01 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a job, a sheep before her shearers, actions speak louder than words, afflicted, amenities, Anselm, as a lamb to the slaughter, aspires to inspire, benefits, blasphemous, blasphemy, chew, Christian faith, coming in the clouds, complacent, complain, contribute, despising the shame, destroy the temple, dumb, endured the cross, fall on deaf ears, false witnesses, fertile soil, followers of Jesus christ, food, giving thanks and praise, glorifies God, gospel truth, groan, healthy, help others, high priest, holy spirit, hypocrites, I am blessed, ignore your example, interrogation, Isaiah's prophecy, Jesus held his peace, Jesus Love Revolution, laughed to scorn, laughingstock, listen to your advice, mirror image, moan, Most High God Jehovah, necessities, on a silver platter, on the cross, opened not his mouth, oppressed, Pilate, pilgrimage, ponder, practice what we preach, problems, rejection, remained silent, resist the temptation, roof over our heads, silence is golden, sin, spoiled, stoic, take for granted, the Pharisees, the right hand of power, the Son of man
Isaiah 53:7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought (was led) as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
‘Oh friends, I, I am blessed, Yes, I want to tell the world that I, I am blessed!’ Sing it with me: ‘Oh we. We are blessed! Let’s tell the world, that we, we are blessed!’
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! For as children of the Most High God Jehovah, followers of Jesus Christ, and fertile soil in which the Holy Spirit dwells, then we must be blessed! Only thing is that a lot of the time, many of us don’t behave as though we are blessed. Instead, we moan and groan and complain about insignificant stuff.
And yuh know what friends, a lot of the things we consider problems, are things that most of the world would only be too glad to have, along with the many benefits that we take for granted.
We are just too spoiled and complacent, expecting everything to be handed to us on a silver platter. But that’s not real life friends, for in this world serious problems abound, many of which fortunately don’t touch or concern us.
Most of us have a job, a roof over our heads, food on table and we are reasonably healthy, and if not, we have the opportunity to go to a doctor. Meanwhile, billions of people around the world have none of those amenities, or rather necessities. But yet, we complain about petty stuff.
Anyway, it’s Saturday, so let’s check out a couple of quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this week’s quotes are both short and to the point. The first says: ‘Don’t expect people to listen to your advice and ignore your example.’
And that’s one of the biggest problems in our Christian faith! We talk a good talk, but don’t walk the necessary walk. Consequently we acquire a reputation as hypocrites, like the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.
Oh mih people, that hypocritical aspect of our earthly pilgrimage is hurting our cause so badly that Jesus’ church has now become something of a laughingstock among unbelievers. Sad but true. And it’s our own fault too.
My fellow believers, we badly need to clean up our act on that front, otherwise all our efforts to mobilize the heathen to join Jesus’ LOVE Revolution will fall on deaf ears, and we’ll be laughed to scorn.
Now is that the result we desire for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross? NO WAY! So let’s get serious and start practicing what we preach nuh, if we truly want to represent Jesus in the best manner possible. Remember, actions work more forcibly on the mind than precepts, mere words.
And the second of Anselm’s quotes declares: ‘Instead of complaining–contribute.’ Now that’s what we were talking about earlier on. We are a society that complains way too much about petty stuff, when we should be contributing to the solutions of the numerous problems we have.
And yuh know mih people, complaining is a sin! Too much complaining doesn’t sit right with our heavenly Father. He wants us to be giving thanks and praise, regardless of our difficult situations.
Just look at Jesus, whom we are supposed to be the mirror image of. He had real serious problems down here on earth. But He never complained. The Good Book tells us in our Bit: ‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought (was led) as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.’
And in yesterday’s Bit, we saw where it said that Jesus ‘endured the cross, despising the shame….’ He certainly put up with a lot of affliction and rejection for our sakes without a whole lot of complaining. Now I know that we all can’t be as stoic and uncomplaining as Jesus, but we can surely do much better than we’re currently doing.
And when we have problems, the best way to resist the temptation to complain and carry on is to help others with their problems. It works wonders friends! It not only takes our minds off of our own troubles, but it also pleases and glorifies our heavenly Father!
Now here are a couple of situations where Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus not speaking came to pass. First up is His interrogation before the high priest, where two false witnesses stated. ‘This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness (testify) against thee? But Jesus held his peace (remained silent). (Matt.26:61-63a)
However, shortly after, when the high priest said unto Jesus, ‘I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said (it is as you said): nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.’ (Matt. 26:63b-64)
Possibly Jesus should have kept quiet then too because that only caused the high priest to throw a tantrum, rent his clothes and declare that Jesus’ statement was blasphemous for which the council found Him guilty and began to abuse him, physically and emotionally. (Matt.26:65-68)
But I guess Jesus had to say something like that, otherwise they would not have had a case against Him, because it’s that charge of blasphemy for which they finally brought Him before the Roman authorities, seeking His death.
That brings us to the other time when Jesus remained silent. He was before Pilate the Roman governor. ‘And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness (testify) against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.’ (Matt.27:12-14)
Oh friends, I know it’s difficult, but sometimes it’s best for us too to keep quiet when we are being wrongfully accused. It throws off our accusers, gives us time to think and also time for God to act on our behalf.
Well enough for us to chew on today. Please take your time, chew slowly, and ponder while you chew. (smile) Much LOVE!
…silence is usually golden in most situations…
15 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious day in the life, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, abundance, assurance, be strong, be strong and of a good courage, blasphemy, bless the Lord, clear direction, communicating in prayer, compassionate heart, corruption, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, ears of the deaf, eyes of the blind, faith, family, favour, fear not, fearful heart, feeble knees, friends, fulfillment, fullness of joy, God loves unconditionally, God will come, God's goodness, goodness, greatness, health, hell, Holy One, hope, I want Jesus, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, jet-lagged, Lisa Bevere, LOVE, love all my children equally, love them uniquely, love us all the same, maturity, measure God's love, meditating on god's word, mercy, my heart is glad, negative word, number one priority, only begotten Son, pleasures for evermore, positive outlook, promises of God, promotion, rest securely in hope, self-control, self-discipline, streams in the desert, strong, strong will, success, supernatural wisdom, talent, the good plans of God, the one and only true living God, the path of life, the truth of God, the weak hands, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, tongue of the dumb, unbelievers, uniquely, vengeance, vim and vigour, wilderness
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
And then it was Thursday…another glorious day in the life! Yes friends, we are alive to face another day, to action the good plans God has for our lives. Isn’t that wonderful?
It surely is! Because there is no other God like ours; the ONE and ONLY, TRUE and LIVING GOD! He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – The Creator, the Provider, the Comforter, the Healer, the Redeemer, the Saviour, the Giver of Salvation and Eternal Life!
Wow! What a powerful and wonderful God we serve my people! He is a God full of mercy, grace, forgiveness, wisdom, compassion, long-suffering and understanding. So let’s wisely acknowledge Him each and everyday of our lives nuh; make Him the NUMBER ONE priority in our lives, because that’s what He desires and what He also deserves.
And having expounded the goodness and greatness of our magnificent God, listen to this story of His moving in mysterious ways. Recently a lady, Lisa Bevere, an international speaker and writer, was a guest on the Hour of Power Show. She claimed that one day after returning from a long trip, she was somewhat jet-lagged and fell asleep at her computer.
Realizing that she needed rest, she got up and went to her bed, but just as she was falling asleep she heard the Holy Spirit say, ‘I do not LOVE all my children equally…’ At that she jumped up and declared, ‘Wait, that’s blasphemy! You have to LOVE us all the same!’
And He said, ‘I don’t. Same would mean that one of you were replaceable. And equal would mean that my LOVE could be measured.’ He said, ‘I do not LOVE my children equally, I LOVE them uniquely!’
Now we won’t argue over it, but it’s certainly an interesting concept. We’re each uniquely made, that means there is only one of us, and we cannot be replaced, and neither can the LOVE of our amazing God be measured. We just know that it’s so great that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ as a sacrificial lamb for our sins, and He LOVES each and everyone of us unconditionally.
And yuh know what? Whether He LOVES us the same, equally, uniquely or whatever, it really doesn’t matter. As long as I know that He LOVES me, then that’s quite sufficient for me! Hope it is for you too.
That brings us to the ever-important aspect of our Thursday Blessings. Let’s declare them with joy, enthusiasm, and strong belief. For remember, a blessing isn’t a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Way to go mih people! And that just enables us to put our Bit into action. ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
Yes friends, with those blessings under our belt, we can’t help but be strong and courageous in this sinful, ungodly and evil world! The problem though is to keep up that strength and courage, all, or at least most of the time. And that can only be done by hearing, reading, studying and meditating on the word, on the truth of God, and then by constantly communicating with Him through prayer.
And eventually, we’ll reach that stage of maturity where we can proclaim like Bruh David. ‘I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps.16:7-11)
Oh friends, what wonderful words of assurance in God’s goodness and mercy! If that doesn’t encourage and uplift us, then I don’t know what will. Nonetheless, listen to this awesome promise from our God, spoken through the prophet Isaiah, re Israel restored to Zion.
‘Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm (make firm) the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart (deer), and the tongue of the dumb (mute) sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.’ (Is.35:3-6)
Ah mih breddren, more wonderful promises from our magnanimous God! And what’s so great about those promises is that He can bring them to pass! No other supposed deity can do it, but our God can.
So let’s go out today full of vim and vigour nuh, strong, courageous, exuding much hope and faith in the mighty God we serve, so that the unbelievers will sit up and take notice and shout, ‘I want what they have! I want Jesus too!’ That’s my hope and prayer for us today. Much LOVE!
…only as a believer is strong, courageous, enthusiastic and faithful…will others seek what he has…
14 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new lifestyle, a new nature, anger, aspirations, Barbarian, behold I make all things new, blasphemy, bond, character, Christ is all, Christmas, Colossians, conduct, conversion, drawing closer to God, dreary middle, encompassed about, falsehood, filthy communication, forget God, free, friends of faith, glory to God, God's faithful help, Greek, Greek Olympics, heroes, humanity, I am the truth, impediments, January, Jew, John Hagee, lay aside every weight, lie not, LOVE, malice, mature knowledge of God, mentors, mid-January funk, New Year's hoopla, One Year Book of Bible promises, our best efforts, predicament, put off the old man, put on the new man, put sin to death, renewed in knowledge, renounced, resolutions, Run to win, run with patience, Ruth Harms Calkin, saints, salvation, salve, sinful acts, slump, so great a cloud of witnesses, social distinctions, springtime, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the race of life, the race that is set before us, the sin which so easily ensnares us, trinkets, values, vices, victorious, words of wisdom, worldly thinking, wrath, year-end sales
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.
Ah mih people, it’s another cold, bleak winter’s day! But we have to remember that that’s what winter is all about; cold and bleak, though it doesn’t seem so bad when the sun shines through in all its glory. (smile)
And since this is where we live, we just have to learn to live with it, knowing that through God’s faithful help we will be able to handle it, and eventually come out victorious in the glorious springtime. Oh glory to God friends for His unceasing help!
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that probably hits the nail on the head with many of us. I couldn’t help but share it.
It’s simply titled ‘January,’ and reads thus: ‘It’s January, Lord – The drab, dreary middle – And my thoughts are as drab As the miserable month. Does everybody hit a January slump Or am I the only one?
The first week wasn’t too bad: There were Christmas thank-yous to write A few resolutions to store away The huddle of year-end sales. But thank-you notes bring no returns And resolutions are quickly broken And marked-down trinkets fast lose appeal.
When you said Behold, I make all things new Did You forget January, Lord? Or in January do I sometimes forget you?’
Oh friends, that poem certainly does resemble the mid January funk that many of us find ourselves in. The weather is the pits, the Christmas bills are starting to come in, and we don’t know where the money is going to come from to pay them, and added to that anxiety, we’re still physically and mentally tired from all the Christmas and New Year’s hoopla. It certainly is a familiar predicament.
But to answer the poets ending question, the response is a definite Yes! We do seem to forget God in these anxious times, when these are the times we should be drawing ever closer to Him. God doesn’t make mistakes or lie. If he says that everything is made new, then it IS made new!
That means the problem lies with us, which brings us to the promise for that poem, which is also our Bit. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.’
Ah my fellow believers that is exactly the kind of advice we need this cold morning in mid-January. And the Lord moves in such mysterious ways, that it’s only last night I watched Uncle John (John Hagee) preach a sermon on that same verse. He titled it ‘Run To Win!’
And so it should be my fellow believers. Why else would we run a race if it were not to win eh? And the particular race we’re talking about here is the race of life!
Bruh Paul likened our earthly lives to a race, having in mind the ancient Greek Olympics, which we can compare to out own modern day Olympiads.
And the first thing he does is remind us of all the other saints, the heroes that have run this race before us, the ‘great cloud of witnesses,’ who are looking down on us as we run our race. So it’s not like we don’t have any examples or mentors to look back at.
Then we have to ‘lay aside every weight,’ that prevents us from running this race of life. Yes my brethren we have to get rid of all the impediments that weigh us down and prevent us from putting forth our best efforts.
And Bruh Paul refers to some of them in Colossians. ‘But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not to one another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond (slave) nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.’ (Col.3:8-11)
Oh my precious friends of faith, those are the kinds of things that prevent us from properly concentrating on running this magnificent race of life that’s set before us.
And here are some explanations from the scholars, which will help us to further understand those scriptures. ‘3:9. Seeing means “since.” The old man is all that a person was prior to salvation: his worldly thinking and sinful acts. Since all this was renounced at conversion, one should lie not. Falsehood ill becomes the person claiming to be a disciple of Him who said, “I am the…truth.”
‘3:10. The new man is the person one becomes after conversion: he possesses a new nature, values, aspirations, and a new life-style. This “new man” is constantly being renewed or developed until he attains a mature knowledge of the God who (re)created him. The more a believer knows and understands of God, the more he will be like God in character and conduct.’
‘3:11. Not only is the “new man” to put sin to death, he is also to put away man-made barriers that divide people and that nourish the vices of the old life. Among renewed humanity there are no national, ceremonial, cultural, or social distinctions. To the redeemed Christ is all: that is, He is everything and He is what matters most to them. And Christ is…in all; that is, He dwells in all believers.’
Yes Friends, we’ll end with those wonderful words of wisdom: Christ is everything to the believer, and He dwells in each and every one of us. Oh what a wonderful scenario!
Let’s remember that, and ponder on all that we’ve said to day, so that we can increase in the knowledge and maturity of Christ our Lord and Saviour. Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
31 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new life, a house divided cannot stand, a natural way of life, abominable transgressions, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, all is well, atonement, be led by the Spirit, best rememdy for whatever ails us, blaspheme against god, blasphemy, brand new creation in Christ, chilly Tuesday morning, chronic illness, come to the throne of grace, confession of our sins, convict of sin, covered all sin, cut him some slack, despising, doddering, due diligence, Ed Howes, Edgar Watson Howe, empathizes, encouraging, enlightening, filled with the Spirit, forgiven, forgiveness, fulfill God's plan for my life, glory to God, God does not lie, God faithfully keeps all of His promises, God is in control, God is something else, God's promised never to leave nor forsake us, gospel truth, grace, grieving, guilty, have a heart, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad, he that is not with me is against me, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, Holy Week, homework, if we confess our sins, illuminated, iniquity, inwardly digesting, Jesus Christ, laugh at trouble, laughter, lead in, living, loving, lying, mercy, miracles, mired in the quicksand that's life, new values, new ways of thinking, pondering, Praise the Lord, preamble, putting christ first, quenching, reading, rejection of Christ, repent, resisting, restore fellowship with God, sacrificing His Son Jesus, salvation, Selah, serious study, serving God, show a li'l love, sin, sins against the Holy Spirit, slow, striving, tempting, the heart of man, the Holy Spirit, the Lord will keep me going, the Lord's Word, the offer of salvation, the Son of man, the ultimate sin, the wisdom of heaven, times of trouble, to act presumptuously, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, transgressions, unpardonable sin, vexing, winter years
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Ah Friends, the ole fella is somewhat slow and doddering this chilly Tuesday morning in Holy Week. So please cut him some slack, have a heart, show him a li’l LOVE nuh. (smile) But the caffeine is hot and strong and sweet, and our great God is still in control, which means that all is well. Praise the Lord!
And when I say that our God is something else it’s true, for He just provided me with a lead in to what I want to preamble about today; laughter; laughter in times of trouble. I was just outside putting out the garbage and chuckling at my slow doddering steps. Hn, Hn!
Ah mih people, it’s not easy, but please remember that our GOD IS GOOD; He will provide for us in each and every circumstance. He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us, and He faithfully keeps all of His promises.
Now listen to this quote attributed to Ed Howe, and though I found several Ed Howes in my research, I do believe the one we’re looking for is Edgar Watson Howe (1853-1937), an American novelist, magazine and newspaper editor. Howe is quoted as saying ‘That if you don’t learn to laugh at trouble, you won’t have anything to laugh at when you grow old.’
Ah mih breddren, that is so true that it’s not funny. If we don’t learn to laugh at some of our problems, especially when we encounter a chronic illness, we will be continually miserable and have nothing to laugh at in our winter years.
Thankfully, I learned that truth at a fairly early age, possibly because of the early onset of some back and knee problems, and over the years have developed that attitude. So when the aches and pains set in, though they can be very trying, I still manage to chuckle at them, while asking the Lord what’s next?
I don’t usually get an answer, but I know that He empathizes with my condition, and He is definitely the One who has kept me going all these years, and will keep me going for as long as it takes to fulfill His plan for my life. Glory to God!
So my brethren, I’d advise us to develop that attribute of laughter, for it’s often the best remedy for whatever ails us, and it’s certainly free and readily available at all times.
Now here’s another remedy that’s also readily available, this time for our biggest problems, our sins. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Wow! What a promise my people! And it’s the gospel truth, since our God does not lie, and has put the necessary systems in motion by sacrificing His Son Jesus as atonement for our abominable transgressions.
What more can we ask eh? Nothing really my fellow believers! Everything’s set in place, we just have to come to the throne of grace and ask for mercy and forgiveness and it will be granted. But foolishly, too many of us refuse to do that, that’s why we’re still tied up, mired in the quicksand that’s life.
Oh Friends, the only way out of that mire is by accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of your life, both physically and spiritually. With that acceptance comes a brand new life, you’re become a new creation in Christ; (2 Cor.5:17; Gal.6:15) with new values, new ways of thinking, accomplished by putting Christ first and foremost in all your doings.
Anyway, I want to close off these messages on the confession of our sins with a dramatic rendering of Jesus on the subject. This occurs when He talks about a house divided cannot stand.
‘He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world (age), neither in the world to come.’ (Matt.12:30-32)
Oh Friends, strong words indeed from our Saviour!
And we’ll let the scholars explain that for us. ‘12:31-38. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is deliberate rejection of Christ, His Spirit wrought miracles and His salvation. It is the ultimate sin that by its very nature puts a man beyond the opportunity of salvation.
The Holy Spirit brings the offer of salvation to the heart of man. To reject Him is to act “presumptuously” and thus to “blaspheme” God. Those who reject His offer of salvation are in reality blaspheming the very nature of God Himself and the genuineness of His grace.’
Heavy stuff Friends!
And the scholars continue further with some basic Sins against the Holy Spirit. ’12:31-32. All sin is serious, and to some degree challenges and attacks the character and authority of God. But six sins are specifically identified as sins against the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is a person, He may be sinned against. Since He is also God, it is an extremely serious matter to be guilty of sinning against Him.
These six sins are blaspheming (vv.31-32; Luke 12:10), lying or tempting (Acts 5:4,9), despising (Heb.10:29), resisting or striving with (Gen.6:3; Acts 7:51), vexing or grieving (Is,63:10; Eph.4:30), and quenching (1 Thess.5:19) the Holy Spirit.
Illustration: Because of the severity with which Jesus describes blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, some people unnecessarily fear that they may have committed the unpardonable sin. One of the characteristics of such sin is that the Holy Spirit ceases to convict of sin in one’s life – so the fact that someone may be concerned about a particular sin indicates he is not beyond grace. He should immediately repent of that sin to restore fellowship with God.
Application: The keys to not sinning against the Holy Spirit are to: (1) be led by the Spirit, (2) be filled with the Spirit, and (3) be illuminated by the Spirit. (First Reference, Gen.6:3; Primary Reference, John 16:13).’
Oh Friends, that is wonderful information, please accept it and follow it up by reading those Bible references, I just did, and they’re very enlightening and encouraging. That’s your homework for today. (smile)
Seriously though my people, if you want to truly understand the Lord’s Word you have to spend time in it; reading, pondering, questioning, and inwardly digesting it, so that it can become a natural way of life for you. A lot of us just pay minimal attention to the Word, but expect to be illuminated and enlightened, but that only comes with serious study.
So let’s decide to do that due diligence nuh my people, so that the Word can guide us through the Holy Spirit to the land of the truly living and LOVING and serving God. That is the wisdom of heaven for all ages! Much LOVE!
…Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people…thou hast covered all their sin…Selah… (Ps.85:2)
15 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a closer walk with Jesus, almighty god, anger, best year of our lives, blasphemy, blessings, brand new day, Bruh Paul, Christ is all, Christ is n all, Christ-like character, circumcision, cloud of witnesses, Colossians, despising the shame, endured the cross, evil ungodly world, excellence at all times, faith, falsehood, filthy communication, Greek, heroes of faith, high ideals of Jesus, I am the truth, I make all things new, impediment, January, Jesus Christ, Jesus is Number One, Jew, just a closer walk with thee, let us lay aside every weight, lie not, lighten our load, living our christian faith, lofty goals, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, malice, mercies, new life in christ, New Year's resolutions, One Year Book of Bible promises, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, patience, pay the bills, perseverance, positive examples, put off the old man, put on the new man, put sin to death, realign our priorities, rejoice and be glad in it, renewed in knowledge, run the race that's set before us, run with patience, saviour jesus christ, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, slave, so great a cloud of witnesses, steadfast, the author and finisher of our faith, the busyness of life, the gift of life, the grace of Almighty God, the joy that was set before Him, the redeemed, the sin which doth beset us, uncircumcision, vices, wrath
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us.
All hail my fine Friends in Jesus Christ! It’s a brand new spanking day! Yes my brethren, we’ve been granted the fabulous gift of life on a new day through the wonderful grace of Almighty God, so please, let’s rejoice and be glad in it!
Let’s joyfully enjoy (smile) the new mercies and blessings that have been specially prepared for us for this day. Let’s also do our best to live up to the high ideals of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose motto is excellence at all times.
And having said all of that, on this chilly Thursday morning, the 15th day of January 2015, I have this most appropriate passage for this time of year to share from the One Year Book of Promises, with writings from Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled ‘January.’
Read with me: ‘It’s January, Lord – The drab, dreary middle – And my thoughts are as drab As the miserable month. Does everybody hit a January slump Or am I the only one? The first week wasn’t too bad: There were Christmas thank-yous to write A few resolutions to store away The huddle of year-end sales.
But thank-you notes bring no returns And resolutions are quickly broken And marked-down trinkets fast lose appeal. When you said Behold, I make all things new Did you forget January, Lord? Or in January do I sometimes forget You?’
Oh my people, those sentiments are so true, for many of us feel that way at this time of year. I guess we can call them the ‘dog days’ of January, where we’re somewhat lost in the middle of it all. The celebrations are over and done with for the old year, and the new one hasn’t quite taken shape or hold as yet.
Plus we’re wondering and contemplating how we’re going to pay the bills that we’ve amassed over the Christmas season. (smile) But yuh know what my fellow believers in Christ? In this time of uncertainty, we can all hold on to the promise attached to that passage, which we’ll use as our Bit.
‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us.’
Yes Friends, there are so many heroes of faith that have gone before us that we don’t lack for good and positive examples in living our Christian faith. But we need to do certain things if we’re going to be successful.
First of all we need to throw off any weight, both literally and figuratively, any impediment at all that is holding us back from running our race. We also need to throw off any sin, large or small, that’s entangling us, that has us struggling or keeping us back from reaching the lofty goals that Christ has planned for us.
And above all, we need to do those things with patience and perseverance, keep a steadfast and true pace. Yes my people, we need to be always trying to improve as we run this race of life.
And as the author of Hebrews so wisely and rightly continues, we ought to be: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith: who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb.12:2)
Oh Friends, what an encouraging and uplifting picture! Jesus is the best example of earthly living we can, and will ever have! He both began and finished the course of our faith. So we need to look to Him for proper guidance and strength to face this rat-race world that we’re currently living in.
We’ll never be perfect as Him, but the important thing is to try, to do our best to get as close to a Christ-like character as we can. That brings us to our New Year’s resolution of endeavouring to have a closer walk with Jesus.
I do hope that we haven’t already forgotten it as we get caught up again in the busyness of life. And I believe that if we’re feeling like the passage above from the Book of Promises, then we have indeed forgotten that resolution.
Please, let’s realign our priorities, with Jesus as NUMBER ONE, so that we can have a fruitful and successful 2015, for I firmly and faithfully believe that this will be the BEST YEAR in many of our lives!
Now let’s look at a scripture passage that adds weight to our Bit and empowers us in our faith. Hear Bruh Paul’s advice to the Colossians, where he’s talking about the new life in Christ. Here are some weights that we might need to throw off to lighten our load in running this race of life.
‘But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond (slave) nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.’ (Col.3:8-11)
Truly words of wisdom, my people! Now let’s close with some interesting and important notes from the scholars re those verses. ‘3:9. Seeing means “since.” The old man is all that a person was prior to salvation: his worldly thinking and sinful acts. Since all this was renounced at conversion, one should lie not. Falsehood ill becomes the person claiming to be a disciple of Him who said, “I am the…truth.”
3:10. The new man is the person one becomes after conversion: he possesses a new nature, values, aspirations, and a new life-style. This “new man” is constantly being renewed or developed until he attains a mature knowledge of the God who (re)created him. The more a believer knows and understands of God, the more he will be like God in character and conduct.’
‘3:11. Not only is the “new man” to put sin to death, he is also to put away man-made barriers that divide people and that nourish the vices of the old life. Among renewed humanity there are no national, ceremonial, cultural, or social distinctions. To the redeemed Christ is all; that is, He is everything, and He is what matters most to them. And Christ is…in all; that is, He dwells in all believers.’
Oh my people, it’s not easy trying to live a truly Christian life in this evil and ungodly world, but if we stick like glue to Christ, He will empower us to run this earthly race successfully, and that’s no lie! Much LOVE!
…just a closer walk with thee…grant it Jesus…is my plea…daily walking close to thee…let it be…dear Lord…let it be…
20 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be not afraid, belief, blasphemy, blessed, children of God, children of light, Christ, circumstances, darkness, doubting, downfall, encourage, exhort, experience, eyes of faith, fear, fearful, giving thanks, glorifying God, Glory Halleujah, hardhearted, holy spirit, influence, invigorates, it is mete and right so to do, Jesus, Jews, Lazarus, light, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, loving kindness, Martha, messianic uprising, miracles, nemesis, only believe, Pharisees, physical evidence, political union, positions of power, praise and thanksgiving, rejoicing, resurrection, Sadducees, singing songs, Son of man, stoning, strategy, strenghtens our faith, Sunday, the glory of God, the Good Book, the Lord's Day, theological, trials, tribulations, understanding, unstable, unswerving belief, walk in light, warms the cockles of God's heart, wisdom, worship
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
Oh Friends, it’s Sunday; the Lord’s Day, so let’s be up and rejoicing nuh, giving thanks that we’ve been blessed to see it! And hopefully too, we are all getting ready to go out and worship Him in the sanctuary with other believers, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving for all His LOVING- kindness to us, because it is mete and right to do so.
And glorifying God not only warms the cockles of His heart, but it also invigorates us, strengthens our faith, as we exhort and encourage each other to keep on keeping on despite the trials and tribulations in our individual circumstances.
And I’m going to keep the preamble short because I want to get in a lot of scripture, so that I can finish the messages on this Bit today. But there’s no guarantee on that, since who knows where the Holy Spirit will lead me. (smile)
But as Jesus says: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
Anyway, we left off yesterday where Martha, Lazarus’ sister declared her unswerving belief that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. (John 11:27) Now later on, when they had taken Jesus to Lazarus’ tomb, and He told them to roll away the stone from the tomb’s entrance, Martha was aghast and ’saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I know that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.’ (John 11:39-42)
Yes my brethren, Jesus was doing all that stuff so that the people could believe. Why? Because mankind is so unstable, doubting and fearful that we tend to believe more readily when we actually see physical evidence of what is being proposed to us. Unlike our physical sight, our eyes of faith don’t come automatically, they have to be developed through experience and understanding.
And we see that Jesus’ strategy worked, because after He called forth Lazarus from the opened tomb, and he came out alive and kicking, the Good Book declares: ‘Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.’ (John 11:45)
Glory Hallelujah, my people! But as we just said, man’s fear is usually his downfall. For as the Good Book continues: ‘But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we (shall we do)? For this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone (alone like this), all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.’ (John 11:46-48)
Ah Friends, the Jewish rulers were sore afraid that if Jesus was left to His own devices, the people would believe that He was indeed the Messiah, and the Romans would come in to halt the LOVE Revolution that He’d set in motion, and they would lose their positions of power and influence.
Now here is some interesting info from the scholars. ’11:45-48. The Pharisees had tried to kill Jesus on several occasions, always by the orthodox Jewish method of stoning. The Sadducees were willing to accomplish it through their political union with the Roman power. Thus prophecy was fulfilled (Ps.22:1-18).
Of course the Sadducees were particularly agitated by Lazarus’ resurrection, since they did not believe in the resurrection. However, their main concern with Jesus was that He might cause a messianic uprising (v.48). Unlike the Pharisees, their interests were political, not theological: blasphemy or healing on the Sabbath did not particularly disturb them.’
So both power-broking groups of Jews had a lot to lose if Jesus was allowed to freely continue His ministry. Ah Friends, belief is truly the nemesis of fear yes; for fear cringes in the presence of belief, as we can see from the behaviour of the ruling Jewish classes.
And we’ll close with one more passage of scripture from Jesus, a rather significant passage, this when He was teaching a group of Greeks who had come up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast.
At one stage He told them about the Son of man being lifted up: ‘This he said, signifying what death he should die. The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man?
Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knowest not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children (sons) of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.’ (John 12:33-36)
I don’t give Jesus wrong at all for getting away from them nuh, because listen to the next verse. ‘But though he had done so many miracles (signs) before them, yet they believed not on him. (John 12:37)
Oh Friends, what is wrong with us eh, why are we so hardhearted and refuse to believe despite all that Jesus has done and is still doing for us?
Anyway, my brethren, let us not be like those people of old nuh, we have many more facts and figures than they had, so please let us believe. For it is the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…just like light covers and consumes darkness…so too does belief strangle and kill fear…it’s therefore wise to walk in light and belief…
18 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: appreciate each day, be not afraid, belief, blasphemy, bread, bread of life, disciples, do his bidding, doubters, earthly sojourn, eternal life, faith, feast of the tabernacles, fellowship, Friday chant, furthering God's glorious kingdom, Galilee, generous help, give of our best everyday, god the father, going through the motions, good examples, gospel truth, heavenly wisdom, hunger, in Jesus' name, in the limelight, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Jesus' help, Jews, Judea, LOVE, miraculous works, no prophet is accepted in his own country, only believe, physical hunger, promise, ramp up our belief in Jesus, salvation, scoffers, show thyself to the world, son of god, souls, spiritual beings, spiritual bread of life, spiritual life, spirituality, testify for Jesus, Thank God is Friday, the Father is in me, the Father's bidding, the weekend, thirst, truth, wisdom, witness for Jesus, works
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
‘Friday, oh Friday, how I LOVE you Friday! Friday, oh Friday, doh care what nobody says, I will always LOVE you, because you bring the weekend near. That’s why I sing; Friday, oh Friday! Thank God it’s Friday!’
Yes my brethren, it’s that day we all wait and long so badly for, because it signals the end of the workweek. Now there’s nothing wrong with looking forward to the weekend, but technically speaking, we shouldn’t be doing as so many of us are; just going through the motions at work waiting for Friday to come so that we can go home and party the weekend away.
That attitude most certainly detracts from our witness for Jesus, and anything that does that is wrong! We must learn to appreciate each and everyday, and also give of our best each and everyday, for people are watching us; the way we work, the way we behave, and we therefore need to set good examples, if we want to be able to testify for Jesus.
Anyway, let’s chant our Friday Chant, which gives us a little better insight into how we should spend our weekends. As one now; let’s chant! ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
And Friends, if we’ll take that to heart and follow it, we’ll be much better off when Monday and the new workweek arrives. But as Jesus says in our Bit: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
And that’s gospel, my people! For we’re not very good at anything unless we believe in what we’re doing, and also believe that we can do it, with Jesus’ help of course.
Now today we’ll continue looking at scripture passages that call for that act of BELIEF! And we’ll begin with one of the most provocative but important statements Jesus made in His earthly sojourn.
When the people were clamouring for bread to fulfill their physical hunger: ‘Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)
And the scholars explain that verse this way: ‘6:35. I am the bread of life means the bread that gives life. The life of which He speaks is spiritual and eternal.’
Oh my brethren, it is necessary to have physical bread to quench our physical hunger pangs, but it’s even more important, a vital necessity, to have the spiritual bread of life which only Jesus can give, so that we can attain salvation and eternal life!
We’ll always need worldly bread to quiet our complaining stomachs, but once we have the bread of life that Jesus gives, our souls, our spiritual beings, will never hunger or thirst again!
Now isn’t that a wonderful promise, one that we should all hasten to accept? Indeed it is! So let’s all concentrate on acquiring it today nuh, for it’s certainly heavenly wisdom.
Then Friends, we come to a little noticed passage of scripture, but which I believe hurt Jesus immensely. Now just before the feast of the tabernacles, Jesus’ family urged Him to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate it, but he declined, preferring to stay in Galilee, as the Jews in Judea were out to kill him.
‘His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and (while) he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him.’ (John 7:3-5)
Imagine that nuh people, Jesus’ own family didn’t believe in Him! That had to hurt and disappoint Him. This led Him to later say: ‘Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.’ (Luke 4:24) And that’s no lie, for the doubters and scoffers are usually the ones closest to the person in the limelight.
And we’ll close with another interesting episode from Jesus. This time the Jews were wanting to stone Him because they considered His claim to be the Son of God total blasphemy.
But Jesus simply reasoned to them: ‘If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.’ (John 10:37-38)
And the same thing applies to us today Friends. If we believe that Jesus did the miraculous works the Good Book claims He did, then we also have to acknowledge that He could only have done them by working in conjunction with God the Father. For no one could do those kinds of things on or in their own strength.
It therefore behooves us to believe that ALL He said was true; not to doubt, but to BELIEVE!
So this fateful Friday morning my brethren, let’s ramp up our belief in Jesus, and go out and do His bidding, just like He went out and did the Father’s bidding. That’s the best way to show our faith, our true and strong belief in Him. Much LOVE!
…you can’t put forth your best effort…unless your heart believes in what you’re doing…
25 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, a good man, abundance of the heart, adulteries, awesome package, blasphemy, bodies, calamity, centre of the personality, condemns us, coveteousness, daily blessings, daily bread, deceit, deceitful, defiles man, depths of our souls, dietary laws, digestive tract, diligence, essence of human sin, ever-faithful, evil, evil eye, evil things, evil thoughts, evil treasure, exorbitant price, faithfulness, foolishness, forgiveness, fornication, fountainhead of life, full of evil, fullness of hearts, futility, generosity, generous, good and corrupt fruit, good things, good treasure of the heart, honesty, incurably sick, issues of life, jehovah god, kind of heart, lasciviousness, law of God, licentiousness, LOVE the Lord with all our hearts, loving kindness, madness, minds, mischief, moral consciousness, moral life, murder, new mercy, Old Testament, perversity, pride, purifying the heart, religion, remedy, ritual observances, seat of conscious life, seat of the intellect, seeking spiritual salvation, selfishness, serving, souls, sows discord, spiritual life, spirituality, theft, theology, upright hearts, wicked, wickedness, wildfire, wisdom, worshipping, worthless man
Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
Oh Friends, morning is breaking, just like all those other mornings of the past! And to sweeten matters, God’s daily blessings are also being prepared anew – no stale stuff – as has been done each and every day, right down through the ages. So our daily bread is on its way, accompanied by new mercy and forgiveness. What an awesome package that is my people!
And all God’s children declared a loud, joyous and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for Your overwhelming generosity and LOVING-kindness! We LOVE You Lord, and praise Your Holy Name! Please help us to continue serving and worshipping You with fullness of hearts, souls, bodies and minds. Amen.’
Yes my Friends, our God is ever-faithful and generous to us, although we don’t deserve it. But that’s just the kind of Deity He is; that’s just the kind of heart He possesses. The problem though is that our honesty and faithfulness cannot be guaranteed. For as our Bit so wisely declares: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?’
And the answer to that rather imposing question my brethren, is ONLY Jehovah God!
That’s because our hearts are naturally inclined to deceit and selfishness. It can get so bad, that at times we even fool ourselves, thinking that we have such wonderful and upright hearts, only to later discover the true wickedness buried deep in them.
Cousin Sol, in describing a worthless and wicked man, said it a long time ago. ‘Frowardness (perversity) is in his heart, he deviseth mischief (evil) continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.’ (Prov.6:14-15)
And sadly Friends, that’s a rather apt and appropriate description of a great number of humans on God’s great earth, including many so-called believers. No wonder our world is in the sorry state it’s in!
Jesus Himself, on the subject of good and corrupt fruit, had this to say re our hearts. ‘O generation (brood, offspring) of vipers, how can ye being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.’ (Matt.12:34-35)
And if anybody should know about that sort of thing, it’s certainly Jesus!
Then later on, in explaining what defiles, Jesus says: ‘That which cometh out of the man defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness (licentiousness), an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’ (Mark 7:20-23)
Ah mih people, I guess Jesus condemns us all right there, since we all are guilty of at least one or more of those misdeed, and they all stem from what’s happening down in the depths of our souls.
Now listen to the scholars: ‘Many apparently thought that the food itself forbidden by parts of the Old Testament (see, e.g. Lev.11) rendered the eater unclean. Jesus is not challenging the accuracy of the Old Testament. He is pointing out that what one produces from, not what he takes into, himself is the essence of the human sin.
In context, Jesus is pointing out the futility of seeking spiritual salvation by means of ritual observances, like dietary laws, which are incapable of purifying the heart (i.e., the moral life) A clean heart is something different from a properly cared for digestive tract.’
And while declaring that all things come to the righteous and to the wicked, the Preacher imparts this bit of wisdom. ‘This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.’ (Eccl. 9:3)
But why is the heart so maligned eh? That’s partly because as the scholars explain: ‘Heart could often be translated “mind” in the book. Since the Hebrews had no separate word for “mind,” the word “heart” often served to represent the seat of the intellect. The key to the whole man is his mind. Whatever captures the mind captures the man.
The Old Testament word ‘heart’ often refers to the physical organ of the circulatory system. Both Testaments also see the heart figuratively as the centre of the personality or spiritual life. The heart is the seat of intellect, emotions, will, and moral consciousness. It is the personality which has that extraordinary ability to perceive itself.
The heart is presented as the seat of conscious life and the fountainhead of life. Illustration: Jesus taught that sin came out of the heart of people, thus defiling them (Mark 7:21-23). Yet after conversion, one of the characteristics of Christians is that they have the law of God written in their hearts. (Heb.8:8-12). Application: Christians should LOVE the Lord with all their hearts (Matt.22:37). (First ref. Gen.6:5; Primary ref. Prov.4:23; cf. Rom.2:15)
Please note that I’ve quoted several of the references the scholars gave us, so you shouldn’t have any problems reading the rest. (smile) Remember though that the references are for our benefit; to help us better understand the scriptures.
And we’ll end with this rather appropriate reference from Cousin Sol. ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ (Prov.4:23)
Yes Friends, it all begins in the heart and the mind, and then spreads like wildfire after that! So to avoid all the evil and ungodly things that we can become involved in to our detriment, we need to guard our thinking and emotions very carefully, otherwise we’ll certainly get caught up in plenty calamity.
And that definitely doesn’t smack of that most worthwhile attribute called wisdom. So let’s consider ourselves warned. Much LOVE!.
..to him that hath ears…let him hear…or else he’ll pay an exorbitant price for his disobedience…
15 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: action, adultery, blasphemy, cast into the fire, corrupt fruit, corrupt tree, daily blessings, deeds, evil thoughts, faith, false prophets, false witness, fellowship, fornication, Friday chant, fun, glorification of God, glory hallelujah, God's glorious kingdom, good fruit, good tree, internal intent, murder, new mercies, relaxation, rest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, theft, theology, weekend, what comes out defiles
Matthew 12:33. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Oh Friends, Friday’s up…! And it’s not Robinson Crusoe’s man… (smile) It’s another new today named Friday, bringing all the new daily mercies and blessings of our wonderful God! And the effervescent cries, shouts, hoots and hollers of ‘TGIM! Thank God is Friday, and the labouring for another week soon finish!’ echo all around the globe. But sadly they echo in too many polluted areas, a fact that causes untold problems for the human breathing apparatus. But that’s the price of progress, they say… Hogwash! The price of cheap, greedy, ‘gravalicious’, doh-care-about the planet progress yes! Anyway mih people, it’s Friday and a lot of the world’s happy because they won’t have to labour for massa for two whole days. And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes my brethren, it’s certainly nice not having to hit the road and the unending traffic jams for two days, but by the same token, we need to use that time off wisely. So let’s chant our Friday Chant that helps us put the weekend into proper perspective. ‘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.’ And having reminded ourselves of how to use the weekend properly, let’s turn to our very interesting and important Bit. ‘Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt (bad), and his fruit corrupt (bad): for the tree is known by his fruit.’ And that’s gospel truth Friends! Now yesterday we saw where Jesus told the multitude that stuff we put into our mouths doesn’t defile, but what comes out of us does. (Mat.15:10-11) Later though, Peter came back and asked Jesus to explain the parable because the Pharisees had been angered by it. (Matt.15:15) And Jesus gets a little testy with Peter. ‘Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out (eliminated) into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.’ (Matt.15:16-20) Oh my people, that’s the living truth, as we all know, if we’re honest with ourselves. That’s because deep down inside of us, our souls, is really where all our good and evil thoughts and actions begin, take root, sprout, then are noised abroad. So again we have to be rather careful about what’s in our souls, for what’s there will eventually come forth from our mouths, and if they are evil intents, then evil words will emanate and unfortunately spoil our witness. Jesus felt that our internal intent was so important, that He also used the good and bad tree analogy when talking about false prophets. ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil (bad) fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ (Matt.7:15-20) Please note Friends, the emphasis Jesus places on the fruit; the work, the action, the deeds of those involved in ministry. What we say is important, but lots of times, what we do is actually much more important. Our actions should at all times reflect our words. As James says, ‘faith without works is dead.’ (James 2:20) Meaning we can talk all we want, but if we don’t back up that talk with action, the talk is of no use, simply wasted breath. And we’ll end with another analogy of Jesus to trees and fruits, where He talks to the disciples about the vine and the branches. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it will be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:4-8) Oh Friends, Jesus could not have explained the philosophy of His ministry any simpler or clearer! Now it’s up to us to embrace it and comply with it as fully as we can. If we don’t, then we’ll be cut down like the useless, withered branches and cast into the fire, as well as have to account for all our words on the judgement day. So let’s be very careful of what we say and how we act, because inappropriate words and actions not only affect our witness here on earth, giving Jesus a bad name, but also where we spend eternity. Much LOVE!…Christians…by their very nature…with the Holy Spirit dwelling in them…ought to be always good trees…thus always bearing good fruit…
27 Oct 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: apostasy, blasphemy, Christ's Church, condolences, discernmnet, discipline, faith walk, false teachers, focus, godliness, Hurricane Sandy, leadership, plenty praying, salvation, spiritual power, stand strong in Faith, steelband, truth
Jude 3. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Ah Friends, another serious calamity is in our midst; Hurricane Sandy. Now whether Sandy is specifically God sent to shake us up in our ungodliness, or it’s just a natural natural disaster, isn’t important at this time. What’s important is that after running over Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas and some of Haiti (poor Haiti), killing about forty people in the Caribbean, he or she is now heading for the North American East Coast and early next week, in time for Halloween (Oct.30) is expected to turn into a ‘Frankenstorm’ as it meets up with another storm of cold air coming down from the north. Hn! And though Sandy is now at a Category 1 status, this hybrid monster storm is expected to do about a billion dollars of damage, if not so much through its wind power, certainly through the rain and flood water it will deliver and cause. So all you Friends along the East coast and close inland areas, please be prepared for strong winds and plenty water in the next few days. Please be careful, as they say it could prove to be more dangerous and damaging than Irene last year. Ah Lord! What’s next eh! It calls for plenty praying mih people! But enough about Sandy, right now I want to apologize to Randall (Randy) Lee, the short, stocky Trinidadian of Chinese descent, my one time pan leader at the U.W.I Mona campus in Jamaica, who died last week in Trinidad. Sorry Randy mih brother for not mentioning you before, but being the quiet, patient, easy going, not given to seeking the limelight person you were, I know you’ll understand. But how can I not say a few words on Randy’s behalf and send out some condolences to his family, when he played a decent part in my young life at the University. Just getting me to commit to beating bass in the steelband with its strong focus and discipline, surely improved my own focus and discipline. And though I wasn’t the greatest bass man, between Randy and Shirley Wylie, they made me adequate. The good thing about Randy is that he wasn’t a loud mouth, abusive leader, but led by example, though there were times when he lost it. But any pan leader will tell you that’s just the nature of the beast. And for those of you who know how hard it is to get disciplined people to beat pan, or inject it into them afterwards, just imagine the headache of getting university students from various disciplines and different walks of life to do it. But Randy Lee did it, even with his own heavy work load of medical studies. I can still see him beating his tenor pan in the pan room with a burning cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. Through his disciplined leadership and Joe Ramsaran’s managerial talent, they made the Playboys Steelband locally famous in the Kingston area. Consequently, more people knew me from, and for beating pan, than for my scholastic achievements. (smile) And isn’t it funny how I had to leave T&T to go to Jamaica to beat pan, since I couldn’t do it at home, because of its low-life status. I could hang out in the pan yard, but not actually beat a pan, because it was reputedly below the level of my family’s social status. Steups! Oh Friends, most of you don’t know the terrible knocks pan and pan men took, some deservedly, before pan reached its current accepted status. It caused strife in a whole lot of families. Anyway Randy mih son (he was older than me), I know that you had a good heart and I feel assured that you’re resting comfortably with the Father now. So till we meet again, up there where the air is rare, keep beating that sweet tenor pan of yours. And finally turning to our Bit: ‘Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once (for all time) delivered unto the saints.’ Yes Friends, it’s the last day for this Bit, and by now you should know what it’s talking about, so we’ll get right into some appropriate scripture from Bruh Paul, as he enlightens Timothy on the coming apostasy (abandonment of religious faith). ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), high-minded (haughty), lovers of pleasures, more (rather) than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate (disapproved) concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.’ (2 Tim.3:1-9) Ah Friends, I can’t say it any better, and besides Bruh Paul is the authority on the subject. But I can assure you that Christ’s church is going through some rather rough and dramatic changes right now, and if we, the true believers don’t stand up strong and make our voices heard, then I don’t want to see what will prevail on the other side of this regeneration. And we’ll end with some notes from the scholars on that scripture. ‘The last days began with the birth of Christ and will culminate in Christ’s return to the earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy will characterize the final days of the church age. A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from these false teachers who prey upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s Word. Jannes and Jambres, according to Jewish tradition, were two magicians in Pharaoh’s court who attempted to duplicate Moses’ miracles. (cf. Ex.7:11; 9:11). ‘ Oh Friends, I again implore us to take the matter very seriously, because as we can all see, it’s coming true, and we certainly don’t want anything less than the absolute TRUTH to be taught in Christ’s church in His Holy Name. That would indeed be utter blasphemy, worthy of death and a life of eternal darkness with Lucifer. So let’s rise to the occasion nuh my people, and diligently raise the profile of Jesus and His church, thereby making Him proud of us. Much LOVE!…to know false teachers…one must be familiar with the scriptures…and ask the Lord for discernment in your faith walk…
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 