05 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a quiet day, advice, afraid, antidote, ashamed, ask and you shall receive, aura of love, Caribana, doing the best we can for Jesus, forgiveness, further your glorious kingdom, get jealous, good motives, good work, hands on, his blood, humble servants, in strong voice, indwelling every believer, intimate, irritable, jobs, John, keeping lives and families together, kind of person, kindness, knocking on heaven's door, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not many days hence, pay our sin debt, personal power of Jesus, playing fair, ponder our situation, receive power, relaxation, residual effects, rest, rewards, right with you, sacrificed His life, serve a useful purpose, short tempered, sincerely believing, spiritual armour, the Holy Spirit, the uttermost part of the earth, to share Christ's gospel, truly baptized, with the Holy ghost, with water, witnesses, ye shall be baptized
Acts 1:5. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
And the Caribana celebration is still going strong this Monday morning, though many have gone back home or are in the process of doing so. In fact, today’s the day when a lot of the big parties will be held, but unfortunately, or otherwise, (smile) the ole fella will not be a part of any of those celebrations. I’m just going to spend a quiet day of rest and relaxation at home with the duchess. Yes, we getting old, and we value our quiet time at home now, much more than we ever did. (smile)
However, some of us do have to go to work, and when we read about the partying and the rest and relaxation, only to realize that we’re not a part of either one of those preferable situations, understandably, we liable to get somewhat jealous and irritable. But fear not working friends, we have the antidote for whatever’s ailing you this Caribana Monday morning. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; a mighty prayer of praise, of asking, of seeking and knocking on heaven’s door.
So as time is of the essence, let’s get right to it nuh. All together now, in strong voice, sincerely believing, for though Jesus said ask and you shall receive, (Matt.7:7) He also specified: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22) So yuh see friends, the asking part is important, but the believing part is even more so. Therefore, let’s ask and believe and receive nuh.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And as always, you can tell those who not going to work today, because their voices were the loudest and hoarsest; residual effects from a lot of partying. But I’m sure that for those of us who sincerely prayed and believed, our attitude and perspective has now changed. Our batteries are suddenly fully charged, and our energy level is much higher than before, and we just dying to get out into the evil world and give the enemy heck in Jesus’ name! (smile)
Oh my people, it’s so good when our spirits are raised and we are in full Jesus mode, because our lives run so much better and smoother. We’re not as short-tempered and irritable. Kindness and forgiveness come to us more readily and easily, and we’re not ashamed or afraid to share the gospel and LOVE of Jesus with others. And it all comes when we follow the leading and wise advice of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us for that very purpose.
Consequently, Jesus warned the disciples to remain in Jerusalem after His ascension: ‘For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And when, in their impatience, they asked: ‘Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?’ He calmly replied: ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:6-7)
Yeh friends, Jesus just reiterated what we know as the Great Commission. (Matt.28:19-20) Our raison d’etre is to spread Jesus gospel to all parts of the world and the Holy Ghost is our lead and guide for doing that. And we all know how Jesus’ words came to pass on Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Ghost invaded the souls of the believers in the upper room, appearing like cloven (divided) tongues of fire and sitting on each of them, giving them such supernatural power that they were able to speak in other languages of which they previously had no knowledge. (Acts.2:3-4)
And after that the Holy Spirit began indwelling EVERY believer, so that they could have the intimate and personal power of Jesus living with them. It couldn’t get any more personal or intimate than that my people! That’s the kind of hands on, always right there with you kind of person that our Jesus is! So how can we not do His bidding eh?
We not playing fair if we don’t put out our best on His behalf because He gave His ALL; His very life; sacrificed it for us, so His blood could pay our sin debt in full. And now, so many of us want what He offers, but refuse to do what He asks. That just doesn’t compute my people. So sometime today, let’s take a moment or two and ponder our situation nuh, our relationship to Christ and see whether we are doing the best we can for His kingdom. Remember, there will be rewards for good work with good motives! Much LOVE!
…after all Jesus has done for us…how can we not LOVE Him eh…and strive to do our best for Him…
01 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a narrow path, abundance, advice, best interests at heart, bush tea, but by me, charles stanley, choose the best, coconut oil, compassionate heart, concotion, creativity, curse, discipline, dont' have to go it alone, dr robert h schuller, elect the best, eternal life, excellence, feelings, follow faith, generous God, godly advice, gospel truth, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, human flesh rebel, I am the way, immortal wisdom, Jesus Christ, Joseph Addison, Joyce Meyer, leave all the consequences to Him, lovers of pleasure, man's independent nature, narrow, narrow the way, negative word, no man comes to the Father, no matter the price tag, obedience, obey God, obeying God's word, our Lord and Saviour, receive with reluctance, requires discipline, shrivelling up enthusiasm, shun mediocrity, starting your day right, sticks in our craw, strit is the gate, talent, the Life, the Truth, the way of the world, the way to victory, Thursday's Blessings, which leads to life, wsihy-washy
Matthew 7:14. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it.
Well it’s the first of August, that means the summer is almost done, one more month, then any number can play. But that’s okay, we can handle it, with Jesus’ help. But today we going to get into a serious concoction in the Bit. Yuh know like in the olden days when you had a cold and fever and your mother just boiled up a whole lot of different bushes and made tea for you, bad, horrible tasting stuff…Ugh!
And she also mixed up a whole lot of different medicines and rubbed your chest and back and forehead with them, and put some coconut oil in your head – will make the cold run down? Hn, hn! We didn’t like it, but it worked. Well that’s what we making here today: a concoction of scripture and good advice. And let’s hope that that will work for us today too. (smile)
Now let’s begin with this most appropriate ingredient from one Joseph Addison (1672-1719), an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. And he reputedly said that ‘There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice.’ And that’s gospel truth friends! For there is nothing we dislike more than advice because it suggests that we don’t know what we’re doing.
And even when it’s given with the best interests at heart, and we know it’s the best advice we can get, something though still sticks in our craw, and we don’t really treasure it as we should. I guess though that’s just man’s independent nature showing up, where we don’t like anybody telling us what to do, even though it’s right.
And the next choice ingredient comes from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller), from his Hour of Power Devotional, where he sincerely and wisely advises us to: ‘Choose the best, shun mediocrity. Mediocrity has a way of shrivelling up enthusiasm. But commitment to excellence taps an incredible source of energy. Elect the best, no matter what the price tag.’ Wow friends! Pure words of wisdom and mucho good advice and also what Jesus desires of His followers.
But are we going to take it? Hn! Who knows? Because though it’s true and good and wise and of Jesus, there’s just something that sits wrong with us in taking advice. But then I’m only here to bring you wise words and wise, godly advice, so please don’t blame or get annoyed at me, for I’m only the messenger. (smile)
And the last ingredient of our concoction comes from an old Devotional of Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) called ‘Starting Your Day Right.’ Could barely make out the name because it’s so old and faded, and the pages are falling apart, so I keep it together with a rubber band, (smile) because I like it’s simple, down to earth style. Can’t take all this new-fangled stuff.
Anyhow, Sister Joyce gives this wonderful advice at the end of one of the devotionals. ‘The way to victory is a narrow path that requires discipline regardless of our feelings. Sometimes it may look too narrow to even squeeze through. But victory comes by obeying God’s Word to us, in spite of our feelings. Follow faith, not feelings today.’
Mama Mia! What wonderful advice! What godly advice! And are we going to take it my brethren? I surely hope so, because as she so rightly says, we can only get victory by obeying God’s Word, and it takes a strong and sincere faith to do so, not wishy-washy feelings, like so many of us live by.
And that’s why, Jesus, in His immortal wisdom, knowing that too many of us live by our wishy-washy feelings, directed us to ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.’ (Matt.7:13)
Oh my people, how true that is in these ungodly times. People are just ‘LOVERS of pleasure,’ as Bruh Paul told Timothy. (2 Tim.3:4) And like foolish sheep without a shepherd, are all blindly headed for the precipice of damnation! But thankfully precious people, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is a good, kindly and caring shepherd and he takes wonderful care of His own. But His own also have to listen to His voice, else they too will go astray on the wide and destructive path.
And He says to us: ‘Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it.’ Yes friends, those are words we have to pay serious attention to, because if we want to live and work for Jesus and eventually gain eternal life with Him, then we can’t go the way of the world. We have to follow the straight and narrow path that calls for obedience, discipline and excellence.
And we all know those are things against which our human flesh naturally rebel, which means calling forth a superhuman effort if we have to do it alone. But thankfully we don’t have to do it alone! Jesus Christ foresaw our problems and wisely gave us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in His ways! Glory to God! We’re not alone…will never be alone once we stay in Jesus’ fold!
And let’s remember friends, that Jesus is both the way that leads to life, and also the life. As He said to doubting Thomas: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Please my people, let’s write those words indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, because they are ever so important for our life-long journey.
Now let’s go home declaring (yeh!) those Thursday Blessings the Lord has so generously lavished on us nuh so we can do His work. In strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Oh my people, what a generous God we serve and worship! Now let’s go out and share those blessings with the less fortunate as Jesus intends for us to do, and not selfishly hoard them for ourselves. Yes, I’ve got to remind us, else we tend to forget. (smile) And let’s hope that the concoction we made up today also works, because we all need it badly! Much LOVE!
…the best way to live life…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles – Charles Stanley)
17 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advice, assurance, bacchanalian, barbecue primed, blessed, cannot serve God and mammon, cast thy burden, celebrations, circumspection, commit thy way, cottage country, extent of our faith, faith, fellowship, food and drinks ready, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, gospel truth, gratuitous speeches, he shall never suffer, he shall sustain thee, his seed begging bread, humble yourselves, in Jesus name, in our hearts, long weekend, merciful, ordered by the Lord, parades, prayer for help, Queen Victoria holiday, refreshed, relaxation, rest, seek first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, short changing ourselves, soul body mind, summer frolics, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the Lord's favour, the mighty hand of God, the righteous forsaken, the righteous to be moved, the steps of a good man, trust, trust in Him, ungodly times, upon the Lord, wasting your time, words of wisdom, workingman's song, written indelibly
Psalm 55:22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).
Big day people, big day! It being Friday and the start of the long Queen Victoria Day weekend! It’s also fairly sunny and warm, so you can imagine the barbecues will be fired up this weekend, the weather permitting, and the trek north, east and west to cottage country has already begun! You can’t go south, else you’ll end up in Lake Ontario. (smile)
Wow! It’s a big weekend in this wonderful and blessed land of Canada with oodles of celebrations, parades and gratuitous political speeches! (smile) So please know that the enemy will be out in full swing in a decided effort to infiltrate as many believer’s souls as possible, that’s why I’m making Granny’s Plea so early: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ The Lord’s also asking that of us my people!
Meanwhile the ordinary workingman is just bursting at the seams, dying to declare his plans for the weekend: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! And thank Queen Victoria, whoever she was, bless she long departed soul for this long weekend too! It ought to hail the start of summer frolics, if the weather would only behave!
Mama Yo! Food and drinks are at the ready! The barbecue is all cleaned up and primed with gas! I can just smell the meat cooking and the waters flowing as me and mih friends celebrate these few days off from the slave master job. And ah know that Monday he’ll be vexed like anything because he got to pay we for not working! Oh thank God and Queen Victoria for this long weekend yes!’
Yes friends, some of us do exhibit the same frame of mind, but we have to be a li’l less bacchanalian in our celebrations, (smile) for that’s when the enemy is liable to find a chink in our spiritual armour, and is thus able to establish a finger or toe hold there.
And we definitely don’t want that to happen, we want to do our best to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to Jesus, that’s why our Friday Chant is somewhat more discrete and less bacchanalian. (smile)
So let’s chant it now nuh, as if we really mean it. As one: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers, we can, and should enjoy the long weekend with our friends and families, but let’s not overdo it nuh, like Jeeves would say, a li’l more circumspection please! (smile) Unfortunately, not all of us will get a three-day weekend, because this holiday, in honour of Queen Victoria’s birthday, (May 24) seems to be an official holiday only in Canada.
In any case, it would only have been celebrated in the British Commonwealth of nations, over whom Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901, the second longest reigning monarch after the current Queen Elizabeth the second.
And today, in these extremely dangerous and ungodly times, it is necessary for us to know and hold on to words of excellent advice and wisdom like these from Bruh David, in his cry against deceitful friends. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’
Now if you call yourself a follower of Jesus and don’t believe that, don’t have it written indelibly in your heart, mind and soul, then you’re simply wasting your time! That’s because the Lord’s favour will only come upon us to the extent of our faith and trust in Him.
Hear Bruh David again, this time from Psalm 37. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. …The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever merciful (merciful all the day), and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Ps.37:5, 23-26)
And that’s gospel truth my people! In these evil times the only person and thing we can truthfully hold on to and be not afraid of disappointment is the Lord God Jehovah and His everlasting and truthful Word! Hear how Peter puts it nuh: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7)
And that friends, we can never doubt, else why would He have sent His only son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross at Calvary sacrificially for our sins, while we were yet sinners? Because HE CARED! And He still does, even though we’re still sinful and disobedient! That’s just His very nature!
So that means Bruh David is on the right track when he declares (yes!) in Psalm 56, his confident prayer for help: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God, I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps.56:3-5)
What words of immense faith, trust and assurance my believing brethren! Hope we can declare the same things and truly mean them, because that’s when we will truly prosper and succeed in this evil world.
And if by chance you don’t believe Bruh David and Peter, then listen to Jesus in Matthew 6:24-34, from His Sermon on the Mount, where He warns us that we cannot serve two masters at once – God and mammon.
And if God created all of nature so beautifully, and still keeps it looking beautiful after all this time, then why wouldn’t He look after His greatest creation, humankind, even better eh?
But we have to seek God and His kingdom above everything else, then, we’ll get what we need. That’s just the way it cracks up friends, so you either do as Jesus says, or you don’t. The choice is yours. But please remember there are repercussions for every decision we make, or do not make! Much LOVE!
…if God isn’t first in EVERYTHING we do…then we’re shortchanging ourselves…
16 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a call to faith, admonition, advice, alleviate our problems, anxiety, anxious, at peace, avenge, backbreaking labour, be careful, be made known unto God, be thankful, believers, boundaries, by prayer, Chirst-like, Christian, complaining, criminal slave master, different recourse, eases the pain, enthusiastic, eternity, exuberant, faith, faithfully promised, fear, for nothing, freedom, Friday, Friday chant, fun, further your glorious kingdom, generous help, graciousness, grateful sighs, Hades, harmony, imminent coming, in everything, in Jesus' name, injustice, invites Lucifer, Jesus Christ, Jesus in our corner, Jesus shines forth, judge all actions, keep your hearts and minds, Lent, let your requests, look after us, loving god, mature, meditating, mental lash, moderation, obedient, our Lord and Saviour, party, passes all understanding, Philippians, punctuate, reading, reasonable person, refreshed, rejoice, rejuvenated, relaxation, renewed, rest, sad truth, sense of purpose, sincerity, sorrow, spiritual salvation, stop worrying, supplication, sword of Damocles, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God, the universal skies, the weekend, the workingman's song, time to celebrate, week of work, whatever happens happens, with thanksgiving, wonders of heaven
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And then it was Friday…and a lot of grateful sighs punctuate the universal skies. None more enthusiastic and exuberant than that of the ordinary workingman: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui mih people! The end of backbreaking labour for a few days! Time to celebrate a li’l freedom from the cruel mental lash of the criminal slave master!
Our time now is ours to do what we want with it. And believe you me, we going to do just that; we going to party and celebrate and be thankful for this short freedom from unfair work for unfair pay. And whatever happens after that happens! Who cares eh? Just be thankful for Fridays and the weekend that eases we pain!’
A lot of sad truth in there mih friends, but as believers, we are encouraged to handle the situation differently. We have Jesus in our corner, so though many of us might suffer the same injustice, we have a different recourse, a different way, to alleviate our problems.
We turn to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has faithfully promised to look after us from the time we are saved until eternity. That’s why our Friday Chant differs so much from the workingman’s song. Let’s chant it now nuh, with heartfelt sincerity and a strong sense of purpose.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes faithful believers, our God wants us to abide within certain boundaries so that we can be rejuvenated and continue His awesome work without missing a beat. The workingman’s song invites Beelzebub and his carnal addictions, our Friday Chant invites Jesus and His eternal spiritual salvation.
Wow! What a good and mighty difference! It frees us from having the judgement of Hades constantly hanging over our heads, like the infamous sword of Damocles, suspended by a single hair. Instead, as true believers we can focus on the wonders of heaven and the amazing life to come that Jesus promises.
But that means sincerely following Him; consistently reading and meditating on His word, offering up prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, and generally being obedient to His law. And the good part is that He knows we’re not perfect, but He is ever so willing to work with us on becoming more mature and Christ-like.
And in this season of Lent, where we seem to be somewhat more prayerful than at other times, (smile) I guess this is as good a time as any to remind us of Bruh Paul’s admonition to the Philippians, as reflected in our Bit. But first, the two verses before it.
‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:4-6)
Ah mih breddren, what wonderful and wise advice! And the scholars have this to say about those verses. ‘4:4. The mention of believers’ names being recorded in heaven (v.3) causes the author to write rejoice in the Lord always. Harmony among church members, as Paul assumes will be the result of his plea in verses 2 and 3, is another reason to “rejoice.”
In adding and again I say, rejoice, it is as though the apostle looks into the future, considers all possibilities of sorrow, and in spite of them all repeats “the command.” This command to rejoice at all times and in all circumstances is nothing less than a call to faith. For if the Christian believes that his life and all its circumstances are in the hands of a sovereign, wise and LOVING God who is always working to accomplish good for him, then he can indeed “rejoice always.”
Oh friends, there is no disputing that logic! If we have the faith to believe it, then there’s all the more reason to rejoice!
As for 4:5. Moderation means “graciousness” or “sweet reasonableness.” The believer who is at peace with his fellow Christian (v.2) and who rejoices always (v.4) is indeed a gracious, reasonable person. The Lord is at hand means two things. First, His return to earth is near.
His imminent coming as a judge encourages the Christian to be “gracious” unto all men, for He will judge the believer for all his actions toward all people, and will avenge all wrongs committed by others against him. Second, the “Lord is at hand” spiritually. The Lord’s being presently near should free the Christian from fear and anxiety. Hence the command of verse 6.’
And that says: ‘4:6. Be careful for nothing means “don’t worry about anything.” The Lord’s nearness (v.5b) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern. The solution to undue anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied with thanksgiving.’
And if we do all that, then ‘the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:7)
Oh my people, what a glorious promise! So today, let’s try and stop worrying and complaining nuh, for if we believe in our faith, then there is no reason for them. Instead, let’s pray and give thanks nuh, because there’s a whole lot for us to be grateful about. Much LOVE!
…worrying and complaining invites Lucifer…prayer and thanksgiving… makes Jesus shine forth…
28 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advice, becoming more Christ-like, big fashion, courage, creativity, critical importance, curse, day to day things, deal bountifully, declare thy mighty acts, divine promotion, eagerly utter the memory of thy great goodness, falls into place, for our finite minds, get a stranglehold in our souls, glorious honour, go overboard, hide not thy commandments from me, I am a stranger in the earth, in the Good Book, knowing God's word, Lucifer, make me, meditate, meditate on, mercy, my thoughts, my ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative word, New Year's Eve, one generation, open mine eyes, ponder, praise thy works, prosper, resolutions, right reasons, seek God, self-confidence, self-control, self-discipline, sing of thy righteousness, so shall I talk of, spend more time with God, splendour, succeed, the birth of Jesus, the heavens are higher than the earth, the presence of Christ, the way of thy precepts, Thursday Blessings, thy wondrous works, to understand, too high, treasure trove, understanding, walk steadfastly with God, walking closer with Christ, walking with Jesus, well rounded, with thy servant, your thoughts, your ways
Psalm 119:27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.
Oh friends, don’t worry, this week is almost over; it’s already Thursday, and by tomorrow we’ll be getting ready to participate in another big celebration, New Year’s Eve.
What a way we celebrate in big fashion at this time of year eh! Let’s just hope that we understand and abide by all the right reasons for those celebrations, mainly the birth of Jesus, and don’t go overboard and allow Lucifer to get a strangle hold in our souls.
Now as the New Year looms large, I guess a lot of the talk turns to New Year resolutions. But as I’ve been saying for the last couple of years, there is ONLY ONE New Year resolution we need to make, and that is walking closer with Jesus, talking to Him more and becoming more Christ-like.
And why is that you ask? Because candidly walking with Jesus will allow you to do all the other day to day things you need to do, like loose weight, go to the gym, spend more time with God, volunteer your services more, be a better overall person. Christ will guide you into the things you need to change and do.
That’s why I say we only need ONE New Years resolution. The greater presence of Christ in our lives will keep us well rounded and on top of all that we need to be on top of. That’s the beauty of seriously walking with Christ; everything falls into place on it’s own.
And that’s why we chose today’s Bit from Psalm 119. ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’ Yes my fellow believers, it is ever necessary to ask God to give us understanding in matters that pertain to Him, for a lot of it will be too high for our finite minds.
How did Isaiah put it on the Lord’s behalf? ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9)
So it’s obvious then, if we want to learn some stuff about God, we will have to seek Him and ask for His mercy and understanding. Isaiah also said: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.’ (Is.55:6) And friends, there is no better advice in the Good Book than that. Just like we go to school to learn stuff, we have to go to God to learn about Him.
And earlier on in Psalm 119, the psalmist cries out to God: ‘Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live and keep thy word. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.’ (Ps.119:17-19)
That means we have to walk steadfastly with God and seek sincere understanding of His commandments, His statutes and His precepts. And not only that, but we have to meditate on them, ponder them in our hearts and souls, then tell them to all the world, so that they too can understand and come to LOVE God, the way we do.
As Bruh David boldly declares in Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).
One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.’ (Ps.145:1-7)
Oh my believing brethren, are we eagerly uttering the memory of God’s goodness and greatness? Are we singing of His righteousness so that the next generation will know how great a God He is? Not as much as we should. And if we don’t, the Word stands a great chance of being lost during these evil times.
How do you think we know about the Word? Other generations passed it down to us, and we need to do the same, but we can’t pass down what we don’t know and or understand. That’s why knowing and understanding God’s word is of such critical importance.
Friends, I implore us, let’s make 2018 a banner year for Christ nuh. Let’s raise up His LOVE Revolution like it’s never been raised up before, so that many others will come to know and LOVE Him, like we do. Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, the tidal wave of grace and mercy that the Lord has showered down on us.
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!’
Wow! What a treasure trove of blessings my people! They just boggle my imagination! Now let’s go out and share them with others as Jesus desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…whatever Jesus gives us…He expects us to share it…
10 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Advent, advice, ambassadors, begotten, behold him, Bethlehem, cast aspersions, cast off, chambering, choirs of angels, Christ the Lord, Christ's birth, Christians, Christmas, citizens of heaven, cloak of darkness, cradle, day is at hand, demean His reputation, disciples, drunkenness, envying, eternal life, faith, faithful, far spent, fellowship, flocks, future, glory to God, goodwill, hope, hypocrisy, improprieties, in flesh appearing, joy, joyful lips, king of angels, lewdness, licentiousness, light, light eternal, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, makes manifest, manifest works, mantle of light, O come all ye faithful, O come let us adore Him, peace, put on, raise the roof, reflected in us, revelry, sacrificial praise, salvation, sanctuary, secular society, shepherds, sin nature, sing in exultation, sinners awe, Son of the Father, strife, the armour of light, the new life in Christ, the night, the virgin's womb, the workers of iniquity, the works of darkness, triumphant, true God, unfruitful works of darkness, walk honestly, wantonness, word of the Father, worship, wrongdoings
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
And as the days of Advent, the preparatory period before Christ’s birth advances, and the Christmas season intensifies, LOVE and joy, peace and goodwill fill the air! Wow! And I naively wonder, why can’t it be like that all year round eh? But I guess that’s just asking too much of our sinful secular society. A few days, once a year is all they seem to be able to spare. But we’ll take it and just keep working to get more.
And as we gather in the sanctuary this Sunday, to worship and fellowship and give thanks, let’s burst out with a most worthy song, one of the all-time favourites of the Christmas season, ‘O come all ye faithful.’ In true Christmas spirit, let’s raise the roof of our sanctuary and that of heaven too with harmonious sacrificial praise from our joyful lips and hearts.
‘O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, Come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels; ( Chorus: O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.) True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal, Lo, he shuns not the Virgin’s womb; Son of the Father, begotten, not created; (Chorus) Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest; (Chorus)
See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle, Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze; We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps; (Chorus) Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger, We would embrace Thee, with love and awe; Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly? (Chorus) Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing. O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.’
Ah friends, what a beautiful and grateful way to praise our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for all that’s He’s done, is still doing and will do for us in the future. Praise His Holy Name. He is the reason why we have hope for the future, faith in salvation and joy in the promise of eternal life! All the more reason to LOVE and adore Him! Not to despise and cast aspersions and try to remove Him from our society.
But I guess there will always be doubters and evildoers, so it’s up to us believers to raise His profile and make His LOVE Revolution a success. For we are His ears, arms, mouths, legs, and hands in the world, His ambassadors, His disciples, and as we go, so will His movement, His church. Some parts of it are thriving, who knows why, but most are finding it difficult to survive, and many are even closing.
That’s not a very good vibe my people, and means that we’re not doing as good a job as we should. Christ is not being reflected in us as fully as He should be. That’s why we need to take the wise advice in our Bit, from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
Yeh friends, it’s almost dawn, Jesus will soon be coming back, and right now our efforts are sadly lacking, so we need to improve dramatically. As Bruh Paul continues to the Roman church: ‘Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying.’ (Rom.13:13)
And it’s no secret friends that too many of us so-called Christians are deeply involved in too much of those worldly improprieties. We need to stop the hypocrisy; narrow the gulf between the Christian stuff we mouth, and the worldly trail we walk. As Bruh Paul warns: ‘But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ (Rom.13:14)
And the scholars offer this explanation re that verse. ‘13:14. Make not provision for the flesh: One should not seek opportunities to satisfy deep-seated desires of the sin nature, but should seek occasion to manifest works that are consistent with the new life in Christ.’
And that’s all Christ is asking of us yes friends: if you claim to believe in Him, then please live the way He desires you to live. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because we don’t have the capacity for that, but He does expect us to be excellent and diligent in doing His work, like He was excellent and diligent in doing the Father’s work here on earth. When we don’t walk our talk, we just cause others to bad-mouth our Saviour and further demean His reputation, thus playing into the hands of the workers of iniquity.
Therefore my faithful brethren, let’s do like Bruh Paul suggests to the Ephesians nuh. ‘And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them). For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.’ (Eph.5:11-14)
Oh friends, if we sincerely want to help the cause of Jesus, then we have to stop indulging in those sins that we know are ‘unfruitful works of darkness,’ sins of the unsaved, and instead expose them, bring them into the light, show them for the wrongdoings that they are. It’s time friends, time for less talk and more action, time to throw off the cloak of darkness and put on the mantle of light that Jesus offers. That’s the ONLY way our world will ever improve. Much LOVE!
…Christians…oh Christians…where is your light that’s supposed to shine in the darkness…to light up the world…
30 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, abhor, acknowledge God, advice, Anselm, as bad as, buckle down, calm.feeling fine, Canadian weather, chasten, consistently, correction, cover all bases, depart from evil, diligently, earthly living, fail, failure is never final, fear the Lord, giving up, God's plan for you, gold, Good Book, grace, have a vision, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, heavenly Father, house work, in all thy ways, intimate fellowship, Jesus Christ, laze around, lean not, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, manual, marrow to thy bones, nothing of any consequence, one-liners, peaceful, possessions, precious jewels, profit, purpose for living, put God's plan into action, run errands, Saturday, scripture 101, silver, stop trying, strength, succeed, success, that's life, thine own understanding, trust in the Lord, truth, understanding, vagaries of our climate, vats, what is your why, windstorm, wine, wisdom, with all thine heart, woke up freezing, work on your gift, you want to breathe
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.
Welcome to a fairly bright Saturday friends! It’s a day some of us like because we can just laze around and do nothing of any consequence, while others abhor it, because they have to do house work and run errands outside.
And who knows what’s going to happen today eh? Just to give you an example of the vagaries of our current climate. Yesterday morning after the little rain fell, at least in my area, because others complained of a good downpour, it was bright and sunny, then by mid afternoon a wicked windstorm blew up and continued for most of the night.
Right now though, it’s so peaceful and calm, you’d never believe the crazy way the trees were dancing yesterday. And if that wasn’t enough, last night I went to bed at an early hour, around 11 – that’s real early by my standards – feeling fine, but a couple of hours later I woke up freezing.
I wasn’t sure whether I was just hungry, or the house was indeed cold, but to cover all bases, I came downstairs, had something to eat and turned on the heat. And now I’m thinking that it must have been both, because at minutes to eight in the morning the temperature is only 6 degrees Celsius in my area.
But that’s our Canadian weather! A few days ago I was blasting chilly wind through the house, today it’s the hot stuff! (smile) Anyway as the song says, ‘That’s life!’ And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at what words of wisdom our friend Anselm graced us with this past week, as he endeavoured to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And it was even a shorter set of one-liners than last week. So let’s see if I can arrange them in some sort of sequence that makes sense. First off is ‘What is your “Why?” I guess that means what is your purpose for living? What is the plan God has for your life? And He does have a plan for each and every life He creates. But do you know yours?
And then with that gift in mind, you should ‘Have a vision.’ Have a vision of how you are going to put God’s plan into action. And one of the most important aspects of it all is to ‘Work on your gift.’ Yeh friends, we can only get better at anything if we work consistently and diligently at it.
So whatever gift God has given us we have to just buckle down and work on it. With that comes the option to ‘Succeed as bad as you want to breathe.’ That means we must have this awesome desire to do God’s work. Consequently, we’ll ‘Fail our way to success.’
Just keep on doing and doing and doing…until we succeed. For failure is never final, until we stop trying. And we all know that the words ‘giving up’ don’t exist in the vocabulary of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
But the most important part of all that stuff above is to include our heavenly Father in EACH and EVERY aspect of our lives, for He IS interested in ALL THAT WE DO! And furthermore, we won’t be able to do all that we have or want to do without His help. So it only makes sense to involve Him in our everyday lives.
This brings us to our Bit, and some of the best advice in the Good Book, that invaluable manual for earthly living. Listen to Cousin Sol as he declares: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.’
Oh my brethren, truer words were never spoken! And Cousin Sol just goes on to lay it down with grace and truth. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.
Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary (detest) his correction: for whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise (gain) of it is better than the merchandise (profit) of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.’ (Prov.37:14)
Oh friends, that’s the condensed version of right living right there in those few verses! If we have to read anything at all in the Good Book, those verses should be a priority, because they teach us everything we need to know to live a godly life.
Trust in God and not in our finite, fallible and small minds. Have intimate fellowship with Him. Honour Him in all we do and share what He allows us to have with Him and with others. And don’t get upset when He corrects or punishes us, because He’s only doing so because of His great and awesome LOVE for us.
And therein lies wisdom and understanding, which are more precious and valuable than silver, gold and other precious jewels! And that my brethren, is the lesson for today.
Please, please, let’s learn it and write it deep in our hearts, minds and souls, so that we can observe it each and every day. Much LOVE!
…Scripture 101…look to the Lord for EVERYTHING…in EVERY circumstance…
26 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a day of rest, a loss of power, according to your faith, adversity, advice, Anselm, be it unto you, be of good comfort, be open to change, belief in one's heart, believe, cast into the sea, cease and desist, change for change sake, Christians, circumstances, clean the house, come to pass, complacent, couch potato husband, doubt in his heart, elementary requirement, excellence, face whatever comes against us, faith, fig tree, foundation, gives Jesus a bad name, go in peace, grab ours back, grocery shopping, grouchy remarks, have fath in God, hissing of teeth, in compasison, Jesus' organization, know the whole story, living truth, look after the children, made thee whole, move mountains, perspective, problems, retain your values, Saturday, simple, sloppy, small, solutions, stabilizing factor, stand strong, stop talking nonsense, talk a good talk, testimony, the forest for the trees, the help of Jesus, the issue of blood, touch his garment, tough people, tough times, trials, tribulations, wash the clothes, wishy-washy, work harder
Matthew 9:29b. According to your faith be it unto you.
Ah friends, it’s Saturday, it’s Saturday, a day of rest! But I hear some hissing of teeth and grouchy remarks coming back like: ‘What day of rest yuh talking about eh? Saturday is the day to clean the house and go grocery shopping and wash the big load of clothes in the clothes basket upstairs!
Chuh! I can’t even bring down the basket in one go, cause it so full! And in between I’ve got to look after the children because I can’t depend on my lazy, couch potato husband to do it. So stop talking nonsense about day of rest please. On Saturdays I work harder than during the week at massa work!’
Awright, awright, I get the picture! So I’ll cease and desist. (smile) Instead we’ll talk about the quotes I received from our friend Anselm this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Hear this first one. ‘If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.’
And that’s the living truth my people. We all figure that we have some of the biggest and worst problems in the world, but if we really saw what others have, we’d rush right back to claim ours because they’d look so small and simple in comparison.
And the second quote says: ‘Perspective–Choose to See the Whole Elephant.’ Yeh friends, it’s often better to see the big picture, so that we miss seeing the forest for the individual tress. We can usually come up with better solutions when we know the whole story.
And here is some world-class heavenly advice, especially for some of us wishy-washy Christians. ‘If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.’
Hear ye, hear ye my people, in Jesus’ organization He expects excellence from EVERYONE! But too many of us supposed believers are not providing that excellence in our faith walk. Instead we’re sloppy and complacent, which doesn’t reflect too well on Jesus and gives Him a bad name. So please, please, let’s get serious and start doing better nuh.
And this last quote is also good advice. ‘Be Open To Change, But Retain Your Values.’ Ah mih breddren, in this ever changing world we cannot resist change, but we also don’t have to change just for change sake.
And above all, when we do change, it is of the utmost importance for us to retain our values, especially our Christian values, for those are NEVER to change, no matter how much things around us change.
So with all this good Christian advice knocking at our hearts and minds, let’s channel it to our Bit, that all-important statement of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’
And that’s just how it is in Jesus’ world! The more you believe, the stronger your faith, then the more you’ll see Him working in your lives. But faith only grows by undergoing adversity; which means oftimes facing harrowing trials and tribulations.
And the truth is that so many of us try to stay clear of those negative things that our faith never grows. We talk a good talk, but we have no testimony to back it up. And you simply cannot be a person of strong faith if you don’t have some testimony of tough times.
What did Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) say? ‘Tough times never last, but tough people do.’ Gospel truth my believing brethren!
We all know that our circumstances change along a continuum; sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes in between, but we are supposed to be the stabilizing factor in it all. We are the ones expected to stand strong and face whatever comes against us, for with the help of Jesus we can do any and everything we need to.
Now let’s hear some of what the Good Book says about faith. And we’ll begin with the words of Jesus, after He cursed the barren fig tree and it withered and died. The disciples were simply amazed at the situation.
But Jesus said to them: ‘Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ (Mark 11:22-24)
Ah friends, that’s the elementary requirement, the foundation of our Christian organization; faith, belief in one’s heart, not doubting. That’s why we can’t come to God unless we believe that He exists.
And we’ll end today with the episode of faith concerning the woman who had the issue of blood for twelve years and couldn’t find healing, then when Jesus passed by she pushed her way through the crowd: ‘For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.’ (Matt.9:21)
And when she touched His garment, she was immediately healed, but Jesus also felt a loss of power and inquired who had touched Him. His disciples questioned how He could figure out who touched him in such a large, jostling crowd? But Jesus persisted, and eventually the lady confessed.
However, instead of being annoyed, Jesus said to her: ‘Daughter be of good comfort (cheer): thy faith hath made thee whole (well); go in peace.’ (Luke 8:48)
Ah friends, that just proves the truth and the efficacy of our Bit: ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’ Much LOVE!
…faith can move mountains…but only if we…sincerely believe…
24 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, according to your faith, advice, be it unto you, be of good cheer, be thankful, blessings, brain scan, calmed the sea, Christ's body, Christian walk, christianity, comfort zone, dem's the breaks, faith, faithful and true, forgiveness, Gentile, get out of the boat, God's hands in our lives, God's mysterious ways, halfway home, I have not found so great a faith, Jay Douglas, Jesus chastised the disciples, Jesus Christ, Jewish people, like sheep to the slaughter, looking straight ahead, make it a habit, Marcia Griffiths, not in Israel, not looking back, noticed the error, O ye of little faith, overcome the world, peace to our souls, Peter, power, rebuked the winds, rebuked the winds, Reggae music, Roman Centurion, speak the word, struck a chord, thank God, the breath of life, the easy way out, the sea of Galilee, tribulation, under authority, wisdom
Matthew 9:29b. According to your faith be it unto you.
Oh mih people, what’s going on with the ole fella’s brain eh? How come I had us declare Thursday’s Blessings on Wednesday eh? And there I was boldly declaring it along with you all. And it never even struck a chord…
Hn, hn! I guess that’s why I had to go into the city for a brain scan this morning. (smile) And by the way, that’s why the Bit is so late.
I went out partying yesterday evening down to the CNE to see local boy Jay Douglas and Jamaica’s first lady of song, Miss Marcia Griffiths, both of whom were excellent, unleashing sweet Reggae music on the Lakeshore.
With the confusion down there, soccer game over and the regular Exhibition crowd, I never got home till around midnight, then had to get up early to go and get my noggin checked out, so time and energy was at the very minimum.
And you know it wasn’t until around four in the afternoon yesterday that I realized my foopah (faux pas). But I have a great theory about it. The Lord in His usual mysterious and wondrous ways realized that some of us needed to declare our blessings, be thankful for them yesterday, rather than today, so that’s why He made me do it. Good try!
However, it would be very interesting to know how many of you realized that I had the wrong day? I’m sure many of us just went along with it like sheep to the slaughter and never even noticed the error. But all I can do is ask your forgiveness and say ‘dem’s the breaks.’ (smile)
And we’ll go now to our Bit, which we began using two days ago, but got sidetracked yesterday. They are the immortal words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to two blind men who wanted Him to restore their sight. ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’
And those words still stand today as a testimony of our Christian walk on this earth. The stronger our faith becomes, the more we will see the movement of God’s hands in our lives.
Now in our last message on this Bit, we focused on Jesus’ example of great faith, constantly turning to the Father for wisdom and advice in His earthly sojourn. Today, I want to look at some examples of great faith on the part of humans in the Bible.
We’ll begin with the story of the roman Centurion who came to ask Jesus for healing on behalf of his sick servant, but when Jesus agreed to go to his house, the Centurion replied; “Lord, I’m not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant should be healed.
For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great a faith, no, not in Israel.’ (Matt.8:8-10)
Yes friends, the Centurion was a Gentile, who at that time had no place in Christ’s body, yet he recognized the power and authority which resided in Jesus, unlike His Jewish people.
On the other hand, Jesus chastised His disciples when they were crossing the sea of Galilee and a storm arose, and they woke Him up afraid for their lives, ‘saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?
Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt.8:25-27)
Ah friends, although the disciples had seen Jesus do other miracles, their faith was still rather small. That’s why sometimes we can’t get too annoyed with those today who find it difficult to believe in Jesus.
But you’ll never believe, never earn faith until you stand up and get out of the boat like Peter did to walk on the water with Jesus. And even though Jesus rebuked him when his faith failed him and he began to sink: ‘O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt.14:31) It still showed that he at least had the initial faith to try.
So many of us today don’t even have the beginnings of such faith, we refuse to step out of our comfort zone and take a chance. But friends, Christianity is not a comfort zone organization. Our leader Jesus Christ never took the easy way out, and He doesn’t want His followers to make that a habit either.
As He said to the disciples: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Oh friends, if we are true believers in Christ and His work, then we ought to find assurance in those words and build our faith on them, and not be scared and anxious about what happens in the world.
Time and space have run out, so now I’ll confuffle the situation even further by having us declare our Wednesday Wail today. (smile) You know it doesn’t really matter on what day we declare what, as long as what we declare is faithful and true. So let’s blast off!
‘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!’
No friends, I’m not thoroughly crazy, just trying to be of good cheer. (smile) Much LOVE!
…in the most disastrous of times…faith can bring peace to our souls…
05 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive frame of mind, a tagline, action, advice, another new morning, Anselm, be glad, be ye strong, blasphemed, blessed are ye, Caribana, Christ's standards, Christ's sufferings, Colossians, do it heartily, ever-faithful God, evil spoken of, exceeding joy, family time, fiery trial, focus on, Friday evening traffic, glorified, God's grace, good stewards, insulted, it rubs off, Lamport Stadium, let not your hands be weak, made in God's image, mythical proportions, negative thinking, negativity, not unto men, Pan competition, partakers of, positive thinking, positivity, problems, rejoice, reproached, results, roti, salvation, Solo, solutions, the heavens opened, the name of Christ, the path of unrighteousness, the reward of inheritance, the spirit of glory, Toronto Caribbean Festival, unto the Lord, vision, whatsoever ye do, wisdom, ye serve the Lord Christ, your work shall be rewarded
2 Chronicles 15:7. Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
It’s another new morning…somewhat cloudy, chilly and windy though! (smile) But we’re alive, and God is working diligently within us to bring us up to Christ’s standards.
All glory and thanks be to our heavenly Father who takes such a wonderful interest in each and every one of His children, made so intimately in His very image!
Well today is the big day; the day of the Caribana, sorry, Toronto Caribbean Festival Parade. Hn! Let’s hope that they have better luck than we did yesterday with the Pan Competition.
Ah Lord eh! Would you believe that the day was going along quite well until around four p.m, when the skies suddenly darkened, then the heavens opened, and the rained poured down steadily for over an hour!
Chuh! I was just about to leave home to go and meet my panman friend down the street by Leila’s Roti Shop. The plan was to get a couple of Leila’s nice, big, shrimp rotis, with a couple of banana Solos (T&T pop – the best drink to wash down a roti) then head down to T.O for an evening of beautiful and intense pan.
I left home in the downpour because I knew my friend didn’t have a cell phone and he would be waiting there expectantly for me. But lo and behold, when I got to Leila’s the rain was still pouring down and the skies looked dark like night.
We hung around Leila’s for a while – I ate half my roti and drank half my Solo (smile) but the rain didn’t look like stopping, and I certainly didn’t feel like driving into T.O in that downpour, with all the Friday evening traffic, to go and sit on the hard concrete steps of an open-air Lamport Stadium.
So we decided to shelve the Pan Competition idea, and go home and spend some quality time with our families, because with that kind of weather it might have to be cancelled. And so in the still pouring rain, I dropped him home, then came home myself.
But would you believe, that when I was almost home the ‘so and so’ rain stopped falling! Steups! And after that the evening was clear and beautiful. But by then I definitely wasn’t going back out. In any case my family and I had a good evening together. So it wasn’t too bad after all.
Don’t even know if they still held the Pan Competition. And that was how my one evening of Caribana involvement passed. (smile) But it’s Saturday, so let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm shared this past week.
It seems like he was in a positive frame of mind, since all of them dealt with positivity. Here is the first one: ‘Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.’ And that’s a verified fact!
Now this next quote builds on the first: ‘Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.’ How could it not eh?
Then: ‘In order to carry out a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.’ That’s only logical, since you can’t have action of any kind without some kind of vision.
And this one is the biggie: ‘Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better.’
And is that ever so true my brethren! That’s why we’re constantly told to surround ourselves with positive people, because it rubs off, just like the negativity of negative people does.
And the final quote: ‘Focus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems.’ Now that’s advice of mythical proportions! (smile) Too many of us spend too much time belabouring and bewailing our problems, when we should be more focused on solving them.
And there’s no better way to do all of that than by holding on tightly and sincerely to the encouraging and assuring words of our Bit. ‘Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.’
Now true believers should never have cause to doubt that statement, for the promises of our ever-faithful God are infallible. And we’ll close this series of messages with a couple of interesting and important scriptures.
The first is from Peter, re being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet.4:12-14)
Finally, listen to these words of absolute wisdom from Bruh Paul to the Colossians. ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance (salvation): for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col.3:23-24)
Yeh friends, in ALL that we do, it is best to consider that we are serving Christ rather than men, since serving men can surely lead us down the path of unrighteousness. And who wants to tread that unwise path eh? Much LOVE!
…the very word Christian…implies being strong and positive…like Christ…
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