13 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a frightful state, a future and a hope, a new day, angry, better late than never, bounden duty, Christ's redeeming presence, compassion, confused, deprave, divine purpose, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, God is always good, halfway home, hands on the plough, hateful, hatred stirreth up strifes, have not Love, lost, LOVE is of God, Love never fails, Love thy neighbour as thyself, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, names not in the obits, not turning back, sounding brass, the first great commandment, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, though I speak with the tongues of men, thoughts of peace and not of evil, tinkling cymbals, to a glorious future with Jesus, to give you an expected end, turbulent times, Wednesday Wail, when ye shall search for me, with all of your heart, with all thy heart soul and mind, without me ye can do nothing, ye shall seek me and find me
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
So a new day has dawned, and we’re still alive to tell about it! That means there’s a reason why; a purpose for our names not being in the obits. Glory to God! Let’ seek that reason, that purpose nuh my people, why the Lord has us on the planet in these turbulent times. Yes, my fellow saints in Christ, we were made and placed here especially for this moment, this opportunity and occasion to fulfil His divine purpose and plan concerning our lives. And it is our bounden duty to enquire of Almighty God, our Creator, what that purpose and plan entails so we can diligently pursue it.
And we know it will never be a bad plan, because our God is always good, but since sin abounds in our world, there will be troubles and adversity involved in some form and some area of our lives. Hear how the prophet Jeremiah characterizes God’s plan for us. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) But His plans don’t just unfurl before us with no sense of interest and/or activity on our part. No sir! Here’s what He further says: ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:13)
Now Jesus reiterated that when asked what was the great commandment in the law. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt. 23:37-38) And that’s the cut-tail part of this whole life my brethren! Too many of us are either not seeking the Lord at all, or we’re not doing so with all of our heart, mind, body and soul. No wonder we’re so confused, so lost, depraved, angry and hateful and our world is in such a frightful state.
Oh friends, when are we going to wake up and truly learn that without God in our lives, our lives are not worth a whole lot eh? It’s only with Him in the lead are we ever, and can we ever be truly fulfilled. Jesus said it quite plainly: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) I don’t know how else He could have said it for us to understand nuh people. It as clear as day: if you don’t have Jesus and He doesn’t have you, then your life’s worthless!
Please note how many rich and powerful people, who supposedly have it all are still basically miserable and unhappy. All their earthly possessions don’t satisfy a certain hunger that we all possess in our souls; that hunger which is for God, and until He comes and fills that void in our lives we’ll never be completely satisfied. Yeh friends, our God’s not stupid yuh know. Oh, He gave us free will and all that, but He also made a li’l empty space in our hearts and souls that will always yearn for Him, and can only be filled with His divine presence.
That’s why, try as hard as we can, we can never run away from Almighty God! He’s continually monitoring us, has us on His radar 24/7. So please, let’s stop running from Him and instead run to Him through His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ nuh. It’s the only thing that makes sense in this turbulent and unstable world. Yuh think if we were keeping the first two commandments…oh, Jesus threw in this one for a lagniappe: ‘And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 23:30-40)
Yes, friends, if we were sincerely seeking God and LOVING our neighbours as ourselves, do you think our world and consequently our lives, would be in such an awful mess? No Way Jose! Another major problem we have besides not seeking and LOVING God, is that so many of us don’t LOVE ourselves either. So how can we LOVE others if we don’t LOVE ourselves eh? And that doesn’t mean in a narcissistic manner. Oh my people, it’s all about LOVE! As Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 10:12)
And as Bruh Paul informed the church at Corinth on the way of LOVE: ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (LOVE), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling (clanging) cymbal…Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up…Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things. Charity never faileth…’ (1 Cor. 13:1,4,6-8)
Oh mih people, mih people, that wonderful thing we call LOVE, NEVER FAILS! No, it doesn’t! Why is that you ask? I believe John gives us the basic answer in his first epistle. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:7-8) Yes friends, to know true LOVE, one must know God; and to truly know God, one must know LOVE! For that’s whom God is; that His most outstanding trait.
No wonder Bruh Paul put it so nicely and so succinctly: ‘And now abideth faith, hope, charity (LOVE), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 13:13) No getting away from that friends; LOVE is indeed the GREATEST! And when we talk about LOVE here, we’re not talking about mere human LOVE, but that which comes from having Christ’s redeeming presence in our lives, cause basic human LOVE falls far short of God’s perfect and infinite compassion.
Well I’ve done my best to convince you, hope I got through. (smile) So let’s go home now declaring (yippee!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most wonderful position in Christ. As one strong, sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we don’t need to be reminded that if we endure to the end, that that future will be even brighter than we can ask or imagine. (smile) Much LOVE!
…God made the world with LOVE…so that we all could enjoy LOVE…with Him…and with each other…
P.S. We’re a tad late because I had to go out and do some blood work this morning. But better late than never. And it’s oh so goodddd! (smile) Much LOVE!
02 May 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a place of eternal hope, angry, annoying sounds, Apollos, believe also in me, believe in God, blood sweat and tears, Christ's church is one body, compete with others, compete with yourself, Covid-19, electric drills and saws, encouraging words of Christ, faithful promise of heaven, God gave the increase, healthy competition, heaven, heaven offers, I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, I would have told you, if it were not so, improvement begins with I, In my Father's house, irrational, lawnmowers, let not your heart be troubled, life is a bully -boy, look up, many mansions, never stop learning, one planted, one watered, outside our comfort zone, Paul, personally trust Christ, progress takes place, recieve you unto myself, revving engines, salvation, shorts and a T-shirt, sit on my front porch, stable foundation that's Christ, the anticipation, the heat of the noonday sun, the joy, the sun's rays, there may ye be also, tropical climes, true improvement, uphill struggle, view from the top, where I am, you can't get the good without the bad
John 14:2. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so; I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
At last friends, at long last, yesterday I was able to sit on my front porch and enjoy the welcome the heat of the noonday sun in just an ordinary spring jacket, no big, bulky coat! Glory be! And I mean actually feel the heat gloriously exuding from the sun’s rays, as I turned my bare face up to it and said a most grateful ‘Thank You Lord!’ Yes mih people, those of you living in the tropical climes can laugh as much you want, but I know a good thing when I experience it, and am extremely grateful for whatever it is. Is how many months now we haven’t really felt the sun’s heat up here eh? Too many! So let’s be grateful for whatever little we might receive.
But sadly, as Job so wisely said, you can’t expect to get the good without the bad, and thus there was also the bad with the good yesterday; the annoying sounds of lawnmowers, and the grass isn’t even green and growing properly yet, plus the whining sounds of electric drills and saws, with motorcycles and cars loudly revving their engines in anticipation of summer, although this one might not have the ‘ownwayness’ usually associated with the season because of Covid-19 restrictions. So let’s hope that yesterday was the first of many such days, and that I will soon be able to go out on my porch at two in the morning in just shorts and a T-shirt! A body can certainly dream eh! (smile)
But since it’s Saturday, let’s come back down to earth and check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week nuh, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one is not only interesting but totally true: ‘Improvement begins with I.’ Oh friends, if only more of us would recognize that truth! Improvement does begin with the letter ‘I’ as well as at the person, ‘I, me, myself!’ Any improvement in our lives must begin and end with us personally. Nobody else can really do it for us. Yes, they can encourage or even help us, but the basic desire and overall effort must come from us.
We will never improve unless we want to do so, and then put that desire into blood, sweat and tears action, for it’s only those characteristics that bring about any real and true improvement in our lives. That takes us to this next quote: ‘My life is constantly under construction. There’s always something to improve.’ And isn’t that the indisputable truth? It surely is, since once we’re still alive, even in our old age, there are always areas in which we both need improvement and can also carry out the improvement. Now they might just be small things, but you’ll be surprised at the huge differences small changes or improvements in our lives can bring.
That’s why we’re told to never stop learning, it not only makes us wiser, but also keeps us alive longer. (smile) And then there’s this: ‘All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.’ That’s another indisputable truth! You cannot improve or make any real progress when you’re comfortable. It’s just a fact of life. As we said above, it’s only in actions that bring out blood, sweat and tears can true improvement or progress be made. And if you don’t believe me, just try it and see nuh. Try to improve without any real effort, and see how far you get.
Now this next quote is also the gospel truth, as no doubt many of us have eventually found out. ‘If you continuously compete with others, you become bitter, but if you continuously compete with yourself you become better.’ Ah friends, some competition is healthy and useful to drive us along, but when that competition becomes all there is, all that you’re living for, then you lose the whole beauty and essence of whatever you’re doing, and eventually your soul just becomes more negative, especially if you’re not winning those things for which you compete. You begin to resent and even hate those against whom you’re competing, get irrational and angry and begin doing illegal or unlawful things just to win.
And this doesn’t hold true only in the outside world, but also in the church, where there is a lot of unnecessary competition for whatever reason, which leads to many cliques and much jealousy amongst the saints of Christ. Please remember Bruh Paul’s warning to the church at Corinth when those believers were arguing about whom they belonged to, Paul or Apollos. Christ’s church is one body, and like the human body it has many different parts with each part playing a different role, performing a different function, just like our hands, feet and eyes perform different functions, but are all important to the proper functioning of our bodies.
Likewise, Christians are co-labourers, and it doesn’t matter who’s planted and whose watered, Paul or Apollos, because in the long run it is God that gives the increase. The most important thing is for us to do what we’ve each been called to do, but to all build our work on the strong and stable foundation that’s Christ our Lord and Saviour! (1 Cor. 3:1-15) And this last quote exemplifies all that we’ve said, but it also helps and encourages us to improve and accomplish. ‘When everything seems like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.’
Oh my my my! That view from heaven is certainly breathtaking! Yes friends, when life seems to be giving us a rough time, we need to stop for a moment and think on, truly consider the goal we’re working towards, how we will feel when we’ve accomplished it, and let that view from the top energize, encourage and reassure us. For remember life is nothing but a bully-boy, and if it discovers it can beat you down continually, it will do so. But please remember these awesome and encouraging words of Christ:
‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so; I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3) And if you believe in Jesus, then you know that He is faithful to keep His promises. And the scholars offer us this marvellous explanation of what we have to look forward to.
’14:2. Heaven is a place and the eternal hope of the saved. Scripture describes it as a beautiful city where the redeemed will live for eternity. The activities include singing (Rev. 15:3), worship (Rev. 5:9), serving Rev. 22:3), ruling (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 22:5), fellowship with others (Matt. 17:3), and eating (Rev. 2:17).
Illustration: The quality of existence in heaven is a life of fellowship with God (Rev. 22:4), a life of rest (Rev. 14:13), a life of service (Rev. 22:3), a life of growth (Rev. 22:2), and a life of worship (Rev. 19:1). Application: The glories of heaven belong only to those who have personally trusted Christ for their salvation. Christians who work to win souls are gathering friends who will spend eternity with them in heaven (First Ref. Gen. 1:1; Primary Ref. Rev. 21:1-5; cf. Matt. 24:33).’
Now friends, please, let’s take a moment today out of our busy, lockdown schedules (smile) and sincerely peruse those scriptures nuh, and if they don’t raise up the joy, the anticipation that heaven offers, then I really don’t know what else to say. Much LOVE!
…when life becomes a struggle…look up…and remember…the awesome and faithful promise of heaven…
22 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a sound mind, a spirit of fear, angry, Anselm, antidote, anxiety, anxious, aspire to inspire us, assume negative intent, be careful for nothing, be made known unto God, beginning of summer, but in everything, by prayer, Christians, complexities, depressing life circumstances, don't make a decision when you're angry, Emotional Quotient, feeling sorry for themselves, glory to God, handle life, in perfect peace, is stayed on thee, Jesus Christ at the helm, keep our focus on god, let your requests, most positive people, obese, of love, our minds, overweight, perpetrators of doom and gloom, positive intent, power, practical circumstance, putting yourself down, reasoning, righteousness, Satan's most successful tools, seek ye first the kingdom of God, supplication, the battlefield for our souls, the Holy Spirit, the mire of life, the presence of Christ in our lives, thou wilt keep him, wallowing in negative thinking, whose mind, wisdom, with great aplomb, with thanksgiving, worry
Isaiah 26:3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Oh, it was a pretty good official beginning of summer yesterday! It wasn’t hot, hot, hot, (smile) but it was sunny and a decent temperature, somewhere in the low twenties. But according to the weatherman, it’s going to be warm and rainy the next week or so, even with some thunderstorms thrown in for good measure! But that’s nothing new! It’s been the norm for the last li’l while. (smile)
So we can handle it with great aplomb, just like we handle everything else the enemy throws at us, with Jesus’ help of course, as we confidently declare. Chuh man! It looks like I can’t spell the word ‘declare’ and it’s various parts even if my life depended upon it! But I spelt it right there though! Glory be! So let’s declare then (right ho!). ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13)
Now that’s the only reason why we are able to handle life and all its complexities with great aplomb; because of the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in our lives, operating as the Holy Spirit. Glory to God for his wonderful doings in the lives of the children of men! But enough suh-so suh-so, (smile) some people are waiting this glorious looking Saturday morning to hear what our friend Anselm had to say in his quotes this past week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Hear this first one: ‘When you assume negative intent, you’re angry. If you take away that anger and assume positive intent, you will be amazed. Your emotional quotient goes up because you are no longer almost random in your response.’ Now that’s mostly true. I think though that the first line should read: ‘When you’re angry, you assume negative intent,’ because when you’re negative it doesn’t always mean that you’re angry. You can certainly be negative without being angry. But making a decision when you’re angry is the worst thing you can do. The only decision to make then is to decide to make none at all!
Then there’s this one that fits into the same category as the last. ‘People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom.’ For sure! Our society certainly focuses too much on what’s wrong, rather than on what’s right, on what we’ve lost, rather than on what we still have! That only leads us to being perpetrators of an overall doom and gloom attitude, which just drives us further down into the mire of life.
We need to be as positive as we can in this life, and Christians should be the most positive people on the planet because we have the best life, both here on earth and in the future going for us with Jesus Christ at the helm! But unfortunately, in too many instances, Christians turn out to be some of the most negative and feeling sorry for themselves people on the planet.
But here is a practical circumstance that many of us fall into because of our wallowing in negative thinking. ‘Stop allowing yourself to focus on depressing life circumstances – including focusing on being depressed about your weight. All this negative focus will only lead you to feeling bummed and wanting to pig out. Instead, consciously focus on happy life circumstances you enjoy doing, and create more of them.’
Now this sense of weight insecurity is rampant in our society today, and granted many of us need to lose a lot of weight because there are definitely too many overweight and obese people in our society. But the right way to go about it is not to get overly worried and negative since that attitude will only make matters worse. The most important thing there is to first accept the fact that you are overweight and seriously decide to do something about it, without putting yourself down.
Because, here’s what happens when we give into the negative circumstances in life: ‘Worry and reasoning are two of Satan’s most successful tools. He’ll get us started with one negative thought and then sit back and watch us finish ourselves off.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! Remember the battlefield for our souls is our minds, and once the enemy is able to inject one false or negative thought there, then it’s downhill all the way after that!
And that’s why Isaiah so rightly and wisely proclaimed in his hymn of praise: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee.’ Yeh friends, when we keep our focus on God, He keeps our minds in good, positive and godly functioning.
That’s also why Jesus recommended to the throng during the Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) The Lord knows what we need and want before we even do, and He’s sincerely and faithfully promised that if we keep Him first in our lives, make Him the Number ONE priority, then He will look after us in spades!
Likewise, Bruh Paul told the Philippians thus: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7) And that my friends is wisdom of the utmost proportions!
And we’ll close with these marvellous words of truth from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7) Please my people, let’s use that sound mind that God has given us nuh! Much LOVE!
…for ALL anxiety…the antidote is…simply prayer with thanksgiving…
15 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bright shining star, actions, angry, behaviour pattern, children of men, circumspection, conduct, corrupt, corrupt communication, deceitful lusts, destroy our eternal souls, do better, edifying, effervescence, Ephesians, foothold, for Jesus' sake, Friday chant, fun-fellowship, further Christ's kingdom, God's children, God's viewpoint, grace, greedy, hold you captive, hypocrites, I AM, inclement weather, infiltrate, labour with his hands, leggo beast, loving-kindness, members, neither give place to the devil, no uncertain terms, not in sync with Jesus, opportunity, Pharisees, pit off the old man, practical points, Praise the Lord, put away lying, put on the new man, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest from our labour, righteousness, selfish, shine, sin not, slave driver, speak truth, steal no more, step over the line, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the same Christian body, the spirit of your mind, the thing that is good, the wolrd's pleasures, true holiness, Valentine's day, wake up, well intentioned, wine and dine, with God's help
Ephesians 4:27. Neither give place (opportunity) to the devil.
‘And it looks like inclement weather today. Don’t know what kind just yet, but it sure looks like inclement weather today!’ Ah friends, what else is new eh? We’ve been having inclement weather for the last how long, so a li’l more today isn’t going to make much difference. (smile) It does look cloudy and wet outside, let’s hope is rain and not the other terrible stuff that’s on the way.
But whatever it is, we going to handle it just fine, because we have the Great I AM living in us, and also walking beside us, so there’s no need to fear, just be careful! And all God’s children declared (right ho) a loud and grateful ‘Praise the Lord for His LOVING-kindness to the undeserving children of men!’ And that’s for sure friends, for without God’s unequivocal LOVE, we’d be like lost sheep at the enemy’s mercy.
And since it’s Friday, you know the workingman is just dying to sing his song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The weekend…the weekend is finally here! And Valentine’s’ day weekend to boot. Didn’t get much time to celebrate with mih sugar yesterday, so I’m going to make up for it come the weekend!
Mama Yo! Got to take her out and wine and dine her! Show her how much I LOVES her! Let her know in no uncertain terms that she’s my one and only! That she is the main reason I put up with all the nonsense in the slave driver’s work! Cause I’d be nothing without her! So forget all the housework this weekend mih sugar! This is we time to party, to shine like a bright shining star! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui! Don’t know how I’d manage otherwise nuh!’
That goes for all of us yes my brethren! Don’t know how any of us would manage without God and the weekends giving us a chance to rest from our labour. And though the workingman’s sentiments might be well intentioned, his actions do step over the line some. They surely are not in sync with Jesus’ behaviour pattern for His followers. Christians need to be somewhat more focused than the workingman’s song allows.
So let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, which shows more circumspection in our behaviour and focus. In true sincerity now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Sorry mih people, but that’s just how Jesus set up His business. He wants His people to be somewhat restrained in their effervescence and not display leggo beast behaviour, since that gives the enemy opportunity to infiltrate and destroy our eternal souls.
That’s why Bruh Paul instructed the Ephesians thus: ‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts (renounce your pre-conversion life). And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (bring your life into line with God’s viewpoint).
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another (members of the same Christian body), Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph.4:22-27)
Yuh see friends, once we accept Jesus we have to adjust, to change our behaviour from that of the sinful world around us, cause we’re now a part of Jesus’ army, and any successful army needs to have discipline and good behaviour. That’s why Bruh Paul went to so much length to give us some practical tips for kingdom living here on earth. The most important being don’t give the devil any opportunity, any chance to gain a foothold in our souls, because you know his sole aim is to just turn our lives topsy turvy, so that we have no strength, no joy and peace in Jesus, our wonderful Lord and Saviour.
And Bruh Paul continues with his admonition: ‘Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the things which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto hearers.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:28-32)
Oh my fellow believers that stuff is not too hard to do. We will not always be perfect, but if we put our hearts and minds to it, we can definitely behave like Bruh Paul advocates most of the time! It should be a no-brainer once we claim to receive Christ as our Lord and Saviour, otherwise we’re just a bunch of selfish, greedy, hypocrites like the Pharisees and them were!
So this Friday morning in February 2019, let’s hold up this passage of scripture, with those very practical points and decide that we’re going to improve our daily walk with Christ by trying to adhere to them more than we’re currently doing. That’s why the world has very little use for us; we talk one thing then practice something else. So for Jesus’ sake friends, let’s wake up and try and do better nuh, with God’s help obviously! Much LOVE!
…one cannot be a true believer…if the world’s pleasures still hold you captive…
28 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, accept Jesus now, angry, be ready, be wise, blessed, Canadian behaviour, catch us by surprise, concrete jungle, Cooksville, divine revelation, end up, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fatality, for my benefit, frustrated, gaze out, glad to be alive, gloriousness of heaven, glory, halfway home, hands on the plough, he that reads, hope, hospital, i-pads, in the twinkling of an eye, investigations, Jesus Christ, keep those things, laptops, life after death, light of heaven, live track, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, money, moral of the story, new truth, no man comes to the Father, not looking back, obey, on Jesus, ophthalmologist, police, position in Christ, prophecy, read, smartphones, stealing, thankful, the breath of life, the coroner, the dragon lady, the grim reaper, the lair, the last trumpet sounds, the Life, the Lord's Spirit, the passing landscape, the prince of darkness, the Rapture, the time is at hand, the Truth, the Way, the words of the prophecy, the wrong place, they that hear, train station, Tribulation period, understand, waited patiently, Wednesday Wail, wet snow, which are written
Revelation 1:3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Well friends, it’s another day, and hopefully another dollar …(smile) but unfortunately it’ll be more like twenty-five cents, since the value of the dollar has fallen so much. Anyway, we’re alive and thankful for that glorious fact, regardless of our circumstances.
And as the old people would say, what ain’t meet you ain’t pass you nuh…but something interesting met me yesterday. I was already unhappy that I had to go into the city for a second day straight, and some anger coursed through my system as I saw Toronto’s concrete jungle skyline for the second day in a row.
But I reasoned that it was all for my benefit and went along quietly. I got to the hospital shortly after two, for a two thirty appointment, but didn’t leave there until minutes to six.
But thankfully the Lord’s Spirit was with me and I didn’t get angry or frustrated by the wait. I just read quietly until the dragon lady ophthalmologist was ready to see me. She can be a bit abrasive at times, that’s why I call her that, but she’s really a sweet ole soul, takes a great interest in her work and she LOVES the ole fella everlasting. What’s not to LOVE eh? (smile)
So I leave the hospital, get down to the train station, get on the six twenty-five, heading west, and everything goes well until three stations out, at Cooksville. Around seven o’clock, as the train is about to enter the station, it suddenly stops short of it.
Nobody pays much attention to that because most of them are too wrapped up in their I-pads, laptops and smart-phones, with headphones in their ears – not the ole fella though because I don’t have any of those things – I just gaze out at the passing landscape.
A minute later though, the conductor comes over the p.a. letting us know that a fatality has occurred on the train and we’ll be stopped there for at least two hours, until the coroner and the police have conducted their investigations.
Well you can imagine the stir that announcement caused, because most of those people were on their way home from work, ostensibly to make the journey back to work the next day, and stealing two hours of their valuable time was like stealing their gold.
But as always, our good Canadian behaviour rose to the occasion! Yayyy! We all settled down and did whatever we could do and waited patiently.
I’m sure if that had happened in some other countries there would have been a big uproar and possibly people pushing and shoving, trying to get off the train. But here they couldn’t even open the doors because we were on a live track, and who wanted to get off when wet snow was pouring down anyway. Eventually, we got moving some two and a half hours later, and the rest of the trip proceeded uneventfully – at least to my stop.
And the moral of the story? If you have to ask that, then you’re certainly in bad shape. But I’ll tell you anyhow: It’s that the Grim Reaper can show up suddenly and unexpectedly, at any time, any place, for anyone of us! Therefore, it behooves us to be wise and have our houses in a state of continual readiness so that he won’t’ catch us by surprise and we end up in the wrong place.
That’s why we have to pay special attention to the words of John in Revelation. ‘Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.’ (Rev.1:2-3)
Ah friends, we simply refuse to believe that our time is near, nearer than we think. I sure hope that person whose time expired on the train yesterday evening was ready, else they’ll be in for a rude awakening when they end up in the lair of the prince of darkness instead of the light of heaven.
Now hear the scholars, re those two verses: ‘1:2-3. Bare record: John was a witness of what he wrote. He saw the revelation and wrote what he saw. The blessing of verse 3 has a threefold condition: (1) read the book, (2) hear (understand it), and (3) keep (obey) it.
The essential nature of prophecy was the communication of new truth (divine revelation). God has given it to be obeyed, not simply to be discussed and debated. The time is at hand in the sense that nothing else now has to occur before the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation Period.’
Oh my people, please, please understand that anything can happen at anytime. And believe me, you’d much rather be amongst those that are Raptured, taken up in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds, (1 Cor.15:52) than those that are left behind to endure the time of serious tribulation!
That means we have to accept Jesus NOW! For who knows when the Grim Reaper or the Rapture will show up? Nobody but our heavenly Father! And why Jesus? Because He said quite emphatically: ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: NO MAN cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6)
Friends, it’s your decision to believe Him or not. But I can assure you of ONE thing; you’ll never darken heaven’s door, unless you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! End of story! Now for those of us who have already wisely done that, let’s go home telling the world of our position in Christ nuh! In full voice and true sincerity of heart:
‘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!’
Oh my, my…just think about it nuh – the gloriousness of heaven…And it will be even more glorious than that! Much LOVE!
…I’m believing that there’s life after death…and putting my money…my hope,,,and my faith on Jesus…oh glory, glory…
11 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate fire, angry, anointed, begged for mercy, blessings, bonafide believer, bounden duty, calamitous days, Christian trait, christianity, compassion, consumed, debtor's prison, delivered him, disastrous, do like christ did, doing good, dwelleth the love of God, eyes fixed straight ahead, finite minds, followers of Christ, for our benefit, forgave him, forgive not, fresh bread, from your hearts, generous to a fault, giving, glad to be alive, God was with him, God's manna, great is thy faithfulness, greed, had compassion, had pity on thee, halfway home, hands on the plough, have need, heart, his compassions fail not, hoarding, Holy Ghost, in deed, in time of need, Jeremiah, jesus of nazareth, Lamentations, lights a fire, looking to a glorious future, loving, loving-kindness, magnanimous god, mercies, new every morning, not love in word, not turning back, oppressed of the devil, owed money, power, sacrificing, sadly lacking, Scrip-Bit, sees his brother, selfishness, sharing, shutteth up his bowels, talk, talk your talk, thankful, the breath of life, the forgiven one, the land of the living, the Lord's mercies, thou wicked servant, to the tormentors, tongue, Top o' the morn, torturers, trespasses, truth, unchristian behaviour, walk your walk, Wednesday Wail, wroth
Lamentations 3:22-23. 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.
Well top o’ the morn to all you Scrip-Bit friends and family…and top of the afternoon to those of you faithful readers on the other side of the world! (smile) It’s just another brilliant, sunshiny day in the land of the living, with all of God’s manna, mercies and whatever brand new!
Wow! It’s like waking up to fresh bread every day! And we should be much more thankful than we are for those blessings. But our God is what we call magnanimous, generous to a fault, so He gives us stuff that we don’t truly deserve.
And yes, we’ll continue with the same Bit, because there are so many scriptures on compassion, a most important Christian trait in which we current believers are sadly lacking.
Jeremiah knew exactly what he was talking about when he declared in His Lamentations: ‘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.’
If you are a bonafide (true, sincere) believer, then you certainly cannot argue with that statement or the sentiments contained therein since it’s only through God’s LOVING-kindness that life is not more disastrous than it is. Now let’s check out some scriptures on compassion.
The first one we’ll look at today is Jesus’ telling of the parable about the two servants who owed money they could not repay. The first owed his master thousands of dollars, and when the master threatened to cast him into debtors’ prison, he begged for mercy, and the master forgave him the entire debt.
However that same forgiven one, found someone who owed him a measly few dollars, but when he couldn’t pay, he had him and his family cast into prison. Obviously that disgusting news got back to the master, who called the first servant and castigated him.
‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst (begged) me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth (angry), and delivered him to the tormentors (torturers) till he should pay all that due unto him.’ (Matt.18:32-34)
And it’s sad to say friends, that that kind of behaviour is still rampant in this world, amongst Christians too, believe it or not. But listen to the moral of the story as told by Jesus: ‘So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.’ (Matt.18:35) It couldn’t be any clearer than that!
And John says it thus in his epistle: ‘But whoso hath this world’s good (goods), and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels (heart) of compassion from him, how dwelleth the LOVE of God in him?’ (1 John 3:17) Good question friends? And the answer is that the LOVE of God does not dwell in such a person.
And to provide a solution to that unchristian behaviour, John therefore recommends: ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue (talk); but in deed and in truth.’ (1 John 3:18)
Oh my people, that is oh so necessary in the calamitous days our world is currently experiencing! We just need to have more LOVING action than just mere talk, as we all are so good at doing. I don’t know if there’s ever been a time that the saying; walk your walk and talk your talk, has been more important.
And this verse from Acts shows that is exactly what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’(Acts 10:38)
Oh my fellow believers, we have also been anointed with the same Holy Ghost and power that Jesus had, so it’s also our bounden duty to go around doing good and helping the less fortunate as much as we can, not keeping, hoarding and/or storing our power and anointing merely for our benefit. That’s what being a Christian means.
If we are followers of Christ, then we’re supposed to do like Christ did! And unfortunately we’re not doing it as much as we ought. Our compassion level is woefully low, while our greed and selfishness meter is way too high. So let’s hope today’s writing lights a fire, a compassionate fire under us. (smile)
But it’s time to go home now. And we’ll do so by declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the entire world know our situation in Christ Jesus. As one voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And yuh know what friends? Our finite minds can’t even truly imagine how glorious that future will be! Much LOVE!
…true Christianity is sharing…and giving…and LOVING…and sacrificing…and being there in time of need…
P.S. It’s a tad late because I got held up talking to a friend about the World Cup Soccer Tournament. Some things just can’t wait. (smile) Much LOVE!
10 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better person, a compassionate heart, a different person, a majority, a proven winner, a worse person, adversity, affirmation, almighty god, angry, as the brightness of the firmament, bat of an eyelash, bitter, build my faith, closer to God, common sense, courage, creativity, curse, cynical, disaster, disillusioned, divine protection, dr robert h schuller, drive me away from God, emblazon, end times, faith, faithfulness, good friends, good health, gospel truth, Hawaiian people, hope, Hosea, Hour of Power Devotional, imprisoned by hope, keep on praying, keep trucking on, lead you to God, left out, Let your problem, LOVE, loving-kindness, mental billboards, mercy, more patient, my attitude, negative attitude, negative word, never give up, pouts, prisoners of hope, prosper, rebuked by God, restore double, run away and hide, shatter my faith, shine, showers, sins, sour, stars for ever, stronger, succeed, success, take it to God, talent, the wise, this problem is past, Thursday's Blessings, turn many to righteousness, turn to God, turn to the stronghold, untapped resources, vision of Daniel, volcanic activity, wait on God., wisdom, wiser, you and god, Zechariah
Zechariah 9:12. Turn ye to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.
Well mih people, we might not have as nice a day as the last few, because they’ve called for showers, and we did have a small thunder squall earlier in the morning, but yuh know what? Right now, though it’s somewhat cloudy, the Sun is fighting valiantly to come out and shine, shine, shine! Yeh it does look hopeful out there. And yuh know the SON is always out there doing His thing! So no need to worry on that side of the ledger. (smile)
Unfortunately however, those people in Hawaii are experiencing more volcanic activity, so let’s keep up our prayers for them, that the whole thing will soon settle down without further disruption and disaster.
Now here is something from Gramps Schuler’s (Dr. Robert H Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. It gives us a very good insight into problems, and is appropriately titled: ‘Let Your Problem Lead You to God.’
Gramps Schuller writes: ‘No problem leaves you where it found you. Read this affirmation out loud: “I will be a different person when this problem is past. I will be a wiser, stronger, more patient person; or I will be sour, cynical, bitter, disillusioned, and angry. It all depends on what I do with this problem.
Each problem can make me a better person or a worse person. It can bring me closer to God, or it can drive me away from God. It can build my faith or it can shatter my faith. It all depends on my attitude. I intend to be a better person when this problem leaves me than I was when it met me.” There are vast untapped resources of faith and talent that can only be discovered in adversity.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! It’s unfortunate, but the fact is that only through adversity can we build or discover true faith. And when adversity comes, the way we handle it will indeed make us a better or worse person. If we try to run away from it and hide, or adopt a completely negative attitude, then it will eat us up faster than the bat of an eyelash.
But if we keep our peace and recognize that the problem is bigger than us and take it to God, then we’re already in the driver’s seat! Glory to God! Remember friends that you and God are a majority in EVERY situation, and with Him by your side, you can win every battle.
If you are a wise believer, then taking your problems to God is a no-brainer, because that’s what He has asked us to do. He wants to be involved in EVERY situation in our lives, big, small or otherwise! And if we don’t involve Him in everything, He feels left out and pouts, just like we do, when we’re not invited in. (smile)
Oh friends, we cannot pick and choose which situations in our life to allow God into, that’s why I’ve chosen this encouraging scripture from the prophet Zechariah, as he talks about Zion’s future king, to be our Bit today. ‘Turn ye to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’
Oh my people, what wonderful advice! And though it was given thousands of years ago, it’s still as pertinent today as it was back then. It only makes sense to turn to whatever is strong in our lives, not what is weak. And the strongest thing there is, is Almighty God, so why wouldn’t we turn to Him in all wisdom eh?
But what I like most about that passage of scripture is the phrase, ‘prisoners of hope!’ Wow! It sounds like the perfect name for believers. Imprisoned by hope in Jesus Christ, we just keep trucking on in faith and never give up! I think it’s high time we emblazon that phrase on our mental billboards, and truly begin considering ourselves as prisoners of hope. We can never go wrong if we do.
And yuh see what happens when we do behave as prisoners of hope? The Lord renders double unto us. He blesses us even more than He has already. So why not become a true prisoner of hope then eh my people? Wisdom and common sense demand it!
And now, I just want to add a couple of obscure scriptures that most of us might not know, but which encourage us to turn to God. Listen to Hosea, as he talks about Ephraim’s sins being rebuked by God. ‘Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial. Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy (LOVING-kindness, faithfulness) and judgement (justice), and wait on thy God continually.’ (Hos.12:5-6) Now that’s a proven winner!
And lastly, these most encouraging words from the vision of Daniel re the time of the end. ‘And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.’ (Dan. 12:3)
Oh my brethren, what a wonderful promise! And since we consider these times, the end times, what better way to go than by being wise and shining brightly and turning others to Christ! Mama Mia! That verse surely excited me! (smile)
Now, since we are wise, and are prisoners of hope, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, all that the Lord has given us for being so smart. Hn, hn! Altogether 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!’
What a wonderful God we serve and worship! But remember people, that’s not all for us, but also to share with the less fortunate. So let’s go and do that now nuh. Much LOVE!
…if you’ve got to be a prisoner…there’s none better…than being one of hope in Almighty God…
15 Apr 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . to high place, Abraham, angry, beauty of nature, blessed, celebrate, conceit, contemporary music, dealth bountifully, deceptive, doesn't turn His face, done great things, Easter Season, Elijah, exaltation, fills them, for love nor money, generation, glory is his name, good servant Israel, Google it, Hallelujah, have plenty, He is risen, heaven, humble, I am helped, ice pellets, ice storm, Jonah, joyous voices, listen, loving grace, loving-kindness, Magnificat, magnify God, magnify my Lord, mercy, mighty, my heart trusted in him, Penguin, praise God, praise the name of god, precious love, pride, pull them down, raise the humle, reality of the situation, reap the fruits, received well, rejoice in his salvation, rich, sent them away empty, serve Him true, showing his mercy, sincere heart, sing unto the Lord, Soca song, soul has soared, spirit rejoices, spiritual enemy, spring, take God for granted, talks to us everyday, The Lord is my strength, the poor, ungodly world, venegeful, vessel, with a song, with thanksgiving
Psalm 69:30. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Awright mih breddren, it’s Sunday once again, but a white one. I thought now was spring with all the beauty of nature set to erupt from the cold ground. But that’s not the reality of the situation, for from yesterday morning we’ve been grounded by an ice storm. And like it’s hit some of the U.S. Midwest too.
All day long I could hear the ice pellets hitting against the windowpanes. And don’t be fooled by the covering of snow on top. It’s a solid ice foundation, which is even worse than the pure snow, very deceptive like our spiritual enemy. And it hasn’t stopped as yet. So please be careful if you venture out there today.
I know that I’m not venturing out there for LOVE nor for money. Not in my mash-up state. (smile) I’m not even going to church this morning, I doubt my car tires can handle the traction, or lack thereof, and I know that the Lord will understand. They haven’t even cleaned the roads in the area. Saw one truck go up the road a while ago cleaning one half of the road.
But friends that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate and praise our wonderful God and hear His reassuring word. And today I have a special treat to open our praise and worship, it’s an old Soca song from way back in 1985, called Magnificat, by the Calypsonian Penguin. I think it’s rather appropriate to be played in churches as what nowadays they call Contemporary Music.
Google it and you’ll see what I’m talking about. And though you may not like the music, you can’t find any fault with the words, which are very appropriate for this Easter Season. So without further ado let’s burst into praiseful song with the ‘Magnificat’, in an easy rocking Soca melody.
Listen to the intro of bells, organ and crackling guitar…then shout out: ‘Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!’ Now sing it again: ‘Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!’
Now let’s extol the praises of our God: ‘With joyous voices, my spirit rejoices. And my soul has soared, to magnify my Lord. For He took me so humble, And He made me His vessel. Oh yes, He chose me from all the rest. Nations from east and west will know I have been truly blessed.’
(Chorus: For He that is mighty has done great things, I can claim, Oh yes, He is risen, mighty, glory is His name. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! – Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah! (2)}
From generation, unto generation, He has been the same, to all who hear His name. Never vengeful nor angry, He keeps showing His mercy, a mercy that comes from up above, filled with His precious LOVE. It’s a mercy I can tell you of. (Chorus: For He that is mighty…)
And pride and conceit, from right in their front seat, with His arm so strong, the Master pull them down. Those who rich and have plenty, He send them away empty. But from the poor He don’t turn His face, Fills them with LOVING grace, And raise the humble to high place. (Chorus: For He that is mighty…)
He has received well, His good servant Israel. If you serve Him true, He will receive you too. Just like he spoke to Jonah, Abraham and Elijah, He still talks to us everyday, In His own special way, Listen and you’ll hear what He says. (Chorus: For that he is mighty…. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah…!’
Oh friends, what beautiful music and words of exaltation to our wonderful God. I know heaven was dancing and singing along with us. And I was listening to the song and rocking along while I was typing it. (smile) Now that brings us to our Bit; exciting words from Bruh David: ‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.’
Ah mih people, although I believe we might have used that Bit recently, I thought it was the most appropriate one for the ‘Magnificat.’ For our God LOVES nothing more than to hear us praise Him and give Him thanks for all He’s done for us, since that’s one of the reasons He created us. And I don’t think we do that sufficiently, or when we do, with a sincere enough heart. We seem to take Him and His LOVING-kindness too much for granted.
But that’s wrong my brethren, because it’s only by His great mercy and precious LOVE that we still exist in this sinful, ungodly world. That means we ought to pay much more attention to our praise and worship if we truly want to reap the fruits that the Lord has set aside for us.
As Bruh David says in his prayer for God’s help: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ (Ps.28:7)
Oh friends, we can perform no greater oblation to our magnificent and magnanimous God, than giving Him endless thanks and praise.
And we’ll close with some more appropriate words from Bruh David. ‘But I have trusted in thy mercy (LOVING-kindness); my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.’ (Ps.13:5-6)
And that’s no lie my fellow believers, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with all of us, so let’s praise Him joyfully nuh and rejoice in His salvation, as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…from the mouths and hearts of believers…ought to come unbidden…oodles of praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God…
14 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of the devil, a fiery burst of love, a time of joy, Abel, actions, angry, Ash Wednesday, at the hands of, bacchanal, backbone, be like Jesus, beggars can't be choosers, belly, brighten up the gloom, brighter and brighter, Cain, Carnival, celebration, cleansing of our spirits, come to Christ, commercialism, conflicting allegiances, contemplation, display of love, empty our spirits, everlasting proportions, eyes fixed straight ahead, fasting, forty days of temptation, get closer to God, giving love, glory hallelujah, grow in christ-likeness, halfway home, hands on the plough, hanging with Jesus, hate-filled, in a quandary, in deed and truth, in tandem with God, in tongue, insincerity, introspection, joy, lack love, lasting, Lent, little children, looking to the future, LOVE, love not in word, LOVE one another, loveless world, Lucifer, making a mockery of Christ, meditating on god's word, not turning back, outwardly manifest, prayer, resentful society, righteous, rigours of ministry, season of Lent, seep into our hearts, sincere, studying God's Word, sunshine, temptation, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the Lord's way, the wicked one, the wilderness, truth, tuning out the world, unconditional LOVE, Valentine's day, walk with god, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, works were evil
1 John 3:18. My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Oh boy, it’s another bright, sunshiny day in the neighbourhood! Thank You Lord! If we have to put up with the snow and cold, then we should at least have some sunshine to brighten up the gloom those things produce in our spirits. (smile)
And I’m in a quandary here; don’t know what to write on; Ash Wednesday or Valentine’s Day, as both of them fall on the same day. Hn! The former begins the season of Lent for believers; a serious time of introspection, fasting and prayer.
On the other hand, the latter is a time of joy and celebration and the time of the biggest display of LOVE in our hate-filled, angry and resentful society. And even though it smacks of a lot of insincerity and commercialism, how can you write off any kind of LOVE at all eh, when we so badly need it?
I guess in one sense you can say that the bacchanal of Carnival is over now, and we begin the season of Lent with a fiery burst of LOVE! Oh how wonderful that would be if the LOVE went a li’l deeper and was more sincere and lasting! But beggars can’t be choosers, so if we get even a small amount of LOVE in this LOVELESS world we have to be grateful and say, ‘Thank You Lord!!
Meanwhile, on the Lenten side of the ledger, we need to get serious about our walk with God and delve into what it truly means to be walking in sincere tandem with Him. We need to empty our spirits, as Jesus did when He was led into the wilderness to suffer forty days of temptation at the hands of the evil Lucifer.
He spent His days in prayer and contemplation with fasting, a way of building His belly and backbone to withstand the rigours of His upcoming ministry. He knew that His ministry would not be easy, and that was the Lord’s way of strengthening Him.
And in this season of Lent we ought to try and be strengthened in like manner my faithful and believing brethren. If we want to be like Jesus, to grow in Christ-likeness, then we have to do some of the things He did, follow in His footsteps as much as possible. And tuning out more of the world than usual, in these next forty days, is something we can do, and ought to embark on.
I guess you can call it the yearly cleansing of our spirits. But however we do it, the important thing is to get closer to God, by putting aside some of the worldly things that usually occupy our time, and giving Him more of our time, studying His word more closely and meditating on it, so we can discover its true meaning for our lives.
And yuh know what friends? As we spend more time in serious reflection, we will understand God better, and His most wonderful attribute, that of LOVE, will seep into our hearts and souls even more. Wow! How amazing that would be if we could get the majority of the world to reflect on God’s Word and discover His awesome and unconditional LOVE!
And on this Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, I believe the most appropriate Bit for today, is the same one we had yesterday. ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.’
Yeh mih people, please, please, I implore us to bring out true LOVE in our daily lives, show it to our fellow man in living colour, in sincere actions, because that’s the only way we will truly make this world a better place. Not to mention that it’s only true, sincere actions of LOVE, that anyone will truly want to come to Christ. If we keep preaching that Christ is LOVE, and don’t show true LOVE, then we’re making a mockery of Christ and all that He stands for.
As John says earlier on: ‘For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should LOVE one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew (murdered) his brother (Abel). And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.’ (1 John 3:11-12)
Now listen to the scholars’ explanation of that last verse. ‘3:12. See Genesis 4:8. Of that wicked one refers to a child of the Devil (v.10). Cain killed Abel because their conflicting allegiances (Cain’s to Satan, Abel’s to God) were plain to see by their respective actions.
John seems to be saying: “If even wicked Cain could see that a man’s character is revealed ultimately, not in what he says he believes, but in what he does, should not Christians be able to see this as well?”
Of course we should my brethren! As we said yesterday, LOVE is an action word, and only through our actions can we outwardly manifest it. But sadly, so many of us lack LOVE in our souls, that we obviously can’t show it. We can’t give what we don’t have.
However, if we’re serious about giving LOVE, then all we have to do is go to God and sincerely ask Him to fill us with it. But then that means spending time with Him, something that so many of us unfortunately shy away from.
Anyway friends, this Ash Wednesday/Valentine’s Day is the right time for us to come to the trough and drink of God’s grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness. Remember, it did not just happen by chance, but God programmed it that way, to accomplish His purpose.
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our blessed position in Christ. All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now that’s truth and wisdom of everlasting proportions! Much LOVE!
…if one is consistently hanging with Jesus…then one’s future can only get brighter and brighter…
11 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 99th anniversary, a better tomorrow, abuse trust, aggressive, Alexis Helmer, almighty god, an eraser, angry, Anselm, any good thing, anything is possible, Armistice Day, be wise, blessed, break faith, chances, chastened, confess, contrite hearts, cover ups, crosses, disobedience, failing hands, fallen dead, fallen world, fear the Lord, felt dawn, First world war, forgive, forgiven, forsake, glory, glory to God, grace, hold it high, honesty, honour, In Flanders Fields, inpsire us, Jesus Christ, John McCrae, lack, larks, leave, life's too short, limitations, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loved, making mistakes, mankind's fall, modus operandi, no good thing, no want, onipotent god, overlays, peace, penitent, poppies, poppies grow, quarrel, ravages of war, refusal, Remembrance Day, repent, restore, row on row, saints, saw sunset glow, Second world war, see, seek the Lord, shield, smaller, success, suffer hunger, sun, takes control, taste, the dead, the foe, the Great War, the Lord God, the Lord hears the righteous, The Lord is good, the torch, think big, trust, Veterans Day, walk uprightly, war, war-like, warmongering nature, waste of human life, we shall not sleep, wisdom, withhold, young lions
Psalm 84:11. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
HAPPY ARMISTICE, REMEMBRANCE, VETERAN’S DAY!
Yeh friends, it’s the 99th anniversary of the Great War; the First World War; the war that was supposed to end ALL WAR! Hn! But they didn’t count on the Second World War less than 30 years later.
And I seriously doubt that war will ever disappear from man’s agenda until our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ returns in all His splendiferous glory and takes control, for mankind from his fall, has been an angry, war-like animal. Peace and LOVE are only overlays, cover ups for his naturally aggressive and warmongering nature.
In the United Kingdom they call it Armistice Day, in Canada Remembrance Day and in the U. S of A, Veteran’s Day. And we honour our fallen dead by wearing poppies on our clothes during this sad time of remembrance and awful waste of human life.
And all over the world, this most famous war memorial poem, In Flanders’ Fields, is read on this day. It was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in May 1915, on the battlefields of Belgium, after the death and burial of one of his friends, Alexis Helmer by a German shell.
Please remember with me: ‘In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place: and in the sky The larks still bravely singing fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead: Short days ago, We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, LOVED and were LOVED: and now we lie In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe To you, from failing hands, we throw The torch: be yours to hold it high If ye break faith with us who die, We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.’
Ah mih people, sadly, there are even more quarrels and foes than when this poem was written. Man has not learned anything from the ravages of war. But we won’t linger on the topic of war, instead we’ll turn to a more uplifting subject, quotes from our friend Anselm, who sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Here is the first one: ‘I Am Thankful For All Of Those Who Said, “No” To Me. It’s Because Of Them I’m Doing It Myself.’ And in some respects I can attest to that, because some of the things I am doing for myself now are because others didn’t want to do them for me. Refusal often leads to your getting up and doing stuff yourself.
But in saying that, we have to realize that ‘Success Does Not Consist In Never Making Mistakes, But In Never Making The Same One A Second Time.’ We all make mistakes, but when we keep making the same one(s) over and over, then something’s definitely wrong with our modus operandi.
That leads us to this next quote: ‘Your Life Only Gets Better When You Get Better.’ Truth in a nutshell people! Then there is this one: ‘Think Big And Don’t Listen To People Who Tell You It Can’t Be Done. Life’s Too Short To Think Small.’
Now there is much to be said for that, but to a certain extent we also have to recognize our limitations, although with our awesome and omnipotent God, anything at all is possible. Glory to God!
And I like this last quote: ‘Trust is like an eraser, it gets smaller and smaller after every mistake.’ Now isn’t that the gospel truth! Every time we abuse the trust others have in us, the supply gets lower, until it just plain runs out, and they don’t trust us anymore, regardless of what we say or do.
In fact, we’re lucky to get more than one chance at that state of trust. The only place where second, third, fourth and even fifth chances are possible without condemnation and disgrace is with the Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven, earth and all therein.
As our Bit tells us: ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.’
But even then, in general, He expects us to walk in His will, not in disobedience all of the time. But you do have chances to repent and confess and be forgiven. And though His trust in you won’t diminish, you will feel the consequences of disobedience, you will be chastened in some form and fashion.
But He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you! You have His ever-faithful promise on that. As Bruh David so rightly declares in Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous.
‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps.34:8-10)
Oh friends, it couldn’t be put any simpler than that. So today, as we remember the fallen, and ponder the unfortunate ravages of war, let’s be wise nuh, try and walk uprightly, and reach out to our God with penitent and contrite hearts; seek Him in all honesty, so that He can bless and forgive and restore our fallen world. That is heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…seek…knock…ask…and you will be answered…
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