26 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a shout of joy comes in the morning, a silver lining, abject misery, Abraham, anchor, barren deserts, be strong, behind each dark cloud, being fully persuaded, believe on him that raised Jesus, better must come one day, Bible, bread of life, christianity, Christians, clouds were all over the land, dark and uncertain times, delivered for our offences, don't give up now, faith, falling down on God's job, fear thou not for I with thee, for our justification, fully convinced, George Banfon, giving glory to God, go tell your freind, God could perform His promise, God is not a man that he should lie, God will do whatever He says, he wavered not at the promise of God, held on, His anger endures but a moment, Hold On Better must come, hold on till the end, holy spirit, I am thy God, I thanked the Lord for another day, I will help you, I will strengthen you, I woke up this morning, I've been there, I've been weak, imputed to him for righteousness, in each life a little rain must fall, in his favour is life, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our answer for everything, joy cometh in the morning, like the clouds give way to the sun, like we're doing today, living water, long and short of the story, looking through the window, LOVE, mercy, neither the son of man that he should repent, on safari in South Africa, pilot, praising and worshipping God, raised again, remember to hold on, salvation, share it with every man woman boy and girl, stood strong, storms of life, strong in faith, tell your brother and sister, telling me to hold on, the better must come one day, the core of our beings, the darkest night is just before the dawn, the Father of righteousness, the gospel truth, the Lord promised it in His word, the Lord's Day, the only sure thing is Jesus, the soul of our forefathers, the sun will shine again, the sweetest gospel music is West Indian gospel, their faith was strong, there was sunshine everywhere, they acknowledged him faithful who promised, they toiled in the burning sun, through unbelief, trouble doesn't last for always, truth, unexpected things happen unexpectedly, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, weeping may endure for a night, West Indian Gospel Music, when I opened my eyes, when you're down and out, wisdom, with no one around, wo seems to have forgotten them, woke up with sunshine on my mind, work for Jesus, written as an example for us
Psalm 30:5. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy (a shout of joy) cometh in the morning.
Ah mih people, this life isn’t easy nuh, and what makes it even harder is when unexpected things happen unexpectedly. That happened to me yesterday. The hospital called and said they needed to see me for more tests. So there I was at ten in the morning, unable to enjoy my lazy-day Saturday, waiting for a test that could have been done on Thursday when I was there. But nobody thought to do it then. Now that first test didn’t take too long, but then I had to wait for the results, and there were other tests to follow up on those results.
The long and short of the story is that I didn’t get out of the hospital until four o’clock in the afternoon, only an hour earlier than the first day. And by the time I got home I was in no fit shape to write a sensible bit. (smile) That makes one more time I must apologize for missing a day. But yuh know what, before this, I believe I’ve only missed about four days in the eighteen years I’ve been doing it. And two of those days were when I was in South Africa some years ago on safari (smile) and the internet went down. Even when I’ve had surgeries or was laid up in the hospital for one reason or the other, I’ve always managed to put out something.
Let’s hope this is the end of missing days, because we can’t keep on falling down on the Lord’s job; we have to keep on keeping on. And with that in mind, this Sunday morning, as we gather in the Lord’s sanctuary to celebrate His day, we’ll open our celebration with this wonderful piece of West Indian Soul Music, performed by Jamaican Canadian Gospel Artist, George Banton from his 2002 Album, ‘Jesus Will Fix It’, a song most appropriately titled ‘Hold On, Hold On (Better Must Come One Day.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth? It certainly is, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ.
And today we’re going to get real soulful, allowing the words and the music to rise up from the very bottom of our hearts, from the very core of our beings, with the soul that our forefathers felt when they were toiling in the boiling sun, but praising and worshipping a God who seemed to have forgotten them in their abject misery. But their faith was strong, they acknowledged Him faithful who had promised, and so they stood strong and held on, just like we’re doing today, because we know that better must come. The Lord promised it, and He doesn’t lie. So, let’s sing, show them why West Indian Gospel is the sweetest gospel music ever! And there’s no bias in that, because it’s the indisputable truth. (smile)
So, singing: ‘You know in each life, a little rain must fall, and sometimes the darkest night is just before dawn. I’m here to tell you, hold on, hold on, better must come one day. Oh let me tell you children, hold on, hold on, better must come one day. I woke up this morning, with sunshine on my mind, but as I looked through my window, there were clouds all over the land. Then I thanked the Lord for giving me another day. And when I opened my eyes, there was sunshine everywhere, telling me to hold on, hold on, better must come some day.
The clouds were all rolled away, yes they did, And I’m here to tell you, Oh I just can’t keep it to myself now, (I’ve gotta tell somebody else, to hold on, hold on, better must come one day. Hold on till the end, and don’t give up now,) I know your change is going to come, like the clouds give way to the sun. Whenever you’re down and out, and you have no one around, remember this song, telling you to be strong. Let me tell you children, hold on, hold on, better must come one day. The sun will shine, yes it will! So, go tell your friend, go tell your mama, tell your sister about it, tell your daddy, to hold on, hold on, better must come one day.
And sometimes when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and happiness is nowhere in sight. But I’m here to tell you that trouble don’t last always, behind each dark cloud there’s a silver lining. Yeh, let me tell you children, hold on, hold on, better must come one day, better will come, I know, Oh I know it will, Hey, hey, you’d better hold on, hold on, for better must come one day. I’d like to share this with every man, every woman, with every boy and every girl.
Let me tell you, you’d better hold on. I don’t know about you nuh, but sometimes I get a little weak, yes, I’ve been there, and know that the sun will shine again, so I’m holding on, and you’d better hold on too, hold on, for better must come one day, Yes hold on, hold on, for better must come one day…better must come one day…’
The Lord promised it, and He doesn’t lie. As renegade prophet Balaam said to the Moab Prince Balak on the Lord’s behalf: ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23: 19) So anything God says, we can believe. And He’s solemnly and faithfully promised that all things will work together for good to those who LOVE Him, to those who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
Now that means that everything will not be always hunky dory, and there will be problems, but in the end the Lord will make it alright. As Bruh David so rightly says in Psalm 30: ‘For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy (a shout of joy) cometh in the morning.’ (Ps. 30: 5) As the song tells us: ‘trouble don’t last always; behind each dark cloud there’s a silver lining.’ And you need to believe that if you want to work for Jesus.
And the Lord’s promised His grace and favour and faithfulness all through His Word like this example from Isaiah, when He declares (chuh man!!!): ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Now that’s why Abraham is called the Father of righteousness; because he fully believed God without knowing Him, or anything about Him. Especially when the Lord promised him a son, and it took twenty-five years to happen; when he was a hundred years old, and his wife Sara was ninety.
The Bible tells it thus: ‘He staggered (wavered) not at the promises of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed unto him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. Who was delivered for (because of ) our offences, and was raised again for our justification.’ (Rom. 4:20-25)
Yes friends, it’s all been put there as an example for us. If we sincerely believe in Jesus and are obedient to His will like Abraham believed God and was obedient to His will, then we also will be called righteous. And we all know that life is filled with numerous ups and down, many rainy days, dark nights, and unknown paths to tread, but if we do like the song says, and hold on, hold on tightly to Jesus, our Lord and Saviour in the this world of sin, our Anchor and Pilot in the storms of life, our bread of life and source of living water in the barren deserts, then we will come through it alright in the end, because that’s His awesome and faithful promise, and He does not lie.
So please, whatever we’re going through right now, let’s hold on tightly to our Answer for Everything – JESUS! And yuh better believe that’s exactly what I’m doing in these dark and uncertain times…holding on…holding for dear life to Jesus! Much LOVE!
…the only sure thing in this crazy world…is JESUS…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Nov 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a martyr, a testimony, Abraham, but daily they increase, deadness of Sarah's womb, did not waver, emotionally, faith, faith in action, faith is the substance, fully convinced, getting better, God doesn't give us, god moves in mysterious ways, great faith in action, halfway home, hands on the plough, heart problems, I can do all things, lack of exercise, like a mountain goat, looking straight ahead, more than we can handle, not turning back, of things hoped for, of things not seen, our daily walk with God, party and shovel, separates the sheep from the goats, shortness of breath, shovelling snow, South Africa, spiritually, staggered not, strong in faith, stronger physically, Table Mountain, talk a good talk, thank God, the breath of life, the evidence, the father of our faith, the promise of God, through Christ who strengthens me, to a glorious future, unbelief, Wednesday Wail, with Jesus, wonders never cease
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Well, well, well, the old saying, ‘wonders never cease, but daily they increase,’ is certainly true. Yes friends, the ole fella had a wonder in his life yesterday; he actually shovelled the snow from his driveway! Glory be! It’s something I haven’t done for at least, five years, possibly more, but yesterday the Good Lord and I got out there and we shovelled like it was playtime! (smile) Obviously I didn’t go all gung ho, but simply took my time and did what I had to do. And it actually wasn’t too bad, reminded me of the days when I did it all the time; would just get out there, turn up my car stereo loud, and party and shovel!
As the old people said again; after one time is two yes! Never thought I’d be back shovelling snow, but since we could not get anybody to do it for a reasonable price, it sort of fell back in my hands. Hope it doesn’t become the norm though, but who knows how the Lord will work there. And I guess that if He does have me do it, then it will mean that I am getting better and stronger physically, and hopefully emotionally and spiritually as well. (smile)
Ah mih people, our wonderful God does move in such mysterious ways, that you have to be on the lookout for anything. But having said that, we also must acknowledge that He doesn’t give us more than we can handle, or leave us to handle it all on our own. That’s why I wasn’t worried about shovelling the snow yesterday. He wouldn’t have allowed me to go out there if I couldn’t handle it, and then He was out there with me all the time, encouraging and advising.
That’s why we can use Bruh Paul’s words to the Philippians as a marvellous tool and yardstick for all of our endeavours. It’s a scripture we’re all familiar with, but do we ever really put it into serious action? ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ Yes my brethren, our ability to do what we need to do comes entirely from our God. No wonder I was able to go outside and shovel the snow without any ill effects yesterday. That certainly would not have been possible within the last three or four years because of my heart problems. But now that they seemed to have settled down, the whole world is my oyster! Yeah!
That reminds me of another recent incident which proves the truth of our Bit. That time a couple months ago when I was down in South Africa scrambling all over the top of Table Mountain like a mountain goat. (smile) A year ago, I certainly could not have done that without dropping like a swatted fly. But thanks to the strength of Christ, I was able to do that and so much more. Oh friends, I’m saying all this just to say that the Word of the Lord is true, but we need to not only have the faith, but even more importantly show it in our daily walk with the Lord. And you’ll notice that on many of the occasions Jesus healed people, He straightforwardly told them it was because of their faith.
One of the saddest aspects of Christianity these days is that we talk a good talk about faith, but we don’t walk it with the same enthusiasm and sincerity. But if we read Chapter 11 of Hebrews, that magnificent chapter on all the heroes of the Good Book, we’ll see that they ALL had to have great faith in action to accomplish whatever they did.
And hear how Bruh Paul says it in Romans of Abraham, the father of our faith, after the Lord promised him an heir in his old age. ‘And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb (90 years old): He staggered (wavered) not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith; giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able to perform.’ (Rom. 4:19-21)
That’s the big difference between us and Abraham my people, he had great faith, he believed the things God promised even though they seemed impossible. That’s because ‘faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) And that’s what God is seeking from us all; strong faith and belief in His Word and His promises, especially when they seem impossible to us mere mortals. Even now, when it’s more medically possible than back then, we still would doubt that a hundred year old man and a ninety year old woman could reproduce. But if the Lord decrees it, it will happen!
And that’s why a lot of us believers, are in the tough situations we’re in, we don’t believe as strongly as we should in our God and His awesome promises. The level of our faith in action doesn’t truly reflect the faith we talk. And yes, I know it’s not always easy to walk the faith we talk, but do you think it was easy for me to go outside yesterday and shovel the double car driveway knowing all the heart problems I’ve recently experienced. No, it definitely wasn’t, but I had no other choice at the time, and decided to put my faith into action. Now don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t planning on being a martyr, (smile) at the first sense of unease, I was ready to drop shovel and get back inside to the warmth of house. Fortunately, that sense of unease never came, just a few moments of shortness of breath, more from lack of exercise than heart problems.
And I’m chuckling here at how the Lord manipulated me into making the snow shovelling a testimony, when I hadn’t intended to do that. But He knows best. So let’s go home now declaring (chuh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ.
All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ And if our faith is as strong as it ought to be, then we know for certain, that that future will be even more glorious than our puny minds can ask or even imagine! Much LOVE!
…faith in action…is what separates the sheep from the goats…
10 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 21st century, a glorious future with Jesus, a sound mind, Abel, Abraham, according to your faith, be it unto you, David, disciples, do their own thing, eagerly, enemy's false fire, enoch, expectantly, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, Gentiles, Gideon, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God is the same, grace, halfway home, hands on the plough, hebrews 11, immortal words, impossible to please God, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, Jewish people, Joseph, lived and died by faith, LOVE, mercy, Moses, not by sight, not looking back, O ye of little faith, power, Samson, second wind, the breath of life, the Good Book, the Roman centurion, the spirit of fear, walk by faith, Wednesday Wail, wherefore didst thou doubt, without faith, your faith has made you whole
Matthew 9:29. According to your faith be it unto you.
And so we come to Wednesday…the mid-week catch yuh breath, second wind day! Everybody feeling refreshed now, having gotten back into the work week routine, and looking forward with much expectancy to the big day of Friday, so they can do their own thing.
Ah mih people, I wish we could look forward with the same amount of expectancy to the things of Christ, to the things that concern our faith! Yuh remember how Jesus kept complaining about the faith of His people…’O ye of little faith!’
He said that several times. Even to His disciples who had been with Him for years and saw all the miracles He had done. When the storm arose on the Sea of Galilee and He was asleep in the back of the boat, they woke him up scared to death. Only to be rebuked after He calmed the storm, by His lashing words: ‘O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt.14:31)
And remember too what He said when He healed people. ‘Go, your faith has made thee whole!’ Even when He healed the Roman Centurion’s slave from afar, He commented: ‘Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ (Matt.8:10) Yeh friends, in several circumstances Gentiles, or people of other nationalities showed more faith in Him than His Jewish people. But overall people were not being buoyed by their supposed faith.
And I believe the same thing is also happening now. A lot of us talk a good talk about faith, but when it comes to putting that supposed faith into action we sadly fall down and start thrashing about and looking for other avenues instead of first turning to God and waiting on Him. But friends, it’s ALL about our faith, our sincere trust and reliance on the powers and mercy and grace of Jesus!
Remember what He said to the two blind men who came to him to have their sight restored? ‘Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened…’ (Matt. 9: 28-30)
And nothing has changed since then my people, for our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. So why do we think that our faith won’t get us through these rough and difficult times like it did those people of old eh! We have numerous examples of how faith propelled people, armies and nations to victory. Just check out that great chapter of the Good Book, Hebrews 11, where it tells you of all kinds of people who lived and died by faith.
Think about Abraham leaving his homeland at seventy five to journey into an unknown land just because God told Him to and promised Him great things. That could only come through faith. His wife Sarah also had a son in her old age when she lived up to the faith expected of her. Look at the stories of Isaac and Jacob, of Bruh Joseph and Moses, of Abel and Enoch, of Gideon and Samson, of Bruh David and Bruh Paul, and even of Jesus.
It was faith by which all of them traversed this evil world. Though Jesus was God, He was also man in the flesh and He too had to have strong faith in His Father else He would not have been able to do all those amazing things He did! Yuh think He just suffered all the abuse and pain of the cross just so? No! The Father enabled Him to go through it all!
And God hasn’t stopped working in believers lives just because this is the 21st century and mankind is on top of His technological and greedy wealth seeking game! In fact we need faith even more now with all the distractions and lies and falsehood and wiles that are now coming against us.
We need faith to help us discern the sense from the nonsense that is so prevalent in today’s evil and ungodly world. And faith isn’t something we can just pick up or set down anytime we want to! It’s a process, like sowing a seed and watching and waiting for it to grow. And the Lord has done many good things for many of us over our lifetimes, but yet when the rough times come, we forget about those fulfilled promises and cower and fear and doubt under the onslaught of the enemy’s false fire!
But remember too friends, these precious and immortal words of Bruh Paul to his protégé Timothy. ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (1 Tim.1:7)
And what is this thing called faith you all ask? The Good Book tells us that ‘Faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) Yeh friends, simply put faith is what we don’t see now, but which we hope for and believe that we will get later on. We never seen Jesus, but we believe in Him. We never seen God create the world or us, but we believe it.
All of that is done through faith! For as Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Cor.5:7) That’s it plain and simple my brethren! In God’s economy and universe He expects us to believe His Word and the promises contained therein and walk expectantly and eagerly with faith, knowing that they will all come to pass in His time!
And if we can’t do that, if we need to see everything before we believe, like the world proposes, then our faith is small or even non-existent, and we won’t receive ALL the wonderful benefits we can from our wonderful God. Nuff said!
So for those of us who say we believe and have faith, let’s go home now declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our enviable position in Christ. With much fervor and sense of purpose: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now don’t forget, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or even imagine…and it’s all based on our faith! Much LOVE!
…without faith…it is impossible to please God… (Heb.11:6a)
23 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken heart, a fact of life, a grain of salt, Abraham, Anselm, be well rewarded, believe, beneficial value, darkness, did not waver, double minded, face difficulties, face values, faith in God, faults, fly in the ointment, foibles, friend, giving glory to God, gospel truth, habit of pretending, Hagar, he staggered not, in the Lord's time, intimidate us, Isaac, lack, LOVE, no strength, no struggle, nomadic existence, pray, problem, prosperity, ruined by praise, sacrifice, Sarah, Saturday, saved by criticism, seeds of its own solution, sleep in, stand up to obstacles, strengthened, strong in faith, success, sunshine, the promise of God, think, trials, tribulations, unbelief, wine and roses, wishy-washy, with the help of God, work
Romans 4:20. He staggered not (did not waver) at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving glory to God.
Ah Lord eh! No rest for the righteous! (smile) A body can’t even get a chance to sleep in on a Saturday morning! That’s because I’ve got to attend an Ironmen’s Breakfast at 9.30 this morning.
The ‘Ironmen’ is a men’s group at our church. But I have to laugh when I consider that very few, if any of the group is under three score, and several are even three score and ten and over. (smile) But nonetheless, we are the Ironmen of St. Francis, committed to good works in the church and in the community we serve! Praise the Lord!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s check out some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week in his noble attempt to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.’
And that’s fairly true! Most of us would much rather like to be heaped with undeserved praise rather than shrouded in deserved criticism. But remember friends, nobody has reached anywhere without some deserved criticism, and it shows how big a person you are when you can acknowledge your faults and foibles.
Then there’s this: ‘Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.’ I guess there’s also some truth to that statement, because in many of our problems lie the basic solution to them. If something isn’t working our right, then I guess the best way to find out why is by going back to the beginning and checking all the steps along the way. We’ll usually find the fly somewhere there in the ointment. (smile)
Now hear this: ‘Four things for success: work and pray, think and believe.’ That’s indisputable! Success does call for at least those four things…and sometimes even more! And then we come to: ‘Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have… every DAY!!!!’ And that’s no lie my brethren!
When we stand up strong to our problems and not be wishy washy and double-minded, we’ll discover that they are not half as problematic as they first seemed. Problems have this habit of pretending that they are bigger than they really are, and when take them at face value, they tend to intimidate us and make us wary and somewhat unsure of our ability to conquer them.
But when we come up over them, with the help of God, we discover that they are much more manageable then we originally thought. So perhaps when problems overwhelm us, it might be best to take them each with a grain of salt (smile) before tackling them.
And the last quote says: ‘Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.’ And that’s gospel truth my brethren, for it’s only when we face difficulties, that we get strong! And that applies to all walks of life. If you want to build physical strength, then you have to lift weights or do something that will cause your muscles to work hard and eventually expand. The same goes for spiritual strength.
If you want to develop a greater faith in God, then you have to work hard at it, because it doesn’t just come by wishing. You have to go through trials and tribulations because we only grow when we overcome hard times. That’s just a fact of life. I’m sure you’ve noticed than when everything is nice and easy, no growth, be it physical, spiritual or emotional will really take place.
It’s only when your heart’s been broken that you can appreciate the beneficial value of things like LOVE and romance. You obviously won’t like the broken heart, but because of it, the next time around you’ll certainly be wiser and more appreciative. (smile)
And I don’t think we can find a better example of growing in faith than Abraham. Look at how at seventy-five the Lord told him to pack up and leave his family and just go, with no idea of where he was going. And every time the Lord told him to do something he did it, oftimes without a clue as to what was happening. And check out his approach to God’s promise of a child in his old age.
The Good Book says: ‘And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb.’ (Rom.4;19) Friends, for decades Abraham had been trying to have a child with no success. Can you imagine the disappointment in a society that took children as a reward of God?
Then the Lord promised him one when he was around a hundred and Sarah about ninety. Abraham must have shaken his head in amazement. But the Good Book continues: ‘He staggered not (did not waver) at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong (strengthened) in faith, giving glory to God. And being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.’ (Rom.4:20-21)
Yeh friends, it’s only because Abraham had gone through a lot of struggle, wandering all over the place and having one problem after another, but also having God bring him through them that his faith became so strong. Although he lapsed when he took his wife’s Sarah advice to go into her maid Hagar to produce the heir that didn’t seem to be coming from their own loins. (smile) And you know that caused untold problems.
But look at how he was going to sacrifice the heir Isaac, when the Lord told him to. I’m sure he didn’t know what was happening. How could the Lord ask him to sacrifice the only child whom He had promised would give him more children that the sand of the shore? But in his heart he knew that the Lord would come through in some manner because He had kept ALL of the promises He’d made him over the many years of his nomadic existence.
Friends, I assure us that the Lord will do the same for us, but I can also guarantee you that it won’t be all wine and roses, because we simply don’t grow unless we face some kind of difficulty in our lives. Remember that and keep the faith like Abraham did. It won’t be easy, but we’ll be well rewarded in the Lord’s time! Much LOVE!
…you can’t appreciate the sunshine…until you have experienced the darkness…you can’t appreciate prosperity…until you have experienced serious lack…
16 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, accomplish God's will, aches and pains, all for Christ, all generations, an exemplary woman, awful sensation, blood stream, call me blessed, Christ's love, claustrophobic effects, cried out to God, eventful situations, exalted the lowly, faithful, fiery Bit, filled the hungry, from generation to generation, given help to Israel, glorify the Lord, go awry, good example, goodness, grace, grumpy, has done great things, having a heyday, he who is mighty, his mercy, holy is his name, humility, infinite wisdom, injected, magnets, man's plans, Mary, miserable, MRI, my soul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit rejoices, physical reaction, posterity, put down the mighty, radioactive dye, rejoice in God, saints, sanctity, scattered the proud, soul-seeking words, spiritual growth, St. Michael's Hospital, steadfast story, the conceit of heart, the Lord's greatness, the lowliness of his handmaid, the Magnificat, the Mother of God, those who fear him, thrones, walking with Jesus, working for Jesus
Luke 1:46. And Mary, said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord.
Ah mih people, a word of warning to the wise: if you’re walking with or working for Jesus, please be prepared for totally unexpected stressful and rather eventful situations to crop up at any time! (smile) Case in point: Yesterday afternoon I was here at home taking it nice and easy…no, that’s not completely true. In fact I was miserable and grumpy because the ole aches and pains were having a heyday in my ole body.
Then around four o’clock I received this phone call from a lady in the MRI Department of St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto informing me of a scheduled appointment at two thirty this morning. I was quite surprised because both the hospital and the doctor who ordered the MRI had neglected to inform me of that appointment.
As one would expect, I was definitely in no mood to go into the city at that ungodly hour of the morning for an aggravating and annoying test that I thought I had seen the last of. And if I had had the implant as scheduled last week that would have been oh so true, because once you have metal in your body you can’t do them since they interact badly with the magnets that govern the procedure. So I cancelled the appointment.
But after thoughtful consideration with the duchess, I called and reinstated it, figuring that might have been why the Lord in His infinite wisdom had the surgery cancelled last week. So lo and behold, at two thirty this morning, there I am, I’m lying on a narrow plastic board, ensconced in a tomb-like plastic structure, with a machine making this infernal racket in my head. But I’m accustomed to it now. I just pray when I get in there to mitigate the claustrophobic effects, then I’m fine. I’ve even been known to doze off in there. (smile)
The one eventful and unexpected reaction though, was the one I had to the radioactive dye that they injected in to my blood stream. I’ve had it before, and all I’ve gotten was a bad, metallic sort of taste in my mouth. But brother, this morning, soon after they injected the stuff and pushed be back inside the machine, I had a physical reaction that I can’t properly describe; like I was heaving, my stomach was pumping up and down, and I just kept swallowing feverishly. I almost pressed the emergency button in my hand.
I don’t even know whether I cried out to God or not, I was so surprised at the reaction. But after a couple of minutes the awful sensation passed and I finished the test without any further problems. Believe me though, that’s the last time they’ll ever inject that stuff knowingly in my body!
I had fully intended to write the Bit when I got home, but at minutes after four, I decided to rest instead, then had to force myself to get up to go to the eight thirty service, then decided to rest when I got back, because I wasn’t fired up enough to write the fiery Bit I had planned to write.
But as always, man’s plans go awry in the Lord’s eyes, for I could not find a comfortable position in the bed, and my mind was just spinning around with the things I wanted to write. So after half an hour of unsuccessful rest, I just decided to get up and come and write the Bit, come what may. And as you can see, it’s definitely not fiery…not even close! But that’s where I’ve been led by the higher powers. (smile)
And since we’re lacking time and space to provide that fiery Bit, (smile) as we continue Mary’s faithful and steadfast story, let’s simply do what she did so long ago; ‘proclaim the Lord’s greatness with characteristic humility and grace,’ by singing what’s become known as ‘The Magnificat.’ The name comes from the first line of the Latin text: (“Magnificat anima mea Dominum”) Please sing with me, in loud voice and with sincere hearts, these memorable words of Jesus’ mother as she expresses her joy:
‘My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid; For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed; Because He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name; And His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.’ (Luke 1:46-55)
Glory be mih people! What wonderful words and sentiments of praise and thanksgiving! Mary was an indeed an exemplary woman and believer for one of such tender age. But I guess when the Holy Spirit is moving in you, all things are possible regardless of age!
Now here are a couple of interesting points from the Loyola Catholic web page. ‘After Mary gives her famous consent to becoming the Mother of God, — “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38) — she goes “with haste” (1:39) to help Elizabeth, who is delighted to see her. Clearly Mary, in hastening to help her cousin, is focused on service to others. In this way she glorifies the Lord in reflecting (and “magnifying”) His goodness and LOVE. And, of course by becoming the Mother of God she will help Him redeem us for our salvation in His Passion!…
Speaking of magnifying, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once referred to our Blessed Mother as being like “a magnifying glass that intensifies our LOVE of her Son.” Note that Mary’s joyful claim that “all generations shall call me blessed” in no way takes away from her humility. If she seems to boast here, it is much as St. Paul does later on in scripture when he says “whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord” (2 Cor 10:17), that is to say, in God’s work being done through us.’
And we’ll end with these soul-seeking words: ‘How about you? Does your soul magnify the Lord? We may never be able to approach Him from Mary’s level of sanctity as the Mother of God. Still, we are all called to be saints nonetheless. Your good example, like our Blessed Mother’s, can help others in their spiritual growth. Do people see Christ’s LOVE and goodness in you? Are you letting God work within you to accomplish His will? Let Mary help give you the graces you need to follow her Son and His Church in praying the Magnificat.’
Oh friends, I can’t say it any better than that nuh! Much LOVE!
…let Mary’s soul be in us… to glorify the Lord…let her spirit be in us…that we may rejoice in God our Saviour… (St. Ambrose)
P.S. Yeh, it’s long and late, but ti’s all for Christ…and ever so worthwhile! (smile) Much LOVE!
15 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a miraculous task, a rewarder, Abraham, act, activate, all that labour, Anselm, assurance, beleive it, believe that he is, call for help, Christ's sacrifice, come unto me, conviction, dormant forces, early to bed, early to rise, evidence, faith, find rest, friend, future hope, gentle, give you rest, God spoke the world into existence, gospel truth, heavy laden, hope, humble, I am meek, impossible to please God, intercession of Christ, is already there, learn from me, like to become, lowly in heart, moves mountains, my burden light, my yoke is easy, not by sight, patience, perseverance, present realities, reality, realization, recuperate, righteousness, saved by hope, see it to believe it, see yourself, seek him diligently, sense of proof, sight, sleep in, substance, take my yoke, the glorification of saints, the great invitation, the New testament, the resurrection, the return of Christ, the Word of god, them's the breaks, then see it, things hoped for, things not seen, transform your dream, truths, two short days, unseen realities, unto your souls, wait eagerly, walking with Jesus, we walk by faith, what you want, wisdom, without faith
2 Corinthians 5:7. For we walk by faith, not by sight.
And then it was Saturday; the day so many of us use to sleep in. I tried to do it, but it didn’t work, the aches and pains were too powerful. Hn! I went out yesterday evening, came home tired and went to bed early, so the body responded by being up early too. But them’s the breaks! What’s the saying? Early to bed, early to rise!
So here we are, another week of work is over and we need to recuperate in just two short days. And it’s only if and when we’re walking wholeheartedly with Jesus that we can accomplish such a miraculous task. So please check Him out. He’s anxiously awaiting your call for help.
And you can see that by the wonderful offer of His Great Invitation. ‘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)
Ah people, what an invitation! There’s never been any like it, and will never be another like it, because Jesus is the only Being who can promise such stuff and actually provide it. Glory to His Holy Name!
Now since it’s Saturday, we ought to look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us, but unfortunately I only received one this week. But it certainly is interesting and good enough for us to build around. So here it is: ‘The more you see yourself as what you’d like to become, and act as if what you want is already there, the more you’ll activate those dormant forces that will collaborate to transform your dream into your reality.’
And that’s the gospel truth friends! But you know why? Because as true believers in Christ: ‘We walk by faith and not by sight.’ Glory be mih people! It’s our faith in Christ Jesus that allows us to see the things that are not as the things that are. We don’t first have to see something to believe it. We believe it and then we see it! Glory to God!
That’s why we have those magnificent verses of scripture from Hebrews that tell us: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible).’ (Heb.11:1-3)
Yeh friends, it’s faith that moves mountains; faith that allows us to believe what we don’t see, it’s through faith we believe that God spoke the world into existence from nothingness! And when we have great faith it can be counted to us for righteousness, like it was for Abraham.
And then later on in Hebrews 11, we have that other famous verse on faith: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6)
Oh my brethren, only through faith can one believe that God, the ephemeral, spiritual, almighty Being exists, because you can’t see nor touch Him. And I’d be amiss if I didn’t share the scholars’ thoughts on the subject.
‘11:1. Verse 1 is not so much a definition of what faith is, as it is a description of what faith does. (cf.11:6). Two truths concerning its activity are stated here. First, faith provides substance (Gr. hypostasis). Though broad in its usages, this Greek word normally has the meaning of “assurance” in the New Testament (cf.3:14; 2 Cor.9:4; 11:17) and this seems to be the best sense here.
Second, faith provides evidence (Gr. elegchos). It is evidence in the sense of proof that results in conviction. The difference between assurance and evidence would be minimal were it not for the phrase qualifying each: of things hoped for and of things not seen. The first involves future hope; the second involves present realities that are unseen.
The first includes the hope of the resurrection, the return of Christ, and the glorification of the saints. The second involves unseen realities, such as the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s sacrifice and the present intercession of Christ in heaven. Hope is faith relating to the future; conviction is faith relating to the present.’
Ah friends, I hope (smile) that that li’l treatise on faith helps you to understand it better. And to end, we’ll get some more immortal words from Bruh Paul, this time to the church at Rome, on the subject of hope. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (wait eagerly) for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25)
Exactly my fellow believers! If you can see something, there’s no reason to hope for it. But if you can’t see it physically, then there’s all the reason to hope for it! So let’s wisely hope for all the good things we can’t see nuh, and through faith, believe that we have them and with perseverance wait eagerly for them! That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…you can’t have faith…unless you first have hope…
11 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a crying shame, a major role, a rewarder, a test of faith, Abel, Abraham, after God, an inheritance, Anselm, aspires to inspire, begins with the first step, being happy, being warned, bore a child, built an ark, burn out, conviction, cope, diligently seek him, disenchantment, faith, faith champions, feel like quitting, followers of Jesus, friend, get excited, hectic pace, hope, impossible to please God, Isaac, judged him faithful, laze-abouts, make yourself a priority, miserly wages, narcissistic, negative emotions, Noah, obeyed, of things hoped for, of things not seen, part-time jobs, past age, plaguing the land, positive superlatives, promised, realization, received strength, rest, sacrifice, Sarah, simply begin, slaves, strife, stronger than fear, talk faith, tension, the evidence, the Good Book, the have-nots, the haves, the key, the longest journey, the middle part, the outgrowth of hope, the power to choose, the springboard, the substance, things not yet seen, to look after us, top priority, without faith
Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.
Alright you laze-abouts, it’s Saturday, so get in some much needed rest! (smile) Ah mih breddren, with the hectic pace our modern-day society is setting for us, we have to find… no make the time to rest, or else we’ll just burn out and disintegrate. It’s definitely not a healthy pace, especially when some of us are forced to work two or even three part time jobs at miserly wages just to make ends meet.
And it’s not getting better, but worse. The haves are getting greedier, always wanting more, unashamedly taking the little of the have-nots. What a crying shame! And then they wonder why there is so much tension, strife, disenchantment and all the other negative emotions and situations that are currently plaguing the land.
But as followers of Jesus Christ, we do not have to despair, because He has sincerely promised to look after us. And He does keep His promises! And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at some quotes we received from our friend Anselm, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
The first one says: ‘The key to being happy is knowing you have the power to choose what to accept and what to let go.’ I don’t know if it’s the key to being happy, but it certainly is a very important ingredient. Your being able to choose what to accept and not to accept, plays a major role in your overall life, and thus your happiness. Just think about how slaves must feel, when they have no say in what affects them.
Then there is this bit of advice: ‘The best way to get things done is to simply begin.’ And the old Chinese Proverb corroborates that. ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’ Yeh friends, in everything we do, we have to make a start, so why not just go ahead and do it without any procrastination eh? But then that brings us to: ‘When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.’
Now that’s an interesting concept. It ought to remind you of all the positive superlatives (smile) with which you described the adventure in the first place, and why you thought it important enough to get excited and put it all together. The end and the beginning of a project are always exciting, but it’s the hard middle part that shows if we’re truly serious about it.
And what about this one: ‘Make yourself a priority. At the end of the day, you’re your longest commitment.’ There is mucho truth to that, we have ourselves forever, and if we don’t take good care of us, we won’t be of much or any use to others.
A lot of us in this fast paced society mistakenly believe that looking after ourselves is somewhat narcissistic, but how can you cope properly, if you aren’t able to handle the stuff that comes against you? We should be our top priority …after God!
And finally, we come to the last quote: ‘Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.’ Well not exactly; faith is the only thing stronger than fear. But hope is a part of faith, it’s the springboard of faith, so to speak, for we can’t have faith without first having hope. And we can plainly see that in our Bit. ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’
Yeh friends, faith is the outgrowth of hope, where we believe that we will receive things that we haven’t yet seen. The world says you’ll believe it when you see it, but Christ says, believe it, then you’ll see it.That’s why the Good Book tells us of certain faith champions.
‘By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice… By faith, Enoch was translated (so) that he should not see death… By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark… By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out not knowing whither he went (where he was going)….
Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of (bore) a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.’ All of that’s in Chapter 11. Look at that eh, Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 when they had a biological child, Isaac. As the scripture says, ‘because she judged him faithful who had promised.’
Ah mih people, faith is born of great hope! And the Good Book reminds us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6)
Oh my brethren, we certainly can’t approach God unless we believe that He exists, and then that He rewards those who seek Him with all their hearts, souls and minds! That’s an essential part of our faith.
And we’ll close with this classic situation on faith by Abraham. Now after waiting for about 25 years for the promise of Isaac to be actually fulfilled, then the Lord told him to go and sacrifice the child who was going to be the one to provide him with heirs more numerous than the grains of sand on the beach or stars in the heaven.
Now being an intelligent man, Abraham must have wondered how Isaac would perform that feat if he were dead. But deep down he knew that the Lord was faithful to His promises, and that somehow or the other something would happen to cause Isaac’s life to be spared.
So he followed God’s command, and we all know that as he raised his hand to kill Isaac, the Lord stopped him, it was merely a test of his faith, and provided instead a ram entangled in a nearby bush for the sacrifice. (Gen. 22:1-19)
Ah friends, ALL the champions of faith in the history of our church fervently believed and showed it in their lives, and if we want to also be champions of faith, then we too have to fervently believe and show it in our daily lives. Let’s hope that we all desire greatly to be champions of faith! Much LOVE!
…you can’t talk faith…you must walk it…
24 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, abundance, Amen, baptized, Behold, believers in Christ, bickering, blessings, breaking of bread, brethren in christ, brethren to dwell in unity, Christ's body, communal living, compassionate heart, confusion, continued steadfastly, courage, curse, denomination, disunity, doctrine, fear, fellowship, fire and brimstone, focal point, gladness, gorgeous days, guiding light, having favour, Hawaii, how good and how pleasant, immaterial stuff, infighting, inopportune time, life, Lot, LOVE, name of the game, negative word, no strife, one accord, one in Christ, one mind, peace and LOVE of Jesus, petty, Praise the Lord, praising God, prayers, quarrelling, regeneration of nature, religion, share, signs, singleness of heart, solf their possessions, stand fast, state of affairs, striving together, success, talent, the apostles, the church, the faith of the gospel, the Good Book, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, volcano watch, walk the talk, we are brethren, wonders
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
Ah mih brethren, another glorious day is in the offing in my neighbourhood! Can’t remember when last I saw so many gorgeous days strung together. And yuh know, even when the rain falls, it doesn’t fall at an inopportune time, and then those days end up glorious too. (smile)
This springtime has really been a beautiful regeneration of nature! Glory Be! Let’s enjoy it as we thank our great and awesome God for the wonderful blessings of life and LOVE that He has given us. And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
And by the way, that volcano watch on Hawaii – well it seems to be getting worse every day. I believe there have been some explosions that are causing even more problems than before. Let’s remember to keep them in our prayers, and hope it doesn’t truly erupt, as volcanoes are possibly the most terrible of all destructions that can occur; it encapsulates the real fire and brimstone, which we so mythically talk about.
And today we’re going to get into our Bit very early, because it is possibly the most important problem facing Christ’s church right now. Hear these immortal words of Bruh David and give pause, let’s give thought to them in our own lives. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.’
Oh my people, if only that state of affairs even existed to one iota in the church of today, what a great church we’d have! But bickering and quarreling and disunity are the name of the game. Thus Christ’s body has become of little use to a major part of society. They scorn it and turn away from it because of the tremendous infighting and confusion that exists therein, not to mention that we don’t walk the talk we preach.
So how can Christ’s church ever become the focal point of our society under those conditions eh? Never! And it’s not to say that the arguments are all over major points of doctrine – No- a lot of them are over rather petty and immaterial stuff. But such is the hold of the world on us, that power and supremacy of religion or denomination keeps us from being more together.
Ah friends, can’t we see that strife is the enemy’s number one goal amongst believers? That way he keeps us warring against each other and not living in the peace and LOVE that Jesus desires of us. How unfortunate that we are allowing it to happen. Let’s look at some scripture on the subject.
We see way back when Lot and Abraham’s people were feuding over grazing land and water that Abraham wisely told him. ‘Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.’ (Gen.13:8)
Oh fellow believers in Christ, right there we have the most important aspect of our being on this earth; being brethren in Christ! That means we don’t need to be fighting each other over petty stuff. We won’t ever agree on everything, but this much we ought to agree on: that we are ONE in Christ!
And there is no better example of that than after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit began indwelling believers and the new church was born. Hear the Good Book tell it re the day of Pentecost. ‘Then they that gladly receive his (Peter’s) word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.’ (Acts 2:41-42)
Yuh see that friends, ‘they continued steadfastly.’ Those are the most important words in that sentence. And they didn’t believe the apostles’ doctrine because they preached it, but because it agreed with the Word of God, which also called for fellowship and prayers.
And the Good Book continues: ‘And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by (through) the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted (distributed) them to all men, as every man (anyone) had need.
And they, continuing daily with one accord (mind) in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat (food) with gladness and singleness (simplicity) of heart. Praising God, and having favour with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be (were being) saved.’ (Acts 2:43-47)
Wow! What a moving memorial of the early church! Now we know that the communal living couldn’t happen nowadays, and didn’t last long there either. People sold their possessions because they possibly thought that Jesus was coming back real soon (smile), but look at how they communed together ‘in one accord, one mind.’
That’s how we ought to commune today friends; with Jesus as our guiding light regardless of the circumstance! Not all the other nonsense that we’ve allowed the world to intersperse into the church. Anyhow, time and space are upon us, so please ponder those things and see how we can improve our own situations.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings that our LOVING God has bestowed on us, even though we don’t deserve most of them. In strong and sincere voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And please remember those blessings were not given for us to hoard, but to go out and share with others. Much LOVE!
…stand fast…in one spirit…with one mind…striving together…for the faith of the gospel…(Phil.2:27b)
15 Apr 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . to high place, Abraham, angry, beauty of nature, blessed, celebrate, conceit, contemporary music, dealth bountifully, deceptive, doesn't turn His face, done great things, Easter Season, Elijah, exaltation, fills them, for love nor money, generation, glory is his name, good servant Israel, Google it, Hallelujah, have plenty, He is risen, heaven, humble, I am helped, ice pellets, ice storm, Jonah, joyous voices, listen, loving grace, loving-kindness, Magnificat, magnify God, magnify my Lord, mercy, mighty, my heart trusted in him, Penguin, praise God, praise the name of god, precious love, pride, pull them down, raise the humle, reality of the situation, reap the fruits, received well, rejoice in his salvation, rich, sent them away empty, serve Him true, showing his mercy, sincere heart, sing unto the Lord, Soca song, soul has soared, spirit rejoices, spiritual enemy, spring, take God for granted, talks to us everyday, The Lord is my strength, the poor, ungodly world, venegeful, vessel, with a song, with thanksgiving
Psalm 69:30. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Awright mih breddren, it’s Sunday once again, but a white one. I thought now was spring with all the beauty of nature set to erupt from the cold ground. But that’s not the reality of the situation, for from yesterday morning we’ve been grounded by an ice storm. And like it’s hit some of the U.S. Midwest too.
All day long I could hear the ice pellets hitting against the windowpanes. And don’t be fooled by the covering of snow on top. It’s a solid ice foundation, which is even worse than the pure snow, very deceptive like our spiritual enemy. And it hasn’t stopped as yet. So please be careful if you venture out there today.
I know that I’m not venturing out there for LOVE nor for money. Not in my mash-up state. (smile) I’m not even going to church this morning, I doubt my car tires can handle the traction, or lack thereof, and I know that the Lord will understand. They haven’t even cleaned the roads in the area. Saw one truck go up the road a while ago cleaning one half of the road.
But friends that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate and praise our wonderful God and hear His reassuring word. And today I have a special treat to open our praise and worship, it’s an old Soca song from way back in 1985, called Magnificat, by the Calypsonian Penguin. I think it’s rather appropriate to be played in churches as what nowadays they call Contemporary Music.
Google it and you’ll see what I’m talking about. And though you may not like the music, you can’t find any fault with the words, which are very appropriate for this Easter Season. So without further ado let’s burst into praiseful song with the ‘Magnificat’, in an easy rocking Soca melody.
Listen to the intro of bells, organ and crackling guitar…then shout out: ‘Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!’ Now sing it again: ‘Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!’
Now let’s extol the praises of our God: ‘With joyous voices, my spirit rejoices. And my soul has soared, to magnify my Lord. For He took me so humble, And He made me His vessel. Oh yes, He chose me from all the rest. Nations from east and west will know I have been truly blessed.’
(Chorus: For He that is mighty has done great things, I can claim, Oh yes, He is risen, mighty, glory is His name. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! – Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah! (2)}
From generation, unto generation, He has been the same, to all who hear His name. Never vengeful nor angry, He keeps showing His mercy, a mercy that comes from up above, filled with His precious LOVE. It’s a mercy I can tell you of. (Chorus: For He that is mighty…)
And pride and conceit, from right in their front seat, with His arm so strong, the Master pull them down. Those who rich and have plenty, He send them away empty. But from the poor He don’t turn His face, Fills them with LOVING grace, And raise the humble to high place. (Chorus: For He that is mighty…)
He has received well, His good servant Israel. If you serve Him true, He will receive you too. Just like he spoke to Jonah, Abraham and Elijah, He still talks to us everyday, In His own special way, Listen and you’ll hear what He says. (Chorus: For that he is mighty…. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah…!’
Oh friends, what beautiful music and words of exaltation to our wonderful God. I know heaven was dancing and singing along with us. And I was listening to the song and rocking along while I was typing it. (smile) Now that brings us to our Bit; exciting words from Bruh David: ‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.’
Ah mih people, although I believe we might have used that Bit recently, I thought it was the most appropriate one for the ‘Magnificat.’ For our God LOVES nothing more than to hear us praise Him and give Him thanks for all He’s done for us, since that’s one of the reasons He created us. And I don’t think we do that sufficiently, or when we do, with a sincere enough heart. We seem to take Him and His LOVING-kindness too much for granted.
But that’s wrong my brethren, because it’s only by His great mercy and precious LOVE that we still exist in this sinful, ungodly world. That means we ought to pay much more attention to our praise and worship if we truly want to reap the fruits that the Lord has set aside for us.
As Bruh David says in his prayer for God’s help: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ (Ps.28:7)
Oh friends, we can perform no greater oblation to our magnificent and magnanimous God, than giving Him endless thanks and praise.
And we’ll close with some more appropriate words from Bruh David. ‘But I have trusted in thy mercy (LOVING-kindness); my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.’ (Ps.13:5-6)
And that’s no lie my fellow believers, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with all of us, so let’s praise Him joyfully nuh and rejoice in His salvation, as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…from the mouths and hearts of believers…ought to come unbidden…oodles of praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God…
15 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hair of your head, a well-lived life, Abraham, be hated of all men, be merry and carefree, charter of salvation, Christians, comfort, consolation, consummation of peace, death, don't play together, don't worship well together, endurance, endured, exaltation, fellow believers, fellowship, followers of Christ, for my name's sake, glorify God, grace, heavenly advocate, hell, high priest, holy bride, holy food, hope, how to have fun, In Touch Magazine, in your patience, indispensable, indisputable, Isaac, Jesus, Jesus Christ her Lord, joyful abandon, laugh, like-minded, LOVE, most joyful people, new creation, of the ages, one faith, patience, persevering, possess ye your souls, rainy day, religious form of play, Rest in the Lord, reverence, Sabbath rest, salvation, secular people, Simon Chan, strife-filled world, Suday, sweet communion, the church's one foundation, the end times, the God of patience, the grave, the Lord's sanctuary, the promise, the Three in One, the Word of god, toil, tribulation, tumult of war, union with God, victorious, wait patiently, waiting, water and the word, wisdom, words of wisdom, worship
Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
And this God-given Sunday might just be another rainy day in my area, like the past two days were. However friends, that should not stop us from gathering in the Lord’s sanctuary to worship and fellowship in joyful abandon, while His indispensable and indisputable Word strengthens our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, for that’s what the Lord desires of us.
And just tonight I read this interesting quote in an article titled ‘Fun Challenged’ in the September Edition of the In Touch Magazine that immortalizes what I’m talking about. The quote is attributed to the theologian Simon Chan, who says: “Christians who do not play together do not worship well together either, since worship is a ‘religious form of play.’ Both at play and at worship the Christian community enjoys its Sabbath rest.”
Now isn’t that the God-awesome truth friends? Christians should be the happiest and most joyful people on the planet because of what our great God and our wonderful Saviour have done for us! And I believe, both as Christians and as secular people, we have forgotten how to have fun, to laugh and be merry and carefree, which are all healthy aspects of a well-lived life. We’re taking our messed up, strife-filled world too seriously.
Remember Jesus has already been victorious over hell, death and the grave and we have every reason to rejoice. So, on this the Lord’s Day, let’s lighten up and sing this wonderful old hymn ‘The Church’s One Foundation,’ with lyrics by Samuel John Stone (1839-1900) and music by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876). Let’s raise our voices to heaven in sacrificial praise and sweet harmony, so that there can be absolutely no doubt of our sincere and everlasting allegiance to Jesus.
‘The Church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord; She is His new creation By water and the Word: From heav’n He came and sought her To be His holy Bride; With His own blood He bought her, And for her life He died. Elect from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth, Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth; One holy Name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses, With every grace endued.
’Mid toil and tribulation, And tumult of her war, She waits the consummation Of peace for evermore; Till, with the vision glorious, Her longing eyes are blest, And the great Church victorious Shall be the Church at rest. Yet she on earth hath union With God the Three in One, And mystic sweet communion With those whose rest is won: O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we, Like them, the meek and lowly, In love may dwell with Thee.’
Ah mih people, what a joy it is to sing praises to our High Priest and heavenly Advocate Jesus Christ, for He has been so wonderful to us, when He did not have to! Now let’s hear some choice tidbits from His Word based on our Bit: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’ Yes my fellow believers, those are absolute words of wisdom! And all the great men and women of faith practiced it and some even wrote about it.
Listen first to Jesus when He described the signs of the end times to His disciples. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:19) As followers of Christ we just have to be trusting and patient and persevering, because that’s what His discipleship calls for.
Now hear Bruh Paul in his treatise to the Romans, concerning ‘Life in the Spirit.’ ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for (it)? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (eagerly) for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25) Yeh friends, true faith in Jesus is all about hoping, waiting and persevering to the very end!
And nobody says this better than the author of Hebrews. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36) And there’s no better example of waiting on God than the patriarch Abraham. After the Lord promised to bless and multiply him, he waited for 25 years for Isaac, the promise to show up. The author of Hebrews tells us: ‘And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.’ (Heb.6:15)
And we’ll close with these words of Bruh Paul as he talks to the church at Rome about ‘Unity in Christ.’ ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime (beforehand) were written for our learning, that we through patience (perseverance) and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation (comfort) grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Rom.15:4-6)
Oh friends, that is exactly my prayer for us today; that we come together in fellowship and worship, and enthusiastically and sincerely glorify and exalt our heavenly Father, for He richly deserves our reverence and exaltation! Much LOVE!
…waiting patiently…and eagerly on God…is wisdom of…and for the ages…
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