25 Apr 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as eagles, believe in thine heart, believing, bless the Lord, colour in spring, communicate with heaven, confess with thy mouth, confessing, confession is made unto salvation, divine edict, enabling Spirit, eternal destination, ever-faithful promises of God, faint and be weary, faints not, forget not ll his benefits, forgives all thine iniquities, glorious future with Jesus, God raised him from the dead, God's thoughts, gospel truth, greatest privilege, halfway home, heals thy diseases, hell fire, highest responsibility, human edict, importance of prayer, Isaiah, live for Christ, looking straight ahead, LOVE, loving-kindness, Lucifer, man believes unto righteousness, meat of the message, mount up with wings, neither grows weary, outburst of nature, power to the faint, prayer, put to shame, redeems thy soul, renew their strength, renowned Chinese preacher, rich unto all, run and not be wery, salvation, sampling of soul food, searching of his understanding, season of winter, soothes the soul, the breath of life, the Creator, the ends of the earth, the farmer's seed, the grace of God, the greatest mystery, the Lord Jesus, the most wonderful act, the mouth testifies, the spiritual realm, the spring rains, the youts, they that wait upon the Lord, thou shalt be saved, too good to be true, true receptacle of our faith, walk and not faint, Watchman Nee, Wednesday Wail, whet our appetites, who call upon Him, with the heart, with the mouth
Romans 10:9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
And thankfully the spring rains are falling gently on the land, caressing it, making it ready for the farmer’s seed and the riotous outburst of nature that comes after a cold and dark season of winter. Glory to our great God my people, for arranging the seasons the way He has, bringing us out of winter’s darkness with a sudden burst of light and colour in spring!
And before we get into the meat of the message here are some hors d’oeuvres to whet our appetites. (smile) The first one tells us that ‘Prayer is our greatest privilege and our highest responsibility.’ And that’s gospel truth! I just wish more of us would realize the incredible importance of prayer in our own lives, as well as that of Christ’s body, the church, for that is the way we communicate with the Spirits of heaven.
And the next sampling of soul food (smile) comes from Watchman Nee (1903-1972) a renowned Chinese preacher, who was locked up for his faith in 1952 and died in prison in 1972. He says: ‘Prayer is the most wonderful act in the spiritual realm, as well as the greatest mystery in the spiritual realm.’
More gospel truth my people! There is nothing like prayer in either realm; it both soothes the soul and allows us to communicate with our heavenly Father. Glory to God!
Now let’s continue with the series of messages on the great and wonderful, ever-faithful promises of our unbelievable God, beginning with this heart-warming and reassuring scripture in our Bit. ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.’
Oh friends, what a glorious promise, the most important and extravagant of them all. Salvation is so easy; believing and confessing, that I can’t understand why everybody isn’t clamouring for it. I guess many of us are following the human edict, that if it’s too easy, it’s too good to be true.
But friends this is not a human, but a divine edict from high heaven, so it doesn’t necessarily follow the laws and rules of man. Remember our God’s thoughts and ways are much higher than ours. So please, please believe and accept it nuh, because our eternal destination – inside with Christ, or outside in hell fire with Lucifer – depends solely on our acceptance of Christ as Lord and Saviour or not.
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed (put to shame). For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek (Gentile): for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.’ (Rom.10:10-12)
Oh my brethren, it’s the same God that rules over ALL, and is generous to ALL who call upon Him! And the scholars explain: ‘10:10-11. Confession is made unto salvation: One is not saved by his mouth’s confession, but rather, the mouth testifies readily of the grace of God in Christ which has been received by faith.’ So the mouth is basically just a reflection of what’s in the heart! The heart is the true receptacle of our faith.
Now let’s turn to this monster promise of God, that we all know and like to quote, but oftimes ignore it. Listen to Isaiah as he declares of the Lord: ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:28-31)
Oh brother, oh brother; what a promise! And we’ve seen it kept right throughout the scriptures, from Abraham to Bruh Paul! All the men of faith were able to withstand much pressure and continue God’s work because of His enabling Spirit.
And Bruh David weighs in with his two cents worth (smile): ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:2-5)
Mamacita! What else can we ask for eh? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! For the Lord provides everything we need…and in abundance too, for He’s a most generous and magnanimous God! So there are the facts friends. I can only tell you about them, I can’t make you accept them, but the wise will.
And for those of us who have shown our wisdom by accepting Christ as our Lord and Saviour, let’s declare to the unbelieving world, our present situation in Christ through our Wednesday Wail. In loud voice and strong sense of purpose now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And that future with Christ is truly mind boggling! Much LOVE!
…to live with…and for Christ…is the most awesome and amazing life possible…
08 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 911 Emergency Number, a compassionate heart, a day of rest, a positive outlook, abundance, all things, angel, aspect of belief, At the cross, believing, blessed, broken, careful path, communication with God, Corville Peters, courage, creativity, curse, delivered, divine protection, dump trucks, excessive rest, expectation, faith, favour, God's willingness, hem and haw, Herod, Higher heights, hope, human arsenal, humble apologies, in a trance, in dream land, in Jesus, in Jesus' name, it is his angel, LOVE, more Christ-like, negative word, nowhere in sight, omnipotent god, on our behalf, overcome God's reluctance, Perter, power, powerful tool, pray, prayer, prayer was made, pregnant, prison, promises, prosper, seeing it, self-control, share with others, snow ploughs, strength, stressed out, succeed, success, talent, the Good Book, the Jews, Thursday Blessings, tired, trust, truth, twist God's arms, unborn child, watched the snow fall, weapon, whatsoever ye ask in prayer, wisdom, without ceasing, you shall receive
Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask for in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Ah friends, my most humble apologies for the lateness of today’s Bit. I have absolutely no idea what happened, except that when I was supposed to get up, I was still somewhere far away in dream land. (smile)
And it’s not like I did anything exhaustive yesterday, or went to bed later than normal. In fact yesterday was designated a day of rest, as I watched the snow fall, and then listened to the snow ploughs and dump trucks cart it away later in the evening. So my only conclusion is that I was simply tired from excessive rest! (smile)
But on a serious note, I’m asking us, especially our St. Francis people, to offer up sincere prayers for one of our church members, Abbi, who recently had to trek down to Indianapolis to help look after her very sick mother in the hospital. Some of you might not know her, because she usually comes to the 8.30 a.m service.
Her father doesn’t seem to be doing too well either, as he appears to be stressed out over his wife’s illness. And to complicate matters even further, Abbi is also 6.5 months pregnant, so she also has to look after herself and her unborn child. That means she has to walk a very narrow and careful path in this tremulous situation. There’s not much we can do for the family except pray. So please do that. They would very much appreciate your prayers.
Now here is something appropriate that I just found on one of the many pieces of paper that sit next to my computer. It’s a quote from Corville Peters, host of the Christian call in programme, ‘At the Cross.’ He says: ‘Prayer is not about trying to overcome God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness on your behalf.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth! Prayer is not about trying to twist God’s arms to help us, but to activate His waiting and His willingness to help. I guess it’s something like our 911 Emergency Number. When you call it, you don’t have to beg them to come and help you, because that’s exactly what they are there for.
It’s the same thing with our omnipotent God; He is there to always help us when we call, not hem and haw as to whether He should, or should not. And don’t ever forget friends, that prayer is the most powerful tool or weapon in our human arsenal! Otherwise, Jesus would not have said in our Bit: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask for in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’
And it’s very true. But please note the most important word in that sentence: ‘believing.’ Yeh mih people, we have to believe that we will get what we pray for. You’ll notice, that with Jesus, everything is about believing, about having hope and faith, about seeing it when it’s nowhere in sight.
Look at how we believe that Jesus died for us and LOVES us and all those good things, although we never met Him in the flesh. That’s what our faith is all about: when you believe, then you’ll see! And what better example is there than when Peter was imprisoned by Herod.
The Good Book tells us: ‘Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for Him.’ (Acts 12:5) And what happened after that. An angel came and let Peter out of the prison like he was in a trance. (Acts 12:6-10)
The Good Book continues: ‘And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety (for certain), that the Lord had sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.’ (Acts 12:11)
And we all know how when he knocked at the door of Mary’s house, the mother of John Mark, even though they were praying for him, nobody would believe that he was out there, saying nonsense like, ‘It is his angel.’ He had to keep on knocking before they would let him in. (Acts 12:12-17)
So you see friends, even though we pray sincerely, we still lack that ever-important aspect of belief. As Jesus said so plainly before our Bit: ‘Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain; be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.’ (Matt.21:21)
It’s all about faith, and trust and belief in Jesus and His awesome power and promises my brethren! Please, let’s not lose or lessen our faith, but rather build it up, so that we can move to higher heights, become more Christ-like, as the Father desires. And in keeping with all that, let’s go home now, proudly and sincerely declaring out Thursday Blessings.
In strong voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And if we truly believe it all, then our next step is to go out and share it with others, as Jesus intends for us to do. Much LOVE!
…prayer…that wonderful…and oh so powerful…method of communication with our great God…
26 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: allegiance, an option, anticipate surprises, appreciation, awaken slumbering memories, become human, beheld his glory, believing, beloved of God, blessings, brightly lit trees, cards, care, carols, celebrate, celebrations, Christ's birth, Christ's humanity, christmas day, Christmas morning, colourful explosions, conviction, cookies, darkness, death, drama, dwelt among us, entrust myself anew, eternal damnation, eternal life, every day, evil band, excitement, flesh, fragrance of pine, friend of Jesus, gift, glory, glory to God, Gnostic heresy, good cheer, gratitude, greet the world, Hades, heartwarming, heresy, hold, hope, hug, incarnation, It's Christmas, joy, keeping Jesus first place, laugh, let god create, life, light, LOVE, loving-kindness, Lucifer, manifestation of God, mercies, miracle, open your arms wide, open your heart, peace, peace and goodwill to men, pledge our love, poured down, praise, praise to Jesus, pretnese, push away tears, reconciliation, rejoice, resurrection, revolutionary, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrificed, salvation, save us, say to god, season, share, share love, shekinah glory, shout, sinful selves, sing, sinless life, smile away fears, stir up, stupendous dreams, tabernacle, thank, thank God, the cross, the empty tomb, the good news, the Lord God Almighty, the manger, the Old Testmant, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the only begotten, the purists, the reason, the Saviour of the world, the word was made flesh, think, time for candles, time of need, trust, Tuesday Mantra, went out on a limb, white christmas
John 1:14. And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Well friends, the big day has come and gone; the purists got their white Christmas and I do hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful day with friends and families, keeping Jesus first place in your thoughts as He is the reason for all the celebrations.
But yuh know what? Christmas Day might be gone, but the Christmas season is not over as yet, there’s still a lot of peace, LOVE and good cheer yet to be spread. And on this Boxing Day, here is something titled ‘It’s Christmas,’ from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, to bring the Christmas season into true perspective.
Please read with me: ‘It’s Christmas! Sing! Rejoice! Celebrate! Let God create in you Colourful explosions Of joy and excitement. Smile away fears, push away tears. Out with pretense, in with praise. It’s Christmas! Open your heart to light To trust, to LOVE, to hope. Awaken slumbering memories Stir up stupendous dreams Anticipate surprises Open your arms wide.
It’s Christmas! Time for candles and cards For carols and cookies For brightly lit trees With the fragrance of pine. Time to hug and hold To think and thank Time to greet the world With the Good News. It’s Christmas! Thank God for life Thank Him for the manger For the splintered cross For the empty tomb. Thank Him for His only Son The Saviour of the world. Shout! Laugh! Share! Care! And say to God On Christmas morning: “I entrust myself anew To You.”
Oh friends, doesn’t that picture of Christmas sound wonderful? It surely does! And though we may not be in a position to do all that’s suggested there, we can ALL do the most important things, like give God thanks and praise for all that He’s done for us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and pledge our LOVE and allegiance anew to Him EVERY day!
Ah mih people, the Lord God Almighty certainly went out on a limb for us when in His awesome LOVING-kindness He decided to save us from our sinful selves. The least we can now do is to show some sincere appreciation and gratitude as we enjoy all of the blessings and mercies that He’s poured down on us, especially in this season of Christmas, when we celebrate Christ’s birth, the beginning of the whole beautiful, heartwarming and revolutionary drama.
And all God’s people declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace and goodwill to men!’
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ How majestic and marvellous for the Son of God to become human and dwell amongst us!
And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘1:14. Made flesh indicated the incarnation (the miracle) of God the Son becoming human yet remaining God, and bringing us into full conviction of Christ’s humanity. The use of flesh contradicts the Gnostic heresy that God could not be united with human flesh, which was seen as evil.
Dwelt among us: John uses the word for “tabernacled,” here translated “dwelt.” The Old Testament tabernacle was where God dwelt among the Jews in the wilderness. In this context, God is dwelling in the person of Jesus Christ. We beheld his glory: Perhaps John refers to the Shekinah glory which appeared in the tabernacle of the Old Testament. The expression signifies the visible manifestation of God. John later uses glory to refer to Jesus’ life (2:11), death, and resurrection (12:23).’
So my people, we could not ask for a greater gift, especially at this time of gift giving. We need to remember that God the Father gave us the greatest gift ever, God the Son, in our veritable time of need; a time when we were headed directly for eternal damnation and darkness. Not that we aren’t still heading for it, but at least now we have an option to avoid it.
Before Jesus came and sacrificed his sinless life on our behalf, we had no option but to go straight to Hades with Lucifer and his evil band. But all praise to Jesus for giving the option of believing in Him and thus having reconciliation with the Father and eventual salvation and eternal life! Wow! If that isn’t the GREATEST my brethren, then I don’t know what is!
Now let’s go home this Tuesday morning, letting the world know whom and whose we are by declaring our Tuesday Mantra with much gumption and truth. As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And since we’re truly Christ’s people, then let’s go and truly share His LOVE with the rest of the world nuh! Much LOVE!
…oh…there’s not enough thanks in the world…to truly give to Jesus…for His sacrifice on our behalf…
16 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: able to judge, Apotex, at the end of the tunnel, attract great things, Barry Sherman, be wise, being grateful, believers, believing, blessings, chasing the world's wealth, Christ's return, Christ-like, Christian, curses, discerner, dividing asunder, faith, faster than lightning, feed your mind, feel like quitting, find the positive, foul play, friends, generic drug companies, get better, giving up, handle the truth, his word runneth swiftly, intentions of the heart, Isaiah, joints, learning, light, like a sharp sword, living, LOVE, made my mouth, marrow, material wealth, negative thoughts, no-win situation, pay serious attention, Pharma, piercing, positive thoughts, power, powerful, quick, readiness, ruin, run from the truth, sends forth his commandment, shadow of his hand, sharper than any twoedged sword, spoke everything into existence, sword of the Spirit, the truth will set you free, the Word of god, think why you started, thoughts, today, tomorrow, trying
Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.
Ah Lord friends, we never know how our lives will end nuh, that’s why our faith keeps preaching readiness for Christ, whenever He returns, or you depart this earthly life. This fact was sadly brought home by the death of one of Canada’s wealthiest couples, Honey and Barry Sherman.
They were found dead in the basement of their mansion yesterday, with no outstanding evidence of foul play. The mansion was apparently up for sale, around 7million dollars, and a real-estate agent going to prepare for an open house found them. Steups!
Barry Sherman was the founder of Apotex, one of the largest generic drug companies in the world. So once again, it’s been proven that material wealth and power cannot keep you from joining the ranks of the deceased according to your timetable. Please let that be a lesson to some of us who are foolishly chasing the world’s wealth and power. Our condolences go out to the Sherman family.
Now since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to some interesting quotes from our friend Anselm. And the first one hits you like a bullet: ‘When you feel like quitting think about why you started.’ Now that’s telling it like it is, for in almost everything we undertake, there will come a time when things get so difficult that we will think about giving up.
I’m sure Barry Sherman in bringing Apotex to success felt like giving up many times, what with having to fight the big Pharma companies who didn’t want cheap renditions of their drugs flooding the market.
But I’m sure many times too he invoked the basic ideas of this second quote. ‘Everything will get better. Try to find the positive in every bad situation. There will always be light in the end of the tunnel.’ And as we see, there was indeed light at the end as Apotex eventually became successful.
This next quote also contains great truth. ‘Don’t start your day with negative thoughts from yesterday. It will only destroy your wonderful today and ruin your great tomorrow.’ And so many of us unwisely do that and just spoil our day from the get go. That’s why they say: ‘The more you feed your mind with positive thoughts, the more you can attract great things into your life.’ More truth friends!
And finally: ‘Great things happen to those who don’t stop believing, trying, learning, and being grateful.’ That’s a mantra for our Christian faith right there my fellow believers! We have to keep on believing, keep on trying, learning and being grateful for all of God’s goodness, if we want to grow and mature in a Christ-like manner.
And the first exercise in all of that is acknowledging the awesome power of God and His Word as set forth in our Bit. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’
Yeh friends, when you talk about might and power, there’s ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that beats the word of God. It has to be powerful if it spoke everything into existence. And why so many of us still try to fight it, I really don’t know, because it’s simply a no-win situation.
And if you don’t believe me, remember what Bruh Paul says in Ephesians, re God’s armour: ‘And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ (Eph.6:17) Oh my brethren, there’s no sword or sword player to match the Word of God when it’s in full stride, in full play!
And the prophet Isaiah, in describing Israel as the Lord’s servant declared: ‘And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me…’ (Is. 49:2) Likewise my fellow believers, our mouths are like sharp swords when we speak the Lord’s word, that’s why we have to be careful when we open our mouths, since we can either use them for blessings or curses.
Our words set the tone for our lives and many of those around us. Even people we’ll never know will be affected, either for good or bad by our words. One of the best examples of that is this Blog; a lot of people whom I don’t know read it, and my statements can affect them in so many ways. That’s why I have to be careful in what I say.
But that doesn’t mean I have to run away from the truth because it might affect some people negatively! Not at all! For Jesus said the truth will set you free, and if you can’t handle the truth then that’s your problem! Anyway friends, I know that all of you can handle the truth, so there’s no need to worry. (smile)
And we’ll end with some interesting words from Psalm 147 – Great is our God and of great power. The psalmist declares with strong conviction: ‘He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth swiftly.’ (Ps.147:15)
Yeh mih people, let’s remember that the word of the Lord is all over the earth and it moves faster than lightning, so please, let’s be wise and pay serious attention to it. Much LOVE!
…the word of God rules…no ifs ands or buts about it…
01 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: add insult to injury, all knees bow, all things consist, angelic beings, authorities, awesome glory, before all things, believing, black up, boundaries, by himself, Christian faith, Colossian heresy, control, dominions, drink up mih liquor, each step, eat down the place, exaltation, fellowship, first-born, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, greed, incompetence, inhumane behaviour, injustice, invisible, Jesus Christ, make a decent living, overboard, party like no tomorrow, pay homage to angels, pittance for pay, powers, pre-eminent Christ, principalities, prosperous world, purged our sins, ranks of angels, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, rulers, sat down, sins, slave labour, slaving finish, song of freedom, strife, studying the Word, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the brightness of his glory, the enemy, the express image of his person, the means of livelihood, the right hand of the majesty, the tempter's grasp, the weekend situation, the word of his power, thrones, thumb mih nose, upholding all things, visible, week of work, workingman, worship
Hebrews 1:3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Ah yes friends, we’ve finally progressed to the magical day called Friday… And the workingman will most definitely remind us of that fact as he vociferously declares his song of freedom. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday, and slaving finish for this week! The next couple days is mih own to do with exactly as I please. And brother, yuh better believe I’m going to do just that!
Wow! I’m going to eat down the place, if I want to; drink up mih liquor until ah black up and tumbling down; party like there was no tomorrow, and just thumb mih nose at the massa till Monday morning roll around again. Whew! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes, otherwise I’d just go crazy with this slave labour and a pittance for pay!’
Unfortunately my brethren, the ordinary workingman is finding it increasingly difficult to make a decent living in this prosperous world through the greed, incompetence and inhumane behaviour of those who own and control the means of livelihood. And sometimes you can’t really blame him when he goes overboard because the rampant injustice and strife in our society is more than enough to drive a body crazy.
Luckily for us, we belong to the Christian faith, where our Leader Jesus Christ applies boundaries to our behaviour, so we don’t go overboard and fall into the tempter’s grasp. That’s why our Friday Chant is so different to the workingman’s song. So let’s chant it out now nuh, and thus give us the better picture of how believers ought to handle the weekend situation.
In chorus 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 fellow believers, we ought to put Christ first and get ourselves ready for another week of work, rather than add insult to injury by beating down our bodies even further and giving the enemy control of our lives. And for all of our blessings and good tidings, we have to thank our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as our Bit says:
‘Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.’
And today we are going to delve a li’l deeper into verses 16-17 of Col.1, where Bruh Paul talks about the pre-eminence of Christ, to help us understand the full significance of our Bit. ‘For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in (on) earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities (rulers), or powers (authorities): all things are created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by (in) him all things consist.’ (Col.1:16-17)
The scholars then explain thus: ‘1:16. This verse provides the reason Christ is called the “first-born” in verse 15. Paul’s rationale is this: Since by him were all things created, then, (1) Christ must have existed before the universe, and (2) He must be greater than all He made. Thrones…dominions…principalities…powers all refer to angelic beings (cf. Eph.1:21; 3:10).
“Thrones” refer to angels who sit on thrones as rulers; “dominions” refer to domains or kingdoms over which these heavenly beings reign; “principalities” refer to rulers, and “powers” refer to angelic monarchs who wield regal power. Since Christ created these various ranks of angels, He is supreme over them.
Striking a blow at the Colossian heresy advocating angel worship (2:18), this text forbids Christians to pay homage to angels or other heavenly beings created by God.’ And re ‘1:17. By him all things consist: That is by Him all things are held together; Christ now preserves all that He made in Creation.’
Yeh friends, Christ made it all, and now holds His creation together, as He sits at the Father’s right hand advocating on our behalf. So let’s remember that and thus keep everything in its proper perspective: Christ is Creator, Lord and Saviour, and the ONLY ONE deserving of worship and exaltation, not angels or any other beings He has made.
Tomorrow we will touch some more on the angel situation, but for today, let’s ponder what we’ve said and keep believing, keep studying the Word and living it out successfully in this evil world, in Jesus name, I pray. Much LOVE!
…to whom eventually shall all knees bow…and all lips declare His awesome glory…JESUS…
14 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: agents of Jesus, anxiety, ask, ask amiss, asked nothing, aspects of living, believing, beloved of God, communicating with God, confrontational, covet, daily bread, day to day, defeated, dissatisfied, dread, fight, flesh rebelling, for good measure, forgiveness, friend of Jesus, glorified in the Son, God's presence, greater works, have not, hurry, in everything give thanks, in my name, in turmoil, inhospitable, intolerant, Jesus Christ, joy, kill, knock, live life too busily, lust, multitasking, mutiny, of sins, One Year Book of Bible promises, pray so little, pray without ceasing, protest, rebellion, refused to get up, rejoice, resources, rest, restless, rolled over, seek, selfish needs, sensual pleasures, share His love, susceptible to temptation, temptation, the conduit, the Father, the reason, the will of God, the works of God, troublesome, Tuesday Mantra, undisciplined, walk that talk, weak, well rested, went back to sleep, worldly lusts, worry, ye shall receive, you joy may be full
John 16:24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
Aye mih people, there’s been rebellion in the camp this Tuesday morning; a strong sense of mutiny is in the air. My aging, aching and apparently weary body bluntly refused to get up this morning when I commanded it to.
Steups! It simply stated that it was not well rested enough to get up and perform the duties I desired, then calmly rolled over and went back to sleep. What is our world coming to eh, when our own flesh is rebelling against us eh? (smile)
I obviously had no choice but to roll over and go back to sleep with it… That is until it felt rested enough to get up and perform its duties in the excellent manner that our Leader, Jesus Christ requires of us.
Ah mih friends, yesterday was indeed a bit rough on the body, and not because of any great doings nuh, just the simple day-to-day aspects of living, but without the required rest thrown in for good measure. And that’s what’s killing many of us; we try to live life too busily, what with all the amenities we have, multitasking and what not.
But that’s not how God made us to go about this earthly life. And here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises titled ‘The Reason,’ which accentuates what I’m talking about.
Please pray with me. ‘God, why am I so often defeated? Why am I so full of dread and anxiety? Why am I so lamentably weak – So perilously susceptible to temptation? Why am I so often inhospitable So intolerant of the needs of others? Why am I so undisciplined So restless and dissatisfied? Why do I protest so violently? Above all, God Why do I so frequently lose The sense of your shining Presence? God, why? Why?’
Oh my fellow believers, too often, too many of us cry out to the Lord with words and feelings akin to those. But you know what God replies. It’s so simple and true: ‘Because you pray so little.’ Amen!
Yeh friends, if our souls and spirits are always, or too often in turmoil, then it simply means that we’re not communicating with our heavenly Father enough.
And the Bible verse for that promise is the middle verse of these simple and basic instructions from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:16-18)
And yuh know my brethren, if we’d simply adhere to those three, simple basic things, ‘rejoicing, praying and giving thanks’ continually, our lives would be amazingly less troublesome and confrontational.
Now that is exactly what Christ is saying to the disciples, and to us in our Bit. ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’
He’s telling them that up to that time, they hadn’t asked anything of God in His name, but that they should begin doing so, because He is the conduit between mankind and the Creator. You can’t get to the Father except through Him. And if you ask, you’ll receive.
And isn’t that the general way things happen? When we want something we ask for it? And hopefully we’ll receive it. Obviously Jesus wasn’t talking about blatantly selfish needs or worldly lusts and sensual pleasures, but stuff that it would please the Father to give us, like our daily bread, and forgiveness of our sins.
Now yesterday we looked at the ‘joy’ aspect of our Bit, today let’s look a little at the asking and receiving part of it. Jesus said it several times; the most famous being: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt.7:7-8) As always, simple instructions from our Leader.
And after He had cursed the fig tree and told the disciples about having faith, He reiterated. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ Matt.21:22)
And the last quote from Jesus, after He tells the disciples about His going back to the Father. ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:13-14)
The scholars explain: ‘13-14: In my name means “as My agent.” The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus’ will (cf. 16:23-26). It is also linked here especially in the accomplishment of the “greater works,” (vs.12). The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God.’
However friends, there is one proviso scripture to all of that. Listen to James. ‘Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (worldly pleasures). (James 4:2-3)
Yeh mih people, that just shows that a lot of the times we ask for the wrong things for the wrong reasons, and the Lord will not grant them to us. We need to ask for the things of God, so we can do His work.
That brings us to our Tuesday Mantra. Let’s declare it as though we truly mean it. ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now it’s time to walk that talk! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t ask…you won’t get…simple as that…
26 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a parable, A prayer of confidence, believers, believing, calmly, carry on, confidence, corporate matter, darkest just before the dawn, devastating times, difficult times, do the Lord's work, don't faint, don't forget, don't give up, dr robert h schuller, Ephesians, face challenges, faith, fall, forgiveness, gloomy weather, God will rescue me, God's armour, heat for so, hurry, in the rear end, indispensable, individual, Jesus Christ, lifeline, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, men ought always to pray, mercy, my conscience is clear, my friend Jesus, not afraid, not to faint, on our side, pain, past experience, perseverance, praise, prayer, praying, praying always, problems, raise our level of faith, saints, serenely, share His love, spirit of confidence, spiritual power, stress, suck it up, summer weather, supplication, surging in my eart, tailspin, Thank You God, thanks, the beloved of God, the importance of prayer, the Lord's goodness, the right decision, this is the day the Lord has made, to this end, trust, Tuesday Mantra, umbilical cord, vigilant, we will rejoice and be glad in it, winter, worry, worship
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
Behold friends, it’s another glorious Tuesday morning in my area! And as the old people would remark ‘heat for so!’ (smile)
Don’t know when they’re going to end. But like all things, this current beautiful summer weather will eventually morph into the cold and gloomy weather of fall and then winter.
It’s only a matter of time. So we had better enjoy it while it lasts. That’s why we can all shout, ‘this is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Oh my people, I know that’s difficult for many of us to say and truly mean because we’re undergoing enormous stress and problems, but we just have to suck it up, raise our level of faith and carry on.
Even me, right now, I’m having some painful hip problems, and it’s indeed a pain in the rear end, both literally and figuratively, (smile) I can’t walk properly, or sleep properly, or do any kind of physical movement without some sudden, unexpected pain in some area.
Just coming down here to my basement office to write the Bit was a source of annoying pain. But I just have to do whatever it takes to keep on doing the Lord’s work. And from past experience, I know that He will enable me to do it, if I hang in there.
That’s what our faith is all about friends! Let’s not forget the Lord’s goodness and mercy in our past. Remembering what He has done in the past for us, ought to make us stronger and help us to stick with His word, to keep believing and keep praying.
And talking about praying, here is something I’ve shared before from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, but it’s one of those inspiring prayers that we need to share over and over. It’s titled ‘A Prayer For Confidence.’
Please pray with me: ‘It is flowing into me now, for my conscience is clear. I have made the right decision. I am not afraid of problems. I will face challenges calmly and serenely for God is behind me. He will help me. If I must go through difficult times, He will rescue me.
I feel His spirit of confidence surging in my heart now. With Him I cannot possibly fail. “If God is for me who can be against me?” I have a strong feeling that everything is going to work out just beautifully. Thank you, God. Amen!’
Ah mih people, what sincere words of reassurance! And I do hope that you feel the surging confidence, the ultimate and enormous power of our omnipotent and merciful God flowing through you right now! I do!
It’s that spiritual power inspired by prayer and praise, worship and thanks that gets us moving despite all the negative aspects of our lives. We can’t give up friends, especially in these rough and devastating times. As I keep saying, right now we need prayer and faith more than ever, for our world is definitely in a dangerous tailspin.
And there’s no better time than RIGHT NOW to invoke our Bit. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’
Remember that was Jesus’ advice to the throng that followed Him. And as faithful believers, we ought to take his advice seriously and do whatever He commands.
So, please, I urge us, implore us, to keep on praying, to not give up, to not faint, even though the future seems dark and dreary because it’s often darkest just before the dawn, and with our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, on our side, anything can happen at any time.
Now let’s look at a magnificent verse of scripture which totally shows us the importance of prayer. They are the awesome words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians as he explains the putting on of God’s armour.
At the end, he specifies: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:18)
And the scholars offer this explanation of that verse. ‘6:18. Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is when Satan attacks.
In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
Oh friends, I do hope that shows us how important and indispensable prayer is in our lives. Now, having read and inwardly digested all that, let’s go home joyfully declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are.
In unison now: I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Glory to God my faithful brethren! Now let’s go out and share the LOVE, mercy and forgiveness of our Saviour, as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…prayer is the believer’s lifeline…his umbilical cord to God…
25 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a parable, adrenaline, all night in prayer, antidote, ask in prayer, aura of love, bask in the love of Jesus, believing, Christians, complaining, confidence, conquerors, constant activity, courage, death, deserted place, enthusiasm, evil, fat fannies, friends, get a move on, glorious kingdom, God's attention, good news, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, King of Kings, lies, Lord of Lords, LOVE, men of faith, men ought always to pray, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not to faint, our benefit, patient, persevering, prince of peace, promise, rejoicing in hope, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, resurrection, salvation, share the Love of Jesus, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, steadfast in prayer, surrender, taunts, the four corners of the earth, the Son of God, to this end, tribulation, trust, truth, ungodly world, weary souls, weeping, whining, wiles, wisdom, with God's help, workers of iniquity
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
Awright mih people, it’s that time again, Monday morning! So let’s be up and at ‘em nuh, bright and beautiful! No whining and complaining, just a faithful promise to bask in the LOVE of Jesus all day long, and consequently share that LOVE and the good news of His death, resurrection and salvation to all those with whom we come into contact.
Nothing could be better than that! We’d be enjoying ourselves as well as telling others about our wonderful Lord and Saviour, the ONE, the ONLY Son of God, Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Mighty Counselor, etc. etc! Who else has as many names as our Master eh? NOBODY! That just goes to show how far reaching is His influence and power.
However, He wants us to take his glorious message to all and sundry, to the four corners of the earth. And He’ll give us the ability and energy to do so, but we have to get up off our fat fannies and get a move on. So, if by chance, you are feeling the after effects of a tiring weekend, don’t worry, we have the antidote for your problem; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Let’s belt it out now nuh, so we can get the adrenaline flowing and our spirits lifted.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes friends, that prayer surely woke us up, boosted our spirits and gave us the courage to get a move on, to be about Jesus’ work. And why do you think that prayer energized us eh? Because prayer is the effective medium of communication between us and our heavenly Father. That’s what He commanded; we talk to Him through prayer.
No wonder Jesus made the connection in our Bit, during His earthly sojourn. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’ Obviously Jesus knew the connection of prayer between God and man, and also the power that sincere prayer possessed.
Consequently, after He cursed the fig tree and caused it to die, He said to the disciples. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22) But please note, the most important word in the sentence is ‘believing.’ Unless you believe, you won’t receive.
And Jesus did practice what He preached, for Luke tells us: ‘And it came to pass that in those days, that he (Jesus) went out into mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.’ (Luke 6:12) Meanwhile Mark records: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
So friends, if the Son of God, needed to pray to communicate with His heavenly Father, who are we not to need the same eh? And please remember, it’s ALL FOR OUR GOOD, OUR BENEFIT! God doesn’t need prayer. Who is He going to pray to, Himself? And in these perilous and turbulent times we need prayer more than ever. And all the great men of faith, both told us to pray, and prayed fervently themselves.
Let’s check out a few examples. Hear Bruh Paul on the topic of prayer to the Romans, as he explains how Christians ought to behave: ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer.’ (Rom.12:12) Prayer was to be a constant activity in their lives.
Now listen to Bruh David. In Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection, he declares: ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning; O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell (sojourn) with thee.’ (Ps.5:3-4)
Then in Psalm 6 – A prayer for mercy, he warns his enemies: ‘Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.’ (Ps.6:8-9)
Ah friends, sincere prayer is the ONLY way to get our God’s attention, as evidenced by Jesus, Bruh David and many other great men of faith. So let’s review our prayer scene and try to improve it nuh, obviously with God’s help, since we can’t do much without Him. Much LOVE!
…without prayer…man is totally lost…
09 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a feeling of peace, aches and pains, all to no avail, almighty god, atone for your sins, aura of love, believing, building materials, comfort, confidence, consuming fire, cried out to God, don't worry, enthusiasm, every man's work will be made manifest, evil, faith, fellowship, focusing on what was right with God, for other foundation can no man lay, glorious kingdom, gold, gusto, hay, heavenly Father, holy spirit, humble servants, I have a good plan for your life, I love you, I'll never leave you nor forsake you, i'll try my best, Jesus Christ, judgement seat of Christ, LOVE, loving kindness, medication, miracle, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative mode, obedient to my will, peace, perspective, physical realm. spiritual realm, prayer, precious stones, protected. looked after, rejuvenation of spirit, relationship to Christ, renewed vitality, reward, sacirifce, service to Christ, silver, Son Jesus, stand the test of time, straw, take it to the Father in prayer, testimony, Thank you Father, the likeness of Jesus, trust, trusting, truth, ungodly world, verve, wallow in our misfortunes, well-being, which is Christ Jesus, wonderful parent, wood
1 Corinthians 3:11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Oh Friends, our God is indeed a great and wonderful God! And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise! And this winter Monday morning I’m here to testify to that fact. Glory Hallelujah! I can say all of that now with a smile, but yesterday morning for some reason or another all my aches and pains decided to act up on me at once.
Ah Lord eh! I went to church and had trouble getting up and sitting down. I guess you could call it just one of those days when everything seems to be in a negative mode. I even took some extra medication, but all to no avail. Finally, in the afternoon, I lay on my bed and cried out to our heavenly Father.
And like the wonderful parent He is, He heard my cry and answered me. ‘What’s the matter my child?’ He asked with real concern.
‘I…I…don’t understand what this is all about,’ I stammered.
‘I know,’ He replied, ‘but you don’t have to understand everything that happens to you. You just need to trust me. Do you trust me?’
‘Yes,’I replied.
‘Remember I have a good plan for your life, and I’ve promised never to leave nor forsake you. I LOVE you so much that I even sent my dearly beloved Son Jesus to be a sacrifice, and atone for your sins, so that you can once again have true fellowship with me. So why would I do anything to harm you eh? And have I not protected and looked after you, even when you weren’t living obedient to my will?’
I could only nod in agreement.
‘So why would I stop looking after you now, when you are sincerely trying to be obedient to my will? Oh, I know that life can get rough, but a part of that is to remake you into the likeness of Jesus. And nobody ever had it as hard as Him. So please don’t worry, everything will turn out all right. I’ve promised that. Just keep moving forward, keep believing and trusting. I know what I’m doing. Just remember that I LOVE you no matter what, and I’ll never leave nor forsake you.’
All I could say was ‘Thank you Father. I’ll try my best.’
And then the miracle happened! No, my aches and pains didn’t disappear, but a feeling of peace, of well-being washed over me, because my perspective had changed. I stopped focusing on what was wrong with me, and began focusing on what was right with God.
Ah mih people, in so many cases that’s what we need to do, but instead we stop and wallow in our misfortunes, even though we can’t change them. But when we truly put our trust and faith in the Creator of the universe, then our misfortunes don’t seem so grave. Though nothing has really changed in the physical realm, improvement has taken place in the spiritual realm.
And that’s my testimony for today. I do hope that it has some impact on you, in the sense that whatever is wrong in your life, you will know that you can take it to the Father in prayer and receive His peace and comfort.
Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get our motors up and running. With much verve and gusto now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That was good Friends. Now let’s go out and put it all into action, for as out Bit truthfully and wisely tells us: ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ There’s no doubting that truth my people! For from the beginning of the ages, Jesus was scheduled to be our redeemer and the rock upon which we would build our lives.
And after the Bit, Bruh Paul tells us how our building is going to work. ‘Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (straw); Every man’s work shall be made manifest (become evident): for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire: and the fire shall try (test) every man’s work of what sort it is.
If any man’s work abide (endures) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by (through) fire.’ (1 Cor.3:12-15)
Yes Friends, come the day of the judgement seat of Christ, our work on His behalf will be tested to see if it was worthwhile. If it stands up to the consuming fire of the test, as it will, if we build with incombustible stuff like, gold, silver and precious stones, then we’ll be rewarded. But if does not, as it most certainly won’t, if we build with materials like straw, wood and hay, then there’ll be no reward.
However, we shall not lose our salvation, though our work is burnt in the testing. As the scholars point out: ‘The stress in this entire passage is not on a person’s relationship to Christ; but on service to Christ.’
So therefore my fellow believers, when we go out today to work for Christ, let’s remember to put the emphasis on good building materials, materials that will stand the test of time and truly further God’s glorious kingdom. Much LOVE!
…working for Jesus…not only requires time and effort…but also good materials…
04 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a job, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a roof over your head, aches and pains, alive and kicking, appreciate our blessedness, bask in the glow, because of mine enemies, believing, bloodletting, bonday, clothes on your back, complacent attitudes, confidence, confuesed, deterioration of our society, dismantle, earthly sojourn, enemies in our society, energy, evil clutches, evil ungodly world, faith, fall for any nonsense, fellow believers in Christ, fight to keep what we have, figuratively, find grace in thy sight, food on your table, freedom to worship, freedoms, friends, frothing at the mouth, give their eye teeth, God never declines our requests, God's children, God's Word, grace, gracious, guidance, health issues, heavenly Father, homlessness, I am blessed, I will give thee rest, If I have found grace in thy sight, introspective, lead me in a plain path, Lenten season, let our voices be loudly heard, literally, lost, LOVE, loving, magnanimous god, Moses, my presecnce shall go with thee, no turning back, nourish, O Lord, omnipotent, our heavenly Father, petitions, petty inconveniences, pilgrim's journey, plowing straight ahead, poverty, Praise the Lord, Scrip-Bit family, serious action, short attention span, show me now thy way, smile, smug, stamina, stand up strong and steadfast, starvation, stay on the straight and narrow path, strength, take it for granted, take roots in our hearts, Teach me thy way O Lord, tell the world, tenaciously, that I may know thee, the body of Christ, the Father's way, the middle of the week, the providence of God, this nation is thy people, trying times, water, Wednesday, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God, wrongs
Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.
Aye mih Scrip-Bit family, it’s another beautiful day on God’s great earth! And all His children declared a loud and thankful ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes Friends, this is the day we call Wednesday, the middle of the workweek. And once we’ve gotten there, there’s no turning back, just plowing straight ahead with the providence of God!
It’s obvious that I woke up late. (smile) I went to bed late too. But unfortunately, these days the ole bod doesn’t have the stamina and energy to go to bed late and get up early, so please learn to put up with the varying times that the Bit arrives. (smile) Once I’m alive and kicking, it will get there, I just can’t promise that it will be very early.
Anyway, for whatever reason the Lord has, I woke up with my right knee aching this morning, so I’m sort of limping around until it decides to play right. And that’s one of the things I detest about my aches and pains; their inconsistency. I’ll be fine for a while, then out of the blue, for no apparent reason, various parts of my anatomy will start to act up.
But yuh know what my brethren? Our God is so wonderful that He also caused me to wake up singing the chorus to the reggae song, ‘I am blessed.’ Yes Friends, ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world, that I, I am blessed!’
Yes family, if you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food on your table, have a decent job to go to, and can also read this, then you are indeed blessed. So please sing the chorus with me. ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world that I, I am blessed!’
One more time, more enthusiastically and gratefully than the first. ‘We, we are blessed! Let’s tell the world that we, we are blessed!’ And again: ‘We, we are blessed! Let’s tell the world that God’s children are blessed!’
Oh my people, we are so blessed that we don’t truly recognize it and take it all for granted. But at least three quarters of the world, consumed by starvation, poverty, joblessness, homelessness and health issues, would gladly give their eye-teeth (smile) for what we have.
Yet we walk around with smug, complacent attitudes, complaining about small, petty inconveniences. It’s high time we stop doing that Friends, and learn to truly appreciate our blessedness, especially in this Lenten season, where we are supposed to be introspective, looking inside to see what areas of our souls and lives we can clean up.
Thankfulness for the great gifts we have and the freedom to worship Almighty God without fear of persecution should be ranked at the top of our list. But we have to work hard and stay faithful if we want to keep those wonderful gifts in these very trying times.
We just can’t assume that we’ll always have them, because there are enemies in our society who are just dying, frothing at the mouth to take them away.
So while we can bask somewhat in the glow of our blessings, we just can’t sit around, as we have been doing, and allow this evil and ungodly world to take away, to dismantle our blessedness. We have to fight to keep what we have my brethren!
That means we have to stand up steadfast and strong; let our voices be loudly heard all over the land, about the wrongs that are being done. And more importantly, as the body of Christ, we need to take some serious action to stop the bloodletting and deterioration of our society.
Our freedoms won’t handed to us on a silver platter. They were won by fighting fiercely and tenaciously for them, and we’ll only keep them the same way.
Enough of me now though, time for our Bit: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
Oh Friends those are words and sentiments we can pray at the start of each and every day! They are that important because they take us to our heavenly Father to ask for His strength and guidance in our rough pilgrim’s journey. And that’s the only way we can handle our earthly sojourn with the strength and confidence we need.
If we don’t know the Father’s way, then we’ll get all confused and lost and fall for any nonsense that mankind proposes. And believe me, there is plenty nonsense in our world today just looking to grab us and keep us in bondage, both literally and figuratively. But when we look to the Father first and foremost, they will not be able to get us in their evil clutches.
And Friends, asking the Father for guidance is nothing new. Listen to Moses when the Lord appointed Him to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. ‘Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.’ (Ex.33:13)
A very reasonable request my people. And the Lord’s reply was: ‘My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ (Ex.33:14)
Oh my brethren, when we ask God for guidance and His presence in our affairs, He NEVER declines our requests! But after asking for it, we still need to have the faith that He’s going to intervene and make it all right. For without true faith, we can’t come before Him with our petitions.
‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) So Friends, it’s not just simply asking, but also believing that our requests will be heard and worked upon by our omnipotent and magnanimous God.
And I think I’ll stop there for today, don’t want to give us too much to ponder on all at once, for I know our short attention spans. (smile) So my fellow believers in Christ, please, let’s truly consider the words we’ve heard today nuh, and let them take deep and serious roots in our hearts.
Let’s also water and nourish them so that they will grow and help us stay on the straight and narrow path that leads directly to our most gracious and LOVING heavenly Father, for that is truly wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…God’s children need to stop simply talking faith…and rather take action…act zealously and faithfully on God’s Word…
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