09 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominations, all these things shall be added unto you, become more intimate with God, Bible, busy society, called by by my name, christianity, crash, deepen my breath, diligently, draw nigh to God, drowning in an evil world, eternal life, eternal source of joy, faith, forgive their sin, free will, god, God is always near, God is just a prayer away, God's omnipresence, he will draw nigh to you, heal their land, hear from heaven, heartfelt prayer, holy spirit, humble themselves, I love them that love me, if my people, in our daily lives, increase my awareness of you, intimacy, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, light of the world, like chickens with our heads cut off, LOVE, mercy, none doeth good, perish. on the open stormy sea, pray, put it into practice, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, remember God's marvellous works, repentnace, rudderless, rushing around, salt of the earth, salvation, seek his face continually, seek my face, seek the Lord and his strength, seek ye first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the God of our forefathers, the Great Commission, the Lord is our strength, the Promised Land, they were all gone aside, those that seek me early will find me, to live successfully in God's kingdom, truth, turn from their wicked ways, weak, wisdom, with no guide or pilot, you are here with me, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
1 Chronicles 16:11. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.
Oh what a beautiful lazy-day Saturday! It’s a li’l on the cool side, but the sunshine mitigates the chilliness, (smile) especially when you don’t have to be anywhere at any particular time, and thus you can do whatever you want, whenever you want! Wow! Why can’t we have more days like those eh, instead of the constant rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off, that our busy society seems to demand?
I don’t know, but when we do get days like that, it’s wise and imperative that we enjoy them to the fullest. And having said that, let’s turn to the eternal source of our everlasting joy and give Him some thanks and praise, seek His awesome presence more deeply through our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And that’s all it takes! A short, simple, sincere, heartfelt prayer to bring our heavenly Father rushing down to meet and greet us in greater intimacy, thus allowing us to enjoy His Triune presence with an intensity like never before! And that’s how we grow, how we mature my fellow believers! By getting closer and more intimate with our God, as He says, seeking Him, while He’s near…
But yuh know what, He’s always near; as near as a prayer away! With His omnipresence, meaning His presence everywhere at all times, there’s no time He’s ever not near. But He desires us to call out to Him, to want Him enough to go out of our way to seek Him. That’s why He gave us free will, so that we could consciously choose Him above all else. Then He would really know that our interest is sincere.
And there are so many scriptures on seeking the Lord, that today we ought to look at a few of them, beginning with the most obvious; these immortal words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, while teaching on worry. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yes friends, if we keep God first place in our lives, all that we need will be given to us. But like all scripture, we first have to believe it and then put it into practice in our daily lives.
Meanwhile, way back in time, the Lord said it thus to the Israelites as they made their way from Egyptian bondage to the Promised Land. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ (2 Chr. 7:14)
Oh my people, that’s exactly what we ought to be doing in these disastrous and chaotic times; turning to the Lord our God, seeking His face through humble prayer and repentance, that He might free us from, and forgive us of the abominations that are currently enveloping our land and world. Can’t you see that a total return to the God of our forefathers is the answer, the only way our land and world will ever be peaceful and joyful again?
Obviously not, for again and again, we allow Satan to deceive us and steal our joy in the Lord, which we know is the very source of our strength. (Neh. 8:10) For as one wise person said, Satan doesn’t want our things, he wants our joy, for once he steals that, we become weak and rudderless, out on the open stormy sea with no guide or pilot, and it’s only a matter of time before we crash on some rocky shore and perish.
Consequently, it’s of the utmost importance that we keep seeking God, His strength, grace, mercy, goodness, LOVE and compassion. That’s why Bruh David in his Song of Thanksgiving so strongly advises: ‘Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth.’ (1 Chr. 16:11-12) And Cousin Sol says it like this in Proverbs: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) Then James puts it thus: ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you.’ (James 4:8a)
It’s all so simple my brethren; we just have to call out to God for help with sincere hearts. He’s waiting for us to do so, because He wants to lose none of His human creations to eternal damnation. But if we don’t call on Him, then that’s where we’ll end up, breaking His heart with such disobedience.
Meanwhile in Psalm 9 – Praise for God’s Judgement – Bruh David writes: ‘And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps. 9:10) And that’s the gospel truth! And it’s sad that so many of us don’t believe it, therefore don’t put our trust in Him, and therefore lead more miserable lives than is necessary.
Then in Psalm 14 – Man is Corrupt – Bruh David declares (yesss!!!): ‘The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.’ (Ps. 14:2) And what did he find? ‘They are all gone aside (turned away), they are all together become filthy (corrupt): there is none that doeth good, no not one.’ (Ps. 14:3)
Now Bruh David could have been speaking of our current world. And isn’t a sad commentary on us supposed believers, that we’ve allowed Beelzebub and his evil cronies to take so much control of our world. Whatever happened to the Great Commission that Jesus gave us, to go forth and preach the good news of His salvation and eternal life to ALL the world eh? Whatever happened to us being the salt of the earth and shining lights of the word eh?
Obviously, our salt has lost its flavour and our lights have been burned out. But it’s not too late my fellow saints, we can still turn things around if we get up RIGHT NOW and do what we need to do, so that our descendants won’t be left drowning in such an evil and sinful world as the one we now have. Let’s do it for them nuh! Much LOVE!
…to live successfully in God’s kingdom…one must seek Him…sincerely, diligently and continuously…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a familiar spirit, a good fight of faith, a positive outlook on life, a wizard, abominations, an ancient Celtic festival, an ungodly celebration, be blameless before the Lord, be perfect with the Lord, Bible, children offered as sacrifices to idols, Chrisitans, christianity, Christians not willing to sacrifice, creativity. courage, curse, dangerous, demons, detestable things, disater filled world, divination, divine protection, enchanter, evildoers, faith, favour, fear of God, fear of man, god, Halloween, it makes money, Jesus Christ, lose a generation to Satan, LOVE, negative word, pagan rituals, pass through the fire, prosper, put to death, salvation, Samhain, shirking our repsonsibility, sorcerer, spread lies, succeed, suffer not a witch to live, take the bull by the horns, the betterment of our world, the darker side of life, the penultimate day of our work week, the salt of the earth, the souls of the dead, their blood on their own heads, to thwart the kingdom of God, truth, ungodly, wisdom, witch
Deuteronomy 18:13. Thou shalt be perfect (blameless) with the Lord thy God.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek. But today is also October 31, the day when we celebrate the old pagan festival of Halloween, another opportunity for the greedy money men to raise the level of their coffers at the expense of foolish parents buying ugly, frightening costumes for their children, who then go about the streets in the dark knocking on houses for candy and whatever stuff the houseowners have on offer.
It’s not only an ungodly celebration, where things like witches and other dark, negative bodies are embraced, but it’s also dangerous, for the wicked and evil people in today’s world have begun putting all sorts of dangerous stuff in the things they give away. But, while it makes money for the business men and dentists, I guess it will continue to be celebrated.
And just for your information, ‘Halloween’s origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which was held on November 1 in contemporary calendars. It was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits.’ It just goes to show how little we truly LOVE and appreciate our great God, when we still adhere to such pagan rituals, where the things of the dark side are lifted up.
And there are several instances in the Bible of not accommodating negative things and rituals in our lives. For example this directive in Exodus: ‘Thou shalt not suffer (permit) a witch to live.’ (Deut. 22:18) That meant that people who embraced the darker side of life, like sorcerers and sorceresses, who dealt in drugs and potions and spirits should not be allowed to live, for they were not pursuing godly behaviour and would most likely encourage others to do so.
Meanwhile the Book of Leviticus tells us: ‘A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit (ghost, demon) or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.’(Lev. 20:27) That means their blood shall be upon their own heads. And what are familiar spirits? Spirits or servants ready to obey the commands of their evil masters.
This commentary from the gotquestions.org website puts it thus. ‘Familiar spirits and spirit guides are under the control of their master, Satan. They influence people to spread lies and deceit in order to thwart the kingdom of God. To knowingly open oneself to the work of demons is an evil thing.’
And to support that, we have this warning to Israel to avoid pagan practices. ‘When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations (detestable things) of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire (be burned as an offering to an idol), or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination (a detestable thing) unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect (blameless) with the Lord thy God.’ (Deut. 18:9-13)
It couldn’t be put any clearer than that my people. But do you think Israel listened? Not on your life! Several times they turned to worshipping the pagan gods of other nations and paid a hefty price each time for their disobedience. Likewise, our society today is embracing many pagan customs, rites and those who take the lead in such abominations. Is it any wonder then that our world is a state of chaos and upheaval like never before.
Both man-made and natural disasters are proliferating in a world that’s the most prosperous and enlightened it’s ever been. Why is that eh? The efforts of the evildoers are stronger than those of the godly. It’s as simple as that. We have more than enough supposedly godly people to turn this disaster filled world around if we would only get up and do something about it.
But because of things like fear of man more than fear of God, laziness, and a desire for the comfortable life, Christians are not prepared to sacrifice much for the betterment of our world, or rather, as much as it would take to turn our world around. Then we cringe, whine, hold our heads an bawl when we see the ungodly and evil happenings in our world.
Hn! If we were the shining lights of the world and the salt of the earth, as we’re supposed to be, many of those evil things would not be happening. But because we’re shirking our Christian responsibility, the evildoers are ruling the roost, even running away with the first prize. Oh my fellow believers, if we allow the world to continue as it’s going on its evil bent, what kind of world will our grandchildren and their children inherit eh? A totally evil and ungodly world!
Is that what you want for them? I certainly hope not. But then it means that we need to get up right now, take the bull by the horns and make as many godly changes as we can. We cannot afford to lose that generation to Satan, as we’ve lost the current one. And it’s not like we don’t have the tools to do it, for the Lord has generously bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings; blessings that enable us to do His earthly work. So let’s declare them right now, and thus activate them in our lives.
As one strong and sincere voice! ‘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 having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…the evil forces will completely overtake our world…unless Christians put up a good fight of faith for Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a commitment to holy living, a deceitful tongue, a false witness, a high look, a lying tongue, a perverse heart, a proud heart, a proud look, a wicked heart, abominations, bloodthirsty, Carnival Tuesday in T&T, coals to burn thy tongue, cut off, destroy, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, evil continually, feet, hands that shed innocent blood, haughty eyes, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, it repented the Lord, lying lips, make you clean, Noah, not what I do, not what I have, pales in comparison, pray, pretty costumes, rumours of war, seven are an abomination, shaking their booties, share His love with the world, sharp arrows, sincere hearts, six things the Lord hates, slandereth their neighbour, soweth discord among brethren, speaketh lies, spread forth your hands, strife, strong voice, swift in running to mischief, the thoughts of his heart, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, wars, wash you, winer girls
Proverbs 6:16. These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him (His soul).
So it’s Tuesday – seven days into the vacation – seven days ahready! Brother, the time really flying fast sir! And can you believe that the ole fella has not done anything exciting as yet! Chuh! In fact I’ve only left the confines of the property once since I got here, to go to the wedding last Saturday. It’s all inclusive so I don’t really need to go anywhere to get much of anything. But I know that you all are bored with my just going over the street to the beach and back. (smile) I sincerely promise though, before it’s over, I’m going to have some exciting things to report. So just bear with me nuh.
And today is the big mas day in T&T, Carnival Tuesday with all the pretty costumes and winer girls on the road, shaking their booties! But I was never that big a mas fan, and the stuff today pales in comparison to the productions of yesteryear. The costumes are much more expensive and much skimpier; like a bra top and bikini bottom and some feathers on your back.
That’s not mas as I know and appreciate it. But it still resonates strongly with some people. Good for them. So what’s the plan for today eh? As usual – nothing! But I am trying to get the Bit out early so I can do stuff if the opportunity arises. And most appropriately for Carnival Day, I’ve been led to this oh so relevant scripture, since so many untoward things happen on this particular day. (smile) And we talking about the seven deadly sins, according to the wise words of Cousin Sol. ‘These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him (His soul).’
And I know some of us are just dying to hear what those seven abominable things are that the Lord hates. Well here goes: ‘A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans), feet that be swift in running to mischief (evil), A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.’ (Prov. 6:17-19)
There we have them friends, seven deadly sins which are unfortunately very prevalent in today’s society, with we supposed Christians doing our fair share of them. We all know we should not participate in them, but I guess the pull of the enemy and our human nature are too strong for many of us. Now let’s see if we can find some scriptures that deal with those abominations.
Hear Bruh David from Psalm 101 – A commitment to holy living. ‘I will set no wicked (worthless) thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside (to wickedness); it shall not cleave (cling) to me. A froward (perverse) heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person (wickedness). Whoso privily (secretly) slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off (destroy): him that hath a high look and a proud heart will I not suffer endure.’ (Ps. 101:3-5)
Yuh see friends, even Bruh David refused to put up with wickedness and haughtiness and slander. Much less our holy and just God. And the psalmist in Psalm 120 tearfully asks the Lord to: ‘Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? Or what shall be done unto thee, thou false (deceitful) tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty (warrior), with coals of juniper (the broom tree).’ (Ps.120:2-4)
Yuh see that mih people, for lying and deceitful tongues he’s calling for arrows from the strong and coals to burn thy tongue, possibly like how Isaiah’s was burnt when he was anointed. (Is. 6:5-7) And Isaiah himself earlier on tells us to stay away from abominations:
‘And when ye spread forth your hands (pray), I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood (bloodshed). Wash you, make you clean; put away your evil doing from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgement (justice), relieve the oppressed, judge (vindicate, defend) the fatherless, plead for the widow.’ (Is.1:15-16)
Oh my precious brethren, those are words this evil, oppressive and bloodthirsty world of ours would do well to take to heart! We badly need a call to worldwide repentance! And I don’t know, but the devil just seems to be so strong in us that from early o’clock we’ve been evil, so evil, that way back when in Genesis, the Lord had to shake His head and bawl. Why?
‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart (all his thoughts) was only evil continually (all the day). And it repented the Lord (the Lord was sorry) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.’ (Gen.6:5-6)
Yuh see how hurt God was back then when mankind was pure wickedness friends? Yuh think He’s not the same way now that we’ve come back to that point, and possibly are even worse than then, because we have invented so much more depravity with our increased learning and knowledge. That great disappointment led Him to destroy all living things except Noah and his family and one pair of each animal.
How do we know He won’t do the same thing again eh, except not with water, because He promised no more water destruction, but what about fire and brimstone eh? The Lord can destroy us in ways we don’t even know about? Who’s to say that the many new diseases and reoccurrence of old ones and all the other unfortunate and negative disasters currently happening in our world is not a part of His plan eh?
And when you add the wars, strife and rumours of wars, it might just be His plan for us to eradicate ourselves, because that’s exactly where we are heading, if we continue down this evil road we’re currently on. I had some more scriptures to add yes, but I’ll leave them for another day. I think we’ve gotten the idea the Lord wants us to get. (smile)
So let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Tuesday Mantra proudly letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and do just that nuh! Much LOVE!
…the wicked shall be cast into the darkness of eternity…but the righteous shall dwell in everlasting light and peace with the Lord…
27 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a good man, a loving man, a name, a righteous man, abominations, above every other name, accept it, All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, appearance, as a aman, at his feet faal, at the name of Jesus, became obedient, blot out our sins, bring forth, by his grace, Christ died for the ungodly, come to Him, communication with Almighty God, crown him, dare to die, Edward Perronet, every kindred, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, every tribe, finite minds, found in fashion, given him a name, glory hallelujah, glory to the Lamb, God demonstrates his love, God hath highly exalted him, hail him, he humbled himself, hear Jesus say, in due time, in heaven, Jesus, Jesus christ is Lord, join the everlasting song, let angels prostrate fall, Lord and Saviour, Lord of all, LOVE, merciful God, missionary in India, obedience, obeisance, omnipotent, on a silver platter, paid the penealty, paid the price, puny, ransomed of the fall, repent, sacrifice, saves you, seed of Israel, selfless works, shotgun rider, slain, sweeter words, terrestial ball, the cross at Calvary, the royal diadem, thou good and faithful servant, to the glory of God the Father, unselfish, unto death, we owed, welcome, wisdom, without strength, yet sinners
Philippians 2:9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Well friends, it’s Sunday and there’s snow on the ground. But I’m not going to let it stop me from going to church for two Sundays in a row. And anyway I don’t think it’s all that much, although you never know how much it really is until you step out in it.
But between my trusty chariot ‘Blue’, my most amazing shotgun rider, Jesus, and myself, we ought to make it there and back safely. If we don’t, then something’s terribly wrong with this picture! (smile)
But let’s get to matters nuh, some softening up of our hearts to receive His holy word, by singing some awesome praise and thanksgiving to our heavenly Father, that He so obviously deserves.
And today’s hymn is a very popular one, sung by many Christian denominations. It’s titled ‘All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.’ Glory to God! And so in fact should His Name be lifted up because of His great, unselfish, selfless works.
They also say that this hymn is often called the “National Anthem of Christendom.’ And it very fittingly deserves that title too. Apparently one Edward Perronet wrote the lyrics while he was a missionary in India, some where in the mid 18th century, and there have been several tunes associated with it. But let’s sing the one we know and LOVE!
So in unison, powerfully, in warmth of heart and true sincerity, let’s sing. (smile) ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race, Ye ransomed of the fall, Hail him who saves you by his grace, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all.
Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, On this terrestrial ball, To him all majesty ascribe, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. O that with yonder sacred throng We at his feet may fall; We’ll join the everlasting song, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all.’
Yes mih people! What a fitting name and position for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ – LORD OF ALL! And He’s definitely earned it! As mere mortals, we can’t offer up any more fitting praise because our minds are so puny and finite, thus our vocabulary is small.
But we all know and greatly appreciate the fact that He died on the cross at Calvary to save us, to blot out our awful sins and pay the penalty we owed, thus allowing us to once again have serious and sincere communication with Almighty God!
What a mighty and LOVING man He was…and still is…and ALWAYS will be! NO ONE ELSE could have borne our sins…and please note, He didn’t have to, but because the Father, who LOVED us so much, asked Him to, He did!
Fellow believers, I don’t know if we truly realize how much our heavenly Father, our Creator really LOVES us nuh, or the awesome act that Jesus performed on our behalf. Here how Bruh Paul puts it to the Roman church nuh: ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his LOVE (demonstrates His own LOVE) toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Ah friends, that ought to drive home to us just how much our Creator and His wonderful Son LOVE and want us to spend eternity with them! Most of the other supposed deities would expect us to repent and come to them first…but not our great, omnipotent and merciful God! He paid the price for our sins first, before asking us to repent and come to Him! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my faithful brethren!
However, church is calling now, I’ve got to go and do a li’l worshipping myself (smile) so I’ll have to leave you for a spell. Soon come…
We back! The troika made it safely there and back. Some of the roads weren’t clean when we left, but most were by the time we returned. And most importantly, a good time was had at church; we raised up Jesus’ name, just like we’re doing in the Bit today. Yes friends, there’s nothing more refreshing and worthwhile than thanking and praising Jesus for all He’s done for us, is still doing, and has promised to continue doing.
Here is this awesome scripture from Bruh Paul to the Philippians explaining the Father’s response to the Son’s selfless sacrifice. ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in the earth, and (those) things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:8-11)
And all God’s people shouted a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Glory to the Lamb that was slain for our abominations! All praise and honour to His gracious Name that is now exalted above every other name, in heaven on earth, and even beneath the earth! And also that every knee should bow to Him and call Him Lord!’
Oh friends, yuh see how the Father lifted up Jesus for being obedient to His will? Well, He will do the same for each and everyone of us who shows Him obeisance and obedience. We don’t have to sacrifice our lives, because Jesus has done that once and for all. We just have to believe in His Son, read His holy word and be obedient to it. And a crown of glory will eventually be in the offing for us.
It’s all laid out there for us on a silver platter; we just have to make the decision to receive it. Let’s show some wisdom and accept it today nuh! Much LOVE!
…there are no sweeter words to the ear…than on entering heaven…to hear Jesus say…Welcome, thou good and faithful servant…
15 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominations, Ahaz, altars for Baal, Amon, Asherah, carousing, children of Israel, created, Creator, did evil in the Lord's sight, disparity in behaviour, disturbed sleep, dryness, every day that we're alive, fellowship, follow God's laws, forsook the Lord God, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, give thanks to god, gods of the Assyrians, half step backward, having a good time, heathen, Hezekiah, in Jesus name, in the sight of the Lord, Josiah, largesse, level-headed, limits, loving-kindness, Manasseh, melodrama, mental chains, negative circumstance, new slavery, of David his father, one step forward, pagan altars, refreshed, renewed, responsibilities, rest, served the idols, shaking it rough, song of freedom, spiritual evil, summertime, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, that which was right, the breath of life, the Good Book, the kings of Judah, the living is easy, the workingman's song, to the left, to the right hand, topsy-turvy, turned not aside, walked in all the way, week of work, wickedness, wooden image
2 Kings 22:2. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
Ah friends, the ole fella’s shaking it a tad on the rough side this morning. My ole nostrils were blocked up again last night, so I had to breathe through my mouth, with the attendant dryness, disturbed sleep, etc. etc. Ah Lord eh! This one step forward, half backward is becoming a bit much yes!
But what to do eh? Nothing but grin and bear it, knowing that the Lord is in control on the throne, doing what He does best, rule with our best interests at heart. And sadly, the workingman isn’t interested in my negative circumstance, (smile) he’s just come out to sing his song of freedom:
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and we soon get a break from the new slavery with mental chains instead of the real ones! The weekend is here…and it’s summertime…and the living is easy…and we certainly going to enjoy every moment of it, as long as we can. Pure carousing and having a good time, with no thought about work until Monday morning! Oh, the weekend, the weekend! Give God thanks for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
For sure my people, we ought to give thanks to Almighty God not only for Fridays and weekends, but for each and every day that we’re alive! For it’s through His largesse, His LOVING-kindness that we keep on drawing the breath of life that He first instilled in us at birth.
But if we are believers, we need to have limits and responsibilities to the way we live our lives. Excessive and limitless carousing does not go over well in Jesus’ society. That’s why our Friday Chant is so much different to the workingman’s song. And as we chant it now, let’s seriously think about it and make plans to sincerely follow it.
Altogether now, 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.’
Yeh friends, it contains most of the elements in the workingman’s song, but just on a more level-headed and responsible note. And speaking about level heads and responsibility, I opened the Good Book and immediately saw a most appropriate passage, for today’s Bit. ‘And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.’
Ah mih breddren, we couldn’t find greater disparity in behaviour than in the kings of Judah back in olden times. The above passage is talking of Josiah, who began ruling Judah when he was 8 years old and ruled for 31 fruitful years. His mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath, a city in Judah.
Now hear how the Good Book describes the reign of Amon, Josiah’s father. ‘Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign (became king). And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh did. And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them: And he forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the Lord.’ (2 Kin.21:19-22)
Oh precious people, there is no certainty that we will take after our fathers, or do what they did, as we can see by the difference in those three kings of Judah’s behaviour. Now Josiah did not take after his father Amon, who took after his father Manasseh, who did not take after his father Hezekiah. So obviously Judah was a mess, moving from godly to ungodly and back again, according to the whims and fancies of their kings.
Hear how the Good Book describes Manasseh: ‘Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
For he built up again the high places (places for pagan worship) which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove (wooden image) as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven (gods of the Assyrians), and served them.’ (2 Kin.21:1-3)
And I wonder, since the Good Book names their mothers, if, or how much they had to do with the godly or ungodly behaviour of their sons. It’s a note for thought. (smile)
And the scholars give us some further explanations. ‘21:1-2. Manasseh’s 55 year reign was the longest of any of the Old Testament kings. Unlike his godly father, Hezekiah, he reproduced the wickedness of his grandfather Ahaz. He emulated Ahaz’s spiritual evil by bringing pagan altars into various places of the temple complex and placing the Asherah (Canaanite fertility goddess) symbol within the temple itself (vs.3-7).’
Now what could be worse than placing a pagan symbol inside of the Lord’s sanctuary eh friends? Nothing really! And then they wondered why life was so rough with them. Unfortunately we are doing the same pagan stuff today and also wondering why life isn’t better.
Ah mih people, life as a society never gets better until we begin to truly and sincerely follow the laws and edicts of Almighty God, who created us, gave us His breath of life, and takes it back when ever he desires. And until we understand that and live by it, our lives will always be some sort of fluctuating, topsy-turvy melodrama. Much LOVE!
…no matter how hard he tries…the created can NEVER be greater than the Creator…
04 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free gift of God, a very present help in trouble, abominations, Absalom, as America goes, bask in the sunshine of God's grace, Be still and know that I am God, behold the works of the Lord, blessings, Bruh David, confidence in Almighty God, confidence in God, eternal life, God is our refuge and strength, God makes wars to cease, God's holy hill, God-fearing countries, godliness, godly character, Great Britain, guiding light. founding fathers, Happy 4th of July, I cried unto the Lord, I will be exalted among the heathen, I will not be afraid, idol worship, Indepdence, Jesus Love Revolution, Lucifer, mercy, my glory, never too late to repent, Pheonix, Quakers, raise the level of godliness, rebellion, rejuvenationof godliness, religious persecution, repentance, return to God's fold, rise from the ashes, salvation is of the Lord, Selah, Sin capital of the world, sons of Korah, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the god of jacob is our refuge, the Holy Word of God, the lifter up of mine head, the Lord God Jehovah, the Lord is a shield, the Lord of hosts, the Lord sustained me, the One and Only True God, the prince of darkness, the tide has turned, trust, truth, turned away from God, U.S.A, walk the talk, Yahweh
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY U.S. OF A!
Happy Birthday U.S of A! Yes Friends, the greatest nation the world has ever seen is 239 years old today!
Unfortunately, those United States of America are no longer the powerhouse they used to be. Why, you ask? Simply because they have turned away from the God of their fathers, and have now embraced idol worship. When the thirteen States of the Union declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, the guiding light of their founding fathers was the Lord God Jehovah.
Several States had been founded because their occupants, like the Quakers, had been running away from religious persecution in Britain. And why do you think the U.S became such a powerful nation? Because the basis, the foundation for living was based on the Holy Word of God! And we all know that the Word of the Lord is immensely powerful, even to the moving of mountains, and those who sincerely follow it will become powerful too.
Sadly though, in the last few generations the tide has turned, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob no longer holds near as much sway in the U.S. as it once did. And as the godly character disappeared, so did the prosperity.
God has been removed from the public schools and government offices, churches are no longer as sacred and important as they used to be. Consequently God is not being taught in the homes either, with the overall result being that God is now severely mocked in the U.S. and instead of being one of the most God-fearing countries in the world; it is now the world’s SIN capital.
Ah Lord eh! When I hear of some of the sinful abominations that now occur in the U.S, I just have to shake my head in disgust. Even Lucifer, the prince of darkness, who now controls the country, must shake his head in wonder.
Anyway, we’re not here to condemn, but the pertinent facts must be stated without being glossed over. We are here rather to try and raise the level of godliness again, so that the once mighty nation can restore some of its lost glory, and bask once more in the sunshine of God’s grace and mercy. It is never too late to repent and return to God.
The ancient Jewish people knew that and were wise enough to repent when they had fallen by the wayside. And America right now needs a massive inflow, a great upheaval of repentance and rejuvenation of godliness, so that Jesus’ LOVE Revolution can prevail, and the nation rise once again, like the phoenix from its ashes.
And not only for them, but for the whole world, because although they are not as mighty as they once were, unfortunately, still as they go, so does the rest of the world. So please pray sincerely, seriously and often for America to return to God’s fold, for we will all be blessed by that most significant occurrence.
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.’
Oh Friends, right there is such a statement of absolute and indisputable truth, that if we would only sincerely embrace it, our lives and our world would be so much better!
And the confident declaration of Bruh David, when he fled from the rebellion of his son Absalom as stated in Psalm 3 – a prayer of confidence in God, certainly corroborates our Bit. ‘Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for (around) me; my glory, and the lifter up of (the one who lifts up) mine head.’ (Ps.3:2-3)
Oh my brethren, more absolute and indisputable truth! Bruh David wasn’t just making this up, writing beautiful poetry for poetry’s sake, but he was living the tough and terrible times. And his confidence in the God of his fathers was so great, that he continues thus. ‘I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps.3: 4-6)
What total confidence and trust in Almighty God! How many of us nowadays can say that with as much confidence and trust eh? Not too many. But Bruh David lived it Friends, and if we live for God too, then eventually we will be able to speak with such boldness and sincerity. And here is how he ends the Psalm. ‘Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.’ (Ps.3:8)
Yes Friends, salvation is of God. It is His free gift through Jesus Christ, and His blessings are always upon those who LOVE, worship and adore Him!
Oh how I wish the once godly societies could repent and go back to serving and worshipping the One and ONLY TRUE GOD, Yahweh, then life here on earth would be so much better.
But not to worry, we’re working on it, slowly but surely, and one day, in the not too distant future, victory will be ours! God has promised it, and we all know that He faithfully keeps His promises, we just have to do our part, which is simply to live for Him and spread His Word.
Now let’s go home with the closing words of Psalm 46, from which our Bit is taken. The sons of Korah unabashedly declare: ‘The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.’ (Ps.46:7-11)
And all God’s people declared a loud and proud shout of ‘Praise be to the mighty God of Jacob! He is indeed our refuge and our strength, our salvation and our help in time of trouble!’
Yes Friends, now let’s go out and live it nuh, let’s go out and walk the talk. Much LOVE!
…oh let the Lord be exalted in all the earth…so that the heathen can come to Him…in sincere repentance… and receive the wonderful gifts of salvation and eternal life…
22 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a perfect heart, a prowling lion, abominations, Achilles heel, Beelzebub, Bruh David, cast thee off for ever, celebration, Christ-like life, Christians, Cousin Sol, destroy, distress, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, fellowship, fleshly lusts, forgive their sin, forsake, Friday, Friday chant, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, Granny's advice, greedy, heal their land, heathen, hellfire, I will hear from heaven, idolatry, imaginations, in Jesus' name, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, lose sight of our purpose, LOVE, Lucifer, Memorial Day, Memorial Day weekend, merciful, mire of sin, Moses, my people which are called by my name, negative, practice what you preach, pray, refreshed in soul body and mind, relaxation, rest, seek my face, seek the Lord thy God, shall humble themselves, spread the gospel, step up our efforts, sware unto thy fathers, the Lord searcheth all hearts, the weekend, times of celebration, tribulation, turn away from their wicked ways, turn to the Lord thy God, warlike, willing mind, win souls for Christ, words of wisdom
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well a fine Friday morning to you my brethren, my fellow believers in Christ! And the workers declare: ‘It is indeed a fine Friday! The weekend is here! Thank God for that yes! We going to wail down the place!’
And the ones shouting the loudest are those in the U.S. where they celebrate their Memorial Day weekend with joyous gatherings and memorials for those fallen in combat and struggle over the years. But as we keep reminding Friends, don’t leave home without Granny’s advice: ‘drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’
Yes my people, especially in these times of great celebration, it’s very easy to lose sight of our purpose and get involved in things we shouldn’t, and thus give Lucifer an opening to our soul. Remember he’s always prowling around like a hungry lion, just waiting to pounce on someone who’s gone even slightly astray. (1 Pet. 5:8)
Please let that not be us this Memorial Day weekend. And as always, to help us stay on the right track, let’s chant our Friday Chant with sincerity and purpose. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh Friends, let’s not forget our earthly purpose; that of spreading the gospel of Jesus to all and sundry, to the entire earth. And it’s indeed a most worthy purpose, though I don’t believe we are doing it as seriously and diligently as we ought to.
Our world is definitely too negative and warlike, and greedy and full of fleshly lusts and abominations for us to be doing a great job. If we were, our world would never be as disgusting and ungodly. But that’s where our Bit comes in.
‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
What a great joy that would be my people! But unfortunately it doesn’t seem as though it’s going to happen anytime soon, for sadly we appear to be losing more people to Beelzebub than we’re bringing to Christ. That means we obviously have to step up our efforts to win souls for Christ.
And we can’t do that unless we are living a Christ-like life, which will draw unbelievers to Jesus. Right now, too many supposed Christians are living too much of a worldly life, not practicing what we preach, thus the heathen are not paying any attention to us. And that my Friends, will continue to be our Achilles heel until we come to terms with our Bit.
Anyway, let’s continue disecting our Bit, finding scriptures that pertain to each of the four things we need to do for God to hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land. And oh Friends, does our land ever need healing, in a bad, bad way! Today we’ll deal with ‘and seek my face.’
Oh my people, there are so many instances of that admonition in the Bible that I spent the last half an hour researching them. Conseqeuntly we can only get in a few in the time and space allotted. And we’ll start with Moses warning the Israelites about being taken in the throes of idolatry.
‘But if from then thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation (distress), and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto thy voice;
(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.’ (Deut.4:29-31)
Now Friends, that is exactly the position in which we find ourselves today; our world is in a serious time of tribulation and distress. But are we turning to God, to our merciful God to help right it? Not really. We seem to be more intent on following Beelzebub further down into the mire of sin and hellfire.
Then we have these beautful words of wisdom from Bruh David to Cousin Sol, re building God’s temple. ‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.’ (1 Chr.28:9)
And the scholars have an interesting take on the verse. ‘Although David’s charge to Solomon was directed primarily at his son, his point was doubtless not lost on the assembled congregation (cf. 29:9).’
That’s where the people rejoiced as they gave willingly, with a loyal heart, to the building of the temple. So Friends, I hope that Bruh David’s words will also resonate amongst us, so that we can seek God and give willingly to His cause.
And we’ll end with this famous discourse by Jeremiah. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:11-13)
Ah mih people, what more do we need to make us turn back to the God of our fathers eh? Do we need our world to be actually going up in smoke, when we’re on our last breath, before we run to Him for help, as so many of us do these days?
That’s not true wisdom Friends. We have the opportunity and the faithful promise of a wonderful Deity, so please, let’s take in front, before in front takes us nuh. Much LOVE!
…fools wait until the very last minute to seek succour…but as followers of Jesus…we should not embrace foolish ways…
28 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart that devises wicked schemes, a proud look, a rod of pride, abominations, almighty god, astonishment, big hearts, boasters, but for the sure of foot, capricious, clefts of the rock, Cousin Sol, crwon of glory., diadem of beauty, drunkards, Ephraim, fading flower, fear, feelings, God dislikes pride, God's love and goodness, God's tape measure goes around hearts not heads, godly hearts, goodness, human pride, humble, indisputable fact, Isaiah, lips of the wise, LOVE, love not the world, love of the Father, loving kindness, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, make thy nest as high as the eagle, merciful forgiving God, outward actions, patience, perseverance, plagues, pride of heart, pride of life, prideful, prideful dealings of man, proof of genuine Character, proud head, residue of his people, reverence, right motives of our hearts, slow and steady, strife of tongues, surrender, tempest of hail, the mouth of the foolish, the pride of man, the race is not for the swift, the sons of men, the turtle and the hare, the will of God, the world passeth away, thou shalt hide them in the secret place, trampled underfoot, trust, turtle Thursday, ungodly times, verdant valleys, whims, wine, wisdom, woe to the crown of pride, words, you can't fool God
Psalm 31:20. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (the secret place) from the pride (plots and plans) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues.
And then it was turtle Thursday! Turtle Thursday in the sense that Thursdays always seem to go slowly. We want them to rush on into Friday, but they just seem to take their own sweet time to get there. But remember Friends, patience and perseverance are the things that get us where we really want to go.
As they say, the race is not for the swift, but for the sure of foot. That’s why the turtle beat the hare in the race. He was slow and steady, while the hare was in a hurry and somewhat capricious, guided by whims and feelings.
And I don’t know whether I’ve shared this bit of wisdom before, but even if I have, I believe it’s worth another go round today. It comes from a small four by five inch card I have sitting at the front of my desk in my study. Ostensibly you should see it as soon you enter the study, but that rarely seems to happen. It did sometime yesterday though, and I had to chuckle when I noticed it.
These are the refreshing words it displays. ‘God’s tape measure goes around hearts NOT heads.’
And that’s an indisputable fact, my brethren! The Lord doesn’t judge us by the size and cleanliness of our heads, but by the LOVE and right motives in our hearts. God isn’t looking for big heads, but rather big hearts! Hearts that can encompass His LOVE and goodness, then share them with others who are in need of His LOVING-kindness.
So my people, I ask you now, which group do you belong to, the big heads, prideful, boasters group, or the big hearts, humble, LOVING-kindness group? I certainly hope you all will instantly jump up and shout: ‘The big hearts, humble, LOVING-kindness group of course!’
And that’s the right answer, but for your sake I hope it’s the true one, because you can fool me and those around you, but remember you cannot fool Almighty God, since He doesn’t take your words and outward actions as proof of your genuine character.
So I would strongly suggest that today we take a genuine look at our internal attitudes and make sure that we do have a big, godly heart and not a big, proud head.
Remember too that ‘a proud look… and a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans and schemes)’ are two of the abominations that our wonderful God greatly despises. (Prov.6:16-19)
That’s why Bruh David unequivocally declares in Psalm 31, from which our Bit is taken, his certain trust in the Lord. ‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (the secret place) from the pride (plots and plans) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues.’ (Ps.31:19-20)
Yes my brethren, the ONLY antidote for human pride that’s so prevalent in these prideful, ungodly times, is sincere trust and surrender to Almighty God! For as our Bit says, He shall hide us in a secret place, where the pride and plots of man will not touch us. But before He can do that, we have to give our entire lives over to Him.
And just to show how our God dislikes pride, let’s look at few scriptures that point it out. First up is Cousin Sol, who in his marvellous wisdom declares: ‘In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.’ (Prov.14:3)
Now listen to Isaiah as he condemns Ephraim. ‘Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on (at) the head of the fat (verdant) valleys of them that are overcome with wine!
Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast (them) down to the earth with the hand.
The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden (trampled) underfoot… In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people.’ (Is.28:1-3,5)
Then hear Jeremiah in his prophecy concerning Edom. ‘For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen (nations), and despised among men.
Thy terribleness (fierceness) hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.
Also Edom shall be a desolation (an astonishment): every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.’ (Jer.49:15-17)
Yes Friends, the Lord doesn’t make joke when it comes to the prideful dealings of man!
And we’ll close with some beautiful and very instructive words from 1John. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Oh my people, truer words were never spoken!
So today, let’s sincerely check our hearts and souls and see whether there be any pride and worldly lusts therein nuh. Then, as usual, let’s call out to our mighty, merciful and forgiving God for help to cleanse them. That, my Friends, is heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…pride goes before a fall…and the haughty shall surely feel the wrath of God…
28 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominations, adversity, Amen, black and white, blessed, blessings, burn the candle at both ends, city gates, commandments, defiles, disobedience, doing right, dr schuller, empty pitcher, fruit of the righteous, glory and honour, god, God's amazing faithfulness, growing flower, holy spirit, Hour of Power, I come O God, Jesus is the only answer, Lamb's book of life, lies, long and arduous night, LOVE, LOVE one another, mountain spring, my soul, New Jerusalem, no night, on the outside looking in, paradise of God, poem of prayer, positive note, Praise the Lord, rewards, right decision, satisfying sun, straight from the horse's mouth, thank you, the end times, thirsty deer, time of prayer, tree of life, tribulation, truth, vim and vigour, warning, wisdom
Revelation 22:14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s been a long and arduous night…of sleep! Hn, hn! My body had its way with me. That’s what happens when you try to burn the candle at both ends simultaneously. (smile) But hopefully, now that the ole bod has had its fill of sleep, it will be able to do the Lord’s work properly, with much vim and vigour.
Anyway, let’s get rolling with a poem of prayer from Dr. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. And it’s truly amazing, that though I’ve been reading the Devotional for several years now, most of the stuff I share from it seems entirely new to me. This poem titled ‘Fill Me!’ falls into that category.
Please read and pray with me. ‘O Lord, like the thirsty deer which goes to drink from the mountain spring; like the growing flower which turns hungrily to the satisfying sun; like the empty pitcher which is carried to the fountain to be filled; so I come, O God, knowing that in this time of prayer my soul will be filled with your LOVE and truth. Thank you! Amen.’
And I certainly hope that all our souls will be filled with God’s LOVE and TRUTH, as we go out this rainy Tuesday morning to do His awesome bidding, securely backed up by His amazing faithfulness.
And all God’s people declared a mighty, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes Friends, let’s keep on praising His glorious Name, for He is indeed most worthy of all that praise, and infinitely more than we can ever come up with or imagine.
Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.’
Ah mih people, that’s a warning we should all take very seriously and heed immediately! For as we saw yesterday, the adversity and unfixable tribulation of the opposite action, disobedience, is certainly not to be desired. Being on the outside looking in, is definitely not where you want to be at the end times.
And today, I want to look at some appropriate scriptures which corroborate our Bit. And we’re going to start out on a positive note, with the blessings administered for doing right.
John tells us in his first letter: ‘And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.’ (1 John 3:23-24)
That’s plain and straightforward Friends!
And as per ‘the tree of life,’ Cousin Sol describes it thus in Proverbs 11: ‘The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed (rewarded) in the earth: much more than the wicked and the sinner.’ (Prov.11:30-31)
Now hear Jesus’ warning and promise on it. ‘He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.’ (Rev.2:7)
Straight from the horse’s mouth my brethren, so it has to be true!
Now as regards ‘the gates of the city,’ of the New Jerusalem, listen to John’s revelation: ‘And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh (causes an) abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ (Rev.21:24-27)
And all God’s people said a loud and thankful ‘Amen!’
So there we have it Friends, in black and white. If your name’s not written in the Lamb’s book of life, then you won’t be allowed into the New Jerusalem. And the ONLY way to get your name in that awesome book, is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then obey His commandments in this earthly life.
So now the choice is ours. Let’s hope we make the right decision right now, for remember when the end times arrive, there’ll be no chance to change our minds. It’s certainly NOW or NEVER!
So please, please, my brethren, let’s be wise for once in our lives and choose Jesus nuh, for He is the ONLY answer to whatever ails us. Much LOVE!
…I choose Jesus…because He first chose me…and that says a whole lot…
16 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: abominations, beginning of sorrows, betrayals, christianity, crime, disregard for law, earthquakes, fallow ground, false prophets, fire, glorious opportunity, hardhearted people, heart, impending disaster, justice, lack of trust, lawlessness, LOVE, naive souls, outward conformity, pestilence, religious ceremony, repentance, return to God, righteousness., rumours of war, spiritual fruitfulness, spiritual vitality, tribulation, violence, war
Jeremiah 4:1. If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove (be shaken or removed).
Oh Friends, the ole fella’s shaking it a tad rough this Saturday morning, suffering from insufficient sleep; too many extra curricular activities. (smile) But like the mail, the Bit must go out. And with God’s help, it will. And all believers declared a loud and thankful, ‘Praise the Lord!’ But Friends, do you realize that it’s already the middle of March? The month will be soon be over, though it feels like it’s just begun. Whether the days are truly flying faster, or it’s just our imagination, our perception, we certainly don’t have time to waste on frivolous, unimportant activities, for the signs of impending disaster are all around us. As Jesus calls them; ‘the beginning of sorrows.’ (Matt.24:8) It’s not the end yet, but more like the beginning of the end, with the fulfillment of all the signs He warned us about: false prophets, wars and rumours of wars, nation against nation, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places. (Matt.24:5-7) That means we believers have to get ourselves truly together, as soon as possible, and come out fighting the evil that has contaminated and taken over our world. Consequently, there’s no time to lose in responding positively to our Bit. ‘If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove (be shaken or removed).’ Oh my people, the Lord offered that glorious opportunity to Israel to repent and come back to Him long ago, and He’s offering us that same opportunity today. Instead of removing Him from our schools, public places and homes, we need to be putting Him back there and thus getting more acquainted with Him. And it seems likely, from the sign of the times, that we may not have another opportunity to accept that most wonderful and generous offer. Now how do we show acceptance of that offer? Jeremiah enlightens us: ‘And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgement (justice), and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow (untilled) ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.’ (Jer.4:2-4) Now let’s hear the scholars’ opinion on all that. ‘These verses conclude the message begun at 3:6 (Israel and Judah entreated to repent) by using literary figures drawn from Israel’s daily experiences. From agriculture comes the admonition to weed out totally their present practices and break up their fallow ground, and then sow the new seeds of spiritual fruitfulness for God. Repentance and a broken heart must precede renewed spiritual vitality. The second figure comes from religious ceremony. Mere outward conformity to the standards of the covenant were insufficient. (cf. Gen.17:10-14; Deut. 10:16, 30:6; Josh.5:2-7; Rom. 2:28-29; 4:9-25)’ Please check out those scriptures my people, so we can get a better understanding of the matter. But yuh know Friends, unfortunately, all the foregoing definitely applies to our current society! We have to be truly serious about God and do the things necessary to return to Him, not pay mere lip service and conform outwardly. And believe me, our doings these days are truly, truly evil, though we try to gloss it over and give the impression that everything’s hunky dory. But Friends, judging from what Jesus said about the signs of the end, it is not! Not by a long stretch of the imagination! ‘Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted (tribulation), and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax (grow) cold.’ (Matt.24:9-12) Oh my brethren, all those things are happening today in ever greater numbers. Trials and tribulations of Christians are rampant all over the world. Betrayals, lack of trust and hatred have taken on new dimensions. False prophets are out there too in ever increasing numbers, deceiving many, unwary, naive souls. And don’t even talk about lawlessness, because it’s increasing by leaps and bounds everyday in our supposed lawful society! The growing crime, violence, disregard for the law and resultant fear is shaking our society to its very roots. And LOVE… what is that eh? The true emotion no longer exists, just like Jesus said. We’re now such a cold, and hardhearted people that we see can see our neighbours suffering dire want, but we can calmly turn our heads and walk away, pass by on the other side without a qualm, just like the religious hypocrites in the Good Samaritan story. But that’s not right Friends. It’s also not the way of Jesus, not the Christian way. However, fortunately, and thankfully, there is a way to counter most of this negativity. For while there is life, there’s always hope, hope in Almighty God. But we have to do as Jeremiah says in our Bit, and also as Joel advises. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. And rend (tear) your heart, and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great (LOVING-) kindness, and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).’ (Joel 2:12-13) Yes my brethren, it is possible to do some worthwhile reclamation, if we repent of our wicked, sinful ways and sincerely return to serving and worshipping the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But it has to be soon, and also on a fairly worldwide basis, or else, further disaster will continue striking us. And that’s certainly not a nice scenario to envision. So Friends, let’s wake up and see the fire, smell the smoke and rotting carcases and get a serious push on Jesus’ agenda, the LOVE Revolution, ASAP. Much LOVE!…as they say…a word to the wise…is sufficient…
SCRIP-BITS 