02 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a peculiar people, according to the riches of his grace, after offering once and for all time, all blessings to impart, all glorious in the sky, all glory to his name, as a cloud, as a thick cloud, be acceptable in thy sight, believest thou this, Bible, blotted out, break forth into singing ye mountains, champion his cause, Christiaity, eternally to save, exalted there on high, exhort, expresses the confidence, faith, fellowship, for I have redeemed thee, from the depths of degradation, from the depths of our hearts, future generations, glorified himself in Israel, grants me daily breath, he lives, he lives to bring me safely there, he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, he that believes in me, his own special people, his sinless life for our redemption, holy spirit, I am the resurrection and the life, I know that my Redeemer lives, I shall conquer death, in a spot of bother, in gratitude to Christ, in whom we have redemption, Jesus Christ, judge him favourably, let everything that hath breath praise the Lord, let no man despise thee, let the words of my mouth, looking for that blessed hope, LOVE, loves me to the end, mercy, my ever living head, my hungry soul to feed, my kind my wise my heavenly friend, my mansion to prepare, my Prophet Priest and King, my Saviour, O Lord my strength and my redeemer, on the cross of Calvary, Praise ye the Lord, prayer, purify unto himself, reading of God's word, rebuke with all authority, recorded for posterity, redeem us from all iniquity, restore your faith in God, salvation, salvation is God's greatest gift, Samuel Medley, shout, shout Hallelujah, sinful ingrates, Sing O ye heavens, still the same, sweet sacrifices of praise, the forgiveness of sins, the glorious appearing of the great God, the Lord hath done it, the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, the meditation of my heart, the shed blood of Christ, the sweet joy this sentence gives, these things speak, though he were dead yet shall he live, through his blood, thy sins return unto me, thy transgressions, to bless me with his love, to calm my troubled heart, to comfort me when faint, to grant me rich supply, to guide me with his eye, to hear my soul's complaint, to help in time of need, to plead for me above, to silence all my fears, to wipe away my tears, triumphant from the grave, truth, vindicate him, what comfort this sweet sentence gives, while he lives I'll sing, who once was dead, whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die, wisdom, worship, ye lower parts of the earth, zealous of good works
Job 19:25. For I know that my redeemer (kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.
Come on down friends, it’s Sunday once again, that means despite the cold weather, (smile) it’s time to join in fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary with other believers and renew and restore your faith and confidence in Almighty God, through worship, prayer and the reading of His Holy Word! And on tap for today’s worship session is an old 18th century hymn written by ex-army officer turned pastor, Samuel Medley (1738-1799). We know it as the old faithful ‘I know that My Redeemer Lives.’
And surely He does, for Jesus Christ after offering once and for all time, His sinless life as a sacrifice for our redemption is alive and kicking, sitting at the right hand of the throne of God waiting for His enemies to be made his footstool. (Heb. 12-13) So, in sweet sacrifices of praise, let’s offer up this champion song in gratitude to our Lord and Saviour, in a soulful but joyful mid-tempo version, revealing from the depths of our hearts, that we truly believe what we’re singing.
As one joyful and grateful voice: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives! What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives, he lives, who once was dead; he lives, my ever-living head! He lives triumphant from the grave; he lives eternally to save; he lives all-glorious in the sky; he lives exalted there on high. He lives to bless me with his love; he lives to plead for me above; he lives my hungry soul to feed; he lives to help in time of need.
He lives to grant me rich supply; he lives to guide me with his eye; he lives to comfort me when faint; he lives to hear my soul’s complaint. He lives to silence all my fears; he lives to wipe away my tears; he lives to calm my troubled heart; he lives all blessings to impart. He lives, my kind, wise, heav’nly friend; he lives and LOVES me to the end; he lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing; he lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
He lives and grants me daily breath; he lives, and I shall conquer death; he lives my mansion to prepare; he lives to bring me safely there. He lives, all glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives! He lives; all glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives!’
And if you don’t truly know and believe that friends, then I’d say you’re in a spot of bother, and ought to get it fixed right away, for all that the song says of Jesus is true, and the Bible proves it. And we can begin with this assured confirmation from the mouth of the patriarch Job. After the Lord had humiliated him, and his supposed friends were crying him down, he turned on them and proclaimed: ‘For I know that my redeemer (kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.’ (Job 19:25)
Oh my people, let’s hope that we’re all as sure of those two facts as Job was…our Redeemer lives, and He will be standing beside us on the last day! I like how the scholars put it; ‘But from the depths of degradation he (Job) expresses the confidence that if his case could be recorded for posterity (vs. 23-24), future generations would judge him favourably. Furthermore, he knows confidently that he has a Redeemer. One who will champion his cause and vindicate him. Clearly Job viewed God Himself as the Redeemer.’
And it so happens that Job’s words were saved for posterity, and we do judge him favourably, and Jesus Christ has redeemed us all, through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary. And the word ‘redeemer’ has been used of God all through the Old Testament, for example in Psalm 19:14, a verse which we all know well. Bruh David writes: ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.’
Isaiah also talks about it when he reminds Israel on God’s behalf that although they were sinful and disobedient, God will not forget them. “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.’ (Is. 44: 22-23)
Now that’s exactly what we should be doing; singing, breaking forth in true joy, or as Psalm 150 says; ‘Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah)!’ (Ps. 150:6) That’s because the Lord our God has most definitely redeemed us through His Son Jesus Christ! And of a fact, Salvation is the greatest gift our God could ever have given us sinful ingrates!
And who can deny these poignant and powerful words on the subject of redemption that Jesus spoke to Martha, Lazarus’ sister before He raised Lazarus from the dead. ‘Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26)
Now friends, that’s a most important question we should all be asking ourselves, and if the answer is no, then get to changing it immediately! And Bruh Paul made it very clear to the Ephesians that their redemption in God, was brought about through Jesus Christ: ‘In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ (Eph. 1:7)
And we could not end with better verses of scripture on the subject of redemption, than these three from the Epistle of Titus. ‘Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people (his own special people), zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.’ (Titus: 2:13-15)
What more can I say friends, but exhort us to go and do as the apostle says, if we consider ourselves true believers. Much LOVE!
…Jesus became the Redeemer of mankind…because He was the ONLY One capable of doing it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all for our benefit, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, be merciful unto me, be strong and righteous, choose to do right, cleanse thou me from secret faults, deliver me from the oppression of man, give Him some thanks and praise, help me to love your every wish, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, His Part - My Part, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I expect your help dear Lord, in Jesus lies all our hope, incline thine ear unto me, keep me as the apple of the eye, let not any iniquity have dominion over me, let the words of my mouth, live by His dictates, LOVE, make thy face to shine upon thy servant, O Lord my strength and redeemer, One Year Book of Bible promises, order (direct) my steps in thy word, refresh and revive me, regularly read His word, rewarding lifestyle, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love with the world, so will I keep thy precepts, teach me thy statutes, that my footsteps slip not, the awesome truth, thou that savest by thy right hand, trust my friend Jesus, trust you so totally, Tuesday Mantra, unmoved by any circumstance, uphold my steps, what a loving God we serve, work in me that steadfast trust, worry, you've never broken any promise, your will to be my will
Psalm 119:133. Order (direct) my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
And so, we’ve come to Tuesday friends, what are we going to talk about today eh? I really don’t know nuh, except that it will contain stuff about Jesus and His awesome contributions to our lives and the amazing and oh so rewarding lifestyle laid out in His Word for His followers to live by. In other words, the ole fella doesn’t have anything to say, and that’s saying something. (smile)
But this happens from time to time, and when I cry out to the Lord for help, He ofttimes responds by giving me too much to write. So please give me a moment to consult with my Higher Power and see what He wants me to tell us today. (smile) Soon come…!
I’m back mih people, in a minute flat! Sometimes the Lord takes a while to show me something, but today He wasted no time at all in guiding me to this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘His Part – My Part, and it seems quite appropriate for us to contemplate at the beginning of this new year, one chocked full of so many problems that it needs us to be strong and righteous.
So please pray with me: ‘Lord You want me to trust You so totally That I am unmoved by any circumstance: Then work in me that steadfast trust. You want me to choose to do right: Then turn me from wanting any plan but Yours. You want me to revere and honour You: Then refresh and revive me. You want me to obey You uninterruptedly: Then make Your Word my guide. You want me to depend on you increasingly: Then reassure me that Your promises are mine. You want Your will to be my will: Then help me to LOVE Your every wish. – I expect Your help dear Lord For You’ve never broken a single promise And You’re not going to start with me.’
And isn’t that awesome truth my brethren! The Lord’s NEVER broken a promise, and He’s not going to begin with any of us, or anyone who sincerely comes to Him for help! What an awesome, amazing, merciful, gracious, wonderful and LOVING God we serve my people! Give Him some thanks and praise for His wondrous ways to us, although we don’t deserve them!
And the words, the Bible Promise for that poem come from that magnificent call to God, Psalm 119. They say: ‘Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those (as thy custom is toward those) that LOVE thy name. Order (direct) my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Deliver (redeem) me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they (men) keep not thy law.’ (Ps. 119:132-136)
Yes friends, all of that is our heartfelt desire, but however we look at it, in any relationship, all parties have a part to play if they expect the relationship to grow and prosper. And so, we have our part to play, and God has His. The problem is that ofttimes we are not willing to play our part despite the Lord playing His. He gives us all we desire if we are faithful to Him; meaning, if we regularly read His Word, talk to Him, and live by His dictates. The long and short of the story is that we cannot get what we desire until we do the things He says.
And remember, it’s not the Lord in need or want nuh, but us, and all He does, be it difficult or easy, is all for our benefit, not for His. And I believe that’s something we ought to keep uppermost in our hearts and minds this new year of 2022, because, too often we behave as though we are doing God a favour by following His commandments when that’s certainly not true. We, desperately need His awesome mercy and grace friends, otherwise we will end up holding the dirty end of the stick when it really matters.
So please, let’s stop being foolish, let’s stop playing God and be who we really are nuh; created beings, ever dependent on the goodwill and grace of our Creator, the Lord God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and all therein! And if we desire not to be eternally separated from God, then we need to live a life that’s worthy of Him, being grateful and LOVING and obedient to His dictates, crying out to Him for help in ALL circumstances, be they big or small, without shame or fear, for if we heed and believe His word, then we know that He will help us if we cry out to Him sincerely!
Like Bruh David declares in Psalm 17 – A prayer for protection against oppressors. ‘Hold up my goings in thy paths (uphold my steps), that my footsteps slip not. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech. Show thy marvellous LOVING-kindness, O thou that savest (delivers) by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them. Keep me as the apple (pupil) of the eye: hide me under the shadow of thy wings.’ (Ps. 17:5-8)
Oh my brethren, that’s the kind of cry we can offer up to the great God of our forefathers when we consistently try to keep His word and do His will. And this last scripture, again from Bruh David, this time from Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God, also helps us to come to God, and to stay with God, because He is the ONLY One that has ALL the answers.
As Bruh David says: ‘Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great (much) transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps. 19:12-14)
And that’s all I have to say for today! (smile) But yuh see how the Lord can lead and guide us, if we put our sincere trust in Him? Now, for those of us who are doing just that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know whose we are, to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong voice! ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and share that amazing LOVE and awesome friendship of Jesus with others, just as generously as He shares it with us, so that they too can come to LOVE and trust Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…Oh, isn’t it wonderful…that in Jesus…lies all our hope…for today, tomorrow and forever more…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, as far as the east is from the west, assured of victory, be acceptable in thy sight, be reconciled back to you, crowneth thee with loving-kindness, endurance...the bringer of good things, endure until the end, enjoy God's awesome benefits, err on the side of caution, forgiveth all thine iniquities, great is his mercy to them that fear him, guilt trips, he knoweth our frame, he remembers that we are dust, healeth all thy diseases, I am halfway home, I am the vine ye are the branches, I bless you and praise your holy name, I'm not turning back, let the words of my mouth, Like as a father pitieth his children, LOVE, my hands are fixed securely on the plough, neither will he keep his anger for ever, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, O Lord my strength and my redeemer, plenteous in mercy, redeemeth thy life from destruction, satisfieth thy mouth with good things, slow to anger, so far hath he removed our transgressions, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, still flowing through me, thanks for another day, the blessings you bestow on me, the breath of life, the enemy jumps for joy, the gratitude and Love I have for you, the Lord is merciful and gracious, the Lord reads our hearts, the meditation of my heart, the times are turbulent, to a glorious future with Jesus, walk in the footsteps of Jesus, Wednesday Wail, without me ye can do nothing, your wonderful love
Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.
It’s a fine looking Wednesday morning out there my people! And since we are alive to enjoy it, I believe that some thanks and praise to our great Creator is quite in order. So, let’s get a li’l thankful nuh. (smile) Please pray with me. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for allowing me to see another day, even though the times they are turbulent and troubled! I know that You only have good things in store for me, a future and a hope, like you promised in Your Word, and that no weapon formed against me will ever prosper.
And even though I go through rough times You have promised to eventually work them all out for my good, which means that I can be assured of victory once I walk in the footsteps of Your Son, and my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! I thank you ever so much for all the blessings You bestow on me, although I don’t deserve them. But most of all I thank You for Your wonderful LOVE, a LOVE that created me and has nurtured me down through the ages.
A LOVE so strong and unconditional that it caused You to send Your Only Son Jesus to earth to die on my behalf, so that I could be reconciled back to You, and enjoy eternal life as a member of Your marvellous flock! Mere words can never convey the gratitude and LOVE that I have for You. But I know when Your Holy Spirit reads my heart, all will be known. I bless You, and praise Your Holy Name, this day, and forever! Amen!’
Yes friends, I do hope that when the Lord reads our hearts, He will see the true LOVE and gratitude we have for Him, because that’s where He looks after He listens to our words. And He is very disappointed when the meditations of our hearts don’t match the words of our mouths. As Bruh David says in Psalm 19: ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps. 19:14)
Oh my faithful brethren, our words and the motives of our hearts ought to match up in God’s sight, if we want to continually enjoy His awesome benefits. And you ask what benefits we talking about? O glory be mih people! The Lord God Almighty has the best benefits in the business, consequently that’s why so many of us are exceedingly joyful to work for Him. Hear some of them as Bruh David lists them in Psalm 103 nuh.
He declares with a strong sense of purpose: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases: Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies: Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5) Wow! No other employer can match those extraordinary benefits… And that’s only the beginning of the list yes!
Hear these even deeper ones. ‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:6-12)
That reminds me of the pastor I heard about, who had done some bad deed in his earlier days and just could not forgive himself. Meanwhile in his congregation, there was this woman who claimed to have visions from Jesus. The pastor did not believe her, so he told her that if she could find out from Jesus, the awful sin he’d committed, then he would believe. A week later she came back to church and when the pastor asked for Jesus’ response, the woman said, He’s forgotten it!
That’s how great and true our God is my fellow saints. He doesn’t have time for guilt and sorrow. Once we sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness, He grants it, and remembers it no more. So if God can forget our sins, why can’t we eh? That just shows how shallow, proud and stubborn we are! The Lord can forgive and forget but we can’t. And don’t believe the enemy isn’t glad when we behave so foolishly…he actually jumps for joy when we don’t accept God’s forgiveness or don’t forgive ourselves and keep harming ourselves with our guilt trips.
But please remember that our Creator knows all our faults and foibles, and ‘Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:13-14) Oh mih bredrin, what a great and wonderful God we serve! He knows us, because He created us, and knows that we are weak and feeble like the dust we were made from, and thus His extreme LOVE and compassion for us! Why is it so difficult for us to accept them eh? Especially when we cannot do very much, or any better on our own.
Remember Jesus said it quite clearly. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And that’s the long and short of the story people. Without Jesus we can’t do anything. That’s why we have to cling tightly to Him, like white on rice, if we desire to get anything worthwhile done in this life. Now for those of us who are clinging for dear life, (smile) let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And though I shouldn’t have to remind us, I will err on the side of caution. (smile) Please remember that if we endure until the end, the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…endurance…it is the bringer of good things…eventually…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
02 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and the meditation of my heart, another snow-filled morning, balance the list, be acceptable in thy sight, be of good cheer, be who we ought to be, by a lot of sacrifices, confront the world in Jesus' name, don't look for flaws but potential, fulfill our destiny, hit the nail on the head, in everything give thanks, keep the door of my lips, let go of anxiety, let me not eat of their dainties, let the words of my mouth, make 2021 a banner year for christ, not by words of the mouth, O Lord my strength and redeemer, only one superstar, our friend Anselm, powerful and authoritative people of God, praise the Lord for His goodness, pray without ceasing, PRAY!, prepare themselves to be great, rejoice evermore, right down to the wire, rotting in Hades, separate worries from concerns, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, singing the praises of our Lord and Saviour, sit on your ego, take one day at a time, talk less listen more, the gospel truth, the Master Fixer, the morrow shall take thought for itself, there'll be trouble in the world, this blessed year of 2021, this is the will of God, to fight tooth and nail, we going to rise up, you are not the G.M of the universe
Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.
Another snow-filled morning…but who’s counting or bothering eh? Certainly not me, or any of those Jesus filled believers who have to trudge out and about in it! (smile) That’s because with Jesus both in us and by our side we will not fear, regardless of what the world and its evil self choses to throw against us. And all of God’s children said a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord for His goodness and strength to the children of men!’ And that’s for sure friends, the Lord deserves much more thanks than we give Him.
But remember, we promised to change that for this new year of 2021. Yes, this blessed year of 2021, we going to be sincerely singing the praises of our Lord and Saviour as we diligently carry out His work! We going to rise up and be who we ought to be; powerful and authoritative people of God, but filled with peace, LOVE, thanks, grace, mercy and all the other fruits of the Spirit!
Wow! Beware evil world, Christ’s mighty army is coming against you this year, we going to be fighting you tooth and nail, right down to the wire, until your evil carcass lies wasted, lies a rotting in Hades! What powerful sentiments and promises friends. I do hope we keep them. (smile)
Now, let’s see what our friend Anselm had to tell us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And thank the Lord, there is no preface to deal with this week! (smile) Yes it’s somewhat different this week. And it unfurls with this greeting and word of advice: ‘There are greater things to be achieved in every new year, and each and everyone must prepare themselves to be great, not by words of the mouth, but by a lot of sacrifices. Do stay safe.’
Ah precious people of God, our friend Anselm hit the nail on the head right there! Much talking must stop and be replaced by much action, with many sacrifices, cause that’s the example our Leader, Jesus set us. All of us want to be great, but we don’t want to expend the labour, the blood, sweat and tears it takes to do it. So we just talk up a storm, but do nothing worthwhile about it, because we just plain scared or lazy or whatever to truly confront the world in Jesus’ name.
Remember Jesus told us not to fear so often that it ought to be seared into our minds, souls, bodies and spirits. And furthermore, He informed us that there would be trouble in the world but He had already conquered it, so we should be cheerful and just keep on doing what we ought to, because He would always be with us, right down to the very end of the age! That’s means, the world and its evil rulers can’t conquer us if we stand up strong with Jesus all around us, as He’s promised.
So then, here’s this most interesting and very worthy advice from our friend Anselm. ‘We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends? We always seem to look for the bad parts in us, but seldom the good ones. We do have good parts yuh know, parts filled with lots of potential that God placed there for us to work on and fulfill our destiny and His purpose for our lives. Unfortunately though, we don’t pay sufficient attention to that aspect of our lives.
And per Anselm, here are some ‘Things to think about for 2021:’ And the first bit of advice is ‘Talk less; listen more;’ Brother! Is that ever appropriate for many of us, including me. I even promised my family that I wouldn’t talk as much as I do. So there you see, I’m already on the right track. Hope I can fulfill that promise though, because it’s not an easy one to keep, but we can do it, if we cry out to God for help, like Bruh David did: ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties (delicacies).’ (Ps. 141:3-4)
And if we’re sincere about it, the Lord will certainly hear our prayer and help us. Or we can also plead like Bruh David in Psalm 19: ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps. 19:14) Yes friends, we know we’re maturing when our words and the motives of our hearts are not displeasing to our heavenly Father.
But moving right along, Anselm then tells us: ‘Remind yourself you are not the General Manager of the Universe;’ Now that’s certainly interesting because too many of us believe that we run the world; that it should run like we say or think. But for our information, that’s God’s job! We’re just a li’l speck in the great plan He has for His universe! So let’s not go messing with it nuh, as though it’s ours to set straight, for the Lord doesn’t take kindly to others trying to run His business. (smile) Let’s just concentrate on the li’l portion He gave us to look after nuh. We not even doing that properly, but we want to look after the world. (smile)
And in the process, Anselm informs us that another useful endeavour would be to ‘Sit on your ego;’ And oh, do we ever need to do that in this ego driven, celebrity worshipping world of ours, where every li’l knuckle head – not the word I really wanted to use – (smile) thinks, believes and acts like a superstar. Steups! But fortunately, many of them flame out just as quickly as they catch fire. Oh friends, until we realize that there’s ONLY ONE SUPERSTAR in this universe, JESUS, and start worshipping Him and not our fellow weak, mortal, frail and finite man, our lives won’t be worth a whole lot!
Now according to Anselm, we ought to also ‘Take one day at a time;’ And that’s wise advice, since Jesus told us the same thing long ago. ‘Take therefore no thought for (don’t worry about) the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) Yeh, we can make some plans, with God ‘s help, but if we don’t look after today, who says we’ll be around to see tomorrow eh?
And while we’re doing that, it would also be wise to ‘Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you to do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it;’ Absolute words of wisdom my brethren! Brother Anselm’s been preaching to us today! (smile) I would like to add one thing to that though, if you can’t do anything about the situation, but it’s real important, then give it to God, let Him hold it for you, while He works on it. We don’t need to hold it if we can’t fix it. Just give it to the Master Fixer.
And last but not least, possibly most important, Anselm advises us to ‘PRAY!’ Ah mih people, that is indeed the crowning glory of all we do! As Bruh Paul told the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18) And that is indeed God’s will for His people!
Then Anselm ends by wishing a ‘Happy New Year to all my friends and family.’ And I wish the same for all of us my precious saints in Christ! Let’s make 2021 a banner year for the church and people of Christ! Much LOVE!
…if you truly believe…then you ought to rejoice…pray…and give plenty thanks…
15 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken heart, a contrite spirit, a fatted calf, a good read, allow the Holy Spirit to control us, attentive, be acceptable in thy sight, be sarcastic, belittle you, better is a dinner of herbs, blinding people's thoughts, born of God, break into your thoughts, courteous, cutoffs, defences, endure to the end, faith, glory hallelujah, grace, halfway home, hands on the plough, hatred, hope love, I'm not turning back, icy silences, informative, kind, knoweth god, let the words of my mouth, listening love, love covereth all sins, LOVE is of God, LOVE one another, love that listens, mercy, missing real life, monologues, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my redeemer, not opinionated, now for now decisions, O Lord my strength, objective, One Year Book of Bible promises, overconfidence, patient, Ruth Harms Calkin, shame you, show forth thy praise, sinful nature, stirreth up strifes, surface talk, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith, the best life possible, the breath of life, the greatest is love, the meditation of my heart, the most valuable attribute of God, the sacrifices of God, thou desirest not sacrifice, to a glorious future with Jesus, trite spiritual answers, turbulent times, turn you off, undivided attention, unselfish, We can do all things through Christ, Wednesday Wail, where love is, with the Lord's help
Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.
Well friends, Wednesday has opened bright and sparkling and promises to be a hot one, not like the last two days that have been comparatively cool. But it’s summer and that’s what we expect…until it gets too hot. (smile) And this morning we have something to share from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that will break down all the walls and barriers and impediments that we have built up around ourselves and those with whom we interact. It’s appropriately titled, ‘LISTENING LOVE!’
Yeh mih people, it’s LOVE that listens. So please pray with me: ‘Listening LOVE is one of the greatest gifts we can give our mates, our families, and our friends. Too often we settle for surface talk or icy silences, for monologues or cutoffs, for defences. What a difference when we follow the principles of Listening LOVE. Listening LOVE is courteous. It says… I will strive not to interrupt or outguess you. I will not finish your sentences or break into your thoughts. Listening LOVE is attentive. It says… I will give you my undivided attention. I will not turn you off or leave you isolated.
Listening LOVE is patient. It says… I will not rush you or insist on a right-now conclusion. Listening LOVE is kind. It says… I will not shame you with sarcastic retorts. I will not belittle you. Listening LOVE is objective. It says… I will try to be informative rather than opinionated. I will not attempt to think for you. Listening LOVE is unselfish. It says… I will guard against overconfidence and trite “spiritual” answers. Listening LOVE is prayerful. It says… I will pray for insight, for wisdom, and for gentle reactions.’
Oh my people, Listening LOVE is indeed difficult to practice when all the problems of the world are weighing us down! But please pray that there will be Listening LOVE between the duchess and I today, (smile) because I’ve already turned on the A/C after it was off for the last two days, and that’s usually a source of contention between us. But although practicing Listening LOVE is difficult, it is indeed possible, if we took our time and thought about our reactions before we engaged them. Unfortunately though, that’s also a difficult thing in this new and modern world of speed and now for now decision making.
And I guess that’s why Bruh David prayed this solemn prayer at the end of Psalm 19, which is our Bit and also the Bible Verse associated with today’s writing. ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’ Yes my brethren, it’s only with the Lord’s help that we can truly practice Listening LOVE! The world and the sinful nature that exists within us do not allow us to be patient, thoughtful, kind, courteous and all the other things that Listening LOVE requires.
I guess that’s why Cousin Sol also wisely proclaimed: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 12:19) And again why he later on declared (yeahhh!) ‘Better is a dinner of herbs (vegetables) where LOVE is, than a stalled ox (fatted calf) and hatred therewith.’ (Prov. 15:17) Oh my people, LOVE is such a wonderful thing! And it ought to be, since it’s the most valuable attribute of our magnanimous and magnificent God! ‘And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.’ (1 Cor. 13:13)
But since the fall of man, when sin entered our lives, true LOVE seems to be so difficult for us to practice. And the great efforts of the fallen angel Lucifer, now his satanic majesty, against it doesn’t help us in the least. Satan hates LOVE because he knows that LOVE comes from God. and he doesn’t like it one bit when John says: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7)
But as true believers in Christ, that is exactly what we are called to do! All the greed and selfishness of the world should not be showing up in the sons and daughters of Almighty God. Sadly, however, it is showing up to a great extent because we are still too contaminated by the ways of the world and we are not seeking the righteousness of God as much as we ought to. And a very good example of how we ought to behave is given by Bruh David when the prophet Nathan eventually accosted him re his adultery with Bathsheba and the premeditated murder of her husband Uriah.
He prayed: ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51) Yeh friends, our sin nature is responsible for a lot of stuff. But please listen to these wise words from the scholars.
‘Sin nature: 51:5. When the word sin appears in the singular, it usually denotes the sin nature of humanity. This sin nature, which everyone possesses, influences us to sin and is the source of lust. It negatively affects people’s minds (Rom. 1:28). Illustration: The sin nature is partially responsible for blinding people’s thoughts and understanding, so that they cannot perceive spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). Although our sin nature continues to operate within us, it was judged when Christ died (Rom. 6:6-7).
Application: Until Christ returns, we must live in the strength of the new man, to overcome the sinful desires arising from the sin nature. We cannot eradicate our sin nature, but we can allow the Holy Spirit to control us so that we do not give in to temptation. (First Ref. Gen. 6:5; Primary Ref. Rom. 3; cf. Rom. 5:12).’
Ah friends, life can be somewhat difficult at times, but with Christ in us, and we in Him… Oh we can do any and all things through His most wonderful strength and grace and mercy. So please, let’s not fall or falter by anything evil that comes against us. And please read those scriptures the scholars outlined above, because they are so educational and uplifting, and do we ever need uplifting stuff in these turbulent times! Now let’s go home declaring (oh yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our serious, sincere and most excellent position in Christ Jesus!
All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we endure to the end, we WILL experience that glorious future with Christ! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t know Christ…you’re missing real life…the best life possible…
P.S. Sorry it’s late, but I had to go out the street and do some time sensitive stuff first. But it’s a good read. (smile) Much LOVE!
02 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little member, a world of iniquity, anger, attentive, avoidance of unnecessary trouble, be acceptable in thy sight, be pleasing to God, bless God, boasteth great things, bounden duty, cantankerous world, considering our response, courteous, curse man, defiles the whole body, friend of Jesus, fuller life, gentle reactions, gospel truth, guards his life, he that guards his mouth, hurry, informative, insight, kind, listening love, LOVE, my mouth shall show forth thy praise, my redeemer, now for now society, O Lord my strength, open thou my lips, opinionated, patient, power of the Lord, reward of cautious speech, saints in Christ, sarcastic retorts, share His love, strife, the meditation of my heart, the party over, the tongue, the tongues is a fire, the words of my mouth, thoughtless and selfush words, thoughts and words, trite answers, truly listen, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, worry
Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.
Well an end to all good things must be, so the Canada Day party is over now, with some rain in the early morning hours and some cloudy skies. But thankfully no showers of blessings spoiled the party! (smile) Now it’s time to return to the daily grind and common task.
Yeh, the radiation treatments are upon me again… the ole bod must have breathed a relieved sigh at the lack of treatment for three whole days. (smile) Only another couple of weeks to go though. And since the Lord promised to see me through whatever He chooses to put me through, then I’m not worried about the outcome, just dying for the very inconvenient everyday visit to the hospital to end. But patience…and a stiff upper lip friends! (smile)
Anyhow, let’s check out this important gift from our One Year Book of Bible verses with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin nuh. It’s titled ‘LISTENING LOVE!’ Please read with me: ‘Listening LOVE is one of the greatest gifts we can give our mates, our families, and our friends. Too often we settle for surface talk or icy silences, for monologues or cutoffs, for defences. What a difference when we follow the principles of listening LOVE!
Listening LOVE is courteous. It says… I will strive not to interrupt or outguess you. I will not finish your sentences or break into your thoughts. Listening LOVE is attentive. It says… I will give you my undivided attention. I will not turn you off or leave you isolated. Listening LOVE is patient. It says… I will not rush you or insist on a right-now conclusion. Listening LOVE is kind. It says… I will not shame you with sarcastic retorts. I will not belittle you.
Listening LOVE is objective. It says… I will try to be informative rather than opinionated. I will not attempt to think for you. Listening LOVE is unselfish. It says… I will guard against overconfidence and trite “spiritual” answers. Listening LOVE is prayerful. It says… I will pray for insight, for wisdom, and for gentle reactions.’
Oh my people, how wonderful our world would be if we would all show just a li’l more Listening LOVE! If we’re truthful, we’d all acknowledge that too often we interrupt, belittle, are impatient, unkind and otherwise in our conversations, and thus they do not go as well as we want them to, or as they ought to go. Half the time we don’t even truly listen, but while the other person is talking, we are considering our response, and thus miss half of what they are saying.
And we can’t blame it all on this fast, now for now society in which we now live, but must cast some of the blame on our impatient, know it all selves. I know I’m guilty of some of that ‘unlistening’ LOVE, and sometimes when I catch myself doing it, I berate myself for it, but it’s not easy to change our accustomed behaviour.
However, there is help for us in the power of the Lord our God, beginning with the Bible verse that’s allocated to our poem today. Yeh friends, the immortal words of Bruh David is our Bit for today: ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, it’s ever so important that our thoughts and words be pleasing to our heavenly Father. But as with so much of life, we can’t do it on our own, that’s why everyday we ought to ask Him for the power to think and speak wisely…in other words, with listening LOVE.
And there’s no doubt that a lot of the strife and anger that currently exists in our world are caused by thoughtless and selfish words. No wonder Cousin Sol could warn us that ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (guards) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov.13:3) And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘13:3. The reward of cautious speech is fuller life and the avoidance of unnecessary trouble.’
Truer words were never spoken friends! Many of us would have so many fewer problems if we’d only watch what we say! That’s why Bruh David seriously asked the Lord in Psalm 141 – Prayer for help in trouble. ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ (Ps.141:3) And if a man of Bruh David’s faith and religious stature could make such a plea, who are we, living in a much more evil, contentious and cantankerous world, not to do the same eh?
And listen to some more of Cousin Sol’s wise words on the mouth. ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles.’ (Prov.21:13) Gospel truth that my brethren!
And we don’t have time or space to write all that James says about the tongue, but hear these few words. ‘Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire)! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-) And we all know that’s gospel truth!
The tongue is impossible to tame without God’s help, and it is the cause of many of the world’s most serious problems. What we seriously need in today’s world is Bruh David’s plea: ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.’ (Ps.51:15) What a wonderful world this would be, if we were using our tongues to praise God rather than curse our fellow man!
And having read and digested all of that, let’s go home declaring (wrong again!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice and sincere sense of purpose: ‘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 if we’re truly sincere, then let’s go out now and share that friendship and LOVE of Jesus with those who unfortunately don’t know Him. That’s our bounden duty as faithful believers! Much LOVE!
…it’s not right…to curse man…and then bless God…with the same tongue…
28 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, abundance, asaph, be acceptable in thy sight, clear direction for my life, come to know Jesus, courage, creativity, curse, devastating circumstances, disobedience, divine protection, everlasting love, family, favour, friends, fulfillment, gladness, glory to God, God was their rock, God's supernatural wisdom, gospel truth, he shall stand at the last day, health, honour, I am blessed, I know that my Redeemer lives, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, Lucifer, negative word, our Lord and Saviour, our part to play, prince of darkness, promotion, prosper, punishment, return void, self-control, self-discipline, succeed, success, supernatural strength, talent, the God of his fathers, the high god their redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the meditation of my heart, the mighty One of Jacob, the Old Testament, the words of my mouth, Thursday Blessings, Top o' the morn, truth
Job 19:25. For I know that my Redeemer (lit. Kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.
Well hello there you beautiful believers! Top o the morn! Don’t worry that it’s somewhat cloudy, our God will drive away the clouds from our lives and allow the bright sunlight of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to enter therein and calm all of our fears and sorrows.
Oh give Him many thanks and much praises my people for His wonderful ways to the children of men!
Can you imagine what our situation would be like if He was a harsh and judgmental God, like some of the many false gods that abound today, instead of the caring and compassionate Deity that He is? Crapaud would surely smoke we pipe!
Anyway, thankfully He is a most LOVING and kind God and showers us with blessings each and every day. And since it’s Thursday, and a blessing is not a blessing until it is spoken, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings over ourselves with plenty vim, vigour and sincerity.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Yes friends, sometime soon now blessings will just follow us and overtake us… Glory to God!
But as always, remember that we have our part to play in this relationship with Almighty God, so let’s get out there and do it this Thursday morning nuh; give others a chance to come to know Jesus and His everlasting LOVE.
And why are assured that we can do whatever is necessary to accomplish that task? Because as Job so boldly proclaimed in our Bit: ‘For I know that my Redeemer (lit. Kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.’
Yes friends, Job didn’t know Jesus, the actual Redeemer, but he certainly knew the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who made him and cared for him, despite his then current devastating circumstances.
And yuh better believe he exuded a lot of faith with those words he solemnly and truthfully declared. I don’t know how many of us would be able to do and say the same things under similar circumstances.
Now all I want to do today is highlight some scriptures from the Old Testament that deal with the Redeemer, beginning with these memorable words of Bruh David from Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God. ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps.19:14)
Oh my people, we all know those words and say them fairly often, but is the sincerity there when we mouth them? For all of our sakes, I sincerely hope so, otherwise our prayer is meaningless.
Now listen to the psalmist Asaph, as he recounts Israel’s punishment for their disobedience, and their eventual turning back to God from Psalm 78 – A reminder of God’s goodness to Israel.
‘When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early (diligently sought) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.’ (Ps.78:34-35)
Oh my brethren, are we behaving like the Israelites of old, only turning to God when He slays us? I think we’re behaving worse than them, for they at least learned their lesson, even though their hearts still wasn’t right with Him.
Unfortunately though, in today’s world, even though the Lord slays us, not necessarily literally, but certainly figuratively, we are still so stubborn and hard headed that we refuse to turn to Him and keep on following the foolish ways of Lucifer, the prince of darkness.
That’s definitely not very wise my friends, since Lucifer is a fallen angel. But each individual is responsible for their actions and will pay whatever price He determines is necessary.
And Isaiah, while talking about the judgement of Babylon, declares thus: ‘As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.’ (Is.47:4.)
And that’s gospel truth friends, as we all found out when Jesus Christ redeemed us by sacrificing His holy and sinless life on the cross on our behalf.
And we’ll close with another scripture passage from Isaiah, this one, when he talks about Israel being restored to Zion. ‘And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.’ (Is.49:26)
Now, with those words of indisputable truth, speaking to our hearts precious people, lets go out today and do the Lord’s will with honour and gladness nuh, so that His Word does not return void. Much LOVE!
…without the timely redemption of our Redeemer…Jesus Christ…our mortal lives would have been of little significance…
02 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and my redeemer., and the meditation of my heart, attentive, be acceptable in thy sight, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, Canada Day celebrations, confusion, consequences, courteous, daily grind and common task, faithfulness, friends, good listeners, gossip, Holy One of Israel, honouring Almighty God, icy silences, idle word, kind, let the words of my mouth, listening love, misunderstanding, monologues, negative reactions, O Lord, O Lord my strength, objective, patient, principles of listening love, righteousness., sarcastic retorts, shoot loosely from our lips, silence is golden, slow to speak, surface talk, swift to hear, talkative society, undivided attention, unselfish, virtual reality
Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.
Well Friends the Canada Day celebrations are over now. Time to get back to the common task and daily grind. And it’s a glorious Thursday morning to do so; though it’s still a tad cool, both the sun and the Son are shining brightly across God’s wonderful universe!
As you can no doubt surmise from the lateness of the Bit, my celebrations lasted way into the early hours of the morning. (smile) Well it wasn’t really celebrations, just me doing my usual night time thing, I just happened to begin a tad later than normal.
Anyway, today I have for us a rather interesting and important poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s simply titled ‘LISTENING LOVE.’
‘Listening LOVE is one of the greatest gifts we can give our mates, our families, and our friends. Too often we settle for surface talk or icy silences, for monologues or cutoffs, for defenses. What a difference when we follow the principles of listening LOVE!
Listening LOVE is courteous. It says… I will strive not to interrupt or outguess you. I will not finish your sentences or break into your thoughts.
Listening LOVE is attentive. It says… I will give you my undivided attention. I will not turn you off or leave you isolated. Listening LOVE is patient. It says… I will not rush you or insist on a right now conclusion. Listening LOVE is kind. It says… I will not shame you with sarcastic retorts. I will not belittle you.
Listening LOVE is objective. It says… I will try to be informative rather than opinionated. I will not attempt to think for you.
Listening LOVE is unselfish. It says… I will guard against over confidence and trite “spiritual” answers.
Listening LOVE is powerful. It says… I will pray for insight, for wisdom, and for gentle reactions.’
Yes Friends, those are the things that ought to go into all our conversations, how they ought all to be conducted! Not in the negative manner that so many of them are in these tremulous times.
It basically describes the attributes of LOVE, as found in the LOVE Chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, where LOVE is described as being, kind, charitable, not envious, long suffering, not boastful or arrogant, doesn’t behave rudely, selfishly or keeps records of evil. (1 Cor.13:4-8)
Well all these things ought to also govern our conversations my people, for it’s mostly with words that we communicate with each other. Thus the scripture promise for that poem, which is also our Bit, is the popular ending of Bruh David’s Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God.
‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’
Yeh mih breddren, all of us know that scripture verse, but do we really practice it? No! Certainly not as much as we ought to, especially in this rather talkative society, where we talk a lot, but say very little, and are too taken up with the concerns of others through the social media, than with our own miserable and mish-mash lives.
Ah Friends, when are we going to learn that generally speaking, the less we say, the better off we will be eh, especially in terms of gossip and stuff we don’t really know the truth about. Unfortunately though, in this age of virtual reality, everyone has an opinion on everything and also chooses to voice it.
But we ought not to utter any words at all, until we have considered their worthiness in honouring Almighty God. That’s why so many of us get ourselves in so much trouble; we just shoot loosely from our lips without giving any real thought to the possible reactions and consequences of our words.
And sometimes too, it’s not so much the words that we use, but the tone of voice, the manner in which we utter them which causes negative reactions. I am sure if we all thought a tad more before we spoke, then there’d be a whole lot less arguments, contentious conversations and negative reactions. End of sermon. (smile)
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that support our concerns. This first one comes from Psalm 51; Bruh David’s prayer for cleansing after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan called him out on it. He sorrowfully cries out: ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.’ (Ps.51:15)
Yes Friends, we would be so much better off if we’d ask the Lord to guide us in every word that we utter. Then there’d be far less confusion and misunderstanding in our lives, and consequently our world.
And the psalmist in Psalm 71 – a prayer for help in old age – puts it like this. ‘I will also praise thee with the psaltery (lute or lyre), even thy truth (faithfulness), O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul which thou hast redeemed.
My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.’ (Ps.71:22-24)
Oh mih people, would that we’d take that sound advice and let our tongues speak righteousness all day long!
And James says it this way. ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20)
Oh my beloved brethren, never were truer words spoken! Especially when we put it into context with these all-important words of Jesus, when He spoke about good and corrupt fruit.
‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt.12:36-37)
It couldn’t be put any clearer and simpler than that Friends! So please, let’s ponder all the important stuff that we’ve read this morning and take all the wonderful advice we’ve been given to heart and try our best, with God’s help of course, to become good listeners and slow talkers, so that we don’t have too much negative speech to answer for, come the judgement day. That is the zenith of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…one must always think before one talks…because oftimes the old adage… that silence is golden… is ever so true…
26 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, abyss of sin, all is well, allergies, as wool, ask for guidance, atonement for sins, be acceptable in thy sight, be reasonable, believers in Jesus, bloodguiltiness, Bruh David, caffeine, cleanse, come to God, condemnation of sin, confess our sins, confession, covenants of God, devoured by the sword, do what is right, dominion, dungeon of sin, eat of the good of the land, errors, eternal damnation, forgiveeternal life, friends, glorification of God, glory hallelujah, God's gracious invitation, good for the soul, gospel truth, guilt, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, hearsay, if we confess our sins, iniquity, innocent, Isaiah, Israel, keep a sharp eye, late morning, late nights, life-changing grace of God, living colour, living truth, LOVE, love is like wildflowers, Love makes the world go round, loving kindness, magnanimous god, mercies, money, money makes the world go round, most wonderful God, obedience, obediently, our Lord and Saviour, penitent heart, personal experience, pilgrim's journey, prayer, presumptuous sins, put God first, reason together, rebel, red dye, red like crimson, Redeemer, refuse, repent, repentance, riding with Jesus, running around in the rain., Sacrifical Lamb, scarlet, secret faults, selflessly, sin, sorrow, strife, surrender your life to God, the meditation of my heart, the mouth of the Lord, the words of my mouth, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, transgression, travelling companion, truth, turn to God, watchword, white as snow, willing, wonders
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Ah Friends, it’s just one of those late nights that naturally morphed into a late morning. And running around in the rain yesterday didn’t help matters any, as my allergies are threatening to act up. (smile) But not to worry; the caffeine is hot, strong and sweet, and we’re riding along with Jesus, which means that all is well. Glory Hallelujah!
We couldn’t want, ask for, or find a better companion to journey with through this confused, troubled and sinful world. And the word for today is ‘LOVE!’
Oh my people, for serious believers in Jesus, LOVE should be our watchword each and every day, because that’s the quality that our Lord and Saviour put forth the most when He came to earth to be the sacrificial lamb for the atonement of our sins.
If He hadn’t LOVED us dearly and deeply, He would have remained resting on His laurels in heaven. But instead, He selflessly and obediently became man, became one of us, so that we could be released from the dark and dangerous abyss of sin in which we were then floundering.
Unfortunately though, too many of us are still floundering in that dark dungeon of sin. However, in keeping with our talk on LOVE, let me share a few words from my ‘p.s. I LOVE YOU’ poster, designed to bring out the LOVE in us. It says that, ‘LOVE is like wildflowers. It’s often found in the most unlikely places.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends! LOVE, the real thing that is, often crops up in places we least expect to find it. So please, in our travels today, let’s be aware, let’s keep a sharp eye out for the LOVE we might find in those unusual places.
And though some say that it’s money which makes the world go round, I believe it’s LOVE! Just look at the numerous households and places where there’s plenty money, but also lot’s of strife and little or no LOVE.
Meanwhile, in so many other households and places, where there’s little or no money, but the absence of strife is very notable, and true LOVE abounds in abundance! (smile)
Oh Friends, our God is a most wonderful God, please believe that! But you won’t really experience Him in all His glory until you truly surrender yourself to His will and wise plan for your life. That’s when He shows up in bright and living colour!
In other words, God makes His move when we do as our Bit advises: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
And that’s the living truth, my brethren! I wouldn’t lead you astray. I’m talking from personal experience, not hearsay. When you put God first in your life and sincerely and diligently work towards obedience and His glorification, you’ll see wonders that you never dreamed of, or even imagined possible!
Yes Friends, until we come to God like Bruh David did in Psalm 38 – The prayer of a penitent heart – and earnestly declare: ‘For I am ready to halt (fall), and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity, I will be sorry for my sin.’ (Ps.38.17-18) We won’t fully experience the mercies and LOVING-kindness of our magnanimous God.
And He makes that abundantly clear from this passage in Isaiah, where he calls for repentance from His sinful people, Israel. ‘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.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:18-20)
Oh my brethren, it couldn’t be put any clearer and simpler than that. And believe me, that provision still stands today. That’s one of the reasons why our world is in such a disastrous mess; we are refusing and rebelling against the Lord.
And the scholars give us some good information, re those verses. ‘1:18-20. The prophet’s appeal to come and reason together reveals God’s gracious invitation to all men. It literally means to be “reasonable” by repenting and turning to God.
Their sin is described as scarlet and red like crimson, referring to their bloodguiltiness before God. The term crimson also means “worm,” referring to the colourfast 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 the guilt and condemnation of sin. Thus the prophet reminds his readers that God stands ready to cleanse and forgive all who turn to Him.’
And Friends, today, I’m re-reminding us of all of that! So please pay serious attention, for it can mean the difference between eternal life and eternal damnation!
And we’ll end with these most appropriate words from Bruh David from Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God. ‘Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great (much) transgression.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps.19:12-14)
Yes Friends, that is what we need to do today, as we make our pilgrim’s journey through this wicked and deceitful world! Let’s confess our sins, then ask for guidance to do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
If we’re sincere in our requests and desires, then His mercy and LOVING-kindness will be showered down on us, for that’s the faithful kind of Deity He is! Much LOVE!
…confession is good for the soul…and repentance leads to eternal life…
SCRIP-BITS 