15 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a small grip, abundance, acquire a firearm, all the way to the bank, alleviate the situation, angels, arms dealers, Ash Wednesday, assault rifle, attribute of God, Beelzebub, believes all things, bounden duty, charity, children of God, clanging symbal, courage, creativity, curse, envies not, evil sentiments, exposed firearm, faith, favour, feed the poor, Florida, gift of prophecy, good ole West, guiding light, gun laws getting looser, gun-lobby, hope, I am nothing, in a barrel, in deed and truth, in tongue, kind, laughing, little children, locked up tight, LOVE, Love chapter, love in word, manufacturers, mess with them, move mountains, negative word, nobody complained, not rude, NRA, personal armoury, plead for love, politician, prevalent, profits nothing, promoting love, prosperity, self-control, self-discipline, share blessings, shooting rampage, shooting spree, social media, soften our hearts, sounding brass, spiritual cleansing, strangling our world, success, suffers long, talent, the death toll, the Good Book, the greatest is love, the Way of LOVE, thinks no evil, Thursday Blessings, tongues of men, too easy, truth, turning to god, understand mysteries, Valentine's day, violence, walk around legally, wisdom
1 John 3:18. My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Ah Lord, when is it going to stop eh? When are we going to learn eh friends? By now most of you would have heard of the deadly shooting spree at a Florida High School yesterday afternoon by a 19 year old ex-student. He mowed down 17 people and put another dozen or so in the hospital, some with life threatening injuries. So this morning the death toll might even be higher.
Sadly, it’s not the first, and most likely will not be the last shooting rampage, but what amazes me is why it’s being done so often in schools, and by students too? I won’t even bother to talk about the various government agencies, both State and Federal, doing nothing to alleviate the situation. That’s because the NRA, the Gun Lobby has it all locked up tight in a barrel. Steups!
Now no one is saying that a whole set of laws will stop the shooting, but in the U.S. it’s definitely too easy to acquire a firearm, and of the most dangerous varieties too. And overall, instead of gun laws becoming tighter, they are becoming looser. There are a whole lot of places where you can now walk around legally with an exposed firearm, like the days of the good ole West.
Well then, it stands to logic that if firearms are as prevalent and open as in the West, then you can expect to have many shootings like they supposedly had back then. Meanwhile, the firearms manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank, because they are not only making a killing in the U.S, but they are also the world’s biggest arms dealers. So which politician is going to want to mess with them eh?
Apparently the shooter bought the assault rifle legally some months ago, and furthermore, it’s been alleged that he had a social media page where he boasted about and showed off his personal armoury. And nobody complained to the police about it. Hn! What does that say about our society eh?
And unfortunately it also happened when Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fell on the same day. Ash Wednesday, a day for turning to God to begin seeking spiritual cleansing, and Valentine’s Day, a day when LOVE is supposed to have a small grip on our normally hateful world. It obviously didn’t have that grip on one young man yesterday.
I really don’t know what to say nuh friends, except to keep promoting LOVE, because that’s the ONLY thing that will truly bring an end to the pandemic violence that’s currently strangling our world. That’s why I turned again to our Bit of the last two days: ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.’
What else can I do, but plead for LOVE, that wonderful attribute of our great God to be our guiding light and not the evil sentiments and actions of Beelzebub. Consequently, today I’m just going to quote some of the attributes of LOVE, from the LOVE Chapter of the Good Book, 1 Corinthians 13, in the hope that it will soften our hearts and bring us back to our true selves.
Listen as Bruh Paul expounds on the way of LOVE. ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (LOVE), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling (clanging) cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (LOVE), I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (LOVE), it profiteth me nothing. Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant),
Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no account of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth: Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’ (1 Cor.13:1-7)
Yeh friends and fellow believers, that’s just a brief synopsis (smile) of what LOVE is all about. And regardless of what else you have, if you don’t have LOVE, you are NOTHING!
Oh, I know that some of it is very difficult to practice in real life, but as children of God, it is our bounden duty to put LOVE into action as best we can. And with God’s help, doing a good job is very possible. So let’s take a moment today and ponder all those things that LOVE embodies and embraces nuh, see where we are lacking and ask the Lord to help us in those places. It will be of such benefit to all of us.
Now, for those of us who sincerely try to action LOVE, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, reminding ourselves that when we live with LOVE for God and others, He showers us with extraordinary blessings.
In strong voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Let’s remember too that blessings are meant to be shared, so our next step is to go out and share them with the less fortunate, as Jesus so greatly desires. Much LOVE!
…And now abideth faith, hope and charity (LOVE), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE)… (1 Cor.13:13)
08 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 911 Emergency Number, a compassionate heart, a day of rest, a positive outlook, abundance, all things, angel, aspect of belief, At the cross, believing, blessed, broken, careful path, communication with God, Corville Peters, courage, creativity, curse, delivered, divine protection, dump trucks, excessive rest, expectation, faith, favour, God's willingness, hem and haw, Herod, Higher heights, hope, human arsenal, humble apologies, in a trance, in dream land, in Jesus, in Jesus' name, it is his angel, LOVE, more Christ-like, negative word, nowhere in sight, omnipotent god, on our behalf, overcome God's reluctance, Perter, power, powerful tool, pray, prayer, prayer was made, pregnant, prison, promises, prosper, seeing it, self-control, share with others, snow ploughs, strength, stressed out, succeed, success, talent, the Good Book, the Jews, Thursday Blessings, tired, trust, truth, twist God's arms, unborn child, watched the snow fall, weapon, whatsoever ye ask in prayer, wisdom, without ceasing, you shall receive
Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask for in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Ah friends, my most humble apologies for the lateness of today’s Bit. I have absolutely no idea what happened, except that when I was supposed to get up, I was still somewhere far away in dream land. (smile)
And it’s not like I did anything exhaustive yesterday, or went to bed later than normal. In fact yesterday was designated a day of rest, as I watched the snow fall, and then listened to the snow ploughs and dump trucks cart it away later in the evening. So my only conclusion is that I was simply tired from excessive rest! (smile)
But on a serious note, I’m asking us, especially our St. Francis people, to offer up sincere prayers for one of our church members, Abbi, who recently had to trek down to Indianapolis to help look after her very sick mother in the hospital. Some of you might not know her, because she usually comes to the 8.30 a.m service.
Her father doesn’t seem to be doing too well either, as he appears to be stressed out over his wife’s illness. And to complicate matters even further, Abbi is also 6.5 months pregnant, so she also has to look after herself and her unborn child. That means she has to walk a very narrow and careful path in this tremulous situation. There’s not much we can do for the family except pray. So please do that. They would very much appreciate your prayers.
Now here is something appropriate that I just found on one of the many pieces of paper that sit next to my computer. It’s a quote from Corville Peters, host of the Christian call in programme, ‘At the Cross.’ He says: ‘Prayer is not about trying to overcome God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness on your behalf.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth! Prayer is not about trying to twist God’s arms to help us, but to activate His waiting and His willingness to help. I guess it’s something like our 911 Emergency Number. When you call it, you don’t have to beg them to come and help you, because that’s exactly what they are there for.
It’s the same thing with our omnipotent God; He is there to always help us when we call, not hem and haw as to whether He should, or should not. And don’t ever forget friends, that prayer is the most powerful tool or weapon in our human arsenal! Otherwise, Jesus would not have said in our Bit: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask for in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’
And it’s very true. But please note the most important word in that sentence: ‘believing.’ Yeh mih people, we have to believe that we will get what we pray for. You’ll notice, that with Jesus, everything is about believing, about having hope and faith, about seeing it when it’s nowhere in sight.
Look at how we believe that Jesus died for us and LOVES us and all those good things, although we never met Him in the flesh. That’s what our faith is all about: when you believe, then you’ll see! And what better example is there than when Peter was imprisoned by Herod.
The Good Book tells us: ‘Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for Him.’ (Acts 12:5) And what happened after that. An angel came and let Peter out of the prison like he was in a trance. (Acts 12:6-10)
The Good Book continues: ‘And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety (for certain), that the Lord had sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.’ (Acts 12:11)
And we all know how when he knocked at the door of Mary’s house, the mother of John Mark, even though they were praying for him, nobody would believe that he was out there, saying nonsense like, ‘It is his angel.’ He had to keep on knocking before they would let him in. (Acts 12:12-17)
So you see friends, even though we pray sincerely, we still lack that ever-important aspect of belief. As Jesus said so plainly before our Bit: ‘Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain; be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.’ (Matt.21:21)
It’s all about faith, and trust and belief in Jesus and His awesome power and promises my brethren! Please, let’s not lose or lessen our faith, but rather build it up, so that we can move to higher heights, become more Christ-like, as the Father desires. And in keeping with all that, let’s go home now, proudly and sincerely declaring out Thursday Blessings.
In strong voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And if we truly believe it all, then our next step is to go out and share it with others, as Jesus intends for us to do. Much LOVE!
…prayer…that wonderful…and oh so powerful…method of communication with our great God…
25 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bride, a compassionate heart, a new day, a positive outlook, abundance, adorned for her husband, all will be well, are passed away, as a thief in the night, be diligent, be prepared, blamesless, created the universe, creativity, crying, curse, dire toll, don't give up, Erwin Raphael McManus, everlasting peace, every moment of the day, faith, faithful and true, fallen, favour, fear, fight the good fight, friends, god, God shall wipe away all tears, greetings, habitation of the saved, hang in there, holy spirit, home free, I make all things new, in living colour, in peace, Jesus Christ, Jesus is right there with us, John the Revelator, joy, keep on believing, limit your freedom, lose hope, Mosaic church, negative word, no more death, no more sea, not to hoard, our Lord and Saviour, pain, ploughing straight furrows, power in the Word, promises, reassuring message, redeemed people, righteousness, self-control, self-discipline, share with others, sinful world, sorrow, success, talent, tears, the bride of Christ, the day of the Lord, the effects of sin, the Father, the former things, the holy city, the Last Arrow, the Milennium, the new Jerusalem, the obstacle to our future, the pain of life, the second coming, the tabernacle of God, Thursday's Blessings, treasure trove, we will succeed, weekend break, what a joyful day, with His help, without spot, your future
Revelation 21:4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Greetings friends, from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! He wants us to know that this Thursday morning we are only one day away from our weekend break, and that we have done a good job so far this week, we’ve been ploughing straight furrows, so we should not give up or lose hope, because He is right there alongside us, every moment of the day, and with His help, we will certainly succeed.
So just hang in there, keep on fighting the good fight, and all will be well! What a reassuring message my people! And Jesus is nothing, if not a ‘reassurer.’ And His promises are ever-faithful and true. So please keep on believing.
And I have an interesting thought to share from one Erwin Raphael McManus, author, futurist, designer, filmmaker and Pastor of a Los Angeles church called Mosaic. He apparently says in his book, ‘The Last Arrow,’ that ‘The pain of life is the obstacle to our future. Do not let fear and pain limit your freedom to your future.’
What wise and truthful words my brethren! In this fallen and sinful world of ours, it is fear and pain that take a dire toll on our freedom to enjoy this earthly life. If we didn’t have fear or pain, we’d be home free. (smile) But we know that that situation will only be rectified after the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when Almighty God births the new heaven and earth. What a joyful day that will be my people!
And we have that on good info from John the Revelator, who writes, after seeing a vision: ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.’ (Rev.21:1-5)
Wow mih breddren, what an awesome promise and time we have to look forward to; living in the New Jerusalem where there will be no night or day, no pain, sorrow, or death and Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit will dwell amongst us in living colour! Mama Mia! I can’t wait for that day when there will be no more pain! (smile)
Now let’s check out some explanations from the scholars’. ’21:1-2. Chapters 21 and 22 are a description of the eternal state (following the Millennium and the final judgement), centering in the new Jerusalem as the eternal habitation of the saved (cf. Heb.11:10; 12:22-24).
The first heaven and the first earth are replaced by a new heaven and a new earth, predicted by Isaiah (cf. Is.65:17; 66:22). The present universe will thus be cleansed from all the effects of sin (cf. 2 Pet. 3:7, 10-13). Since there will be no more sea, the increased land space will be fully capable of handling large numbers of redeemed people from all ages.
The New Jerusalem is fully described in 21:10-22:5. It is a holy city, totally separate from sin (cf. vs, 8, 27; 22:15). It is being prepared (cf. John 14:3) as the habitation of the bride of Christ (cf. v.9). From God shows its divine purpose, and out of heaven its divine origin.’
Yeh mih people, a new day is coming, we know not when, that means we have to be prepared and constantly on the lookout for it. As Peter warns: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief (robber) in the night…Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.’ (2 Pet. 3:10a, 13-14)
Yeh friends, we have that awesome promise of Jesus that after He’s wrapped up, destroyed all the sin and evil in the world, He will bring us to a place of everlasting peace and joy to dwell with Him forever. But it’s imperative that we make the necessary preparations RIGHT NOW, because Jesus can come back at ANY time. Oh, and please read the references in the scholars’ explanations, for they are a treasure trove of scripture. (smile)
And having read and digested all of that, let’s go home loudly and sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings. As one 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 that those blessings were granted to us not to keep and hoard for ourselves, but to share with others, so let’s go out and share them now nuh. Much LOVE!
…there is awesome power in the word of Jesus…because that’s what created the universe and all therein…
18 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, all things are possible, baptized, believe, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, believing in God, blessings, Christians, compassionate heart, compelling narative, complex, courage, creativity, curse, faith, family, favour, fear, follower of Christ, friends, God is with us, greetings, guidance, health, heartaches, heavenly Father, hope, insights, jailer, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, key to everything, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, mercies, miracle, Most High God, negative word, pain, privilege of calling on God, promotion, prosper, put your faith in God, ready to receive Christ, reconciled, rejoiced, respond positively, rocket science, run roughshod, sacrifice, salutations, set our sights, simple, sinners, stripes, succeed, success, take the fear out of living, talent, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Good Book, the living God, the state of our hearts, the word of the Lord, there is hope, Thursday Blessings, too good to be true, walk sincerely, while there is life, wisdom, with God, withstand adversity
Acts 16:31, And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (household).
Greetings and salutations friends, this Thursday morning from our heavenly father, the Most High God, Jehovah! He sends His great LOVE and new mercies so that we can handle this day successfully, if we walk sincerely with Him. That is the key to everything; walking sincerely in His will.
And I want to let us know that God is with us, the same way He was with Jesus Christ when He was here on earth, so we have the wonderful privilege of calling on Him as Jesus did. Glory be my people! And it doesn’t make sense having the privilege if we don’t use it.
So let’s set our sights to call on God, at anytime, anywhere, and for everything, because that’s what He expects of us. He wants to be involved in each and every aspect of our lives, so please don’t keep Him out of anything, even the simplest aspect of our daily living, otherwise we could be in danger of losing wonderful insights, guidance and blessings.
That’s why the Daily Bread devotional thought tells us: ‘To take the fear out of living, put your faith in the living God.’ Truth of enormous proportions my brethren! For it’s only faith that conquers fear! The world expects us to be fearful, but our God desires us to be faithful! Which are we going to chose eh?
Fear is easy, you just kowtow, give in to it and let it run roughshod over your life. Faith however calls for us to be strong, to withstand adversity, even when times look extremely bad. It calls for pain and sacrifice, even when we don’t seem to have any more breath left in our bodies. Faith says, while there is hope there is life, and with God ALL things are possible!
And that’s what we are called to as Christians; being strong and steadfast in our belief and living for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who sacrificed His only Son Jesus Christ, so that we abominable sinners could be reconciled to Him. No other faith has such a simple but moving and compelling narrative. That’s why some people think it is too good to be true. But true it is my brethren! And there’s no rocket science involved.
That’s why when Paul and Silas prayed and the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and the prison keeper went to kill himself, thinking that all the prisoners had escaped, Bruh Paul warned him. ‘Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang (ran) in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas.
And brought them out, and said, sirs. What must I do to be saved? ‘And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (household).’ (Acts 16:28-31)
Yeh friends, that’s how simple it is. Believe, only believe in Christ and you shall be saved! It couldn’t get any simpler than that. But us complex humans think that anything so simple is of no use. Sometimes that might be right, but in this case it is definitely wrong.
And the Good Book continues after our Bit. ‘And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat (food) before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.’ (Acts 16:31:34)
Yuh see how it easy it is to be saved friends. But it all depends on the state of our hearts; whether we’re ready to receive Christ as our Lord and Saviour or not. Obviously the jailer and his family were ready, especially after seeing the miracle that God had wrought; the jail doors being suddenly opened, and yet no one escaping. But in general, we should not look for miracles before we believe.
When the Lord calls us we should respond positively, don’t try to fight it. And I can tell you from personal experience, that when you try to fight God, or ignore Him, your life just gets harder and more miserable. I did that when He first suggested the writing of the Bit. But when He wants you, He doesn’t give up. So it’s to your advantage, when He first calls to answer, ‘Yes Lord. Right away!’ You’ll save your self some heartaches.
And yuh know what? When we truly believe, we are inordinately blessed. Let’s now declare our Thursday Blessings, enthusiastically letting the world know how wonderful it is to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. As one 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!’
Yeh mih breddren, that’s what you have to look forward to when you put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…put not your trust in humans…but in the One who first created the world…then saved it…
04 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, almighty god, animals, birds, blessings, born, bounden duty, coming to god's throne, compassionate heart, control, courage, curse, daily needs, dew, die, discretion, established the world, everlasting king, faith, favour, food provided, founded the earth, full of thy riches, God Jehovah, God's perfect timing, grace, harmoniously Planet Earth, how manifold are thy works, humans, humble prayer, idols, in wisdom, indignation, insects, Israel, jack of all trades, judgement, life, live, loving-kindness, mercy, multitude of waters, negative word, night of darkness, no fear, O Lord, outward help, perfect harmony, power, prosper, rains fall, rewards, screwed up, self-control, self-discipline, self-sufficient, share, storehouse, strength, stretched out the heaven, success, sunshine of Jesus, superior beings, suspended in space, talent, thanks and praise, the earth, the earth shall tremble, the ends of the earth, the living God, the moon, the seas, the seasons, the sun shines, the true god, the universe, the winds, Thursday Blessings, timekeeper, unbroken cycle, understanding, vapours, walking with Jesus, we're nothing, wisdom, wise in heart, wrath, year of love
Psalm 104:24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
So how shall we begin this morning eh friends? I guess by giving the Lord much thanks and praise as we ought to, as is our bounden duty!
First of all let’s thank Him for the life we have this morning, for bringing us through the past night of darkness into the bright sunshine of Jesus’ day. Let’s thank Him for all that He’s done for us during the past year and all the good stuff He has planned for us in this new year.
Ah friends, without God’s grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness we’re nothing, and can do nothing worthwhile. Let’s remember that and keep coming to His throne in humble prayer to get all of our daily needs, for that’s the storehouse from which they all emanate.
Have you ever wondered how this great universe is so self-sufficient? The earth just seems to stand suspended in space; the seasons roll around on time without any timekeeper; rains fall, the sun shines, the moon does it’s thing, the winds and the seas do their thing too, all without any apparent outward help.
Birds, insects and animals have their food provided for them and keep on in an unbroken cycle. Humans are born, live and die, and the world continues moving and functioning in perfect harmony…without any apparent outward help. Yes my people, Planet Earth functions so harmoniously because of the wisdom and strength of Almighty God who made it and all therein.
The only time when stuff gets screwed up on earth is when we humans, supposed superior beings, get involved and throw God’s perfect timing off. But have no fear, despite our foolish and mindless messing with His perfect universe, He is still in total control of it.
No wonder the psalmist declares so profoundly in our Bit: ‘O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.’
Oh friends, the works of our great God are indeed manifold; plentiful, various, different, but all fine tuned to the nth degree, because our God isn’t only a Jack of all trades, but more importantly, a Master of them all!
Thus, when dealing with the problem of idols in Israel, which were only the work of cunning men, the prophet Jeremiah could unequivocally proclaim: ‘But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God; and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his discretion (understanding).
When He uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth for the wind out of his treasures.’ (Jer.10:10-13)
What a mighty God we serve my people! The ONE and only true and Living God! And Jeremiah was so convinced of his words that he uttered them again in Chapter 51:15-19, when talking about the Lord’s judgement on Babylon.
Meanwhile listen to Cousin Sol’s take on the subject. ‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.’ (Prov.3:19-20)
Ah friends, if you’d only sit and ponder the miraculous spectacle that is the earth and all that moves within it, you’d realize that it would take an awfully mighty, wise and powerful Being to put it all together so seamlessly. And that being is our great God Jehovah! Give him much praise and thanks!
And Job says it thus: ‘He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? Which removeth the mountains, and they know not; which overturneth them in his anger. Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars…
Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder (prevent) him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?’ (Job 9:4-7,10-12)
Now that’s a very good question my people? Who will say unto Almighty God, what are you doing eh? Nobody in his right senses! But we are wise enough not to question God, instead we’ll serve and worship Him in all goodness of heart and thus enjoy His awesome blessings. Let’s tell it to the world friends, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings and let them know how the great God we serve rewards those who faithfully serve Him.
As one 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!’
Oh my people, in 2018, this Year of LOVE, let’s go out and share those blessings with the less fortunate nuh, for that’s what Jesus desires of us! Much LOVE!
…walking closely with Jesus…means sharing whatever He’s blessed us with…
31 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disastrous year, abundance, arrogant, blaspheme, bled, blemish, bless thou the Lord, blessed Redeemer, boll weevil, bore our sorrows, breath of life, Brook Benton, Christ is coming, cry down, died, disasters, doomed, endure for ever, finite minds, Frances Crosby, friends, glorify our heavenly Father, glory to God, god-like, godly love, gospel truth, grateful lips, hail him, happy, he touches the hills, heavenly portals, high-minded, Holy Name, hope of eternal salvation, hosannas ring, it trembles, Jesus, joyful song, king, lick our wounds, looking for a home, looks on the earth, mortal bodies, neighbours, no help, on the line, our rock, over the world victorious, plenty, praise him, Praise the Lord, priest, prophet, recuperate, rejoice in his works, returns to the earth, serving Almighty God, sing O earth, sing praises, sinless life, sinners, sound his praise, spirit departs, suffered, Sunday of fellowship, thankful hearts, the crucified, the glory of the Lord, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the god of Jacob, the sacrifice of praise, the Son of man, thoughts perish, trust in princes, tumultuous year, unto my god, welcome, while I have any being, while I live, wonderful LOVE
Psalm 146:2. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
Welcome friends and neighbours to this last Sunday of fellowship in 2017! It has been indeed a tumultuous year, and let’s just hope and pray that 2018 will be quieter and more God-like, because our world doesn’t need another disastrous year like this one. We need something in which we can quietly lick our wounds, recuperate from all the disasters, natural and manmade, and get back to serving Almighty God the way we ought to.
Anyway, on this last Sunday of fellowship, let’s open with this old but beautiful hymn by Frances Crosby, ‘Praise Him, Praise Him.’ Yes friends, regardless of what our year has been like, our great God is worthy of much thanks and praise, so please lets offer up the sacrifice of praise from our thankful hearts through our grateful lips as one harmonious choir.
In full voice now: ‘Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim! Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory; Strength and honor give to His holy Name! Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children, In His arms He carries them all day long. (Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!)
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died. He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation, Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified. Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows, Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong. (Refrain)
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring! Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever; Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King! Christ is coming! over the world victorious, Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong. (Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!)’
Oh my people, what an excellent song of praise! Jesus deserves every word of it because He did put His sinless life filled with Godly LOVE on the line for us while we were yet sinners! Wow! No other supposed deity has, or will ever come close to that. All the other deities want to take what little we have from us, while Jesus comes to give of the plenty, of the abundance that He has.
Glory to God my precious people! How can we not LOVE, praise, honour and worship Him eh? No wonder the psalmist proudly declares in our Bit: ‘While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.’
Yes my faithful brethren, that is exactly what we need to do while there is any breath of life left in our mortal bodies! For we were made to sing praises to and glorify our heavenly Father, the One who blessed us with His awesome breath of life.
Hear the psalmist as he continues his song of praise. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (spirit departs), he returneth to his earth: in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:3-5)
Words of gospel truth my friends! If we don’t have the help of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob then we’re in plenty trouble. And that is why this year of 2017 has been such a disastrous year; we haven’t had God’s help, because as a society, we have turned away from Him. How can He help us if we don’t cry out to Him for help eh?
Instead, we foolishly cry down, blemish, and blaspheme His holy name, while trying our best to get rid of him completely from our society. How stupid, arrogant and high minded can we get eh people? How can you remove the One who created the society from the society eh?
We’ve become so blinded by the supposed brilliance of our small, finite minds that we refuse to see ourselves as we truly are; in comparison to God, mere insects scurrying around aimlessly, like the boll weevil in the old Brook Benton song, looking for a home.
And the truth of the matter friends, the ONLY home there really is, is that provided by Jesus Christ, for all else will eventually be destroyed. But let’s place these truthful words of the psalmist deep in our hearts and souls nuh. ‘The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.’ (Ps.104:31-32)
Well then people, if that’s the awesome truth, then the only sensible recourse we have is to do like the psalmist says: ‘I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more: Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord, (sing Hallelujah).’ (Ps.104:33-35)
Yeh my fellow believers, there is no better road down which we can travel than one of praise and glory to our great God. So let’s seriously resolve to do that this upcoming year nuh, because that’s the ONLY way our fortunes will be changed. Much LOVE!
…if Jesus isn’t a big part of our life and our world…then we’re surely doomed…
21 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chosen generation, a special people, abundance, accountability, bear witness, blessings, burned out, christianity, Christmas, coming of Christ, compassionate heart, creativity, curse, darkness comprehended it not, deliverance, festive time, fountain of life., God the son, light, mercy, negative word, preferred status, prosper, revelation of God, royal priesthood, salvation, self-confidence, self-discipline, share, smell the roses, source of life, strain, stress, successs, the light of men, the light of the world, Thursday Blessings, walk in the light
Psalm 36:9. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
Well friends, we’re moving right along in this busy 2017 Christmas season! Only four more days to go! Glory be! But please be careful you don’t get burned out with all the previous activities so that when the big day arrives, you are too tired to enjoy the relevant festivities and all the stuff you’ve spent so much time preparing.
Unfortunately, every year, it happens to many of us. We get so caught up and so busy with the Christmas preparations that in the final analysis we’re just too tired to enjoy all the stuff that we’ve prepared and the families that we’ve longed to see.
Now that doesn’t make any sense eh friends? So please slow down and spend some time smelling the roses of Christmas, spending some time in fellowship, giving thanks and praise to God the Father for sending God the Son to us at this festive time, and truly understanding the reasons behind it all.
Release the preparation pressure! You won’t die if you don’t prepare everything they say Christmas calls for. In fact you might die quicker from the stress and strain if you try to do all the world calls for. End of warning! (smile)
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.’ A truthful scripture as any other. For the last few days we’ve been dealing with the first half, about God being the fountain and true source of life. Today though, we’ll look at the second half – ‘in thy light shall we see light.’
Yeh friends, we shall see light if we believe in Jesus because He is the LIGHT. As John said of Jesus: ‘In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.’ (John 1:4-5)
And the scholars explain: 1:4-5. Life…light. See also 8:12; 9:5; 11:25; 14:6. In John’s writings, life represents salvation and deliverance through Christ, and light denotes Jesus’ revelation of God which calls men to accountability.’ Jesus came to open our minds, that we might understand what our great God was really all about.
And as John says of himself, he came ‘to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe….That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’ (John 1:7,9) So John was sent to acquaint us with Jesus, to foretell His imminent coming, to provide salvation for every man born of woman, for every individual, if they so desired.
And when Jesus did come, He made known His status and purpose in no uncertain manner when He declared: ‘I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) Oh my people, what a bold statement, and obviously the religious leaders of His day didn’t believe Him. But thankfully we do. We walk in His light and see the actions, the mercy, the revelation of God in our time.
But there’s a condition to the enjoyment of that status. And it comes in Jesus declaration to His followers. ‘Ye are the light of the world….’ (Matt.5:14a) Yes my brethren, since Jesus is no longer on earth in human form, we are His ambassadors, we are supposed to show and tell the unbeliever what Jehovah God is all about by shining our bright light of Christianity all over the world, as Jesus desires of us. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16)
Are we doing that friends? I would say not to the best of our ability, because there is still too much darkness in the world, too many people are moving away from God, rather than to Him, and a lot of it is our fault; our light isn’t shining in the darkness as it should.
And this beautiful verse of scripture from Peter’s first epistle highlights our preferred status, which we ought to live up to. ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (His own special people); that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’ (1 Pet.2:9-10)
Ah friends, how reassuring that is! As believers, we have a unique relationship with God; a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and now we have become a people, living under His awesome mercy…Glory to God!
Now let’s go home declaring our bountiful Thursday Blessings which come with that believer status. In full 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 having said all of that, let’s go out and share all those wonderful blessings with the less fortunate, as Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…one can only walk safely and comfortably in the light…so please make sure you’re walking in the light… the light of Jesus…
17 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a virgin's womb, abundance, any wicked way, cacophony, celebration, christmas day, conventional human standards, Emmanuel, favour, fellowship, gladness, glorious song, god, Hark the herald angels sing, harmonious singing, healing in his wings, heart, heaven's rejoicing, holiness, inane platitudes, Jesse, jesus birth, joy, king of Israel, know my heart, know my thoughts, lead me, livlihood, look not on his countenance, loud voices, LOVE, measure giving, mercy mild, nature of our hearts, outward appearance, peace on earth, poverty, praise, raise the sons of earth, reconciled, rejected, right motives, righteousness, sacrifice, Samuel, search me, second birth, sinners, the everlasting Lord, the height of his stature, the inner, the Lord looks on the heart, the Lord sees not as man, the Lord's House, the newborn king, the serpent's head, the way everlasting, try me, two mites, veiled in flesh, widow, worship
1 Samuel 16:7. Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Eight days friends, eight long days to Christmas Day! And can you imagine the loud voices raised in glorious song, in praise and worship all over the world as that day draws nigh, and we gather in the Lord’s house this and next Sunday to fellowship with joy and gladness! And when you add heaven’s rejoicing with their own songs of praise and worship, what a joyful cacophony of harmonious singing there will be in the universe! (smile)
So let’s not waste any time in joining that awesome choir of celebration, let’s declare our own joy by offering up our rendition of the old but much beloved hymn, ‘Hark the herald angels sing,’ written by Charles Wesley in the early 18th century. With much pomp and pride and heartfelt sincerity, let’s open up our mouths, and with sacrificial praise let the world know how glad and grateful we are for Jesus’ birth.
In perfect harmony now: ‘Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!” Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With th’angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” (Refrain: Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”) Christ, by highest Heav’n adored; Christ the everlasting Lord; Late in time, behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th’incarnate Deity, Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel. (Refrain)
Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth. (Refrain) Come, Desire of nations, come, Fix in us Thy humble home; Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed, Bruise in us the serpent’s head. Now display Thy saving pow’r, Ruined nature now restore; Now in mystic union join Thine to ours, and ours to Thine. (Refrain)
Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface, Stamp Thine image in its place: Second Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy LOVE. Let us Thee, though lost, regain, Thee, the Life, the inner man: Oh, to all Thyself impart, Formed in each believing heart. (Refrain).’
Ah friends, how beautiful it is to give thanks and praise to our heavenly Father! Nothing moves our heart like that. And it also moves the Father’s heart when He sees the outpouring of real LOVE from the very depths of our hearts towards Him, not just us spouting inane platitudes to try and win His attention. That’s why it’s ever so important to have right motives in our hearts at all times my brethren.
Remember what the Lord said to Samuel in our Bit when He sent him to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king of Israel. ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’
Yes my fellow believers, we can carry on with all sorts of righteousness and holiness in public, like the Pharisees did, but if our heart isn’t right, then the Lord will simply ignore us. And unfortunately, in this current version of our society, outward appearance is a very big factor in how we react to and treat each other. That’s why there are so many outwardly good-looking ungodly, incompetent, simple-minded and evil people in our world today. Oh we can certainly put on a good outward show, be kind and generous and all that, but when the Lord checks us out and realizes that we’re only doing it just for our personal benefit, He’s simply going to cut us off at the knees.
And a very good example of that is Jesus’ position on the offering of a poor widow and that of the rich folks. ‘And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites (small copper coins), which make a farthing. And he (Jesus) called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance (surplus); but she of her want (out of her poverty) did cast in all that she had, even all her living (her whole livelihood).’ (Mark 12:42-44)
Yeh friends, in the Lord’s eyes, it’s not always about how much you give, but more often what sacrifice you make to give whatever it is. If we have plenty, we can always give plenty. But it’s when we don’t have plenty, then we see the true nature of our hearts. As the scholars say: ‘12:43-44. God does not measure giving by conventional human standards.’ And that’s gospel truth!
Thus friends, it’s ever so important for us have the kind of heart that the Lord approves of, and the best way to get that is by going to Him in sincere prayer and asking for His help, like Bruh David did at the end of Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God. He humbly pleads: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try (test) me, and know my (anxious) thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps.139:23-24)
Yes my people, that’s the best way to acquire a right heart…go directly to the Father! Much LOVE!
…a man whose heart is not right…will not find favour with the Lord…
14 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burning fire, a compassionate heart, a discerner of thoughts, a two-part being, abundance, activities of the mind, believers in Christ, body, bone structure, burns, challenges, Christian mandate, comforts, contradictory., courage, creativity, crooked places, curse, darkness, disturbs, divine protection, easy row to hoe, enlightens, eternal life, ever-LOVING God, faithful, favour, find, flying colours, frighten, glory to God, grace, handle any situation, harsh winter, health, in the name of Jesus, intentions, invigorates, Jeremiah, Jesus dwelling in us, joints and marrow, light, living, living God, living word, LOVE, mercy, merits of the Good Book, negative word, obey its commands, of the heart, One Year Book of Bible promises, persevere, philosophy, piercing, power, powerful, powerful weapon, preserved blameless, pungency, quick, reassures, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, seek, self-control, self-discipline, sharper than any twoedged sword, soul and spirit, soul searching, spirit, stay strong, success, talent, the Book of All Books, the dividing asunder, the true way to, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, topsy-turvy, tough things, white stuff, wisdom
Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.
And yes friends, a li’l more of that white stuff did fall overnight, but not so much that we can’t take it in our stride. (smile) And our world has become so topsy-turvy and contradictory these days, that even the weather people can’t agree on what kind of winter we’re going to have. Hn! One side claims it’s going to be rather harsh, while the other declares it’s going to be fairly mild. So whom do you believe eh?
But yuh know what, with Jesus richly dwelling within us, we can handle ANY kind of winter or situation that comes against us! Glory to God! Please remember that my people and stay strong when confronted by tough things and times, knowing that our wonderful, all knowing and ever-LOVING God will see us through them with His ever-flowing grace and mercy.
And I know that yesterday we had a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin, but when I saw this one, I couldn’t resist sharing it, because in general it’s so appropriate. However, in particular, it is a soul searching, questioning piece that will hopefully open up our hearts and souls to the wonderful merits of the Good Book. It’s titled “Book of All Books.”
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, I am overwhelmed As I read Your living Word. What power, what pungency I find within its pages. It stirs me, burns with me It challenges me, invigorates me And often disturbs me. When I obey its commands The results are what You claim: Darkness becomes light Crooked places become straight
The more I seek, the more I find. Within its pages, God I see beyond mere philosophy I see beyond a neat package of ethics. I crash head-on with a living Person The One who makes all things new. No other book can claim as much.’
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! No other Book that’s ever been written, or will ever be written will ever have the impact of the Bible, of the Living Word of the ONE, TRUE and ONLY Living God on humanity! And all of God’s people said a loud and proud ‘Amen!’
Yeh friends, the Word of God is extremely powerful! As the writer says, it stirs us up, challenges, invigorates, disturbs and also fires us up. How did Jeremiah put it? ‘But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones…’ (Jer.20:9)
Oh my faithful brethren, that’s exactly how the Word of our God should be in us; like a burning fire in our hearts, souls and bellies, ever present at the forefront of our lives, so that we can do justice to our claim of believers in Christ, and fulfill our Christian mandate.
And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’
Ah mih people, that just goes to show how powerful the Word of God is! It’s living, and more powerful and sharper than any man-made two-edged sword! Mama Yo! With the ability to divide and cut up the human body, right down to the joints and marrow, and discern our ungodly thoughts and evil intentions!
Brother! I wouldn’t want to come upon the Lord’s Word in the dark nuh! (smile) But yuh know what friends, when we do come upon the Word of the Lord, it doesn’t really frighten us, it works in the exact opposite way. It enlightens us, brings us out of our darkness, comforts, reassures us and shows us the true way to salvation and eternal life.
But enough of my speechifying, (smile) check out this info from the scholars on the ‘Immaterial Part of Man.’ ‘4:12. The writer here draws an interesting parallel between the joints and the marrow, which have different functions, yet both are part of a human’s bone structure. Thoughts and intents are also two distinct activities, yet both are activities of the mind. And while the soul and the spirit are distinct in function, both have an immaterial character.
When considering the nature of humanity, we must realize a person is a two-part being, that is, with body and soul. But in activity or function the body, soul, and spirit of a person each has a different function. Paul desired that his converts “whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess.5:23). (First Ref. Gen.2:7; Primary Ref. 1 Thess. 5:23; cf. Prov.4:23).’
Oh, I know from personal experience friends, that walking with Jesus is not an exactly easy row to hoe, but if we are faithful and truly believe and persevere, He will bring us through with flying colours. So please stand strong and steadfast! And please check out those references in the scholars info, they will provide a treasure trove of wisdom. (smile)
And what better way to end than by declaring all the wonderful blessings that our magnanimous God has showered down on us for being faithful followers. It’s ever so important that we speak our Thursday Blessings out loud, because a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken; remember the power of God’s Word, which created the world and all therein.
All together 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 now that we’ve declared our Blessings, let’s go out and generously share them with others, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…God’s Word…the most powerful weapon in the universe…don’t try to fight it…you’ll lose…
P.S. Yeh it’s long, but beautiful and worthwhile! (smile) Much LOVE!
30 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a gathering of believers, a loving god, a positive outlook, a sacrifice for our sins, abundance, Adam, apple cart, authority, by himself, calamity, Christians, Colossians, courage, creation, creativity, curse, cursed is the ground, disobedience, dust, dwelt among us, eat bread, eat the herb of the field, every knee shall bow, exalted, fanciful idea, forefathers, give God the glory, glory of Jesus, good lives, grace, headaches, hearkened, holy spirit, honour, image of, in Jesus' name, in sorrow, in the sweat of thy face, inheritance, Jesus, kindhearted, King of Kings, life is rough, living image, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving-kindness, made flesh, mercy, negative word, on the right hand, pick sense from nonsense, praise, preeminent, privileges, prosper, purged our sins, reconciled, redemption, return to the ground, reverence, sacrifical death, sat down, self-control, self-discipline, share blessings, shining light, sins, success, supreme position, talent, thanks, the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, the first-born, the invisible God, the voice of thy wife, the Word, the word of his power, things God can do, thistles, thorns, Thursday Blessings, toil, tragedy, upholding all things, ups and downs, wisdom
Hebrews 1:3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Oh friends, another beautiful day in a wonderful life! Give God the Glory! Yes, He and He alone deserves the overwhelming praise and thanks for our good lives! Oh, I know some of us might complain that life is rough, and so it might be, but whoever said that life would always be smooth eh? Nobody!
That’s just some fanciful idea we’ve gotten in our heads, especially since we’ve become Christians and have read and heard about all the great and wonderful things that God can do, has done, and will do for His children. But from the day sin entered the world, through the disobedience of our forefathers, life was destined to have headaches, ups and downs, tragedy and calamity.
Please note what the Lord said to Adam at the time of their disobedience. ‘Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow (toil) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ (Gen.3:17-19)
Yeh friends, just a li’l reminder that after our fall, life would never be the same, and it would be rough, fraught with calamity, but also lined with good things because our God is a LOVING God, who is not only out to punish us for our wrongdoings. If that was His ultimate desire, we would have disappeared from the earth long ago.
But despite our shortcomings, He LOVED us so much that he sent His Son Jesus to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so we could be reborn by His Holy Spirit and get another chance at redemption, at being made right with Him. Only a very LOVING and kindhearted Deity would do such a thing.
That’s why we have the wonder and glory of Jesus in our Bit. ‘Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.’
Yes Friends, Jesus upset the whole apple cart with his sacrificial death, providing a way out for us woeful sinners! Praise His holy name! But let me get to the promise I made yesterday to offer some scholarly explanations to the verses we read in Colossians 1. I could write praises to Jesus all day, if you give me a chance. (smile)
In fact the verse we’re going to look at is praising Him. ‘Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born (first in rank) of (over) every creature.’ (Col.1:15) Yes, Jesus is the living image of our invisible God; ‘the Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us…’ (John 1:14)
But the scholars offer this explanation on the other half of the verse. ‘1:15. First-born here signifies two things (1) Temporal priority. As the firstborn child in a family is born before his brothers and sisters, similarly Christ existed before Creation. He existed before the universe was created.
And owing to the privileges usually given an oldest child, “first-born” also signifies (2) positional priority. The firstborn in a family was customarily accorded more honour, greater authority, or larger share of the inheritance, and so held a privileged position in relation to his brothers and sisters. In like manner Christ as the “firstborn” occupies a position supreme over the universe.
Therefore, when Paul declares Christ to be the first-born of every creature, the apostle does not mean that He is the first person whom God created; Paul instead means that Christ is earlier than, as well as preeminent in, all creation.’
Yes my brethren, it’s very important that we understand that Christ was around before the world was formed, and He played a major role in forming it, as well as in giving us the opportunity to be reconciled with the Father. That’s why He was so highly exalted by the Father: King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to whom all knees shall bow and whose name shall be spoken with the ultimate reverence, so that the Father can be truly glorified.
Ah mih people, I hope the Bit makes sense. There’s so much I want to communicate on this particular Bit, that I might tend to get confused at times – I’m only human, but I know that you all are smart enough pick sense from nonsense, (smile) and understand what I’m trying to say.
So now, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, blessings that our wonderful God has poured down on us out of His unlimited grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness.
As though we really mean it 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!’
There is indeed power in the spoken word friends, let’s go out and share those blessings in Jesus’ name now! Much LOVE!
…who is our bright and shining light…the glory of God…none else but…JESUS…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the bit, I was just somewhat tardy in getting up. (smile) Much LOVE!
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