledge today to do better nuh, for Christ is depending on us. And if we get real serious about it, with God’s help, we can certainly make our world a better place to live, both for our descendants and ourselves. Much LOVE!
…I am the good shepherd…the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep… (John 10:11)
P.S. Let me apologize for the confusing dates on yesterday’s Bit. The first one said the 26th, which was right, but the second said the 27th. Friends, the ole fella is only human, so as Jesus taught us, please forgive him. (smile) Much LOVE!
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyopbrien50.com
26 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessing, a curse, a warning, all for one, attractions of the world, be of good cheer, be sober, borders, boundaries, called us, compelling, confirm, deceit, destroy the world by water, Easter celebrations, enthusiasm, eternal Glodry, evil undertaking, expansive, experienced by others, fellowship, fix my business, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, glitzy, God's heart breaking, God's most treasured creation, God's promise, gospel truth, hunker down, in Jesus' name, Jesus rose triumphantly, labouring for massa, lax for believers, lies, like a roaring lion, live for Christ, make you perfect, no beating round the bush, numerous, on your p's and q's, ONE body in Christ, one for all, overcome the world, partying, pay serious attention, rain, rampant evil, reality of this evil world, rebellion, relaxation, resist steadfast in the faith, rest, seeking whom he may devour, self-serving, settle you, short workweek, spoil the weekend, strong voice, suffered awhile, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the devil, the devil's clutches, the God of all grace, the same afflictions, the workingman's song, To God be glory and dominion, ungodly people, vigilant, walketh about, weather people forecast, wide, wisdom, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Ah mih people, is it a curse or a blessing? I’m talking about the immense amount of rain that’s been falling recently, and in concert with melting snow is causing a lot of flooding all over the land! Today’s another rainy day, with more flood warnings being issued by the Weather Advisory Dept.
Now the rain is generally supposed to be a blessing, helping to nourish the land for spring planting and such, but sometimes I believe the Lord is giving us more than we need to sort of wake us up from our evil and ungodly ways. But how many of us are paying attention to that possibility eh? Not too many. And yes, I know that He promised Noah not to ever destroy the earth by water again, (Gen.9:11,15) but He never said anything about giving warnings by that method. (smile)
And friends, we’ve become such a wicked and ungodly people that anything is possible right now. I know that the Lord’s heart is breaking because of the rampant evil and rebellion that’s taking place amongst His most treasured and blessed creation. But who’s listening eh, who really cares about the Lord’s heart breaking? Too few of us!
And to make matters worse, it’s the big day of Friday, so everybody is anxious to hear what the workingman has to say in his song and get on with their weekend activities, as the world dictates. And he opens with his usual semi-godly: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend is finally upon us!
It was a short workweek, but a tough one, what with all the prior Easter celebrations! But we can’t afford to rest too much, because as soon as you turn around the lousy two days off seem to just evaporate and yuh back labouring for massa again! But the trouble is we might’n have much choice because of the blooming rain that’s threatening to spoil the weekend!
Chuh! Doesn’t the rain know that the weekend is the only time we working people have to do stuff for ourselves, and to get in a li’l partying? Let’s hope that it’s not as bad as the weather people forecast, and that they wrong one more time, as they so often are! Hn, Hn, Hn! But we still thanking God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
Yes friends, the workingman tells it as he sees it, no beating round the bush, but his boundaries and borders are just too wide and lax for us believers, so our Friday Chant is not as expansive and self-serving as his song. Now let’s chant our song of thanks for the weekend in sincere enthusiasm and strong voice.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers, we need to be somewhat more circumspect and aware of the evil and ungodly stuff that’s happening around us, so that we don’t fall into any of the many traps that the enemy sets for us. For as Peter so wisely and vividly proclaims: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’
And I know some of you might be tired hearing that scripture, but it’s no joke friends, it’s the reality of this evil world that we live in. And unless we are careful, that roaring, noisy lion, who is really toothless and thus can’t bite, will nab us in some ungodly and/or evil undertaking. He is powerless after Jesus’ victory over Him at Easter time, that’s why he has to resort to lies and deceit to get us into his traps. He can only get to us if we allow him.
But the attractions of the world are so numerous and so glitzy and compelling that we have to pay serious attention to what we do, if we seriously want to live for Christ. That’s why Peter continues, re the devil: ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:9)
Yeh, I hear some of you muttering: ‘So what good is that doing me eh, if others are also being afflicted? I’m solely interested in my affliction, how to fix my business!’ Now that’s not very neighbourly or brotherly my people, for we are all of ONE body in Christ, and therefore we must be all for one and one for all!
Oh friends, Jesus said that we’d all suffer some in this evil world, especially if we believe in Him, but He also said that we should be joyful and of good cheer because He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) And we saw that in full splendour this past weekend when He rose triumphantly from the grave!
And yes, it’s not easy to be always on your p’s and q’s, however, as Peter concludes: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you.’ (1 Pet.5:10)
Glory be my people! Our great God will not allow us to undergo continual suffering or more than we can handle! Therefore: ‘To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen!’ (1 Pet.5:11) It’s all gospel truth friends, so let’s hunker down this rainy Friday morning and do our best, with God’s help obviously, to stay out of the devil’s evil clutches! That’s wisdom of eternal proportions! Much LOVE!
…you can’t want all the idols of the world…as well as the God of heaven…
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