09 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a castaway, backbone, believers in Jesus Christ, belly, boxers, can't stop the party, Canada, Christian ministry, daily struggle, dampen, discipline, disqualified, earthly pilgrimage, endures to the end, essentail, evil, fight the good fight, finished my course, fleshly temptations, forfeiting rewards, fought a good fight, Friday chant, friends, fun, gay abandon, generous help, glorious kingdom, icy sections, immortal words, in Jesus' name, iniquity, Isthmian Games, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, LOVE, lusts of the flesh, maturing, meekness, not easy, ox-hide, patience, perseverance, relaxation, rest, rewards, righteousness., salvation, shall be saved, sin, snow, snowfall, spiritual life, steadfastness, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the LOVE of money, the righteous path, the song of the heathen, the song of the righteous, the victor's crown, trials, tribulations, week of work, weekend, weekend enthusiasm, wintertime
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.
Ah mih people, at long last a semi-serious snowfall has hit my area. Chuh! And the time was going by so nicely! But that’s the nature of this good country Canada; wintertime means snow is very likely to disrupt the situation. (smile)
However, it wasn’t too bad a snowstorm, and hopefully by now the roads would have been cleared and salted. But still, please be careful if you have to drive because there is liable to be some icy sections out there.
And you’d think that the snow would dampen the weekend enthusiasm…not on yuh life! The shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday, and the weekend is upon us!’ still rings out. ‘A li’l snow can’t stop the party. We’ll just have to stay inside and keep warm, while the drinks and whatnot flow! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends oui!’
Now that’s the song of the heathen, let’s sing that of the righteous; our Friday Chant, with as much, if not more verve and enthusiasm than the heathen. All together 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, that’s a much better way of handling the weekend, than simply giving into the lusts of the flesh and celebrating with gay abandon.
Anyway, let’s turn to our Bit; Bruh Paul’s immortal words, for the last time. ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’
Oh precious people of God, it is essential that we believers in Jesus Christ, fight a good fight against the evil of this world! The world will not simply allow us to live our lives according to God’s will, because it doesn’t fit into their programme of sin and iniquity.
That means, at each and every chance they get, they will try to dissuade us from following the righteous path with lustful and fleshly temptations. But we have to learn to resist it.
As we saw Bruh Paul tell the Corinthians yesterday: ‘But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (disqualified).’ (1 Cor.9:27)
And I worked that verse in there because I want to share a very interesting explanation of the scholars on it. ‘9:27. I keep under my body (i.e. discipline my body): The expression I keep under loses much of the original sense. It has the idea of to “give one a black eye,” “buffet,” or “bruise.”
Paul’s readers knew that in the Isthmian Games, the boxers wore gloves consisting of ox-hide hands covered with knots and nails, and loaded with lead and iron. To prepare for such an event, a man would have to brace himself to endure all forms of physical abuse.
Lest that by any means …I myself should be a castaway (lit. “So that …I myself should not be disqualified”): Paul was afraid of losing his salvation: his subject is still Christian liberty. The point is that the believer must discipline himself to avert both being disqualified from Christian ministry, and forfeiting the rewards for such service.’
Oh friends, can you imagine the bloodied bodies of the boxers in those olden times. One would have to be very brave and single minded to take part in such a carnal sport. But that’s the kind of mentality we need to have to fight off the temptations of this world and eventually win the victor’s crown.
We can’t afford to be disqualified from Christ’s ministry and also lose the rewards earned through doing it. Now hear what Bruh Paul told Timothy in his first message re the good fight of faith.
‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things: and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:11-12)
And the scholars explain: ‘6:11. Flee these things means shun a LOVE for money (v.10) and the striving for material wealth (v.9) with all its resulting woes. Follow after means pursue. Righteousness is practical correctness, conforming to God’s will in one’s thinking and acting.
Godliness is proper reverence for, and obedience to God. Faith is a trust in God that grows stronger. LOVE is a maturing affection for God and man. Patience is perseverance or steadfastness in life and service. Meekness is gentleness.’
‘6:12. The good fight concerns the daily struggle with sin in the Christian life, and the hardships and adversities in the ministry. A genuine believer demonstrates the reality of his faith by being engaged in this warfare.
Lay hold on eternal life does not negate the fact that a believer now possesses spiritual life (John 3:36); rather, it speaks of fully realizing or appropriating salvation as the believer matures.’
Ah friends, the life of a true believer is not an easy one. As Jesus told the disciples, we’d be persecuted just for believing in Him: ‘but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt.10:22)
So it’s up to us to keep persevering, keep fighting the good fight, keep maturing, obviously with God’s help, until we reach the end and are presented with the victor’s crown.
Wow mih people! What a day that will be! It will certainly be worth all the trials and tribulations endured in this earthly pilgrimage! Much LOVE!
…to fight the good fight successfully…one must have plenty belly and backbone…
08 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a castaway, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, a ruler, a Saviour, a strong race, amorous advances, athletic event, baggage, beats the air, Beelzebub, Black Friday, broken, but one receives the prize, Christ the Lord, Christmas, commercialism, competes, confusion of shopping, Corinth, Corinthians, courage, creativity, crown of righteousness, curse, Cyber Friday, discipline my body, disgrace, disqualified, divine protection, earthly sojourn, enthusiastic, excited, faith, faithful, family, favour, fighting the good fight, finished the race, fought a good fight, friends, get with the right programme, gifts, Greece, health, heaven, imperisahable, in the city of David, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus' greeting, joy, kept the faith, know ye not, mastery, material things, may obtain, minds souls and bodies, negative word, over many things, perishable, perishable crown, practice what you preach, preached to others, presents, promotion, prosper, pushing, resonating, run, run in a race, running, running the race, rushing, secular world, self-control, self-discipline, selfish, shame, shopping days, strives, subjection, succeed, success, supernatural strength, temperate, the birth of Jesus Christ, the first coming of Christ, the Isthmian Games, the joy of the Lord, the pearly gates, the real gift of Christmas, the reason for the season, the righteous crown, thou good and faithful servant, Thursday's Blessings, unto you is born, well done, wisdom
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.
And then it was Thursday…Wow! Only 16 more shopping day to Christmas!
Steups! Notice the language, the commercialism? That is how we count down the days to Christmas – in shopping days, not in days till the birth of Jesus Christ – the real reason for the season.
Ah Lord eh! After all the rigmarole of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we are still talking in terms of shopping! How much shopping can we do eh, especially when so many people are not working?
But that seems to be the overwhelming feature of our lives in these modern times. It’s all about gifts and presents and food and what not, all the material things!
There is precious little talk, if any at all, of Jesus being born, of Him being the real gift of Christmas, the most wonderful present ever from our heavenly Father. And then when things get rotten, or go sour, we wonder why. No wonder our world is in such a sorry mess.
Anyway friends, please, let’s not be found carrying that baggage of the secular and commercial world; let’s concentrate on the first coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when the angels rocked heaven and earth with their great pronouncement; ‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’ (Luke 2:11)
Now that’s what we should be getting all excited and enthusiastic about! Not the rushing and pushing and confusion of unnecessary shopping.
So, having said all that, which might not make any difference to anybody, (smile) let’s turn to our Bit, the immortal words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’
Now that again is something that should be resonating in our minds, souls and bodies, rather than the shopping days till Christmas. What’s going to happen, how are we going to feel when the days of lives are coming to an end eh?
Will we be satisfied with what we’ve done down here? Will we be able to utter words similar to Bruh Paul’s? It’s ever so important that we can my brethren. Otherwise we would have wasted our earthly sojourn on things of the world, and stand the chance of losing the righteous crown that’s been set aside for us in heaven.
We stand the chance of losing Jesus’ greeting at the pearly gates of: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.’ (Matt.25:21)
No Friends, we don’t want to be missing that wonderful greeting at all! So please, let’s smarten up and get with the right programme nuh; that of Jesus and not Beelzebub!
Now Bruh Paul thought that running a strong race was so important that he also spoke of it to the Corinthians. Listen up: ‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.’ (1 Cor.9:23)
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘9:24. Paul draws on a scene familiar to his Corinthian readers in order to drive home his point. The Isthmian Games were an athletic event known to all his readers.
They were held on alternate summers in the vicinity of Corinth. It was an event not to be missed by anyone of importance in all parts of Greece. As a national institution, it was familiar to his readers as modern football to most Americans.’
So that shows the Corinthians knew what Bruh Paul was talking about. But he doesn’t stop there, He continues forcefully: ‘And every man that striveth for mastery (competes for the prize), is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown: but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (disqualified).’ (1 Cor.9:25-27)
Yes my faithful believers, to run a good race and fight a good fight for Christ, we must have plenty self-control and self-discipline, for that’s the only way we can reject the amorous advances of the world.
And even worse, what a shame and disgrace it would be, after we have preached to others about running the race and fighting the good fight, that we ourselves would be disqualified! Now I definitely would not like that, so I try, with God’s help obviously, to practice what I preach. (smile)
Anyhow, here’s the best part of today’s Bit nuh; we going home with the anointing of our Thursday Blessings. But remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone. So in full voice and strong faith, let’s bless ourselves my people.
‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now my faithful believers in Christ, let’s go out strong and secure in those blessings and not be selfish, but remember to bless others too. Much LOVE!
…oh what a joy it will be…to win that crown of righteousness…
07 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, a glorious future with Jesus, a positive difference, afraid, alive and kicking, all those who love his appearing, all who ask in faith, anchor themselves, another day another dollar, anxious, as soon as possible, basic premise, believe in God, believing what Jesus promised, blessings, death, death is at hand, devoid of, direction, doubt, dwellings, endurance, energy, energy for weariness, enjoy, faith, faith in doubt, fellowship, fight a good fight, finished my course, fought a good fight, gives liberally, glory hallelujah, guidance, halfway home, help, hope, I go to prepare a place, I will come again, I'm not looking back, important as life, In my Father's house, Jesus Christ, judgement day, kept the faith, laid up for me, LOVE, many mansions, meditating on god's word, mish-mash world, money, mortal coil, my hands are on the plough, obituaries, our heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour, prayer, ready to be offered, receive you unto myself, run a strong race, shy away, strength, strength in weakness, surer than taxes, talk of death, the breath of life, the day of reckoning, the great divide, the righteous judge, there's always hope, time of departure, Timothy, weakness, weariness, Wednesday Wail, when life will end, while there is life, winning races
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.
Ah friends, another day, another dollar! But Ho! Some of you say that a dollar isn’t a dollar anymore, it’s more like fifty cents, or even less, and that’s possibly true.
But yuh know what my brethren, the money isn’t as important as the fact that we’re alive. Our pictures and eulogies aren’t in the obituaries, and that’s much more important than the money we might make today.
We’re alive and have the ability to do lots of good stuff in God’s name. And if by chance we aren’t kicking as strongly as we like, then we can always turn to our heavenly Father for help.
And here’s a good prayer that reflects our problem. I got it from one of the Daily Bread Devotionals. It simply says: ‘Father, at this moment, I turn to You for strength in my weakness, energy for my weariness, and faith in my doubt.’
Simple and straight to the point my people. And if you are sincere, the Lord, who gives liberally to all who ask in faith, will shower you with His blessings until you are kicking mightily. (smile)
Now, without further ado, let’s turn to our Bit, taken from what’s called Bruh Paul’s last testament, in his second letter to his protégé Timothy. And to keep everything in context, we’ll just do it all at once.
‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim.4:6-8)
Oh my fellow believers, there is so much stuff in those verses that still pertain to us. Let’s check them out. First of all, we all will die someday. And a lot of us shy away from talk of death, but it’s the only sure thing in this crazy world, even surer than taxes. (smile)
And blessedly, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we have a great time to look forward to. But when that time comes, will be ready to meet our Heavenly Father on the other side of the great divide with strong faith and trust; eagerly expectant for what’s over there, gladly shuffling off this rough and difficult mortal coil?
Or will be afraid and anxious, devoid of or with little faith, not knowing, or rather believing what Jesus promised. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3)
Ah friends, that’s the basic premise of our faith; belief in Jesus Christ! And if we aren’t ready when the time comes to depart, then obviously we won’t be able to say as proudly and confidently as Bruh Paul says in our Bit: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’
And we desperately and definitely need to be able to say that at the day of reckoning! You can’t fight a good fight in Jesus’ name if you don’t truly believe all He’s said, because that belief and faith is what makes you strong, keeps you ticking, has you eager to do His will.
Consequently, there might not be a crown of righteousness laid up for you on that judgement day. That’s why we all need strong faith, and that only comes by diligently reading and meditating on God’s Word, through regular fellowship and constant prayer.
So if we are neglecting any of those things, our faith will definitely not grow to the point that we can fight a good fight, and run a strong race, and thus attain that crown of righteousness which is laid up in heaven for all those who surely and steadfastly anchor themselves in the Word and work of God.
Now please don’t get discouraged if your personal situation doesn’t line up with what we’ve said, because it can always be changed, preferably right now, by going to the Father and asking for strength, guidance and direction to run a good race in His name.
Remember while there is life, there’s ALWAYS hope. But we’re never sure when life will end, so we have to do what we need to do as soon as possible. Now let’s go home with joy and passion, proudly and boldly declaring our Wednesday Wail.
All together now, in strong voice and perfect harmony: ‘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!’
Yes friends, tomorrow we might see our name in the obits, (smile) but we have God’s gift of today, so please let’s enjoy it and go out and do our best to make a positive difference in this mish mash world we live in. For that’s what is expected of us, true believers. Much LOVE!
…winning races…needs strong faith and endurance…which can only be acquired through Almighty God…
06 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be content, be nor dismayed, be strong, beloved children of Almighty God, caring, challenging weekend, Christians, conduct, covetousness, David, encouraging words, ever-present help of God, faith, faith building, fear not, flying colours, friends, grace, grace and mercy of God, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, Herculean task, hurry, Jesus, magnanimous god, majestic, mercy, Moses, neither forsake thee, of a good courage, praise his holy name, Praise the Lord, promise, share His love, Solomon, the beloved of God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Godhead of the Holy Trinity, the Good Book, the Holy Trinity, the Lord goes before thee, The Lord is my helper, the Lord thy God is with thee, trust, trust my friend, Tuesday Mantra, understanding God, weak, what a privilege, whining, wishy-washy, worry
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Ah friends and neighbours, at last there is some decent heat in the ole homestead! Praise the Lord!
It has indeed been a challenging weekend without proper heat. A couple of heat space savers can never replace a central system. But through the good grace and mercy of our wonderful God we made it through. Praise His Holy Name!
You know you always hear about certain situations and imagine what they feel like, but not until you personally go through them do you really appreciate the good side of the equation. Hn! Now I know what it’s like to be without proper heat for a cold weekend. (smile)
But we’ll simply chalk that up to faith building, because that’s exactly what it was; an exercise to see how we’d react under less than perfect conditions. But again, with the ever-present help of our magnanimous, caring and understanding God we came through it all with flying colours! Please give Him the wonderful praise He so rightfully deserves!
And on this chilly Tuesday morning, to further boost our spirits and our faith, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincere enthusiasm and strong belief, otherwise, we’re simply wasting our time.
In unison now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Yes my people, that’s indeed who we are; beautiful and beloved children of Almighty God! Wow! What a privilege! And to make our situation even better, we are also friends of our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! It certainly couldn’t get any better than that my faithful, believing brethren!
But we’re wrong, it does get better. Listen to our Bit nuh. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Ah mih people, what a majestic and magnanimous God we serve! He had Moses make that statement to Joshua when he assumed leadership of the Israelites many moons ago, but the excellent thing is that that awesome promise still exists today, and still applies to each and every one of us who proclaims true belief and faith in the Godhead of the Holy Trinity.
No other supposed deity makes such a promise…and faithfully keeps it too. That’s why I find it mind-boggling when others say they don’t believe in the ONE true and LIVING God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Now hear the refreshing and encouraging words of Moses to the people of Israel, before he spoke our Bit to Joshua. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6)
Oh friends and faithful believers that ought to resonate deeply within our souls, because it is the gospel truth! And it’s a promise that’s been used, been given several times throughout the Good Book. Let’s look at a few of them, beginning with the Lord’s words to Joshua after Moses died and he took on the Herculean task of leading the Israelites.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh.1:5) And it’s a promise the Lord faithfully kept.
But in the very next verses, the Lord point out Joshua’s responsibility. ‘Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest do all the law which my servant Moses commanded thee… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:6, 7, 9).
Yes precious people of God, three times in four verses the Lord commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous, and it’s the very same message that He’s sending out to each of us today. We need to believe His promises and stand strong and faithful upon them.
Now hear Bruh David’s words to Cousin Sol re the building of the temple. ‘And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’ (1 Chr.28:20)
The same thing applies to us today my brethren: The Lord will be with us all the way in our service to glorify His name. He will not fail nor forsake us, so we have no reason to be afraid and dismayed.
And we’ll end with more encouraging words, this time from Hebrews, re Service well-pleasing to God. ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb.13:5-6)
Ah mih fellow believers, from the beginning of the Good Book, right through to the end, we’ve been admonished to be strong and courageous because our omnipotent God will never fail not forsake us.
Please let’s take it all to heart and go out and fight the good fight nuh, knowing that the Creator of the universe is always with us. It’s the only way to successfully handle this earthly pilgrimage. Much LOVE!
…weak, whining and wishy washy Christians…cannot do God’s work successfully…
05 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pillar of fire, abominable, adrenaline, almighty god, anointed, antidote, aura of love, blessings, by day, by night, Calvary's cross, challenges, choirmaster, Christians, compassion, confidence, dancing around aimlessly, do God's will, don't be afraid, Egypt, energy, enthusiasm, evil, excited, faith, fear not, feeling up to scratch, fellowship, frailties, friends, glorious kingdom, God is faithful, good works, gospel truth, harmony, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, hesitation, holy spirit, humble servants, in a pillar of cloud, indisputable, invincible, irrevocable, Israel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Joshua, joy, lies, LOVE, mighty power, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, negative aspects, neither be dismayed, neither forsake thee, new day of life, passion, praise, reconcile, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, sins, soaring with confidence, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, step out, strong right hand, strong voice, thanks, the angel of God, the enemy, the Lord goes before thee, truth, unconditional LOVE, ungodly world, weaknesses, wilderness, wisdom, without doubt, worship
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Well friends, I hope that our fellowship yesterday, mixed with sincere praise, worship and thanks, has paved the way for us to get this work week off with a bang! That we’re soaring with confidence and energy and a passion to just get out there and do God’s will!
But just in case we did not fellowship yesterday, or for some other reason we’re not feeling up to scratch, not excited by this new day of life, with which we’ve been blessed, we have an instant antidote for you. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s sing it all together now, in strong voice and bubbling harmony, and make our choirmaster, Jesus proud.
‘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!’
Now that rendition wasn’t bad at all my people, however it did not light up Jesus eyes and face like last week. But don’t feel badly because He understands our weaknesses and frailties even better than we do. He knows that we can’t put on a magnificent performance every week, but that doesn’t mean we can’t always give a creditable one.
So with the adrenaline that our Battle Hymn has raised in our blood, let’s stop dancing around aimlessly and get ourselves out into the serious fray that awaits us. And to help us do that, we have a most encouraging Bit; the words of Moses when he anointed Joshua, Israel’s leader.
‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Oh my fellow believers, we ought to know that those are words of indisputable, irrevocable, gospel truth! As the Lord was with the Israelites so long ago, He is still with us…even under better conditions now that we have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour!
The Lord our God proved His awesome, unconditional LOVE for us by sending His ONE and ONLY Son to die on Calvary’s cross to redeem us from our abominable sins, so why would He now stop caring for us eh? It simply doesn’t make sense. He broke His own heart to reconcile us to Himself, so simple logic would deduce that His LOVE and compassion for each one of us is still just as strong as it was back then.
And no, it’s not easy to accept this wonderful reassurance when all the fearful negative aspects of the world appear to be coming full speed at us. But with time and the growth of our faith, enabled by the good works God continually does in our lives, we will eventually come to a point where we can accept the words of our Bit without doubt or hesitation.
And just to give us a practical and physical example of the Lord going before us, listen to this scintillating scripture from Exodus. ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex.13:21-22)
Yuh see that friends, our God is a FAITHFUL God! What more can we ask for eh? He led His people Israel, out of bondage in Egypt, through the wilderness by pillars of cloud and fire, thus assuring them of His continual presence, and also protection from the Egyptians who were following them.
Now hear this masterful plan of protection from our wise and powerful God. ‘And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all night.’(Ex.14:19-20)
So though the two camps were fairly close together, darkness completely shrouded the Israelites from the Egyptians. Who else could have devised such a simple but yet masterful plan eh my brethren? NONE but Almighty God!
So as we step out today to face the evil world and all its challenges, please don’t be afraid, for just like the Lord protected the Israelites back then, He still protects EVERY ONE of His children with His strong right hand and mighty power. That’s all we need to know and remember. Much LOVE!
…Fear not…was one of Jesus’ most used statements…believers should therefore take Him at His word…
04 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Proverbs 1:7. The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Ah mih people, the ole fella went a partying last night. And was it ever a good party! A friend celebrated her fiftieth, half-century birthday with a big bash.
The food was good – West Indian obviously – the socializing was excellent – a gathering of friends, family and co-workers, and the music was jamming! Glory be!
But yuh know what? Last night was the time my ole knees chose to act up some. Chuh! But though they slowed me down some, they never stopped me from partying heartily. (smile)
However, there’s a time and place for everything; last night was for partying, but this Sunday morning, the Lord’s Day, is the time for worshipping, being in fellowship with other believers, giving thanks and praise to our wonderful God and Maker, while receiving His strength and faith to face another week in this evil world.
And to begin those proceedings, let’s offer up some sacrifice of praise through the awesome words of this song we all know and LOVE; ‘It is Well with My Soul.’
So, in strong voice, with sincere heart and unwavering passion, let’s sing! ‘When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. (Refrain): It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. (Refrain)
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! — My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain)
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. (Refrain)
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! (Refrain)
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain).’
Yes friends, regardless of our earthly circumstances, we can say with certainty, that it is well with our souls because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ paid for our sins with His vicarious death on the cross at Calvary!
Wow! What a champion, our Jesus!
And all God’s people declared a loud and proud: ‘Thanks be to God, the giver of salvation and eternal life!’
Now, though I wasn’t planning to, I guess I should share this working of God with you all. Well to make a long story short, last week I tried to make a maintenance appointment for my furnace, but could not get one until next February. However, a couple of days later they called me back with one for last Friday.
So the fellow came and I was there telling him that I hope he wasn’t going to shut it down. But lo and behold, once He opened it up and looked inside, that is exactly what he did, because the heat exchanger was seriously cracked and if left running could eventually lead to the deadly gas which it runs on being released in the house.
Obviously I wasn’t pleased, but deep down I knew something was wrong and did not get all upset. The furnace was thirty years old anyway. So we’ve been without central heat in the house since Friday afternoon, getting by with a couple of heat savers, one of which is running behind me right now, as I write this in my cold basement office.
But I’m comfortable. And it’s a good thing that the weather hasn’t been that cold, like below freezing, since they can’t replace the furnace until Monday. But enough of my minor problems, the Lord is good and we shall get by.
Let’s turn to our Bit, one of the most instructive verses in the Good Book. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’
Yes my brethren, until we learn to acknowledge the reverence our magnificent and magnanimous God truly deserves, we won’t be able to acquire true wisdom. And we’re not talking about what the world considers wisdom, but what our God, whose thoughts and ways are higher than ours, considers wisdom.
Now here are a couple of scriptures which corroborate our Bit. Yesterday we saw what Job had to say (Job 28:12, 28) Today, let’s listen to the psalmist from Psalm 111 – Praise the Lord for His care.
‘The fear of the Lord (an awe-filled reverence towards the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.’ (Ps.111:10)
Yeh friends, obeying the Lord’s commandments is a sure way to gain true understanding, which leads us to continually praise His Holy Name!
And we’ll end with these wise words from the Preacher, the last three verses of Ecclesiastes. ‘And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl.12:13-14)
And the scholars explain: ‘12:12-14. God has not answered every problem of life, but He has commanded man to live joyfully, responsibly, and wisely. Finally, the controlling factor of all life should be the fear of God, that is, submission to God and His revelation. (cf. Prov.1:7). The certainty of divine judgement demands it.’
There we have it friends, words of wisdom for us to live by! So let’s be wise and live by them nuh. Much LOVE!
…joy, responsibility and wisdom…the basic fundamentals of Christian living…
03 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a double -minded man, a false ring, a woman's question, all up in arms, Anselm, ask of God, aspires to inspire us, blessed, conscience, controlling factor, depart from evil, devious, don't lie, doubting, earthly wealth, Eureka moment, evil deed, fear, fearing God, fools despise wisdom and instruction, generous present, get in hot water, glorifying God, glory hallelujah, godly purposes, gospel truth, incriminating questions, lack wisdom, liberally, lies, lying, one more day, ores, our heavenly Father, precious metals, reverential awe, riotous living, suspicions, the beginning of knowledge, the fear of the Lord, the gift of God, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the place of understanding, the sufferer, trust, truth, understanding, unstable, untruth, wavering, wiles, wisdom, without reproach
Proverbs 1:7. The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
One more day friends, one more day! Glory Hallelujah! Yes, we’ve been granted, blessed with life to enjoy another day on God’s great earth! It’s a generous present from our heavenly Father, so we ought to be grateful and use it wisely, following whatever plan He has designed for our lives.
It’s not to be used in riotous living or perpetrating dark, evil deeds, but for good and godly purposes, whereby our Father can be glorified. Remember, glorifying God is one of our most important jobs down here one earth. In fact, everything we do or say should in some way add to His glorification.
And having gotten that straight, since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to some quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this week, Anselm seems to have been rather preoccupied with lies and lying, for all the quotes dealt with some aspect of untruth.
Here is the first one: ‘A person who says they will never lie to you is probably lying already.’ And does that ever ring true! For if anyone has to convince us that they are telling the truth, then it adds a sort of false ring to their words and quickly raises our suspicions.
The second quote says: ‘Never lie to someone who trusts you. Never trust someone who lies to you.’ Now that is excellent advice, for trust is very hard to come by, but can very easily be lost!
But here is my favourite quote of Anselm’s for this week. ‘Never lie to a woman’s question. Sometimes she already knows the answer. That’s why she is asking.’
Ah mih male breddren, that is something for us to truly sit and ponder, since women can be so devious when they are ready. And you women reading this, please don’t get all up in arms, because that is the gospel truth! (smile) They’ll often ask an incriminating question, to which they already know the answer, just to see our response, to see if they can catch us lying.
Ah Lord eh! The wiles that we use against each other! Seriously though my people, lies cause so many problems that we must all try to avoid them as much as possible, rather DON’T LIE AT ALL! That’s what our Saviour and our faith teaches us.
Once upon a time I used to lie, and I think I was pretty good at it, (smile) but eventually I realized that lying caused more problems than it solved, because for every lie you told, you had to make up another one to cover the one before it, and the lies just keep multiplying until you forget whom you’ve told what, and in the long run you get caught out anyway.
So it’s always better to tell the truth, even though it may get you in hot water. And I can certainly remember getting in plenty hot water for telling the truth, (smile) but then your conscience is clear and you don’t have to worry about what you’ve said to whom. Now I never set out to preach a sermon on lying, but we never know where the Holy Spirit will lead us.
And likewise, it lead me unawares to today’s Bit. As I was flipping through the Good Book, looking for something I could get my head around, I suddenly came upon it, and realized right away that that was my Eureka moment. So what does it say? ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ Ah friends, Cousin Sol never spoke truer words!
But before we get into any scriptures that corroborate it, let’s hear from the scholars. ‘1:7. The fear of the Lord means submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here. It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one’s parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner.
The beginning does not mean that “the fear of the Lord” is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but that it is the controlling principle of wisdom.’
Yes friends, before one can acquire wisdom, one has to have a reverential awe of the Lord because it is through Him that wisdom is dispensed. What did James say on the subject? ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach), and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
Yuh see mih people; wisdom comes from God, but we must have the right awe and respect for Him, and when we ask for it, there must be no doubting in our spirit, else He won’t grant it to us. And we’ll end with some precious words from Job, in chapter 28, re wisdom being the gift of God.
The scholars tell us: ’28:1-28. This chapter is one of the most beautiful poems on wisdom found in the Scriptures. After describing how laboriously man works to extract the ores and precious metals from the earth (vv. 1-11), Job raises the ultimate question of the sufferer. ‘But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?’ (v.12).
It cannot be purchased with earthly wealth (vv.13-19) but is conveyed only through the controlling factor of the fear of the Lord. ‘And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ (v.28). The concept of the fear of the Lord unites all the wisdom books (cf. Prov.1:7; Eccl.12:13).’
Yes friends, without a healthy respect for the Lord God Jehovah, wisdom will never be ours. So if we’re smart, (smile) we’ll begin developing that healthy respect and awe right now! Much LOVE!
…the first aspect of wisdom…is fearing God…
02 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wild and wicked weekend, Aloha, an excuse to party, another week of work, balance, be exceeding glad, behaviour we display, beloved, blessed, blessedness, celebrate the birth of Christ, character, Christ's work, Christ-like, Christian, Christmas Season, Christmas time, close proximity to God, debauchery, dispossess the child of God, each step I take, eat and drink and party, eternal destiny, evil, excellent manner, experience, exult, faith, falsely, fellowship, fiery trial, for my sake, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, glory in tribulations, God is real, God's deliverance, godly manner, grace, grow in faith, hope, I made it through, in Jesus' name, joy, justified, licentiousness, LOVE, patience, peace with God, persecute you, persecuted the prophets, perseverance, poured out, put through the fire, reconciliation, rejoice, rejoice in hope, relaxation, rest, restoration of our souls, revile you, reward in heaven, safely, salvation, shed abroad, some strange thing happened to you., TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanks, the Beatitudes, the glory of God, the Holy Ghost, the LOVE of God, the reason for the season, the salvation of Christ Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, think it not strange, to test our mettle, to try you, trials, tribulation, truth, vitality, words we speak, working for Jesus, worth its salt
1 Peter 4:12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
Aloha friends, and family, Aloha! Is Friday one more time… And as expected, the place is already hopping in expectation of a wild and wicked weekend, especially with Christmas time in the air.
Yeh, mih people, all around the place yuh hearing the usual ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Thank God for the weekend in this Christmas season, where we going to eat and drink and party fuh so…and even fall down drunk sometimes too! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend, come Christmas time!’
And believe me, this time when we celebrate the birth of Christ, is used to cover a lot of debauchery and licentiousness. But thankfully, we believers know better, we know the true reason for the season; the birth of Christ, and we celebrate it in a much more godly manner, don’t just use it as an excuse to party.
Anyway, since it’s Friday let’s chant our Friday Chant, which shows a better standard of behaviour in the use of the weekend. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh friends, that’s a much better way to spend the weekend, getting some balance and restoration in our souls, without which we won’t be able to do Christ’s work in the excellent manner that He expects from His followers.
Now let’s get to our Bit, which a lot of believers still can’t fathom. (smile) ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.’
Ah mih people, working for Jesus does not come easy, for at times, much of them unexpected, we are put through the fire to test our mettle, to see how our faith matches up with the words we speak and the behaviour we display. And it’s never easy to welcome these unexpected trials with the joy that is required of us.
However, as we grow in faith, as we stay in close proximity to Almighty God, taking all our problems to Him, finding joy in tribulation becomes easier. We have to go through it several times before we can truly appreciate the truth and the vitality contained therein.
Now we’ve heard James’ and Peter’s take on the subject, but no word on trials and tribulations will be worth its salt if it doesn’t contain these fiery words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.
‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience (produces perseverance); And patience, experience (character); and experience, hope:
And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (has been poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom.5:1-5)
So friends, since we have been justified through Christ, through God’s doing, not man’s, and thus have right standing with Him through reconciliation, we can therefore rejoice in whatever befalls us, because we are sure of God’s deliverance.
Hn! Hope that makes sense. (smile) That’s why Bruh Paul says we can glory, can boast in all the negative stuff that comes upon us, since they only grow us, make us stronger in our faith, bring us closer to God and more Christ-like, which is our end-goal.
Now here is the crowning glory of it all, found in the words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ that He delivered in the Sermon on the Mount. This is the last of the Beatitudes, and I don’t know if Jesus had a special reason for putting it last, possibly because He knew that it would be the hardest one to live by.
Nonetheless, please listen closely my brethren. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt.5:11-12)
And the scholars give us this interesting and uplifting explanation. ‘5:12. Rejoice is the command that grows out of the blessedness of the believer. The phrase Rejoice, and be exceeding glad means even more, exult!
Great is your reward in heaven focuses attention on the eternal destiny of all things. If God is as real as He claims, if the Bible is true, if heaven is to be gained, then no temporary earthly trouble or persecution can dispossess the child of God of joy in the prospect of the eternal glory that lies ahead.’
Oh friends, we know that our wonderful God is real, He is who He claims to be, plus the Bible is true, so no earthly trouble should take away our joy in the salvation of Christ Jesus!
So let’s go out today and just exult nuh; exult in the glory of God, knowing that our place in heaven is safe and secure! That’s what it means to be a true and mature Christian! Much LOVE!
…mourning may last for a night…but joy comes in the morning…because our faith is strong…and Christ’s salvation is real…
P.S. I visited our bubba Scotty yesterday afternoon. He is doing much better. He says he’s alive but can’t kick too hard just yet. (smile) So let’s keep on praying for him to make a full recovery very soon. Much LOVE!
01 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2017, a compassionate heart, a majority, adventurous, affirmation, be perfect, beloved, blessings, broken, Christians, Christmas, clear direction, closer relationship with Jesus, comfort, conquering power, count it all joy, courage, creativity, curse, divers temptations, divine protection, drinking milk, eating solid food, evil world, faith, faithful promises, family, favour, fear not, fiery trial, friends, fulfillment, God and us, God has bruised, God play a more significant role, greater is he that's in you, grow in our faith, guidance, he that is in the world, health, I am the Lord thy God, I have redeemed thee, I will be with thee, in the likeness of Jesus, in the name of Jesus, interesting, Isaiah, journey, joy, lacking nothing, leading, LOVE, mature, more than conquerors, negative word, New Year, no condemnation, nothing to fear, omnipotent god, open arms, pass through the waters, passion, personal relationship with God, prince of darkness, produces patience, promotion, prosper, ransom, rejoice with Christ, rough and rocky, rules, self-control, self-discipline, sinless Son, some strange thing happened to you., spiritual growth, strength, strong belief, succeed, success, suffer with Christ, talent abundance, the cross of Calvary, the flame scorch thee, the Holy One of Israel, the Holy Spirit, think it not strange, thou art mine, thou shall not be burned, through him that loved us, Thursday Blessings, thy Saviour, to mold, to test us, to try you, trials, trying of your faith, various trials, victory, walk through the fire, wisdom, working for the Lord
1 Peter 4:12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
Oh friends, can you believe that it’s already the beginning of December? Wow! This year of 2016 has passed rather quickly, and before you know it, we’ll be into Christmas and then the New Year of 2017.
Wonder what that will hold for us eh? Hopefully it will be better than this one, more blessings and less trials and tribulations. But what we need to ask ourselves right now, is did we grow and mature in our faith this year?
Did we have a closer relationship with Jesus? Did God play a larger, a more significant role in our lives? Are we closer to where we’re supposed to be, and further away from where we started? Have we matured to the point where we are eating solid food and not drinking milk still?
I do hope the answer to all those questions are in the affirmative, otherwise we have wasted precious time, lost our way in the most important aspect of our lives; our personal relationship to Almighty God.
But the good news is that it’s not too late to begin, we can begin right now! Our God ALWAYS receives those who sincerely come to Him with open arms. There is no condemnation, just lots of LOVE and affirmation.
So if you haven’t done as well as you should have this year, then simply turn to Him right this moment and ask for His help. He will not refuse it. But be forewarned, the journey with Jesus will not always be smooth, but oftimes rough and rocky, just like Jesus’ earthly life was.
However, with all of His faithful promises and the guidance, leading and comfort of His Holy Spirit we will be able to overcome anything that comes against us. Remember we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. (Rom.8:37)
So we have conquering power over what’s in the world, ‘because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4) Yes friends, our Lord and Saviour is greater than the prince of darkness who rules this evil world!
That means we have nothing to fear in our earthly pilgrimage, for God and us, are a majority against any foe.
This brings us to our Bit, which can be very discouraging to some. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.’
Yeh mih people, we should not be afraid when trials come upon us because God uses these trials to test us, to mold and grow us in the likeness of His wonderful, sinless Son Jesus Christ.
None of us likes these trials, especially when they suddenly spring up against us, but as I keep on saying, with God’s help we can over come any and everything. Listen to this awesome promise of our omnipotent God from Isaiah.
‘Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 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.’ (Is.43:1-3)
What an awesome promise my brethren! And the Lord kept it by redeeming us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. So what’s there to fear eh? NOTHING, once we are in league with Jesus!
Now, remember yesterday, we saw after our Bit, Peter talking about rejoicing in trials and tribulations, because if we suffered with Christ, we will eventually rejoice with Him. Hear now James’ take on the subject.
‘My brethren, count it all joy, when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials). Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing. (James 1:2-4)
And the scholars give us this info: ‘1:2-3 …These “negative” experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing….
It is not merely one’s presence in such trials but one’s victory over them that brings spiritual growth and maturity. Those Christians whom God can use the most are those whom God has bruised the most.’
Ah friends, that says it all; unless we are bruised, victoriously come through fiery trials, we are of no use to God. Anyway, let’s end on a brighter note; instead of trials, let’s end with blessings. Remember, a blessing is not a blessing, until it’s been spoken over someone.
So, as one strong voice, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings with sincere passion and strong belief. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life!
I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus!
I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And don’t forget to also bless those around us, our friends and families, for they need blessings too. Much LOVE!
…working for the Lord is not easy…but it’s surely interesting and adventurous…
30 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a coward, a glorious future with Jesus, a part of our lifewalk, a youngster, according to His purpose, all things work together for good, an open heart, are called, arthritic bones, baffling, become like christ, believers in Christ, beloved, blasphemed, Christ's glory be revealed, Christ's sufferings, Christ-like, come first, conformed, crying out, deep cutting pain, difficulties, emotional trauma, escape the testing, evidence, evil, evil spoken of, exceeding joy, faith, fiery furnace, fiery ordeals, fiery trial, forgiveness, friends, frightens, get out of bed, glad, glorified, glory, glory hallelujah, God's people, God's will, goodness, grieves, growth, honesty, hope, hungry hope, I ask God to steady me, incredible lessons, insulted, joy, joyful note, loneliness, losing someone, LOVE, medication, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back at the past, One Year Book of Bible promises, out and about, overwhelming, pain, partakers, plead for help, positive, Praise the Lord, pray for it, praying, promise, pruning, rejoice, reproached, Ruth Harms Calkin, saltwater, some strange thing, strong faith, sunshine, sweet Tobago, teaching me, testing, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the children of men, the cross of Christ, the Garden of Gethsemane, the image of His Son, the Lord's plans, the spirit of glory, think it not strange, to them that love God, to try you, trials, tribulations, trying times, warmth, warning, we shall overcome, Wednesday Wail, willingness, without relief, yielding
1 Peter 4:12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
Oh my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, this morning the ole fella is pleading for mercy and forgiveness in accordance with our Christian faith. (smile)
Ah friends, it seems like I’ve forgotten that I’m no longer a youngster, and after being out and about a fair amount yesterday, I also had a pretty late night… or morning. Thus, I was unable to get out of bed at a decent enough hour to write the Bit.
And to make matters even worse, the arthritic bones are crying out some this Wednesday morning…. Oh for the warmth, the sunshine, salt water and LOVE of sweet Tobago! (smile)
But not to worry, between some man-made medication and the cross of Christ, we shall overcome all our difficulties.
And all God’s people said a loud and appreciative, ‘Praise the Lord for his goodness to the children of men!’
And now that I’ve gratefully received your mercy and forgiveness so graciously offered, (smile) here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, which I think is very appropriate for many of us in these trying times.
It’s titled ‘Fiery Trials.’ And it says: ‘God is teaching me incredible lessons regarding growth. I see with undeniable evidence that growth means pruning, and pruning means pain. I confess, I’m actually a coward about pain.
I certainly never pray for it. I don’t anticipate or look for it. I do only one thing. I ask God to steady me, since the Bible so clearly states that trials are a part of our lifewalk with Him. In all honesty I would prefer to escape the testing.
I don’t like the pain of emotional trauma, which can be so overwhelming and baffling. I don’t like the deep cutting pain that goes on and on without relief. The pain of loneliness frightens me, the pain of losing someone dear to me grieves me.
Nevertheless, I am praying for an open heart. I can’t begin to contemplate what fiery ordeals God may choose for my testing and growth, but I do long for my yieldedness to prove my willingness to be conformed to the image of His dear Son.’
Oh my precious people in Christ, I am sure that each one of us have thought and prayed something like that on numerous occasions when we’ve been put through our paces by Almighty God!
No, the testing is never ever very nice, but as believers in Christ, we do need to keep an open heart and try our best to yield willingly to the trials and tribulations that come against us. We obviously don’t know the Lord’s plans for our testing, but we must also remember that He’s promised to see us successfully through each and every one.
Please remember these great and promising words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28)
So friends, if you are one of those called by God, and you LOVE Him, then please believe that eventually He will work everything out for your good as He has promised.
And the promise for today’s ‘Fiery Trials’ writing is also our Bit, a scripture that we all know but DON’T LOVE! (smile)
‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.’
And a lot of us ask if Peter is mad or what! How can we not think it strange when those trials and tribulations suddenly come upon us, usually without any warning?
But here is Peter’s logic as he continues after our Bit. ‘But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Peter 4:13-14)
Yeh mih breddren, it is hard to accept trials, moreover to rejoice in them is extremely difficult. But please remember they are come upon us for testing, we’re being put thought fiery furnace so that we may become like Christ.
That’s the main reason, and it follows that if we suffer in His name, then we will also be glorified when He is glorified. So please hang in there and don’t be afraid to ask the Lord for help.
If Christ could plead for help in the Garden of Gethsemane before undergoing His fiery trial of crucifixion, so can we. But the important thing to realize is that God’s Will must always come first.
It’s not easy, but like Jesus did it through hungry hope and strong faith in His Father, so can we with God’s ever-present help. Now let’s go home on a more positive and joyful note, as we wail our Wednesday Wail.
Wailing… as one: ‘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!’
Yes friends, instead of focusing on our trials and tribulations, let’s joyfully focus instead on the wonderful future we have to look forward to with Christ! That makes much more sense. Much LOVE!
…through the fiery furnace we go…but more Christ-like we come out…
P.S. It’s late, but great! (smile) Please keep on praying for our bubba Scotty. Much LOVE!
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 