04 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A game, a great day, a positive approach, a positive light, a very present help, agile, allow more than we can bear, almighty god, annoyed, Anselm, atone for our sins, attitude, available help, bad, begotten Son, believers, Christ's gospel, Christians, create a problem, David, deadly turmoil, desperate, dwelling within you, fear, fear God, for a better tomorrow, glory hallelujah, god, God is our refuge and strength, good, good news, helpless, highest Being, holy spirit, hope, in God's world, inspire us, Jesus Christ, Job, Joseph, little things, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, mindset, miserable, negative circumstances, omnipotent force, over think, Paul, personal testimony, problem free, prominent in our thoughts, rattle us, refuge, rejection, resources, right places, roar, Saturday, sleeping in, spreading love, strength, supple, surrender, test, the earth be removed, the Good Book, the heart of the sea, the mountains, think too much, this too shall pass, trouble, trust, understanding, walking with, wisdom, wrong choices
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present (abundantly available) help in trouble.
Saturday, oh Saturday; what a great day! Oh, let me take that back…no embellish it. Saturday is a great day -good for sleeping in, like I just did – (smile), but the real truth is that EVERY day is a great day in God’s world!
How could they not be when you have the Holy Spirit of your Creator constantly walking with and dwelling within you eh? Oh, we ought to know that just because we call ourselves Christians and have Jesus beside us all the time, that all our days will not be worry and problem free.
Unfortunately many of us supposed believers seem to think so, but if you look through the Good Book you’ll notice that some of the men and women of greatest faith and holiness, like Bruh Joseph, Bruh David, Uncle Job and Bruh Paul had more problems than some of their lesser peers, with the most important being our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And what makes every day a great day is basically our mindset and attitude. A positive approach to life is the best. Obviously there will be some negative circumstances, but the trick is to try and consider them in a positive light; like the Lord is testing us, and this too shall pass, and He won’t allow more than we can bear.
Our God must always be prominent in our thoughts whether we are experiencing good or bad circumstances. As Job said when his whole life crumbled in mere moments, we can’t always expect good and not some bad. That’s just how life is in our fallen and sinful world.
And I have personal testimony to that this morning. And before giving it, I have to exhale a ‘Steups!’ and an ‘Ah Lord eh!’ Why? Because I just came down to my office to write the Bit, and lo and behold I saw that one of the panels in the ceiling of the office had come apart.
Obviously I was annoyed, and further annoyed when I tried to put it back together and found that I couldn’t do it by myself. I couldn’t raise my hands above my head and hold all the stuff together at the same time. Some years ago I could have done it, although it has always been a finicky job; as you fix one side, the other tends to drop out etc.
And believe me, I can’t see any reason why that particular panel fell out, except to test my resources. (smile) But am I going to let it spoil my day? Obviously not! It’s relatively a small, unimportant thing, which can stay as it is until I can get someone to help me put it back together again.
Yeh friends, too many of us allow little things to rattle us and get us off of our ‘A game’ and spoil the rest of our day. That brings us to the quotes from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. I only got two from him this week, don’t know what happened.
But anyway, this first one segues in quite nicely to what we’ve been talking about. ‘Don’t think too much…. you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.’ And that’s quite possible.
When problems befall us we tend to over think them, wondering why, what, when, wherefore and all the other questions, which only makes the current problem bigger than it ought to be.
I could have done that with the fallen bit of ceiling, but it wouldn’t have gotten me anywhere, except miserable. And it at least brought home the knowledge that I’m not as agile and supple as I used to be. (smile)
And the next quote says: ‘Sometimes the wrong choices bring us to the right places.’ I really don’t know how to view that nuh, except to think that when we make wrong choices we can end up in places so desperate and helpless, that we are forced to turn to God for help to extricate us.
And that’s why our Bit tells it like it is. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present (abundantly available) help in trouble.’
And all God’s people shouted a loud and grateful ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ because they know that that statement is the ultimate in truth. Yeh friends, when you belong to the most omnipotent force, the highest Being in the universe, you have no reason to fear what man can do to you.
And as the sons of Korah continue to sing their song of praise and tribute: ‘Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps.46:2-3)
Yeh mih people, though the earth and all therein erupt in deadly turmoil, yet we who believe in Almighty God will not be afraid. Glory to God! So total is our surrender, so strong is our faith, hope and trust in Him, that nothing will move us, except His rejection.
And we know that will NEVER happen! Not after He showed His undying LOVE and sacrificed His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to atone for our abominable sins.
So let us go forward this Saturday morning, filled with the strength, wisdom and understanding granted us through His Holy Spirit and make it a great day, spreading LOVE and the good news of Christ’s gospel to all and sundry. That’s the way our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, desires it. Much LOVE!
…don’t fear man…but certainly fear God…
28 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a fool is considered wise, a fool's wisdom, Anselm, behind you, cheap thing no good, Christian's mantra, Christians, communication, Confucius, deceitful, disgusting, distance yourself from people, divine programme, divinely led, do God's will, don't waste words, enthusiasm, falling apart, fraud, friend, generosity, generous, getting, give, giving, giving of oneself, good measure, good thing no cheap, greed, Guide, hoarding, holy spirit, homelessness, if they care, it shall be given, joy, keeps his mouth shut, know where you stand, lead, lendeth to the Lord, LOVE, material wealth, men give into your bosom, on your side, pity upon the poor, poor economic conditions, positive heart, poverty, pressed down, purging, rampant, reap what you sow, running over, senseless talking, shaken together, silence is golden, silence., sleep in, talents, talk behind your back, the richest man in the cemetery, the same measure you use, time, treasures, wisdom
Luke 6:38. Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured to you again.
It’s a brand new day friends, so rise and greet it with joy and enthusiasm! Oh yeah! It’s also Saturday, which means some of us want to sleep in. Well then sleep in with joy and enthusiasm! (smile)
The important thing is that we have the joy of Jesus in us in whatever we do or don’t do. Let His wondrous Spirit simply lead and guide us wherever He may want us to go. But sadly, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us is a problem for many believers.
We either can’t decipher what He wants us to do, or simply don’t want to go where He wants to lead us. But friends, as Christians, the Holy Spirit is our divine guide here on earth, so if He is not leading us, then we’re not being divinely led. As simple as that!
So please, let’s get wise and ask the Lord to help us understand when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, so that we can faithfully and trustingly follow Him, and thus do God’s will. Now let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his noble intention to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
This first one says: ‘Don’t worry about those who talk behind your back. They’re behind you for a reason.’ And I guess that makes sense. If people need to talk behind your back, then that means they have no parts, and you have no use for them.
That leads us to this quote: ‘Sometimes you just need to distance yourself from people. If they care, they’ll notice. If they don’t, you know where you stand.’ And is that ever so true my brethren! These days people are so deceitful and disgusting that we have to be very careful about whom we associate with.
And sometimes the Holy Spirit will just lead us away from those who don’t fit into our divine programme. And as the quote says, ‘If they care they’ll notice.’ And if they don’t, then you’ll know they were never on your side in the first place.
And emotionally, that can be tough, but as our next quote comforts: ‘Sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling into place.’ Yeh, so if you seem to be losing people from your inner circle, it might actually be a good thing.
The Lord might just be purging the ones you don’t need anymore to rise up and do His will. So ‘Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.’
Remember the age-old saying that silence is golden, and Cousin Sol’s words that even a fool is considered wise when he keeps his mouth shut. And right now, with the ease of worldwide communication, too much useless and senseless talking is indeed a problem.
However, it is an important, though difficult lesson for us to learn. Sometimes it’s just best to shut up! And finally: ‘Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful … that’s what matters to me.’
Yes friends, as true believers, material wealth, in and of itself, should not matter that much to us, but what it enables us to do for others is important. And it’s so good to go to bed at night knowing that you have helped someone in need.
There’s no better feeling in the universe than giving of oneself, one’s treasures and talents and time to others! That’s why our Lord and Saviour, our Leader, Jesus Christ warned us about giving in our Bit.
‘Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured to you again.’
Yeh mih breddren, the manner in which we give, the measure we use to give, that’s the same measure and manner that will be used to give back to us. So if we give with a generous, positive heart, then others will give back to us with a generous, positive heart.
However, if we behave like Scrooge and give grudgingly, that’s exactly how we will be treated. It’s all about reaping what you sow my brethren. In God’s economy, you don’t reap more than you sow, unless it’s with true generosity.
Notice Cousin Sol’s words from Proverbs. ‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.’ (Prov.19:17)
Unfortunately though my people, in this modern society the emphasis is on getting, rather than giving. We all want to know what we can get, instead of what we can give. No wonder that greed and fraud and hoarding are so rampant in our society, which leads to a lot of poverty, homelessness and poor economic conditions.
And nowadays, we’re always searching for something of good value, hoping to pay little or nothing for it. But friends, that’s a fool’s wisdom! As Confucius is reputed to have said: ‘Good thing no cheap, and cheap thing no good!’ (smile)
So in general, the value of what you receive, will equal the amount you pay for it. So please, let’s stop thinking about always getting nuh, and concentrate on giving instead. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…to give…to give….and yet to give again…that should be the Christian’s mantra…
14 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a leader, a star, aching back, action, aggrandizement, Anselm, apathy, blase, Christians, compete, constant communication with God, Creator, different shades, diligent, do our part, evil deeds, evildoers, fall, friend, get ahead of God, get nothing done, getting together, God is the Maker, God's help, grin and bear it, in our own strength, inspiration, inspired by the people, Jesus, laze along, lethargy, longevity, LOVE, mutual agreement, onlooker's viewpoint, our benefit, out of thin air, partnership with christ, passion, passionate, Rest in the Lord, rise to the top, save the best for last, seasons, self-interested path, sleeping-in weather, speed ahead, spoil things, stir the pot, stress, that's life, truth, up in arms, wait patiently, we need God, wet and cloudy day, working hard
Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
Well another wet and cloudy day seems to be our lot this Saturday morning friends. Good sleeping-in weather for those who desire to do so. I tried some sleeping-in, only to get up with my usual aching back, the sad result of what seems to be too much lying down. (smile)
Ah Lord eh! How to beat it? They say that rest is so essential, but in my case there seems to be a caveat of ‘not too much at once.’ Hn, hn! But as the man says, ‘That’s life!’ We just have to grin and bear the quirks of life and move on with God’s available help.
And the trees are doing that right now, because their leaves are finally turning to different shades of brown, yellow and gold, in admittance that fall is finally here. They held out for a long while with the good weather, but like us, they know that their time has come at last.
No more trying to stretch out the longevity of their beautiful green leaves as the God designed cycle of seasons brings about their downfall for another year. And so, we as Christians need to accept whatever God has designed and placed in our lives, for He is the Maker and Creator of all that exists.
Trying to fight His plans are a waste of time. But enough palavering (smile), let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm offered us this past week, in his noble attempt to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Listen to this first one:‘A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him rise to the top.’
And that’s the way it’s supposed to be, since stars seek a more self-interested path, are more interested in their own aggrandizement, while leaders theoretically raise the level of their followers in whatever context in which they are leading.
And this next quote sort of upgrades the last one. ‘A leader must be inspired by the people before a leader can inspire the people.’ I guess a true leader will not want to lead those who don’t inspire him to do so.
Why bother eh, if there is no inspiration coming from those whom you want or hope to lead? For like everyone else, a leader also needs inspiration to do his or her job, and that doesn’t just come out of thin air.
Now hear this one: ‘When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.’ I believe this means when you’re up in arms against everybody, you’ll get little or no help from anyone. But if you’re not fighting everybody, some of those you’re not fighting will consider helping you, which makes perfect sense.
And as always, I try to save the best quote for last. ‘Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress: Working hard for something we LOVE is called passion!’ Ah mih people, there is plenty truth in that statement! When we do things dear to our hearts we usually don’t feel stressed out.
So in light of that, I want to take that statement to a different level. Does our apathy and lethargy and stress-like behaviour in doing our Christian work, signify we don’t LOVE Jesus?
From a mere onlooker’s viewpoint, it would certainly seem so, because there is NO REAL PASSION in our Christian walk! But the evildoers are getting together and passionately doing their evil deeds, while we supposed Christians just seem to laze along, trying desperately not to stir the pot.
But friends, that is exactly why Jesus came to earth; to stir the pot! Back then, the status quo was unacceptable, just like it is today. I guess we blasé Christians don’t inspire our leaders, so our leaders don’t get the necessary inspiration to inspire us. Hn!
And I certainly hope that our lacklustre work on Christ’s behalf does not stem from the words of our Bit. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’
Oh yes friends, it does mean not to get ahead of God, not to try and make things happen in our own strength, to wait for the Lord’s guidance. But while we are waiting, we must continue to be diligent and passionate in what we can do, for there is always stuff for us to do in our wonderful partnership with Christ.
Remember a partnership means the involvement of at least two entities in a mutual agreement, and usually more than one job to get done. And that’s how it is with Jesus and us. He has His part to do, and we have ours. Now sometimes we can’t do our part until He does His, but we still need to keep on working at what we can.
Some of us can’t wait and speed ahead and spoil things, while others wait too much and get nothing done. We need balance my people, and that can only be found by being in sincere and constant communication with Almighty God, and having a passion for doing His work.
Remember, ALL that God is doing is not for Himself nuh, but for OUR benefit! God needs NOTHING, for He already has EVERYTHING.
We have NOTHING, which means we need EVERYTHING. And since EVERYTHING comes from God, then we certainly NEED God! Let’s remember that and wisely put it all into the right perspective. Much LOVE!
…where there is no action…means there is no real passion…since passion…induces action…
07 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leader, a wake up call, an excess of rain, Anselm, blaming, Central America, come crashing down, creation, damage, destruction, diligence, disaster, do more, dream, earth, eternal life, eternity, excellence, excuses, fraudulent schemes, friend, God's work, grin and bear it, heaven, heavenly blessings, heavenly rewards, hit the nail on the head, Honduras, ignorant of, in the water, influence human behaviour, inspire, kept in store, learn, learn more, LOVE, manipulate, meant for harm, my words, Nate, Nicaragua, perdition, Ponzi Scheme, reboot, reserved unto fire, responsibility, right relationship with God, righteousness, salvation, Saturday, seek Jesus, shall not pass away, shall pass away, shower of rain, strengthened my resolve, the beginning, the day of judgement, the enemy, the fountain head, the most powerful instrument, the stockmarket, the U.S Gulf Coast, the Word of god, tropical storm, turned into good, two edged sword, understanding, ungodly men, wisdom, wishy-washy
Matthew 24:35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Ah friends, the enemy always finds some way to disturb God’s work yes! Would you believe that a short while ago, just as I was going to start writing, my trusty computer froze on me and I had to reboot it and start from scratch again?
And though the unexpected delay frustrated me some, overall it just strengthened my resolve to complete my task with diligence and excellence! So that what the enemy meant for harm, the Lord turned into good! All praise and glory to our heavenly Father who so wonderfully inspires us to do His work!
And then there was Nate; just a li’l ole tropical storm, but it has already caused loss of life and done oodles of damage to Central American countries like Honduras and Nicaragua, and is now supposedly heading for the U.S Gulf Coast.
Down there they are busily preparing to weather it as best they can. Meanwhile in my area we are thankful that we finally got a decent shower of rain earlier this morning. Heavenly blessings have been conspicuously absent from my area for a while now.
Hn! How do you reason it out eh: one place getting a surfeit, an excess of rain, while another gets a little to none? The answer is, you don’t, because that’s God’s department. You just have to grin and bear it as best you can, with His help of course.
Anyway, let’s pray that the Lord averts further disaster in the Southern U.S, or causes it to be minimal. I don’t think they can handle much more, but that whatever happens, it will serve as a wake up call to return to right relationship with the God of their forefathers.
And since it’s Saturday, let’s consider some of the inspirational quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his noble aspiration to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one let’s us have it with both barrels: ‘Stop making excuses.’
It hits the proverbial nail right on the head, for we are an excuse making society. We don’t want to take responsibility for anything, always blaming something or someone else for whatever has happened. And until we stop making excuses and start taking responsibility, our society will continue to be wishy-washy.
Then there’s this quote: ‘There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.’ That’s full of truth, but again, in our evil and ungodly society, unlike our friend Anselm, (smile) we focus more on manipulating people than inspiring them.
And that’s not wise, because at some stage of the game people will realize they are being manipulated and then the whole Ponzi scheme will come crashing down. Just look at the stock market and all the other fraudulent schemes existing in our society.
Now the next quote is in direct contrast to the last one: ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ Lots of truth in that friends! In fact our aim should always be to inspire others, as that’s what Jesus came to earth and died for; to inspire us to seek Him and His righteousness.
And I particularly like this last quote: ‘You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.’ Yes my fellow believers, that’s the gospel truth! A lot of us only recognize those who can do something for us, while neglecting, oftimes contemptuously, those who can’t help us in any form or fashion.
But we’re dreadfully wrong in that kind of thinking, for the latter might not be able to do anything for us here on earth, but they’ll do lots for us in heaven if we treat them with respect and help them as best we can. In other words, looking on them favourably will build up heavenly rewards for us. The Lord’s Word says that.
And as our Bit says: ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ That means all that our wonderful God has said will remain true even into eternity…and beyond. (smile)
And we’ll close this series of messages on the power and purpose of God’s everlasting Word with this scripture from 2 Peter, where the apostle is talking about living in the hope of the Lord’s coming. ‘Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers (mockers), walking after (according to) their own lusts (desires).
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep (died), all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of (forget), that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water (the great flood):
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and the earth, which are now (currently exist), by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against (until) the day of judgement and perdition (destruction) of ungodly men.’ (2 Pet.3:3-7)
Yeh friends, it’s all in the Word, and done by the Word, and of the Word! And we can only be afforded salvation and eternal life through the Word! So let’s make sure we write all of that indelibly in our hearts, and souls nuh, because it’s the source, the fountainhead of wisdom and understanding. Much LOVE!
…the Word of God…a mighty two-edged sword…the most powerful instrument in the universe…
30 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, abhor, acknowledge God, advice, Anselm, as bad as, buckle down, calm.feeling fine, Canadian weather, chasten, consistently, correction, cover all bases, depart from evil, diligently, earthly living, fail, failure is never final, fear the Lord, giving up, God's plan for you, gold, Good Book, grace, have a vision, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, heavenly Father, house work, in all thy ways, intimate fellowship, Jesus Christ, laze around, lean not, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, manual, marrow to thy bones, nothing of any consequence, one-liners, peaceful, possessions, precious jewels, profit, purpose for living, put God's plan into action, run errands, Saturday, scripture 101, silver, stop trying, strength, succeed, success, that's life, thine own understanding, trust in the Lord, truth, understanding, vagaries of our climate, vats, what is your why, windstorm, wine, wisdom, with all thine heart, woke up freezing, work on your gift, you want to breathe
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.
Welcome to a fairly bright Saturday friends! It’s a day some of us like because we can just laze around and do nothing of any consequence, while others abhor it, because they have to do house work and run errands outside.
And who knows what’s going to happen today eh? Just to give you an example of the vagaries of our current climate. Yesterday morning after the little rain fell, at least in my area, because others complained of a good downpour, it was bright and sunny, then by mid afternoon a wicked windstorm blew up and continued for most of the night.
Right now though, it’s so peaceful and calm, you’d never believe the crazy way the trees were dancing yesterday. And if that wasn’t enough, last night I went to bed at an early hour, around 11 – that’s real early by my standards – feeling fine, but a couple of hours later I woke up freezing.
I wasn’t sure whether I was just hungry, or the house was indeed cold, but to cover all bases, I came downstairs, had something to eat and turned on the heat. And now I’m thinking that it must have been both, because at minutes to eight in the morning the temperature is only 6 degrees Celsius in my area.
But that’s our Canadian weather! A few days ago I was blasting chilly wind through the house, today it’s the hot stuff! (smile) Anyway as the song says, ‘That’s life!’ And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at what words of wisdom our friend Anselm graced us with this past week, as he endeavoured to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And it was even a shorter set of one-liners than last week. So let’s see if I can arrange them in some sort of sequence that makes sense. First off is ‘What is your “Why?” I guess that means what is your purpose for living? What is the plan God has for your life? And He does have a plan for each and every life He creates. But do you know yours?
And then with that gift in mind, you should ‘Have a vision.’ Have a vision of how you are going to put God’s plan into action. And one of the most important aspects of it all is to ‘Work on your gift.’ Yeh friends, we can only get better at anything if we work consistently and diligently at it.
So whatever gift God has given us we have to just buckle down and work on it. With that comes the option to ‘Succeed as bad as you want to breathe.’ That means we must have this awesome desire to do God’s work. Consequently, we’ll ‘Fail our way to success.’
Just keep on doing and doing and doing…until we succeed. For failure is never final, until we stop trying. And we all know that the words ‘giving up’ don’t exist in the vocabulary of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
But the most important part of all that stuff above is to include our heavenly Father in EACH and EVERY aspect of our lives, for He IS interested in ALL THAT WE DO! And furthermore, we won’t be able to do all that we have or want to do without His help. So it only makes sense to involve Him in our everyday lives.
This brings us to our Bit, and some of the best advice in the Good Book, that invaluable manual for earthly living. Listen to Cousin Sol as he declares: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.’
Oh my brethren, truer words were never spoken! And Cousin Sol just goes on to lay it down with grace and truth. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.
Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary (detest) his correction: for whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise (gain) of it is better than the merchandise (profit) of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.’ (Prov.37:14)
Oh friends, that’s the condensed version of right living right there in those few verses! If we have to read anything at all in the Good Book, those verses should be a priority, because they teach us everything we need to know to live a godly life.
Trust in God and not in our finite, fallible and small minds. Have intimate fellowship with Him. Honour Him in all we do and share what He allows us to have with Him and with others. And don’t get upset when He corrects or punishes us, because He’s only doing so because of His great and awesome LOVE for us.
And therein lies wisdom and understanding, which are more precious and valuable than silver, gold and other precious jewels! And that my brethren, is the lesson for today.
Please, please, let’s learn it and write it deep in our hearts, minds and souls, so that we can observe it each and every day. Much LOVE!
…Scripture 101…look to the Lord for EVERYTHING…in EVERY circumstance…
23 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a grain of truth, a heat warning, adhere to God's law, Anselm, autumn, be not of this world, caretaking of the planet, challenging, Christians, climate change, compel thee, cyclones of leaves, death knell, desires, devastating losses, diligence, dismiss offhandedly, dreams, earthquakes, every walk of life, excellence, fashion ourselves, fires, for your life, forgiving God, give more that you are paid, go the extra mile, go twain, God's wrath, human authority, hurricanes, Jesus, Jewish native, loving your enemies, loyalty, merciful, never give up, not your reality, poor example, remaking us, repentance, responsibility, Sermon on the Mount, shunning responsibility, sincere followers, sinful souls, someone's opinion, spiritual intention of our heart, standards falling, subjugated people, take advantage, temps in the thirties, tests, the blame game, the image of Jesus, the weekend, to go a mile, trials, true believers, trun our eyes and hearts heavenward, upgrade your values, wisdom, with a bang, work habits, work towards your dream
Matthew 5:41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain (two).
Oh friends, autumn has begun with a bang in my area! On the first day, yesterday, the temperature was in the high twenties. And for the weekend, a heat warning has been advised by the Health Department because the temps will be in the thirties all weekend. Wow! Usually by this time the leaves would be brown and falling.
And wonder of wonders, no little cyclones of leaves from my lane have begun spinning around my driveway as yet, as that’s where they all seem to gather in their death knell. Even when all my trees are bare, my driveway is full of them. But right now all the trees are still green, though we haven’t had any rain for at least a couple of weeks during the nice weather.
Unfortunately, a lot of others can’t say the same thing because they have gone through devastating losses because of hurricanes, earthquakes or fires. Ah Lord eh! What’s causing all this sudden unusual disaster eh? Is it simply climate change, or God’s wrath on our sinful souls? Who knows?
But the smart thing would be to try and improve our caretaking of the planet, and turn our eyes and hearts heavenward in repentance to our ever merciful and forgiving God. Those are the only two actions that make sense in these calamitous days my people. Anyway, all true Christians should be praying even more than before, and helping our unfortunate brethren in any way we can.
Now since today is Saturday, let’s look at some quotes from our friend Anselm for this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this week they were all simple one-liners, like: ‘Upgrade your values.’ Now that should be always a priority in our lives, but the fact is that as we get more intelligent and prosperous, our standards are sadly falling. But who cares? Jesus does, as He expects diligence and excellence from ALL His followers.
And Anselm also recommends: ‘Don’t stop working towards your dream.’ Now why would we want to do such a foolish thing eh, when working towards fulfilling them is exactly why God put dreams and desires in our hearts? We need to cherish them, hold them close to our hearts and make every effort for them to come true. And if they adhere to God’s law and will, they will eventually do so, but we do have to keep working diligently and enthusiastically towards them and never give up.
And this quote is interesting. ‘Someone’s opinion is not your reality.’ So true! Ofttimes the opinions of others just don’t jive with what you are about. But please don’t just dismiss them offhandedly; learn to wisely consider those opinions, for sometimes they do contain a grain of truth or wisdom. (smile)
And thus, you can also ‘Take full responsibility for your life.’ Now that quote brings forth a sarcastic chuckle, because we all know that in today’s world, shunning responsibility is the name of the game. It’s always everybody else’s fault but our own. It’s called the blame game: blame everybody else but ourselves.
But then in the last quote, Anselm tells us that we should ‘Give more than you are paid for.’ Hn! Hn! Another no-no in this society! We don’t even want to do what we’re paid to do, much less to give more. Chuh! It’s ingrained in our work habits, to do as little as we can get away with; to take advantage of the benefits wherever we can. So doing extra is just very seldom an option in this modern day and age.
But it was very important to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ as He talks about LOVING our enemies in the Sermon on the Mount, from which our Bit comes. ‘And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain (two).’
So friends, shirking our duty and not willing to give more than we are asked for does not fall into Jesus’ portfolio at all. He expects us ALWAYS to live up to our responsibility and to do and give more than we’re asked. That’s just another example of why, as Christians, we should not be following the dictates of the world. We must be in the world, but not be of the world.
Now here’s an explanation of our Bit from the scholars. ‘5:41. In ancient times government agents were in a position to compel forced service upon a subjugated people. A Roman soldier, for example, could compel a Jewish native to carry his armour or materials for one mile. Jesus now states that if someone compels you to walk a mile, go with him twain. The believer is to be willing to “go the extra mile.” Doing double our duty not only proves our loyalty to human authority, but likewise proves the spiritual intention of our heart.’
Ah mih people, how many of us supposed Christians hold to that action eh? Not as many as should, for we insist on following the poor example of the world, because it’s so much easier, less challenging and less responsible too. But my brethren, as true believers, we should instead be following the outstanding example which Jesus set, and wants us to follow, even though it’s difficult and very challenging.
Yes friends, Jesus is all about coming up higher in EVERY walk of life, and to be His sincere followers, we need to fashion ourselves after Him. Nothing else will do! Much LOVE!
…the tests and trials of this life…are God’s way of remaking us…into the image of Jesus…
16 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, Anselm, Antigua, anything's possible, Barbuda, be of good comfort, belief, believe, believe in God, believe in yourself, blessed, carry on, catastrophic, cheer, Christian faith, Creator, devastated, disaster, disciples, faith, Father, fear not, Florida, fortunate, give thanks to god, go in peace, grace, grateful, have not seen me, healed, heavenly Father, holy spirit, hope, hunger, hurricane, I am in the Father, in full swing, Irma, issue of blood, jehovah god, Jesus, Jesus heard it, Jose, Lord and Saviour, made whole, mercy, once there is life, only believe, Philip, physical hunger, proviso, quotes, risen from the dead, sacrificed, Saturday, sinless life, Son, spiritual lack, sure foundation, synangogue, the bread of life, the Son of God, the very works' sake, the weekend, thirst, Thomas, thy faith hath made thee whole, touch the hem, tropical storm, true beginning, trust, without power, yet have believed
Luke 8:50. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
Well friends, it’s Saturday, we’re alive and kicking and into the weekend in full swing now! For that we should be grateful and give our great God some thanks for His grace and mercy, because that’s the only reason why we’re still alive today. Many people have not been so fortunate or blessed.
But then again friends, is there ever a day when some sort of disaster isn’t taking place in our world? I understand that tropical storm Jose has now strengthened back to hurricane status and is heading for the East coast of North America, including the Eastern Canadian Provinces.
And on another sorrowful note, the island of Barbuda, which was flattened by hurricane Irma now has no one living there, for the first time in some three hundred years.
It was so badly devastated that they had to move all the residents to the sister island of Antigua. It’s a good thing that Antigua did not feel the full force of Irma, otherwise it would have been truly catastrophic.
But what to do eh? We just have to have hope and carry on, for we know that once there is life, there is hope, and once there is hope, anything’s possible. And normally on a Saturday, we’d turn to those priceless quotes from our friend Anselm, in his heroic endeavour to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
However, because of hurricane Irma, I have only received one missive him from him this week, and that was yesterday. He lives some where in Florida and was most likely without power until then. He is apparently one of the fortunate ones, because there are millions down there who are still without power.
And yesterday’s quote aptly said: ‘Believe in yourself.’ And that’s something we all need to do friends, if we hope to have any success in any and every aspect of our lives. However, I would like to add one proviso to that statement…but first, believe in God!
Now that’s the kick-starter for ALL things; belief in Almighty God! For without that assurance and trust in our Creator and heavenly Father, nothing will go right in our lives.
That brings us to our Bit, where, Jesus, on his way to a synagogue ruler’s house to heal his daughter, got waylaid into some other healing, and then a messenger came and told the ruler: ‘Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master (Teacher). But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.’
Yeh friends, everything in our lives first has to start with belief of some kind, and the best kind of belief is that which is based on Almighty God! It’s only logical my brethren. If He is the creator of everything, then there is none better to put our belief, our faith and our trust in!
How did Jesus put it? ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.’ (John 14:1) And so should we, seeing that Jesus IS the Son of God, as well as our Lord and Saviour, who sacrificed His sinless life so that we could be cleansed and set free from our sins.
Oh my people, our Christian experience is based strictly on belief, on faith, on sincere trust in the Holy Trinity, consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If we don’t believe in their ascendancy, then our Christian faith is valueless.
Jesus made the connection very often. Look at when the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years, believing she could be healed if she could only touch the hem of His robe, pushed through the crowd and did exactly that. She was healed immediately.
And what did Jesus say to her afterwards? ‘Daughter, be of good comfort (cheer): thy faith hath made thee whole (well); go in peace.’ (Luke 8:48)
And it works both ways friends. Hear how Jesus admonishes the crowd that followed Him only to be relieved from their physical hunger and not their spiritual lack. ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye have seen me, and believe not.’ (John 6:35-36)
And like wise He chastises Phillip, when he asks Him to show them the Father. ‘Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself (on my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works‘ sake.’ (John 14:9-11)
And we’ll end with this admonishment to Thomas who refused to believe that Jesus was indeed risen from the dead until he saw His scars. ‘Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:29)
Yes faithful followers, that pertains directly to us, who have believed in Jesus and all that He has said and done, without actually seeing Him in the flesh, like the disciples did. We are indeed blessed for that act of faith! Please don’t doubt, or ever lose that belief. Much LOVE!
…again we say…belief in Jehovah God…is the true beginning…and the sure foundation of…EVERYTHING…
26 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a day of rest, a loss of power, according to your faith, adversity, advice, Anselm, be it unto you, be of good comfort, be open to change, belief in one's heart, believe, cast into the sea, cease and desist, change for change sake, Christians, circumstances, clean the house, come to pass, complacent, couch potato husband, doubt in his heart, elementary requirement, excellence, face whatever comes against us, faith, fig tree, foundation, gives Jesus a bad name, go in peace, grab ours back, grocery shopping, grouchy remarks, have fath in God, hissing of teeth, in compasison, Jesus' organization, know the whole story, living truth, look after the children, made thee whole, move mountains, perspective, problems, retain your values, Saturday, simple, sloppy, small, solutions, stabilizing factor, stand strong, stop talking nonsense, talk a good talk, testimony, the forest for the trees, the help of Jesus, the issue of blood, touch his garment, tough people, tough times, trials, tribulations, wash the clothes, wishy-washy, work harder
Matthew 9:29b. According to your faith be it unto you.
Ah friends, it’s Saturday, it’s Saturday, a day of rest! But I hear some hissing of teeth and grouchy remarks coming back like: ‘What day of rest yuh talking about eh? Saturday is the day to clean the house and go grocery shopping and wash the big load of clothes in the clothes basket upstairs!
Chuh! I can’t even bring down the basket in one go, cause it so full! And in between I’ve got to look after the children because I can’t depend on my lazy, couch potato husband to do it. So stop talking nonsense about day of rest please. On Saturdays I work harder than during the week at massa work!’
Awright, awright, I get the picture! So I’ll cease and desist. (smile) Instead we’ll talk about the quotes I received from our friend Anselm this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Hear this first one. ‘If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.’
And that’s the living truth my people. We all figure that we have some of the biggest and worst problems in the world, but if we really saw what others have, we’d rush right back to claim ours because they’d look so small and simple in comparison.
And the second quote says: ‘Perspective–Choose to See the Whole Elephant.’ Yeh friends, it’s often better to see the big picture, so that we miss seeing the forest for the individual tress. We can usually come up with better solutions when we know the whole story.
And here is some world-class heavenly advice, especially for some of us wishy-washy Christians. ‘If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.’
Hear ye, hear ye my people, in Jesus’ organization He expects excellence from EVERYONE! But too many of us supposed believers are not providing that excellence in our faith walk. Instead we’re sloppy and complacent, which doesn’t reflect too well on Jesus and gives Him a bad name. So please, please, let’s get serious and start doing better nuh.
And this last quote is also good advice. ‘Be Open To Change, But Retain Your Values.’ Ah mih breddren, in this ever changing world we cannot resist change, but we also don’t have to change just for change sake.
And above all, when we do change, it is of the utmost importance for us to retain our values, especially our Christian values, for those are NEVER to change, no matter how much things around us change.
So with all this good Christian advice knocking at our hearts and minds, let’s channel it to our Bit, that all-important statement of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’
And that’s just how it is in Jesus’ world! The more you believe, the stronger your faith, then the more you’ll see Him working in your lives. But faith only grows by undergoing adversity; which means oftimes facing harrowing trials and tribulations.
And the truth is that so many of us try to stay clear of those negative things that our faith never grows. We talk a good talk, but we have no testimony to back it up. And you simply cannot be a person of strong faith if you don’t have some testimony of tough times.
What did Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) say? ‘Tough times never last, but tough people do.’ Gospel truth my believing brethren!
We all know that our circumstances change along a continuum; sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes in between, but we are supposed to be the stabilizing factor in it all. We are the ones expected to stand strong and face whatever comes against us, for with the help of Jesus we can do any and everything we need to.
Now let’s hear some of what the Good Book says about faith. And we’ll begin with the words of Jesus, after He cursed the barren fig tree and it withered and died. The disciples were simply amazed at the situation.
But Jesus said to them: ‘Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ (Mark 11:22-24)
Ah friends, that’s the elementary requirement, the foundation of our Christian organization; faith, belief in one’s heart, not doubting. That’s why we can’t come to God unless we believe that He exists.
And we’ll end today with the episode of faith concerning the woman who had the issue of blood for twelve years and couldn’t find healing, then when Jesus passed by she pushed her way through the crowd: ‘For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.’ (Matt.9:21)
And when she touched His garment, she was immediately healed, but Jesus also felt a loss of power and inquired who had touched Him. His disciples questioned how He could figure out who touched him in such a large, jostling crowd? But Jesus persisted, and eventually the lady confessed.
However, instead of being annoyed, Jesus said to her: ‘Daughter be of good comfort (cheer): thy faith hath made thee whole (well); go in peace.’ (Luke 8:48)
Ah friends, that just proves the truth and the efficacy of our Bit: ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’ Much LOVE!
…faith can move mountains…but only if we…sincerely believe…
19 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a blessed life, accepted Jesus Christ, afraid to try, afraid you'll succeed, almighty god, anger, Anselm, anxieties, Asa, Azariah, blood just doesn't take you, Christian walk, christianity, deceit, depart from evil, desires life, detest you, do good, ego, enjoyable action, evil, expect great things from yourself, faith, for no good reason, forsake, hatred, he delivered me from all my fears, he heard me, household chores, I sought the Lord, inspire us, jealous, keep thy tongue from evil, learn the lesson, Lord and Saviour, loves many days, personal experience, picnic, put up with the rain, rain, rainbow, Redeemer, resentment, same old, see good, seek peace and pursue it, seek the Lord, sensible action, separation from God, shopping, sincere connection, sleep, step out on a limb, suffer the consequences, surrender, swollen head, take a chance, the fear of the Lord, the hard way, the Lord is with you, the Spirit of God, thy lips from speaking guile, truth, two types of people, vision of success, worries, you can't make everyone like you, you can't please everyone, you cannot make a difference
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
So what’s up this Saturday morning, eh friends, the same old, same old? I guess the majority of us will be doing household chores and shopping and catching up on whatever we could not do doing the workweek. Some might even spend the day just catching up on the sleep they missed during the days of labour. (smile)
However, a blessed few will be out and about enjoying the sights and sounds of a picnic at the beach or some other such interesting, relaxing and enjoyable action. But whatever we do, please, let’s remember to do it all in the name of our Lord and Saviour, our Leader and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s consider some of the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week in his blessed endeavour to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Hear this first one. ‘There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.’
And why is that eh? I guess because the first lot is simply afraid to take a chance, step out on a limb to gather the better fruit. And the other set is simply jealous that you will succeed and be better off or more important and successful than them.
And following on from that first quote, the second one informs us that: ‘You can’t please everyone, and you can’t make everyone like you.’ And isn’t that the everlasting truth! No matter how sweet you are, and how hard you try, there will always be that core of people who will detest you.
And I speak from personal experience here. Though I was never a people pleaser, or went out of my way to make people like me, I’ve always been pleasant and friendly, not rude or unmannerly to anybody.
But then several years ago, when I discovered that certain people didn’t like me, and apparently for no good reason, since I’d never done them anything, I was quite surprised and somewhat hurt, and had to learn that lesson the heard way. I guess as the ole people would say, ‘some people’s blood just doesn’t take you, and vice versa.’ (smile)
So moving on ‘You must expect great things from yourself before you can do them.’ Quite true my brethren! Unless you have that vision of success and greatness, and keep it steadfastly in front of you, you probably won’t succeed. It’s like faith in our Christian walk, you have to believe it before you can see it.
But one word of caution; please don’t let your ego run loose and your head get too swollen while you climb that ladder of greatness, because the same people you meet going up, will be the same ones you meet coming down. And you usually come down much faster than you go up.
And Anselm ends up with this one: ‘The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.’ No lie! Like so many opposites in this crazy life, you simply can’t have one without the other!
But the beauty and blessedness of it all is if you submit and surrender to Almighty God, you will be able to handle it all! Glory to God my people!
Bruh David wisely espouses that in our Bit. ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ There’s absolutely no doubt that if we sincerely seek the Lord God, He will hears us and relieve us from our anxieties, our worries, our resentments, anger and hatred.
And how do we sincerely seek the Lord? Listen to this advice from Bruh David. ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH, many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:11-14)
That’s it in a nutshell friends! That’s the basic way to seek God, after you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! And please note the last requirement; seek peace, and pursue it.’ That means you diligently and steadfastly have to go after peace, persevering even when it seems you’ll never find or acquire it.
In fact friends, we need to seek and pursue ALL aspects of Christianity, for they don’t just appear out of thin air and stick around like glue. (smile) We have to be eager for them and diligently search them out. That’s what Jesus expects of us.
And we’ll end with these appropriate words from the prophet Azariah. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Oded: And he went out to meet (before) Asa (the king), and said unto him, Hear ye me Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr.15:1-2)
I don’t see how it could get any simpler or plainer than that nuh mih people! If you want to have a blessed life, then you’ve got to have a sincere connection with Almighty God.
And He is right there waiting for us to seek Him and get that connection. And if we do, we’ll find Him. But if we don’t, then we’ll suffer the consequences…eventual separation from Him. It’s all up to us…please remember that. Much LOVE!
…a close walk with our Creator…is the most sensible action we can ever take…
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)
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