03 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy kiss, Anselm, be conquerors, bureaucracy, charlatans, Christians, crooks, crush Satan, deceit, deceive the hearts of the innocent, discontentment, divisions, ego, enticing words, fail, failure defeats losers, failure inspires winners, false teachers, falsehood, flattering speeches, fraud, glory to God, God's Word, gospel truth, greed, harmony, Henry Ford, how good and pleasant it is, hunger for power, Jesus Christ, lest any man should beguile you, LOVE, meditate on the Word, no reason to give up, obedience, offensesdoctrine, on the cross at Calvary, our greatest weakness lies in giving up, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, politics, Pope Francis, praise to God, read your Bible, reputation, run this earthly race of life, sacrificed His sinless life, selfish pride, smooth words, spiritual warmth, stumbling blocks, sure winners, the God of peace, the interest of the local church, the northern climes, the Son is always shining brightly, this I say, Thomas Edison, to succeed -always try one more time, ungodliness, unity, we could have life abundantly, when brethren dwell together in peace and unity
Colossians 2:4. And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words.
Well Friends, it’s Saturday… and in these northern climes the cold winds of autumn are now blowing steadily, with daytime highs of around 12 or 13 and nighttime lows down to 3 and 4 Celsius. That’s not a wonderful situation at all, because it means that the nighttime now calls for heat, and in the day time sweaters and coats and scarfs etc., for though the sun might be shining brightly its heat is negligible.
But all praise to God that the Son is ALWAYS shining brightly and His LOVE and spiritual warmth never dissipates, regardless of our earthly seasons! Oh Glory to God my people, for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that our sins could be forgiven and our souls reconciled to our heavenly Father!
Please, let’s NEVER FORGET the awesome price He paid for our deliverance! He paid it so that we could have life abundantly, that we could be conquerors, that we could run this race of earthly life and be sure winners. And though we may fail often in this life, that’s absolutely no reason to give up.
As our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us, says in a recent quote: ‘Failure defeats losers, failure inspires winners.’ And that’s gospel truth my people! When losers fail, they give up, but when winners fail, they get right back up and keep on trying, until they eventually succeed.
And here are a couple of other quotes from two men who met with a lot of failure early on in their careers but never gave up. And we all know the results of their persistence and perseverance, for down through the years we have enjoyed the phonograph, the motion picture camera and the practical light bulbs of Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), and the affordable motor car coming off the assembly line of Henry Ford (1863-1947), though now all in more modern forms.
Edison is reputed to have said: ‘Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.’
Meanwhile Henry Ford apparently declared: ‘You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.’ And so saying he went out and developed the assembly line that built cars quicker and cheaper. And the same things apply to us Christians; we can’t give up, since giving up doesn’t exist in our vocabulary, neither can we build a solid Christian reputation on just talk. But we still try to do it anyway. (smile)
Our lives ought to reflect that of Jesus Christ as much as possible, according to whatever stage we’re at in our race. But in this day and age of so much ungodliness, fraud and discontentment, where almost instant communication is available, and lots of out and out crooks, charlatans and false teachers abound, the believer has to be very selective in whom or what he or she reads, watches or listens to.
Bruh Paul would have cried in dismay if he could see the amount of falsehood and deceit that’s been perpetrated in our current world. That’s why his words to the Colossians found in our Bit, are still so vital and necessary today. ‘And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words.’
Yes my brethren, it so easy to be led astray today, especially if we don’t have personal knowledge of God’s Word. That’s why it’s ever so important for EACH and EVERY BELIEVER to read their Bibles; to study, to meditate on its contents, so you can have a good foundation and not be easily led astray by any and every nefarious doctrine that’s preached.
Listen to how Bruh Paul puts it to the Roman church in his personal greetings. ‘Salute one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. Now I beseech you, brethren, mark (note) them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good (smooth) words and fair (flattering) speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (innocent).
For your obedience is come abroad (reported) unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise (crush) Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.’ (Rom.16:16-20)
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ’16:17. Words of warning concerning danger threatening the church. Paul does not want the unity implied in verses 3-16 to be broken, marred, or impaired. Paul delivers the command to mark them who are the source of divisions and stumbling blocks in the assembly, because they cause divisions and offenses (cf. 14:13b). They are to avoid them or “turn away” from them. They are not to try to argue with or convert them (cf. 14:1).’
‘16:18. Serve not our Lord: Anyone who mars the unity or harmony of the local church does not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of his claim. He puts his interest above the welfare and interest of the local church.’
Oh Friends, oh Friends, you don’t need me to tell you that ‘divisions and offenses’ as spoken by Bruh Paul are rampant and unceasing in today’s church, both local, national and international. It seems that politics, bureaucracy, greed, selfish pride and ego, along with an insatiable hunger for power are at the forefront of today’s church. That’s why nobody is taking us seriously anymore.
But if the church cannot be trusted to do the right thing, who can be eh? I admire Pope Francis’ down to earth attitude and his desire to turn the church around to where it is truly a conduit to Christ, but he is only one man, and an old one at that, and some of the unrighteousness is so deeply built into the church and its bureaucracy, that it will take more than him to root it out.
Anyway my people, enough for today. There’s a lot for you to consider, to ponder on, so please do, and then let’s try and improve Christ’s church, one day, one brick at a time. With His help, we can certainly do it. Much LOVE!
…oh how good and pleasant it is…when brethren dwell together… in peace and unity…
11 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man with many friends comes to ruin, a mother's tenderness, acted as a traitor against me, Anselm, blessings, celebrity circles, count me for a stranger, deceitful friends, disappointment, earthly problems, encourage and support us, fears, friends, glory to God, God is faithful, guard the doors of thy mouth, hangers on, hath lifted up his heel against me, hurts, I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, in a positive manner, in whom I trusted, inner circle, Inspire us for a better tomorrow, it is better to trust in the Lord, jehovah god, Job, look first to God for guidance, LOVE, man's faithfulness, mercies, Micah, mine own familiar friend, my close friends have forgotten me, my God will hear me, negative attitude, Praise the Lord, put ye nor confidence in a companion, rats abandoning a floundering ship, rejoice not against me, secret sin, selfish, stand strong and steadfast, superficial relationships, surround yourself with people who will lift you higher, than to put confidence in man, the Lord shall be a light unto me, the universe is unfolding as it should, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, tragedy, trust ye not in a friend, ungodly world, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, when I fall I shall rise, when I sit in darkness, which did eat my bread, words of awesome wisdom, you can change the people you choose to be around, you cannot change the people around you
Psalm 41:9. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me (acted as a traitor against me).
Well Friends, a glorious Tuesday morning to you all! God’s still on His throne and the universe is unfolding as it should. Glory to God! We too are still alive and have the promise of His many new blessings and mercies prepared especially for today to look forward to.
Hn! What a wonderful God we serve and worship eh! One who prepares special blessings and other good stuff for us each and every day. No stale stuff for our God! He LOVES His people so much that He wants to give us something new at every sunrise.
And then people wonder and ask why we LOVE Him so much? That’s obvious; simply because He sincerely cares and looks after us with a mother’s tenderness and concern, paying serious attention to all our hurts, fears and earthly problems and helping us to resolve them. How can we not LOVE Him then eh?
The problem for us now is to find people who are of like beliefs as ourselves, meaning believe in Jehovah God, and are willing to stand strong and steadfast in His Name and do what He desires. Unfortunately, in this ungodly world those people are hard to find.
But we have a couple of recent quotes from our Friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. They came separately, but I have put them both together as they fit nicely that way.
And Anselm wisely advises: ‘You cannot change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around. Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.’
Oh my people, those are indeed words of awesome wisdom! We can’t change the habits of the people around us, but we can definitely change the people that we choose to be around. And following on from that, we need to surround ourselves with people who are going to lift us higher, give us sound and godly advice.
Yes Friends, in our camps, we desperately need people who are going to encourage and support us in our earthly endeavours in a positive manner, not those who tend to be negative, an attitude that only serves to drag us down.
That’s why it’s ever so important that we carefully choose those we allow into our inner circle, and not make that inner circle too large and unwieldy either. For a man with too many friends is just begging for destruction. And that’s why Cousin Sol says that ‘A man that hath friends must show himself friendly (may come to ruin): and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ (Prov.18:24)
And the scholars paraphrase that by saying ‘a man must not spread himself too thin among many superficial relationships. Far better it is to have (a few) friends who become like family and LOVE at all times (17:17).’
Gospel truth my brethren! That brings us to our Bit. ‘Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me (acted as a traitor against me).’
And that’s no lie! For many of us have experienced that same disappointment that Bruh David is talking about. And in this ever more selfish and ungodly world it is becoming real difficult to find true friends.
Look at Job nuh; instead of truly commiserating with him in his awful tragedy, his supposed friends only came and berated him, accused him of some secret sin as the reason for his downfall.
And we certainly can’t blame him when he cries out: ‘My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar (close) friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight…All my inward (close) friends abhorred me: and they whom I LOVED are turned against me.’ (Job.19:14-15,19)
Ah mih people, that is what usually happens when some serious tragedy overtakes us; many of our close associates no longer stand beside us. And you can see that in bright and living colour in a lot of celebrity circles.
When the celebrity is hot, riding the wave of financial and career prosperity, there are a lot of hangers on, but once their star begins to dim, and their financial ability diminish, they all quickly disappear, like rats abandoning a floundering ship.
Yes Friends, like Bruh David says later on in Psalm 55 – A cry against deceitful friends. ‘For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne (bear) it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide (companion), and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company (in the throng).’ (Ps.55:12-14)
Ah mih people, what heartache betrayal of close friends brings! And the closer they are to us, the deeper the pain! No wonder the prophet Micah, on denouncing the sins of Israel solemnly declares: ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic.7:5-7)
Ah Friends, sadly a lot of what Micah says is true, for there is a lot of unnecessary feuding between families these days. So if there is much dissatisfaction and resentment amongst the smallest unit of our society, what can we expect from the larger units eh? Nothing but the same, except on a larger scale.
But I like how Micah continues after bemoaning the untrustworthiness rampant in his day. He staunchly and confidently declares: ‘Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.’ (Mic.7:8)
And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’ Yes my brethren, for He is indeed worthy to be praised because He does not ever leave or forsake us, or turn against us. Our wonderful God is forever faithful and true! That’s why we can put our total trust and faith in Him!
Please my brethren, let’s be wise and look FIRST to God for guidance, direction and every good thing in this life, for man’s faithfulness cannot be trusted. Much LOVE!
…it is better to trust in the Lord…than to put confidence in man… (Ps.118:8)
02 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a close relationship with God, a tight hold on our reins, a torch of hope, Anselm, antidote, apathy, be thankful for what you have, believe in the light, Bruh Paul, Caribana, Christian homes, communion between believers, complaining about what we don't have, defense, do not practice the truth, ephemeral Being, Ephesians, ethical overtones, eyewitness, fairy-tale king, give thanks, God dwells within us, God is always right beside us, God is light, God's will, gospel truth, guidance, guilt, happiness, ignorance, immorality, in him is no darkness at all, Jesus Christ, laziness, lifts your spirits, light in the Lord, lighthouses, like pulling teeth, mere mortals, misery, moral purity, never get it, obedience, opposition to God, ordained by God, party people, petty excuses, practicing Christians, priae, profess to love God, reciprocating love, reconciled to God, reinvigorated, sacrifice, satanic world, set a proper example, sin's presence and power, spiritually unenlightened, Sunday, surrender, that ye may be the children of light, the bondage of sin, the heathen, the Holy Spirit, the infidel, the message we have heard, the shed blood of jesus christ, the things of this world, truth, violent death on the cross, walk as children of light, walk in darkness, walking in sin, wanty wanty, we lie, worship, Ye are the light of the world, ye were sometimes darkness
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Okay all you party people, it’s Sunday, time to get up and get yourselves to church, for this is the day that was ordained by God for His children to gather in His sanctuary every week to worship Him and to revive and refresh our faith and witness. Yes Friends, leaving church makes you feel reinvigorated, renewed, and lifts your spirits.
And we don’t want any petty excuses like I’m tired because I was out partying till late. You should have thought about that before. When you came home from work or wherever, you were tired too, but that didn’t stop you from going out to party, so please don’t let a little tiredness, plus a lot of apathy and laziness stop you from going to praise and worship and give thanks to your heavenly Creator this Caribana Sunday morning of 2015!
I’m chuckling here Friends, but seriously, that is the exact scenario that’s playing out in many Christian homes this Sunday morning. What is it eh about going to church that makes it feel like pulling teeth, but going out to parties requires a tight hold on our reins?
And yet we still profess to LOVE God so much. But how can you LOVE Him when you don’t want to go to His house and make nice with Him eh? I guess it’s partly because we still have this idea of God being some faraway, ephemeral Being, more like a fairy-tale king, who just sits on His throne in heaven on high and looks down on us mere mortals with only a cursory glance and an occasional nod.
But that’s the furthest thing from the truth Friends, because our wonderful God is always right beside us. In fact He dwells within us through the power of His Holy Spirit and He is very much interested in EVERY thing we do, because He truly LOVES us, with a LOVE so great that He even gave His one and only son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice so that we could be reconciled to Him! Now if that isn’t real true LOVE, I don’t know what is.
Somehow though, we seem to have a real problem reciprocating that LOVE! But if we truly want to spend eternity with Him in heaven, my people we have to get to a point of true LOVE, surrender and obedience to the Father’s will. Another part of our problem is that we’re too much into the things and ways of this wicked world, which are in complete opposition to those of God.
That brings to mind a recent interesting quote from our friend Anselm, who delights in inspiring us for a better tomorrow. And Anselm warns; ‘Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never have enough.’
And that’s gospel truth my brethren! Many of us don’t have enough because we are always concentrating on and complaining about what we don’t have, which only aggravates our spirits and drives us nuts. However, when we’re thankful for whatever we have, we bring a different element, a different emotion to the table; one of contentment, of sufficiency, at least for the time being, instead of constantly being uptight and wanting.
Remember the ole Jamaican saying: ‘Wanty wanty, never get it?’(smile) That’s also indisputable truth! As sincere, practicing Christians though, what we need to do is to set a proper example for the rest of the world, for the infidel, the heathen, to follow.
As Jesus so wisely puts it our Bit: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ And we all know that to be true, that’s why lighthouses were always built on hilly ground, so that their light could be seen from far and wide and give good guidance to the travellers seeking it.
That’s our mission on this earth people; to be guiding lights in a world of darkness. Not necessarily as overblown as a light house, but certainly at least as a large lamp.
As Bruh Paul advised the Ephesians when talking about the ways of the believer: ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.’ (Eph.5:8) Yes my people, that’s certainly Jesus’ expectation of His followers.
And the scholars give us this bit of info on that verse. ‘5:8. Darkness indicates that the readers used to be spiritually unenlightened, and accompanying this ignorance was immorality with its resultant guilt and misery. Light denotes that the recipients are now to be religiously informed. Their knowledge of the truth is attended by moral purity and happiness.’
Ah mih breddren, what is it going to take for us to really wake up and see and truthfully accept the light eh? We have to do it real soon Friends, because Jesus can return at any moment, and then it will be too late.
Listen to how John describes God’s light in his first epistle. ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ (1John 1:5-7) What awesome consolation Friends!
And the scholars offer this info on those verses. ‘1:5. Again John implies his eyewitness status, having heard of him, that is, Jesus. John passes on to the church teaching he first received from Jesus. Light and darkness here have ethical overtones. John is saying that God is perfect and good; there is thus no sin or evil in Him. This will have implications for followers of this God in the following verses.’
‘1:6. Walk in darkness means walking in sin. John may have had in mind people who claimed to be enjoying a close relationship with God, but whose lives were clearly characterized by sin. Such a state of affairs, John say boldly, is impossible; such persons are lying.’
‘1:7. “God is light” (v.5): To walk in this light, which is to live free from the bondage of sin (cf. Rom 6:18), is to make true communion between believers possible. Jesus’ violent death on the cross, which is what blood signifies, is the initial antidote for and ultimate defense against sin’s presence and power.’
Voilà! There we have it Friends! The only antidote and the best defence against Lucifer’s evil presence and power: the shed BLOOD of Jesus Christ! So please, let’s be wise and go to the cross and take hold of it nuh, so that we can run with it blazing like a brilliant torch of hope in the darkness of this satanic world. That’s wisdom everlasting! Much LOVE!
…while ye have light…believe in the light…that ye may be…the children of light… (John 12:36a)
19 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lost art, Aaron's beard, Abraham, anger, Anselm, be careful what you ask for, be not forgetful to entertain strangers, biological, blessings, blood is thcker than water, blood ties, bonds of unity, breakdown of the family, Bruh David, Christian faith, church, deterioration of our society, disunity, encourage, evil minions, faith, families, food, for brethren to dwell together in unity, friends, give thanks for your life and strength, gospel, greed, herdsmen, hospitable, hospitality, how good and how pleasant it is, indomitable resolve, infighting, kind, let brotherly love continue, life for ever more, live in unity with each other, Lot, loving, Lucifer, man was made before machines, morning light, obedient to God's will, patience, perseverance, praise and worship Almighty God, precious oil, preciousness of family unity, raise the level of our faith, resentment, selfishness, some have entertained angels unawares, strengthen our backbones, strife, summer weather, teachings of Christ, the breath of life, the dew of Hermon, the joy of living, the mountains of Zion, the vagaries of modern machines, ungodly world, unity, we are brethren
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Ah Friends, our God is surely something else yes! Remember yesterday I talked about not having much real summer weather although we were in the middle of July. Well what do you think His response was to my statement? Yesterday showed up with a temperature of 28 C, and today and tomorrow are forecasted to have temps of 30 degrees on both days.
Hn, hn! It just goes to show that you must be very careful with your words, and also in what you ask for, because you are very liable to get more than you bargained for.
Oh by the way, please accept my apologies for that messy looking Bit yesterday. I had some problems with the computer not doing what it usually does. And even after I separated the paragraphs in the second Bit, it still jumbled them together.
Ah Lord the vagaries of modern machines eh! They oftimes do their own thing, regardless of our directions. (smile) But please remember that man was made before machines and we must not allow them to lead us, or direct our lives in ways we should not go.
Now here is an interesting quote from our Friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. He says to ‘Live your life so that the fear of death can never enter your heart. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light. Give thanks for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. And if perchance you see no reason for giving thanks, rest assured the fault is in yourself.’
And that’s gospel my brethren. If we can’t find anything to give thanks for, then it’s our fault, because there are so many things in this life to be thankful for, especially the breath of life that’s flowing through our body.
And don’t forget that today is Sunday, so we are expected to gather together with other believers and praise and worship Almighty God, giving thanks for all the wonderful blessings He’s bestowed on us. And in the process have Him raise the level of our faith, strengthen our backbones with patience, perseverance and the indomitable resolve to be obedient to His holy will in the upcoming week.
Yes Friends, we gather every week so that we can encourage and be encouraged in our Christian faith. And all of that just fits in nicely, segues smoothly in to our Bit; Bruh David’s famous words on the joy of brotherhood. ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’
Yes my people, there’s no better way to live, both in our biological and our church families than in unity with each other. As Bruh David explains it. ‘It is like the precious ointment (oil) upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts (edge) of his garments. As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for ever more.’ (Ps.133:2-3)
The psalm’s short, only three verses, but sweet Friends. And the scholars have this to say about it. ‘Psalm 133. This psalm is all about the preciousness of family unity. Its blessedness is exclaimed (v.1) and explained (vv.2-3). It sanctifies (v.2) and solidifies (v.3).’
Ah mih breddren, if only we could regain the unity we once had in families, both biological and church that we once had! What a blessed world this would be! But unfortunately we have allowed Lucifer, his evil minions and an ungodly world to remove that unity, only to be replaced by disunity, infighting, greed, selfishness, resentment and anger to those closest to us.
Biological families are no longer guided by their blood ties, nor the church by the true teachings of Christ, but by whomever or whatever is most convenient and beneficial at the time. The old people once claimed that blood was thicker than water, and back then it was certainly true. Families stuck up for each other and stuck together regardless of the circumstances.
But sadly that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer, for blood ties are no longer held as sacred bonds of unity, and in the church, the overwhelming presence of Christ, has been certainly lessened. All of this simply leads to a breakdown of the family, and eventually the church and our society. And that’s exactly what we are currently seeing; the deterioration of all that we once held sacred.
And the sacrosanct idea of unity is well borne out in Abraham’s words to Lot when their herdsmen were engaged in strife over the feeding grounds of their cattle. ‘And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.’ (Gen13:8)
Yes Friends, those last four words said it all: ‘for we be brethren.’ And brethren are not supposed to be fighting amongst themselves. But how many of us nowadays would even say that, or even think that way eh? Not too many. For it seems as though there’s more infighting between brethren these days than fighting with outsiders.
And we’ll end with a couple of well-known verses from Hebrews, re service well pleasing to God. ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb.13:1-2)
Ah mih people, what wise words indeed! The author is there talking about the people who visited Abraham (Gen.1-3) and Lot (Gen.19:1-2) That means we’re to be LOVING, kind and hospitable to whoever shows up at our door, for we never know whom our visitors will truly be.
Unfortunately though, in these modern times hospitality is a lost art, but as Christians, we are advised to be hospitable, to all and sundry too, because that is what Jesus desires and expects of us. So my brethren, let’s sincerely and diligently try to regain that sense of family nuh, of unity, and of hospitality, for it will only serve us wonderfully in the long run. Much LOVE!
…how wonderful Christ must feel…when His people dwell in true unity…LOVE and hospitality…
29 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a voracious fire, Advocate of love, almighty god, Anselm, antidote, awesome truth, bloodguiltiness, body and soul, call to repentance, cease to do evil, cleanse, Cleanse your hands, cleansing of the heart, colourfast dye, consume you, defend the fatherless, demon, demonic plague, depths of hades, doubleminded, draw near to God, evil doings, fellowship, floor our hearts, flow like water, fool-fool, forgive, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glory hallelujah, God will draw near to you, gospel truth, grace, Hades, hate in your heart, heaven, heavenly Father, in Jesus' name, invitation, Jesus Christ, Jesus returns, joy, let God deal with them, LOVE, love always conquers hate, LOVE is of God, LOVE of God, Lucifer, make you clean, might be too late tomorrow, no more slaving, no way Jose, omnipotent, peace, plead for the widow, prince of peace, purify your hearts, rages, reason together, reasonable, red like crimson, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, ritual washing, scarlet worm, seek justice, sin be as scarlet, sinners, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the devil's own tool, the life- changing grace of God, time to party, true repentance, wash you, week of work, when it rains it pours, white as snow, wisdom, without warning, wool
James 4:8. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.
Well Friends, it’s Friday once again, a glorious sun shiny day!
And it’s obvious that the working population is going to sing out with joy: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! No more slaving for massa for two big whole days! Wow! Glory Hallelujah! It’s time to party now! Thank God it’s Friday and the drinks going to flow like water!’
Oh my people, that might not be the best sentiment to express on behalf of Friday, but it is the gospel truth! I remember growing up in Tobago; on a Friday evening the capital of Scarborough would be the busiest ever; especially if it was payday, all the rum shops would be doing a thriving business. That would be their best day of the week.
And I believe some, and possibly a lot of that heritage still lingers on in the minds and actions of the workingman. But we all know that that’s not the best way to spend our Friday evenings. And to help us make some better decisions, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much seriousness of purpose.
As one 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.’
Yeh Friends, we ought to use the weekend for refreshing ourselves so that we can continue God’s work next week with vim and vigour, not in a hung over haze.
Now here is an interesting word from my buddy Anselm, as always, trying to inspire us to a better tomorrow. ‘Throughout life, people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too.’
Oh my people, my people, that is the absolute truth! There’s nothing that can consume you like hate! It just rages in you like a voracious fire, consuming whatever it comes into contact with, causing problems in every area of your life, as well as the lives of those with whom you come into contact.
Yes Friends, hate is the devil’s own tool, one we don’t want inside of us at all, at all, at all! But to successfully conquer that demonic plague, there’s only one avenue open to us; that’s turning to the Prince of Peace and Advocate of LOVE, Jesus Christ.
And how do we do that? Our Bit it spells it out quite clearly. ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.’
Yes my brethren, that’s the best known antidote for hate available to mankind! Glory to God!
Please remember that true LOVE will ALWAYS conquer hate, because LOVE is of God, the Creator and Controller of this universe, and no little fool-fool demon like Lucifer can ever conquer the likes of Almighty God!
That’s why he dwells in the depths of Hades and the Lord in the wonder of Heaven. He was kicked out of heaven for his hateful behaviour, so how can he ever be mightier than our omnipotent heavenly Father eh? No way Jose!
Now let’s check up on some scripture that deals with our Bit. Hear Isaiah deliver the message in his call to repentance. ‘Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgement (justice), relieve (reprove) the oppressed (oppressor), judge (vindicate, defend) the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ (Is.1:16-18)
Oh Friends, oh Friends, what a beautiful invitation to meet and talk with the Lord of the universe!
And the scholars offer these important observations. ‘1:16-17. Wash does not indicate that the sinner may cleanse himself. Nor does it refer to mere ritual washing. Rather, it indicates that the sinner must accept the cleansing offered by the Lord, a cleansing of the heart resulting in true repentance.’ What an awesome truth that my people!
‘1:18-20. The prophet’s appeal to come and reason together reveals God’s gracious invitation to all men. It literally means to be “reasonable” by repenting and turning to God. Their sin is described as scarlet and red like crimson, referring to their bloodguiltiness before God. The term crimson also means “worm,” referring to the colourfast dye of the scarlet worm.
The eradication of this stain turns it snowy white and is symbolic of the life-changing grace of God, which delivers men from the guilt and condemnation of sin. Thus the prophet reminds his readers that God stands ready to cleanse and forgive all who will turn to Him.’
Oh my brethren, that is the same message I’m imparting to us today: God is ready, willing and able to cleanse and forgive all who turn to Him in sincere repentance! So please don’t let this opportunity pass you by, because it just might be too late tomorrow, or some other time when Jesus returns without warning.
And on that vital and vibrant note, we’ll end today. Please ponder, seriously consider all that we’ve said, and then let the true LOVE of God flood our hearts with peace, wisdom, joy and LOVE! That’s the best, and only true prescription for wonderful living! Much LOVE!
…cleansing our hearts and souls through repentance….brings such an awesome revelation…that only fools won’t do it…
P.S. Oh Friends, please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but like the late nights and early mornings are finally getting to me. (smile) I got up this morning, thought the clock said 7.30, but it was really 8.30. Hn, Hn! Just remember though that the ole fella is only human and thus liable to err. (smile) Much LOVE!
P.S.S. When it rains, it certainly pours yes! would you believe that just as I was about to send the Bit, the so and so computer froze on me. Chuh blast! But I won’t let Lucifer spoil my day. (smile) Much LOVE!
21 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a man of understanding, almighty god, an attitude of prayer, Anselm, at noon, awesome truth, be vigilant in prayer, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, calamity, called by Christ's name, change of behaviour, children of Almighty God, Christian faith, come to terms with, common sense, crucifixion, cry aloud, dare to believe, dare to comfort, dare to dream, dare to hope, decisive, devotion, divine aid, eliminate God, evening, faith, filled with anger, filled with despair, filled with distrust, filled with hate, forgive their sin, friends, glory to God, groanings, he shall hear my voice, He will never leave nor forsake us, heal their land, Higher Power, humble themselves, I will call upon god, I will hear from heaven, I will look up, indecisive, indispensable, infirmities, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keeps us on an even keel, lasting improvement, lifting up holy hands, lose heart, made it a habit to pray, man's survival, men ought always to pray, morning, my people which are called by my name, not faint, perseverance, positive, pray, pray everywhere, pray without ceasing, prayer, praying, praying always, presence of sin, promises of Jesus, return to God's fold, seek my face, spiritual armour, spiritual combat, supplication, tempted to give up, the Comforter, the evil one, the Garden of Gethsemane, the greatest force in this world, the Holy One of Israel, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's prayer, the Son of God, the Spirit makes intercession, thou shalt hear my voice in the morning, trust, turn away from their wicked ways, unfaltering faith, when it's not one thing it's another, will I pray, wisdom, wish-washy, without wrath and doubting
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well Friends, a good Thursday morning to you! And it does look bright and sunny outside, but it is still a little chilly, chillier than usual at this time of year. The weather certainly doesn’t seem to know what it wants to do. We’ll have some bright and warm days, then some bright, chilly and windy ones.
But thankfully as children of Almighty God and believers in Jesus Christ we don’t have to be so indecisive, for our faith keeps us on an even keel. Glory to God!
That doesn’t mean that some of us still aren’t wishy-washy and indecisive, too many too, but overall we are generally a decisive group. And we should be, since Jesus our Leader is a positive and decisive person.
Now here is an interesting message from my friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. (smile) He says: ‘In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.’
And isn’t all of that awesome truth Friends? It sure is! Our world’s a mess, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on it or ourselves, for we have the certain sure promises of Jesus that He will never leave nor forsake us, and in any matter we bring before Him He will hear and help us. And that’s the basics of our Christian faith; a Higher Power to place our undivided trust in.
But as we’ve been talking about in our Bit, the last couple decades or so, we’ve been come up much too short in our trust and devotion to Almighty God, and we desperately need a change of behaviour to make matters right with Him. That means a change in the way our hearts, minds and souls operate.
We seriously need to come to terms with the advice of our Bit. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
Ah mih people, it’s about time we sincerely and seriously begin to put that heavenly wisdom into our individual lives and our society in general, instead of unwisely and foolishly trying to eliminate Jehovah God from both places.
We can see from the disastrous state of our world that removing God from our world doesn’t work; it’s a certain platform for calamity.
So please, let’s refrain from following the evil one, his many minions, and their evil ways, and being a group of people called by Christ’s name, humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn away from our wicked ways, so that He can hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land, which so badly needs healing.
That is the only way our world, and subsequently our individual lives will really have lasting improvement.
And we’ll continue looking at scriptures that highlight the things we need to do to successfully return to God’s fold. Today’s word is simply ‘PRAY.’ But Friends, though it sounds simple, ‘pray, prayer and praying’ however you term it, is the greatest force in this world! It’s found as being essential to man’s survival throughout the entire Bible.
And prayer and praying are so important in the Christian’s life that Jesus once told a parable ‘to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) So when we’re tempted to give up, that’s when we most need to be strong and pray.
Earlier on too, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and He taught them what is now universally known as ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ Then in John, we see Jesus offering to pray to the Father for the disciples, for the Holy Spirit, the Comforter to dwell within them forever. (Jon 14:16)
And even more importantly my brethren, Jesus made it a habit to pray Himself to His heavenly Father, rising up early and going out to a quiet place to pray. (Mark 1:35) We also see Him praying diligently in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion. (Matt.26:36-46)
So Friends, if Jesus, the Son of God, found it necessary to pray to the Holy One of Israel, how and why, shouldn’t we mere mortals do the same eh?
Then you have great men of faith like Bruh David solemnly declaring: ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’ (Ps.5:3)
And also in Psalm 55 – a cry against deceitful friends – he steadfastly proclaims: ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.’ (Ps.55:16-17) What unfaltering faith my people!
Then Bruh Paul tells the Romans. ‘Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities (weaknesses): for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.’ (Rom.8:26)
The scholars explain that thus: ‘8:26. Our infirmities may refer to the presence of sin (cf. 7:14). Groanings: The Spirit also groans along with creation and the believer. The reference is to the Spirit’s interpretation of the believer’s uttermost feelings which cannot be put into words.’
Then to the Ephesians, Bruh Paul says: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:18) This is all linked to the putting on of God’s protective spiritual armour. (vs.10-17)
And as the scholar’s say: ‘6:18. Without prayer, God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means ‘on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks. In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made.
Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves, but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
And to Timothy, Bruh Paul declares: ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) Yes Friends, men are to pray everywhere, regardless of where they are, with a pure life, no anger and disputes.
And finally, to the Thessalonians, Bruh Paul simply advises: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) Yes my people, we ought to always have an attitude of prayer, even though we’re not praying audibly.’
And that Friends, is wisdom, common sense and understanding at their highest levels. Please, let’s try and attain to those levels nuh, for it will do us the world of good. Much LOVE!
…prayer is the life force which keeps this world still humming along…though it’s in such a sad state…
P.S. Friends, it’s long and late, but that’s just the way it worked out. Then just as I was about to send it, my trusty computer froze on me, so I had to reboot it. And now the technician is here to fix my alarm system which the phone company screwed up! Ah Lord, when is not one thing is certainly another. But it’s all good in the end. (smile) Much LOVE!
19 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beacon, a feeling of peace, a relationship with Christ, almighty god, Anselm, background noise, behave godly, bounden duty, called by God's name, celebration, Christ-lie, Christians, come up higher, communing with nature, desires, disastrous state of our world, downfalls, duty, eternal life, evil, evil cohorts, fear not, forgive their sin, free gift of grace, friends, gentle breezes, give men for thee, God's chosen people, God's people, gospel truth, grace, guide others to Christ, heal their land, honoured, humble themselves, I am the Lord thy God, I will be with thee, individual hurts, ingrained in our nature, insincere pleas, Inspire us for a better tomorrow, irresponsibly, Isaiah's declaration, Israelites, Jesus Christ, light of the world, LOVE, low over me, Lucifer, mesh with God's will, more beautiful than silence, Moses, motives, my neck of the woods, negative actions, negativity, night insects, peace, people for thy life, people which are called by my name, ponder, pray, precious in my sight, Queen Victoria, quick communication, quiet of the morning, ransom, refresh our memories, rejuvenating the spirits, responsibility, responsible society, right conclusion, rocket science, rustle the leaves of the trees, sacrificing, salt of the earth, salvation, scans our hearts, seek God, seek my face, silence is golden, silence., sinful nature, sing songs of praise, social media, sounds of the highway, spread Christ's gospel, strife, talking nonsense, the blessings of obedience, the children of Israel, the flame scorch thee, the heathen, the Holy One of Israel, the lust of the flesh, the only redeemer, the rivers shall not overflow thee, the things of the world, the unbeliever, think before we talk, thou shalt not be burned, trillion dollar question, turn away from their wicked ways, turn back to God, ungodly society, when thou passest through the waters, when thou walkest through the fire, will I hear from heaven
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Aye Friends, please blame the lateness of this Tuesday morning Bit at the feet of Queen Victoria, as I was up till late last night, early this morning, celebrating her day. (smile) But not to worry, it was celebration of the good kind.
And then, before I went to bed, I obviously had to spend some time sitting out on my front porch enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning, communing with nature and my most wonderful God.
Oh my people, you wouldn’t understand how peaceful and quiet it is in my neck of the woods at that time! I sit out there and just let the gentle breezes blow over me, as they rustle the leaves of the trees, and the night insects sing their songs of praise to their Creator, with the sounds of the highway acting as background noise in the distance.
Such a feeling of peace washes over me, that this morning I had to force myself to get up and go to bed, the atmosphere was so amenable to sitting out there for much longer. (smile)
Ah Friends, what’s the point of God giving us these natural amenities for rejuvenating our spirits, if we don’t make use of them eh? None whatsoever!
Anyway, here’s an interesting piece of advice from my Friend Anselm, as he attempts to inspire us for a better tomorrow. He says: ‘Open your mouth only if what you are going to say is more beautiful than silence.’
What a wonderful bit of advice that is my brethren! It brings to mind the saying that ‘silence is golden.’ And it surely is, especially when what we’re planning to say is just going to provoke strife and negativity.
Oh, the many negative actions we can avoid if we’ll only think before we talk! But that seems to be one of our big downfalls, especially in this age of quick communication and social media.
Instead of cutting back on our talking, we seem to be talking even more than usual, and consequently talking more nonsense than usual too. The amount of confusion this social media is causing it’s not funny, yet we still insist on using it irresponsibly.
Ah mih people, until we put the words of our Bit into serious action, we’ll never become a responsible society. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
As we said yesterday, there are four areas we need to deal with if we are called by God’s name, and we are, as Christians. The first is to humble ourselves before Almighty God, then pray to Him, sincerely seeking His face, while turning away from our evil ways.
Oh Friends, it’s right there in black and white! And it’s not rocket science either. But the evil is so ingrained in our nature, and the lust of the flesh and our LOVE for the things of the world are so great that we don’t seem to want to turn back to God, or we find it difficult to do so.
But Friends, please be assured of one thing; if we truly want to seek God, we’ll find Him, because the Lord will certainly enable us to do it. The problem is that when He scans our hearts, He discovers that our motives and desires are wrong, they do not mesh with His will and desire, so He ignores our insincere pleas.
Now I had planned to share some scriptures that deal with the four areas in which we need to come up higher, so that God can hear us and heal our individual hurts, as well as our ungodly society. But before we can do that, we need to refresh our memories that we are indeed God’s people, called by His name.
Yesterday we saw one example of that through Moses laying out the blessings of obedience to the Israelites. Now listen to Isaiah’s declaration to the children of Israel, as he details to them the gospel truth that God is the only redeemer of mankind.
‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel. Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Sheba for thee (in thy place). Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable (honoured), and I have LOVED thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is.43:1-4)
Yes my brethren, the bunch of modern day people called Christians, belong to the Lord! We are called by His name, He has saved and redeemed us through the sacrificing of His Son Jesus Christ!
That means we have a responsibility, a serious duty to behave and act according to His desires and commands. But obviously we’re not doing that on a wide or strong enough scale, which results in our even more sinful nature and the disastrous state of our world.
Ah Friends, we are God’s chosen people, let’s behave like it nuh, and not like Lucifer’s evil cohorts. Our bounden duty is to behave godly, and spread Christ’s gospel, so that the heathen, the unbeliever, will have a chance to turn to God, to accept His free gift of grace that leads to salvation and eternal life.
Now, if we, God’s people, called by His name, don’t do it, then please tell me who will eh?
And we’ll end with that trillion dollar question. Friends, please, let’s seriously and sincerely ponder it today nuh, and with God’s help, come to the right conclusion. Much LOVE!
…Christians are meant to be Christ-like…the salt of the earth…and the light of the world…a beacon to guide others to a wonderful relationship with Christ…
25 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city set on a hill cannot be hid, action, ambassadors for Christ, Anselm, befuddled, born-again person, character, charles stanley, Christian's life, darkness, diligence, don't bite off more than you can chew, follower of Jesus Christ, glorify your father in heaven, go our own way, good for nothing, guide us safely, heals wounds, human depravity, I'd rather choke on greatness, impatient, in God's time, in peace, indisputable fact, Inspire us for a better tomorrow, integrity, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, Jesus is the master over Lucifer, lackadaisical, leave you in the lurch, Let your light so shine before men, light, light dispels darkness, Light is the master of darkness, light of the world, lost, LOVE, mediocrity, meet the needs of the world, mission of the Christian, neither do men light a candle, nibble on mediocrity, people of excellence, pilgrim's journey, preservative, put it under a bushel, put our best foot forward, raison d'etre, salt has lost its flavour, that they may see your good works, the absence of light, the good shepherd, the kind of wonderful God, the Most High, to be cast out, top of the line, trodden underfoot, Uncle Charles, waiting for God, waiting for God's input, wishy-washy, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Oh Friends, on this Saturday morning in late spring, the ole fella is befuddled; doesn’t know what to say. Hn! Can you imagine that?
Well it does happen to the best of us at times, and thank the Lord it doesn’t happen to me too often. And I’ve been writing the Bit for so long now that I know eventually, in God’s time, He will direct me to write something that perfectly fits His agenda.
That’s the kind of wonderful God He is. He doesn’t leave you in the lurch when he gives you a job to do. We just get impatient at times and try to go our own way, instead of waiting for God’s input. That’s when we get all confused and screwed up, for without the Most High leading the way, we will certainly get lost.
Remember Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and if we wait on His call He will guide us safely and in peace throughout our pilgrim’s journey. Aye Friends, I’m chuckling here, considering that it’s a good thing I had nothing to say. Brother! Imagine if I had something to say eh! (smile)
But in the meanwhile, while I’m waiting for the Lord to guide me, here’s an interesting quote of a few days ago, from my friend Anselm, in his most worthwhile effort to inspire us all for a better tomorrow. He says: ‘Someone once told me not to bite off more than I could chew. I told them I would rather choke on greatness than nibble on mediocrity.’
And that my people is a most worthwhile response for a believer and follower of Jesus Christ! For Jesus doesn’t want His followers to be steeped in mere mediocrity, but to be people of excellence, of integrity, of great character, exuding diligence and top of the line stuff!
Why do you think He drilled it into the disciple’s heads: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt. 5:13) That means we have to be better than average folks.
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘5:13.The Beatitudes are followed by a summary statement of the basic character of the Christian’s life as salt and light. Ye are the salt of the earth: Again the phrase “ye are” indicates that only the genuinely born- again person can help meet the needs of the world.
Salt adds flavouring, acts as preservative, melts coldness, and heals wounds. Thus it is a very appropriate description of the believer in his relationship to the world in which he lives.’
And then Jesus drops the other philosophical bomb on them, in the words of our Bit. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ And that’s an indisputable fact Friends! A city that’s sits on a hill and is lit up, can be seen for miles around.
And Jesus continues: ‘Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:15-16)
And the scholars explain those two verses thus: ‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity.
He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is, a basket. Darkness is the absence of light; and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’
Words to live by my brethren! Light is the master of darkness, just like Jesus is master over Lucifer! So please let’s remember that we are here to perform an important job; show the world what Jesus is all about.
That means we can’t be wishy-washy and lackadaisical, but as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) is won’t to say: ‘We must look our best, do our best and be our best!’ That’s the picture Jesus wants us to show the world.
So Friends, let’s ponder all that we’ve said today, then try to put it all into action in our lives, so that we can be excellent ambassadors for Jesus. That’s our raison d’etre! Much LOVE!
…to glorify God…we need to always put our best foot forward…be flavourful salt…and be brilliant light…
P.S. Oh Friends, it’s pretty short today, so there’s no need to complain. I guess I really didn’t have anything much to say. (smile) Much LOVE!
02 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: action, all things work together for good, Anselm, be brave, be content, be strong and of a good courage, beseeched the Father, Bruh David, buckle down, challenge, Christian, comfort, controversy, convenience, Cousin Sol, covetousness, endured, even unto death, fear not neither be dismayed, fight for what we know is true, fly by night operator, give up, God's will, gospel truth, great drops of blood, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, his sweat, Holy Thursday, I will never leave you, inner circle, Israelites, Jesus never wavered, Jesus talked His talk, Jesus walked His walk, Jesus' crucifixion, Jesus' death, Joshua, LOVE, loving kindness, mental anguish, mettle, modern day life, Moses, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, our duty as believers, prayed fervently, promise of Almighty God, quit you like men, roll over and play dead, rough times, sacrifical death, selfish desires, serious agony, sins, stand fast in faith, stand up strong and steadfast, sterner stuff, sufferation, take away the cup, tarry ye here, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord goes before thee, the Lord will be with thee, the measure of a man, the sacrificial Lamb, them that love God, thy will be done, to them called according to His purpose, true images of Christ, watch with me, watch ye, wisdom, words of advice
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Well Friends, it’s finally Holy Thursday; the day before the Big Day, meaning Jesus’ crucifixion. It ought to be a day of heartfelt prayer and introspection, pondering exactly what Jesus and His unbearable suffering and His sacrificial death truly means to us.
Remember, Jesus wasn’t some fly by night operator. He talked His talk, but even more importantly, walked that talk! And we need to check up on ourselves to see whether we are doing the same, or simply just talking the talk and not backing it up with sincere action.
Just think about Jesus’ mental anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before he was sacrificed for our abominable sins. The Good Book tells us he prayed, prayed fervently, saying to His inner circle of Peter, James and John: ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here and watch with me.’ (Matt.26:38)
He even beseeched the Father a couple times to take away the cup, relieve Him of His duty to die as the sacrificial Lamb. But please note Friends, that in each case He ended with the fateful words, ‘Thy will be done.’ (Matt.26:39,42)
Yes Friends, though Jesus’ soul was in serious agony, to the point where ‘his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground,’ (Luke 22:44) yet He never wavered from the plan the Father had set for Him.
Oh my people, are we made of such mettle, of such sterner stuff? Do we faithfully resign ourselves to God’s will, even though the circumstances are extremely difficult, and sometimes look impossible?
Oh, I know it’s not always easy to do, but it is our duty as believers to buckle down and do God’s will, forgetting our own selfish desires. And that’s the only way we will ever become true images of Christ, as God desires us to be.
Modern day life is so easy that we complain about simple set backs or difficulties. But my people, that’s not being like Jesus at all! And my Friend Anselm’s quote for today, inspiring us for a better tomorrow is a rather appropriate one for our purposes.
It says: ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Our true measure of a man, of a Christian is where we stand when the challenges and controversies face us. Do we give up, roll over and play dead? Or do we stand up strong and steadfast and fight for what we know is true and what we sincerely believe in?
You know we ought to be in the latter group, as Christ was. Look at the ‘sufferation’ He endured for our sakes, without complaining. That’s how we are expected to operate too, though we will never reach to the heights that Jesus did.
And the wonderful thing about it all my fellow believers, is that we have the sincere and faithful promise of Almighty God in our Bit to help us through whatever comes against us. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Wow! How cool is that eh people! And a few verses before that, Moses told the Israelites: ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.’ (Deut.31:6-7)
So Friends, in just three verses, Moses told both the Israelites and Joshua that they had to be strong, face up to their tasks like good soldiers, because if they did, the Lord their God would certainly look after them.
Oh my people, the same promise is extended to us today. Bruh Paul puts it like this: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Acts 8:28)
So when ever we are called by God, His LOVING-kindness will always be with us, regardless of the way the situation looks. We need to remember that and act on it my brethren.
Now listen to what Bruh David told Cousin Sol when he handed over the building of the Lord’s temple to him. ‘And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’ (1 Chr.28:20)
Oh Friends, oh Friends, what wonderful words of advice from a father to a son! And that advice must also reverberate amongst us today. It’s also what the Lord told Joshua, as we saw yesterday. ‘Be strong and of a good courage.’ (Josh.1:6) And Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men (be brave), be strong.’ (1 Cor.16:13)
Oh Friends, I can’t think of a better way to end this morning than with those words of encouragement, which we so badly need in these generally rough times, and on this occasion when we remember and relive Jesus’ upcoming death.
Please be strong and of a good courage, for that’s mark of a true Christian, and also the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness…and be content with such things as ye have…for he hath said…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee…’ (Heb.13:5)
21 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a good life, a rich man to enter heaven, Abraham, almighty god, Anselm, belief, believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, blessed, burst of sunshine, Controller, Creator, dark, depressing, dismal, dr robert h schuller, encouragement, Friend Anselm, friends, God's work, goodness, Gramps Schuller, hang on to Jesus' coattails, he wavered not at the promise of God, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, LOVE, no man can work miracles on his own, Paradise, praises, provider, righteousness., Saturday, slept under the bed, spiritual father, state of affairs, the Godhead, the Holy Trinity, the power of Almighty God, unbelief, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, with God all things are possible, with god nothing shall be impossible, with men this impossible, worldly possessions
Luke 1:37. For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Well Friends it’s a bright and sunny Saturday in Paradise! However, the ole fella’s not so bright and sunny. I got up this morning feeling like I slept under the bed, (smile) just aching and under the weather. And I’ve been at a loss to understand why, because I was at home resting all day yesterday. I only went out in the evening to get something from the mall and buy some Chinese food. I was gone possibly about an hour at most.
So I can’t explain the unwelcome state of affairs. I even had to cut short my walk along the shoreline of the property this morning because the knees were acting up. So I just came back inside, took some pain medication, had breakfast, then went back to bed, and am only just getting up. And that’s why the Bit is this late.
I’m still not up feeling up to scratch, but God’s work has to be done, and I know that through His wonderful grace He will guide and enable me to write something sensible in His name. What a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! I can’t even begin to sing His praises and His goodness to the undeserving children of men.
Oh Friends, the best thing a human being can ever do is to surrender to Almighty God’s will, put their total trust and faith in Him, because He is the only Being who can truly help us with anything at all, in any kind of situation.
And we’ll go forward with a quote of a couple days ago from my Friend Anselm, Inspiring You For A Better Tomorrow ‘A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you are.’
That’s ever so true my brethren! In other words we don’t let the cares of the world drive us under, but actually put Bruh Paul’s dictum of being content in whatever state we’re in, and putting God First in our lives. That’s the only way we can successfully do what Anselm advises!
And today Friends, we offer you two for the price of one! (smile) Here’s another bit of encouragement from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from His Hour of Power Devotional. Gramps says with wholehearted gratitude and appreciation.
‘Thank you, Father, for the beautiful surprises you are planning for me today. So often in my life, when it looked like the day would be dismal, depressing and dark, an unexpected burst of golden sunshine exploded through a black cloud sending inspiring shafts of warm, beautiful sunshine into my life. Father, it is happening now! I can already feel the power of your LOVE, through Christ my Lord. Amen.’
Oh Friends, are you feeling the power of God’s LOVE coming – no, not simply coming, but bursting through whatever dark cloud is in your life, in the form of bright and beautiful sunshine that is Jesus? I can surely feel it in mine, as I write here, for my mind is now focused on Almighty God, His Word and His Will, not the aches and pains of my body or the worldly cares that surround my life.
That’s the only sensible and successfully way to live my brethren; enveloped in the LOVE of our Creator and heavenly Father, our Controller and Provider. And that is so wonderfully underlined by our Bit: ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’
Gospel truth that my people! And in light of what we’ve just said, that is an entirely logical conclusion, for the creator is usually the controller. When we create things, we’re usually able to control them. So why should we expect anything less from our omnipotent God eh? No reason whatsoever my fellow believers!
And you remember when that rich young man came to Jesus seeking the way to eternal life and Jesus told him to sell all his possessions, give the resulting profits to the poor, them come and follow Him? Well the young man went away sad and downcast because he owned a lot of worldly possessions and he couldn’t conceive of selling it all and giving the rewards to the poor.
That led Jesus to make comments like: ‘Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Matt.19:23-24)
Those statements obviously shocked the disciples, because back then, and even now too, it was thought that the rich were blessed of God and thus saved. But Jesus put that notion to rest with His words. And when the disciples wondered out loud about who could then be saved, Jesus declared: ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’ (Matt.19:26)
Now note that there was no hesitation or doubt in Jesus’ statement, since He knew for a fact that the Godhead, the Holy Trinity, of which He was a substantial part, could do anything and everything; even squeeze a camel through the eye of a needle. So though it was difficult for a rich person to enter heaven, the Most High God could accomplish it, if He so desired.
Now that doesn’t mean that if you’re rich you won’t go to heaven. It all depends on how you acquired your riches and what you do with them, as well as the state of your heart towards Jesus. But all the riches in the world won’t get you into heaven unless you sincerely believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour!
And we’ll end with a most appropriate scripture that shows exactly how our belief system enables and empowers us in this evil and ungodly world. It focuses on our spiritual father Abraham, after the Lord promised him a child of his loins in his old age.
The Good Book relates it thus: ‘He staggered (wavered) not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded (convinced) that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.’ (Rom.4:20-22)
Yes Friends, it’s all about belief! And now that we have much more information about, and have seen the many mighty works of Almighty God, much more than Abraham ever did, we ought to believe much easier than we actually do. But that’s the choice each individual must make. Remember, our eternal life depends on it.
So let’s be wise and get on God’s right side before it’s too late nuh, because the son of Man can come in His glory at any time, and once He comes, then it will be too late to hang on to His coattails. Much LOVE!
…despite the many major developments of human beings…still, no man can work miracles in his own strength…only the power of Almighty God flowing through him…makes it possible…
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