13 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ., a fresh glimpse, a joy, a pleasure, alive to see another day, an action word, an easy thing to do, anger, another great day, Ash Wednesday, bacchanal, blatant, bless, blinded, born again, breath, careless driver, Carnival, children of your Father, comfortable, commercialism, complex self, consciously work at, continue to love me, curse, emotion of LOVE, evil ungodly world, faltering, fete, finagled, finally learn, friend of Jesus, friends, fuelled by, gazing eyes, God's response, gratitude, haunting parade, he makes his sun to rise, hurry, immeasurable love, in deed, in tongue, in truth, injustices, its reflection, lacking, listening to a sermon, LOVE, Love your enemies, mere talk, misdeeds, misjudged me, my little children, necessary, never have enough of, not love in word, off the snow, on God's great earth, on the evil and the good, on the just, our wonderful God, partying, pleasant, practice loving, praise and thanks, pray for, resentment, ringing challenge, Rio, Ruth Harms Calkin, sends rain, shameful, share His love, shining brightly, sit in church, speculating, spouting love, strife, T&T, the beloved of God, the church pew, the darkness, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the SON, the Sun, the unjust, totalled, true believers, Tuesday Mantra, turbulent times, uncomfortable, unloving attitudes, unscrupulous associate, Valentine's day, vicious remarks, walk the walk, war, welcome, what the world needs, worry
1 John 3:18. My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Welcome friends, welcome to another great day on God’s great earth! Wow! Both the SON and the Sun are shining brightly; the latter so bright that if you’re not careful you can be blinded by its reflection off the white snow. (smile) Is it ever a joy and a pleasure to be alive to see another day!
Please give our wonderful God much praise and thanks for the breath we’re still drawing in these turbulent times, for without Him we’d surely be faltering in the darkness of an evil and ungodly world.
And can you imagine the bacchanal that ‘s taking place in places like T&T and Rio right now, at the height of the carnival season? Mama Yo! Fete fuh so! Everybody’s trying to get in as much partying as possible because tomorrow is Ash Wednesday…and then all the party done! (smile)
Enough about partying though, let’s turn our attention to something that’s much more important and oh so lacking, but ever so necessary in our world, if it’s ever to run right; we’re talking about how to ‘Practice LOVING.’ That’s the name of the poem I want to share with us today from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
Please pray sincerely with me. ‘It is so simple, dear Lord So pleasant and comfortable To sit in church on a Sunday morning Listening to a sermon about LOVE – Perhaps even speculating a bit On whether my LOVE surpasses the LOVE Of the person to my right Or the Person to my left.
But to LOVE with Your LOVE To practice LOVING, dear God How uncomfortable the church pew becomes When I hear this ringing challenge When I see Your gazing eyes. Suddenly I remember the vicious remarks Of the woman who misjudged me. I remember the unscrupulous associate Who finagled my husband’s job. I remember the careless driver Who totaled our shining new car.
So quickly, Lord, I am faced With a haunting parade Of shameful, UNLOVING attitudes. God, You know me so much better Than I know my own complex self And still You continue to LOVE me. Give me, I pray, a fresh glimpse Of Your vast, immeasurable LOVE For it is only out of gratitude for Your LOVE That I shall finally learn What it means to practice LOVING.’
And isn’t that the everlasting truth my brethren! Only with God’s help can we truly practice LOVE! It’s something our world desperately lacks, but so badly needs! Just look at all the strife and war, the anger, hate and resentment that’s so blatant in our current societies. How could that ever be good for us eh?
We need to come together rather then be split apart, and ONLY LOVE, or rather the PRACTICE OF LOVE, brings people together. And yes, I know that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and everybody will be spouting LOVE, but LOVE is not, cannot be a one Day Special, if it is to have any real and lasting effect, especially if fuelled by commercialism as Valentine’s Day is in our current society.
Hence the command from the first epistle of John in our Bit: ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.’ And as the scholars tell us: ‘3:18. In tongue refers to mere talk.’ And over the years I’ve tried to beat it into my children’s heads that you can’t talk LOVE, because LOVE is an action word! I hope you finally got the message mih LOVELIES! (smile)
Unfortunately though, when coming to LOVE, that’s all our world is about; TALK! We talk a very good talk about LOVE, but not enough of us walk the walk of true and sincere LOVE. And it’s not an easy thing to do, when we are surrounded and bombarded by all sorts of injustices and other things which don’t normally bring out the emotion of LOVE.
Our poem above points out some of those difficult times; vicious remarks from being misjudged, unscrupulous associates, and careless drivers. Those things certainly don’t bring out LOVE in a natural manner, but our God wants us to have that sort of response, because that’s His response to our own misdeeds.
So LOVE is something we have to actively and consciously work at, especially since our Lord and Saviour, our Leader, Jesus Christ so plainly and purposefully commanded.
‘But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.’ (Matt.5:44-45)
Ah friends, obviously that doesn’t sit well with our normal sinful nature, but if we’re born again and are true believers, we need to adhere to the words of our Leader. And we know that anytime we flounder, all we have to do is to cry out to Him for help, and He will help us. So nothing He asks us to do is impossible. That’s why we can go home now sincerely declaring who and who’s we are in our Tuesday Mantra.
All together now, in strong voice: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
All glory to God my people! Now let’s go out and do exactly as we just said; share Jesus’ LOVE with the world. Much LOVE!
…what the world needs now…is LOVE…sweet LOVE…something we can never have enough of…
01 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful place, a brand new day, a compassionate heart, a dime a dozen, a low ebb, advances in technology, amenities, an ugly place, as white as snow, Ash Wednesday, Auld Lang Syne, bask in the sunshine, be as scarlet, began from scratch, blessings, blood guiltiness, bounden duty, building, called according to His purpose, Carnival, children, close harmony, come now, communicate with Him, crying out, curse, destroying, destruction, devoured by the sword, dissension, disunity, everlasting goodness, evil world, evildoers, faith, favour, forgive, future generations, gives the world hope, God's invitation, goodies, hate, health, heavenly Father, hope, in good faith, Isaiah, left overs, let us reason together, LOVE, Love the Lord, made specially for today, magnificent and magnanimous God, negative word, new mercies, New Year's resolution, one thing, personal relations, positive outlook, prosper, ready to cleanse, reasoning together, rebel, red like crimson, refuse, repentance, repenting, see a better world, shall be as wool, share our blessings, sins, standard of life, strife, strong conviction, succeed, talking to each other, the future, the good of the land, the mouth of the Lord, those who love him, Thursday's Blessings, turning to god, turns the world, Valentine's day, walking closer with Christ, war, willy-nilly, wisdom, worm
Isaiah 1:18. 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.
Welcome, welcome, one and all to a brand new day in God’s great universe! And it’s not only a new day, but also one filled with new mercies and blessings from our heavenly Father, stuff he made specially for today.
He threw out all the left overs from yesterday and began from scratch this morning, so those who LOVE Him and are called according to His purpose can bask in the sunshine of His everlasting goodness.
Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous Deity we serve and worship my brethren! But remember YOU have to communicate with HIM, to get those goodies! He doesn’t just hand them out willy-nilly. (smile)
And would you also believe that today is the 1st of February? Brother! We were just singing Auld Lang Syne a few days ago, welcoming the New Year, now we’re already hot into the bacchanalian bash called Carnival, with Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day falling the same time in two weeks. Is the year flying by or what?
Let’s hope that we all are keeping our New Year’s resolution, that of walking ever closer with Christ this year, strong and in good order, because that’s the only way we will be successful in this crazy, troubled, war-like, evil world.
And you know friends, the ‘One thing that turns the world from an ugly place to a beautiful place is LOVE. LOVE gives the world hope!’ And is that ever so true my people. Without LOVE permeating our hearts and souls, we simply have no hope, since hate is all about destroying, but LOVE is about building; building together in close harmony.
But sadly, if we look around our world right now, there is very little, if any building, everywhere is simply destruction, both manmade and natural. How does that augur for the future of our planet eh? It’s not very encouraging. If we keep on destroying everything in our path, the future generations will be left with nothing.
Is that what we want for our children, and our children’s children? Even the evildoers will answer no to that question, but none of us are doing anything substantial to stop if from coming to pass. That’s why we’re crying out now, in our Bit, like the prophet Isaiah did on the Lord’s behalf, many centuries ago to the Israelites.
‘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.’
Yeh friends, it’s all about mankind sitting down and reasoning together if we want to see a better world. And the two verses after our Bit clearly spell out the consequences of not doing so. ‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured by the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:19-20)
Oh my people, we don’t have to wait for the Lord to tell us that. It’s written ever so plainly in our behaviour, where there’s so much dissension and disunity, even amongst family, much less between countries. Consequently, strife is all-pervasive, and wars are a dime a dozen. It’s easier to pick out where there is no strife than where there is strife, because there are so much fewer of the former. That’s to tell you how bad it is.
But turning back to our Bit. Let’s get some explanations from the scholars. ‘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 blood guiltiness before God.
The term ‘crimson’ also means “worm,” referring to the colourfast red 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 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 mih breddren, from way back then, our wonderful God was prepared to forgive sins to those who turned in repentance to Him, and today He is still in the forgiving business. All we have to do is turn to Him in true repentance. Are we willing to do that so our world and our children can enjoy a better standard of life in the future?
I do hope so, because with all the amenities and advances in technology we now have, the most important aspect of our society, personal relations between humans is at a low ebb, and until we fix that, nothing else will make life any better.
Now, for those of us who choose to LOVE the Lord and obey Him, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. In full voice and strong conviction: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go out and do our bounden duty; share those blessings with others, as Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…only by talking to each other…in good faith…will our world ever improve…
28 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a helping hand, a light unto my path, adultery, Ash Wednesday, bacchanal time, backyards, befriend, believers in Christ, best of health, bind, Brazil, broad highway, caring, carnality, Carnival, christianity, Christians, commandment, destruction, dire need, direction for our lives, Eva Rose York, finding the time, foolish way to live, forsake not the law, foundation, friend of Jesus, helping those who need help, human nature, I shall not pass this way again, kindness, lamp, lay, Lent, lewd behaviour, lewdness, light, lighten someone's heavy load, LOVE, making the time, Mardi gras, meditating, misfortune, nakedness, needy, New Orleans, path, peosperity, Proverbs, put God first, putting into action, reading, reciprocate, relieve some pain, remove some barrier from the road, reproofs of instruction, Scarborough, share His love, straight and narrow path, studying, the beloeved of god, the Good Book, the law, the way of life, the Word of god, them's the breaks, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to this one lend, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuesday Mantra, utmost importance, while there's life there's hope
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Well friends, it’s bacchanal time in several places in the Western Hemisphere today! Most noticeably, there’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and Carnival in Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago. The people are supposedly letting off the last of their carnality before immersing themselves in the seriousness of Lent, which begins tomorrow on Ash Wednesday.
And recently I read that in a few parts of Brazil, the church has gotten them to tone down the lewdness and carnality of the festival. All power to them, because the festivals have really gotten out of hand with the amount of nakedness and lewd behaviour being displayed.
Usually I’d be in T&T, watching the proceedings on the tube, as well as going into the big city of Scarborough (smile) to watch some in person. But since I’ve been grounded here on account of my medical situation, I’ll just have to imagine it in my mind. But them’s the breaks.
Hopefully by next year, I will be strong and healthy enough to not only watch, but also participate in some of the activities. (smile) While there’s life, there’s certainly hope my people!
But there’s also stuff that we can and should do, even though we’re not in the best of health. And today I want to share a quote from Eva Rose York (b Fitch), (1858-1935) organist, editor, teacher and one of the earliest female composers in Canada. This comes from her symphony titled ‘I shall not pass this way again.’
And it says: ‘I shall not pass this way again; Then let me now relieve some pain, Remove some barrier from the road, Or lighten someone’s heavy load; a helping hand to this one lend, Then turn some other to befriend.’
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, those are the kinds of things we should be concentrating on in our own little areas, in our backyards; in some form and fashion, helping those who need help.
Remember, that’s what Jesus came to earth to do; to save and to help us in our desperate time of need. Consequently, as Christians, we need to reciprocate His caring and kindness to the needy.
And believe me, ironically, in a world that is so full of prosperity, it is also full of people in dire need and want. So let’s try and see whom and how we can help in our little way nuh. It’s all a part of our Christian Manifesto.
And to help us do that, we also need to consider our Bit.‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’
Yeh friends, it’s of the utmost importance that we take the Word of God seriously and let it lead and guide us on our earthly journey, because that’s exactly what it is meant to be; a guide book, a manual for earthly living, written by our Creator and Provider for our benefit.
The Lord doesn’t need it, since He penned it, but we miserable sinners do, and if we don’t allow it to set the direction for our lives, along the straight and narrow path, then we’ll eventually get lost, confused and blinded on the broad highway that leads to destruction.
Now we wouldn’t want such misfortune to befall us eh? No siree! So why aren’t we more into God’s Word eh mih people? Why do so many of us complain that we can’t find the time to immerse ourselves in the Good Book?
It’s not a matter of finding the time, it’s a matter of making the time to stay in touch with our heavenly Father and His godly desires for us. It’s easy for us to make time for the foolish pleasures of the world, but making time for God is a hard task and it usually takes second place.
But friends, that’s a very foolish way to live. God should always be in first place in our lives, no matter what the circumstances! If you put Him second, then most likely, He’ll also put you second, and I’m sure you won’t like that.
As the old people, would say, ‘do so, ent like so.’ Meaning that you don’t like others doing to you, what you did to them. I guess that’s just human nature though.
Now here is an interesting take on our Bit from Cousin Sol in his warning against adultery in Proverbs. ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart (mind), and tie them about thy neck.
When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is the light; and reproofs of instruction are the way to life.’ (Prov.6:20-23)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s how important God’s word and His instructions are to us living the good life. So please, let’s try and do better nuh, let’s make time for reading, studying, meditating and subsequently putting God’s word into action in our lives. It’s the wisdom of the ages.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra with all sincerity and truth. In unison now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Glory Be precious people of God! Now let’s do as we declared nuh; go out and share the LOVE of our friend Jesus with others, for there are many who desperately need it. Much LOVE!
…helping others…is a foundation rock of Christianity…
10 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sailor band, Ash Wednesday, ashes, bacchanal, buss-up shirt, Carnival, Christian, christianity, church, computers, copy and paste, disunity, esteem, fellowship, focus on Jesus, friends, frustrations, fulfill ye my joy, glory hallelujah, goals, happiness, I'm not looking back, I'm so glad to be alive, Jesus Christ, joy, lack of harmony, laziness, Lent, let this mind be in you, living in harmony, LOVE, mas, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my own strength, needs of others, of one accord, our best days are still ahead of us, pan side, pride, problems of others, put our noses to the grindstone, Scarborough, selfishness, strife, the breath of life, the Lord carried me, to a glorious future with Jesus, Tobago, trust, truth, united in spirit, values, waste of time, Wednesday Wail, which also was in Christ Jesus, wisdom, without partiality
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.
Ah Friends, laziness is a hell of a thing yes! How many of you noticed yesterday that the top heading had one date and the bottom one another eh? Computers make it too easy for us sometimes. This copy and paste thing can do serious damage if we’re not careful. My sincere apologies to those of you who noticed. I aced it this morning though, got them both right! (smile)
So the bacchanal done now mih people; Carnival over and we now into the godly season of Lent. Let’s hope that we extinguished all our energy and frustrations during the Carnival period and are now ready to settle down to a serious time of consideration and ‘ponderation’ on God and all that He stands for, because this is the season for it.
Now, as per activities, yesterday, after finishing my buss-up shirt, I went down to Scarborough to see some local mas. Hn! We got down there about two o’clock, only to find the streets empty, not a mas in sight.
We walked up to where they were supposed to be judging the bands, but could not get a seat out of the sun because they had private tents, or tents with no seats, so we walked back to a closed up café or chicken joint, that had an awning over the front, the same place we were last year.
This time there were no chairs in front, apparently the owners got smart after last year, but there were a few benches by the side, we put one under the awning and limed there until we left around five thirty.
At two thirty, no mas had appeared, so I told the duchess if none appears by three o’clock we would leave. Luckily, about ten to three a sailor band with about a dozen people, of whom I knew about four, came down the road, passed the judging stand and eventually ended up liming right by us.
As the afternoon progressed about five bands eventually passed up in front of us, and I saw a few other people I knew, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. As usual though I could not see a pan side on the road to jump with. Ah Lord eh, what has mas come to eh, when there’s no pan on the road? Steups!
One friend there kept telling me how the pans usually come out after six o’clock, but who knows if what he said was true, and I definitely wasn’t hanging around to find out. So the duchess and I walked back to the car, not too far really, but it was a bit difficult, and the Lord ended up carrying me.
I definitely couldn’t make it on my own strength, even with my cane. And who says our God isn’t a great and caring God eh! I certainly won’t because there are many days without His help, I wouldn’t make it through. Anyway, enough about me and mas.
Today is Ash Wednesday. Hope those of you so interested went to church and got your ashes. I was too tired to get up, and the service in my area was too early, six a.m. But I think there is one at six p.m. tonight. I might check that out. And since it’s Wednesday, then we need to declare our Wednesday Wail with much gusto and sincerity.
As one now, let’s wail: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my people, it’s so good to be alive on this Ash Wednesday, and alive in sweet Tobago too, that I can die from the happiness! (smile) But then we need to put our noses to the grindstone and focus our every thought on Jesus, keep looking ahead to the wonderful future He has planned for us, not at the past as so many of us unfortunately do.
Ah my fellow believers, what is past has gone, and believe me, our best days are still ahead, out in front of us, if we keep hanging sincerely with Jesus. But as our Bit tells us, we can’t be like Jesus unless we first think like Him. ‘Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.’
And today I want to share some explanations from the scholars on the 2nd to 4th verses of the chapter. ‘Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind.’ (Phil.2:2) Then he continues talking about the need for no strife and pride, selfishness and being our brother’s keeper.
The scholars offer these explanations: ‘2:2-4. Fulfill ye my joy (or, “Make my joy complete”). Paul rejoiced over the Philippians (1:3), but his happiness was incomplete, owing to some disunity and lack of total harmony among them. The Greek equates what, to Paul, constitutes “complete joy” with the readers being likeminded. This means “living in harmony” with one another. That is, the Philippians can “fulfill” the writer’s “joy” by living in harmony among themselves.
But what does such harmonious living entail? Beginning in verse 2 and continuing through verse 4, six participles spell out and clearly define what it means to “live in harmony:” (1) having the same LOVE toward one believer as shown toward another, without partiality; (2) being of one accord; that is, they are to be united in spirit; (3) of one mind; that is, the whole church is to have the same values and goals;
(4) let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, for selfish ambition or conceit; (5) let each esteem other better than themselves, that is, each is to regard his fellow Christian as more important than himself; and (6) look…every man also on the things of others; that is, each is to be just as concerned for the needs and problems of his brother as he is for his own affairs.’
Oh friends, oh friends, that’s exactly what Christianity is all about, living in LOVE and harmony with and for each other! It’s what Jesus taught, and how He lived! But are we doing that today? Hn! Definitely not as much as we should, else our world and our Christian fellowship would not be in the bad shape they are in.
So today, on this Ash Wednesday of 2016, please, let’s sit down and consider, ponder the way we live, and try, with God’s help obviously, to bring it more in line with the Christian principles outlined above nuh. For that my brethren, is the indisputable wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…oh how good and precious it is…when brethren live together in true harmony…
05 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: afflictions, arthritic bones, Ash Wednesday, bacchanal, backbreaking labour, be sober, be vigilant, blessings, Carnival Friday, doing wrong, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, evil, faith, fanciful, fellowship, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glamourous, glory hallelujah, glory to God, Granny's advice, Hallelujah, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, joy, jump and prance., leggo beasts, Lent, Lenten season, LOVE, Lucifer, make you perfect, mas, merriment, modicum of circumspection, New Orleans, penchant, pleasure, Praise the Lord, rejuvenation, relaxation, resist, rest, Rio, satisfy my soul, Scarborough, seeking whom he may devour, settle, spirit of Carnival, stablish, steadfast in faith, strengthen, suffered, sunburn, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the God of all grace, the Lord in favour, the weekend, time of feasting, trust, truth, ungodly world, walk with god, week of work, wiles, wisdom, words of encouragement, your adversary the devil
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Oh friends, on this Carnival Friday, a wet and windy one, I come to you from my little cottage by the sea in Tobago with these words of encouragement and LOVE! Glory to God!
Yes my brethren, it’s the start of the weekend, and I know that many of you around the world are going to, or have already shouted ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend’s here at last! No more backbreaking labour for a few days! Thank God it’s Friday yes!’
And so it should be my people; constant work deserves a spell of rest and rejuvenation. But the first thing I want to remind us about is how we spend our weekend, not in debauchery and lustfulness, but in thanks and praise and general well-being.
So let’s chant our Friday Chant which helps us to truly understand what the weekend is all about. 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.’
Yes friends, that’s the general scene we ought to hold to on a weekend, especially this Carnival one, where in places like T&T, Rio and New Orleans, where the god of pleasure and debauchery, Bacchanal himself will be ruling the roost and so many of us will be behaving like true leggo beasts.
I don’t know about the other festivals, but here in T&T many people won’t be working from today until Ash Wednesday, so that’s a five-day weekend. And you know what can happen in such a long layoff from work, especially when pleasure is the subject of the day.
At no other time is Granny’s advice more necessary than now my people. So let me spell it out right away. ‘Sonny boy…and young girl too…please, please, ah beg all yuh…this is Carnival time, so drunk or sober, please mind yuh business! For as Shadow says in his kaiso; ‘on Carnival night…when them men get tight…they doh care who they bite…’
And that’s the gospel truth my people! At Carnival time even the most peaceful and ‘geekish’ body seems to develop a penchant for doing wrong, whether it’s through drugs and alcohol, or simply the enervating spirit of Carnival.
Oh I know this is the time before the Lenten Season when we are supposed to release all our pent up energy and frustrations before settling down to a more holy and godly time. But there is a way to do that, and also a way not to do it.
And our Bit today from 1 Peter gives us admirable, wonderful advice, advice truly akin to Granny’s. ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
And the sad part is that at this particular time of feasting and merriment, the ole crook and scoundrel Lucifer doesn’t have to look far or wide, or even search hard for people to devour, because we open wide the doorway for him to come in and take up residence within our souls, with the kind of behaviour we put down during Carnival.
Now nobody’s saying we shouldn’t celebrate or party, but we ought to do it with a modicum of circumspection, as Jeeves would say. We can’t afford to give the evil one, even an inch, because you know he’ll end up taking a nail. (smile)
As for me, my days for the leggo beast kind of partying seem to be over. Hn! I can’t even walk properly, much less to jump and prance! The last couple days my left knee began acting up on me, and I’ve been limping around, just doing whatever I need to do, plus the duchess had a bout of the flu, so we’ve just been sitting around mostly, trying to get ourselves together.
I have been going to my waterhole every afternoon though. Got to get the ole arthritic bones soaking in that therapeutic sea water as much as possible. I don’t need to worry about the sunshine, because it’s been very hot the last few days, I might even have gotten sunburn. (smile)
This morning though I want to go up into the big city of Scarborough and try to get some proper channels on the t.v. Hn! Now that I have satellite t.v, the channels don’t appeal to me. Not even a good sports station, or a Christian one to boost my spirituality! Chuh! It might cost me more money, but what’s a few dollars for one’s comfort and satisfaction eh!
I’ll be in quiet Tobago for the weekend, hopefully watching some of the mas on the tube. And if my knee feels better, I might even go down to Scarborough on Tuesday afternoon to take in some Tobago mas. Oh it’s not as big and fanciful and glamorous as that in Trinidad, but it will satisfy my soul.
And besides, the overall mas scene has gone downhill as far as I am concerned; the good costumes are few and far between, with just a bikini top and bottom with a few feathers being more the norm, but still costing a lot of money.
Anyway friends, let’s end up here with the continuation of Peter’s warning after our Bit. ‘Whom (the devil) resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:9-11)
And all God’s children said a loud and proud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!’
So my fellow believers in Christ, until tomorrow, the Lord in favour, please let’s walk safely and securely under His comforting umbrella, successfully thwarting the evil wiles of the enemy. Much LOVE!
…to successfully thwart Lucifer…one MUST walk with God…
18 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: adversaries, all glory be ot God, Ash Wednesday, ashes, bacchanal, Carnival, cleansing, communication with Almighty God, deliverance, doing it like a boss, drawing closer to God, enabled, energized, eyes of faith, fasting, forty days of prayer, friends, guidance, I give myself unto prayer, introspection, Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, Lent, Lenten season, Lucifer, Machel Montano, not what goes into a man defiles him, prayer, punishment, spritual strength, stray from God, temptations, that which comes out of a man defiles him, the Lord didn't disappoint me, the Lord never gives us more than we can bear, ungodly stuff, wilderness
Matthew 15:11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Ah Friends, it’s Wednesday – Ash Wednesday – and all the bacchanal done! Yes Carnival is over for another year, and we now move into the season of Lent; forty days of prayer, fasting, cleansing, getting and keeping in close touch with God.
A time when we remember and seriously consider Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Lucifer, where He fasted for forty days, to build up His faith, His resistance to Lucifer and acknowledge in deed through prayer, His heavenly Father’s caring and provision for Him.
And He successfully accomplished His mission there, chasing the devil by quoting the Word. (Matt.4:4, 7, 10) And when Lucifer saw that he couldn’t get anywhere with Jesus, he left Him alone. As the Good Book describes it: ‘Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.’ (Matt.4:11)
Yes Friends, it’s the same way that the Lord will send His angels to minister to us when we go through strong temptation but hold up strong. And plenty of the masqueraders who were yesterday worshipping at the altar of the idol Bacchus, with his over the top, extremely sinful behaviour, have today gone, or will go to church to receive ashes and repent for their numerous sins of yesterday.
And I guess that’s how it ought to be. Unfortunately I didn’t get to church this morning, as it was scheduled for six o’clock. I was up too early, then went back to bed, and didn’t get up until it was too late. Deep down though, I guess I never really wanted to go and conveniently laid there till it was too late.
But our wonderful God understood my human frailty and has forgiven me. That’s the beauty of our God; though He might not like or approve of our behaviour, He understands, and He forgives… But please remember too, that He also disciplines, so we can’t get away with the same nonsense all the time.
Now this Ash Wednesday morning began as a cool, cloudy, blustery day, with leaves and trees just blowing around. Finally a shower of rain came down. One that actually provided enough water to wet the boards of the deck and make the ground a bit soft. And since then it’s been drizzling off and on. I even got caught in one of the drizzles when I went for my walk along the shoreline of the property. The sun is still fighting to break through the clouds at minutes to nine.
Anyway, yesterday in the afternoon, I went down to the big city of Scarborough (smile) to see some mas. I braved the hot sun and the walk – about a quarter mile from the parking lot to the stands where I’d been the night before, with the duchess boasting when I asked if she could handle the walk, that it was me, not her who had problems walking.
But my people, as always, the Lord didn’t disappoint me. He energized and enabled me to walk without any problems, and later on, when I was too tired to move, He picked me up like a little child and carried me on His strong, caring shoulders. Much thanks and all glory be to our wonderful God, who never gives us or puts us through more than we can handle!
The mas was just starting when we got there shortly after two, and it was decent enough by Tobago standards. There were some relatively intricate and beautiful costumes. But if I ever hear Machel Montano’s song ‘Doing it like a Boss’ again, I’m going to strangle the D.J. or mash up the radio! Brother, that was about the only song they played when the bands paraded in front of the judges, right beside me.
Steups! And it had to be so loud too. At one stage I saw about three youngsters sitting next to me block their ears from the noise. And that foolishness only causes hearing problems for all and sundry. And wonder of wonders, the duchess’ I-phone refused to take pictures. And I don’t know what devil got into me, but I got out my old, cheap phone and began taking pictures.
Hn! I had to laugh, because I’ve never taken more than a couple pictures with it, but I learned how to do it as I went along. And we were lucky too, for after about half an hour in the blazing sun in the stands, the wife went across the street to an establishment to get a drink, but it was closed. However they had a nice wide overhang protecting their verandah, with seats, so we sat there for the rest of the time.
We left about six thirty, somewhat disappointed that I hadn’t seen the much talked about ‘mud mas.’ We bought some Chinese food and ice cream on the walk back to the car, not even bothering to stop at the Pan on D Road that was again taking place at the junction, because it still sounded tired and uninspiring. We got home without incident, ate, watched a little t.v. then went to bed. And that was the sum total of my Carnival Tuesday activities! (smile)
Today though my people, is a day for introspection. We’ve been physically looking outside all through the Carnival season, but now that Lent is here, it’s time to turn our eyes of faith inside and see what’s really in there, and try to clean it up. For remember what Jesus said in our Bit: ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.’
Words of absolute truth my brethren! That means we have to look very closely at what ungodly stuff is simmering within us, and with God’s help get rid of it. And that can only be done through prayer, and sometimes in conjunction with fasting. As Jesus told His disciples when they couldn’t cast out a demon from a young boy. ‘This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting.’ (Mark 9:29)
Yes Friends, some things can only be cleansed from our souls by diligent prayer and consistent fasting, but the important thing is to pray for guidance and deliverance! And if necessary, for this Lenten season, give up certain things that are weighing you down and causing you to stray from God, or not get close to Him.
We need to say like Bruh David in Psalm 109 – A prayer for punishment of the wicked. ‘For (in return) for my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ (Ps.109:4)
Oh Friends, without prayer, sincere prayer, we’re lost, for it’s our best method of communication with Almighty God, the Creator, and Controller of ALL things and ALL lives! And although we don’t have the spiritual strength of Jesus, we do have enough to resist most temptations, especially when co-joined with His strength. goes
So this Lenten season, let’s make a very special effort to clean up our act, through prayer, fasting, giving up stuff, and whatever else it takes to cleanse our souls and brings us closer to God. That’s true wisdom! Much LOVE!
…Lent…a time for serious cleansing of our heart, minds, bodies and souls…and drawing closer to God…
05 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Ash Wednesday, beat up ourselves, bewail our misery, by faith, come of age, compromise our godly beliefs, corroded silver and gold, deceitful, demons, displeasure, divine blessings, ears of the Lord of hosts, eat your flesh, Egypt, enjoying life, eschew pleasure, face the problem squarely, faith, fattened hearts, fire, for a season, forgiven, forgiveness, forgotten, foundational faith, fraud, generous, graceful aplomb, gratifying, grounding belief, haunt us all our lives, he that loves pleasure, he that loves wine and oil, hearsay, indulgence, indulgent, jehovah god, Jesus fasted, Lent, less than stellar perfomance, LOVETH, Lucifer, Lucifer tempted Jesus, luxurious living, man-made idol, merciful, Moses, moth-eaten garments, partying, passing pleasures, personal experience, physically alive, pleasure, pleasure centres, poor, pull up our breeches, pursuit of fleeting pleasure, reap displeasure, recompense, reproach of Christ, reward, rich, rotted riches, sanctity, satisfying, serve only Him, serve pleasure, sin, sincere repentance, sinful nature, sinful pleasures, sinful world, son of Pharaoh's daughter, spiritually dead, stand our bounce, suffer affliction, take responsibility, temptations, the last days, treasure, true reflection, truth, ultimate in wisdom, wanton, warning, well deserved break, witness, worship the Lord thy God, worth
Proverbs 21:17. He that LOVETH pleasure shall be a poor man: he that LOVETH wine and oil shall not be rich
ASH WEDNESDAY !
Well Friends, the partying done now! Yes, it’s Ash Wednesday morning, the first day of Lent, so I hope that you exercised and exorcised all your pleasure demons over the last few days of serious partying. (smile) That’s because now is a time to settle down, a time for serious reflection on our relationships, especially between God and us.
Lent is the time to look deep into our souls and examine what we truly believe, and consequently how we live our lives, based on our grounding belief, our foundational faith, for all of us have faith in something, hopefully Jehovah God, and not man or some man-made idol.
Anyway, this season of Lent is a serious time, and we ought to seriously consider how we live our lives, giving the pleasure centres of our bodies and souls a well-deserved break. Hn, hn!
Now that doesn’t mean we ought to stop enjoying life, or eschew all pleasure, but rather not let the pleasures of life be all that important. Instead, let’s contemplate on how Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness and how Lucifer tempted Him, tried his very best to get Him to go against God’s will.
And in light of that, let’s see what temptations have been coming against us, and how we’ve been handling them, hopefully with graceful aplomb like Jesus, telling the deceitful fool Lucifer: ‘Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ (Matt.4:10)
And we all know my brethren, that that’s truth of the highest order! But that doesn’t stop the ole scoundrel from continually snapping at our heels, especially in one soft and weak area of our sinful nature, that of pleasure.
That’s why Cousin Sol declared so profoundly unto us, the words of our Bit. ‘He that LOVETH pleasure shall be a poor man: he that LOVETH wine and oil shall not be rich.’
And unfortunately, I know that Lucifer has a wide grin on his evil, devilish face this Ash Wednesday morning, because over the last few days, he’s managed to get many of us to compromise our godly beliefs in the pursuit of fleeting worldly pleasure.
But please remember that ALL of it can be forgiven, though only some forgotten, and a lot of it will haunt us for the remainder of our lives. There will always be some reminder of our less than stellar performance during that period.
The important thing though is not to beat up ourselves and continually bewail our misery over it, since that portion of our lives cannot be relived, and our mistake(s) be undone. And this wisdom comes from personal experience, not hearsay. We need to come to God in sincere repentance, ask for His merciful and generous forgiveness, then face the problem squarely; stand our bounce.
That’s one thing I’ve always tried to drive into my children’s head from they were young, and try to practice it myself. If you’ve done something wrong, be man or woman enough to take the responsibility for it.
And after all that ‘sermonizing’, (smile) let’s look at some scriptures that uphold the truth of our Bit. And we’ll begin with some instructive words of Bruh Paul to Timothy, re widows. ‘But she that liveth in pleasure (indulgence) is dead while she liveth.’ (1 Tim.5:6)
And the scholars’ note says: ‘5:6. This may be paraphrased, “But the widow who indulges in luxurious living, though physically alive, is spiritually dead.”
And I just want to point out here my people, that that statement also applies to widowers, in fact to all and sundry, because once we’ve allowed earthly indulgences to control our lives, we do become spiritually dead.
Then in Hebrews 11, that great chapter on faith, in talking about Moses, the author proclaims: ‘By faith, Moses, when he was come to years (came of age), refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures (passing pleasures) of sin for a season;
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasure in Egypt: for he had respect unto (looked at) the recompense of the reward.’ (Heb.11:24-26)
Yes my brethren, likewise, we are to shun the calling of the pleasures of sin, and esteem the reproach of Christ of greater sanctity and worth than that of the world.
And we’ll let James take us home with his very voluble and valuable warning to the rich. ‘Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted (have rotted), and your garments are moth-eaten.
Your gold and silver is cankered (corroded): and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for (in) the last days.
Behold, the hire (wages) of the labourers who have reaped (mowed) down your fields, which is of you (you kept back) by fraud, crieth (cry out): and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (Hosts).
Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton (indulgent); ye have nourished (fattened) your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.’ (James 5:1-6)
Yeh Friends, that’s the way it goes! All our riches, garnered on the backs of those unfairly treated will eventually rot and be of no use to us. We who have lived to serve pleasure, will in the end reap displeasure!
So please, as true believers, let’s wake up and see unrestrained pleasure for what it really is nuh – an unwise and foolish means of moving away from Jehovah God to the sinful camp of Beelzebub.
Now is that what we really and truly want to do? I sincerely doubt it. So please, let’s pull up our ‘britches’ (breeches) nuh, and stop allowing the sinful pleasures of our sinful world to control our lives. Now that’s the ultimate in wisdom! Much LOVE!
…Cousin Sol had it all…wisdom, wealth and time…but found no satisfying, gratifying, or long lasting pleasure…in the worldly pleasures his divine blessings afforded him…
14 Feb 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 1 corinthians 13, Ash Wednesday, christianity, clanging cymbals, Corinth, fasting, joy, Lent, lenten introspection, LOVE is the greatest, LOVE Revolution, motives of our hearts, sounding brass, speaking in tongues, spiritual happiness, spirituality, the LOVE of God, the Way of LOVE, Valentine's day
1 Corinthians 13:1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not LOVE, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling (clanging) cymbal.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY
Oh Friends, what a juxtaposition! Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten Season, where Christians are expected to pray, meditate and fast, in an attempt at introspection and getting closer to God. Today though, it’s Valentine’s Day; a day of celebration of LOVE, all be it with an emphasis on the romantic kind. But I guess as B.J. Thomas says in his old song; ‘A little bit of LOVE, is better than NO LOVE at all.’ And believe me Friends, there’s nothing that our confused, misled, troubled and misguided world is crying out more for than REAL LOVE! It’s somewhat sad though that this day of LOVE, although not a Christian holy day, has been so badly commercialized, just like some of the Christian holy days; for example, Christmas and Easter. But I suppose in this world where commerce and money trumps everything else, that’s to be expected. And in a sense, it does help the economy, so let’s not lose our joy over it. For you know my people, joy, that spiritual happiness we acquire when Jesus comes into out lives, is supposed to be a constant in a believer’s every waking and sleeping moment. So although this season of Lent invites us to be more serious about God, contemplating all that Jesus suffered and sacrificed for us, it in no way ought to detract from our joy of being a believer, a child of God, blessed with salvation and eternal life. When Jesus was in the wilderness fasting, His demeanour was obviously subdued, but I’m sure He did not lose His joy in His heavenly Father’s LOVE. Most likely it’s that joy which kept Him going. And neither should we lose our joy Friends. Lent and Valentine’s day are not mutually exclusive, especially if we’re pouring out the true LOVE of God from our hearts to our LOVED ones. For as our Bit so rightly proclaims: ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not LOVE, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling (clanging) cymbal.’ And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! If we don’t have true LOVE, regardless of all the other good things we might possess, we are just loud, useless mouthpieces. And here’s some info from the scholars on that verse. ‘Tongues of men and angels: Such was the association of tongues speaking in pagan worship at Corinth. When a priest or devotee spoke in tongues, it was considered that he spoke the language of the gods.’ Unfortunately today some of us still believe that. So please let’s not make the Lenten Season, a droll, sad, unhappy one. It should be serious but that doesn’t mean unhappy as so many of us tend to believe and behave. And please don’t fast just because the season calls for it, or because everybody’s doing it. The purpose of fasting is to help you empty your body and soul of worldly things, which helps make a better spiritual connection to God. But not all of us are good fasters. I for one am a poor faster. But then again we have to consider how long we’re going to fast for. There’s nothing that says it has to be all day or all night. So if you feel you should fast, just do whatever you’re comfortable with. Fast for as long as you can handle. The Lord will understand. And don’t get all religious and penitent and look miserable and let the whole world know that you’re fasting, like the ole hypocrites and them. But look bright and fresh and continue showing the joy of your spirit and excellence in your work, as Jesus did. And if you can’t fast, I guess you can give up something you cherish for Lent. But there again I find myself in a quandary, for the Lord has also cut me right back to the minimum of activities, so I don’t have anything to really give up. He’s gradually weaned me off horses, making music, and other kinds of writing, except the Bit. I guess then I’ll just have to pray and meditate more, and show more LOVE. (smile) Right now I’m supposed to be doing a 12-hour fast for some blood tests, which to me is a big problem, cause it makes my gas problem even worse than it is. And to add to my misery, the daylight lab hours don’t coincide with my night owl tendencies. Anyway, hopefully I’ll get around to it soon, and not do like I did before, postpone it for over six months. That’s one of the reasons why I never discovered my cancerous prostate sooner, for though I didn’t need to fast for that particular test, it was listed on the requisition to be done at the same time as those that needed fasting. But above all my people, please let’s remember that whatever we do, to do it unto God and not man, because He’s not so much interested in the outward manifestation of our conduct, but more in the secret motives hidden deep in our hearts. Anyway Friends, be it too commercialized or not, today is Valentine’s Day, so, even if we do nothing else, let’s go out and spread LOVE; the LOVE that God has for us, and the LOVE that we have for our friends, families and neighbours. There’s no doubting that LOVE makes the world go round. Wish we could have Valentine’s Day every day. (smile) And why not eh? As far as Jesus is concerned everyday is a LOVE day, therefore all our days should be ones of LOVE. Consequently, let’s work seriously towards that goal nuh people, since our world so badly needs a LOVE Revolution, and only we believers are in a position to get that revolt going. And the exercise for the day is to read the LOVE Chapter – The Way of LOVE – 1 Cor.13, from which our Bit is taken. Ponder all it says, then let’s try to bring our individual lives into concert with it over the Lenten season. What a fitting exercise my brethren, to purge ourselves of all our unloving ways and feelings. (smile) Much LOVE!…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
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