12 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Bathsheba, beguiling, belief in Jesus christ, Bruh David, cast me not away from thy presence, count it all joy, create in me a clean hear, divers temptations, dominion, faith, Friday chant, friends, glorious kingdom, glory, Glory be, God's joy, holy spirit, honour, hypnotizing power, I am called by thy name, iniquities, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful presence of god, LOVE, Lucifer, lulled back to sleep, majesty, more precious than gold, my soul shall be joyful in the Lord, negative experiences, O Lord God of Hosts, ole crook, power, praise, prayer for cleansing, prophet Nathan, rejoicing to our hearts, rejuvenation of spirit, renew a right spirit within me, rest, salvation, sinners shall be converted, stand strong in Jesus' Name, steal our joy, temptations, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the appearing of Jesus Christ, the joy and rejoicing of my heart, the joy of Jesus, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the joy of thy salvation, the rhythm of the falling rain, the trial of your faith, the Word of god, transgressors, tried with fire, trust, truth, uphold me with thy free spirit, wisdom
Nehemiah 8:10b. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
‘Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain…pita pata, pita pata. Oh listen to the rhythm of the falling rain…’ Hn! And next thing I knew I was hypnotized, lulled back to sleep for a couple hours. Wow! That’s the hypnotizing, beguiling power of the falling rain!
Yeh Friends, I was up at six o’clock, but lay there listening to the beguiling sounds of the falling rain, and then it was suddenly after eight. And going to bed fairly late this morning didn’t help matters any. Well at least I got a couple more hours rest. Glory be!
Anyway, today is Friday…as if you all didn’t know, and consequently sang back to me, the Friday mantra. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The weekend is finally here, and it’s going to be wonderful; lots of rest, relaxation, fun and fellowship. Thank God it’s Friday!’
Hn? What are you doing to me my people? Am I hearing right, or are you all just saying that to lull me into a false sense of believing that you are turning around your lives, giving up the things of the world for the things of Jesus? (smile) I really don’t know, but like Jesus, I’m going to have hope and faith and believe for the best; that you’re really changing.
Nonetheless, let’s chant our Friday Chant like we mean it nuh. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, without that revitalization of our spirits we won’t be able to do the job that Jesus desires of us. But even more importantly, we also need the groundings of our Bit to successfully do Jesus’ work. ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
That’s for certain sure my people! Without the joy of God flowing through our souls, we won’t be able to do much of anything at all! That’s why, as I said yesterday, the ole crook Lucifer tries to steal our joy in God, since without it we are weak and powerless. We therefore need to maintain that joy of Jesus in our spirits ALL THE TIME, so that the enemy can’t get a successful shot at us!
And we’ll continue today looking at some scriptures which declare the importance of God’s joy in our lives. And there’s no better place to see the importance of God’s joy in our souls than in Psalm 51 – Bruh David’s prayer for cleansing, after Nathan had confronted him with his abominable sins re Bathsheba.
Bruh David cries out to God: ‘Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’ (Ps.51:9-13)
Yes Friends, Bruh David had gotten the evil desires of his heart, but he had lost the joy of his God. We need to be very careful about what we ask for or desire, because oftimes it can move us away from the redeeming and joyful presence of God and make us sorrowful.
Now listen to Jeremiah in his personal lament. ‘Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.’ (Jer.15:16) Oh my people, does the Word of God bring joy and rejoicing to our hearts? It certainly ought to.
Meanwhile Peter tells us this about being distressed when caught up in much temptations. ‘That the trial (genuineness) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.’ (1 Pet.1:7-8)
What powerful tools are faith and belief in Jesus Christ, my brethren! For though we’ve never seen Him face to face, yet we so strongly believe and trust in Him that even when we’re tried and tested, we still retain the unspeakable joy found in His Spirit.
And James puts it in simple straightforward terms. ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials).’ (James 1:2)
And the scholars explain that ‘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.’
Yes Friends, when we look at everything from the standpoint that it comes from God, who has promised to work everything out for our good, then we can accept whatever comes against with joy, knowing that we will come out better, more Christ-like in the end.
Then Jude tells us: ‘Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling (stumbling), and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.’ (Jude 24-25)
Ah mih people, with those words of absolute truth and wisdom we’ll end today’s message. Now let’s ponder all that we’ve read and make the conscious decision to keep the joy of God always in our hearts, minds and souls, so that we can reject the advances of the enemy and stand strong in the name and faith of Jesus! For that is indeed the zenith of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…and my soul shall be joyful in the Lord…it shall rejoice in his salvation… (Ps. 35:9)
11 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, ask and ye shall receive, at thy right hand, awesome Deity, backsliders, change the world, doubters, Elihu, eternal life, everything is possible, forgiveness, friends, glory, God is my salvation, God's unconditional LOVE, gospel truth, grace, guidance of the Holy spirit, in thy presence is fullness of joy, Jesus Christ, Job, joy, knowing christ, living lives honouring God, Lucifer, magnanimous hand of God, Margaret Mead, mercy, miracles, our leader, our Lord and Saviour, pleasures for evermore, power of Jesus, Praise the Lord, radical difference, repent, riding shotgun, righteousness., salvation, shout with joy, sing unto the Lord, small-minded, steal our joy, surrender, thanksgiving for god's mercies, the good news of the gospel, the Holy One of Israel, the Holy Spirit, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Lord Jehovah is my strength, the path of life, the wells of salvation, the wiles of the enemy, trust, unbelievers, walking with Christ, walking with Jesus, what the Lord has done for me, your joy may be full, your joy might be full, Zion
Nehemiah 8:10b. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Oh Friends, I’ve got such a joy deep down in my soul this Thursday morning in June that I just can’t contain it! Wow! That joy just makes me feel like shouting out to the world what God has done for me! And I surely hope that you’re feeling the same way too, for that’s the beauty and benefit of being a true believer!
Oh my people, I’m talking about His unconditional LOVE, His constantly available grace and never-ending mercy, then the beautiful essence of forgiveness… and don’t even talk about salvation and eternal life! Oh my my! And what shall we say to the biggest blessing of all eh; His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, our Leader, Lord and Saviour!
Mama Mia! What an awesome Deity we serve and worship my brethren! So how can we ever doubt or believe that the great God who created us, doesn’t LOVE and care for us eh? Steups!
What more has He got to do my brethren before we can comfortably and assuredly put our entire trust in him, to completely surrender our souls, minds and bodies to His superior guidance through the work and presence of His Holy Spirit?
I really don’t know what it will realistically take for the numerous unbelievers and backsliders to truly understand what this life is all about nuh, one controlled by the mighty but magnanimous hand of Almighty God.
Ah Friends, we’re such small-minded doubters and disbelievers that it isn’t funny. So much so that even if God did miracles in our lives every day, we’d still have doubts and refuse to believe. But here’s the good news Friends, we, a relatively small band of true believers are here to change the world, we’re going to make a radical difference.
And the best way to do that is by living lives honouring God, giving Him all the glory. And don’t think that we can’t do it because we’re too few, for if we listen to this quote by Margaret Mead (1901-1978) the famous American cultural anthropologist, we’ll see that it’s very possible.
‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’
Gospel truth that, my people! Whatever serious changes that’s ever been wrought in our world have always been by a relatively small group of its population, and with the awesome power of Jesus riding shotgun with us… Oh my Friends, all and everything is possible!
And believe you me, that’s exactly what Jesus is calling us to do; to bring some radical changes to this wicked and godless world by spreading the good news of His gospel that’s overflowing with the most important elements of PEACE and LOVE, FORGIVENESS, MERCY, GRACE, SALVATION and ETERNAL LIFE!
And all God’s people joyfully shouted out: ‘All praise, honour and glory be to the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God of heaven and earth, Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein!’
Now Friends, joy is something that’s always supposed to be in the spirit of the believer. As such, we therefore need to continually remember the words of our Bit: …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Yes my people, without God’s joy coursing through our spirits, we are weaklings. That’s why Lucifer is always trying to steal our joy, because then he knows he can get his evil claws into us without too much effort.
And if you listen to Jesus when He was talking to the disciples about the vine and the branches, you’d hear Him say to them. ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:11) It’s obvious my people that we do need the joy found in Jesus to be able to live this earthly life fully and to be obedient to His will.
Then later on He said to the disciples: ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ (John 16:24) Yes my brethren, the joy of God is ever so important in a believer’s life. Without it, we’re powerless to resist the wiles of the enemy.
All through the Bible there are passages which proclaim the importance of godly joy in our lives. Let’s check out a couple of them. Listen to Elihu as he reasons with Job, re God’s calling on men to repent.
‘He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him (delight in him): and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto (restore to) man his righteousness.’ (Job 33:26) Joy in the Lord is ever so important my brethren.
Now hear Bruh David from Psalm 16, where he’s seeking preservation and blessing. He ends it thus: ‘Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps.16:11) And isn’t that absolute truth? It surely is! For once the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding us, there will be joy in our souls.
Meanwhile, Isaiah, in his thanksgiving for God’s mercies, puts it this way. ‘And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (deeds) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord, for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout (with joy), thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ (Is.12:1-6)
Yes Friends, that’s how a nation, a people behaves when the joy of the Lord is amongst them. And we’ll end with a few words from John, from his first epistle. ‘And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.’ (1 John 1:4)
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘1:4. The major purpose of 1 John is stated in 5:13 (please look it up), but another purpose is stated here: for the recipients, and no doubt John as well, to enjoy and share in the deep sense of satisfaction and purpose that knowing Christ and walking with Him brings.’
Oh my fellow believers, that is indeed the gospel truth! And we’ll leave us this morning to each ponder our walk with Jesus, to see exactly how it is proceeding, and to strengthen it when and where necessary, with God’s help. Much LOVE!
…one can never fully appreciate the joy of walking with Jesus…until one really and truly walks with Jesus…
10 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, adversity, attitude of prayer, be careful for nothing, benefits of following Jesus, blessed Trinity, blessings, christ jesus, Controller of the universe, earthly pilgrimage, evildoers, fellowship with God, fretting, give God all the glory, giving thanks, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, God in three persons, God is sovereign, godly advice, grateful, holy holy holy, in every thing give thanks, in everything by prayer and supplication, last days, let your requests be made known unto God, line of communication, lord god almighty, LOVE, make a joyful noise, merciful, mighty, our best interests at heart, our song shall rise to thee, peace, pray without ceasing, praying, promises, rejoice evermore, rejoicing, sinful nature, sing unto the Lord, stop worrying, thanksgiving, the Creator of the universe, the face of adversity, the good and bad times, the heathen, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is a great God, the rock of our salvation, the unbeliever, the voice of thanksgiving, the will of God, Thessalonians, thoughts of peace, to give you an expected end, wash mine hands in innocence, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wondrous works
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Oh Friends, please sing the Wednesday Wail with me to open today’s proceedings! (smile) I’m still not sure if it’s going to be a permanent part of our routine, but for now, let’s sing it for all we’re worth and start our day off on the right foot – with prayer.
In sweet harmony now, let’s sing: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of live 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 what a glorious future that promises to be my brethren, for remember what the Lord promises in Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
What a marvelous promise that is my people! Our God only has good thoughts towards us, and a wonderful future in store for those who LOVE Him and sincerely keep His commandments and do His will. So please, let’s stop worrying and fretting about the things of life which we can’t control, and just surrender them all to Jesus, who has our best interests at heart, and is in control of ALL THINGS. Glory to God!
Now Friends, let’s turn to our Bit, which is another piece of encouraging and comforting scripture. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’
Ah mih people, excellent words of godly advice and wisdom that! And it follows logically that if God is sovereign, supreme and in control, then who better for us to turn to, in whatever state we might be in, be it good, bad or indifferent? NOBODY my brethren!
The Creator of the universe and all therein wants us to come to Him with every problem, every woe, and also when things are right, just to fellowship with Him in peace and LOVE!
So just like we spend time with our earthly fathers, both in the good and bad times, likewise we ought to make it a habit to turn to our heavenly Father regardless of what’s happening in our lives. That’s a line of communication we must keep open at all times, if we are to truly enjoy the blessings and benefits of being a true believer.
But enough of me, (smile) let’s hear some scripture which validates our Bit. Listen to Bruh David from Psalm 26, where he invites the Lord to examine and prove him.
‘I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash mine hands in innocency (innocence): so will I compass (go about) thine altar, O Lord: That I may publish (proclaim) with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.’ (Ps.26:5-7)
Yes Friends, in these difficult and trying last days, we also need to get our lives together and proclaim the wondrous works that God has done in our lives. For how will the heathen, the unbeliever hear about them otherwise eh? It’s all up to us and the Holy Spirit working together in tandem.
Now hear Bruh Paul’s simple but powerful advice to the Thessalonians. ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:16-18)
What wonderful words of wisdom my people! Hn! What could be better than rejoicing, praying and giving thanks on a constant basis eh? NOTHING at all folks!
And the scholars give us this explanation. ‘5:18. In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17, will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
And that my brethren, giving thanks even in the face of adversity, though such an important part of our belief system, is much easier said than done. It’s no problem to be grateful when times are good, but being thankful when they are rough, goes against the very grain of our sinful nature.
But it is something that’s required of us, and like most other things in life, we can only get perfect at it by consciously practicing it. So let’s make a conscious choice to practice it nuh, until it becomes and automatic habit.
And then the psalmist, in Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God, joyfully proclaims: ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all Gods.’ (Ps.95:1-3)
Oh Friends, there’s no disputing those last statements, therefore it behooves us to approach our heavenly Father with the reverence and thanksgiving that He so rightfully deserves. And if you think all of that is a bit much, then please check out what is happening around God’s throne in heaven, as John the Revelator describes it.
‘And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest (cease) not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts (living creatures) give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist.)’ (Rev.4:8-11)
Oh mih people, can you imagine the celebration, the praise and thanksgiving that’s constantly going on in heaven! Mama Mia! Our earthly pilgrimage ought also to reflect that constant joy and praise for the Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein.
So please, let’s get serious about giving God ALL the glory for ALL that we do nuh, for that is certainly the wisdom of both heaven and earth! Much LOVE!
…Holy, holy, holy…Lord God Almighty…early in the morning…our song shall rise to thee…Holy, holy, holy…merciful and mighty…God in three persons…blessed Trinity…
09 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a matter of faith, a true believer, almighty god, an easy row to hoe, and the body than raiment, anxious, automatic action, be careful for nothing, boring death, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, comfort, comprehend, discouragement, don't worry, exciting life, failure, faith, finite minds, glory, glory to God, God is still on the throne, God's plan, God's ways are higher than ours, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, his goodness to the children of men, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, I will move, in everything by prayer and supplication, in you I come alive, inner mental stability, insecure, insecurity, irresponsibility, is not life more than food, jehovah god, Jehovah-Jireh, legitimate concerns, let your requests be made known unto God, level of faith, Lord I want your heart to be in my heart, loving kindness, material needs, material things of life, outward physical provisions, pardon, personal example, power, powerless, promises, providence, reassurance, reverence, rightousness, rudderless, Sermon on the Mount, shame, sin, sinfulness, spiritual blessings of God, strength, success, take no thought for your life, Thank You Lord, thanksgiving, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is at hand, the Lord our Provider, the spirit of a man, the straight and narrow path, trust, walk in worry, weakness, wisdom, worry free
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Aye Friends, welcome to another day in the unfolding of God’s great universe! It is unfolding as it should. We might not think it logical or understand it, but all we need to know is that God is still on the throne, and still in control of what He made. His thoughts and abilities are way higher than ours, so our small, finite minds won’t be able to comprehend all that’s going on.
Be not afraid though, for everything is working to plan; God’s plan that is. Just rest in the comfort and reassurance of His tender, forgiving and merciful embrace and allow the Holy Spirit that dwells within you to lead and guide you on the straight and narrow path that leads to our heavenly Father. End of sermon. (smile)
And now, on this wet and cloudy Tuesday morning in my area, here’s a simple but powerful prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Shuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled ‘I WILL MOVE…’ I don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, because it doesn’t even look familiar to me. Hn! And I’ve been reading the book for several years now.
Anyway, please pray with me: ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
Oh my people, what true and wonderful sentiments! That’s just what I was saying earlier; putting your hope and trust in Almighty God is the only wise and sensible way to proceed in this mish-mash thing we call life. Without His involvement in our lives we are simply powerless and rudderless, aimlessly drifting on a tossing sea of sin and sinfulness, which augurs no good whatsoever to anybody.
But with Jehovah God in our lives, as Gramps Schuller so rightfully declares, we keep moving ahead in an exciting life, filled with hope, glory, strength and success!
And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Glory to God! Praise Him for His wonderful LOVING-kindness to the children of men!’ Yes Friends, that we certainly ought to do, for our God does deserve much reverence and thanksgiving!
And talking about reverence and thanksgiving, listen to our Bit, which details it marvellously for us. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’
Without a doubt my brethren, the wise way is always to bring everything to God in prayer with much thanks for all that He’s done and still doing for us.
And the scholars offer this information on our Bit. ‘4:6. Be careful for nothing means “don’t worry about anything.” The Lord’s nearness (v.5b) (‘The Lord is at hand’) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern.
The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in everything, “in every matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied with thanksgiving.’
Ah Friends, unfortunately too many of us don’t put that advice in to action, therefore we are worried and anxious about all sorts of things. I guess it depends on the level of faith to which we have attained; meaning the greater our faith, the more we submit or adhere to the programme.
Consequently we need to build our faith so that going to God with EVERYTHING in prayer with thanksgiving becomes an automatic action in our lives. And I can tell you from personal example, it works my brethren, it truly works!
You might not always get the answer you want, or even deserve, but if you follow the leading of God’s Spirit that dwells within you, you will seldom go wrong. It won’t always be an easy row to hoe, but it will be definitely interesting and worthwhile.
And in support of our Bit, let’s look at some defining scriptures. First up is Jesus’ profound pronouncement from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt.6:25)
And the scholars offer this splendid explanation of that verse. ‘6:25. Jesus now deals with the equally dangerous tendency of those who have few possessions: worry! Take no thought (Gr. me merimnao) means “Do not be anxious.” This word means to be so disturbed about material needs that we distrust God and are distracted from faithfully doing His will.
Anxious care is the direct opposite of faith. Therefore, even the poor are not to worry needlessly about what they should eat, drink, or wear. The question Is not life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? indicates that inner mental stability must come from the spirit of a man and not from outward physical provisions.
To set one’s heart on material possessions or to worry about the lack of them is to live in perpetual insecurity and to deprive oneself of the spiritual blessings of God.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people. That’s why so many of us are so insecure. We place too much emphasis on the material things of life; worry too much about them, and work too hard to acquire them. We do need them, but listen to Jesus further on the issue.
‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) And if you are a person of faith, a true believer in Christ, then you will understand that if you do the will of God, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider, will indeed provide for all our material wants and needs.
It’s all a matter of faith, my brethren. Believe and you will not worry, and will be amply provided for. Do not believe, then you will worry, be anxious and stress yourself out, and still not be sure of having all your needs met. And on that most important note, we’ll end today’s message.
Oh Friends, I implore us to have faith, or to raise the level of our faith, so that we won’t have the unnecessary worry and concern that comes with lack of faith. That is the wisdom of both heaven and earth. Much LOVE!
…why walk in worry…when one can walk worry free in faith…
08 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aberrant behaviour, aura of love, believers in Christ, confidence, Creator of the universe, do good, ever-faithful God, evil, fellowship, follow peace, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, good report, gospel truth, holy spirit, honest, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lay me down in peace, let not your heart be troubled, lies, LOVE, maturing, meditate, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my peace I give unto you, noble, not as the world giveth, Oh Lord God Almighty, Peace i leave with you, Philippians, praiseworthy, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, reverence, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the God of peace, trust in God, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Well, well Friends, if it isn’t Monday again; the day we all like to hate! And while I’m expecting that announcement to bring forth some exasperated moaning and groaning and a cuss word or two, am I ever surprised by the shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ that emanates from God’s people.
Wow! Are we growing up, maturing or what? I surely hope so, and this not some kind of aberrant behaviour that will fizzle out next week. (smile)
Ah Friends, I know that getting up to go to work any day is difficult, but it’s especially so on Mondays, after you’ve had a couple days off. But that’s the way our society has been framed, and there’s not much we can do about it, so we might as well get used to it, and rise up over it. And as true believers in Christ, that is exactly what is expected of us.
But since we are not all good at the Monday wake up call, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn which energizes us, gets our adrenalin going. So with one voice, sweet as a heavenly choir, let’s sing:
‘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!’
Ah mih people, that rendition wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t get a standing ‘O’ in heaven. (smile) However, I hope it got our motors running and that we’re now fully in tune with Almighty God, so we can get out and perform to the level of excellence that’s expected of us. Yes Friends, we’re now ready to go out into the calamitous world and like Jesus during His earthly sojourn, simply do good. That’s all He asks of us.
And to help us in that most worthwhile endeavour, He granted us strong encouragement and assurance in our Bit. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’
Oh Friends, without that peace of Jesus we will not be able to successfully navigate this evil and sinful world. We’ll continuously be filled with fear, anxiety, dread and worry; none of which are good stabilizers. But when we embrace Jesus and all that He stands for, then we are supernaturally empowered, through His Holy Spirit to fight the good fight…and win!
Now let’s hear some scripture verses which support our contentions. Listen first to that mighty prophet Isaiah from his hymn of praise. ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).’ (Is.26:3-4) What beautiful, reassuring and absolutely true sentiments my brethren!
Now hear Bruh David, first from Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God. He ends with these faithful and powerful words of trust. ‘I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps.4:8) And then, this ending from Psalm 29 – The voice of the Lord in the storm. ‘The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.’ (Ps.29:11)
Oh my people, we all know that Bruh David was no goody-two-shoes, but he had abundant faith and trust in the God of His Fathers, and that magnanimous and ever-faithful God kept him from going under, though he stumbled several times, he never fell. And if we genuinely believe, trust in and reverence the Lord of Hosts, He will undoubtedly do the same for us.
Meanwhile, the author of Hebrews wisely advises us to: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb.12:14) I couldn’t put it any simpler or clearer that that Friends.
And we’ll end with some of Bruh Paul’s advice to the Philippians, re things to think on. ‘Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil.4:8-9)
I can’t add anything to that Friends, except to implore us to do exactly what Bruh Paul advised the Philippians, because it is gospel truth, as well as heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…mercy unto you…and peace…and LOVE…be multiplied… (Jude 2)
07 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a time of peace, a time of war, a time to every purpose under heaven, a time to hate, a time to love, afraid, and have it more abundantly, anxious, broken, Bruh Paul, celebration for peace, Christ is the only judge, church bells are tolling, Cousin Sol, cowed, depart from evil, diverse voices, do good, downtrodden, Ecclesiastes, edify another, encouraging, fearful, food and drink, friends, glory to God, God's largesse, gracious, I am come that they might have life, jeans, Jesus Christ, joy in the Holy Ghost, let not your heart be troubled, magnanimous, Mahatma Ghandi, merciful, miserable, Mother Teresa, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, one voice for peace, painted lady butterflies, peace, Peace i leave with you, Peace Pole, poor, praise, prosperity, put on our Sunday best, reassuring words, rejoice, righteousness., run life, seek peace and pursue it, shorts, sing, sloppy attire, St. Francis Parish, take the bull by the horns, the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God, the love of power, the power of love, the return of Jesus christ, the state of our hearts, to everything there is a season, we belong to each other, with loud voice, worried, worship the Lord
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Well mih lovelies, it’s the first day of the week, Sunday! And would you know that all the church bells are tolling, inviting the faithful to come and sing and praise and worship the Lord, to fellowship with those of like belief, and receive the many blessings which come from engaging in those activities!
Wow! What a mouthful Friends, but nonetheless, very true sentiments. So let’s put on our Sunday best and get us hither to the sanctuary and rejoice with loud voice in our Creator and our God, for it is indeed the wise thing to do.
And speaking of Sunday best clothing, I remember the olden days when everybody dressed up to go to church, some possibly overdressed too. (smile) You wouldn’t be caught dead in church with shorts and jeans and sloppy attire.
Now it’s true that back then there was possibly too much emphasis on your clothing, and technically speaking, the Lord cares more about the state of our hearts than our dress, but I’m sure He still appreciates and prefers to see a congregation praising and worshipping Him looking good. It does say something about the people’s prosperity and reflects well on the Lord’s largesse.
If you see people gathering to worship a Deity and they are all looking sloppy, poor and downtrodden, why would you want to join them eh? All I’m saying though is that when we go to church we ought to look as decent as we can.
Now yesterday at our church, St. Francis in Meadowvale, we held a celebration for peace around the Peace Pole on the lawn of the property. Or as the bulletin put it: ‘The Diverse Voices in Meadowvale United in One Voice for Peace.’ We prayed for Peace in our World, our Country, in our Community and in our Families. And then we set free some painted lady butterflies to commemorate the occasion.
We were also graced with the presence of City Councilor Pat Saito celebrating with her annual barbecue and answering the many questions her constituents had. All in all, it was a very pleasant and successful venture.
Now here is one of the quotes from the peace service bulletin that I never knew, but which took my breath away and captured my heart. It’s attributed to Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) the Indian peace activist and leader of the fight for Indian Independence from Britain. He reputedly said: ‘The day the power of LOVE overrules the LOVE of Power, the world will know peace.’
Mama Mia! I like it! And it’s also very true. The only problem though, is when will that blessed day come eh? Most likely not before the majestic return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who spoke the most celebrated words on the somewhat ephemeral and hard to capture or attain subject of peace.
Listen to our Messiah in today’s Bit. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’
Wow, mih breddren! What encouraging and reassuring words! And please notice the most important words in the promise ‘not as the world giveth…’ Yes Friends, our Leader is not of this world, so the peace He offers is way different to that which the world acclaims. And because His peace is different to that of the world, we don’t need to be worried, anxious or afraid of anything or anyone in the world.
Now how do you like them beans eh? (smile) I LOVE them, and sure hope you do too, because if you don’t, then your life here on earth will be miserable and fearful. And that’s definitely not what our Saviour came to give us. He said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
Yes my people, our Saviour came that we should enjoy this earthly life, not to live it cowed and broken. That’s why when we are filled with the peace that He offers, we won’t be terrified of life, but will take the bull by the horns and run life, instead of letting life run us.
Oh Friends, like the ole fella’s in fine form this Sunday morning, obviously being led by the Holy Spirit. Glory to God! Now let’s look at some scripture passages that deal with the very elusive term called peace. And we’ll set the scene with the well-known words of Cousin Sol in his role as the Preacher or Teacher in Ecclesiastes.
‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven… A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ ((Eccl.3:1, 8) There’s no disputing those facts Friends, the only problem is that the time for peace seems to be taking rather long to come.
Then we have this very wise advice from Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:14)
Yuh see my brethren, peace is something we ought to actively seek out, to pursue, for it doesn’t just come about automatically. It is a lifestyle that we definitely have to be actively interested in and then get actively involved in. And the peace we’re talking about here is the peace of Jesus, not that of the world.
And we’ll end with the words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. He’s talking about Christ being the only judge, therefore we should not judge each other, in this case in the things that we eat. ‘For the kingdom of God is not meat (food) and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost… Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify (build up) another.’ (Rom.14:17, 19)
Oh Friends, with those wise words and thoughts uppermost in our minds this Sunday morning, let’s ponder them as they pertain to our individual lives nuh, and then make the necessary improvements, of course with the help of our magnanimous, gracious and merciful God. Much LOVE!
…if we have no peace…it is because we have forgotten…that we belong to each other… (Mother Teresa)
06 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all is not lost, almighty god, an intense longing for god, anxiety, baby-sitting, believers in Jesus Christ, but god is the strength of my heart, challenge, Christ-like, complaining, confusion, conveniences, economic outlook, forgiveness, grace, grocery shopping, hallmark of a true believer, housework, it is good for me to draw near to God, Jeremiah, Lamentations, lord of hosts, LOVE, low wages, mercy, modern inventions, my flesh and my heart faileth, my portion forever, my soul thirsteth for god, not being afraid, on a challenge, pain, part-time jobs, recreation time, relaxation, rest, Saturday, Selah, sins, soul strengthening, step up to the plate, stress, stressful, tension, the courts of the Lord, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the living God, the Lord is my portion, the Messiah, the sacrificial Lamb, the things of the world, therefore will I hope in him, thriving, to hunger and thirst for God, traffic jams, uplifting, whining, winning and losing, wisdom, worry
Psalm 73:26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (the rock) of my heart, and my portion forever.
And then it was Saturday; hopefully a day of rest and relaxation after a long week of commuting and traffic jams, morning and evening. Hn! But unfortunately, for a lot of us, it is a time to catch up on the housework and grocery shopping that we could not do during the week.
Ah Lord eh! Whoever talked about the lots of recreation time we would have with all the modern inventions and conveniences were sadly wrong, because this modern world is far busier, more intense and stressful that that of our parents. Now they didn’t have the conveniences that we have, but neither did they have to rush around and do all the stuff that we need to do today.
With most mothers working today, baby-sitting has become a major part of the problem, and it still takes time to load and unload the dishwasher, the clothes washer and dryer and clean the house. Then the current economic outlook is not the greatest, and consequently many people are losing their jobs, which creates even more stress and confusion.
Not only that, but the relatively few jobs that are available are mostly part-time, or contractual, with low wages and little or no security. And to make matters worse, the prices of everything, including rent and other accommodation keep going up, while wages are not keeping in step. So we are constantly falling behind in our buying power. No wonder the anxiety, worry, tension and stress in this most advanced and modern society.
What a mess we have made of God’s wonderful world my people! But all is not yet lost Friends. As believers in Jesus Christ we always have hope. As Jeremiah says in his Lamentations: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.’ (Lam.3:24)
That brings me to an interesting point of view I recently received from my good buddy Anselm, who is always trying to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And he says: ‘To be a champion, I think you have to see the big picture. It’s not about winning and losing; it’s about every day hard work and about thriving on a challenge. It’s about embracing the pain that you’ll experience at the end of a race and not being afraid. I think people think too hard and get afraid of a certain challenge.’
And there is a lot of truth in that point of view, especially in these trying times when the world isn’t looking so rosy. And remember too Friends, that is how our Lord and Saviour Jesus operated: He worked hard every day, thriving on the challenge of getting others to believe that He was the promised Messiah.
And though the going was often pretty rough, He wasn’t afraid, and never shirked from the challenge that the Father gave Him; to be the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the entire world. That means if we want to be Christ-like, to be transformed into His image, then we too need to step up to the plate and do whatever God has planned for us, without too much whining and complaining.
And we have a wonderful Bit today that encourages us, that gives us the belly and backbone, the manly parts to stand strong and face the challenges of this earthly life. The Psalmist Asaph said it in no uncertain terms. ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (the rock) of my heart, and my portion forever.’
Oh what an uplifting and soul strengthening declaration that is my brethren! It’s also gospel truth, so it’s therefore something all believers should willingly and excitingly embrace. Ah mih people, we do need lots of gumption and strength to live in this current fallen world, and there’s no better place or way to get that than from Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider.
And we’ll look at a few scriptures which echo the sentiments of our Bit. Let’s begin with Psalm 84, from the sons of Korah. They enthusiastically declare: ‘How amiable are thy tabernacles (lovely are thy dwellings), O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God… Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will still be praising thee. Selah.’ (Ps.84:1-2,4)
Oh Friends, is our flesh crying out for the living God? It ought to be, but I have a sad feeling that our flesh is crying out more for the things of the world which moth and rust can destroy. (smile)
Now listen to Bruh David’s take on the subject from Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God. ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps.42:1-2)
Yes my people, the souls of believers ought to be seriously thirsting after Almighty God, who created us and still provides for us, each and every day! And please note that all the psalmists agree that our God is a LIVING GOD, not lifeless objects like other supposed deities.
And all God’s children joyfully and gratefully shouted out: ‘All praise, thanks and glory be to the living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who is the source of all our strength and our fountain of life!’ Words of wisdom and absolute truth my brethren!
And we shall end with the two verses after our Bit. ‘For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed them all that go a whoring from thee (who are unfaithful to thee). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps.73: 27-28)
Ah Friends, what a wonderful way to end today’s Bit! So please go in the peace, LOVE, wisdom, grace, mercy and forgiveness of our omnipotent Living God! Much LOVE!
…to long for…to hunger and thirst for Almighty God…is the hallmark of a true believer…
05 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wonderful weekend, acknowledge God in all thy ways, and he shall bring it to pass, antidote, be not wise in thine own eyes, Bruh David, cease from anger, Christ-like, Commit thy way to the Lord, communication with Jesus, compassion, Cousin Sol, depart from evil, directed by the Lord, evil minions, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, faithful, family time, fear the Lord, fellowship, food, forgiveness, forsake wrath, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, get down to brass tacks, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God doesn't give us more than we can bear, good relationships, gospel truth, gracious, he shall direct thy paths, he shall not be utterly cast down, he will never turn you away, health to thy navel, holy spirit, jehovah god, joy, laughter, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, Lucifer, marrow to thy bones, merciful, negative situations, praise, prayer, promises, Proverbs, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, Rest in the Lord, sadness, saviour jesus christ, smile, sorrow, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the great invitation, the steps of a good man, the Word of god, though he fall, trials, tribulations, trust also in him, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, wait patiently for the Lord, weather, wisdom, worship
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
So what it is eh my people? (smile) How all yuh doing? Hope all yuh doing good! But just in case oonoo not doing so good, then I certainly hope that you all are in constant communication with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For He is the ONLY One who can truly ease and/or solve our problems.
Yes Friends, He’s even invited us with the Great Invitation to come to Him when we are heavily burdened, and He will give us rest and peace for our tired and burdened souls. (Matt.11:28-30) And that is not an invitation to be sneered at or taken lightly, for He will indeed do as promised.
Ah Friends, it’s a proven fact that when we’re doing poorly, that’s when we most need to communicate with the Saviour. For the best antidote for sadness and sorrow, or anything that discombobulates us, is prayer! Never forget that.
So having said all of that, I guess we can get down to brass tacks now. (smile) And I guess you all know that today is Friday…
And as expected, I’m greeted with a joyous shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And we going to have a wonderful weekend; good weather, good food, good LOVE, plenty laughter, joy, compassion and forgiveness…Oh Glory to God! Thank Him for the weekend!’
What wonderful sentiments my brethren! And I do hope that our weekend does turn out that way, as we get involved in praise and worship and fellowship and enriching family time, for the name of the game is good relationships; both with each other and with Jehovah God!
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to help us stay on the straight and narrow path. As one chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, that is how we ought to use the weekends, not merely for partying and our own amusement. And yuh know what? If we follow the wise advice of our Bit, we won’t have any real problems living life the way we ought to. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’
Oh Friends, there’s absolutely no doubt in that statement, for our gracious and most merciful God is indeed a faithful keeper of His promises! So whenever you come to Him, He will never turn you away.
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, in his exhortations to obedience. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) your paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)
Oh my brethren, in all the Good Book, there is no better advice than those four verses. If we live our lives by them, we will never go wrong… Oh you know what I mean; we’ll live under the shade of the golden umbrella of our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God!
Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have trials and tribulations, but when we go through them, we’ll know, we’ll be assured that Almighty God is there with us through all the sadness and mayhem. And on top of it all, He won’t give us more than we can bear, and will bring us out of the negative situations better than before, meaning more Christ-like, for that is often the purpose of our problems.
And Bruh David offers these wonderful words of advice after our Bit. ‘And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (plans, schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:6-9)
Oh mih lovelies, why is it so difficult for us to take such simple advice and live faithfully by it eh – especially when we know that it’s all gospel truth? I don’t know the answer nuh. I can only surmise that our natural sinful nature is getting the upper hand of us in these relatively sinful and godless times.
Plus the fact that Lucifer and his evil minions are in control of the day to day world, and are making a protracted push with lots of worldly things and advice, to get us to move away from God.
But my people, we are supposed to be the best creation of our God, therefore we cannot allow the wicked and wickedness of this world to get the better of us. But we can only do so if and when we take the Word of God seriously and truly live by it. Otherwise we’ll be very susceptible to the wiles and lies of the enemy.
And we’ll end today with some more encouraging advice from Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps.3723-24)
Oh Friends, that’s gospel truth! And I can personally vouch for it, because though I’m not the greatest or the most godly and righteous, yet the Lord has upheld me with His mighty hand several times over the years! So you can imagine what He’ll do for the very godly and righteous.
Oh mih people, mih people, there’s only one wise and sensible path to follow in this crazy, calamitous and disaster-prone world – the straight and narrow one, which leads directly to Jesus and our heavenly Father! And we can successfully do that if we allow the Holy Spirit which indwells us to lead and guide us in all truth. That’s our ‘ponderation’ for today my people. (smile) Much LOVE!
…only as we sincerely trust…and have true faith in God…will we see Him work in our lives…
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.wordpress.com
04 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cup of cool water, a spring of water, abuse the trust, accept the challenges, and he shall bring it to pass, arrogance, bear fruit, Beelzebub, Bruh David, cast thy burden upon the Lord, Commit thy way to the Lord, Cousin Sol, crumbling to dust, deceit, diligence, encouraging words, enhancing, eternal life, ever-faithful, excellence, friends, full of ourselves, glorify His holy name, godly purposes, guile, hallmark of Christians, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, he shall sustain thee, honour, immersed in Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Lucifer, moving away from God, One Year Book of Bible promises, paradox, penultimate day, Peter, pinnacle of success, pride, repented, returned to God's fold, reverence, riches, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfied completely, shall never thirst, Spread God's Word, supernatural powers, terrific Thursday, the great deceiver, the Rock, trust, trust also in him, understanding, welling up to eternal life, When I am with you, whoever drinks the water I give him, wisdom, wisdom of the ages, wise and understanding heart
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Welcome Friends to a terrific Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek, and another beautiful day in the annals of history! (Smile) Yes, it does look like a gorgeous day out there, lots of sunshine, though a mite chilly to begin, but will get up to about 20 degrees later on. I can certainly live with that.
So what’s happening with our lives today eh? I do hope that we have positive, godly purposes to pursue, and that we will pursue them diligently and with excellence as our Lord and Saviour and Leader Jesus desires. That ought to be the hallmark of a Christian my brethren; excellence and diligence in all that we do.
Now here’s an interesting little ditty from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘WHEN I AM WITH YOU.’ And it says: ‘When I am with You, Lord It is as though I were given A cup of cool water Dipped from An ever-flowing Never-ceasing stream.
The water glistens As a piece of clear ice Tingles against The side of my cup. I want to drink More And more And more As though I could Never drink enough – And yet while I drink I am satisfied completely. What a strange and beautiful Paradox!’
Wow Friends, what a paradox indeed! But that’s what happens when you are immersed in Jesus Christ! All sorts of unlikely but good things happen, for Jesus is not limited to the natural powers and things of this world. He has supernatural powers to do whatever He wants.
That’s why He can make this promise to which that ditty is attached. ‘Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ (John 4:14 NIV)
And that’s the absolute truth my people. That’s why our Bit is so important to all believers, especially in these difficult days. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’
That’s another absolute truth my brethren! Our wonderful, gracious and magnanimous God will never abdicate or abuse the trust we place in Him, for He is ever-faithful and can accomplish whatever purposes or promises He needs to. There’s no deceit or guile whatsoever in Him.
That’s why Bruh David could faithfully proclaim in Psalm 55 – The cry against deceitful friends: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken). (Ps.55:22)
What glorious, wonderful, soul enhancing and encouraging words my people! But it won’t happen until and unless we truly believe it and then put it into action. Remember the Lord has already provided us with everything we need to navigate this evil world, but we now have to accept the challenges, call up the things we need, and use them to spread His Word and glorify His Holy Name, for those are our avowed purposes on this earth.
And if by chance you didn’t believe Bruh David, listen to the Rock, Peter, expound on the subject. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7)
And Friends, if anybody should know first-hand about the Lord’s caring, it is Peter, for Jesus showed it to him in so many ways during their sometimes rocky relationship. So if He can show care and compassion to an often troublesome soul like Peter, why wouldn’t he show it to you and I eh?
No reason whatsoever my brethren! But first we have to place that total surrender and faithful trust in Him. Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, while dealing with moral, ethical and spiritual precepts. ‘Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov.16:3)
The literal translation goes something like: ‘Roll thy works on the Lord.’ But any which way we put it Friends, we desperately need to commit whatever we do to Almighty God so that it can prosper and bear good fruit. If we don’t, there’s no guarantee that it will bear any fruit at all, much less good fruit, which is what we’re supposed to bear.
Ah mih brethren, it’s so sad to see every day a whole bunch of people placing their trust either in Beelzebub, meaning the things of this world, or themselves, neither of which can do anything really meaningful. I don’t understand how we can be moving away from God in such droves, when He is the One who caused us to be prosperous and successful in the first place.
Pride and arrogance my Friends are the most destructive forces in our world. Having attained a level of knowledge, sophistication and technology like never seen before on earth, we have become so full of ourselves, falsely thinking that it was our efforts alone which brought us to the pinnacle of success that we have achieved.
But please notice too my people, that the more we remove God from our lives and our societies, the more we and our societies are finding life difficult with many of both crumbling to the dust from which they were formed.
You have to give credit to the Jews of olden times, for whenever they achieved a modicum of prosperity and then went their own way rejoicing, they felt the backlash of God and eventually repented and returned to His wonderful fold.
However this current society is so full of itself that we won’t even consider going back to God as an option, though we’re seeing all our supposed great societies floundering dreadfully in the mire through following the haphazard, evil and deceitful plans of the great deceiver Lucifer.
And we’ll end with these powerful words which plainly show what’s possible when we deal faithfully with Jehovah God. This deals with the stuff that Cousin Sol asked for when the Lord anointed him king of Israel. Because he didn’t ask for material stuff, but for wisdom and understanding to justly rule the people, see what the Lord did.
‘Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour: so that there shall not be any (anyone) among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.’ (1 Kin.3:12-14)
Yes Friends that’s the kind of thing our God does when we come to Him in trust and true reverence. And I implore us to do that this very day, so that both our earthly and heavenly lives will benefit substantially from it, for that’s the wisdom of the ages. Much LOVE!
…to put our entire trust in our sovereign God…that is the wisest thing a human being can do…
03 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a spring chicken, abominable sins, and all these things shall be added unto you, and he shall bring it to pass, Anselm's Quote, Beelzebub, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, celebrity status, Christians, commit our lives to Jesus, Commit thy way to the Lord, committments, confuffle our minds, damnation, death, delight thyself in the Lord, dishonour, dog eat dog world, eternal separation from God, eternal soul, eternity, ever-faithful God, feed on his faithfulness, fold of Jesus Christ, glad to be alive, halfway home, hankering after, hellfire, honour, humble apologies, I'm not turning back, jehovah god, lack of committement, laziness, LOVE, Lucifer, magnanimous, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, omnipotent, power, Scrip-Bit Culture, selfish mode, sensible approach to life, staying loyal, the breath of life, the cross of Calvary, the desires of your heart, the things of the world, the will of God, there's no giving up in Christ, things of God, trust also in him, trust in the Lord and do good, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
‘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!’
Oh Friends, that’s something I’m calling our Wednesday Wail! (smile) I haven’t decided yet whether it will be a part of our Scrip-Bit Culture, like our Friday Chant and Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It’s just something I was led to pen before going to bed this morning.
And by the way, my humble apologies for this really late Bit. I had a busy day yesterday and didn’t get to bed till real late this morning, and since the ole body is no longer a spring chicken, (smile) it obviously needs more rest than before.
And truthfully, I don’t see much sense in forcing myself to get up if I am not going to be in good shape to write something sensible. Better it’s a little late and I’m truly refreshed in mind, body and spirit.
So my mea culpas. (smile) It was just one of those days, which do happen occasionally, and might just happen more often as the summer weather picks up. Don’t worry though, the Bit will always be there.
Now here’s an interesting and very relevant quote from our Friend Anselm, whose avowed purpose is to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And it says: ‘Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do, long after the mood you said it in has left you.’
And that is gospel truth my people! It’s what we ought to do, especially as Christians. However in this golden age of dishonour and lack of commitment, that statement doesn’t factor into the thoughts of the majority of the society. It’s truly become a dog-eat-dog world, where we’re only interested in ourselves and what we can do for us.
And we live in such a feel-good society that we make promises and commitments on the spur of the moment, without thinking things through, then later realize that we can’t keep our promises and just ignore them. Whatever happened to the days of honour eh? When a man’s word or handshake was a certain commitment?
Hn! Sorry Friends, those days seem to be long gone. Now we’re simply into selfish mode, where ‘I, me, myself and I’ are the all-encompassing factors of today. But my people, as true followers of Jesus Christ we are expected to be different, different from the world in which we live.
Bruh David wisely informs us in our Bit. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ Ah Friends, if more of us would adopt that bit of wisdom, our world would be such a wonderful place!
But we can’t give up on it, because there’s no giving up in Christ. We have to keep on dreaming the dreams of improvement and working diligently with Jesus to bring them to pass. That’s the only way things will ever get better.
And if we listen to what Bruh David said just before our Bit, we’ll realize the immense wisdom in his theory. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps.37:3-5)
Oh mih people, mih people, why aren’t more of us adopting that most wise and sensible approach to life here on this much traumatized earth eh? My only answer is that we are still allowing the things of the world; the material possessions with their bright and shiny facades, the hankering after power and celebrity status to ‘confuffle’ our minds and souls.
Consequently, though we may not want to, in these tough times, we continue putting the flimsy and non-lasting things of the world before the eternal and oh so important things of God.
Unfortunately, Beelzebub still has too many of us eating out of his lying and deceitful hand. It’s time we stop that my brethren, and instead look to our Creator and faithful Provider, Jehovah God. For when our days on earth are up, we won’t carry any of the things of Beelzebub with us, but if we look to God, we will have rewards stored up in heaven for the hereafter.
The only things Beelzebub has to offer are death, damnation, hell-fire and eternal separation from God. I doubt that we really want to experience any of those things, but it’s what is going to happen if we refuse to seriously and sincerely commit our lives to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, the One who sacrificed His life on the cross of Calvary to pay for our abominable sins and redeem and reconcile us to our heavenly Father.
Oh Friends, so many of us today, especially our young people, are leaving the straight and narrow pathways of God for the wide and destructive highways of Lucifer that it’s heartbreaking. Lucifer will not keep the promises he makes, because he is a liar and deceiver, but our omnipotent, magnanimous and ever-faithful God will, because that’s just the kind of Deity that He is.
Oh my people, the Bit’s already pretty late, so I won’t prolong it, I’ll just end with these faithful and wise words of Jesus, which we all know, but find it difficult to put into action. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yes Friends, if we continue seeking the will of God, then all the worldly things we need will be granted to us. And the beauty of getting the worldly things we need from God and not Lucifer, is that when we get them from God, they last and we prosper, unlike those things gained from the evil one.
So please people, let’s wake up and smell whatever it is we need to smell and/or see, and quickly get ourselves back into the wonderful fold of Jesus Christ nuh, for that is everlasting wisdom. Much LOVE!
…when we walk with Lucifer…we stand to lose everything…including our eternal soul…but when we walk with Christ…oh such a beautiful eternity stretches out before us…
P.S. Sorry for not changing the date on the second heading of the Bit yesterday, but that’s what comes from laziness, just copying and pasting. Not that too many of you noticed. (smile) Much LOVE!
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 