28 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little city, a poor wise man, a Prophet, amongst his own kin, another day of celebration, ask in faith, ask of God, but in his own country, by his wisdom, compassion, Covid 19 lockdown, disbelief, faithful believers, Friday chant, get understanding, get wisdom, giveth to all men liberally, God is ever-faithful, God will make it good eventually, his words are not heard, if any of you lack wisdom, in his hometown, in his own house, it is all fake, Jesus did no mighty works, money is a defense, no man remembered the poor man, not wavering, not without honour, numbers are boosted, offense, pay attention to your lifestyle, rush the children back to school, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the birds are singing, the deadliness of the virus, the error of their ways, the ordinary workingman, the principal thing, the sun is shining, then said I, unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom is a defense, wisdom is better than strength, wisdom will help make money, zest for living
Ecclesiastes 9:16. Then said I, wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
Welcome to another day of celebration friends; another day of excitement, adventure and purpose on God’s great earth as we set out to do His awesome will! And is that ever a marvellous thing, because we don’t know what’s in store for us, but we are assured that whatever it is, God will make it all good eventually! That’s His promise, and He is ever-faithful to keep them. And remember today is Friday, the day we let our hair down in preparation for the weekend. (smile)
So let’s see what the ordinary workingman has to offer us today nuh. And he seems to be getting His energy and zest for living back after the long Covid-19 lockdown, for he declares (steups!) with great enthusiasm: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday at last, and the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all’s right with my world, or as right as it can be under the circumstances! (smile) Well we still have to be careful with this Corona virus thing, but it’s not as bad as it was before with the reopening of plenty places, and above all, people not behaving as stupid as they did in the beginning, finally realizing the deadliness of the virus and how we have to be ever so careful in dealing with it.
And yes, I know that it still have the odd ones who going to behave foolish, and those who still believe that is all fake and the numbers are boosted to make it look bad, but the fact of the matter is that people still dying from it, and once that is happening, yuh have to pay attention to yuh lifestyle. I guess that’s what they calling the new normal… Hn! And I really can’t complain too much nuh, because ah working, mih children healthy, mih wife not as stressed out as before…
But ah don’t know bout this school business though, with li’l children wearing mask whole day, and so many a them in li’l cubby hole classrooms with no proper ventilation… I guess school’s important, but look how many days we break beach, played hooky from school, and we still turn out okay. (smile) Don’t see why the rush to send them back to school when they know it not safe nuh. But we’ll see how it turns out. Till then we have to give thanks to God for Fridays and the weekends oui!’
Ah mih people, as always, the ordinary workingman raises some good points, but who’s going to listen to him eh? As Cousin Sol said so long ago in Ecclesiastes: ‘There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks (barriers, siege works) against it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.’ (Eccl. 9:14-16)
And that’s the gospel truth! The wisdom of the poor man is seldom considered important; that is if it’s ever thought that poor people can be wise. But we all know better than that eh my brethren. And there’s no better example of the poor being despised re wisdom than Jesus’ appearance and teaching in his own hometown of Nazareth. (Mark 6:2-3) When he began to teach in the temple they were astonished at His wisdom, wondering how the simple carpenter boy from their town got so wise. ‘And they were offended at him.’
Imagine that nuh. But it happens all the time, all over the world. As Jesus so wisely said to them. ‘A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin (relatives), and in his own house.’ (Mark 6:4.) And because of their offense and disbelief, Jesus was unable to do any mighty work in His own home town. (Mark 6: 5-6) How sad!
That brings us back to Cousin Sol in Ecclesiastes. Hear these awesome words on wisdom. ‘For wisdom is a defense (shade, shadow), and money is a defense: but the excellency (advantage) of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.’ (Eccl. 7:12) Mama Yo! What wisdom! (smile) And it’s the gospel truth! Wisdom offers something to its holder that money or any other material substance cannot. That’s why Cousin Sol said in Proverbs that ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.’ (Prov. 4:7)
Oh my people, wisdom should be the number one thing we seek after in this earthly life. And what’s so wonderful about wisdom is that it comes from God, as James says: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given to Him. But you have to ask in faith, not wavering.’ (James 1:4-5) That means, to truly seek wisdom, you have to truly seek God, and that’s our raison d’etre, our reason for being here on earth; to seek Him, to LOVE and adore and worship Him, our God and our Creator.
So let’s go to Him now seeking wisdom nuh; wisdom to handle all the difficulties we’re now engulfed in. Let’s chant our Friday Chant. All together now, with sincere hearts. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now let’s go out and handle the situation like we promised – like real faithful believers! Much LOVE!
…money can’t buy you wisdom…but wisdom will help you make money…
13 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Prophet, airs and graces, an effective leader, aspires to inspire us, atone for our sins, birds have nests, blood, comfortable fannies, deceitful, devil's advocate, don't dwell on problems, don't find the fault, fiasco, find the remedy, focus on the solution, for a better tomorrow, foxes have holes, fraudulent world, friend, godly and generous manner, great things, greated deed ever, greedy, grin and bear it. Anselm, has nowhere to lay his head, head knowledge, Henry Ford, his own house, itinerant preacher, Jesus Christ, last till eternity, littered with complaints, LOVE, Nazareth, never come from comfort zones, never satisfied, not without honour, radiation treatment, reconciliation with God, recondition your team, save in his own country, solution focused, sweat, take advantage, tears, the christian Church, the goal, the Lord's will, the positive side of the ledger, the Son of man, Thomas Edison, to handle others, to handle yourself, uppity, use your head, use your heart, Walt Disney, wisdom
Matthew 13:57. A prophet is not without honour, save (except) in his own country, and in his own house.
Oh my people, you’ll notice that the Bit is rather early today. (smile) That’s because I went to bed fairly early last night, slept through the night and got up early this morning! Brother! No fun in that at all. (smile) Neither was there any fun in what was supposed to be my last radiation treatment yesterday…
Steups! What a fiasco! Especially since I had a whole entourage (smile) (3 people) there to witness and record the end circumstances for posterity. Chuh man! But I guess it just wasn’t in the Lord’s plan for me yesterday, possibly because I was too vociferous and boastful early on in the Bit. Who knows?
But everything that could go wrong went wrong; with both bowels and bladder, so we had to cancel the last treatment until Monday. But what yuh going to do eh? If that’s the Lord’s will, then you just have to grin and bear it. Anyway, it’s Saturday, so let’s turn to the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first one says: ‘Don’t find the fault, find the remedy.’ Now I’m going to play the devil’s advocate here (smile) by asking, if there’s no fault, then how can there be a remedy eh? But most likely he means that so many of us like to complain and find fault, that instead of always focusing on the problem, we should more often focus on the solution to the problem.
And that’s the gospel truth, especially in this feeble and fragile world of today that’s littered with more complaints than anything else. We complain about everything, find fault with everything, and are never satisfied, even when we get what we asked for. But that’s just the world eh friends, not we believers in Christ…Hn! I wish!
Now the next one is similar to the first: ‘The goal of an effective leader is to recondition your team, to be solution focused and not problem focused.’ The same thing applies here, except to leaders. They must be focused on finding solutions, not dwelling on problems, because as they go, so will their followers. So if a leader is always harping on the problems, more likely than not the followers will be doing the same, and no organization can grow and thrive unless they are all looking to the positive side of the ledger.
And the third quote tells us: ‘To handle yourself, use you head; to handle others, use your heart.’ I’m not sure I understand what he means there, but I’m supposing that in looking after your own interests, you should use your head, head knowledge and wisdom, but in dealing with others, it should all come from your heart, in a godly and generous manner.
Now if that’s what he means, then there is a fair amount of truth in it, but please friends, in this greedy, deceitful and fraudulent world, we can’t always let out godly hearts and intentions run away with us, since people are liable to take serious advantage of the goodness of our nature.
The world’s not as trustworthy as it once was, and contracts and agreements nowadays are meant to be broken. There is always some fine writing that you never look at that let’s them off the hook. So please make sure that your head is looking out for your heart.
And the last quote tells us: ‘Great things never came from comfort zones.’ And that’s the living truth! No one who’s ever done great things has ever done it comfortably sitting in their living rooms. They always had to go out on a limb, take a risk, face disappointment and seeming failure, as well as condemnation from friends and families.
Just read the stories of people like Thomas Edison, who gave us the light bulb; Walt Disney, who was touted as failure in his early years, but look at what he created. And look at Henry Ford. Yuh think he had it easy building his cars. Not on your life. But the greatest example of them all is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Just look at how he moved from being the God and creator of this world to being a humble, lowly man, born in a manger, not even a palace, but a smelly animal barn. Then grew up as a carpenter, and no, he didn’t have all the power tools that we have today, so it was hard, physical labour all the way.
Then when He began His ministry, it was as an itinerant preacher, as He told the scribe who wanted to follow Him. “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.’ (Matt.8:20) Not only didn’t He have a permanent place of residence, but He was also mocked and scorned by those around Him, the very ones he had come to save. Even His family didn’t believe in Him.
And yuh see how they treated Him in His own hometown of Nazareth after He read the scripture from Isaiah and intimated that it related to Him. They all got hot and bothered thinking that the carpenter’s son, whom they all knew growing up was getting a bit uppity, taking such airs and graces upon Himself and tried to throw him off a cliff. ‘But He passing through the midst of them went on his way.’ (Luke 4:16-30)
And it was in His own hometown of Nazareth that Jesus mouthed these words of immortal truth. ‘A prophet is not without honour, save (except) in his own country, and in his own house.’ How true that is my fellow saints in Christ. Many a great person has been looked on with disfavour by those close to them. And strangely enough, Nazareth was one of the very few places that Jesus did no miracles or mighty works, simply because of their unbelief.
And we don’t have time to talk about all the unfair, and unjust ‘sufferation’ that Jesus endured so that He could build the greatest body, the most powerful organization the world has ever seen, the Christian church, which has lasted for over two thousand years, and is set down to last until eternity.
So friends, if we want to do great things, we can’t only sit down and talk about them, we have to get up off of our comfortable fannies and put in the blood, sweat and tears required of every great and or lasting achievement; just like Christ did! And please note, He did it all on our behalf.
He didn’t have to, but the Father asked, and being the obedient Son that He was, He got up off His comfortable rear end in heaven and came down to the hellhole we call earth and selflessly and sacrificially suffered to atone for our abominable sins and bring us into reconciliation with the Father. Now that is indeed the greatest deed ever done on this earth! Please acknowledge and respect it like you ought to. Much LOVE!
…doing great and worthwhile stuff…requires…great and worthwhile effort…
20 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer in Jesus Christ, a godly way to love, a positive manner, a Prophet, a way of life, adversity, Agur, Anselm, artisans, aspires, Christians, clothing, content, dangerous experiences, debase, ever-changing circumstances, faithful promise, falsehood, food raiment, give us this day our daily bread, God's provision, godliness with contentment, gospel truth, great gain, help, Helper, household chores, I can do all things through Christ, I have learned, I speak in respect of want, immortal statements, in rough times, in whatsoever state I am, inspires, integrity, it doesn't pay, keeping busy, lay about, lies, life is not easy, life is raw material, looking to Jesus, need, negative, negative situations, not giving up, Olympics, optimism, our existence, pitfalls, positive, poverty, problems, profane, rejection, restore your faith in yourself, riches, roadblocks, Saturday, sculpt, Something Beautiful, stand strong, staying encouraged, steadfast, stick like glue, take the name of the Lord in vain, the BIBLE, the canvas of our lives, the hard way, the Holy Spirit, things are going to be bad, to be content, to get discouraged, ugliness, vanity, well rested, words have power
Philippians 4:11. Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Ah friends, it’s Saturday, which spells sleeping in and rest for some, while for the unlucky others, household chores will take up most of their day. But not to worry it’s all good. (smile)
Yeh, tell that to the mothers who are up and busy while the fathers lay about in bed or slouch on the living room couch in front of the t.v watching some sporting event like the Olympics. Hn! To each his own; the important thing is that you’re well-rested, bright and fresh to go back out on Monday morning and do the work thing all over again.
In the meantime let’s check out some quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. Now this week it was kind of hard to pick just two, so I chose the easy way out and picked three. (smile) They are short anyway, so they won’t take up much space.
The first one says: ‘Life is raw material. We are artisans. We can sculpt our existence into something beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It’s in our hands.’
And that’s very true, for we basically hold the canvas of our lives in our own hands and to a great extent can make of it whatever we desire. We have the ability to paint a beautiful picture with our lives or just make it dark and ugly. Oh there will be problems and roadblocks, whatever path we choose, but technically speaking, our lives are ours to build as we see fit.
And the second of Anselm’s quotes tells us: ‘One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.’
Now that’s definitely gospel truth my people! Life is not easy and there are many pitfalls, etc. that can get us down and discouraged, but that’s never the wise or smart way to go, especially if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. Now optimism doesn’t necessarily mean that everything will work out the way you want, but at least you’ll be able to handle the negative situations in a positive manner; staying encouraged, not giving up, leaning on and looking to Jesus for His faithful promise of help in rough times.
And last but not least, Anselm declares: ‘If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.’ That also rings out with truth my brethren because our words have power, awesome power, and whatever we keep saying, be it positive or negative, usually comes to pass. And somehow or other, the negatives in our speech seem to come to pass more than the positives. So it’s extremely important that we stick to positive speech.
That brings us to our Bit, some positive speech from Bruh Paul the Philippians. ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’ Yes friends, that is a very necessary lesson for every Christian to learn.
Then Bruh Paul goes on to make one of the immortal statements in the Bible. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) And that’s the basis on which he is able to be contented in whatever situation he finds himself.
Hear the scholars: ‘4:13. The apostle’s ability of knowing how to live skillfully on little or in prosperity does not mean that he is a spiritual superman. The reason that he can live in such extremes is not owing to his own ability. Rather he can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth him, thus enabling him to adapt to his various, ever-changing circumstances. God orders Paul’s various situations, and God gives him the strength to be content in them all, trying and perplexing though they may be.’
And nobody went through as many harrowing and dangerous experiences as Bruh Paul. Oh my fellow believers, the same thing applies to all of us! God sets us where He wants us and then gives us the wherewithal to stand; to stand strong and steadfast regardless of the circumstances. That’s why we Christians are able to bear up under pressure that non-believers can’t handle: our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ enables us to handle it through the help of His Helper, the Holy Spirit.
So though times might look dark and disturbing, you are exactly where the heavenly Father desires you to be, and if you stick to Him like glue, (smile) He will enable you to bear whatever adversity you are currently encountering.
Now let’s check out some scriptures that jive with our Bit. Listen to Bruh Paul again, this time to Timothy in his warning against false teachers. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content.’ (1 Tim.6:6-8)
Hear the scholars. 8:8. This verse prevents the wrong understanding of verse 7, that material possessions have no place in the Christian’s life. By figure of speech food and raiment stand for all of life’s basic necessities. These are all the believer needs, and having these he can be content.’
Let’s turn to the words of Agur now in Proverbs as he talks to God ‘Two things have I required (requested of thee); deny me them not (deprive me not) before I die. Remove far from me vanity (falsehood) and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient (you prescribe) for me. Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take (profane) the name of the Lord in vain.’ (Prov.30:7-9)
And we’ll end with these interesting words from the scholars. ’30:7-9. Agur’s prayer is for a convenient and lifelong integrity, accompanied by a rejection of lies and riches. His resting in God’s provision for him (v.8) anticipates the words of our Lord. (Matt.6:11).’
What more can I say eh friends, except that that is a worthwhile and godly way to live. So let’s emanate him if we can nuh. Much LOVE!
…give us this day our daily bread… (Matt.6:11)
05 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Prophet, a righteous man, a servant, brothers and sisters with Christ, Christian, done it to one of the least, eternal separation from God, evil and ungodly world, feed the hungry, friend, glory to God, goats, Helper, honour god, hungry, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my Friends Jesus, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, in prison, insignificant, mercy, naked, oppresses the poor, orphans, promises, put a smile in our hearts, receives me, receives you, reward, salvation, save the lost, share His love with the world, share in the labour, sheep., sick, smallest service, stranger, suffering, the children of men, the king shall answer, the left hand of christ, the lost, the needy, the way to salvation, thirsty, Tuesday Mantra, widows, you have done it unto me
Matthew 25:40. And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Ah friends, thankfully the mess and muck of yesterday’s precipitation should have been mostly cleared away from the roads, so the trip to work this morning shouldn’t be that bad. But it’s cold, beastly cold, so please dress warmly, possibly your long johns (smile).
Then let’s put a smile in our hearts which shows up on our faces and our conduct as we face the evil and godless world and evoke the gospel of Christ, and hopefully bring others to the truthful realization that He ONLY, is the way to salvation.
And since today is Tuesday, it’s only mete and right that we declare our Tuesday Mantra. So as one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen’
Oh yeah, my brethren! We are indeed not what we do or what people say about us, but the beloved children of God! Glory Hallelujah. Once we believe in Jesus and surrender our lives to Him, we are immediately adopted into God’s fold and become joint heirs of the kingdom with Christ.
What a bam bam! Joint heirs of the kingdom of God with Christ… Mama yo! Nothing could be better than that my people! So please let’s stop allowing the world to define us and have us foolishly running around like chickens with our heads cut off to live up to its standards.
Remember we are working for our FRIEND Jesus to share His LOVE with a sinful world! That’s what defines us. Now I want to share something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘Walking Together.’
And it says: ‘It would be sheer mockery, Lord It would be subtle hypocrisy For me to kneel Anguished and weeping Before Your cross Unless – As I walk with You now Down my personal Emmaus Road I introduce You With singing joy To the broken and bound The weary and worn The depressed and defeated Whom we meet on the way. And, Lord, I observe That as we walk together Foot traffic thickens.’
Oh friends, what glorious truth! As we walk together with Christ along our earthly path, and we meet the broken and needy and share the good news of Christ’s gospel with them, as well as any material help we can offer, we are indeed joined by others in our journey and Christ is indeed more glorified.
Remember Christ said that He came to save the lost, to feed the hungry, to heal the sick and broken, and take care of the stranger, the widows and orphans. So it is necessary that we too, as brothers and sisters with Christ, look after the lost and needy.
That’s why in our Bit, and also the Bible promise for the poem above Jesus declared: ‘And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’
Yes my fellow believers, it’s all about how we react to those who are suffering in this ungodly and evil world! If we spread Christ’s message and His material benefits amongst them, then we’ll be set on His right hand with the sheep… Oh glory to God for His goodness to the children of men!
But if we spurn and/or ignore the lost and needy, regardless of all our other so-called good deeds, we’ll end up on Christ’s left hand with the goats… How sad! Because hear what He’ll say to that group. ‘Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me no meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.’ (Matt.25:41-43)
Brother! We certainly don’t want to be in that lot my precious people, because as we keep saying, eternal separation from Almighty God is the worst thing that can happen to a human soul.
And Jesus spelled it out earlier on in Matthew when talking about rewards. ‘He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.’ (Matt.10:40-42) What glorious promises my brethren!
And the scholars have this to say about those verses. ’10:41-42. In the name of a prophet (i.e., “as a prophet”). The meaning of this statement is that those who are not prophets themselves may share in the labour and reward of the prophets by willingly supporting their ministry. One of these little ones is a reference to the fact that even the smallest service done to the most insignificant of Christ’s servants shall be rewarded by the Lord Himself.’
Oh friends, yuh see that living and working for Jesus is not rocket science, but simply letting the goodness of our hearts flow to others, especially those in need!
And we’ll end with these wise words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘He that oppresseth the poor (needy) reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor (needy).’ (Prov.14:31.’
Yes my people, when we honour the needy, we honour our God and Maker. So please let’s go out and do that with a sincere heart today nuh, and thus help our cause in Jesus’ eyes. That’s nothing but the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…being a Christian means…being a servant…a helper…a friend to the poor and needy…
12 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Prophet, a way with words, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, as for me and mine, but on whom this stone falls, calm, chief cornerstone, Christ died for us, come unto me, cornerstone, discouragement, don't give up, done deal, doubt, encourage, eternal life, eternal separation, faith, faithful promises, fallen world, follow in the footsteps of Jesus, full steam ahead, Gentiles, God demonstrates His love to us, God's Guide Book, God's love changes us, gospel truth, grind him to powder, halfway home, hang in there, heavenly wisdom, hypocrite Pharisees, I am meek (gentle) in heart, I will give you rest, is become the chief cornerstone, it is marvellous in our eyes, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the chief cornerstone, judgement, keep keeping on, learn from me, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, mercy, motivate, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, Old Testament, parable of the wicked husbandmen, Pentecost, persevere to the end, pilgrim's journey, powerful, purposeful, rejection, renew our fragile spirits, repentance, salvation, Sanhedrinists, solace, something to hold on to, take in front before in front takes you, take my yoke upon you, the BIBLE, the foundation of the church, the great invitation, the nations bringing forth the fruits, the race is not for the swift, the real cornerstone of God, the road is rough and rugged, the stone which the builders refused, the surest of feet, the true cornerstone, this is the Lord's doing, ultimate triumph, victory is assured, warning of judgement, we will follow Jesus, while we were yet sinners, who shall fall on this stone shall be broken, ye shall find rest unto your souls
Psalm 118:22. The stone which the builders refused (rejected) is become the headstone of the corner (chief cornerstone).
A hale and hearty Wednesday morning Friends! We’re halfway home, and victory is assured if we just hang in there, just keep on keeping on, following in the wonderful footsteps of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
It’s a done deal mih people…but only if we don’t give up, if we persevere to the end! So if we stumble, as we most likely will…don’t give up, because that’s expected since the road ahead is rough and rugged.
And even if we happen to fall, please, please, let’s just get ourselves back up, dust ourselves off and keep on going, full steam ahead, for the race is not for the swiftest, but for the surest of feet, those who persevere to the end.
And please remember that our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has promised to meet us at the level of our faith. Let’s allow His Great Invitation to fill our hearts and minds this morning. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
That my Friends, is an invitation we’ll never regret accepting!
Now here’s an interesting poem from the One Year Book of Bible Promises. It’s simply called ‘Reversal’ and it says: ‘Lord For so long I thought Your LOVE Demanded that I change. At last I am beginning to understand That Your LOVE changes me.’
We cannot dispute that my brethren! It’s God who changes us!
And the Bible promise given to support that declaration is Romans 5:8: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’
That’s gospel truth Friends; pure, unadulterated gospel truth! So please, let’s allow that to resonate in our souls, hearts, bodies and minds today!
Ah my people, there’s nothing like scripture to encourage and motivate us along our pilgrim journey. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why God’s Guide Book, the Bible was drawn up; so that in times of doubt and discouragement, we‘d have something strong, powerful and purposeful to give us solace, for us to hold on to, something to calm and renew our fragile spirits.
Now here’s another piece of scripture to cogitate on (smile) and hold on to. That’s our Bit: ‘The stone which the builders refused (rejected) is become the headstone of the corner (chief cornerstone).’
And that again is indisputable, gospel truth my people! For Jesus Christ, whom the leaders of the Jews refused, despised and worked diligently to have Him eventually crucified, has indeed become the chief cornerstone of this world; bringing salvation and eternal life to the wise of this fallen world, those who would believe in His Deity and stand on His ever-faithful promises.
Wow! What a wonderful God we serve my brethren!
And in talking to the leaders of Jewish people, Jesus reveals the parable of the wicked husbandmen (tenant farmers) who refuse to pay their rental to the owner of their vineyards, and instead kill his representatives, who came to collect, even his son. (Matt.21:33-39)
Jesus then asks them, ‘When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked husbandmen, and will let out (lease) his vineyard unto other husbandmen (tenant farmers), which shall render him (pay back) the fruits in their seasons.’ (Matt.21:40-41)
Jesus tricks the hypocrite Pharisees into admitting that the owner of the vineyards ought to destroy the wicked husbandmen and replace them with others who would faithfully keep their agreements.
Then ‘Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner (chief cornerstone): This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to the nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived (knew, realized) that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for (held him to be) a prophet.’ (Matt.21:42-46)
What a way Jesus had with words, my people!
Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ’21:40-43. Verse 40 represents the condemning question of the judicial parable, What will he do unto those husbandmen? Their reply again unwittingly condemns their own attitude of rejection toward Jesus.
The other husbandmen are the Gentiles (v.43). Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23 exactly from the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament, relating to His present rejection to His ultimate triumph (cf. Acts 4:11; 1 Pet.2:6-7, where the stone which the builders rejected is also quoted in relation to Christ).
The Sanhedrinists represent the builders of Israel’s religion, who rejected the real cornerstone of God, Jesus, the true Cornerstone of the foundation of the church.’
And the scholars further explain: ‘21:44-46. The warning The kingdom of God shall be taken from you (v.43) was fulfilled at Pentecost when the kingdom was mediatorily transferred to the church. Yet, within this warning of judgement, Jesus offers mercy to those falling on this stone, meaning falling upon Him in repentance and faith. But His falling upon man in judgement will grind him to powder.’
Oh my Friends, how much more do we need to hear and experience eh, for us to truly believe in and put all our trust in Jesus Christ? I don’t know nuh! But as for me and mine, we have heard and experienced enough to obediently follow His lead.
Hopefully the same can be said of you and yours, because following Jesus, the cornerstone of the church, is heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…please take in front before in front takes you…fall on Christ, the cornerstone…and receive salvation and eternal life…before the cornerstone falls on you…and brings judgement and eternal separation…
30 Jan 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Prophet, blessings, fear not, heavenly Father, humility, intercessor, Jesus' assurance, joy and strength, knowing jesus, Love of Jesus, mediator, Peace and Love, praise God, radiant countenance, rejoice and be glad, religion, revealer of God's will, son of god, the Holy Spirit, the joy of the Lord, winds of evil
John 12:49. For I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
And as another day dawns on God’s bountiful earth, all the creatures of His universe turn to praise and acknowledge Him in whatever manner He prescribes for them; be they fish or fowl, man or beast. So let’s raise our heads, hearts, hands and eyes heavenward and offer our heartfelt thanks for His incomparable blessing of allowing us to see another fine day here on earth. Let’s all happily intone: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ Now Friends, we just can’t mouth those words yuh know, but also have to go out and put them into action. Actually put rejoicing and gladness into whatever situations we find ourselves. This needs to be a conscious decision, not something we hope will flow from our circumstances. For remember, the joy of the Lord is our strength, (Neh. 8:10) and if we lose that JOY which comes from knowing Jesus, then our lives will be like trash, blown any which way by the ever huffing and puffing winds of evil. So the first thing we need to do everyday on awakening, is to reignite that joy, put the bellows to that spark of fire in our souls that has burnt low during the night. Then and only then, are we ready to face the day, come whatever may, because the LOVE, JOY and STRENGTH of Jesus are all burning brightly in our souls. Now let’s see what our Bit wants to tell us today. ‘For I have not spoken of myself (my own authority), but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.’ Isn’t it interesting Friends, that throughout His entire ministry, Jesus kept on humbling Himself, kept on claiming that the words He spoke and the deeds He did, were not of Himself, but of His heavenly Father. But instead of actually paying attention to what He was saying, and if His deeds were in concert with His words, the religious leaders of the day were only concerned about His contention that He was the Son of God. And the same thing’s happening today. When believers talk about Jesus as Lord and Saviour, the heathen don’t really listen to what we’re saying, re things like Peace and LOVE, but quickly get this pickle in their ear about Jesus Himself and begin condemning Him. The message itself gets lost in all the paraphernalia surrounding it. I’m sure if Lucifer gets religion and changes his act and begins talking of LOVE and Peace, the message won’t get lost though, because we’ve been programmed to welcome Lucifer in whatever guise, but not Jesus. Anyway, what I want to do today is point out some of the many times that Jesus made nothing of Himself, but gave all the power and glory to God the Father. First though, let’s deal with the last part of the Bit, (smile) ‘…what I should say, and what I should speak,’ because it brings up very important stuff that pertains to us today. Some of us may not realize it, but those words of Jesus fulfilled a prophecy from the days of Moses. The Lord promised, through Moses: ‘I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deut.18:18-19) Yes Friends, that promised Prophet was to be like Moses, a mediator between God and man. And the only person powerful enough to fulfill that role since the promise, was Jesus. According to the scholars, that Prophet would be ‘faithful (Heb.3:2), full of compassion and LOVE (Num.27:17; Matt.9:36), a powerful intercessor for His people (9:18; Heb.7:25), speaking with God face-to-face and reflecting the divine glory (2 Cor.3:7) Like Christ, he was to be a mighty prophet in word and deed (Luke 24:19), a revealer of God’s will and purpose (cf.6:1; Rev.1:1) a mediator of the covenant (29:1); Heb.8:6-7), and a leader of the people (Is.55:4).’ Yes my brethren, our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus is the fulfillment of all that! Now the second thing I want us to note, is what Jesus says to the disciples when warning them of the serious persecution to come. ‘But when they deliver you up, take no thought (do not worry about) how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.’ (Matt.10:19-20) That means believers today should not be afraid of persecution, because in time of need, the Holy Spirit of our heavenly Father will tell us what to say, and how to react. So my brethren, that fear of not knowing what to say when troubles come, is one more fear we can cast adrift, because we have Jesus’ assurance that He will work in us, when it’s necessary. Hn, hn, hn! Oh mih people, I think I’ve outdone myself, but what’s new about that eh? It seems we’ll have to leave those scriptures I promised until tomorrow, God willing obviously, because there are several I want to share. Anyway, we have enough stuff to ponder today. Don’t want to give us too much, what with our busy schedules of everyday living. (smile) So as we opened with thanks, let’s close with a blessing. May the good Lord we serve and worship, bless us and keep us safe from all harm. May He shine His wonderful and radiant countenance on us, and give us His everlasting peace, so that we can walk worthy of Him, and thus further His glorious kingdom. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen. Much LOVE!…with Jesus ruling our hearts…fear should be a thing of the past…
SCRIP-BITS 