09 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better perspective, a just man falleth seven times, a modicum of circumspection, a roaring lion, a sense of purpose, a toehold, be sober, be vigilant, cast thy burden upon the Lord, come up over the enemy, Commit thy way to the Lord, delight thyself in Him, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, fellowship, fire and brimstone, Fret not thyself over evildoers, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glory and dominion, glory to God, gospel truth, Granny's warning, he may exalt you in due time, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, he shall sustain thee, his seed begging bread, humble beginnings, humble yourselves in the sight of God, Jesus, kiss and tell, LOVE, Lucifer, make you perfect, merciful, our Lord and Saviour, relaxation, resist steadfast in faith, rest, Rest in him, strengthen, stumble into calamity, thanks for getting me through another week of work, thanksgiving, the devil, the God of all grace, the Lord upholdeth him with his hand, the mighty hand of God, the righteous forsaken, the righteous seed of God, the steps of a good man, the wicked shall fall into mischief, trust in the Lord, we let our hair down, wisdom, your adversary
Psalm 55:22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).
Well Friends, that long awaited day, Friday, is finally here! And most of us are already shouting ‘Glory to God! TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend’s here, especially this one; this Thanksgiving weekend! Brother! The partying and giving of thanks will be memorable! Thank You again God that it’s Friday!’
Ah Friends, what can I say eh? Not much really. This is indeed the weekend we in Canada celebrate Thanksgiving Day. We do it in October, unlike the Americans, who do it in November. And I have a little secret to share with you. I begun my celebrations yesterday, because it was the duchess’ birthday…
And don’t even venture to ask how old she is! (smile) Remember a lady doesn’t tell her age, just like she doesn’t kiss and tell. Oh I can just feel the fire and brimstone ready to fall on I, if I ever divulge that bit of information! (smile) But I’m a tad smarter than that. Anyway, the celebration wasn’t anything big, just a small family gathering, so there was no need to go overboard.
Now, I would be rather amiss if I did not remind us of Granny’s ever so important warning at times like these. ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’
Oh Friends, I know that it can be a bit of a drag, but it’s a good drag, reminding us not to get ourselves involved in any thing ungodly, or anything that will give the deceitful Lucifer even a toehold in our affairs. And that’s quite easy to do when we let our hair down and behave like we don’t have a care in the world.
Anyway, as usual, to give us a better perspective on how to spend the weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant with a serious sense of purpose nuh. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
That’s more like it my people! As Jeeves would say, just a modicum of circumspection. And since we can’t ever hope to avoid or resist the tempter on our own, we need to do as our Bit so wisely advises us. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’
And that’s the gospel truth my people! Remember yesterday, we saw what Bruh David had to say about the situation in Psalm 37; Fret not thyself over evildoers, but Trust in the Lord…Delight thyself in Him…Commit thy way to Him…Rest in Him…
Yes my people, when we do those things we will come up over the enemy EVERY time!
Later on in the Psalm he also made this confident proclamation: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Ps. 37:23-26)
And Bruh David should know whereof he speaks, because he rose from humble beginnings to be Israel’s most powerful king, not in his own strength, but in the Lord’s! Likewise my brethren, we can also rise from humble beginnings to great heights in God’s realm if we accept His Son Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and faithfully follow His commandments.
Now listen to Cousin Sol’s take on the subject from Proverbs. ‘Lay not wait (do not lie in wait), O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil (assault) not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov.24:15-16)
Sure words of wisdom from Cousin Sol my brethren! Regardless of how many times the righteous falls, the Lord will always pick him back up again! What a wonderful promise!
And we’ll end with these wise words from Peter. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7) More words of truth and wisdom my people!
And here’s a li’l something extra from Peter, that’s especially appropriate for this Thanksgiving weekend. ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen’ (1 Pet.5:8-11)
That’s Granny’s warning in the long form! (smile) Now Friends, let’s go out and put all that we’ve learned today into action nuh, so that we can all be assessed as the righteous seed of God, for in that there is abundant wisdom! Much LOVE!
…on whom would it make the most sense…to lay all our cares and concerns on… than on the Creator of this universe…the omnipotent Jehovah God…who controls the world…and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…who died to pay for our sins…
03 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, a roaring lion, a very present help in trouble, afflictions, awesome feeling, be sober, be vigilant, Bless His Holy Name, calamity, Canada Day, confidence, Creator and Controller of the universe, Cross of Calvary, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, faith in Almighty God, fellowship, Friday chant, friends, generous help, glorious kingdom, God is a refuge for us, God is my defense, God is our refuge and strength, God only is my rock and my salvation, Granny's advice, I shall not be moved, in the Lord God is the salvation of Israel, Jesus Christ, LOVE, Lucifer, praise the Lord for His goodness, renewed and refeshed, resist steadfast in faith, rest in God's will, righteousness., Selah, showers us with blessings, speak the praise of the Lord, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the devil, the Fourth of July, the Lord is gracious, the mountains be carried into the sea, the sons of Korah, the undeserving children of men, thoughthe earth be removed, trials, tribulations, trust, trust in god at all times, wash away our sins, we will not fear
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.
Well my faithful Friends and believers in Jesus Christ, the big day is here, it’s Friday…
And as expected, a glorious shout rises up to heaven of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ The Canadians continued. ‘Thank God it was a short work week with a break in the middle for Canada Day! We now have some time to recuperate from that.’
Meanwhile the U.S Citizens declared: ‘Thank God is the Friday before the Fourth of July holiday yes! The partying going to be immense!’
And that’s no lie Friends! This Fourth of July weekend in the U.S is going to be one massive celebration, for it’s one of their two most celebrated holidays, the other being Thanksgiving.
But my people, please, please remember Granny’s sound advice. ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ We certainly don’t need Lucifer getting any more footholds in our lives.
So as Peter so wisely says: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren.’ (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Yes Friends, the ole devil is always on the lookout for those whose guard has been let down, and remember we tend to do that a lot during times of celebrations. So please be very careful this weekend. And to help us gain some proper perspective on how to spend the weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant; loud and proud and sincere.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, a big modicum of circumspection is certainly called for this weekend. (smile) And our Bit today is oh so applicable to what we’ve been talking about so far. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.’
Ah mih people, as usual, I can’t help but say it: ‘What a wonderful and mighty and magnanimous and merciful God we serve and worship! Indeed, there is none other like Him!’ And how could there ever be eh?
That’s why the sons of Korah could boldly and confidently proclaim after our Bit: ‘Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah’ (Ps.46:2-3)
Yeh Friends, that’s how much trust and faith we have in Almighty God! That though calamity befalls the earth, we will still rest in His will. What an awesome feeling my brethren!
But why should it be otherwise, since He is the Creator and Controller of the universe. He it is who stills the howling winds and calms the raging seas, and sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross at Calvary to wash away our sins. So it is simply logical, and oh so wise, to place our entire faith and trust in Him and LOVE worship Him with all our being.
Now hear how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and my salvation. ‘He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62.6-8)
And a refuge He surely is Friends! What confidence Bruh David puts in the God of his fathers! Wow! And he had every reason to do so, because God walked with him and looked after him through all his days. It wasn’t easy though, but David persisted, and the Lord held him together through all his trials and tribulations.
Now why wouldn’t He do the same thing for us if we placed our faith and trust in Him eh? No reason whatsoever my brethren of faith!
And in these few words, Jeremiah concurs with all that Bruh David says. ‘Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer.3:23)
And not only the salvation of Israel my people, but the salvation of the entire world! That’s why He sacrificed his only Son Jesus; so that all who were interested had the chance, the opportunity to be saved.
And all God’s people lustily cried out: ‘Oh praise the Lord for His goodness to the undeserving children of men!’
And we’ll end with the immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he will also hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145.18-21)
Yes Friends, those are indeed the right things to do! So please, let’s all sing and speak the Lord’s praises, and bless His holy name for ever and ever nuh, for that is the wisdom of heaven, and what will carry us safely through down here on earth. Much LOVE!
…how can we not LOVE and adore…the One who created us…who LOVES us unconditionally…and still showers us with blessings every day eh…
02 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roaring lion, aboslute truth, adversary, afflictions, be sober, be vigilant, bear the trials, belifef, best school of life, Bruh David, cast thy burden upon the Lord, cease from anger, christ jesus, Commit thy way to the Lord, compassion, dignity, disobedience, don't lose hope, evil, evildoers shall be cut off, excellence, faith, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, gospel of Matthew, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, he shall sustain thee, hearts are right, hope, humble yourselves, inherit the earth, integrity, judgement, knowledge, living for Jesus, LOVE, mirror image of Christ, motives are pure, noonday, not something to sneeze at, ordered by the Lord, peace, Peter, promises, Rest in the Lord, righteousness., Saturday morning, Scrip-Bit family, seek ye first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, stand your bounce, surrender, take heart, take no thought for your life, talk to the Father, the devil, the God of all grace, the Lord wills it, the steps of a good man, the true state of the wicked, trust, trust also in him, under the mighty hand of god, understanding, ungodly world, wait on God., wait patiently for the Lord, well rewarded, wisdom
Psalm 55:22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).
Well a pleasant Saturday morning to you, my Scrip-Bit family! I do hope that all is well with you, but just in case it isn’t, then please take heart, our heavenly Father knows what you are going through, and will eventually work it all out to your benefit in His way and time. If you have surrendered your life to Him, then you don’t have a choice, you have to bear the trials that come your way.
But be assured that if you stand your bounce, you will be well rewarded. Living for Jesus is not easy, but it’s the best school of life there is. When you graduate, you find yourself full of wisdom, knowledge, peace, compassion, understanding and many other wonderful things, especially LOVE! And that’s not something to sneeze at my people. Being a mirror image of Christ is the greatest thing that can happen to us.
Sorry, it doesn’t just happen, the Lord wills it, and we play our part with belief, hope, faith, trust, dignity, integrity and excellence. So if things aren’t going your way, please don’t lose hope and heart, and above all, talk to the Father, let Him know how you feel. He will never turn you away, but will listen with an open mind and answer your pleas as He sees fit.
The problem with us though, is that oftimes we want what we want, when we want it, and don’t want to wait on God to say, yay, nay, or not now. But my people, one of the greatest lessons we can ever learn is that taught by our Bit. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’
That’s one of our God’s biggest promises. And if you don’t believe, me then turn to the gospel of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus talks about serving one master, and then goes on to say: ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what you shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)? … But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:25, 33)
Ah Friends, we all know the scripture, but putting it into action is something else. As I said before, sincerely serving Jesus in this evil, ungodly word is not easy, but if you are faithful and do your best, He will lead you through some experiences that will amaze you. I can tell you that from personal experience, and I haven’t gotten that far in His school as yet. (smile)
And there are several scriptures in the Good Book that advise us to put it all in God’s hands from people who actually did so. Hear Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Commit thy way unto (roll off on to) the Lord; trust also in him: and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:5-9)
Oh Friends, I couldn’t put it any better. And we all know how Bruh David placed his trust in the Lord, and the Lord never let him down, despite his disobedience. That’s what happens when the Lord sees that our hearts are right, that our motives are pure.
And in that same Psalm 37, Bruh David makes this most encouraging statement. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps.37:23-24) Words of wisdom and absolute truth my brethren, as can be seen from Bruh David’s own life!
And we’ll end today’s message on complete surrender to God, and then depending on Him for all things, with the words of another stalwart, Peter. He tells us: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him: for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:6-11)
Ah Friends, we can get no better advice than that. So please, I implore us to take it seriously. In fact, let’s take all the advice that’s been giving in our Bit today; from Jesus, Bruh David, from Peter, and even the little that I gave, (smile) and let’s put it into action nuh, for it is all indeed heavenly wisdom, and will only serve to benefit us, down here on earth now, and later on up in heaven. Much LOVE!
…to our God…surrender means totally giving up our will…and depending on Him completely…
30 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversary, all things work together for good, antidote, armour of god, be sober, be strong in the Lord, be vigilant, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, Bruh Paul, careless, Carnival, cast all your care on god, Chirst -like images, christ jesus, divine aid, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, Ephesians, feet shod with sandals of peace, fiery darts, flesh and blood, glory and dominion, God of all grace, gospel of peace, Granny's warning, helmet of salvation, humble yourself, in high places, indispensable, Jesus Christ, Labour Day, loins girt with truth, long weekend, Lord and Master of the universe, LOVE, Lucifer, naive, never leave or forsake us, New Yok city, peace initiative, perseverance, Peter, powers, prayer, praying always, principalities, reconciled, roaring lion, rulers of darkness, Saturday, sheep skin costume, shield of faith, spiritual combat, spiritual wickedness, supplication for all saints, sword of the Spirit, the whole armour of God, the wicked one, the wiles of the devil, the Word of god, them that love God, undisciplined, unfortunate lot, voracious wolf, window of opportunity, withstand in the evil day
1 Peter 5:10. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you.
And then it was Saturday…gaudy, colourful, party-hopping Saturday! And to make matters even worse, it’s the Saturday before Labour Day, the last long weekend of the summer cottage season, and the return to school next week. So you can imagine the amount of activities we will try to get into that small, short window of opportunity.
But all I have to say on that is to remember Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ And I don’t care if you all are displeased at my reminder, because this weekend is a most appropriate time for it, especially in places like New York City, where the Carnival-like celebrations will be taking place, and the leggo-beast behaviour will be on full display.
And don’t fool yuh fat either Friends, that sly ole crook, Lucifer, the voracious wolf will certainly be there in his best sheep skin costume, avidly seeking those undisciplined, naïve, or simply unmindful and careless ones he can capture. Do enjoy yourselves, but please try not to be counted amongst that unfortunate lot.
And my people, the best antidote for Lucifer’s evil forays into our lives is to be fully clothed with the whole armour of God! Read, mark and inwardly digest, as Bruh Paul declares and describes the situation to the Ephesians. ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (Let yourselves be constantly strengthened by the Lord’s mighty power).
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age). Against (hosts of) spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Having dressed in God’s armour, be prepared to resist Lucifer, for he will continually attack you).
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist with) truth (a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word), and having on the breastplate of righteousness (holy character, moral conduct);
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (eagerness or willingness to take the fight to Lucifer, the gospel gives peace to the believer); Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked (one).
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:10-18)
Yes Friends, we need all those accoutrements of war to fight a successful battle against the prince of darkness and his evil cohorts. Starting with the helmet of salvation to guard our minds, our thoughts, where the war always begins, and can be won and lost right there.
Then the breastplate of righteousness to guard our hearts and souls and spirit, so we can walk in obedience to Almighty God. And we need the sandals of peace so that we can walk in peace bravely, wherever we go, with the gospel as our peace initiative. In addition to that we must have the belt of truth, so that we can live in and by the truth.
The shield of faith is an enormous ally, because it will enable us to stand our ground and deflect the fiery arrows of the enemy as he tries to break through our defences. And last but not least, we definitely need our trusty sword, the Word of God, to mow down the enemy, bring them to their knees and have them acknowledge that Jesus Christ is indeed the Lord and Master of the universe.
But what we often fail to see in our rush to talk about the armour of God, is that last verse we quoted, ‘praying always with all prayer…and supplication for the saints.(vs.18) That’s because my people without prayer, God’s armour is inadequate to bring us victory. Prayer is the thing that cements it all. It’s indispensable and we need to use the Spirit’s help to pray for that divine aid.
And furthermore, we’re not only to pray for ourselves, but for all God’s people, because ‘spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’ And none of that is a joking matter my Friends, for as you read, Bruh Paul unequivocally states that we are in a constant war against the powers of darkness and spiritual wickedness, which are situated in high places.
That means the enemy is firmly entrenched in the upper echelons of our society, so they have great power and control over the general state of the world. But like ALL enemies of Jesus Christ, they too can be defeated if we stand strong and resolute, protected by God’s indestructible armour and prayer!
Now hear Peter’s take on the subject, with our Bit tacked on at the end. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm) strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:6-11)
Yes my brethren, in this wicked, ungodly world we have to be very careful in our manoeuvres. But NEVER NEVER FORGET that the God who reconciled us to Himself through the sacrificial death of His Son Jesus Christ, will NEVER EVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US, but will LOVINGLY work on us, like the potter with His clay, until He has made us into Christ-like images of His BELOVED Son!
And for all that, we ought to be very thankful. So let’s show our gratitude by truly living for Jesus nuh, because that’s the ONLY philosophy that makes sense on this earth. It is the epitome of wisdom! MUCH LOVE!
…and we know…that all things work together for good…to them that LOVE God…to them who are called according to his purpose… (Rom.8:28)
21 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a longing for God, a roaring lion, abased, absolute truth, arrogance, awareness of limitations, be sober, be vigilant, bright day, burden, cast all your care upon God, charity, cleansed souls, clothed with humility, compassion, confirm, contrite heart, down to earth, eternal glory, eternity, evil world, exaltation, face the truth, forgiveness, Friends in Christ, generous mercy, glorious morn, God cares for you, God gives grace to the humble, God of all grace, God resists the proud, gracious help, Hades, heavenly Father, hope, humble, humble spirit, humility, integrity, Jesus Christ, justice, justification, keeping up with the Joneses, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, meek and lowly, merciful help, mercy, navigate the treacherous paths, night of nothingness, power struggles, Praise the Lord, pride, profitable, reality based, reconciliation, resist steadfast in faith, scorn, scorners, selfless sacrifice, settle, shortcomings, sins, social climbing, St. Therese, status seeking, strengthen, thanks and praise, the devil, the lowly, the mighty hand of God, theology, trials and tribulations, undeniable truth, wash away, wisdom, wonderful LOVE, yoke, younger generation, your adversary
Luke 18:14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Oh my beautiful Friends in Christ, we’ve been blessed to see another bountiful day on God’s great earth! Wow! Let’s give Him some thanks and praise for bringing us safely through another dark night of nothingness, into a bright day filled with His LOVE, mercy and forgiveness.
Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, we give You thanks and praise this glorious morn, for all that you’ve done, are doing, and plan to do for us in the future. Without Your merciful help and LOVING-kindness we’re like little children, unable to take care of ourselves.
Thank You for helping us through the trials and tribulations of this earthly life. But most of all we give You immeasurable thanks for sending Your only Son Jesus Christ to die for us, so that His blood could wash away our disgusting sins, and bring reconciliation to our cleansed souls.
Oh Father, we LOVE You, and ask that you continue to help us navigate the treacherous paths of this evil world, so that we may continue to walk in Your wonderful LOVE and generous mercy. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, there’s precious little we can do in our own strength, that’s why we need to depend on our Creator for His gracious help. But remember we do have to come before Him with a humble spirit and contrite heart.
For as our Bit so truthfully declares: ‘I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’
And before we get into today’s scriptures, I’ll remind us once again that there’s nothing the Lord despises as much as pride, arrogance and their foolish cohorts. That’s because they leave no place for Him in our lives. They don’t make us recognize Him as even important, much less the MOST important person in our lives, as He really ought to be. So to deal successfully with our Creator and Provider, it is essential to get pride and it’s evil relations out of our souls.
Now let’s turn to the scripture I want to share on the topic today. And hurray, it’s the last one Friends! So those of you who are tired hearing about pride, you can relax. (smile) And the relevant scripture comes from 1 Peter 5. In the first four verses he’s admonishing the elders of the church to be good examples to Christ’s flock.
Then he turns to the younger generation: ‘Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm) strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:5-11)
That’s all absolute truth my people! And by the way, some of you might not notice, but I included verses 8-10 that we were supposed to check out in the references yesterday. (smile) So if you didn’t, now you know what it says.
Please note also that Peter today, and James yesterday, both quoted Cousin Sol’s wisdom in their messages. ‘Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.’ (Prov.3:35)
So my wonderful Friends in Christ, please don’t let us get caught up in the foolish power struggles, the status seeking and social climbing, keeping up with the Joneses and all that other prideful stuff that the world offers. It’s much more profitable to just remain down to earth and humble.
Remember though, that humility is not simply the opposite of pride and arrogance, but ‘is rooted in our awareness of limitations and shortcomings in the presence of God and of others. It is reality based….
Humility is rather the virtue that enables us to face the truth about ourselves. We are fundamentally a longing for God; we become more human in relationships not in independence; we thrive in living a virtuous life marked by such virtues as charity, justice, compassion, forgiveness, hope and integrity.’
And all God’s people gave a grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’
Oh Friends, those words on humility come from a booklet ‘A Journey of LOVE; Walking with St. Therese of Lisieux. And if you’re serious about working for Jesus, then you’ll know they are undeniable truth.
And what better way to end than with Jesus’ wholesome advice: ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly (gentle and humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:29-30)
Now my fellow believers, that’s wisdom at its very apex! So let’s be wise and take it nuh. Much LOVE!
…be everlastingly thankful to Jesus…for without His selfless sacrifice…we’d surely be spending eternity in Hades…with the evil Lucifer…
P.S. Just want to say it’s not entirely my fault that the Bit’s a li’l late. But I was taken up in frivolous conversation by someone for over half an hour earlier on. Hn, hn! But since I promised not to call names, I won’t. (smile) Much LOVE!
15 Jan 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roaring lion, be sober, be vigilant, beautiful people, beauty, encouraging words, enticements, eternal life, faithful God, God is in control, God's worthy to be praised, grace, hope in God, Lord God Jehovah, new mercies and blessings, reject the invitation of criminals, revere Jesus, sin against God, sinners, wages of sin
Proverbs 1:10. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
Well a good Tuesday morning to all you beautiful people out there on Planet Earth! I’d first like to reassure us that the Lord God Jehovah is still in control of all things universal from His throne in the high heavens. And as always, He’s beginning this new day with new mercies and blessings for His BELOVED children. And all God’s children exclaimed a loud and grateful: “Praise the Lord! Amen!’ Yes Friends, our God is indeed great and worthy to be praised, so please let’s do it with this beautiful poem prayer from Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. It’s simply titled: BEAUTY. ‘Thank you, Father, for filling the world with beauty. I thank you for the beauty of life, the beauty of LOVE, the beauty of children, and the beauty of old people. I thank you for the beauty of Christ and for the beauty of any life when Christ is invited through the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Father, that you have made my life beautiful too. Amen.’ Oh my people, whenever I come upon such interesting, energizing, encouraging words as those, I feel a sudden thrill, a compelling desire to share it with you. Why, you ask? Because it’s that kind of humble, but yet positive and confident prayer that we need in our prayer lives today. Remember Friends, prayer should be alive and bold. As the author of Hebrews advises: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb.4:16) Not in a sad, sorrowful, wishy-washy manner, though yet with humility and contrition. And I like the scholars’ comment on that verse. ‘Only Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that boldness is possible only because of our High Priest. The figure of a throne suggests a place of authority and provision. It is the place to obtain God’s grace when it is especially needed.’ Ah mih people, how with all that goodness, LOVE, mercy, forgiveness and compassion, could we not LOVE and revere Jesus and our heavenly Father eh? But enough of my ramblings, (smile) let’s get to our Bit, which today enshrines in it a very important warning and piece of advice from Cousin Sol. ‘My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.’ Oh my brethren, that’s a scripture passage all mankind ought to have constantly held up right before their very eyes, so that we don’t get in as much trouble as we do, straying from the straight and narrow path that Jesus desires us to follow. And all that basically means is that when evildoers come around encouraging us to do wrong, we should refuse their entreaties. The scholar’s have this to say about it. ‘The wise son rejects the invitation of criminals who promise wealth without work (v.13). The verse stresses the individual’s responsibility to avoid the tempter’s snare. (cf. James 1:14,15). And since I had intended to share those verses from James with you anyway, I’ll share them now. ‘But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (desires), and enticed. Then when lust (desire) hath conceived, it bringeth forth (gives birth to) sin: and sin, when it is finished (full grown), bringeth forth death. Do not err (be deceived), my BELOVED brethren.’ (James 1:14-16) And that’s gospel truth people! ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23) There again Friends, we have every right to LOVE our Holy Trinity, because instead of giving us what we truly deserve for our abominations, death, they give us life, that is life forever, through grace, with all our sins having been paid for by the most wonderful Son and Saviour ever, Jesus Christ. Oh mih people, the ole fella’s on a roll this morning! (smile) And would you believe that when I began, the only thing I had to write was the poem, BEAUTY. That just goes to show how truly marvellous, faithful and helpful is our God, when we sincerely try to walk His pathway and do His bidding. As Bruh David so rightly says in his prayer for self-understanding. ‘And now Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.’ (Ps.39:7) Yes, fellow believers, that’s the best, and should be the first place we to turn for help! And we’ll end with a wonderful example of not being enticed by sinners. We’re talking about Bruh Joseph with Potiphar’s wife. ‘And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes (longing eyes) upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth (knows) not what is with me in the house (what is in the house, except through me), and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand: There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ (Gen.39:7-9) Good question Friends? And please note, that Bruh Joseph, though he was concerned about breaking Potiphar’s trust, he was more concerned about sinning against his God. Unfortunately though, all his good efforts were in vain, as we know how Potiphar’s wife set him up, crying rape. And though Potiphar might have been somewhat leery of the accusation, he had no choice but to jail Bruh Joseph, which was all a part of God’s overall plan. But that just goes to show Friends, that even when we follow the tried and true path, the evildoers can still sometimes thwart us. And whenever that happens, sad and unfair as it may be, we still need to stay strong and faithful – possibly even more then – because our God has promised that whatever comes against us, if we stand strong and true like Bruh Joseph, He will bring us through the fire, sometimes unscathed, but always stronger and more like Jesus character wise. And that’s my sermon, no, sorry, my lesson for today. (smile) More on this tomorrow, provided God’s in favour. Until then, let’s be careful not to fall into any enticements of the enemy, and if by chance we do, let’s quickly repent and turn to the Lord for help. Much LOVE!…be sober…be vigilant…because your adversary…the devil…as a roaring lion…walketh about…seeking whom he may destroy… (1 Pet.5:8)
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