02 May 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a place of eternal hope, angry, annoying sounds, Apollos, believe also in me, believe in God, blood sweat and tears, Christ's church is one body, compete with others, compete with yourself, Covid-19, electric drills and saws, encouraging words of Christ, faithful promise of heaven, God gave the increase, healthy competition, heaven, heaven offers, I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, I would have told you, if it were not so, improvement begins with I, In my Father's house, irrational, lawnmowers, let not your heart be troubled, life is a bully -boy, look up, many mansions, never stop learning, one planted, one watered, outside our comfort zone, Paul, personally trust Christ, progress takes place, recieve you unto myself, revving engines, salvation, shorts and a T-shirt, sit on my front porch, stable foundation that's Christ, the anticipation, the heat of the noonday sun, the joy, the sun's rays, there may ye be also, tropical climes, true improvement, uphill struggle, view from the top, where I am, you can't get the good without the bad
John 14:2. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so; I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
At last friends, at long last, yesterday I was able to sit on my front porch and enjoy the welcome the heat of the noonday sun in just an ordinary spring jacket, no big, bulky coat! Glory be! And I mean actually feel the heat gloriously exuding from the sun’s rays, as I turned my bare face up to it and said a most grateful ‘Thank You Lord!’ Yes mih people, those of you living in the tropical climes can laugh as much you want, but I know a good thing when I experience it, and am extremely grateful for whatever it is. Is how many months now we haven’t really felt the sun’s heat up here eh? Too many! So let’s be grateful for whatever little we might receive.
But sadly, as Job so wisely said, you can’t expect to get the good without the bad, and thus there was also the bad with the good yesterday; the annoying sounds of lawnmowers, and the grass isn’t even green and growing properly yet, plus the whining sounds of electric drills and saws, with motorcycles and cars loudly revving their engines in anticipation of summer, although this one might not have the ‘ownwayness’ usually associated with the season because of Covid-19 restrictions. So let’s hope that yesterday was the first of many such days, and that I will soon be able to go out on my porch at two in the morning in just shorts and a T-shirt! A body can certainly dream eh! (smile)
But since it’s Saturday, let’s come back down to earth and check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week nuh, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one is not only interesting but totally true: ‘Improvement begins with I.’ Oh friends, if only more of us would recognize that truth! Improvement does begin with the letter ‘I’ as well as at the person, ‘I, me, myself!’ Any improvement in our lives must begin and end with us personally. Nobody else can really do it for us. Yes, they can encourage or even help us, but the basic desire and overall effort must come from us.
We will never improve unless we want to do so, and then put that desire into blood, sweat and tears action, for it’s only those characteristics that bring about any real and true improvement in our lives. That takes us to this next quote: ‘My life is constantly under construction. There’s always something to improve.’ And isn’t that the indisputable truth? It surely is, since once we’re still alive, even in our old age, there are always areas in which we both need improvement and can also carry out the improvement. Now they might just be small things, but you’ll be surprised at the huge differences small changes or improvements in our lives can bring.
That’s why we’re told to never stop learning, it not only makes us wiser, but also keeps us alive longer. (smile) And then there’s this: ‘All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.’ That’s another indisputable truth! You cannot improve or make any real progress when you’re comfortable. It’s just a fact of life. As we said above, it’s only in actions that bring out blood, sweat and tears can true improvement or progress be made. And if you don’t believe me, just try it and see nuh. Try to improve without any real effort, and see how far you get.
Now this next quote is also the gospel truth, as no doubt many of us have eventually found out. ‘If you continuously compete with others, you become bitter, but if you continuously compete with yourself you become better.’ Ah friends, some competition is healthy and useful to drive us along, but when that competition becomes all there is, all that you’re living for, then you lose the whole beauty and essence of whatever you’re doing, and eventually your soul just becomes more negative, especially if you’re not winning those things for which you compete. You begin to resent and even hate those against whom you’re competing, get irrational and angry and begin doing illegal or unlawful things just to win.
And this doesn’t hold true only in the outside world, but also in the church, where there is a lot of unnecessary competition for whatever reason, which leads to many cliques and much jealousy amongst the saints of Christ. Please remember Bruh Paul’s warning to the church at Corinth when those believers were arguing about whom they belonged to, Paul or Apollos. Christ’s church is one body, and like the human body it has many different parts with each part playing a different role, performing a different function, just like our hands, feet and eyes perform different functions, but are all important to the proper functioning of our bodies.
Likewise, Christians are co-labourers, and it doesn’t matter who’s planted and whose watered, Paul or Apollos, because in the long run it is God that gives the increase. The most important thing is for us to do what we’ve each been called to do, but to all build our work on the strong and stable foundation that’s Christ our Lord and Saviour! (1 Cor. 3:1-15) And this last quote exemplifies all that we’ve said, but it also helps and encourages us to improve and accomplish. ‘When everything seems like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.’
Oh my my my! That view from heaven is certainly breathtaking! Yes friends, when life seems to be giving us a rough time, we need to stop for a moment and think on, truly consider the goal we’re working towards, how we will feel when we’ve accomplished it, and let that view from the top energize, encourage and reassure us. For remember life is nothing but a bully-boy, and if it discovers it can beat you down continually, it will do so. But please remember these awesome and encouraging words of Christ:
‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so; I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3) And if you believe in Jesus, then you know that He is faithful to keep His promises. And the scholars offer us this marvellous explanation of what we have to look forward to.
’14:2. Heaven is a place and the eternal hope of the saved. Scripture describes it as a beautiful city where the redeemed will live for eternity. The activities include singing (Rev. 15:3), worship (Rev. 5:9), serving Rev. 22:3), ruling (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 22:5), fellowship with others (Matt. 17:3), and eating (Rev. 2:17).
Illustration: The quality of existence in heaven is a life of fellowship with God (Rev. 22:4), a life of rest (Rev. 14:13), a life of service (Rev. 22:3), a life of growth (Rev. 22:2), and a life of worship (Rev. 19:1). Application: The glories of heaven belong only to those who have personally trusted Christ for their salvation. Christians who work to win souls are gathering friends who will spend eternity with them in heaven (First Ref. Gen. 1:1; Primary Ref. Rev. 21:1-5; cf. Matt. 24:33).’
Now friends, please, let’s take a moment today out of our busy, lockdown schedules (smile) and sincerely peruse those scriptures nuh, and if they don’t raise up the joy, the anticipation that heaven offers, then I really don’t know what else to say. Much LOVE!
…when life becomes a struggle…look up…and remember…the awesome and faithful promise of heaven…
02 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a giant our Jesus, a quandary, a wave of his hand, a wise place, aimless conduct, all eternity, all have sinned, Aretha Franklin, being justified by his blood, believe in God, blood, break his own heart, broke his heart, Calvary, cleansing, come short of the glory of God, enemies, entrance to heaven's throne room, eternal life, eternal salvation, fellowship, for sin atone, foreordained, forgivenss, glory, God loved us, gold, Hades, hard currency, have a good ole time, healing, hear God's word, holiness, humility, I'll overcome, I'll reach my home, joy in God, justice, justified, lighten up our spirits, LOVE, Lucifer, make me whole, makes me white as snow, mercy, mired in sin, much more then, my hope, my pardon, Nothing but the blood of Jesus, patience, peace, perishable things, perseverance, power, praise, purged with blood, received the atonement, reconciled, redeemed with corruptible things, remission, renewing our spiritual lives, righteousness, Robert Lowry, sacrifice, salvation, sanctified, saved by his life, saved from wrath, shedding of Christ's blood, silver, sing, sinless blood, soften our hearts, still effective after two thousand years, the faithful singing praises, the Lamb of God, the Lord's Day, the Lord's House, tradition, truer words were never spoken, uplifting visit, vain conversation, wash away my sin, welcome, without blemish, without spot, without the shedding of blood, worship, yet sinners
Romans 5:9. Much more then now being (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Welcome, welcome to the Lord’s Day my faithful breddren! And we all know what that means: an uplifting visit to the Lord’s house, to sing and praise and worship and fellowship, hear His Word and just have a good ole time renewing our spiritual lives! Wow! There’s nothing like the faithful together singing the praises of our great and wonderful God my people!
If you saw Aretha Franklin’s funeral on Friday, you’d have seen how praise and worship can light up the spirits of a crowd of believers. So today, in anticipation of hearing God’s Word, let’s soften up our hearts and lighten up our spirits by singing praises to our God in this old and much LOVED hymn ‘Nothing but the Blood of Jesus,’ written by Robert Lowry and published way back in 1876.
So let’s sing it like we really mean it nuh. All together now: ‘What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain: Oh! precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.) For my pardon, this I see, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; For my cleansing this my plea, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain)
Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Now by this I’ll overcome; Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Now by this I’ll reach my home, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Glory! Glory! This I sing; Nothing but the blood of Jesus, All my praise for this I bring, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Nothing but the Blood…Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.’
Ah mih people, truer words were indeed never sung or spoken, for ALL that we are is based on the blood of Jesus shed at Calvary! Without that shed blood we’d still be mired in sin for now and all eternity. As the Good Book says: ‘For all have sinned and, come short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23)
In short friends, it means that ONLY the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross of Calvary can wash away my sins, cleanse my soul, allow the Father to pardon me. In Him ONLY, can I find peace and hope, righteousness, salvation and eternal life! Glory to God!
Christ’s blood is the most powerful element that ever washed this earth! It atoned for our sins; justified us, sanctified us, reconciled us, made us righteous and gave us entrance to heaven’s throne room! Oh my, my! What other substance on earth can do, or could have done all of that eh? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE! Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
In it there is power, forgiveness, LOVE, humility, healing, patience and perseverance, so much so that after two thousand years it is still as effective as ever. Wow! The blood of Jesus! We even plead the blood of Jesus in tough times, confidently calling out to the Father for mercy because of the shed blood of His Son! But enough of me spouting off, (smile) let us quote a few scriptures that show the importance of Christ’s blood in our lives.
And the first one that comes to mind is one that we all know: ‘The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29) And that He did! Then Bruh Paul elucidates to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth his (demonstrates his own) LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then now being (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom.5:8-11)
Ah friends, it seems quite complicated, but it’s really quite simple: God LOVED us so much that it broke His heart to see us headed to Hades with Lucifer, so He decided to do something about it. The only problem was that because of His holiness and justice, He couldn’t just pardon sin with a wave of His hand. Our sin had to be paid for, for want of a better term, in hard currency, (smile) and that currency under the Old Covenant was animal blood.
As Hebrews reminds us that through Moses, the Lord commanded the Israelites to continually shed animal blood as short term atonement for their sins: ‘And almost all things are by the law purged (cleansed) with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.’ (Heb.9:22) So there had to be blood shed if the Lord wanted to reconcile us to Himself. And besides, the blood had to be sinless blood, and unfortunately His Son was the ONLY One who fit that bill.
No doubt the Lord found Himself in a quandary, but He LOVED His greatest creation so much that He decided to break His own heart and offer up His one Son as the perennial sacrifice for our sins! Now if that isn’t LOVE, I don’t know what is. Hear how Peter puts it. ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible (perishable) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition from your fathers.
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.’ (1 Pet.1:18-21)
Yeh mih breddren, that’s the only wise place to place one’s faith and hope! Much LOVE!
…the shedding of Christ’s blood paid for our sins…and His resurrection pays for our eternal salvation…what a giant is our Jesus…
30 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a million diamonds, a vain thing, answer him, be not afraid, beauty is deceptive, believe in God, believe in love, beloved of God, brilliant light, chariots, Cross of Calvary, deceptive, deliver their soul, deliverence is of the Lord, do not tremble, Egypt, enemy, faith, faith to believe, faithfully promised, false hope, fear not, friend of Jesus, gospel truth, great deceiver, hang in there, help, holy heaven, hope, hope in his mercy, hurry, in horse, in the background, Isaiah, keep them alive, let not your hearts faint, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, Moses, motorists, multitude of host, octopus arms, our heart shall rejoice, pedestrians, pristine, rely on horses, remember the name of the Lord our God, rough time, sacrifice, safety, saving strength, shield, silent, sincere belief, snow, succumb, temptation, the eye of the Lord, the good of those who love Him, the Lord gives the victory, the Lord saves His anointed, the Lord thy God is with thee, to His purpose, trust completely, trust in chariots, trusted in his holy name, Tuesday Mantra, virginal, woe to them, work all things, worry
Psalm 20:7. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
And it all looks so beautiful; the pristine white powder spread all over the land, unsullied by humans, virginal, you’d say! And when the sun shines against it, it gives off a brilliant light…like a million diamonds!
But all that beauty is deceptive friends, for the snow, like our number one enemy, Lucifer is a great deceiver. It takes you in with its beauty, and when you succumb to the temptation, it snakes out its octopus arms and ties you up ten ways from Sunday! (smile)
Yeh friends, we’ve been hit with another snowstorm, but that’s what winter is all about. But all jokes aside, please be careful if you have to go out in it, because though it looks beautiful, it can be very dangerous for both pedestrians and motorists.
Now here is a li’l something from someone and somewhere that I can’t remember, but it ought to be the gospel truth if you are a believer. It says: ‘I believe in the sun, even when I don’t see it. I believe in LOVE, even when I don’t see it. I believe in God, even when He is silent.’
Yeh mih people, God is often silent in our lives, but that doesn’t mean He is not around us and we should give up on Him. It just means that He is working on stuff in the background, and when He is ready, we will hear from Him, loud and clear.
So my brethren, if you are going through a particularly rough time and you don’t seem to be seeing or hearing from God in your situation, please don’t fear and give up hope. For He has faithfully promised to never leave nor forsake us, and He NEVER will. He’s probably just testing your faith.
And remember He has also promised to work all things out for the good of those who LOVE Him and are called to His purpose. So just hang in there, trust completely and faithfully in the One who sacrificed His life for us on the cross of Calvary. As I keep asking, if Christ could do make a sacrifice of such magnitude on our behalf, then why wouldn’t He help us in our trying times eh? No reason whatsoever my people!
Therefore, as Bruh David says so eloquently and faithfully in our Bit: ‘Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.’ And that’s exactly how it ought to be!
And why is that? Because as Bruh David says before our Bit: ‘Now I know that the Lord saveth his anointed (Messiah, commissioned one); he will hear (answer) him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.’ (Ps.20:6) And that’s no lie friends! Our God will save those who depend and rely on Him, because He has promised to do just that.
Now let’s look at some scriptures that corroborate our Bit, beginning way back when Moses was teaching the people how to live under God’s law. ‘When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified of them; for the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ (Deut.20:1-4)
Oh precious people of God, it couldn’t get any simpler or clearer than that! When we come up against our enemies, we must remember that it is our God who is there to fight for us and save us. That part of the equation is entirely in our hands; we must have the faith to believe it, before it comes to pass.
Now hear Cousin Sol: ‘There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety (deliverance) is of the Lord.’ (Prov.21:30-31) Glory be, my fellow believers!
As the scholars explain: ’21:31. Military preparedness is useless apart from the Lord, who really gives the victory.’ And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Amen! So let it be!’
Mean while Isaiah declares: ‘Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help: and stay (rely) on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!’ (Is.31:1) Yeh friends, Isaiah is decrying the ones who would seek Egypt for help, when God, not Egypt is the One who will defend Judah.
And finally these truthful words of the psalmist: ‘There is no king saved by a multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. A horse is a vain thing (false hope) for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy,
To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.’ (Ps.33:16-22)
Ahh, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra to the world and all therein, proudly letting them know who and whose we are.
In loud voice and sincere belief: ‘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!’
Wow! What a blessed life we lead my brethren! Now let’s go out and share Jesus and His extraordinary LOVE with the rest of the world. Much LOVE!
…without hope, faith and trust…LOVE is impossible…
21 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a warrior king, atonement of Christ, believe in God, believing God's promises, blessed hope, Christ my king, deity of christ, divine power, doubt, eternal damnation, eternity, exalt God's name, exhort, faithfulness, fear, give thanks, glorious appearing, glory in the highest, God's Word, godly, good works, grace, heavy burden, howling storms, human creation, humility, I shall prevail, infallible truth, iniquity, let not your heart be troubled, live soberly, living for Jesus, logic, love touting, love's strong cord, many mansions, mercy, Messiah, my Father's house, overcoming, peaceful, praise, prayer, prepare a place for you, rebuke, redeem, reverence, righteously, Roman rule, sacrifice of praise, salvation, saviour, servitude, sincere hearts, sinful souls, speak, specail people, special time, Standing on the promises of God, strenght, Sunday, the grace of God, the living word of God, the Lord's sanctuary, the Spirit's call, the Spirit's sword, to all men, ungodliness, wisdom, worldly lusts, worship
Titus 2:11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
Sunday, oh Sunday! It’s Sunday my brethren! That means all roads lead to the Lord‘s sanctuary for some special time of prayer and praise, worship and fellowship! What a glorious morning it will be as we gather to give thanks and get strength and mercy in return! The Lord will be just bubbling over with joy this morning as we come to exalt His holy name, show humility and reverence to His majestic Being and renew our faithfulness by believing His promises.
And there is no more appropriate hymn to open our worship session than the old faithful, ‘Standing on the Promises of God.’ It’s a wonder how these old hymns just seem to last forever, but that’s because they are based on the infallible truth of God’s word. So without further ado, let’s offer up the sacrifice of praise with our lips, strong lungs and sincere hearts.
All together now: ‘Standing on the promises of Christ my king, through eternal ages let his praises ring; glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God. (Refrain: Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior; standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.) Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, by the living Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, bound to him eternally by LOVE’S strong cord, overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, standing on the promises of God. [Refrain] Standing on the promises I cannot fall, listening every moment to the Spirit’s call, resting in my Savior as my all in all, standing on the promises of God. [Refrain: Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior; standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.]’
And isn’t that the best place to stand my fellow believers? Yes sir, right there on the faithful and everlasting promises of God, for there is none as faithful as Him! He never makes promises unless He intends to keep them. So any promise you see written in His word, will most definitely be kept. Yuh see how He promised to send the Jewish people a Messiah, a Saviour, and He did!
They just misunderstood the circumstances. They were looking for a warrior king, to lift the heavy burden of servitude from their shoulders under harsh Roman rule. However, the Lord had a peaceful, LOVE touting rabbi in mind; one to save their sinful souls from eternal damnation.
And today we’re going to listen to Bruh Paul’s words to his protégé Titus on the subject of Christian living, how we can prevent the loss of our souls to Lucifer, through accepting the faithful promise of Christ. It starts out with our Bit: ‘For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.’
Yes friends, God LOVED His human creation so much that He could not exclude any from His plan for salvation. And Bruh Paul continues: ‘Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (age). 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 (his own special) people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.’ (Titus 2:12-15)
Absolutely nothing has changed down through the ages friends. It is still the way we ought to live if we consider ourselves believers in, and followers of Christ. Hear the scholars’ explanations on that passage. ‘2:11-15. The salvation that appeared to all men is based on God’s grace that has provided salvation universally for all mankind through the unlimited atonement of Christ.
That blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ refers to His second coming. The use of the definite article “the” with the first noun “God” and the connecting “and” indicates that the first and second “Saviour” (nouns) are one and the same person. Our “great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” is thus one and the same person, clearly proving the deity of Christ.’
Ah mih people, I guess the scholars’ are referring to the Greek text in that last sentence. But we don’t need any evidence or reassurance that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was deity. It’s evident from all that He did while He was here on earth. Only someone with divine power could have done His miracles, and endured the ‘sufferation’ He did on our behalf without going out of His mind.
But all of that aside, let’s listen to Jesus’ promise to come back for us. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3)
So my friends, if we sang about standing on the promises of God earlier on, and then declared that Christ was deity, then simple logic would conclude that we should believe and stand on the promises Christ made in those verses. (smile) So let’s stand strong on them nuh, for He is coming back again, sometime soon, this time in all His glory and splendour, the warrior King that the Israelites first dreamed of.
And He is going to take us home to heaven to dwell there with Him until eternity, if we believe in Him, obey His words and live the lifestyle He desires. So what’s it to be eh friends? Let’s hope we all vote for Jesus, for that’s wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing as beautiful…as living for Jesus…
16 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, Anselm, Antigua, anything's possible, Barbuda, be of good comfort, belief, believe, believe in God, believe in yourself, blessed, carry on, catastrophic, cheer, Christian faith, Creator, devastated, disaster, disciples, faith, Father, fear not, Florida, fortunate, give thanks to god, go in peace, grace, grateful, have not seen me, healed, heavenly Father, holy spirit, hope, hunger, hurricane, I am in the Father, in full swing, Irma, issue of blood, jehovah god, Jesus, Jesus heard it, Jose, Lord and Saviour, made whole, mercy, once there is life, only believe, Philip, physical hunger, proviso, quotes, risen from the dead, sacrificed, Saturday, sinless life, Son, spiritual lack, sure foundation, synangogue, the bread of life, the Son of God, the very works' sake, the weekend, thirst, Thomas, thy faith hath made thee whole, touch the hem, tropical storm, true beginning, trust, without power, yet have believed
Luke 8:50. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
Well friends, it’s Saturday, we’re alive and kicking and into the weekend in full swing now! For that we should be grateful and give our great God some thanks for His grace and mercy, because that’s the only reason why we’re still alive today. Many people have not been so fortunate or blessed.
But then again friends, is there ever a day when some sort of disaster isn’t taking place in our world? I understand that tropical storm Jose has now strengthened back to hurricane status and is heading for the East coast of North America, including the Eastern Canadian Provinces.
And on another sorrowful note, the island of Barbuda, which was flattened by hurricane Irma now has no one living there, for the first time in some three hundred years.
It was so badly devastated that they had to move all the residents to the sister island of Antigua. It’s a good thing that Antigua did not feel the full force of Irma, otherwise it would have been truly catastrophic.
But what to do eh? We just have to have hope and carry on, for we know that once there is life, there is hope, and once there is hope, anything’s possible. And normally on a Saturday, we’d turn to those priceless quotes from our friend Anselm, in his heroic endeavour to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
However, because of hurricane Irma, I have only received one missive him from him this week, and that was yesterday. He lives some where in Florida and was most likely without power until then. He is apparently one of the fortunate ones, because there are millions down there who are still without power.
And yesterday’s quote aptly said: ‘Believe in yourself.’ And that’s something we all need to do friends, if we hope to have any success in any and every aspect of our lives. However, I would like to add one proviso to that statement…but first, believe in God!
Now that’s the kick-starter for ALL things; belief in Almighty God! For without that assurance and trust in our Creator and heavenly Father, nothing will go right in our lives.
That brings us to our Bit, where, Jesus, on his way to a synagogue ruler’s house to heal his daughter, got waylaid into some other healing, and then a messenger came and told the ruler: ‘Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master (Teacher). But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.’
Yeh friends, everything in our lives first has to start with belief of some kind, and the best kind of belief is that which is based on Almighty God! It’s only logical my brethren. If He is the creator of everything, then there is none better to put our belief, our faith and our trust in!
How did Jesus put it? ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.’ (John 14:1) And so should we, seeing that Jesus IS the Son of God, as well as our Lord and Saviour, who sacrificed His sinless life so that we could be cleansed and set free from our sins.
Oh my people, our Christian experience is based strictly on belief, on faith, on sincere trust in the Holy Trinity, consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If we don’t believe in their ascendancy, then our Christian faith is valueless.
Jesus made the connection very often. Look at when the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years, believing she could be healed if she could only touch the hem of His robe, pushed through the crowd and did exactly that. She was healed immediately.
And what did Jesus say to her afterwards? ‘Daughter, be of good comfort (cheer): thy faith hath made thee whole (well); go in peace.’ (Luke 8:48)
And it works both ways friends. Hear how Jesus admonishes the crowd that followed Him only to be relieved from their physical hunger and not their spiritual lack. ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye have seen me, and believe not.’ (John 6:35-36)
And like wise He chastises Phillip, when he asks Him to show them the Father. ‘Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself (on my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works‘ sake.’ (John 14:9-11)
And we’ll end with this admonishment to Thomas who refused to believe that Jesus was indeed risen from the dead until he saw His scars. ‘Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:29)
Yes faithful followers, that pertains directly to us, who have believed in Jesus and all that He has said and done, without actually seeing Him in the flesh, like the disciples did. We are indeed blessed for that act of faith! Please don’t doubt, or ever lose that belief. Much LOVE!
…again we say…belief in Jehovah God…is the true beginning…and the sure foundation of…EVERYTHING…
07 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, a glorious future with Jesus, a positive difference, afraid, alive and kicking, all those who love his appearing, all who ask in faith, anchor themselves, another day another dollar, anxious, as soon as possible, basic premise, believe in God, believing what Jesus promised, blessings, death, death is at hand, devoid of, direction, doubt, dwellings, endurance, energy, energy for weariness, enjoy, faith, faith in doubt, fellowship, fight a good fight, finished my course, fought a good fight, gives liberally, glory hallelujah, guidance, halfway home, help, hope, I go to prepare a place, I will come again, I'm not looking back, important as life, In my Father's house, Jesus Christ, judgement day, kept the faith, laid up for me, LOVE, many mansions, meditating on god's word, mish-mash world, money, mortal coil, my hands are on the plough, obituaries, our heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour, prayer, ready to be offered, receive you unto myself, run a strong race, shy away, strength, strength in weakness, surer than taxes, talk of death, the breath of life, the day of reckoning, the great divide, the righteous judge, there's always hope, time of departure, Timothy, weakness, weariness, Wednesday Wail, when life will end, while there is life, winning races
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.
Ah friends, another day, another dollar! But Ho! Some of you say that a dollar isn’t a dollar anymore, it’s more like fifty cents, or even less, and that’s possibly true.
But yuh know what my brethren, the money isn’t as important as the fact that we’re alive. Our pictures and eulogies aren’t in the obituaries, and that’s much more important than the money we might make today.
We’re alive and have the ability to do lots of good stuff in God’s name. And if by chance we aren’t kicking as strongly as we like, then we can always turn to our heavenly Father for help.
And here’s a good prayer that reflects our problem. I got it from one of the Daily Bread Devotionals. It simply says: ‘Father, at this moment, I turn to You for strength in my weakness, energy for my weariness, and faith in my doubt.’
Simple and straight to the point my people. And if you are sincere, the Lord, who gives liberally to all who ask in faith, will shower you with His blessings until you are kicking mightily. (smile)
Now, without further ado, let’s turn to our Bit, taken from what’s called Bruh Paul’s last testament, in his second letter to his protégé Timothy. And to keep everything in context, we’ll just do it all at once.
‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim.4:6-8)
Oh my fellow believers, there is so much stuff in those verses that still pertain to us. Let’s check them out. First of all, we all will die someday. And a lot of us shy away from talk of death, but it’s the only sure thing in this crazy world, even surer than taxes. (smile)
And blessedly, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we have a great time to look forward to. But when that time comes, will be ready to meet our Heavenly Father on the other side of the great divide with strong faith and trust; eagerly expectant for what’s over there, gladly shuffling off this rough and difficult mortal coil?
Or will be afraid and anxious, devoid of or with little faith, not knowing, or rather believing what Jesus promised. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3)
Ah friends, that’s the basic premise of our faith; belief in Jesus Christ! And if we aren’t ready when the time comes to depart, then obviously we won’t be able to say as proudly and confidently as Bruh Paul says in our Bit: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’
And we desperately and definitely need to be able to say that at the day of reckoning! You can’t fight a good fight in Jesus’ name if you don’t truly believe all He’s said, because that belief and faith is what makes you strong, keeps you ticking, has you eager to do His will.
Consequently, there might not be a crown of righteousness laid up for you on that judgement day. That’s why we all need strong faith, and that only comes by diligently reading and meditating on God’s Word, through regular fellowship and constant prayer.
So if we are neglecting any of those things, our faith will definitely not grow to the point that we can fight a good fight, and run a strong race, and thus attain that crown of righteousness which is laid up in heaven for all those who surely and steadfastly anchor themselves in the Word and work of God.
Now please don’t get discouraged if your personal situation doesn’t line up with what we’ve said, because it can always be changed, preferably right now, by going to the Father and asking for strength, guidance and direction to run a good race in His name.
Remember while there is life, there’s ALWAYS hope. But we’re never sure when life will end, so we have to do what we need to do as soon as possible. Now let’s go home with joy and passion, proudly and boldly declaring our Wednesday Wail.
All together now, in strong voice and perfect harmony: ‘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!’
Yes friends, tomorrow we might see our name in the obits, (smile) but we have God’s gift of today, so please let’s enjoy it and go out and do our best to make a positive difference in this mish mash world we live in. For that’s what is expected of us, true believers. Much LOVE!
…winning races…needs strong faith and endurance…which can only be acquired through Almighty God…
26 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive and kicking, almighty god, Amen, beatiful soul, believe in God, believers, birth, Boxing Day, business owners, caring, celebrate God's Love, Christmas, Christmas tree, cold, colt, Creator, cross, dark, daughter, depressing news, disatrous situations, earthly pilgrimage, Easter, Emergency, eternal life, evergreen, exalted position, faith, faithfully fulfilled, forgiveness, G.T.A, God will stop at nothing, God-given ability, grace, guide and leader, hands that reach to touch, hanging on a tree, hearts that hurt, help, Holy Name, holy spirit, humble, inspiring and encouraging words, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, judge, just, king, lack of access, lack of power, lawgiver, life-giving, lift us up, Lord, lose one's mind, LOVE, lowly, manger, merchants, mercy, Ms. Wynne, negative, omnipotent force, outstrecthed arms, Palm Sunday, physical damage, pointing, praying, Premier, province wide, pushing on, quiet rest, reaching, rejoice, riding an ass, righteous, road-weary, rough time, sacrificial work, sales, salvation, saviour, Scarborough area, scriptures, setbacks, sharing, shoppers, significant difference, solid, sparkling, strong rooted in god's love, sturdy, suffering, The Christmas season, thoughts of God, three days, to save my soul, travel-worn, treasures, tree branches, trust, twinkling Christmas tree, two thousand years, wayfarers, whole world, young man, Zechariah, Zion
Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he shall save us.
And then it was Boxing Day! Yes Friends, most of the Christmas hoopla has died down now. Thank the Lord! The Christmas season itself is wonderful, but all the unnecessary fuss can get to be a bit much.
Unfortunately though, some 60-70 thousand people, primarily in the Scarborough area of the G.T.A, are still without power, and many trees and other impediments are still to be removed from the roads to provide access.
It’s certainly been a very rough time for those people, and though some are still complaining about the refusal to declare a state of Emergency, the Premier of the Province, Ms. Wynne, says that isn’t necessary because all the people who would have been called in province wide, are already here helping out.
But that’s cold comfort for those who still don’t have power. I spoke to a friend last night, she and her husband, both in their 70’s were without power for almost 72 hours over the weekend. At one point she thought she was about to lose her mind. Imagine two people in their 70’s in a cold, dark house for almost three days nuh!
Ah mih people, it’s truly been a harrowing Christmas for many people in the province. And sadly, on top of the ice, there’s been some snowfall over the last couple days, not a great deal, but enough to make matters worse. Please continue praying for us and helping in whatever way you can.
And another group that has certainly suffered is the business owners and merchants, since many of them couldn’t open because of lack of power and possibly physical damage to their properties. And even for those who were able to open, the number of shoppers must have been seriously curtailed due to the latter’s disastrous situations.
To spoil their Christmas even further, today, Boxing Day, usually Canada’s biggest sales and shopping day, has seen its importance steadily eroded as we try to compete with the U.S. Thanksgiving Black Friday sales pitch. So the merchants are seriously suffering, any which way you take it.
However my brethren, here’s something to lift us up after all that negative and depressing news. It’s a Christmas Prayer, from the Robert H. Schuller Hour of Power Devotional. I only read it after I wrote the Bit yesterday, otherwise I would have included it. But it’s still the Christmas season, so it’s still very appropriate.
And again I have to wonder how this prayer seems so new and unfamiliar to me, although I’ve been reading this devotional for a number of years.
Anyway, it inspirationally says: ‘You lead me, Jesus Christ, to thoughts of God. I see you in a manger carved from a tree. I see you as a young man with hands that reach to touch hearts that hurt. Your caring reaches out like the strong and kind branches of a gentle tree reach out to invite road-weary and travel-worn wayfarers to quiet rest.
I see you again hanging on a tree with outstretched arms taking in the whole world. From your cross, you show me that God will stop at nothing to save my soul. So, I celebrate God’s LOVE today as I celebrate your birth around a twinkling Christmas tree.
I pray my life, like yours, O Lord, may be tall and upright as a pine tree pointing, reaching, sharing, sparkling, life-giving; solid, sturdy, strong-rooted in God’s LOVE, a beautiful soul, evergreen forever: Amen.’
What inspiring and encouraging words my people! Though I had to chuckle at the end, because a lot of pines and other trees around the Province, certainly aren’t standing tall and sturdy today.
But the significant difference is that we believers, despite any setbacks, still have the God-given ability to stand sturdy, strong and deeply rooted in God’s amazing LOVE, becoming truly beautiful souls.
And we find that possible because of scriptures like our Bit. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he shall save us.’
Yes my brethren, since Almighty God, the Creator and most omnipotent force in the universe is our guide and leader, we can stand strong in the power of His Holy Name, through the current working of His Holy Spirit, and the sacrificial work His Son, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, did for us two thousand years ago!
That just goes to show how strong and powerful is our God! Two thousand years later, He’s still alive and kicking, and pushing on as strong as ever. Wow!
In fact He’s becoming stronger every day, as more and more people come to recognize His tremendous power, LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, and thus believe in Him, put their trust and faith in Him, for help in their earthly pilgrimage.
Ah Friends, it’s time to close. I had envisioned getting to the ‘lawgiver’ aspect of our Bit, but that obviously wasn’t meant to be today. However, I’ll leave us with a wonderful scripture on the ‘king and saving’ aspect that I could not include yesterday.
Listen to these beautiful and encouraging words from the prophet Zechariah, as he prophesies about Zion’s future king. ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech. 9:9)
And we all know that scripture was faithfully fulfilled on Palm Sunday!
So fellow believers, we’ve celebrated, sorry, we’re still celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, but we indeed have the next big occasion to look forward to, Easter, when He truly did His saving work and definitely earned His exalted position as our Lord and King. Much LOVE!
…to whom do we owe the treasures of salvation and eternal life…JESUS CHRIST…what a wonderful SAVIOUR…!
27 Jun 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirm constantly, affirmations, anointed, believe in God, calling of Christ, Christian citizenship, Christian ethic, christianity, cleansed, compassion, confidence, contentious, contentiousness, damnation, death, divers lusts, envy, eternal life, faithful saying, fallen angel, glory hallelujah, good works, goodness, gossipmongers, great god, hate, heaven-sent, hope, Jesus Christ, kindness, LOVE, LOVE of God, loving kindness, Lucifer, magnanimous god, maintain good works, malice, meekness, merciful God, mercy, new blessings, new mercies, obey authority, pleasures, praise his holy name, Praise the Lord, prince of darkness, redeemed, reverence, right perspective, righteousness., sacrifice, sanctified, sinful world, strife, thanks and praise, works of righteousness, worthy to be praised
Titus 3:8: This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly; that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
And then it was Thursday! Yes Friends, another heaven-sent day loaded with new mercies and blessings for God’s people is in the offing! Wow! What a most magnanimous and merciful God we serve! There’s none other like Him in the entire universe!
And all God’s people declared a mighty: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name, for He is indeed worthy to be praised!’ Yes my brethren, our great God Jehovah is most definitely worthy of all the thanks and praise we can give Him!
Unfortunately though, I don’t believe we give Him enough glory. We keep wanting and requiring from Him, but our giving to Him is sadly lacking. Please let’s start turning that around now nuh. If you think we get plenty blessings now, you wouldn’t believe what’s in store, if we truly give Him the reverence and praise He deserves.
And since my hand is feeling fairly good, much better than I expected, I’ll give Him one big, ‘Thank You Lord for looking after me! I knew you wouldn’t do anything to stop me from spreading your Word, because that’s what you’ve anointed me to do. It’s not the greatest, but I can get the job done, that’s the important thing, with Your help of course. Amen.’
And now without further ado, let’s turn to our Bit. ‘This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly; that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.’
As promised my people, it’s the same as yesterday. But instead of putting forth our affirmations, as we did yesterday, today we’ll look at those Bruh Paul was referring to in his missive to Titus.
And in this chapter dealing with Christian citizenship, he strongly advises Titus to: ‘Put them in mind to be subject to principalities (rulers) and powers (authorities), to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers (not contentious), but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.’ (Titus 3:1-2)
Yes my people, those are just some of the things we should do as true believers in Jesus Christ! We ought to obey authority, because it originates from God Himself. In fact we should always be ready to do whatever good work is requested of us. Neither should we be gossipmongers, or given to strife and contentiousness, but be kind and LOVING to all, just as Jesus, our leader was in His earthly sojourn.
It’s not easy to live like that in this fallen, sinful world, but as believers, it’s our duty to attain to that lifestyle. And as we all know, our gracious God won’t ask us to do something without giving us the necessary tools to accomplish it. So we just have to be steadfast and press ahead towards the mark, the calling of Christ.
Then Bruh Paul continues, giving us the basis of our Christian ethic. ‘For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.’ (Titus 3:3)
Wow Friends! Can you imagine living like that? But that’s exactly how we were living until the Lord had compassion on us. ‘But after that the kindness and LOVE of God our Saviour toward man appeared.’ (Titus 3:4)
And all God’s people gave a heartfelt shout of ‘Praise the Lord for His kindness to the undeserving children of men!’
Yes my brethren, the Lord God Jehovah really and truly deserves our eternal thanks and praise, as we said at the beginning. But for some unknown reason(s) we seem to be very reluctant to do so, or do it very grudgingly, as though we were entitled to God’s grace and mercy, or we’re doing something great for God by giving Him the little thanks we offer.
But make no mistake Friends, it’s we, you and I, who are receiving the goodness and LOVING-kindness that we’re not entitled to, and neither are we receiving our just deserts for our sinful behaviour. So please let’s get off our high horse and stop thinking that we’re doing God a favour by worshipping and serving Him. Let’s get the right perspective; it’s Him that’s doing us the favours we don’t deserve!
For as Bruh Paul so rightly continues to inform Titus: ‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed (poured out) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace (declared righteous), we should be made heirs according to the hope (the strong confidence) of eternal life.’ (Titus 3:5-7)
Ah mih breddren, yuh see what the kindness and LOVE of God did for us! Hn! Before Christ’s sacrifice of LOVE, we were hateful and sinful, but through the shedding of His blood and God’s awesome mercy, we were cleansed, made whole, redeemed, sanctified, made right with God, so much so that we became rightful heirs of God with Christ.
And Friends, to end, I want to drive home the point that it was not by any good works of ours, that we were and are saved, as Bruh Paul points out, but by the LOVE, the Mercy, the Kindness, the Compassion and the Forgiving Nature of a most magnanimous, magnificent and omnipotent God, who created us and did not want to see His most wonderful creation end up in death and damnation with the foolish, fallen angel, the prince of darkness, Lucifer.
Please let’s get that straight, for until we do, we’ll never give God the true honour and glory He deserves. Much LOVE!
…before we can truly LOVE Jesus…we must truly understand what He did for us…
12 Jun 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: be not afraid or dismayed, be strong and courageous, believe in God, diligence, don't quit, faithfullness, God's largesse and mercy, Mountain Moving Prayer, pray for deliverance, problems, prosperity, the battle is God's
2 Chronicles 32:7. Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him.
Oh Friends, it’s another new day with new mercies, blessings and also problems. But what we need to fully realize is that problems don’t last forever. We either solve them with God’s help, or they just fritter away through God’s largesse and mercy. The problem though is, (smile) we need a general way in which to handle these problems when they crop up. And a good way to help us do just that is in this Mountain Mover’s Prayer by Dr. Robert Schuller. We’ve shared it before, but like all things which can help us walk the straight and narrow, it’s worth repeating, especially in these times when our world is in such a topsy-turvy, frenzied state. So here goes: ‘Lord, when I face a mountain, do not let me quit. Give me the strength to keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, or tunnel underneath. And if my best efforts fail, give me the patience to stay, and the perception to see the possibilities of turning my mountain into a gold mine with your help. Amen.’ There’s the problem-solving attitude we need my people! And in conjunction with our Bit, how can the enemy beat us down eh? ‘Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him.’ Yes Friends, it’s time, or rather it’s imperative that now, when the last days are possibly nigh, that God’s people stand up strong and courageous, faithfully relying on His promises, promises that were all faithfully fulfilled in times past, and will be once again, if and when we rise up as one, one voice, one body, one church of Christ and look to the infallible Jehovah God to help us and fight our battles rather than to fallible, deceitful man. And to prove my point, here’s an example of our God fighting Israel’s battles. Yesterday it was against the Assyrians and their king Sennacherib in the time of King Hezekiah’s reign. Today it’s when Moab came to war against Israel in the time of King Jehoshaphat. When the king heard the news of the approaching army, what was his first act? He prayed for deliverance. ‘And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself (his face) to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.’ (2 Chr.20:3) Oh Friends, seeking our God should always be our first act in all things, especially times of trouble, and not the last, as so many of us do. And all Judah came together to hear the king pray to the Lord and add their pleas too. (2 Chr.20:4-13) Then, as our Lord so often does in such cases, He sent His Spirit upon one Jahaziel, right there in the middle of the gathering. ‘And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid or dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff (ascent) of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook (wadi or stream bed) before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set (position) yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them; for the Lord will be with you.’ (2 Chr.20:15-17) Ah mih people, our God is such a good and great God! He hears and answers when we cry out to Him with clean hearts and right motives! And please note Judah’s reaction to this awesome promise of their God. ‘And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.’ (2 Chr. 20: 18-19) Oh mih breddren, that’s the way we need to praise and worship Almighty God today for all the mercies and blessings which He bestows on us every single day. They might not be as big and awesome as fighting a physical battle for us, but without His help we’d be unable to do much of anything. Now here’s the miraculous ending: ‘And they rose early in the morning and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten (defeated)’ (2 Chr.20:20-22) Yes Friends, those supposed invaders ended up fighting amongst themselves and destroyed each other. So that when Judah came upon the battlefield, all they saw were dead bodies. None had escaped. And here’s the crowning glory; the spoil from the battle was so much that it took Judah three days to gather it all. And who says our God isn’t a wonderful and upright God eh! Oh my people, just like Judah back then, we in our own troubled times, need to faithfully and diligently walk with the Lord, praise and worship Him because that is our duty, and when we do our duty, He prospers us and keeps us safe from harm. The message is still the same today, as it was way back then. So let’s do what we ought to nuh; be strong, courageous and not fear, for then are we truly invincible and sure conquerors. Much LOVE!…what does the Lord desire of us…praise, thanks, worship, glory, courage and strong faith…
SCRIP-BITS 