03 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adulteries, anchor us, anger, Anselm, ask the Lord for help, bamboozled, be at peace, beauty comes from the inside out, blasphemies, Christians, comes from the heart, defiles a man, do great things, eat with unwashed hands, evil thoughts, fall for anything, false witness, flooding, for a better tomorrow, fornications, give account for our words, goes into the belly, harvest you reap, hatred, high winds, hypocritcal things, in a great way, in Jesus' name, inspire us, is emptied in the draught, judge each day, light, lose heart, LOVE your neighbour, love yourself, murders, negative emotions, Pharisees, power, pray for them, rain, reap a good harvest, resentment, scribes, sincere efforts, small things, snow, sow good seeds, stands for nothing, stay positive, that which comes out of the mouth, that which goes in the mouth, the blind leading the blind, the seeds you plant, the state of our hearts, thefts, time of distress, violence, winter storm, wonder of wonders
Matthew 15:11. Not that which goeth into the mouth that defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Ah Lord eh friends, that winter storm that we talked about yesterday did hit the U.S. North East and Midwest with a vengeance! Rain and snow, high winds and flooding wreaked havoc in several states, including, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
Thankfully though, now it has passed on, leaving the unfortunate victims to pull themselves together as best they can, many without light and power. Please, let’s pray for them in their time of distress and do whatever we can to alleviate their situation, for one day we might find ourselves in the same situation, needing the help of others.
And strangely, we got nothing in my area, but the li’l snow that fell overnight, and wonder of wonders, by mid- afternoon, all traces of snow had disappeared. Thank the Lord! Anyway, it’s Saturday, which means turning our attention to some of the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his sincere effort to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first quote says: ‘A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.’ We all know that. We always need something to believe in, something to anchor us, be it good or bad, right or wrong, otherwise we’ll be easily bamboozled by anything. (smile)
The second one wisely advises: ‘Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.’ And is that ever so true my people! The seeds we plant are always more important than the harvest we reap. That’s because we will only reap what we sow.
As they say, we can’t sow peas and expect to reap corn. Therefore, if you want to reap a good harvest, then it is a necessity to first sow good seeds. Please, let’s all concentrate on sowing good seeds in Jesus name, and leave the harvest to Him.
Now hear this quote: ‘If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.’ Glory be my fellow believers! Comparatively speaking, very few of us will ever be able to do great things in this world, but ALL of us can do small things in a good and great manner.
Remember, the small things do matter, and when you add up the small things, then you get the big ones. So let’s not lose heart if today we’re not embarked on some project that will become great and also make us great, but sincerely concentrate on the small ones we have going and make them as good as we can. The Lord appreciates ALL sincere efforts, and you don’t have to do something great for Him to be pleased with you, just do His will.
And as always, I’ve left the best for last: ‘LOVE yourself. It is important to stay positive because beauty comes from the inside out.’ Words of immense wisdom and common sense my brethren! Remember one of Jesus’ commands, in fact the second great commandment was to LOVE your neighbour as you LOVED yourself. (Matt.22:39)
That means you have to be at peace with yourself and like yourself, if you are going to have similar emotions for someone else. But unfortunately too many of us, Christians included, don’t seem to like ourselves. Why? I really can’t say nuh. But that’s one of the reasons why there’s so much anger, hatred, violence, resentment and all the other negative emotions floating around in our world today.
If we liked ourselves more than we seem to do, there would be a lot less of that stuff doing the rounds, because we would have more beauty, more good stuff to share. That brings us to our Bit; momentous words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth that defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.’
Yeh friends, it’s what comes out of our mouths that defiles us, makes us nasty and angry and otherwise negative, not what goes in. As Jesus later on expatiates to the His disciples, when they didn’t understand His parable, re the blind leading the blind (Matt.15:13) ‘Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out (eliminated) into the draught?
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man.’ (Matt.15:16-20)
Yes my people, the scribes and Pharisees had complained earlier on about the disciples eating with unwashed hands, which was a big thing in Jewish society back then. But Jesus put them in their place by telling them about all the hypocritical things that they did, that came from within them, that were much worse than eating with unwashed hands. (Matt.15:1-11)
So friends, let’s spend some time this weekend pondering the state of our own hearts nuh, to see what’s in there that will tend to defile us when we open our mouths. And whatever we find, please, let’s ask the Lord to help us eradicate it, so that when we speak, only good stuff will come forth. Much LOVE!
…every man…will eventually give account…for every word he has ever spoken…
02 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a balanced outlook, boundaries, Christian responsibility, come rain or snow, come unto me, confined, cotton to, difficult, enough, enter in, enticements, eternal life, eternal separation, fellowship, few find it, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous, generous help, God enables men, gratefulness, gusto, hope and pray, I am the way, in the last day, infiltrate, Jesus Christ, Jesus is everything, leads to destruction, letting it all hang out, like there's no tomorrow, loss of life, my time now, narrow, narrow is the way, narrow path, no man comes to the Father, partying, raise him up, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, search diligently, sense of purpose, Sermon on the Mount, snow, spit in the massa eye, spring-like break, strait is the gate, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that leads unto life, the Life, the Truth, week of work, weekend, winter season, workingman, worthwhile
Matthew 7:14. Because strait (narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult, confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
‘Enough now…enough of this spring-like break nonsense yes!’ said the snow. ‘This is supposed to be the winter season, and that means snow…lots of it…!’ So we’ve reverted to the white stuff being on the ground.
Yeh friends, the spring break is over, we got some snow overnight, and a serious winter storm of rain and snow is scheduled for the North Eastern side of North America. Let’s hope and pray that it doesn’t do too much damage and cause any loss of life.
But none of that prevents the workingman from singing His Friday song with much gusto and gratefulness. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Whoopee! No more work for a couple days! Spit in the massa eye! Is my time now to do whatever I want to do. And come rain or snow I’m going to do it.
And ah going to start by partying like there’s no tomorrow…for who knows if there’ll be a tomorrow…And if I don’t show up for work Monday morning…then let the greedy, stupid massa fire me nuh. Ah going to get another job. Thank God for Fridays and the weekends and them yes!’
Ah friends, sometimes it would be nice to have that attitude, and get away from all the Christian responsibility, but unfortunately our Leader Jesus Christ does not cotton to that kind of behaviour. He wants a high level of responsibility and some tighter boundaries in His organization, and if we intend to be a part of it, then we have to meet those levels.
No two ways about it. That’s why our Friday Chant is so different to the workingman’s song. Let’s chant it now with a strong sense of purpose. ‘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.’
Yeh mih people, in Jesus’ organization we need to keep a balanced outlook on life and the things He calls us to do. We can’t afford to go overboard, otherwise we’ll give the enemy a chance to infiltrate the organization, and with his deceitful, lying self, do untold damage to Christ’s body.
That’s why we need to walk the straight and narrow path that doesn’t offer as many enticements as the broad highway that the world favours. And that’s why, amongst the many warnings Jesus gave in His Sermon on the Mount this one containing our Bit, was included.
‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult, confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
Yes friends, there are only two ways to live this life; like the workingman, letting it all hang out, or like the believer, keeping within certain circumspect boundaries. Listen to the scholars on those two verses. ‘7:13-14. The closing section of the Sermon on the Mount presents two choices to the listener.
These are presented in a series of contrasts: two ways (vs.13-14); two trees (vs.15-20); two professions (vs.21-23); and two foundations (vs.24-29). This was a common method of teaching in both Jewish and Greco-Roman thought. Enter ye in at the strait gate (narrow) means that one must come through the narrow gate in order to reach the path that leads to eternal life.
Though many are on the broad…way, that leadeth to destruction (eternal separation from God) the gate that leads to life is so narrow that few there be that find it. Christ Himself is both the gate and the way (cf. John 14:6), and God enables men to find that gate (cf. John 6:44).’
Oh my fellow believers the gate to the eternal life path is indeed narrow, that’s why so few people find it. First you must sincerely want to find it, and then look very closely and search diligently for it. But I’ll be so kind and generous as to show you both the gate and the way. (smile) And His name is JESUS!
Yes people, as Jesus Himself said: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Yes friends, JESUS IS EVERYTHING! Please remember that.
And just in case you don’t know the verse that the scholars refer to about God enabling men to find the narrow gate, here it is. Oh, I’m being so generous this morning, I can’t stand it. (smile) ‘No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day.’ (John 6:44)
Yuh see, we can’t even get to Jesus, unless the Father points us to Him. However, the Father IS pointing and directing all creation to His Son, it’s just left up to the creation to decide whether or not he’ll accept the directive. And if we’re wise, we’ll run to Him, and accept it with open arms. Much LOVE!
…Jesus said…come unto me…that’s an offer too generous and worthwhile to refuse…
01 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a serious toll, abundance, acknowledge, adamant people, adversity, ashamed, be known, bombarding our world, bounden duty, calamity, can't kill the soul, Christ's body, Christian faith, communicating the gospel, compassionate heart, confess me, confrontation, courage, curse, deny me before men, destroy both soul and body, discipleship, drift away, earthly fortunes, eternal life, fear, fear them not, fight the good fight, first of March, foolish, Gentiles, hard work, hear, hid, I will deny before my Father, in darkness speak in the light, in heaven, in the name of Jesus, individuals, Jews, kill the body, lackadaisical, lifelong resitance, like a whirlwind, magnanimous god, missing out on salvation, necessity, negative word, nothing covered, open confession, persecutors, pilgrim's journey, preach from the housetops, proselytize, prosper, public confession, reap benefits, reap peas, refuse to believe n Jesus, rejection, salvation, scared, shall be revealed, shame, sit on the fence, soldiers in Christ's army, sow rice, stubborn, success, the church, the gospel of christ, the One and Only Living God, the power of God, Thursday's Blessings, tragedy, two edged sword, ungodliness, wisdom, wishy-washy
Matthew 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
And then it was the first of March… Can you believe it? January and February have passed us by like a whirlwind! It’s now an old year! (smile) Unfortunately though, not much has changed over the past two months, there is still an overwhelming amount of adversity, calamity and tragedy bombarding our world.
Ungodliness is also taking a serious toll on our earthly fortunes, as lots of people, for whatever reason, unfortunately drift away from the ONE and ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD. How sad that is friends, knowing that so many of our fellow man stand the very good likelihood of missing out on salvation and eternal life with Christ. And there’s nothing more important that that, in this entire world!
But as individuals, and as Christ’s body, the church, we can only do so much. However, I do believe that we’re not doing as much as we can. It’s doubtful that we’ll ever proselytize EVERYBODY on the planet, because there are just some stubborn, foolish, adamant people who will just flatly refuse to ever believe in Jesus, but we can surely give it a greater effort than we’re currently doing.
Too many of us are too lackadaisical about communicating the gospel to others, and some simply refuse to do it for fear of confrontation, rejection or shame. But please remember the momentous words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in our Bit: ‘But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ Ah mih people, it couldn’t get any plainer than that nuh.
And earlier on He said to the disciples: ‘Fear them not therefore (persecutors): for there is nothing covered (veiled), that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what hear ye in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt.10:26-28)
Yes friends, there is no need to fear what man can do to us, because he can only kill the body, but we need to fear God, who can kill both body and soul. Thus, once we embark upon the pilgrim’s journey with Christ, we cannot afford to let fear of man put us off, but we have to keep on fighting the good fight to spread the gospel to ALL the world, because that’s our bounden duty.
And as good soldiers in Christ’s army, we need to do our duty sincerely and proudly and with lots of courage. Please note what Jesus said right before our Bit. ‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.10:32)
And the scholars enlighten us as to the meaning of our Bit and that verse. ‘10:32-37. Confess me means “Acknowledge that you belong to Me.” In reality, secret discipleship is a practical impossibility. Jesus constantly called for an open confession of Himself by His followers. That our confession is to be before men clearly indicates that a public confession of true Christian faith is a virtual necessity.
The warning whosoever shall deny me is a comprehensive historical aorist tense, (hn!) referring not to one moment of denial (such as Peter’s), but to an entire lifelong resistance to Christ. Therefore, a single act of denial does not make one unworthy of being a disciple, but a refusal to confess Christ at all eliminates one from being a true follower of Jesus Christ.’
What more can I say eh mih breddren. The scholars hit the nail on the head. We either acknowledge Jesus in public, or we don’t. We can’t sit on the fence, scared and wishy-washy. That doesn’t work in Jesus’ organization. A lot of us want to reap the benefits of knowing Jesus but don’t want to put in the hard work those benefits require before they can become reality.
Remember friends, in God’s economy, whatever you sow, that is what you’re going to reap. So don’t think you can deny Jesus and still get to heaven. As true believers in Jesus, we ought to proudly and courageously say and act like Bruh Paul: ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Gentiles).’ (Rom.1:16)
Yes my people, that’s how we ought to think of the gospel of Christ, because it is indeed powerful, remember, it’s like a two edged sword. That means we have to be very careful with it, not play around with it like some ordinary knife, else we’re liable to get cut very badly with it. (smile) So please, let’s sit and ponder today, how we are treating the gospel of Christ, and if we’re denying or confessing Him, because that’s the key to our eternal salvation.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings in strong voice and heartfelt sincerity. ‘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 what a magnanimous God we serve my people! Now let’s go out and share those blessings with others, as He intends for us to do. Much LOVE!
…you can’t sow rice and expect to reap peas…likewise…you can’t deny Christ…and expect Him to confess you before His Father…
28 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloudy day, a pathway to peace, abominable sins, accepting hardship, better to be safe than sorry, controls the lives of men, courage, crapaud smoke we pipe, deep in their hearts and souls, despise wisdom, enjoying, ever-faithful, eyes fixed straight ahead, fear, foolish, fools, glorious future with Jesus, grace, great urgency, grim reaper, halfway home, hands on the plough, instruction, let wisdom have her say, living for Jesus, living one day at a time, make all things right, memorable day, miss out, mortal men, not looking back, one moment at a time, place in heaven, preparations, promises, reasonably happy, reverential awe, sacrifice, salvation, serenity, shining brightly, sincerity, sinful world, sinless life, supremely happy, surrender, take stock of Almighty God, the beginning of knowledge, the breath of life, the fool hath said in his heart, the forever joys of heaven, the history of mankind, the Serenity Prayer, the SON, there is a God, there is no god, things that cannot be changed, to God 's will, trusting God, truth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wisest decision
Proverbs 1:7. The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
So it looks like it’s going to be a somewhat cloudy day in my neighbourhood, but the important things is that the light of the SON is shining brightly all over the world, wherever there are believers in His holy name!
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful, ‘Thanks be to the Father for Jesus, who’s sacrifice of His sinless life paid for all of our abominable sins!’ And was that ever a great and most memorable day in the history of mankind!
Now listen to something I discovered the other day; the original form of the Serenity Prayer. I never even knew it existed, just knew of the short version that’s popular. But here is the real McCoy. (smile)
Please pray with me: ‘God give me the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed. Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time. Enjoying one moment at a time. Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.
Taking as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is. Not as I would have it. Trusting that You will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life. And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen!’
Ah mih people, isn’t that beautiful? It surely is! The short version is okay, but this longer version say it so much better. Oh, if we could only parcel or packet it and give it to each believer to keep deep in their hearts and souls! How much more effective we’d be in this tremulous world.
Remember, taking it as it is, like Jesus did, and not trying to make it what we want it to be. Having the grace to know what’s what, and then the wisdom and courage to change what’s necessary. And above all, trusting the Lord and surrendering to His will, so that we can be happy here on earth.
And I sincerely hope you know friends, that the only way we’ll ever be happy on earth is by trusting God and surrendering our will to His. Nothing else will ever work! And that just sets us up for the supreme happiness of being with the Lord in heaven forever! What a magnificent time that will be!
But first we have to set it up from down here on earth, make the necessary preparations for that great time while we are yet mortal men. That makes it a matter of great urgency, for none of us knows when the grim reaper will come calling. And if he comes before we’ve made the necessary preparations, then crapaud smoke we pipe!
And it will be very foolish to miss out on the forever joys of heaven, just to enjoy some of world’s now for now, short lasting, deceptive, carnal pleasures. That’s why Cousin Sol solemnly warns in our Bit: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’
Yeh friends, we are certainly being foolish if we don’t take stock of Almighty God and all that He brings to the table. Listen to what Cousin Sol says later on in Proverbs. ‘Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.’ (Prov.17:12)
Can you imagine that my brethren? A fool and his folly is so dangerous, that Cousin Sol believes it’s better to encounter a mother bear robbed of her cubs. And we all know how mother bears get very angry when her children are taken away from her. So what does it say about a fool eh, if it’s better to have an encounter with a desperate and angry animal than to be in cahoots with a fool?
And Bruh David says in Psalms 14 and 53, when he talks about the foolishness of men: ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.’ (Ps.14, 53:1a) Now that certainly is foolishness! How can there be no God eh? There must be some greater Being than man.
So how was everything made that was made eh? It just evolved from nothing? I very much doubt it. Friends, believe me, there is a God, who looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that do understand, and that do seek Him. He controls the lives of men and the fortunes of the universe.
Don’t let anyone try to fool you and tell you otherwise, because they would be playing with your salvation and your future place in heaven. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially where Almighty God is concerned. Wisdom dictates that we live as though there IS a God, trusting our earthly lives completely to Him.
And there are so many instances of God’s reality in so many believers’ lives, that it’s totally foolish to think and/or believe otherwise. So please let wisdom have her say. And having put that foolishness to rest, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail, gloriously telling the world of our situation with Jesus.
In sincerity, truth, and loud voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we all know that that future will indeed be glorious, because Jesus promised it, and His promises are ever-faithful and true! Much LOVE!
…living for Jesus…is the wisest decision…a man can make…
27 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: assurance, Behold, beloved, beloved of God, bestowed on us, blasphemous, born again, breath of life, by God's hand, came unto his own, children of God, Christian faith, come running back, disobedient, enduring effect, fellow believers, finite, friend of Jesus, glory to God, grasp the concept, grow, hurry, I love you, in God's image, indisputable truth, Jesus, laugh too loud, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, LOVE one another, love personified, loving, mature, mortal man, my own way, never be in doubt, not of blood, One Year Book of Bible promises, our hearts and minds, penetrate, power to become, propitiation, put you first, quiet, reminder, reservation, right, Ruth Harms Calkin, serene, share His love, sinful, sinful nature, sob too long, spring break, steady, strong, talk too much, tenets of our faith, the Father, the sons of God, the will of man, the will of the flesh, to the very core, troubled society, true light, Tuesday Mantra, uncertain, undeserving, unsure, weak, what manner of love, willingly obey, winter season, without love, worry, wretched, wrong, You love me
1 John 3:1a. Behold, what manner of LOVE the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God.
And then it was Tuesday…and the much appreciated spring break amidst the winter season continues seemingly unabated. Oh Glory to God! And on top of that, both the sun and the SON are shining forth brilliantly today. Mama Yo! What more can a mortal man ask for eh? Not much really.
But yuh know what, in our undeserving, sinful nature, our wonderful God gives us even more. Read with me, as I share this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled ‘You LOVE Me!’
‘God When I am wretched and weak You LOVE me. When I am steady and strong You LOVE me. When I am very right Or terribly wrong You LOVE me. When I talk too much Or laugh too loud Or sob too long You LOVE me. When I am quiet and serene You LOVE me.
When I willingly obey You LOVE me. When I insist on my own way You LOVE me. When I fail to put you first You LOVE me. When I come running back to You You LOVE me. I need not beg You to LOVE me For You who are LOVE Cannot exist without LOVING.
And yet this very day, dear God I have no real assurance Of Your LOVE at all. I wonder why? (And the Lord answered) BELOVED child The fact remains I LOVE you.’
Isn’t that something now mih people! Regardless of who we are, or how we behave, our amazing God LOVES US! Even when we don’t feel His LOVE, the indisputable truth still stands; He LOVES us! He just cannot help LOVING, because He is LOVE personified!
And He caused me to share this particular poem today because He wants to remind us of that fact. He apparently sees that we don’t appreciate the true nature of His LOVE enough, that’s why we are so unsure and uncertain of ourselves in this crazy, troubled society.
Please accept this reminder my fellow believers, and let it penetrate our hearts and minds right to the very core, so that we’ll never be in doubt, in any situation whatsoever, of our great God’s true and unconditional LOVE for us. It’s one of the elementary tenets of our faith, and if we can’t accept it without reservation, then our faith will be lacking, and won’t be able to grow and mature, as it ought to.
That’s why John, in his first epistle thought it so necessary to remind us of God’s great LOVE for us, as stated in our Bit. ‘Behold, what manner of LOVE the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God.’
Ah mih breddren how can we not appreciate such an awesome bestowal eh? God didn’t have to, but He wanted to. Why? Because we are His; created by His hand, in His image, and we breathe His breath of life. And even though we have become sinful and disobedient, the facts of the matter cannot be changed.
Now listen to the scholars on our Bit. ‘3:1. Bestowed is in the perfect tense, suggesting the enduring effect of the LOVE God has given. Believers are children of God by virtue of being born of Him (2:29). Jesus stressed a connection between how the world related to God and how it would in turn relate to Christ’s true followers (John 15:18). After ‘sons of God’ the phrase “And we are” should be added, according to many ancient manuscripts.’
Yeh friends, for some reason or the other that definitive statement got left out of our version of the Good Book, but there is no doubt that we are indeed children of God, once we are born again and believe in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I think though that a part of the problem is that our minds are so small and finite, that we cannot truly grasp the concept of a mighty and holy God LOVING us, despite our sinful and blasphemous nature. But don’t we still LOVE our children though they are disobedient and go astray? So why should it be any different with God eh? Children are children, and fathers are fathers in whatever situation you place them.
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that corroborate our Bit. John says in his gospel: ‘He (the true Light) was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’ (John 1:10-13)
We couldn’t get more authority than that to become children of God. Now hear this most momentous and eye opening scripture, re the LOVE of God from John’s first epistle. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. BELOVED, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11)
That’s our Christian faith in a nutshell right there my brethren. Please let’s practice it in all sincerity and truth nuh. Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are in strong voice.
‘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 since we’ve declared it, let’s go out now and action it nuh! Much LOVE!
…regardless of what we have…if we don’t have LOVE…we are nothing…
26 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a generation, a useful purpose, Agur, all things are possible with Jesus, arrogant, changes, communicate with God, complain, confidence, curse words, curses their father, dep darkness, devour the poor, disservice, does not bless their mother, energizing prayer, expletive deleted, fight for Jesus, filthiness, for Jesus' sake, gifts, go out to labour, greedy, grumble, hard labour, honour thy father and mother, humble servants, incriminating charges, inroads, jobs, join the battle, knives, laid at the feet, laid down His life, lamp shall be put out, lies, lift up Jesus name, lifted up in arrogance, make life easy, mitigate the situation, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, niceties of society, on a golden platter, our blessings, rejuvenation of spirit, rewards, rude to parents, ruthless, sacrifices, selfish, sinners, sufferation, taunts, teeth are as swords, the current generation, the enemy's ranks, the human animal, the trump of Jesus, thy days may be longput to death, to no avail, to work for Jesus, ungodly world, weary souls, went to the cross, wiles
Proverbs 30:11. There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
One more time friends, one more time, the trump of Jesus is calling us to come out and join the battle for the world in His name! This Monday morning is another precious and purposeful day in our earthly sojourn, where we put our blessings and gifts to work for Jesus. So let’s not grumble and complain because we have to get up and go out to labour nuh.
Jesus didn’t grumble and complain when He went to the cross and laid down His sinless life for us. It was rough yes, and He pleaded with the Father to mitigate the situation, but to no avail, because that’s the ONLY way we useless sinners would ever be able to communicate with a most holy God. So though things might be rough with us, let’s remember Jesus’ sacrifices on our behalf, and do whatever we can to lift up His name on the earth, without feeling too put out or sorry for ourselves.
And since we know that getting up on a Monday morning is difficult for many of us (smile) we have that wonderful, energizing prayer, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to raise our spirits and get us going. Let’s sing it out as one voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yeh friends, that just gets the adrenaline flowing, which enables us to staunchly and confidently fight on for Jesus in this evil world. And today we have a rather interesting Bit from Proverbs, but not from Cousin Sol. These are the wise words of Agur, possibly one of the sages of Cousin Sol’s day. And he tells us that ‘There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.’
How sad that is my people, because one of God’s Ten Commandments is: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex.20:12) And the Good Book goes on to say: ‘And he that curseth his father and mother, shall surely be put to death.’ (Ex.21:17)
That means a lot of this current generation ought to be put to death, because I believe this generation perfectly fits the bill described in our Bit. Some of the things I’ve personally heard children telling their parents just drives me bonkers. Hn! In my time I’d never dream of being rude to my parents, much less cursing them real curse words; words of the expletive deleted variety. And the sad part is that they get away with it. But that’s we, the parents fault. For whatever reason, we allow them to talk to us how they want, with little or no respect.
And Cousin Sol’s contribution to the subject is this: ‘Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure (deep) darkness.’ (Prov.20:20) And so it should be! Now hear these words of Agur after our Bit. ‘There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up (in arrogance). There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.’ (Prov.30:12-14)
Now those are certainly serious and incriminating charges and unfortunately I believe they can all be laid at the feet of this current generation. They are indeed selfish, arrogant, greedy and ruthless. Other generations have been bad, but I don’t think they can touch this one for their blatant disregard for the niceties of society.
But again, my contention is that we the parents reared them that way. In trying to make life easy for them, we did them a great disservice, because now they feel the world owes them a living, they are entitled, and they don’t appreciate all that they’ve been so sweetly and easily handed on a golden platter. And the human animal in general only seems to appreciate stuff when he/she personally has to work or suffer to acquire it.
However my faithful brethren, all is not lost. As we say, while there is life there is indeed hope, and that ALL things are possible with Jesus. That means we can still bring about some changes, if not in our children, certainly in our grandchildren. But we need to get serious and begin doing it NOW! So please, for Jesus’ sake, let’s get a move on with it nuh. Much LOVE!
…only through hard labour…or ‘sufferation’…do we truly appreciate our rewards…
25 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abaraham, adorned for her husband, as a bride, at rest, builder was God, by water and the word, charter of salvation, cherish, coming down from God, confidence, consummation of peace, defend, enthusiasm, eternity, exalting god, face the upcoming week, faith, fellowship, final judgement, foundations, give thanks, God's will, God-given fix, Guide, Hall of faith, heaven is our home, heresies, holy bride, indisputable fact, isms, Jesus Christ, Jesus is alive, listen to God's Word, LOVE, lowly, meek, morn of song, new creation, New Jerusalem, no crying, no more death, no more pain, no sorrow, one faith, one hope, ONE Lord, passed away, passion for Jesus, pilgrims, praise, receive encouragement, rent asunder, Rudyard Kipling, sacrificial praise, saints, Samuel John Stone, schisms, son of god, stoked in our hearts, strangers, sustain, the Apostles Creed, the church, the church's one foundation, the former things, the holy city, the Lord's Day, the medium of song, the Millennium, the tabernacle of God, tumult of war, victorious, walk in obedience, weeping, wipe away all tears, worship
Revelation 21:2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
It’s praise and worship and fellowship time once again friends! The Lord’s Day is upon us, so we need to have the proper response, that’s going en masse to His sanctuary to give thanks, praise His holy name, listen to His awesome word and receive encouragement, confidence and enthusiasm to face the upcoming week. Yeh mih breddren, it’s time for our weekly God-given fix. (smile)
And as always, we’ll open the proceedings with praise and worship, exalting our heavenly Father through the medium of song. Today’s hymn is another old favourite, ‘The Church’s One Foundation.’ It’s a Christian hymn written in the 1860s by British Pastor, Samuel John Stone.
According to Wikipedia, ‘The song was written as a direct response to the schism within the Church of South Africa caused by John William Colenso, first Bishop of Natal, who denounced much of the Bible as fictitious. This topic is alluded to within the fourth verse of the text “Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed.”
When Bishop Colenso was deposed for his teachings, he appealed to the higher ecclesiastical authorities in England. It was then that Samuel Stone became involved in the debate. It inspired him to write a set of hymns based on the Apostles’ Creed in 1866. He titled it, Lyra Fidelium; Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostles’ Creed.
“The Church’s One Foundation” is based on the ninth article, The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints.’ The song also served as inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s 1896 poem, Hymn Before Action. It is typically set to the tune “Aurelia” by Samuel Seba.’
Yuh see friends, the rich history of today’s hymn, born of isms and schisms as it was. Anyway, in strong voice and rich harmony, let’s offer it up with the sacrificial praise of our lips, to glorify the solid rock of our immortal faith, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘The church’s one Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is His new creation, by water and the Word; from heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
Elect from ev’ry nation, yet one o’er all the earth, her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth; one holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses, with ev’ry grace endued. Tho’ with a scornful wonder, men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?” And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.
The church shall never perish! Her dear Lord, to defend, to guide, sustain, and cherish, is with her to the end; tho’ there be those that hate her and false sons in her pale, against the foe or traitor she ever shall prevail. ‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war, she waits the consummation of peace for evermore; till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest, and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One, and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won. O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we, like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with Thee.’
Yeh friends, the church of Christ will NEVER die, regardless of all the trials and tribulations it may go through, because it is built on the greatest foundation that the universe has to offer, The ONE and ONLY SON of GOD: JESUS CHRIST! Bless His holy name my people!
As the hymn says, she is His creation, through water and His word, the very purpose for which He came down from heaven. Then He bought her with His blood, paid for her life with His own. So how could it ever die eh? As long as Jesus is alive His church will exist. That’s an indisputable fact. It might not be going as strong and unified as it ought to, because of the current presence of all the same nonsense, the dissension and disunity that caused the hymn to be written a couple centuries ago, but it’s definitely going to be around until Jesus comes back for his bride.
Glory be my brethren! No wonder John the Revelator was shown the vision of how things would be after the Millennium and the final judgement. He saw a new heaven and a new earth, birthed, as beautiful as ever, the everlasting state, where there would be no sin. ‘And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.’ Yes friends, that would be Jesus’ eternal kingdom.
And John continues: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev.21:3-4)
Ah mih people, that’s what we have to look forward to in eternity! Isn’t it a wonderful picture? It surely is! And if we want to be around to see it, then we have to keep the passion for Jesus well stoked in our hearts and lives from now; for who knows how much time we have until Jesus returns. We need our faith to stay strong and walk in obedience to God’s will. That’s why it’s so important for us to go to church, to gather and fellowship with each other and encourage each other.
As the Good Book points out about Abraham in the Hall of Faith: ‘By faith he sojourned in the land of promise…For he looked (was waiting) for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God.’ (Heb.11:9a:10) And if we’re wise, my fellow believers, that’s how we’ll be, constantly on the lookout for the New Jerusalem in this our earthly journey. Much LOVE!
…this earth is not our home…we are strangers and pilgrims down here…heaven is our home…
24 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things are possible, alone, anger, Anselm, baptized, bond, bone-chilling cold, Christians, Church of Christ, cliches, cliques, come together, defeated, dissension, disunity, diversion, duties, enjoyed with others, evil, evil cohorts, fighting, find God's purpose, finish line, flooding, free, functions, Gentiles, get the good, giving up, glorious truth, God's calling, individuals, Jews, looking at the past, Lucifer, mere words, need to do now, new interpretations, no man is an island, not one member, One Body, one spirit, original gospel, philosophy, ponder, power struggles, rain, receive Christ, resentment, reward, rule the world, significant aspect, slave, snow, solidarity, spring-like break, stranglehold, success, success is empty, surrounded by winners, the believer, the body, truth, U.S. Midwest, U.S. South, unity, walk with god, without the bad, you can't go it alone
1 Corinthians 12:14. For the body is not one member, but many.
Ah friends, how nice it is to get a spring-like break amidst the bone-chilling cold of winter that’s been dogging us for some time now! And this past week has certainly been like that in my area. The temps have mainly been above freezing and it might even continue like that for the next couple of days.
But I guess you can’t get the good without the bad, for though it’s been warm, it’s been rainy and cloudy, with flooding in several areas. More rain and flooding are expected this weekend across the U.S. South and Midwest. But I’ll take the rain and whatever, over the snow any day. (smile) That’s possibly because I’m not personally experiencing any flooding. Let’s pray for those who are undergoing that kind of disaster right now my brethren.
And since today is Saturday, it’s time to look at some of the quotes our friend, Anselm, sent us this week, in his heartfelt attempt to inspire us for a better tomorrow. The first one says: ‘You can’t knock on opportunity’s door and not be ready.’ That should be obvious. Why would you be seeking an opportunity if you were not ready and able to undertake it eh? But unfortunately, a lot of us misguidedly do it.
And the second tells us: ‘Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.’ What glorious truth that is my people! You’re never really defeated until YOU decide to give up! How can you be defeated if you keep on fighting, keep coming back again and again eh?
And that philosophy applies ever so much to Christians, because in our Lord and Saviour’s vocabulary there is NO GIVING UP! Why should there be, when ALL THINGS are possible through Christ? That’s a very significant aspect of the believer’s walk with God, and his ability to grow in Christ’s image. If you don’t believe that, then you’re lost from the very start.
Now listen to this quote. ‘Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then.’ Now I don’t know if you need to look so far ahead – possibly take it in smaller increments – but you do need to decide what you’re going to be all about later on in life, so that you can do the stuff that’s necessary to get you there.
However, with the believer, it’s a li’l different. We need to discover God’s calling for our lives, so that we can walk successfully in His will. Yuh see, what we might like to do in the world, is not always what the Lord wants us to do. And as a faithful believer and follower, it behooves us to find God’s purpose and follow it as closely as possible.
And the last quote says: ‘Success is empty if you arrive at the finish line alone. The best reward is to get there surrounded by winners.’ And that’s oh so true! You can’t really enjoy success if you’ve achieved it all by yourself. Success is meant to be enjoyed with others.
In the first place, you will very seldom achieve success if you don’t surround yourself with positive, successful thinking people. That’s why there are clichés like ‘no man is an island’ and ‘you can’t go it alone.’
And Bruh Paul took pains to point out that the church of Christ is one body, though it’s made up of individuals, hence his writing to the church at Corinth that includes our Bit. ‘For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slave) or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.’ (1 Cor.12:12-14)
Yeh friends, believers are all a part of ONE BODY; that of Christ; of His Church! Regardless of colour, creed or race, once you receive Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are baptized with His Spirit that immediately comes to dwell in you, and you become a part of that big body called Christ’s Church.
As Bruh Paul philosophizes to the church at Rome. ‘For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’ (Rom.12:4-5)
Ah mih people, in every organization the members have different functions and duties, which holds that organization together. If those members don’t perform their functions in a serious and positive manner, then the organization won’t last long. It’s the same way with Christ’s church. If we, as members, don’t play our individual parts, then the body won’t function as it should.
And that’s exactly what’s happening in Christ’s church right now. There is too much anger and resentment, too many power struggles and cliques, too much dissension and disunity, too much diversion from the original gospel, with people preaching all sorts of different things and filtering in new interpretations as dictated by the world. How can Christ’s church be successful under those conditions eh? NEVER!
That’s why Lucifer and his evil cohorts currently have the world in a stranglehold; they are united, but Christ’s people are not. Yes my fellow believers, until we stop talking and fighting against each other and come together as one, evil will rule the world. Now let’s sit down and ponder that. Is that what we truly want? Much LOVE!
…unity and solidarity should not be mere words in Christ’s church…
P.S. Sorry for the lateness of the Bit. It’s Saturday, so I slept in. (smile) Much LOVE!
23 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a candlestick, absence of light, children of men, Christian's character, condition, darkness, essential to the world, flavour, freedom, Friday chant, further God's glorious kingdom, glorify your Father, good for nothing, human depravity, let your light shine, light, Lucifer, mission, preservative, salt, salt of the earth, see your good works, Sermon on the Mount, stars are aligned, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the light of Jesus, trodden underfoot, under a bushel, work week, workingman
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.
Once again it’s Friday, and the children of men are suddenly enthused and invigorated because a spot of freedom looms large on the horizon before them. (smile) And there’s none more enthused and invigorated than the ordinary workingman as he proudly proclaims:
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday… And all the stars are aligned in my favour! The weekend is finally here…seems like it’s been taking forever…but now the party can begin. Wine, woman and song is the motto for this weekend. And who doh like it, tough tits, they know what they can do. Hn, hn!
I slave whole week for a brutal, greedy man, and now yuh want to tell me I can’t enjoy mihself however I want to…Steups! Foolishness yes man! Just be thankful to God that we have a li’l break from new-fangled slavery come Fridays and the weekend yes!’
Ah Lord eh friends! The working world can certainly be rough, and I know that some of us believers would certainly like to join in the workingman’s party (smile) but out Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has a different idea for our supposed freedom.
He doesn’t support the leggo beast theory, but prefers to keep it orderly with the boundaries philosophy. That’s why our Friday Chant is so different to the workingman’s song. Let’s chant it now nuh, so that we can uplift ourselves and also be reminded of what’s expected of us on the weekend.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh friends, we have to rest and rejuvenate ourselves, so that come Monday we can get back out there and fight the good fight of faith in Jesus’ name, otherwise the enemy will just keep making inroads into our ranks, which we simply can’t afford to let happen.
That’s why we need to be ever cautious about how we behave and talk, for negative words and inappropriate behaviour can turn people away from Christ, and what we so desperately desire to do is bring them to Him, not turn them away.
That’s why Jesus commanded us in the Sermon from the Mount in today’s Bit: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
Yes my fellow believers, we ought to be a shining beacon for Christ in this world of almost total darkness, like the lighthouses of old, guided ships away from rocks and shoals, to safe harbours.
As Jesus prefaced our Bit: ‘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 (a lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt.5:13-15)
That means we are to be essential to the world, like salt is, and allow the light of Jesus that dwells within us, to shine brightly forth, not hide it. Now listen to the scholars. ‘5:13. Jesus describes the basic character of the Christian’s life as salt and light.
“Ye are” indicates that only the genuinely born-again person is salt and can help meet the needs of the world. Salt adds flavouring, acts as a preservative, melts coldness, and heals wounds. Thus it is a very appropriate description of the believer in his relationship to the world in which he lives.’
‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity.
He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is, a basket. Darkness is the absence of light; and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’
There you have it friends; our condition; to help alleviate the world’s problems, and our mission; to shine our lights brightly forth in the overwhelming darkness that envelops it. The question now is, are we doing that to the best of our ability? And if we’re truthful, we will all say that we’re not. That’s why Lucifer and his dark, evil empire still has such a prominent hold on the world.
Please my fellow believers, I’m imploring us today to put some much need flavour back into our salt, or just get some new salt, (smile) and let’s take the coverings off of our lights so that the light of Jesus that indwells us can shine forth and make a major difference in this dark and evil world. With the Lord’s help we can certainly do it. Much LOVE!
…oh…how the world is dying…to taste the Christian’s salt…and to see his bright light shining forth into its darkness…
22 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian, a journey, a piece of gnarled barked, a positive outlook, a process, abides for ever, abundance, acceptable, aimless, apostle Paul, as a man thinks, awesome light of the Son, be born again, being obedient, blessing, christianity, clear direction, compassionate heart, conformed to the image of Christ, conformed to this world, courage, crashing breakers, cultivate us, curse, drifting back and forth, enemy of God, enmity, favour, fence sitting, follow God's direction, friendship with the world, from glory to glory, get to know Christ, glory to God, going to school, good, grow in Christ, grow spiritually, Grow Up, heresy, hold back, immature Christian, jump from church to church, let go, life journey with Jesus, love not the world, lust, made no effort, more than sufficient, negative word, no set purpose, one goal, One Year Book of Bible promises, only one way, perfect, play second fiddle, praying, put in the effort, root us, Ruth Harms Calkin, share blessings, shining brightly, single minded, soaring, spiritual puttering, spoken over someone, studying God's Word, success, talent, the battle is in our minds, the renewing of your mind, the will of God, things of the world, Thursday's Blessings, to meet our needs, tossed to and fro, total commitment, transformed, trust, undisciplined, unsteady, wading in self-pity, water us, wet weather, will of God, willingness, wisdom, wishy-washy Christians, ye may prove, yearn for change
Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Good news friends; after about three days of wet weather, it’s cloudy but dry in my neighbourhood! Wow! Let’s hope the sun comes out later to make it an even more pleasant day. But even if it doesn’t, we still have the awesome light of the SON shining brightly in our lives, and He is more than sufficient to meet ALL of our needs! Glory to God!
And without further ado, let me share something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. I don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, but is it ever so appropriate for our currently trying and troublesome times. It’s simply titled ‘Grow Up.’
Please read with me. ‘Picture it with me: a piece of gnarled bark tossed to and fro over the crashing breakers. First one direction, then another, back and forth, over and under. Aimless. No set purpose. Drifting…always drifting. What an accurate picture of an immature Christian. Nothing but spiritual puttering. Up and down, in and out.
One study group for a few weeks, then another. One church for a while, then another. Undisciplined, unsteady, one day soaring, the next day wading in self-pity. No consistency. The apostle Paul tells us to grow up! Not grow older, but grow up into Christ.
What we are today is more important to God than what we were yesterday. Our life journey with Jesus is now – this very day, this very hour. Why yearn for change if we’ve made no effort to follow the direction God has already given us?
To grow spiritually we must be single-minded. Our one goal? To be conformed to the image of Christ. He longs for our willingness to let Him root us, cultivate us, water us. Above all else, God wants our total commitment. He will take anything we give Him except second place.’
And isn’t all that the gospel truth friends? It surely is! God wants our total commitment, but we’re not prepared to give it. We want to hold back stuff from Him. But that won’t work. As I said yesterday, God doesn’t play second fiddle to anyone! Only one fiddler in His band; that’s Him!
And what we don’t seem to realize is that being a Christian is a process, a journey, like going to school; you begin in ABC (kindergarten) and work your way up through elementary, secondary and tertiary levels. But you must put in the effort required at each level if you wish to be successful and proceed to the next.
Christianity is exactly the same; you get to know Christ and become more like Him by first putting your entire trust in Him, then studying His word, being obedient, sincerely and constantly praying (communicating) and thus gradually growing in His image; slowly – from glory to glory.
But unfortunately today we have a whole lot of wishy-washy Christians, who talk a great talk, but don’t know the real Christ. We jump from church to church, apparently seeking what we want to hear, and not what the word really says. And the sad part is that plenty churches seem to preach that heresy.
But friends, there is ONLY ONE WAY to truly grow in Christ, and that’s the one advised by Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, our Bit for today. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
Yes my brethren, it all begins and ends in our minds. The battle between a true relationship with Christ and one with the world is fought primarily in our minds. That’s why they say, as a man thinks so is he. Therefore, if we want to be born again and grow in Christ, we have to let go of the things of the world, we have to stop conforming to what the world wants us to be.
As James so blatantly puts it: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to make himself) a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself the enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)
John though puts it a little nicer: ‘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 for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
That’s it in a nutshell friends; we can’t be friendly with world and be friendly with God at the same time! So let’s stop trying to do it nuh. Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, that the Lord has so graciously bestowed on us who truly believe and are obedient to His will.
In sincerity and truth 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!’
Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s spoken over someone. So let’s go out and generously speak those blessings over others nuh, for that’s why God gave them to us. Much LOVE!
…sitting on the fence is not an option…you’re either FOR God…or AGAINST Him…
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