20 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afflictions, after that ye had suffered a while, barbecue, be sober, belief in Jesus, brews, build faith, by Christ Jesus, called us, confirm, consequences, defanged lion, everlasting life, experienced by, familial love, fellowship, Friday chant, Friends and family, fun, furthering God's kingdom, get together, good summer weather, has a sweet mouth, in rought times, live in unity, love to love, make you perfect, PSA, resist steadfast in the faith, seeking whom he may devour, settle you, stablish, stays together, strengthen, suffer temptation, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the devil, the family that plays together, the God of all grace, the prince of darkness, the workingman's song, unto his eternal glory, vigilant, walketh about, your adversary, your brethren in the world
1 Peter 5:10. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye had suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you.
Welcome to Friday my people; the day we all LOVE to LOVE! Don’t know if I’m LOVING it all that much nuh, because I’m tired like a dog from all that whirlwind world traveller travelling. (smile) I guess jet lag has finally set in, but I do have to go out the street and do some blood work for a visit to the medic next week. I do hope that it will show that my PSA – prostate cancer level is ZERO, because I really don’t want to go back and do anymore radiation treatments nuh. It’s not hard or painful, but it certainly is inconvenient and disruptive to one’s schedule, and the side effects can be rather invasive and annoying.
Enough on my problem though, and since it’s Friday, let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! My time to shout and party. But brother, are we having some good summer weather this far into September! Oh don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I LOVE it! And I think I’m going to bring out the barbecue every day that it stays hot, give the wife a break from the kitchen and indulge the children somewhat with dogs and burgers. And I’m not forgetting myself or any friends that might come over; we will indeed be having our brews out there on the deck to cool us down in this summer weather. What else can a man ask for eh? Not a whole lot. When friends and family get together it is the best! As they say, the family that plays together, stays together! Thank God for Fridays and weekend yes!’
Ah mih breddren those are certainly words of wisdom from the ordinary workingman! The family that plays together, does stay together! And that’s what’s lacking a lot in this modern day and age; families no longer seem to be the important part of our social setup. And what a pity that is because when families behave like families ought, our whole society benefits. But with the plenty infighting that is currently going on in modern families, it’s just helping to drive us further apart and reduce the already small amount of familial LOVE that we now have.
And sadly this lack of familial LOVE isn’t only happening amongst unbelievers, but also amongst believers. That surely is sad, for if believers can’t live in unity with their families, how can we live in unity with others eh…and that’s something to which we are seriously called to do by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! No wonder there’s such little unity and so much division amongst His church. But it’s Friday, and the weekend is upon us, so let’s chant our Friday Chant, though not as colourful as the workingman’s song, but nonetheless it meets our needs as believers admirably.
So, in strong voice, with sincere hearts, let’s chant! ‘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 my people, for our sake, it does keep us on out toes. However that doesn’t mean to say that we can’t have fun and good times, but just a li’l more cautiously than the ordinary workingman, who tends to let his hair down without any concern for the possible consequences.
But we believers need to be aware of the enemy and his great desire to get a foothold, or even a toehold into our souls and thus mess up and cause confusion in our lives. That’s his admitted purpose, and he goes after it with zeal, therefore we also have to be careful not to give him even one li’l opening, because he’s quick to jump into any space we allow him. That’s why, as Peter says, we have to: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:’ (1 Pet.5:8)
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren, ole Satan just roams the earth, hungry and angry, looking for those whom he can lead into temptation. But please remember he’s a toothless, defanged lion, made so by the death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and he has no real power over us unless we allow him to. But as the ole people would say, he has a sweet mouth, could talk nice and be very deceiving; yuh see how he deceived Eve long ago, and still deceiving us today? And Peter again gives us some advice re dealing with the prince of darkness: ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:9)
Ah mih people, we’re not alone in our temptations, for the evil one tempts all believers, as it’s his most precious and desired goal to turn believers away from God to his evil way of thinking and life. But we all need to use our faith to steadfastly resist him. That’s the only way we can be successful against the tyranny of darkness. It’s not always easy as some of his temptations are strong and seem very desirable, but before we fall for them, we must always consider the consequences, unlike what Adam and Eve did. That’s because there are always consequences for falling into sin, into temptation, and we can pay a very hefty price, sometimes for our entire life by making one sinful mistake.
But please know this, our great God won’t allow us to suffer temptation on our own. As Peter says: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye had suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you.’ Yes friends, the Lord will on occasion allow us to go through some rough times, to test us and build our faith, because it’s only in rough times that faith is built and /or strengthened, but be assured that He will eventually make a way for us to handle the temptation. Therefore: ‘To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:11)
Oh, my fellow believers, do we ever need to praise and exalt His holy name for being so kind and generous to the undeserving children of men! Much LOVE!
…the consequences of sin…is death…but belief in Christ Jesus…brings everlasting life…
12 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend of the world, abides forever, acceptable and perfect will of god, as I am not of the world, barbecue, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, by the renewing of your mind, compromise, disturb our comfortable lives, do his bidding, enemy of God, enmity with God, fall through the cracks, freedom at last, Friday chant, friendship of the world, generous help, get out there on the limb, good to be alive, he that does the will of God, I pray not, in Jesus name, Jesus is calling us, keep them from the evil one, keeps the bailiff at bay, late mornings, late nights, love not the world, love of comfort, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, my family's enjoyment, my Maker, party, pride of life, prove the good, radiation treatment, refreshed, renewed, seek God first, serve God or mammon, silence., solitude, take them out of the world, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the love of the Father, the slave camp, the things of the world, the weekend, the workingman's song, the world passeth away, they are not of the world, thinking, ungodly ways, value systems of the world, week of work, with nature, worldly pleasures
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Ah mih people, late nights usually lead to late mornings, and I was out on my porch this morning at 3.a.m enjoying some silence and solitude with nature and my Maker, so no wonder the Bit’s somewhat late. (smile) But please look at it from my point of view nuh.
Being up at those late hours means that I’m getting back somewhat to my old self, not needing to sleep through most of the night like I’ve been recently doing. Hopefully too, I will be more productive in my endeavours, because I certainly haven’t been thus in the last li’l while.
And the best news though friends is that 32 are down, with only one more to go! Yeah! Today is the last day of the radiation treatment! Wow! My time will be my own now! No more having to go to the hospital five times a week at varying times – with empty bowels and a full bladder too!
Oh boy, I’m going to feel like I’ve been set free from jail, don’t know what I’m going to do with myself! Just hope the radiation stuff does what it’s supposed to do though, because I definitely don’t want to have to do it again. But who knows eh? All that’s in the Lord’s hands, the Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein!
And the workingman is also excited this Friday morning, as he belts out his weekend song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend is here at last! Brother! It was a busy week in the slave camp, as it always is in the summertime, but now freedom at last for a couple of days. Glory be!
And isn’t this summer going smashingly? No setta rain or extreme heat. Plenty time to barbecue and party. Have fun with the children…and with the wife…Ooh la la! Who says it’s not good to be alive eh?
Is true the slave master liable to drive me crazy during the week, but come the weekend, I forget all about that, and just concentrate on me and my family’s enjoyment. The work hard, and the pay not commensurate with it, but it keeps the bailiff at bay, and I’m no longer a young man, so I don’t have that many opportunities to get a better job.
And then there’s the old saying, better the devil you know, than the one you don’t! I can handle my slave master, and when things are going good, like they usually are in the summer, he’s not too bad. So why should I get all upset and spoil mih comfortable life eh? That’s why I’m always thankful for Fridays and weekends!’
Yes my fellow believers, right there many of us have a similar problem; not wanting to disturb our comfortable lives, even though Jesus is calling us to get out there on the limb and do His bidding. Too much LOVE of comfort and worldly pleasure, too much compromise with the world and it’s ungodly ways are causing too many of us to fall through the cracks and become more worldly than we ought to be.
Remember Jesus desires us to be in the world, but not a part of it. And basically there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be comfortable, but at what expense? If it prohibits or inhibits your work for Christ, then you have to carefully consider that comfortable condition.
Remember His prayer to the Father for us: ‘I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.’ (John 17:15-16) What more can I say eh friends, except to quote a few scriptures that also encourage us to be not of this evil and ungodly world.
Hear Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom.12:2) Yes my fellow believers in Christ, as the scholars say: ‘We need to resist being poured into the mould of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world.’
Meanwhile James says it a li’l more forcefully: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4) Yeh friends, one cannot be a LOVER of God and a LOVER of the world. You either have to serve God or mammon!
As John so nicely puts it: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Ah my people, yuh see that last line, it’s possibly the most important, letting us know that whatever the world holds dearly will eventually pass away, but the things of God, and those who do His will, will surely abide till eternity! What wonderful news that is! So let’s stop trying to be like the world, and be like Christ instead nuh.
And no, I did not forget our Friday Chant, it’s just that it fell more conveniently at the end than in the middle today. (smile) So as true believers in Christ, let’s chant it now in strong voice with all sincerity nuh! ‘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, let’s all have a happy weekend glorifying God and renewing our spiritual and physical selves so that we can join the battle with new energy and confidence next week. Much LOVE!
…God says…if we seek Him first…He will give us all that we ever need…so why worry about the perishable things in the world eh…
30 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: amazing feat, appearing, aquamarine surf, barbecue, begun a good work, beloved of God, Blue Hole Waterfall, blue skies, bright sunshine, brokenness, cloudy skies, coconut trees, colourful fall season, compassion, confident, count it all joy, dead brown leaves, divers temptations, Don't stop Lord, Dunns River falls, faith, flambeaus, flaming torches, found unto praise, friend of Christ, genuine, glory, gold that perishes, grace, honour, hurry, in god's eyes, island talk, Jesus Chirst, joy, life unfair, living for Jesus, LOVE, magnificent shoulders, make me whole, maturity, more precious than gold, multihued trees, my weakness, nature trail, North East Trades, not easy, nothing left, of this very thing, of your faith, One Year Book of Bible promises, patience, perseverance, poster tree, Praise the Lord, rafting, ransacked me, redeeming feature, refurbishment, renovations, Revelation of Christ, rewarding, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, strength, testing, thanksgiving, the credit, the fire, the flood, the Lord carried me, the product, the White river, till the coming of Jesus, tough times, trial, tried with fire, Tuesday Mantra, various trials, wasted, what I do, what I have, will complete it, worry, worth the process, yellow leaves
1 Peter 1:7. That the (genine) trial (testing) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ.
Ah friends, life can be so unfair at times eh! Chuh! For the past two weeks I was waking up to bright sunshine, blue skies, aquamarine surf rolling up on the shores, and tall coconut tress swaying gently in the cool North East Trade Winds, with refreshing island talk drifting up to my room.
But all of a sudden, I got up this morning and looking out my bedroom window, somewhat cloudy skies, multihued trees and a set of dead brown leaves on the cold looking grass shockingly greeted my sleepy eyes. It certainly brought my system to a standstill. (smile)
But there was one redeeming feature; my neighbour has a tall tree in his backyard, don’t ask me what kind, and it is covered in golden yellow leaves from head to foot! It looks real beautiful, could be a wonderful poster tree for the colourful fall season.
Yeh mih people, the ole fella is back home, dressed in his old red spring jacket, sitting in his old chair before his aged desktop, and writing much more comfortably than I did for the last two weeks on my laptop in J.A. But that vacation has been enshrined in the top ones that the duchess and I have taken.
It definitely is not number one. That place of honour permanently resides in one we took some fifteen to twenty years ago, in the same Jamaica, but we stayed in a town house somewhere down in the Parish of Trelawney. And brother, the things we did; climbing Dunns River falls, rafting down the White River and numerous other tours.
But I guess the highlight was boating up some river in the night with flambeaus, flaming torches all around, and drums beating in the distance, going to a night time barbecue somewhere along the river bank. Sorry, don’t ask me any more, because it seems I was totally wasted that night. (smile) The things we do when we are young eh!
But in my maturity and brokenness, I was still able to do one amazing feat; walk up the winding, dangerous nature trail to the Blue Hole Waterfall, and then walk back down in my flip-flops. And I would indeed be foolish to take all the credit, or rather any of it, because it was the Lord who carried me back and forth on His strong, massive, magnificent shoulders.
If I had known what it was like before attempting it, I doubt I would have done so. So please give the Lord all the glory, because in my weakness, His grace and strength were more than enough to see me through. Glory to the wonderful Deity we serve!
And on that note of thanksgiving, here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that certainly describes my life in the past couple of years. It’s titled ‘Don’t Stop Lord.’ Please pray with me. ‘Lord In asking You to make me whole I certainly didn’t know What I was in for. You have ransacked me Until I sometimes feel There is nothing left. But don’t stop Lord Please don’t stop! I’m trusting that the product Will be worth the process.’
Yes mih breddren, when I asked the Lord for healing, I surely didn’t know the paces He would put me through. And if I had known, I can’t say for sure that I would have asked for it. But since we’ve come so far, it’s too late to turn back now. And even if I don’t feel like crying out to Him to continue, the wise and sensible thing to do is let Him finish the renovations and refurbishment, because as Bruh Paul confidently told the Philippians:
‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:6) Yes my brethren, once the Lord begins working in us, He never stops until the job is done, even if it takes till Jesus’ Second Coming. So please don’t ever give up on Him!
And the Bible Promise for the poem above is also our Bit. ‘That the (genuine) trial (testing) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ.’
Oh friends, the Lord puts us through some tough trials to simply test our faith, to see how committed we truly are to Him. But He only does it for a ‘season,’ a short time. And if we stand strong and steadfast, He will bring us out of the testing fire, stronger, purer and more mature, like when gold and silver are burnished.
As James says: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience.’ (James 1:2-3) And patience, re perseverance, is something ALL believers need to acquire, and sadly, it cannot be acquired without going through tough times.
So please friends, let’s all try and bear up under whatever adversity comes against us, knowing that our ever-faithful God will not give us more than we can handle, and in any case will help us through the fire and the flood. And it’s going home time, so let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with much sincerity, in loud voice and strong sense of purpose, proudly letting the world know who and whose we are.
In unison now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And to be true to our word, let’s go out now and share the wonderful LOVE and compassion of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…truly living for Jesus is not easy…but praise the Lord…it is certainly very rewarding…
20 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sigh of relief, all worthwhile, all ye that labour, barbecue, believe in Jesus, better late than never, boggles the imagination, bore all of our sinse, breath of life, burdens change shoulders, Calvary, cast thy burden up the Lord, church meeting, come unto me, Daily Bread Devotionals, do justice to, doctor's appointment, early morning sleep, earthly wealth, find rest for your souls, gentle, glad to be alive, glorious future with Jesus, great invitation, hands on the plough, hardhearted, he shall sustain thee, he that believes in me, he that comes to me, heavy laden, help from God, humble, I am meek and lowly in heart, I am the bread of life, I will give you rest, learn from me, lesser invitations, LOVE, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, never hunger, never thirst, not looking back, on the cross, prayer, recovery schedule, reticence, righteousness, sacrificed, see daylight ahead, seek ye first, Sermon from the Mount, sinful man, sinless life, stubborn, take my yoke, the Beatitudes, the kingdom of God, truth, Wednesday Wail, will not be cast out, Ye cannot serve God and mammon, yearning for Friday
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Brother! Everybody was early this Wednesday morning but me. I opened my e-mail and saw all sorts of messages there from an early hour, meanwhile I am just beginning to write the Bit at 10 o’clock. Hn, hn! But as they say, better late than never!
I just had a long day yesterday with a doctor’s appointment in the city and that usually takes up the whole day. Had to do much waiting to see her too. But she was happy with my recovery schedule. That made it all worthwhile!
Then, on my way home, I went to a church meeting and barbeque, more barbeque than meeting (smile), so by the time I did get home I was all bushed out. And the old bod doesn’t seem to recover as quickly as it used to, because this morning I had to fight it to get up.
Tell me though, why is the early morning sleep so much sweeter than that of the nighttime eh? Perhaps it’s because we know that we have to get up, but deep down we don’t want to.
Anyway, it’s Wednesday, and many of us are breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that we’ve reached the hump, the midpoint of the weekly work cycle, and we can now see some daylight ahead, while still yearning for Friday and the weekend.
And I have to share these interesting and ever so true words from one of the Daily Bread Devotionals. And it says: ‘Prayer is the place where burdens change shoulders.’
Wow people! What inescapable truth! That’s one of the reasons why we pray. But please note, it is not the only, or even the most important reason for prayer. However, when we do pray for help from Almighty God, oftimes we can feel those burdens just lifted off our shoulders. That’s why Jesus offered His Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’
Oh friends, I know we recently did that scripture as our Bit too, but that’s where the Lord led me this morning. It’s as though He was saying that we are a stubborn and hardheaded people, so we need to hear the truth, the real truth, over and over again before we accept it.
But my people it’s such a wonderful truth! Why do we have to hear it over and over before we accept it eh? We don’t have to hear lesser invitations from our fellow man over and over again before we rush to accept them. So why this reticence in accepting the greatest invitation ever eh?
And that’s not all: Jesus explained why we should come to Him in prayer with our burdens. ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:29-30)
Oh friends NO ONE else has ever ventured to offer such an exceptional invitation because they just didn’t have the ability to keep it. But Jesus did, and still does have that ability to take our burdens and give rest to our souls. If He bore ALL of our sins on the cross, why can’t He bear our lesser burdens too eh? No reason whatsoever!
And hear Him (Jesus) later on, reinforce those words to a crowd of unbelieving Jews nuh. ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise (certainly not) cast out.’ (John 6:35-37)
And why would He cast us out, if He first invited us to come to Him eh? That makes no sense whatsoever! But friends, we first have to believe in Jesus and the role He came to earth to play, and believe strongly, so that we are able to surrender our all to Him.
He doesn’t want just the parts of our lives that we are prepared to give Him, but EVERYTHING; our whole lives! From the simplest aspect to the most important Jesus wants to be involved in, otherwise He can’t do justice to His invitation.
That’s why Jesus highlighted in the Beatitudes, in His Sermon from the Mount that you cannot serve two masters at the same time: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly wealth).’ (Matt.6:25) ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
So friends, I don’t know what else to say to make us consider putting ALL our trust in Jesus Christ, the ONE who sacrificed His sinless life on the Cross at Calvary, took ALL of our sins on His shoulders, so that we could be set free from ALL of our sinful baggage, for ALL time.
But here are the words of a sinful man just like us, Bruh David, who even before Jesus came to earth wisely advised. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.55:22) And we do know how Bruh David lived up to that wisdom and was very successful in life. Maybe his staunch and faithful example might sway us this Wednesday morning. (smile)
Now for those of us who sincerely believe, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our position in Jesus Christ. Let’s wail mih breddren, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday!
Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And as always, that glorious future ahead, just boggles the human imagination! Much LOVE!
…if you can’t accept God’s invitation without worry…whose then will you accept…man’s…
18 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joyful mother of children, aura of love, barbecue, cause the barren woman, come back to his fold, compassion, confidence, cycle of work, deliverer, enthusiasm, fakes, Father's Day, foolish men, form the rising of the sun, friends, glory hallelujah, go round the mulberry bush, high in the heavens, holy spirit, humble servants, humbles himself, idols, imaginations, in times of need, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, keep house, lies, lifts the needy, living truth, LOVE, mere mortals, nobody, one and only God, our fortress, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, out of the dunghill, out of the dust, praise the name of the Lord, Praise ye the Lord, prodigal children, raises the poor, refuge, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, salvation, servants of the lord, set him with princes, shout Hallelujah, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, stronghold, taunts, to the going down of the same, trust, truth, ungodly world, who is like the Lord, wiles, wisdom, work week
Psalm 113:1. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise (shout Hallelujah!), O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
Sing it with me friends: ‘Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush, once more on a Monday morning!’
Yeh mih people, it’s a new work week and that beautiful day Monday, which takes so much heat and dislike because it just happens to begin another cycle of work. And I can imagine how many of us are tired and worn out after yesterday’s hectic Father’s Day celebrations.
Thankfully mine was quiet, just a simple family gathering. And the amusing part is that yesterday was a scorcher, so we turned on the A/C then sat outside and barbecued and ate out there too. The barbecue must have been extremely happy to know that it could still work, having sat on the deck unused for all of last winter and most of last summer too.
Anyway, let’s get a move on by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our antidote for whatever is bothering us this Monday morning. As one strong voice now: Hn, hn!
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih breddren, that just lifts a weight off of our shoulders and replaces it with the peace and joy of Jesus! Glory be to His most Holy Name! The name that all knees will eventually bow to, and all voices declare that He is Lord, to the awesome glory of God the Father!
And to honour our great and amazing, LOVING, gracious, merciful and forgiving God, we have the opening verse of Psalm 113 – God’s mercies are many – as our Bit for today! ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise (shout Hallelujah!), O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.’
And why shouldn’t we eh, for He is indeed a great God; in fact the ONE and ONLY God there is! All other supposed gods are merely fakes, idols and the imaginations of foolish men. Listen to how the psalmist continues: ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.’ (Ps.113:2-3)
And isn’t that the living truth my people! The Lord’s name ought to be praised from sun up to sun down because He’s such an awesome Being, especially where we mortals are concerned! Hear the psalmist again: ‘The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!’ (Ps.113:4-6)
And the simple answer to all of that my faithful breddren is ‘NOBODY whatsoever!’ That’s because no other dead or living being can do the things He does or has the compassion for us mere mortals like He has.
And the psalmist kindly informs us: ‘He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill (the ash heap); That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He maketh (causes) the barren (childless) woman to keep house (dwell in a home), and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.113:7-9)
Oh my people, my people, what a great and awesome God we serve! And if we were to sing of all the things that He truly does for us poor mortals, we wouldn’t have enough time in a day.
But let it suffice that He is indeed mighty, our fortress, our stronghold, our refuge in times of need, and our deliverer in the person of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Praise ye the Lord my brethren! Blessed be His Holy Name! Much LOVE!
…to whom should we offer praises…to the one who created us…still LOVES us…and wants us to come back to His fold…like prodigal children…
29 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful day, a beautiful morning, a better tomorrow, a fleeting thought, a sense of humour, Amen and Amen, Anselm, aspire to inspire, barbecue, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, block, bounden duty, constructive, doubling up work, downsizing, everything's going my way, fabulously made, fears, filled with God's glory, football, free medicine, from everlasting to everlasting, frustration, get to work, good management, gospel truth, heaven is excited, heavenly Father, housework, jungle-like atmosphere, Labour Day, laugh at yourself, laughter, lazing around, let everything that has breath, LOVE, opportunity, persistence, picnic, pilgrim's journey, Praise the Lord, problems, proud like a peacock, resilience, saints of God, score points, shopping, shout Hallelujah, solutions, sourpusses, stand strong, tackle, tension, the cold white stuff, the firmament of his power, the game of life, the loud cymbals, the sun and Son are shining, two out of three ain't bad, Winston Churchill, wondrous things
Psalm 41:13. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.
‘Oh what a beautiful morning…Oh what a beautiful day! Oh what a beautiful morning…Everything’s going my way!’
Yes friends, it is indeed a glorious morning in my neighbourhood! Both the Sun and the Son are shining brightly. And you know when that happens all of heaven is excited.
I just wish I could get my body to respond with the same level of excitement that my soul and spirit currently enjoy. (smile) And I know a lot of you feel the same way.
But as the song says,’ two out of three ain’t bad.’ Let’s be thankful, for many others are batting zero for three…if you get my drift. (smile)
But it’s Saturday, and we’re either doing housework or shopping, or simply lazing around the house, if we’re lucky, or getting ready for a picnic or barbecue or some such outside entertainment.
And we had better get in as much as we can because this is the last Saturday in July, which means the summer is almost done; just August to go now…then it’s September – Labour Day, the cooler weather, and back to school!
Wow! Can you believe that the summer’s just whisked by like a fleeting thought? And we haven’t even had any real hot days…Even today is cooler than it usually is. But yuh know what, most of us will take this kind of weather over the cold, white stuff any day! Glory be!
Now let’s see what our friend Anselm had to say this week, as he aspired to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And here is the first one: ‘Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends? We only learn persistence and resilience when we’re confronted by tough problems, then we stand strong, work persistently on them, and finally conquer them.
And this next quote, though it might be the proverbial truth, it surely isn’t widespread in practice today. ‘Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.’
Hn, hn! In which companies today do we see people excited to deal with problems eh, especially with all the downsizing and doubling up of work on those left behind?
Then we have: ‘The game of life is a lot like football. You have to tackle your problems, block your fears, and score your points when you get the opportunity.’
That surely is in the realm of truth in this crazy, strife filled world. Life is certainly full of blocks and tackles and attempting to score points, as we try to manoeuvre through its wild and jungle-like atmosphere on a daily basis.
But I’ve left the best for last. ‘It’s good to be able to laugh at yourself and the problems you face in life. A sense of humour can save you.’ Now that has oodles of truth percolating through it.
Without a sense of humour we’re just sad, sourpusses, painstakingly trudging along on our pilgrim’s journey. But a sense of humour relieves the tension and frustration and helps us bear the burdens much better. Remember laughter is the best free medicine one can buy.
And I believe it’s Winston Churchill himself who said that the best ability one could have was the ability to laugh at oneself, for it keeps us solidly grounded and not overly proud like a peacock. (smile) By the way, that last part was mine, not Winston’s.
And since today is such a glorious day, and we’re so joyful, I’ve been led to keep it simple and thankful, thus our Bit; words of Bruh David from Psalm 41 – Abuse and assurance. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.’
Oh precious saints of Jehovah God, we couldn’t do any better than to praise His holy name, for that’s why we were so fabulously made. And in a Bit earlier on in the week, we saw how the living creatures and elders in heaven continually praised and worshipped their Creator. So how could we do any less eh?
Now we’re just going to wind down by checking out some joyful scripture along the lines of our Bit. Hear the psalmist from Psalm 106 – Israel sins against God’s LOVE. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. (Hallelujah) Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.106:48)
And Listen to Cousin Sol from the first of the only two psalms he authored. The other is Psalm 127. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.’ (Ps.72:18-20)
And according to the scholars that psalm closes the Second Book of the Psalter – The Exodus Book – Concerning Israel as a Nation. And we’ll end appropriately with these glorious words of Psalm 150 – Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness… Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah). (Ps.150:1-2, 5-6)
And that’s how it ought to be my fellow believers! So please let’s go out and do that nuh, let’s do our bounden duty; praise the Lord, shout ‘Hallelujah!’ Much LOVE!
…giving much deserved thanks and praise to our heavenly Father…is one of the best things a believer can do…
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