12 Nov 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affection, anarchy, be of good courage, benevolence, bless the name, blessed, chaos, compassion, dangerous, deceitful, decency, disquieted, do their own thing, empathy, endangered list, friend of Jesus, hope, hope springs eternal, hope thou in God, horse of a different colour, hurry, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, Lamentations, Lord and Saviour, mercy, Mutts, my salvation, not what I do, not what I have, our stronghold, prince of darkness, prisoners of hope, share His love, strengthen your heart, sympathy, that was slain for us, the health of my countenance, the Lamb, the Lord is my portion, the Lord's goodness, the man, trusts in the Lord, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly world, wait quiet;y for the Lord, whose hope the Lord is, why art thou cast down, worry
Jeremiah 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
Well the promised snow did not come during the early morning commute yesterday as promised, but by mid morning it was certainly flying, and continued to do so for most of the day. So yesterday afternoon’s commute was, and this morning’s will be indeed a horse of a different colour! (smile) But please be careful, the white stuff sure looks beautiful when lying quiet and undisturbed, but when tangled with, it’s just as dangerous and deceitful as the prince of darkness himself. Looks like we might even have had a record amount of snow for this time in November, and the month might even be colder and snowier than usual.
Ah, but not to worry, for we have Jesus, and when we walk closely with Him, He makes everything right! And all His followers gave a loud, proud and grateful shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! Bless the name of the Lamb that was slain for us! Bless his holy name indeed!’ Oh friends, there never was, and never will be anybody like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And are we ever blessed to have Him as our guide and leader, especially in the evil and ungodly world in which we now live, where everybody wants to do their own thing, and right and wrong are whatever you figure them to be.
That brings me to this sad, but ever so true commentary. It comes from a recent episode of the comic strip ‘Mutts,’ but is it ever so reminiscent of our current society. One of the characters, a cat, says to two dogs: “I’ve started and endangered list.” “What’s on it?” the dogs ask. The cat simply replies: “Empathy, compassion, kindness, sympathy, decency, sensitivity, integrity, altruism, affection, benevolence, heart, tenderness, LOVE, humanity, charity, grace, courtesy, tolerance, mercy, intelligence, leniency, understanding, common sense, goodwill, patience, wisdom…”
Yes friends, you don’t have to be a believer, only a half-decent observer, to notice that all those good qualities above are being practiced less and less in this …I don’t know what to call it society! It’s the essence of everything that’s wrong with our current lifestyle! When those things are absent in any group of people, that group is certainly on the downswing towards chaos and anarchy! Why is that you ask? The answer is real simple: It’s those things that create a strong, well-functioning organization, a real and true society.
The dictionary defines ‘society’ as ‘an organization of a civilized nation.’ And it’s impossible to be civilized without those positive and godly things playing a large part in any group that wants to succeed and grow. So what does that say about our society now eh, when all those things are fading away, and as the cat truthfully says, becoming endangered? Sadly, not a whole lot. But yuh know what? I just discovered that they’d left out one important factor from that endangered list…HOPE! ‘Glory be! And we all know friends that once there’s hope, there is indeed life! So if hope isn’t amongst the endangered habits, then there is still a chance for us to turn this thing around!
And where does that wonderful thing called HOPE come from? From the Lord our God! Hear Jeremiah declare it: ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.’ Wow! And in his Lamentations, he reiterates that sentiment, recalls the Lord’s goodness in his time of great sorrow and need: ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:21-26)
Please notice my people, that it’s because of two things on the endangered list why we’re still around; the Lord’s compassion and mercy! That means we ought to show the same sentiments to our fellow humans. Now let’s look at some scriptures that encourage and fill us with hope in the Lord. Hear Bruh David from Psalm 31: ‘Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.’ (Ps.31:24) And the sons of Korah declare: ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance (my salvation), and my God.’ (Ps.42:11)
And we all know these awesome words of Bruh Paul to the Roman church. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:24-25) Yes friends, hope is not what we see, for if we see it, why do we hope for it? Hope is the essence of our very being, our spiritual connection with Almighty God! That’s why this verse from Zechariah, when he’s talking about Zion’s future king, is one of my favourites on hope. ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’ (Zech. 9:12)
Oh my people, the Lord God Almighty is indeed our stronghold, our rock, our fortress, and I’m pleading with us to be ‘prisoners of hope, because that’s our only positive solution to turning around our embattled and embittered society! Now let’s go home showing that we’re true prisoners of hope, by declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ Now let’s action those words nuh! Much LOVE!
…when you’re a true believer…hope springs eternal…
30 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a breath of fresh air, a parent's instruction, a prospector, accepting that offer, all ye that labour, always-lurking enemy, anarchy, apply thine heart to, basic rules, be merry, boundaries, can learn from him, candour, catch me when I fall, come unto me, do it all over again, do noting, eat drin, elbow grease, fellowship, frankness, Friday chant, from torture, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, he is meek and gentle, heavy laden, hide my commandments, his burden is light, his yoke is easy, I will give you rest, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, knowledge, lowly in heart, mash up the place, optimism, out of his mouth comes, party hearty, persevering, prospect for wisdom, receive my words, relaxation, release from jail, rest, reverential awe, right conduct, righteousness, seek it, slave master work, summer ending, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the fear of the Lord, the great invitation, the greatest healer, the Lord giveth wisdom, the workingman's song, tomorrow you die, understanding, winter weather, wisdom, working on me
Proverbs 2:6. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Aye friends, the ole fella must really be getting old yes, because believe me, the aches and pains and them seem worse today than they did yesterday. And the hard part is all I did yesterday was rest! (smile) However, not to worry, because I have the greatest healer in the world working with and on me, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And He’s also offered the Greatest Invitation ever offered: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28)
And yuh better believe friends I’m accepting that invitation yes…in fact I’m running as fast as I can towards Him, not even thinking about falling down, because He’s also promised to catch me when I fall, to have angels guard me so that I don’t hurt myself! Wow! What a wonderful Saviour we serve and worship my people!
And hear this li’l note of advice nuh: I’d highly advise that you run to Him with all haste too, if you have any problems whatsoever burdening you down, because He specializes in that sort of thing: His yoke is easy and His burden light! And we can learn oodles from Him, cause He is meek and gentle and lowly in heart! Glory to our great God mih faithful breddren!
And even the ordinary workingman who isn’t as schooled in the ways of Almighty God knows that He is mighty and majestic, as he declares in his weekend song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The day He release we from jail, from slavery and torture in the slave master work! When He gives us a couple of days rest and relaxation, to do whatever we want; just relax and do nothing, or party as hearty as we want, to eat drink and be merry, just in case tomorrow we die!
And with August coming to an end, which means summer is also drawing to a close, I just think that this weekend we going to mash up the place, inviting everybody over, partying enough – can you ever party enough though (smile) – just in case we don’t get another chance to do so before the cruel and harsh winter weather sets in! Oh thank God for Fridays and weekend yes!’
And don’t you just LOVE the workingman’s optimism and candour? His frankness is like a breath of fresh air in this stale and evil world! Oh yes, he does go overboard somewhat, but he’s not restrained by righteousness as we are. But our Friday Chant is still best for us believers, as it sets some boundaries for us, to help keep the always-lurking enemy out of our souls.
Let’s chant it now nuh, with sincerity and pride: ‘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!’
Yuh see mih people, we too can have rest and relaxation, as well as fun and fellowship! We just have to be careful not to give the ole devil a chance to invade our righteous and godly souls. (smile) That’s called wisdom friends! And we get it by seeking it from Almighty God.
As Cousin Sol, in the role of a wise father, so wisely says in Proverbs: ‘My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide (treasure) my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding: Yea, if thou criest after knowledge (discernment), and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.’ (Prov.2:1-6)
Ah mih people, what words of wisdom! And how yuh think Cousin Sol acquired all that wisdom eh? Because he sought it and searched for it like treasure, and the Lord gave it to Him! He certainly didn’t come by it just so. But had to put some elbow grease in his efforts to acquire it.
And likewise, so do we have to seek and search for wisdom my brethren, cause it’s essential for living a righteous and godly life, but it’s just not handed out freely, some effort, along with some faith must be put into our search so that we can truly appreciate it. Yuh know how they say we never truly appreciate something unless we work for it. The same goes for wisdom friends! And the only place to get that most valuable commodity is from Almighty God.
As Cousin Sol says earlier on: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7) Yes friends, knowing and recognizing the ‘amazingness’ of God is the beginning of ALL wisdom!
However fools, and those who foolishly associate with Beelzebub, despise it, since they have to abide by certain rules and regulations. But no organization, society, or whatever have you, can last for any length of time without some basic rules and regulations, otherwise there’d be simply anarchy, with everybody doing as they please, especially in this greedy and selfish world.
So in closing, I’m asking us, pleading with us to be wise. Do like the scholars suggest: ‘2:1-22: The conditions for obtaining wisdom are given first: one must earnestly seek it, as a prospector would search for gold (vs. 1-4). It is not an undirected search, however, since the parent’s instruction is the basis. The consequences of obtaining wisdom are then listed (vs.5-22): knowledge of God (vs.5-8) and right conduct (vs.9-22).’
Yes friends, let’s go out today and prospect for wisdom nuh, armed with the fear and knowledge of God and right conduct. And we’ll surely find it if we’re sincere and persevering in our search! Much LOVE!
…one cannot be wise without knowing Jehovah God…for it’s from Him…that ALL true wisdom comes…
12 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a tree without roots, acceptable, ambassadors, anarchy, anger, Anselm, be not conformed to this world, be transformed, behaviour, bitter trials, blessings in disguise, change our thinking, charles stanley, choose hope, Christian experience, corners us, culture, deceiving your own selves, disaster, doers of the Word, elusive ideal, eternity, faith, freedom, God's will, God's Word, gospel truth, History, hooking our star, implanted word, in league with Jesus, knowledge of their past, leading the parade, leave all the consequences to Him, leaving your soul in limbo, live happily ever after, looking on the dark side, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Marcus Garvey, never easily gained, obedience, obey God, on any street corner, optimism, origin, our desires, perfect, personal expereince, pessimism, pilgrims, power, prove what is good, responsibility, saints, salvation, save your souls, separation from God, sin, slow to speak, slow to wrath, soldiers, source of true hope, swift to hear, tested, the chain of life, the end of time, the fire, the flood, the mountain top, the new man, the old man, the renewing of your mind, the valley of the shadow of death, the worst possible scenario, to Jesus' bandwagon, transformation, utopia, walk to freedom, weakness, while there is life there is hope, wickedness, will of God, work hard at
Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Wonderful days are here again! O Glory be my people! And our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is leading the big parade down Main Street decked out in all His splendour and glory!
Let’s hope that you are a member of that glorious band of soldiers and saints, pilgrims and ambassadors for Jesus, else you’ll be missing out on the most important aspect of your life; your salvation and what will happen to your spirit in eternity!
Yeh friends, only when you are in league with Jesus, do you know that you will live happily ever after with Him till the end of time!
So why don’t you make that decision today eh, and stop leaving your soul in limbo? For there are only two places it can go after death; heaven or hell. And believe you me, separation from Almighty God is the last thing you want to happen to you; it’s the worst possible scenario in the chain of life.
Anyway, today is Saturday, so let’s consider some quotes from our friend Anselm, as we do every Saturday, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Here is the first one: ‘Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.’
And that’s gospel truth my fellow believers, for we know that whilst there is life, there is always hope. And the greatest source of true hope is found in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! That gives us even further confirmation of the wisdom of hooking our star to His bandwagon.
Now the second quote says: ‘Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power.’ More obvious gospel truth friends! You can’t be pessimistic, looking on the dark side all the time and expect to be powerful!
And this next quote is very interesting especially for us Christians. ‘What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.’ And why is that you ask? Simply because it’s especially true in our Christian experience.
We can’t grow in our Christian faith unless we are tested; pass through the fire and the flood to see how strong we truly are. And oftimes what looks like a total disaster is only a trial that has a blessing waiting on the other side if you pass the test.
And that quote segues very nicely into this one: ‘There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.’
Yes my brethren, we all talk about freedom, and we all want freedom, but freedom is NEVER easily gained. That’s something a lot of us nowadays still need to learn, and stop talking about it as though you can just go out and buy it cheaply or pick it up on any street corner.
It’s something you have to work hard and constantly at, while passing through the dark, shadowy valleys many times. More lives have been lost through history in the name of freedom than any other ideal. And even when you seem to have attained the mountaintop, you still won’t have freedom, because it’s an elusive ideal, linked to utopia.
Oh friends, we are NEVER really free, since, if we want to do it right, that thing called responsibility ALWAYS corners us. In any society, true freedom leads to anarchy, if we all want to do what we want, when and how we want to do it. Hn! Hn! But how did we get on that discourse eh? (smile)
And the last quote is one ascribed to Marcus Garvey. It says: ‘A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.’ No doubt about that people!
As the saying goes; if you don’t know where you’re coming from, you won’t know where you’re going to! You must know something about your background to successfully plan your future. That’s why History is so important in our lives.
And that plays right into our Bit. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
Yes, my fellow believers, we know exactly where we’re coming from – a state of total sin – but we also know where we’re going to – a state of total transformation in Jesus Christ. We’re taking off the old, sinful man and putting on the new regenerated, transformed, cleansed and saved one. Glory Hallelujah!
And to do that successfully it has to all begin in our minds. Thus James says: ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (to get angry). For the wrath (anger) of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity (abundance) of naughtiness (wickedness), and receive with meekness the engrafted (implanted) word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.’ (James 1:19-22)
There we have it friends! if we want to put on the new man, then we have to drastically change first our thinking, then our behaviour. We can’t behave and think the same we were before finding Christ. And it’s not always easy to do. But as I keep saying, if we go to God sincerely seeking help, He will ALWAYS help us.
I speak there from personal experience. But you have to listen to Him, and do what He says, when He says to do it. That’s called obedience to His will and word. (smile) So today, let’s go out and obey nuh, for that’s wisdom in spades! Much LOVE!
…the best way to live…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…(Charles Stanley)
20 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, a LOVING Father, alive, almighty god, Amen, anarchy, breath of God, brethren, Carrying a grudge, chastening, complaining, discipline, do our best, errors, exercised, expectant faith, faith, forgiveness, friends, fruit, geeks, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God loves us, God's children, gospel truth, grace, grateful, grievous, grudge, halfway home, hates his son, hope, horrors, human, hungry hope, I'm not loking back, Jesus, joy, joyous, Laodicea, looking ahead, LOVE, mercies, Microsoft, mistakes, my hands are on the plough, obedience, obedience to god, P.S. I Love You, peaceable fruit, plough, promises, rebuke, repent, righteousness., selfishness, sense of purpose, simpleminded, spare the rod, steal my joy, summer's day, take it to heart, the answer, the breath of life, the present, trained, trials, tribulations, troubles, truth, undisciplined, walk the straight and narrow path, Wednesday Wail, whining, wisdom, zealous
Hebrews 12:11. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.
Oh friends, another glorious summer’s day seems to be in the offing! Let’s give thanks and praise for it and ask for guidance to do our best, as we walk the straight and narrow path that leads to Jesus!
Sometimes though, the road just gets frustrating and annoying, especially when you are just an innocent victim, as I was yesterday with all the new changes in Outlook.
Yuh know, as I told some of you last night, after finally figuring out how to do my thing, I then went to send out the Bit, but I got all sorts of horrors in trying to do that. They kept telling me that there was an error message and the Bit couldn’t be sent, to try later.
Well the later trying didn’t do anything and I eventually had to send them out in smaller groups. Now all they had to tell me was the groups were two large. Steups! But that was too simple for the simple-minded geeks who run the show.
Chuh! So last night I spent a whole lot of time making my groups small enough to fit their new scheme. And they didn’t even make that easy to do.
However, it’s a new day, with new mercies and promises and grace and forgiveness, and all the other good things our wonderful God has planned for us, so I won’t let Microsoft Outlook steal my joy, as I allowed them to do yesterday! (smile)
And I have the perfect antidote for that in a quote from my ‘I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which says: ‘Carrying a grudge is like a run in a stocking – it can only get worse. Forgiveness is the answer.’ Gospel truth friends, gospel truth!
So, regardless of the troubles they cause me, I’ll just forgive Microsoft Outlook (smile) and continue to enjoy this glorious day the Lord has blessed me to see. And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
And since today is Wednesday, it’s only appropriate that we declare our Wednesday Wail. So with expectant faith, hungry hope and a strong sense of purpose, let’s wail. ‘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!’
Ah mih people, there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for that beautiful breath of God that courses through my ole bod! I surely hope that you feel the same way, because in truth, that’s the ONLY way for God’s redeemed and sanctified children to feel! Glory to God!
It’s so great to be alive, despite the numerous trials and tribulations that come against us! And we can say that with the utmost confidence and truth because our hands are securely on the plough and we’re looking forward to the glorious future that Jesus has planned for us! Oh what a future that will be my believing brethren!
But at the same time, since we’re only human and thus liable to make serious errors and mistakes, we also need to be able to accept God’s discipline without too much whining and complaining. Our God LOVES us, there’s no doubt about that, but like a LOVING Father, He also disciplines us when we go astray.
Unfortunately though, as our Bit so rightly points out, discipline makes us unhappy in the short term, but in the long run, it works significantly on our behalf. ‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ Yeh friends, chastening has never been a well-liked human characteristic.
And most of us old fogies can remember those days of some serious chastening when we re growing up. Plenty of us ran and hid when we knew that it was in the offing, but oftimes that made no difference. We still got it whenever we showed up.
But you know what friends, that chastening, that sense of discipline, usually benefited us in the long run. It made us the fine, godly people we are today. Sadly though, too many of us, as parents refused to administer any chastening and discipline to our children, that’s why they are the undisciplined way they are today.
Now we didn’t need to go to some of the lengths that our parents did, but by going to the other extreme, we did them a great disservice. Because, if there’s one thing a society needs to grow peacefully it’s discipline, otherwise anarchy, a free for all and total selfishness is what we get, something like what we have today.
Enough preaching though, let’s look at some scriptures that corroborate our sentiments. First up are these words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov.3:12)
More Cousin Sol: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly).’ (Prov.13:24)
And we’ll end with this one from Jesus in the Revelation of John. It’s contained in the message to the church at Laodicea. ‘As many as I LOVE, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’ (Rev.3:19)
Yes friends, it’s all there in black and white in the Good Book! Please let’s take it to heart and do our best not to complain too much when we are rightfully chastened of anybody, especially Almighty God. That’s wisdom of the highest heights! Much LOVE!
…obedience to God…is the highest form of discipline…
19 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joy forever, a thing of beauty, advertisers, afraid, all hot and bothered, almighty god, anarchy, batting an eyelash, be not afraid, belief, believing in jesus, bequeath, Bethany, borders, boundaries, breakneck speed, care, comforted, death's door, destruction, down through the ages, Endymion, experience, faith, familiy, forked tongues, giver of eternal life, God will give you, God will read the truth in our hearts, grace-filled, guided by our beliefs, guidelines, have life more abundantly, heirlooms, I believe, Jairus, Jesus Christ, John Keats, knowledge, Lazarus, lies, life, LOVE, loveliness, Martha, Mary, mature, meaningfulness, missing a beat, never pass to nothingness, New Year's resolution, on the inside looking out, one day morphs into the other, only believe, prosperity, questions, respect, roadblocks, safety, Saturday, separate us from God, simple, spiritual beings, straightforward, strife, Thank you Father, the heareafter, the Life, the resurrection, the Son of God, tho art the Christ, thy brother shall rise again, traditions, value of art increases with age, whatever you ask god, wisdom, worldly artifacts
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
And then it was Saturday; a bright, vibrant, radiant day, made by Almighty God so that His people could rejoice and be glad in it! And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful, ‘Thank you Father!’
Oh my people, can you believe that we’re more than halfway through July already, and also this year of 2014? I swear that the days are running faster than they usually do. And most of you will no doubt agree, because your lives also seem to be moving at breakneck speed, where one day just morphs into the other, without any apparent break.
And though I don’t remind us as often as I should about our New Year’s resolution of following Jesus more closely, I do hope that you are faithfully adhering to it. And you can tell me what you will, but the Father will read the truth in your hearts.
Anyway mih lovelies, this morning I want to share with you the opening couple of lines of the poem Endymion by the English Romantic Poet, John Keats (1795-1821) It reads: ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass to nothingness.’
Now we all know that the value of art usually increases with age, but so too do people. As the days go by on our earthly journey, we get more mature and grace-filled, so that increased knowledge, experience and wisdom make us more valuable. The only problem is that unlike the physical works of art, we pass away to nothingness.
But that’s just our physical bodies. Our spiritual beings are still alive and kicking, especially in the LOVED ones that we have left behind. They continue to hold dear the traditions, the respect, the care and the LOVE that we lavished on them when we were alive. So all that and any other physical heirlooms we might have bequeathed to those around us will continue to live on, to survive, as they pass those things to others down through the ages.
So in essence, like the physical art, we too never pass into nothingness either. And here’s the end quote on the subject from the One More Day Devotional, Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness. It bravely declares: ‘I am comforted by the traditions of family and faith and by the meaningfulness they add to my life.’
And that’s how it ought to be my brethren, for when we approach death’s door, it’s usually family we want to see, and faith we hold on to, so we can easily transition from this life to the next.
And it all boils down to one word: ‘BELIEF!’ We live a life guided by our beliefs. Hopefully the major belief is that in Jesus Christ, for it is the best belief to build your life around.
And I just LOVE how Jesus puts things so simple and straightforward, as He says to Jairus in our Bit: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
Nothing to it Friends, just believe. And it is truly that simple, we just like to make a fuss over it. We believe the nonsense, the lies that the advertisers tell us in their forked tongued messages without batting an eyelash. Hn! But when it comes to believing in Jesus, the most important belief in our lives, the one that will either separate us from God forever, or keep us on the inside looking out, we get all hot and bothered, ask a whole lot of questions and put up a whole lot of roadblocks. Why eh, my people?
I think that it’s generally because we’re afraid. It seems to be such a big decision to make, for it deals with our lives in the hereafter, something we don’t want to think about just yet, plus the worldly artifacts are so beautiful to look at and possess, and we erroneously believe that believing in Jesus means we can’t enjoy the good things of earthly life. But that’s a fool’s wisdom Friends, for Jesus said He came so that we could have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
The problem is that we don’t want any borders, any boundaries placed on our activities and behaviour, but yuh see what that desire is causing all over our world; strife and destruction. But my people, this life can only be lived in prosperity and safety if we adhere to certain strict guidelines. Anything else will only bring anarchy, as we’re seeing in so many places nowadays.
However Friends, I’m running out of space and time, so let’s get to some scriptures where Jesus highlighted belief in God. And there’s none better than the story of Him raising His friend Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus was out of town when he got the message from the sisters, Martha and Mary, saying ‘Lord behold he whom thou LOVEST is sick.’ (John 11:3) But despite His great LOVE for Lazarus and his sisters Jesus remained a further two days before He went to Bethany where they lived. By the time He got there Lazarus was already dead for four days.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she ran to meet Him and rebuked Him, saying, ‘Lord if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.’ (John 11:21-22)
Now is that strong belief, great faith or what my people! She just knows that whatever Jesus asks of God, God will grant. How many of us are even willing to say that today, much less believe it eh, even though we have much more info and insight than Martha did?
The Good Book continues: the conversation: ‘Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?
She saith unto him, Yea Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 11:23-27)
What a powerful passage of scripture my brethren! Note the interplay between Jesus and Martha: He claiming to be the giver of eternal life, and she believing without missing a beat! That’s how it ought to be in all believers’ lives my Friends!
So today, please let’s sit and consider our personal response to Jesus’ question; ‘Believest thou this?’ And hopefully, we shall all blurt out without hesitation: ‘Yes Lord: I BELIEVE!’ Much LOVE!
…it all begins with…believing…and it all ends with…believing…only believe…
07 Apr 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: actively speaking out for God, anarchy, attention span, balancing acts, busy lives, christian music radio, Christians, church, divinely ordained institutions, drinking milk, eating solid foods, evil, foolish men, gems of wisdom, God is good, Good Book, gospel truth, government, grin and bear it, infinite wisdom, Jesus is enough, let go, let God, LOVE 101 F.M., obeying lays, paying taxes, pray for those in authority, punishment of evildoers, scripture, self-evident principles, social responsibility, standing up for God, state, tests, the things of Caesar, the things of God, wasting time, will of God
Matthew 22:21. They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
Oh Friends, sometimes the Lord really tests our spirits yes! I was going along quite well about ten minutes ago, almost finished the Bit, but at one point, when I looked up at the screen, I only saw half a line there. And when I went to the supposedly saved draft, only that half line was saved. Ah Lord eh! So now I have to rewrite everything. And as luck would have it, today I didn’t do much of it as a rough draft first. Anyway, as I keep saying, them’s the breaks. I just have to grin and bear it. I had originally opened with some words I heard from three songs while listening earlier on to the Christian music radio station, LOVE 101, F.M. broadcasting out of Kingston, Jamaica. The words just resonated with my spirit and I felt compelled to share them. The first set was: ‘God is good. How can I let Him down when He’s so good to me?’ That’s an excellent question Friends! The answer to which is, we should try very hard not to, since He’s indeed been so good to us, what with giving us Jesus and all the other benefits we derive as believers. The next set was: ‘I have Jesus, and that’s enough.’ Oh my brethren, that’s certainly the gospel truth! Once we have Jesus living within us, then we need nothing else, for He is our EVERYTHING! And the last set is: ‘Let go, and let God control your mind, cause if you try to make it on your own, you’ll be wasting your time.’ Words of infinite wisdom and truth my Friends! Now let’s ponder those truths for a moment and see how our lives match up with them nuh. Selah. (smile) And having done that, it’s time for our Bit. ‘They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.’ Certainly more important words to live by! And here are some explanations from the scholars on them. ‘In distinguishing obedience to God from obedience to Caesar, Jesus identified the underlying principle of two different kingdoms: church and state. Both are divinely ordained institutions, but ought to remain separate, since they have two distinct purposes. When church and state are united, the integrity of each institution is often called into question. This separation does not prohibit the involvement of Christians in areas of social responsibility. A government of the people, by the people, and for the people is an anarchy unless governed by eternal, self-evident principles, which are reflected in Scripture. Illustration: Jesus taught us not only to “render unto God” but also to “render unto Caesar.” Christians are therefore responsible for obeying laws, paying taxes, praying for those in authority, and actively speaking out and standing for God and His laws in government. Application: The example of Christians involved in the political system demonstrates how God uses them to be both salt and light to the world. (Matt.5:13-14). (First Ref, Dan.6:2; Primary Ref. Matt.22:21; cf. Eph.5:32).’ And you all think this Christian life easy eh. Not one bit! As followers of Jesus, we’re oftimes called to do some delicate balancing acts, some stuff that goes against man’s nature, against his natural grain. But remember my people, the Word of the Lord MUST ALWAYS PREVAIL. (Acts 5:29) And today we’ll continue looking at scriptures that support our Bit. Listen to Peter’s take on it: ‘Submit yourselves to every ordinance (institution) of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness (evil), but as the servants of God. Honour all men. LOVE the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.’ (1 Pet.2:13-17) Oh my people, we certainly can’t go wrong if we heed that wise advice! But since we have so much to contemplate today, we’ll end here. Tomorrow though, God in favour, we’ll finish up with this Bit. And I hear a loud sigh of relief emanating from those of you who like a new Bit everyday. But please remember Friends, that this is not a fly by night project, offering quick fixes and feel good answers to life’s many problems. It’s a serious study of the Word of our God, how it ought to affect our lives, and thus, not every topic can be dealt with in one sitting, especially with the low standard of our attention span and busy lives. We’re maturing now, time for us to stop drinking milk and start eating solid foods. (smile) But sadly, our current culture is built on the quick fix, which unfortunately never lasts, and that’s why so many of us are running around lost, desperately looking for answers. Oh my brethren, please realize, and/or remember, that the answer or answers to ALL our problems can be found in ONE place, the Good Book, the Word of God, which has been especially written as the guidebook for our earthly pilgrimage. However, it must be constantly studied in a serious manner to ensure we glean all the gems of wisdom it contains. So stand strong and put on a big smile. Jesus is in your heart. That means you don’t need anything else. Much LOVE!…believers must give to everyone…their rightful due…
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