15 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: any afllicted, blood red, cheerful, cymbals, dance, early morning sun, entreaties, everything that hath breath, game drive, gay abandon, generosity, gullible, hippos, hymns, in heat, king of the beasts, leopards, making melody in your heart, mating season, McDonalds, merry, omnipotence, Praise the Lord, pray, psalms, rough trails, sing psalms, singing, speaking to yourselves, spiritual songs, Sunday, the firmament of power, the Lord knows his heart, the Lord's sanctuary, the wilds, timbrel
Ephesians 5:19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
Well, well, well, if it isn’t that wonderful day called Sunday! The one where we ought to visit the Lord’s sanctuary to give Him thanks and praise and fellowship with other believers, hear His holy Word and receive strength to face another daunting week in this evil and ungodly world. Unfortunately though the ole fella is unable to do that since he’s way out in the wilds of northern South Africa, with no TV or internet. But the Lord knows his heart and will hear whatever prayers I send up to him this day. (smile)
So, obviously without access to the net, I can’t get words for a song, therefore we’ll just have to sing our own individual songs. (smile) As Bruh Paul says: ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.’ And as James declares: ‘Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? Let him sing psalms.’ (James 5:13) So since we’re all merry, let’s sing psalms nuh…and we don’t need any internet to do that. (smile) So let’s sing this rather appropriate psalm # 150 – Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
In strong voice and sweet harmony: ‘Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power (his mighty firmament). Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet (cornet): praise him with the psaltery (lute or lyre) and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah!)’
Yeh friends, anything, or anybody who draws breath in this crazy world ought to give the Lord God Almighty much thanks and praise just for that fact alone, because it is through His omnipotence and generosity that we are even able to draw breath, much less enjoy all the other benefits! Anyway, my Sunday began with a 5.a.m. wake-up call from our guide Fortune, so we could get to the Lodge for coffee and take off on the morning game drive by five thirty.
Well there we were heading out in the dark at five thirty in the crisp morning air, hoping to see at least one of the big five we had not yet seen. And the big five are: elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards and hippos. So far we’d seen the first two, but no trace of any of the other three. And believe me, driving out in that Land Cruiser in the darkness, especially as Fortune drives, is something else, because he slashes through and over the thickets with gay abandon. I learned early on, in my co-pilot seat, to keep my hands inside and move towards him when he began slashing through the brambles and numerous thorn trees. (smile)
Unfortunately, we rode around the rough trails for a while without seeing anything besides some smaller animals, like guinea hens and impalas, or what they call McDonalds, because they have a big black, capital ‘M’ stenciled on their rear ends, that resembles the McDonald’s sign. (smile) What we did see however, was the spectacular rising of the early morning sun, coming up blood red above the eastern horizon, while the big, full moon still stood fairly high in the western sky! And as the Almighty God who made them so wisely planned it, the former eventually rose higher and commanded the day, while the latter decreased in stature and soon disappeared altogether.
Sometime during that game drive though, the word came out that some lions had been seen, and we journeyed to the spot, joining two other groups of people. Now check out this scene. It’s my favourite of the whole trip. The male lion is lying quietly in the shade, barely discernible because his coat is so much like the brown, dry grass, while the female who seems to be in heat (it’s mating season) prances by him, goes off a li’l way, then lies down. Soon the king of beasts comes, mounts her from the rear, does his thing…and it’s all over in like five seconds. Then he casually strolls off and lies down below a shade tree, while the female moves off a short distance.
It’s said that they have to copulate every twenty minutes, but I don’t think the lady waited that long, then she came back to the gentleman lying quietly below the tree, pranced around him, rubbed her rear end on him, and made all kinds of entreaties. But the ole boy was having none of it. He just lay their stoically, head held high in the air, till the lady got tired of not so subtlety making her intentions known and walked away to lie down on an incline where he could see her, and prostrate herself in all her glory. And I had to laugh, because a couple of minutes later, the ole boy just put down his head and apparently went to sleep, completely ignoring the lady.
This just goes to prove the falsehood of the oh so prevalent and prevailing theory that a man never refuses a woman, that he will undoubtedly fall for all of her sensuous wiles and tricks! Let that be a lesson to you women! (smile) Man is not always as foolish and gullible as he seems! We left the scene shortly after the ole fellow put down his head, indicating that no further action was going to happen for a while, and eventually got back home around minutes to nine, had breakfast then went to sleep. We even told them not to prepare lunch because we were all so tired and filled with food. We’d come for high tea at four, before going out for another drive at four thirty.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see much on that drive besides what we’d already seen. We went driving along the river, over and through the brambles and thickets, with Fortune’s dexterity, looking for hippos or leopards, but failed to see any. Then it was back to the lodge in time for supper. Oh, can you imagine I fell asleep on the way home driving through those rough roads with all the noise, with Fortune driving one handed while shining his spotlight from side to side with the other. I was surely surprised by that. Just goes to show how tired the ole fella was. Tomorrow’s another day though! Much LOVE!
…giving thanks and praise…for simply drawing breath…should be a top priority…..
14 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adventure in life, Anselm, ant hills, be wise, beef jerky, biltong, cheetah, consider her ways, elephant, gathereth her food, go to the ant, griaffe, habitually lazy, Happy Birthday, in the harvest, in the summer, Joburg, Madikwe River Lodge, no overseer, predators, provideth her meat, ruler, Safari, thou sluggard, tired like hell, wildebeest
Proverbs 6:6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
On Safari…On Safari mih people! Yes friends, the ole fella is not lost, but is on safari in the northern part of South Africa! Ah Lord eh! What an experience! But a rather interesting one! And the reason you have not heard from me in the last two days is because the River Lodge where I’m staying, in the back of nowhere, has lost its Wi-Fi and thus I could not connect to the internet. In fact, as I write this on Sunday afternoon, sitting out on my porch, overlooking a li’l slowly moving stream and listening to some bird call to its mate, I still cannot connect to the internet, but I can’t wait any longer to do my do, else I might just forget what happened.
Now this is Saturday’s Bit, and since I have no Wi-Fi, I can’t get to our friend Anselm’s quotes to include them. So everything will just have to be about what happened on Saturday. Well it began about nine thirty on Saturday morning. After signing out of the hotel, the duchess, my young daughter and I headed for the Madikwe Game Reserve eve in a chartered van. And was it ever a long drive, but on good highways and secondary roads…that is except for the last 25 kilometers or so, when we encountered mostly unpaved roads.
And was the ride ever bumpy…and did the van ever make a racket on those roads. But we persevered. (smile) And it’s a good thing that our driver was an old pro at getting us to our destination, because it was some five and a half hours after leaving Joburg, after many twists and turns, that we arrived at the River Lodge on the Madikwe Reserve.
However, soon after we entered the reserve we were greeted by some animals: a couple of wildebeests standing under a shade tree down to the left, then closer to us, a group of elephants, their grey skin looking tough like leather, and also some zebras emblazoned with their beautiful black stripes, drinking at what looked like a man made waterhole. But they did not pay us much attention as they are quite accustomed to seeing vehicles going by. Along the way, we also saw some giraffe with their long necks and legs, munching leaves off the highest part of the trees. They look rather ungainly, but they can move just a quickly as you please!
Oh I forgot to mention that it was a hot day, with temps getting up into the low 30’s. But the cool breeze that wafted from the mountains made it bearable. And since South Africa is just coming out of their dry winter, the landscape is dry and desert-like, with not as much greenery as one would expect. The first highlight of the day though happened before we even got to the lodge. A little further on from where we spotted the first group of elephants, we saw another group, this time apparently playing in a natural mud hole.
We stopped for a few moments to take them in, and just then this big old fella decided to leave the group and walk towards us, not menacingly, but nonetheless in our direction. Just before he got to the foot of a small incline that led up to the road, he stopped, raised his head and looked at us. Our driver Ian, a thirty-something white, male South African took this as a signal that he wanted to cross the road. So we just stood there. And when he realized that it was all coasts clear, he slowly ambled up the incline and casually crossed the road at his own slow speed and went about his business. It certainly would not have been wise to provoke the old gentleman, because he could have easily turned us over with a swipe of his trunk, or even worse if he caused the herd to stampede.
By the time we arrived at the lodge it was minutes to three and were warmly greeted by the staff. Then we hustled off to our chalets, basically a small all in one rustic abode, but nonetheless quite comfortable with all the amenities of home. We were instructed to hustle back for lunch, and after lunch, we were told about coming back for high tea at four, and then we’d be on our first safari run at 4.30. Obviously none of us made it back for high tea, and just in time to get on the open Toyota Land Cruiser with a couple of other white males, in what turned out to be the more than capable hands of Fortune, a big, but cheerful black gentleman.
And yuh should see the ole fella sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, next to the driver, with his most appropriate safari hat on, with its chin strap and everything! (smile) I don’t like hats, but it was necessary since the sun was out in full force and there was only a slight overhang from the roof of the passenger compartment to the back where the others sat, high above us. Now there are some man made dirt tracks in the area, but other than that you have to make your way through the bush, the thickets of thorn bushes and otherwise. I don’t remember what animals we saw early on in our trek, but the second highlight of the day was when we came upon a dead impala in a thicket of bushes…Oh yeah, we saw some of those too! (smile)
Fortune said it was a female, and that it’s killer was a cheetah, lying right close to it. But I just could not see it, until he moved the cruiser, because a small shrub hid it from me. And there he, or she, was in all their black and white spotted glory, lying quietly, gazing at the mouth-watering prey, that had already been tasted as the gaping bloody hole in the impala’s stomach indicated. After a few minutes, the cheetah quietly returned to its prey and continued feeding from it’s entrails, raising up its head and looking around every couple of bites to make sure no other predators were coming to deprive him or her of their meal.
And all of this was happening while three land cruisers, two from other lodges and us, just sat there quietly and watched. That’s because, as I mentioned earlier, the animals are accustomed seeing the vehicles and know that they are not a threat. That’s also why you are advised not to stand up in the vehicles around the animals, or make any sort of provoking noises or actions. Oh, and I just remembered my favourite sight, the ant or termite hills. Brother, some of them are so large, three to four feet in height, and they seem to just take over the shrubs around which they set up shop. And according to Fortune, the above ground section is four times smaller than what’s below ground! And in our youth, we taught our li’l ant’s nest was so wonderful! (smile)
And that’s why Cousin Sol chose the ant as an example of focused action and productivity. In his warning against idleness and falsehood, he wisely advises: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (food) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov.6:6-8) Now that is not totally true, because there apparently is a king and queen of each nest, but their respective jobs are just to reproduce, while the workers work; building and harvesting, and the soldiers protect the nest.
However, what Cousin Sol is really trying to say, is found in the scholar’s explanation. ‘6:6-11. The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer or ruler (v.7), meaning that the ant does not have to have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (v.8).’ Oh my friends, how I wish that was truer of us, especially we believers! Because we can too often be a lazy, self-centred lot, not willing, able and active enough in spreading God’s Word and living a life that will attract others to him.
Please, let’s try and do better nuh, it’s not only in Christ’s best interest, but also in ours, for, come that fateful day, when He asks us why we wasted our time and didn’t use the talents He so generously gave us, what’s going to be our answer eh? There’ll be no time for excuses nuh, so let’s be like the ant and do better nuh. But turning back to our safari, when the night fell, a beautiful full moon came out and graced the area. Fortune also took out a hand-held spotlight and shone it from side to side, while driving in and out of the thickets with one hand. I don’t remember what we saw then, if anything, but we did not get back to the Lodge until minutes to eight.
Oh, one time we stopped in the bush for about fifteen minutes, had some drinks, dried fruit and biltong (like beef jerky). And the last highlight of the day was during dinner, which was served soon after we got back. The whole group of employees, about ten, came into the dining room dancing and stomping, while singing and chanting the ‘Happy Birthday Song’ in an African tongue. That was in honour of a one year old baby belonging to the other guests, and also to my young daughter. They put on quite show of singing and dancing…and we also had birthday cake for the birthday people.
It’s after that I got the bad news that the Wi-Fi wasn’t working so I could not write the Bit. I just had come home and fall into bed, and was I ever glad deep down, because I was, as they say, ‘tired like hell!’ And I had to get up and be ready for five thirty to go out on safari again! And that’s how my Saturday was spent! (smile) Much LOVE!
…there is joy and adventure in life…but one has to diligently work at life…not be a sluggard…to reap those enjoyable benefits…
P.S. Yeah, it long, and late, but it sweet nuh! (smile) And I still don’t know when I’m going to get it to you. Much LOVE!
13 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a black cat, African fare, begun a good work, being confident, brainwashing, complacency, cross your path, deplorable conditions, dire poverty, do good works, fellowship, for he is faithful that promised, Friday chant, Friday the 13th, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, God is faithful, God's children, hold fast, in Jesus' name, Joburg, never to leave or forsake us, of this very thing, provoke one another, relaxation, rest, show Love, South Africa, Soweto, stand strong, steadfast in our faith, stir up, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the confession of our faith, the Cradle of civilization, the dark continent, the faithfulness of God, the workingman's song, tin shacks, until the day of Jesus, walk under a ladder, will perform it, without wavering
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Well here we are once again friends, coming in from Joburg, South Africa, the Cradle of Civilization, Mother Africa! Yeh, the supposedly dark continent, that’s where it all began! And if the continent was so dark, how come people like the Egyptians had such superior scientific, technical and medical knowledge long before human life even existed on the supposed bright continents eh? Just more brainwashing in the evil and greedy process of having certain people think that they are less than they truly are. But that’s another story for another time! (smile)
Meanwhile, on the travel scene, last night I had dinner at an African restaurant in some part of Joburg, had some African fare, don’t ask me exactly what. (smile) Then today I’ve just returned from a tour of the suburbs of Joburg and Soweto…and the latter is as bad as claimed. Well there’s a rich section with beautiful, expensive houses, then a middle classish section with so so houses, then the tin shacks.
And when we say tin, we mean galvanize all round, from top to bottom, so that it hot as hell in the summer, and cold as ever in the winter! And it has some five to six thousand families living there…Steups! I don’t even want to get into it nuh, because it hurt mih heart to see such beautiful children living in such deplorable conditions – dire poverty. Ah, but what to do eh, it’s the reality of the situation? Not a whole lot, besides make a small donation that won’t go very far.
Anyway, today is Friday, so let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say for himself. And as always, he’s ebullient and optimistic: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The week finally done, and the weekend starting! Nothing could be nicer! And it don’t matter even if today is Friday the 13th, because that is only a ole wives tale! Not a blooming thing going to happen if yuh walk under a ladder, or a black cat cross yuh path! They just want to frighten people!
But they not frightening this man nuh. I doing what I want, when I want, regardless of it is Friday the 13th, or Monday the 13th! Setta foolish people and them! Look, all yuh doh vex me here today with that nonsense nuh, when I just planning how I going to enjoy my Friday evening, and the rest of my weekend! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes, regardless of the date!’
Hurray for the workingman! At least he has enough sense to discard those ole wives tales about Friday the 13th! But unfortunately, some believers pay serious attention to them, although they claim to believe so staunchly in Christ. However, be all that as it may, let’s sing our weekend song, our Friday Chant. As one strong voice, with a sincere and true sense of purpose…let’s chant!
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Oh my faithful brethren, our glorious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ has promised never to leave nor forsake us (Heb.13:5; Deut.31:6,8; Josh.1:5) so there is no need to worry about what others might do to us. Consequently, it is in our best interest to do as the author of Hebrews so wisely advises: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’
Ah mih people, there’s nothing better or more important for us believers to do, than to stand strong and steadfast in our faith, because our God and Saviour have promised to look after all those who surrender to and trust them, and they NEVER break their promises! And Bruh Paul in his infinite wisdom has also encouraged several churches re the faithfulness of God. Let’s look at a couple of those scriptures nuh.
This one from his first letter to the church at Corinth. ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:9) And why would God put Himself out of the way, break His own heart for us by sacrificing His One Son, then renege on His promises eh? No reason whatsoever my people! What the Lord begins, He finishes! ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil.1:6) And yuh know what friends, our God has begun a good work in each and every believer, so we know that He’s always in our corner! Glory be!
And Bruh Paul said, without the faintest doubt, to the Thessalonians: ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess.5:24) What a wonderful God we serve and worship precious saints of Christ! No leaving nor forsaking; steadfast and faithful right down to the wire! With all of that in mind then, our best step after sincerely believing that God is faithful is to do as the author of Hebrews continues after our Bit: ‘And let us consider one another to provoke unto (stir up) LOVE and to good works.’ (Heb.10:24)
Yes friends, encouraging others to show LOVE and do good works is being Christ-like, because those are the things Christ did for and with us when He lived here on earth, and we ought to follow His wise and worthwhile example. For as the scholars tell us: ‘It is easy to stir up hatred and godless deeds; it takes much more to stir up another to LOVE and good works.’ And all of God’s children said a loud and proud ‘Amen!’
So why don’t we go out and put it into action today nuh, it will make Christ so proud of us! Much LOVE!
…the best remedy for complacency…to stir up each other…to LOVE and good works…
12 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a paid up member, adore, allotted time, blessings, Calvary, Christ's Church, commandments, compassionate heart, curse, diverse country, eternal life, exalt, glorious sunshine, God of our salvation, great family, greetings, he is good, heat fuh so, heaven, hell, his mercy endureth for ever, hoard slefishly, Jesus is the answer, LOVE, memories, negative word, now, O Give thanks unto the Lord, old and grey, options off the table, positive outlook, reminder, resting, salvation, save us, share generously, sinless life, South Africa, success, surrender, the old ruged cross, Thursday Blessings, time to accept Jesus, trust, vigour, vim, well rested, wisdom, worship, zeppo
1 Chronicles 16:34. O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Well hello there my wonderful Scrip-Bit friends and family! Greetings and much LOVE to you from South Africa, this rich, beautiful, diverse country! Oh, I haven’t seen a lot of it as yet, but I like what I’ve seen so far. And I guess where I’m staying is one of the more developed and built up areas, so it obviously looks good. But whatever happens, or doesn’t happen, (smile) I am determined to enjoy my short stay here and make a chockful of memories to remember when I sit in my rocking chair sometime down the road, when I’m too old and grey to make more memories like that.
Oh how I LOVE those kinds of Bruh Paulian sentences, convoluted, but full of info, stuff like what Bruh Paul writes. (smile) And there isn’t a whole lot to tell today, because I spent most of it resting. I’ve finally taken the zeppo I got the other day to heart: ‘You might be feeling pretty good, but you’re not a hundred percent, so please take your time, and get sufficient rest, if you want to make it to your allotted time!’ And brother do I ever want to make it! I don’t want to shortchange myself at all, at all!
Anyhow, after a late rising to glorious sunshine, determined by a late going to bed, (smile) the duchess and I had some breakfast, late obviously, then we went out to the front of our building and Glory be… the sunshine wasn’t only bright, but nice and warm too. The duchess obviously took pictures of the surrounding area, the nice fountain and beautiful blue flowers and palm trees growing in the front of the building, then we came back inside and just rested. At least I rested, the duchess and her young daughter went out to do the mall thing, while I stayed in…and rested!
And now that I’m well rested, full of vim and vigour, I’m ready to do the town tonight! Mama Yo! And believe you me, our God does LOVE getting His thanks and praise yes, because earlier on, when I opened the Good Book, my eyes fell first on this wonderful, powerful and wise scripture, memorable words of thanksgiving from Bruh David to his people: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise.’ (1 Chr.16:34-35)
And my faithful brethren, do we ever need saving and protection from the heathen, especially in these evil and ungodly times! And the ONLY person who can give us that protection and safety is Almighty God, through His saving grace, found in the adoration and surrender to His Son, our most wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Yes friends, JESUS IS THE ANSWER! The answer to each and every question that we might have!
Who else could have answers like Him eh? When He selflessly sacrificed His sinless life on that old rugged cross at Calvary, He sent the message to all creation that He was the MAN! The MAN for all time, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the King of all Kings, for ever and ever! And if you didn’t like it, or believe it, then that was your problem. He wants you to come to Him to receive rest and protection, salvation and eternal life, but if you choose not to, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe!
Sadly, what you think or believe is not going to change the fact, that Christ is El Numero Uno, Number One, and what He says goes! That’s why I’m pleading to all of us today, to get in agreement with Jesus, for He’s the One who butters our bread, gives us health and long life, the opportunity to get wealth and success, and most importantly, salvation and eternal life. None of the other supposed and false gods offer the wonderful life that Christ has in store for those who LOVE Him and obediently and sincerely follow His commandments!
The problem here is with timing my people; if we don’t accept Christ as soon as possible, that means right away, today, we’re liable to lose out on that saving grace that leads to salvation and eternal life, because once you breathe your last earthly breath, you no longer have that option. Plus the fact that Christ promised to come back to earth someday, no one but the Father knows when, but if Jesus come back and you’re not among His fold, a paid up member of His church, then you’re s.o.l! (smile)
Yes my people, whenever Jesus returns, all options are also taken off the table, then all that’s left available is hellfire and damnation in Hades with the evil crone Satan! And believe me, you won’t like down there nuh, because it’ll just be heat fuh so! So let’s get smart today nuh and place our everlasting trust in Jesus because there’s no better option than Him! And even if you think there might not be a heaven or a hell, still be smart and hedge your bet nuh, just in case those two places do really exist.
Now for those of who already believe, let’s go home sincerely declaring (right ho!) our Thursday Blessings, that wonderful and generous package of blessings that the Lord has bestowed on all those who LOVE, worship, adore and exalt Him! As one, in strong voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And because of our sinful nature, just a gentle reminder: (smile) those blessings have not been given for us to hoard selfishly, but to share generously with others. So let’s go out and do just that today nuh, and bring a smile to Jesus face and warm the cockles of His heart. Much LOVE!
…the time to accept Jesus is…NOW…
11 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a thousand shall fall, abundantly satisfied, drink of the river, faithful, glad to be alive, how excellent, is thy loving-kindness, Johannesburg, KLM service, magnanimous Lord and Saviour, not focusing on the past, not turning back, of thy pleasures, put their trust, snare of the fowler, South Africa, steadfast love of God, strong position in Christ, thanks to my wonderful dughter, the breath of life, the children of men, true, true success, under the shadow of thy wings, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 36:7. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Sorry friends for the dire lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella had some adventures to go on which necessitated not being able to write it before. The long and the short of the story is that the ole fella is in South Africa, Johannesburg to be exact. I didn’t say anything to anyone because I was not sure that the trip would come off. But thanks to my wonderful daughters, as well as the Lord’s goodness and LOVING-kindness, I arrived here about an hour ago.
And believe me it’s not an easy journey; six hours to Amsterdam, then lay over for another five, then another ten hours to Joburg! And both planes were big planes and they were both packed to capacity. But the KLM service was excellent! The hostesses treated the ole fella royally! And did they ever feed us. I got so much food on those two airplanes over the last two days that I’m sure I have put on some pounds. (smile) I’ve reached here now and am not even interested in food.
And did I ever meet a lot of interesting people in those two days, both on the ground and in the air! Made some good memories to last a lifetime, to enjoy in my old age! And that’s what they were made for! The only problem with the Bit now is the time difference; I believe that South Africa is some five to six hours ahead of Toronto and it’s environs. Right now as I pen this, it’s 12.50 a.m. Thursday morning, while back home is something like 6:48. But don’t worry because the ole fella, with the Lord’s help of course, is going to try and stay in schedule, since that’s the ONLY thing I must do every day!
So let’s turn to some scripture nuh. And as I opened the Good Book to look for an appropriate scripture, it opened at this most appropriate verse from Psalm 36, where Bruh David talks about the steadfast LOVE of our great God and Creator. Check it out nuh: ‘How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.’ Glory be mih people!
That’s one thing, amongst many others, about our God, He is steadfast, faithful and true! Yeh I know I said one thing, but it just reads better so. (smile) And that’s why the duchess and I are here right now in Joburg; we put out trust in Almighty God to bring us safely here, and carry us back home safely when the time is right! Give Him plenty thanks and praise His holy name my people!
And here are some of the reasons Bruh David made those oh so trusting statements nuh: ‘They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fullness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light we shall see light.’ (Ps.36:8-9) And there’s absolutely no doubt about that my brethren! Those who are faithful, trusting and true to Him will enjoy the pleasures and blessings that He so generously bestows on those who show those attributes in all sincerity.
And since we’re short on time for Wednesday, let’s get right to one more set of scriptures which say basically the same thing. Hear the psalmist in Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and fortress. ‘I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler (bird trapper), and from the noisesome (perilous or deadly) pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust (take refuge): his truth shall be thy shield and buckler (small shield) Thou shalt not be afraid for (of) the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth (lays waste) at noon day. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.’ (Ps.91:2-7)
Yes friends, if you truly surrender your complete being, not some portion that you choose, (smile) that’s how He will make your life to unfurl! Wow! No other God does anything like that! So please, let’s get those words indelibly ingrained our souls, bodies and minds today nuh, and then put them into action. Now let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail with true sincerity, letting the world know of our strong position in Christ Jesus, our magnificent and magnanimous Lord and Saviour!
All together in strong and sincere voice. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And as always, let me remind us, that that future will be ever so glorious, that our puny and finite minds can’t comprehend the length, breath, width and depth of it! Much LOVE!
…faithful trust in God…is the only thing that will bring us true success…
10 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as a shepherd doth his flock, avoid people, blame others, carry them in his bosom, critical, endure my shame, escape your penetrating gaze, eternal destiny, evade tasks, feed his flock, foolish pride, forgives me so totally, friend of Jesus, gather the lambs, Gentiles, gently lead, he that scattered Israel, hurry, I am known of them, I am the good shepherd, I keep running back to you, I know my sheep, I lay down my life, I shall not want, in god's eyes, intolerable loneliness, Jews, judge harshly, keep him, like a shepherd, lose not one single one, loving me, obstinate, one flock, one shepherd, One Year Book of Bible promises, ransomed him, redeemed Jacob, Ruth Harms Calkin, satanic realm, share His love, The Lord is my shepherd, those that are with young, Tuesday Mantra, understands me so well, welcoming me back, will gather him, worry
Isaiah 40:11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Good news people! Today’s Tuesday! Wow! That means the frustrating and oftimes emotionally negative day called Monday is past and gone, now confined to the dustbin of history, and we can therefore move on without any fear or anxiety about it…at least for another week! (smile) Yeh, a brand new day on God’s great earth has blossomed, for which we ought to be eternally grateful.
Now here is this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that highlights some of our problems, but then shows us the answer to them all. It is appropriately titled: ‘I Keep Running Back to You.’
Please pray with me. ‘You know how it is with me, Lord: So often I mess up my days. I judge harshly I am critical and obstinate I waste time and energy I blame others for my failure. There are people I try to avoid And tasks I try to evade And when I can’t have my own way I sulk in my own little corner. Lord, I even turn my back on You To escape Your penetrating gaze.
Then finally I get fed up with myself. The intolerable loneliness frightens me And I can no longer endure my shame. It always happens, Lord – I keep running back to You! Where else can I go? Who else understands me so well Or forgives me so totally? Who else can save me from foolish pride? No one, Lord, but You. So thank You for accepting me For LOVING me For always welcoming me. I just can’t help it, Lord I keep running back to You!’
And my fellow believers that’s just wisdom at it’s highest level! For there’s NO ONE like our great, merciful and LOVING God, who is willing to accept us just as we are! And He’s even happier than us when we come running back to Him, because remember His ultimate desire is that He loses not a SINGLE ONE of His most precious creation to the evil and satanic realm!
That’s why Isaiah proclaimed in his writings these wonderful words of hope and encouragement: ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ Mama Mia! How can you not want to be a child of Almighty God with such awesome promises being made eh?
And furthermore, we know that the Lord never breaks any of His promises, He keeps every single one, which means that offer of shepherd-like care and LOVE are not just empty words, but a most generous enticement and welcome to His wonderful fold! And there are so many scriptures that portray our great God as a wonderful and caring shepherd that today I just want to share a few of them.
And we all know the most popular one; those remarkable words of Bruh David: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ (Ps.23:1) Oh friends, those few, simple but endearing and enduring words say it all! With God being our shepherd we’ll never want for any good thing!
And Jeremiah joyfully declares: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles (ends, lands) afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.’ (Jer.31:10-11)
Ah mih people, although the Lord punished Israel for their abominable sins, His LOVE for them was so great, He promised to gather the remnant and bring them back to their homeland and treat them like a caring shepherd. What other supposed God is so magnanimous eh? NONE but ours!
Meanwhile Ezekiel confirms: ‘Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle (sheep) and cattle (sheep). And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David: he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.’ (Ezek.34:22-24)
And lest you think that that’s all Old Testament stuff, hear the realization of all those promises from the One and Only, Jesus Christ Himself, as He rightly and righteously proclaims: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And so He did my brethren! And so He selflessly and sacrificially did!
And as He further declares: ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (John 10:14-16)
Yes friends, that’s us, Gentiles, non-Jews, that Jesus is referring to there! Please note He didn’t forget about us, but very much included us in His all-encompassing flock! One flock, and One shepherd! That’s all that’s needed when our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ is so great and wonderful! Are you hearing His voice today people? Are you heeding His shepherd’s call? I certainly hope so, since your eternal destiny depends totally on it! End of sermon! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring (wow!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the entire world know who and whose we are. In strong and sincere voice now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we’re truly sincere, then let’s go out and share that awesome and amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others who don’t know it nuh. That’s our bounden duty and Great Commission! Much LOVE!
…if you’re a sheep…then you need a shepherd…and the best there is…His name is Jesus…
09 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a conscious decision, a good attitude, a helluva price to pay, a warning, appreciate the job, aura of love, belong mercies and forgiveness, confusion of face, Daniel's prayer, depths of hell, disobedience, enthusiasm, evil, follow through, forgiving, further your glorious kingdom, grace, in captivity, inspiration, invincible, Israel, Jesus Christ, jobs, justice, keeping lives and families together, lies, loving, Lucifer, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obeyed, our number will play, prayer, protective spiritual armour, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., sally forth with confidence, Satan, shame, surrender, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is righteous, the voice of the Lord, to the Lord our God, ungodly direction, we have rebelled against him, weary souls, wicked taunts, work week
Daniel 9:9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.
Here we go again friends, the work week is upon us! Please let’s greet it with a positive reaction nuh since there is nothing we can really do about it. I learned that lesson a long time ago, after I quit a job to do my own thing, then had to go back to it when my business went under. I never intended to go back to that job, but then it was the easiest and best job I could get at the time and I certainly needed the money.
So I just told myself, if you’ve got to go, then you might as well go with a good attitude, stop making yourself miserable everyday you have to go to it. And it worked for me. I eventually got to appreciate the job more then, than in my initial go round. So if it could work for me, it certainly ought to work for you too. But you need to make a conscious decision to do it, then follow through with that decision.
However, until you get to that stage, (smile) you can join us on a Monday morning as we go to our heavenly Father in prayer, asking Him to grant us strength, wisdom and confidence to face the evil world for another week. Let’s do that now nuh; declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with strong conviction and belief, because when we ask in sincere faith, according to the Father’s will, we will receive His blessing and largesse.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days.
It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah friends, yuh feel it working? It surely is! Just check out your new energy level; your state of understanding and awareness, your level of excitement to get out and do Jesus’ work. They are all now higher and more intense than they were before we prayed, before we invoked the antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday morning! (smile) And talking about prayer, today we’ll check out Daniel’s prayer for his people Israel, because back then Israel was in captivity in Babylon because of their total disobedience to God’s Word, much like our world is right now.
Listen to Daniel: ‘O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face (shame), to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee…Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.’ (Dan.9:8,10) Now friends, if we’re truthful, we will have to admit that the same shameful state exists in our society today, the only difference being that too many of us either don’t know the seriousness of the situation, or we choose to just ignore it. But our attitude towards our God and Creator right now is nothing less than atrocious, very foolish and unwise, and if we don’t smarten up soon, there will be a helluva price to pay.
Yeh, the Lord is patient and long suffering and as Daniel says: ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.’ But tell me friends, how long do you think He’s going to put up with our arrogant disobedience and efforts to remove Him from our society eh? For all those who think that we’re going to be allowed to do as we sinfully and disobediently please for as long as we like, please think again.
If it’s one thing the Lord is very protective and proud of is His power and glory, and He will not allow no creation of His to take it away from Him. Just check out the foolish Lucifer nuh! He wanted to rise, to promote himself above his Creator, but where is he now eh, residing in the depths of hell as Satan! And so will we too, if we keeping on going in the evil and ungodly direction in which we’re currently headed.
Hear Daniel explain it nuh: ‘As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil (disaster) is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil (kept the disaster in store), and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.’ (Dan.9:13-14)
That says it all my brethren! If the Lord punished Israel so severely for their disobedience, do you think He’ll allow us to get away with ours, which seems so much worse? I very much doubt it friends. Please note Daniel’s words back there: ‘for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth…’ That means, though He is LOVING, and forgiving and full of grace and mercy, He is also a God of justice and righteousness, and those things are very important to His character and nature.
Why yuh think He went through the heart-wrenching scene of sending Jesus to die for us? Because righteousness and justice had to be done in whatever He undertook to save us. Please, please, let all of that be a serious and sincere warning to us nuh. We will not get away with continual sinfulness and disobedience. For certain sure, if we don’t repent and return to God, our number will play one day! Much LOVE!
…sinfulness and righteousness…cannot exist in the same place…
08 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affairs of this life, all one body, all things are possible with christ, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, captive, carnal, Casting down imaginations, charity, Christ the king, conform to Christ's word, doctrine, encourage Christians, endure hardness, favoured processional, glory, going on before, gratitude, hell's foundations quiver, honour, laud, love to sing, marching as to war, not divided, one in hope, ongoing battles with temptation, Onward Christian soldiers, Praise the Lord, pulling down strongholds, Salvation Army, Satan's host doth flee, sing and dance, spiritual battle, strife-filled world, thanksgiving, the cross of Jesus, the knowledge of god, the obedience of Christ, the shout of praise, trials, tribulation, True LOVE, vigour, vim, walk in the flesh, weapons of our warfare
1 Timothy 2:3. Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Sunday’s here again friends! Glory be! It’s the day we cease from our normal labour and instead visit the Lord’s sanctuary and have fellowship with other believers! Yes mih people, it’s time for us to sing and dance and praise the Lord and give Him sincere thanks for the many blessings He’s so magnanimously bestowed on us! Wow! What a wonderful God He is! There’s none other like Him! That’s for certain sure!
That’s why we need to show our true LOVE and sincere gratitude by coming together as the body of Christ, His church, at least once a week! And not only do we offer up praise and thanksgiving, but we are renewed and refreshed in return, through hearing His Word and the encouragement of and communion with our fellow believers, so that we can go out and do His work with vim and vigour this upcoming week.
Now let’s get the show on the road by opening, as always, with a song of praise and worship. And today’s number is certainly an old but still very popular number titled ‘Onward Christian Soldiers.’ And I hear the excited sigh that rises from our throats as the song registers, because it is one we all LOVE to sing! So let’s sing it nuh, with plenty emotion, strong voice and the sweetest of harmonies!
All together now: ‘Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before! Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle, see his banner go! (Refrain: Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before!) At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee; On, then, Christian soldiers, on to victory! Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise; Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise! [Refrain]
Like a mighty army moves the church of God; Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod; We are not divided; all one body we, One in hope and doctrine, one in charity. [Refrain] Onward, then, ye people, join our happy throng, Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song; Glory, laud, and honor, unto Christ the King; This thro’ countless ages men and angels sing. [Refrain 2]’
Oh friends, oh friends, what a powerful and emotionally touching rendition! Heaven could see that we truly believed what we were singing, felt it right down in the very depths of our souls! That’s what some of these old English hymns do to us. Now it’s reputed that the words to that song were written by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1865, while the music was composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1871. And has it ever stood the test to time! Becoming the Salvation Army’s favoured processional hymn along the way.
Apparently ‘it was written to encourage Christians in their ongoing battles with temptations within themselves and the evil forces of the world.’ And it takes its theme from New Testament references of Christians being soldiers for Christ. One example of that is our Bit, Bruh Paul’s famous words to his young protégé Timothy. ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.’ (2 Tim.2:3-4)
Yeh friends as Christians we do need to stand up strong under whatever trials and tribulation comes against us, like a good soldier does. Consequently, that soldier doesn’t get involved with the unnecessary affairs of life, so that he can give his all, his total allegiance and attention to the business of the one who’s chosen him to be a soldier. That means, since Christ has chosen us to be His followers, then we too must endure the tribulation that will certainly come against us, as Christ promised in John 16:33, and neither get involved in the affairs of this world because we are not of it, as He says in John 17:16.
And the analogy of Christians being soldiers in Christ’s army is rather apt, since we are constantly fighting battles of temptation and deceit against Satan and his evil minions. However it’s not a physical battle, although many believers are fighting physical battles in many places in our strife-filled world, but it’s a spiritual battle that most believers face day by day. As Bruh Paul says to the Corinthians: ‘For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations (arguments), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ;’ (2 Cor.10:3-5)
And the scholars offer these explanations of those verses. ‘10:3-5. Though we walk (live) in the flesh (in a body), we do not war (fight) after (according to) the flesh (human standards. The first phrase of verse 5 looks back to verse 3 and expresses the manner in which believers conduct spiritual warfare. It is by casting down (destroying) imaginations (false arguments), such as Paul’s opponents have raised.’
That also means refuting all the lies and deceit and the temptations the enemy constantly throws at us. And we do that by taking all those wrong thoughts captive and making them conform to Christ’s Word. Remember, our minds are where the serious spiritual battles take place, so we obviously must have our thoughts conform to Christ’s Word to be victorious. And as I was reading the words of the hymn just now, one verse struck me as being somewhat untrue in these evil, divisive times. ‘Like a mighty army moves the church of God;…We are not divided; all one body we, One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.’
I just have to shake my head and sadly chuckle because God’s church is certainly not moving in these ungodly days like a mighty army, more like a stagnant, sluggish, complacent, uninterested band of layabouts. And as to being one body with one hope and one doctrine…What a joke! Christ’s church has never been more divided and fractured and going different ways than now!
But friends, let’s remember that where there’s life there’s also hope, so it’s not too late. If we’re serious about rectifying the ills in the church we still can, if we come together, instead of moving further apart. It will take a lot of hard work and effort, putting our selfish, petty desires aside, and showing the true character of Christ. I know it sounds impossible, but remember too, that ALL things are possible with Christ! Much LOVE!
…to be true soldiers of Christ…Christians must stop seeking and seeing life…the way the world sees it…
07 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crying shame, aches and pains, add a touch of spice, all that is written therein, all theses things, Anselm, be strong, celebrity status, closer to success, creatures of habit, debilitating effects of age, depart out of thy mouth, do routine things, don't change for change sake, experience, explosive times, fail, faith, following Jesus, friend, getting old, God's Word doesn't change, gospel truth, grin and bear them, have good success, have hope, His righteous ways, his righteousness, humdrum, Israelites, Jesus way, Joshua, lie abed late, loving god, loving our neighbours, make thy way prosperous, mayest observe to do, meditate day and night, mundane lives, never leave us alone, no matter what happens today, of a good courage, on a Saturday morning, only path, our comfort zone, quiet peace, reaching for success, refreshing rest, seek ye first, shall be added unto you, social media, strange comfort, take a risk, technological revolution, thank you, that's how God planned it, the 21st century, the kingdom of God, the more they remain the same, the more things change, the sun will rise again tomorrow, the world's way, this book of the law, to true success, tomorrow will be better, wisdom, zest, zing
Joshua 1:8. This book of the law shall not depart out of (be continually in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
What a crying shame it is friends when one can’t lie abed late on a cloudy Saturday morning because the various aches and pains in your aching body won’t allow you to find a comfortable position in that place that’s supposed to be one of quiet peace and refreshing rest! Hn, hn!
Yeh mih people, getting old is nice in many ways, but not so nice in others. The wisdom and experience one accumulates, plus the ability to say most of what you want and get away with it (smile) is marvellous, but I can’t say the same for the many debilitating effects age brings to one’s body. However, we can’t seem to have one without the other, so I’ll just say thank you for the good parts and just grin and bear the bad ones. And that’s enough complaining for this morning! (smile)
Let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And I like this first one: ‘There is strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow.’ Now is that ever so true!
We all know that regardless of what today brings, tomorrow will show up right on schedule, because that’s the way our great God and Creator planned it! That means we can always have hope and faith that tomorrow, the new rising of the sun, will bring a different and better outcome to our circumstances. So please hang in there…and have hope for tomorrow!
Now hear this one: ‘Try to find pleasure in the speed that you’re not used to. Changing the way you do routine things allows a new person to grow inside of you. But when all is said and done, you’re the one who must decide how you handle it.’ That’s somewhat complicated, but it does contain some truth. In this world we’re usually creatures of habit and comfort, and nothing’s wrong with that, because we can’t have excitement all the time.
But the same old, same old routine does get boring and frustrating if we don’t occasionally add a li’l zing and zest to it. That’s why every so often we need to take a risk, do something new and/or different, get out of our comfort zone for a spell, take a different way home from work, eat at a new restaurant, so we can add a touch of spice to our humdrum, mundane lives.
But having said that though, we have to be careful that we don’t change just for change sake, which is what so many of us are doing these days. We use words like ‘this is the twenty first century; this is 2019, the Old Testament doesn’t matter anymore, etc.’ insinuating that because we’ve reached a certain level of time and space and evolution that things must necessarily change. But please note the old saying, that the more things change, the more they remain the same.
And that’s gospel truth friends! If you really check it out, most of the things we’re doing, and the reactions we’re showing to the various changes in our world, the same things have been going on for ages, possibly just on a different level. So please, especially in these explosive times of social media and technological revolution, don’t change just for change sake, or because others are doing it. The Good Book containing the Lord’s wise and precious Word must still be our guiding light!
And I’d like to take the last two quotes as one, because they are closely intertwined. Hear them: ‘When you fail, that is when you get closer to success.’ ‘Success will be within your reach only when you start reaching out for it.’ And they are both full of awesome truth since you generally don’t have success unless you have first failed, and you can only have success if you reach out for it.
But what do we mean by success eh? Is it how the world terms it; the accumulation of power and fame and money and worldly glory, or celebrity status? Or is it how Jesus describes it; serving the lost, the poor and downtrodden, LOVING our God with all our being, and LOVING our neighbours as ourselves, overcoming evil with good and going the second mile when it’s not necessary?
Whichever path we choose though, the results will still be the same: we won’t always succeed the first time, or even the fourth and fifth, and we’ll never succeed if we don’t try, and that means try sincerely and wholeheartedly, give our all! Anyway, here’s the best path to any kind of success at all. Obviously it comes from the Good Book, God’s direct words of wisdom and warning to His servant Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be continually in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’
Oh mih people, that’s Success 101 right there! And it hasn’t changed one iota since the Lord said them to Joshua! That formula for success remains constant forever because it’s God’s Word and his Word doesn’t change! And here’s something I LOVE about our God, although I don’t always appreciate it in my dealings with Him. (smile)
He doesn’t just tell you something and leave you floundering, He often drives it home with another suitable and well placed nail, to oftimes encourage us, like He did there with Joshua, continuing thus: ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:9)
And that’s after telling him basically the same thing two verses before. But He knew that Joshua would need a lot of strength and courage to lead the wayward and stubborn Israelites and that was His way of encouraging Him. And He does the same with us friends! The Lord will NEVER leave us alone and ‘unencouraged’ when He knows that we definitely need encouragement! Please remember that! All we have to do is call on Him in sincerity and truth and He will answer appropriately.
Now let’s end with Jesus’ wise and faithful words on the matter of success. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) No truer words were ever spoken friends! And if we’re wise, we’ll take them to heart and sincerely and diligently put them into action in our lives! Much LOVE!
…following Jesus and His righteous ways…is the ONLY path to true success…
06 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious day, a moment's peace, action-oriented people, be quiet, chant up a storm, choke on our own vomit, choose life, choose the Lord's way, Christians, consequences, dangers, deficiencies, fellowship, Friday chant, from being taken, from fear of evil, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, He has promised, in Jesus name, it's always summer, keep thy foot, Labour Day, life and death, listen to the Lord, obey His Word, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, rest and recuperate, seek, shall dwell safely, sufficient fun, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the complacency of fools, the Lord shall be thy confidence, the slave master, the summer's done, the way we live, the waywardness of the simple, the wisdom of the Lord, the workingman's song, thou and thy seed may live, unawareness, whoso hearkeneth unto me, word of mouth
Proverbs 1:33. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (safe, secure) from fear of evil.
Well a good Friday morning to you my Scrip-Bit friends and family! And so it should be, because it’s as glorious a day as the Lord has ever made! This morning when He took out His brush, palette and paints to produce it, He didn’t miss a stroke!
He got it all right; the brightly shining sun, a cool, invigorating breeze, leaves as green as ever on the trees, singing birds and insects, a myriad of flowers in a myriad of beautiful colours, and most of all, we His faithful followers and obedient believers with His Holy Spirit dwelling in us to lead and guide us along straight paths!
Oh glory to our great God! Give Him much thanks and praise my people! And that thanks should not be only through word of mouth, but also be shown by our actions, by the way we live our lives, so that others will want to come to Him and enjoy His salvation, LOVE, forgiveness and mercy! But enough of me. (smile)
Hear the ordinary workingman as he sings his Friday song. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Brother! The week’s been somewhat rough after all that Labour Day partying! Good thing we didn’t have to work five days nuh, else I never would have made it nuh. And with the children bouncing around excitedly with the new school year, there wasn’t a moment’s peace in the house this week!
But I guess now that the summer’s done, I have the whole winter to rest. Let’s hope it’s not a rough one nuh because I’m not as young as I was and thus can’t handle those harsh winters with as much enthusiasm and patience and physical strength as I used to. Might just be time to move to somewhere where it’s always summer!
Oh, I know right now that’s just a pipe dream, but it’s surely something to think on for later days. For the time being though, I just have to put up with the slave master and his slavish work, so that I can support the family, and enjoy the two short days off on the weekends. Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
Yes friends, even the ordinary workingman has to wake up some time to his mortality! We all need to realize that what we might have been able to do in our youth, we simply can’t do in our later years. However, with the help of our amazing God and Creator we can do infinitely more than we think or imagine. And we bring that to remembrance through our Friday Chant.
So let’s chant up a sincere storm nuh: ‘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, like the ordinary workingman, many of us believers extended ourselves over the Labour Day weekend, and had it somewhat rough this past week, but we know the Lord our God, know that we can go to Him for rest and recuperation at any time of the day or night, because He has promised it in His Word.
Hear how Cousin Sol puts it nuh, when he talks about those who refuse to seek the wisdom of the Lord God Almighty. ‘For the turning away (waywardness) of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity (complacency) of fools shall destroy them.’ (Prov.1:32) And oh my people, if there’s one word that describes too many believers in this day and age it’s that utterly inappropriate word ‘complacency!’
Now technically that means something like a ‘feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.’ However as it pertains to us Christians in this evil and ungodly world it’s more a case of not doing what we ought to do; that’s the work, the purpose, the plan Jesus has for us, the job of spreading His good news to those around us. It’s more like ‘self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.’
Yes friends, too many of us are just sitting on our laurels doing nothing to truly further God’s kingdom, just enjoying the good earthly life, totally unaware of the dangers and deficiencies of our behaviour! Merely sitting on the fence, waiting for life to produce whatever we hope it produces is totally unacceptable to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and eventually we’ll only drown in, or choke on our own vomit, as the saying goes.
Cousin Sol though wisely informs us: ‘But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (safe, secure) from fear of evil.’ What a wonderful promise my people, but it comes with conditions! We need to listen to the Lord, obey His Word, and do what he tells us to do, when He tells us to do it; not just sit around lazily, complacently, and call ourselves Christians. Christians are action-oriented people, not just lay-abouts!
And Cousin Sol expands on all of that later, saying when we seek the wisdom of God and also obey it: ‘Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov.3:23-26)
Oh friends, I couldn’t put it any better or clearer! It’s up to us now to accept God’s promises or not. But please remember there are serious consequences to each option, so please be wise and choose the Lord and His way! Much LOVE!
…I have set before you…life and death…blessing and cursing…therefore choose life…that both thou and thy seed may live… (Deut.30:19)
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