21 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: America first, Anselm, arena of strife, aspires to inspire, before me, being forth food out of the earth, Bless His Holy Name, bombast, bread, bridges to rebuild, Donald Trump, dwell in the house of the Lord, eaxlt, enemies, failed, for the service of man, god is still in control, God's will shall prevail, goodness and mercy, gospel truth, he watereth the hills, herb, hoopla, I shall not want, illuminate your path, in the presence of mine enemies, joy, judgement, justice, lack, make his face shine, maketh glad the heart of man, Most High, my cup runneth over, my horn, National Cathedral, no giving up, obnoxious, oil, perish, positive difference, practical wisdom, Praise the Lord, prayer, President of the U.S.A., promises, protests, reflection, rejoice and be glad, remain calm, reward, righteousness., rude, show of power, strenghteneth man's heart, strength, stress, surround yourself, terror, the earth is satisfied, the fruit of thy works, the grass to grow, the Holy One of Israel, the horn of a unicorn, the Lord God Jehovah, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord's goodness and mercy, the straight and narrow path, thou anointest my head with oil, thou preparest a table, tried, try again, wild ox, wine, wisdom, Women's March, workers of iniquity
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack).
Well friends, all the hoopla is now over; Donald Trump is now the President of the U.S.A!
Thankfully he wasn’t his usual rude and obnoxious self, but his bombast was still front and centre, and when he declared that America would come first, it touched off protests all around the world.
The divisiveness was very apparent in America too, although there didn’t seem to be as many rival clashes of protesters and supporters as expected. However, the Women’s March on Washington today, could tell a very different story.
And the irony of it all is that while the March is happening, Trump will be at the National Cathedral, a few miles down the road, at “a service of prayer and reflection.”
Let’s hope he prays fervently and sincerely and reflects wisely, because he has so many bridges to rebuild with people he has needlessly turned into enemies, that it won’t be easy for him to make a positive difference.
However, we still need to pray for him and the U.S, so that the world will not descend further into an arena of strife and terror. Remember too, that our mighty God is still in control, and that His will will prevail.
Now on a lighter note, here are some quotes from our friend Anselm, this past week. You know he aspires to inspire us to greater heights. The first one says: ‘True joy comes from doing what we’re suppose to be doing, and knowing that the reward will come in its own time.’ There’s no disputing that my people.
Then he tells us to ‘Surround yourself with people who illuminate your path.’ And that is the gospel truth! You need people around you who are godly and wise, and can help you walk the straight and narrow path.
Now hear this bit of immediate practical wisdom. ‘Today, I will not allow myself to stress over things I cannot control. I declare, “I will remain calm.” And is that ever important in this stress filled world.
And finally: ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.’ Yes my people, in Jesus’ vocabulary, and therefore ours, there’s no giving up! We just have to keep on trying, regardless of how many times we seem to fail.
And we can do that only because of our Bit: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack).’ Yes friends, only because of the Lord’s goodness and mercy can we keep getting up when we fall down. And smile nuh mih people, today is the last day for this Bit…at least I think so. (smile)
So let’s get right to the second to last verse of our wonderful and encouraging Psalm 23. ‘Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.’ (Ps.23:5)
What a show of power filled with beautiful promises! Only our Lord God Jehovah can do that sort of thing! Now here these words from the psalmist from Psalm 104 – re God’s preservation of nature.
‘He watereth the hills from his (upper) chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb (vegetation) for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.’ (Ps.104.13-15)
And if that doesn’t touch your heart, then listen to these words from Psalm 92 – Praises for the Lord’s goodness. ‘But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn (strength) shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn (wild ox):
I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.’ (Ps.92:8-12)
Oh the wonderful promises of our great God! If we’d only take them seriously, our lives would be so much better. And more words from the Psalms, this time Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David: a contemplation of Ethan the Ezrahite.
‘Justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) are the habitation (foundation) of thy throne: mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth shall go before thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defense: and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps.89:14-18)
Ah my fellow believers, after hearing all of those wonderful promises, there is only one way we can end. And that’s with the last verse of Psalm 23, which encompasses it all.
‘Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ (Ps.23:6)
And all of God’s people declared a loud and proud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! For He is indeed worthy to be magnified and exalted! Bless His Holy Name! For there is none other like Him!’ Much LOVE my brethren!
…godly wisdom dictates…that man should rejoice and be glad in the Lord God Jehovah…his Creator and Provider…
21 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a present help in trouble, a shield around me, a sincere heart, all or nothing at all, all them that love him, an integral part, balance, bet yuh bottom dollar, Bless His Holy Name, burn out, Creator, despair, direction, disgrace, fellowship, Friday chant, from one extreme, fulfill the desire, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, give God the glory, glory hallelujah, God is our refuge and strength, help, illness, in black and white, in Jesus' name, in truth, Israel, judgements, live it up, LOVE, Moses, never to leave nor forsake us, no help in God, obedience, praise God, problems, provider, refreshed, refuge, relaxation, renewed, rest, righteous, Selah, shame, statutes, strength, stress, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the affairs of men, the Lord sustained me, the right mix, the weekend, the workweek, trouble
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present (an abundantly available) help in trouble.
So how do we begin this morning eh friends? I don’t have a clue as to how to engage your attention on this cloudy Friday morning in the fall of 2016, except to say: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the workweek is almost done! The weekend is here…
Give God the glory for that, because if the slave master had his way, we’d work seven days a week. Steups! The greedy fool! But thanks be to God for the weekend where we can do as we please… And am I going to live it up? You could bet yuh bottom dollar on that! Just watch me!’
Ah mih people, just like us eh? We go from one extreme to the other, from working too hard to partying too hard. But that only causes undue stress, burn out and eventually illness. What we need is some kind of balance in our lives, and our Friday Chant gives us direction on that.
So let’s chant it nuh. ‘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 friends, rest, relaxation, fellowship and play are all necessary for us to live full and godly lives, but we need to mix them in the right proportion, don’t over do any of them. And if we find it difficult to get the right mix, the right balance, there is always our great God to turn to for advice and help.
What does our Bit say: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present (an abundantly available) help in trouble.’ And that’s the living truth in a nutshell!
Our Creator and Provider is always there for us. In times of trouble we only need to call upon Him with a sincere heart and He will guide us to victory. Remember, He promises never to leave nor forsake us, and He stands by His promises.
And my brethren, we all have problems that we can’t solve, or handle, so there is no shame or disgrace in turning to the Lord for help. In fact, that’s what He wants us to do; come to Him for every purpose in life, be they big or small. The Lord wants to be an integral part of our lives, involved in EVERYTHING that we do.
But foolishly, we only want to allow Him to become involved in certain things, the others we want to deal with ourselves. Unfortunately though precious people, the Lord doesn’t work like that. He wants to be involved in ALL or NOTHING AT ALL!
So please, let’s check our lives and see if there are any areas that we are keeping God out of nuh, and then wisely invite Him to be a part of those areas. Yuh know that might be a part of our problem, why our lives aren’t going right at the moment; God isn’t totally involved in them.
Now let’s check out some scripture which reinforces our Bit. Hear Moses as he exhorts Israel to obedience. ‘For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh (a God so near) unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call him for?
And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgements so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?’ (Deut.4:7-8)
And the answer to both questions friends is NONE! Truly, there is no other God who is so involved, who takes such great interest in the affairs of men! And that’s the way it ought to be. We don’t need a God who is far off, unconcerned about our trials and tribulations, but one who is around when we need help.
Listen to Bruh David from Psalm 3 – A prayer of confidence in God – as he cries out in despair. ‘Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for (around) me; my glory, and the lifter up of (the one who lifts up) mine head.
I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill (mountain). Selah. I laid down and slept; I awaked: for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps.3:2-6)
Oh what a glorious God we serve my people! That’s the kind of confidence He instills in us when we walk obedient to His will! So I really can’t understand why we refuse to walk steadfastly with Him. There is so much to be derived from a genuine walk with Christ, that it would take me a whole day to list them. (smile)
Now let’s go home with these wonderful words of Bruh David echoing in our minds, souls, bodies and hearts. From Psalm 145 – the Lord is gracious – he faithfully proclaims. ‘The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy (gracious) in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145:17-21)
Wow! Oh my fellow believers right there we have the gospel truth in black and white! Please, please, I implore us, let’s take it heart nuh, so that our lives can be fulfilled! Let’s continually praise our wonderful God and bless His holy name at all times, for that is wisdom at its highest level! Much LOVE!
…praise Him, praise Him…Glory Hallelujah…He is LOVE…He is LOVE…
04 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a fearful heart, a highway, a message of hope, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, alive and kicking, be strong, believers in Christ, bind the promises of god, Bless His Holy Name, blessed, blossom as the rose, broken, Carmel, clear direction for my life, climate change, courage, creativity, curse, death, destroy both soul and body, destruction, divine protection, everlasting joy, faith in Jesus, family, favour, fear not, fear them not whick kill the body, friends, fulfillment, gladness, glorify God, God will come with vengeance, God's children, grass with reeds, habitation of dragons, health, in hell, in the name of Jesus, Israel, joy, kill the soul, Lebanon, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, majesty, mercy, milennial age, negative word, omnipotent, parched ground, Praise the Lord, promotion, prosper, ravenous beasts, recompense, rejoice in His mercy, restored to Zion, self-control, self-discipline, Sharon, shifting sands, sighing, songs, sorrow, springs of water, streams in the desert, succeed, success, summer's day, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, talent, the ears of the deaf, the eyes of the blind, the lame man leap, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the ransomed, the ransomed of the Lord, the redeemed, the tongue of the dumb, the unclean, the way of holiness, the wilderness, thirsty land, Thursday Blessings, Tribulation period, truth, vengeance, wayfaring men, wisdom
Isaiah 35:4. 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.
Ah friends, another beautiful summer’s day seems to be in the offing…and a rather hot one to boot, right up there in the early thirties. Now I know that is an everyday normal for some of you, but not in this great country called Canada. Up here, especially in these days of climate change, the temps do fluctuate some.
Anyway, the important thing is that we’re alive and kicking – well some of us (smile) and we’re holding on securely to our faith in our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord for He is worthy to be praised. Bless His holy name, rejoice in His mercy and LOVING-kindness and glorify His omnipotent majesty!’
Now let’s continue this great beginning to our day by proclaiming out loud, with much sincerity and enthusiasm, our Thursday Blessings. Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s declared.
As one 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 seeing that we’re on such a roll, let’s just motor along with our Bit; that powerful, encouraging and reassuring piece of scripture. ‘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.’
Yes friends, that’s the Lord’s promise that Israel will be restored to Zion. It’s also His promise to us that He will fight for us; He’ll exact vengeance on our enemies and recompense us for our loss. Ah mih people, it’s ‘a message of hope for the future,’ therefore we need to be strong and not be afraid of what man can do to us.
What did Jesus tell the disciples? ‘And fear them not which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt.10:28)
Words of absolute truth my people! He who kills the body is not so much to be feared as the one who can kill both body and soul, because the death of the body is not the end of a person’s life, but the death of a soul is something entirely different.
Now let’s hear some of the stuff that the Lord promised when Israel is restored to Zion. This comes after our Bit. ‘Then the eyes of the blind shall 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.
And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons (jackals), where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and a way (road), and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men (they who walk the road), though fools, shall not err therein (go astray).
No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.’ (Is.35:5-10)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, yuh see the wonderful stuff and times we have to look forward to!
And the scholars offer this explanation. 35:1-10. The prophet Isaiah now turns to a message of hope for the future. After the great destruction of the Tribulation period will come the blessings of the millennial age when the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
In the Messiah’s kingdom all spiritual evil and physical catastrophe will be reversed and the land and the people will be blessed. Carmel and Sharon, the normally fertile regions of Israel, though devastated by the Battle of Armageddon will once again be fertile and productive. One day they will blossom more beautifully than the cedar forests of Lebanon. (vs.1-2)
The highway is contrasted to the desolate desert and its endless maze of shifting sands. It will be the way of holiness and will be reserved for the ransomed and redeemed of the Tribulation period who will enter the millennial kingdom.’
Oh my people, what a wonderful situation we have to look forward to as members of the ransomed and redeemed! Glory Hallelujah! But if we truly want to walk along that highway of holiness in the future, right now we have to stand strong and believe that God will do what He has promised.
So today, please let’s ponder all that we’ve said and bind the wonderful promises of God deep in our hearts, minds, souls and bodies, for that is wisdom of eternal value. Much LOVE!…
there’s none as mighty and powerful…as the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…
03 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, all that fall, all them that love him, be strong, Bless His Holy Name, call upon him, Creator of the universe, Elisabeth Beecher Stowe, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith in Jesus Christ, fall for anything, fear not, fearful heart, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God will come, halfway home, hands on the plough, Harriet, Henry ward Beecher, in truth, inroads, know him, look expectantly to you, LOVE, maturity, mea culpa, Mother Earth, obstinacy, obstinate, One More Day Devotional, precious people, recompense, sense of direction, speak the praise of the Lord, stand for something, stubborn, stubbornness, thank God, the breath of life, the enemy's camp, the Lord is gracious, the Lord is righteous, the power to save, the SON, the wicked he will destroy, truth, Uncle Tom's Cabin, vengeance, Wednesday Wail
Isaiah 35:4. 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.
Oh friends, what a glorious day is happening out there today! The sun’s shining, the Son is also broadcasting His brilliant light all over Mother Earth, and our magnificent and magnanimous God is on His throne controlling things!
Wow! That means everything is as it ought to be; the world is unfurling as it should, and there’s no need for us to worry or hurry.
Now here’s an interesting quote from Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God’s LOVE, and his 1875 adultery trial.
His sister was the famous Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe, author of the controversial anti-slavery novel, ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’
Henry Ward is reputed to have said: ‘No man is good for anything who has not some particle of obstinacy to use upon occasion.’ That’s totally true!
And as my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness reasons: ‘Although we may not want others to label us obstinate (stubborn), it might be that obstinacy is a needed quality for us in the right situations. Sometimes it is healthy for us to be stubborn, to hold steadfastly to what we want and who we are and where we want to be.
Faith in ourselves and obstinacy can be just what we need to survive a hard day. And we do get by, not because we’re foolish, but because our maturity tells us to hold on to our sense of direction,’
Ah my fellow believes, I can think of no better use of and cause for obstinacy than holding on to our wonderful faith in Jesus Christ! That’s one aspect of our lives in which there should be no room for argument! Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour and that’s that! Matter fixed! No room for discussion!
And as we said above, it’s our maturity in Christ and basic living that teaches us to hold on to our sense of purpose and of direction. We can’t be wishy-washy in this evil and ungodly world, otherwise this crazy, fraudulent, hypocritical society will take untold advantage of us.
We need to be strong and hold on to what we believe in. As they say, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. And that’s gospel truth my brethren!
We all know, have experienced, and are still experiencing the deceitful attacks of Lucifer and his evil minions trying to get us to give up, to renege on our promise to follow Christ, but that’s one area in which we should not even entertain any discussions, much less give into it.
Following Jesus Christ should be our most prominent area of stubbornness and obstinacy! And who don’t like it, can simply lump it! Now since it’s Wednesday, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with plenty belief and obstinacy. (smile)
Wailing: ‘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!’
Oh precious people of God, there’s nothing else to match keeping our eyes on Jesus and looking forward to the glorious future He has in store for us! And obviously we need to give immense thanks for the wonderful breath of life that’s still flowing through us, courtesy of our great, compassionate, caring and LOVING Creator!
You know, there’s nothing that warms the cockles of my heart like waking up every morning and finding that God’s Spirit, His breath of life is still flowing through me. Oh glory to God!
Enough of my rambling though, (smile) let’s check out our Bit. ‘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.’
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, that is indisputable, gospel, unbreakable, sustainable, utter truth…truth of every imaginable kind! For we all know the faithfulness of our omnipotent God!
He has the power to save us, as well as the faithfulness to do so. So as Christians we have to stand up strong and steadfast, rely on God’s promises if we want to prosperous and also make inroads into the enemy’s camp.
Now let’s end with these wonderful words of encouragement and reassurance from Psalm 145, Bruh David’s psalm of praise, subtitled – The Lord is gracious – as He indeed is.
‘The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you): and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy (gracious) in all his works.
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145:14-21)
Oh friends, oh friends, there could be no better reasons to stand strong, stubborn and obstinate in our belief in Almighty God, Creator of the universe and all therein! Now let’s go out today and do exactly that nuh, while blessing His holy name, for that is indeed wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Him…
P.S. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa… (smile) Much LOVE!
12 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24 karat, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, anointest my head with oil, Bless His Holy Name, blessings, comfort me, confidence, died and gone to heaven, earthly pathway, encouragement, fear no evil, follow me, for His name's sake, gives food to all flesh, glory, glory to God, golden day, goodness, grace, green pastures, heaven, his mercy endureth for ever, honour, hurry, I AM, I shall not want, in due season, in the presence of mine enemies, Jesus Christ, leads and guides, LOVE, man goes to work, meat from God, mercy, mercy. all the days of my life, my cup runneth over, my friend Jesus, nature, omnipotent god, our Lord and Saviour, paths of righteousness, praise, preparest a table, preservation of nature, redeemed, rescued, restoreth my soul, riches, share His love, song of praise and worship, still waters, swell in the house of the Lord, thankfulness, thanks, the beloved of God, the eyes of all, the glory of God, the God of heaven, the Holy Spirit, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord of hosts, the valley of the shadow of death, thou givest them their food, thy rod, thy staff, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wait upon thee, wisdom, words of truth, worry, worship the Lord, young lions
Psalm 145:15. The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season.
Aye mih people, welcome to another 24 karat golden day…!
And all God’s people gloriously proclaimed: ‘Glory to God! Bless His Holy Name! And also bless the wonderful name of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And last but not least, bless the name of the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us safely along life’s rough earthly pathway!’
Yes friends, how good and how right it is for us to give praise and thanks and glory and honour to our awesome God!
So let’s continue in that vein nuh and give more thanks and praise in grateful song by singing this immortal psalm of Bruh David – The Lord is my Shepherd.
Please sing with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me besides the still waters: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (always); thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever…and ever. Amen!’
Wow mih breddren! What an awesome and harmonious song of praise and worship, of confidence and encouragement! The heavens surely stood up and took notice!
Now let’s reinforce all of that by enthusiastically and sincerely declaring our Tuesday Mantra. ‘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!’
Mama mia! It couldn’t get much better than that my fellow believers! Being God’s beloved and Jesus’ friend…which no one can take away for us…Hn! It’s so encouraging and reassuring, like…like we’ve died and gone to heaven! (smile)
Sorry though, we’re still here on earth. But that’s no problem because down here our wonderful God also looks after us with compassion and LOVING-kindness. Just listen to our Bit. ‘The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season.’
Wow! What a merciful, magnificent and magnanimous Deity we serve! Shout His name out people: ‘The Lord God Jehovah; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! The great I AM, Our Creator, our Healer, Our Provider, our Comforter…!’
We could go on forever and ever calling out the great names of our omnipotent God! Let’s shift though to checking out some scripture that lends credence to our Bit. Listen to these words of truth from Psalm 136 – Praise for the Lord’s past and present blessings.
The psalmist declares of our God: ‘Who remembered us in our low estate (lowly state): for his mercy endureth for ever. And hath redeemed (rescued) us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (Ps.136: 23-26)
And so should we my people, because God’s undeserving grace and mercy are always available to us if we sincerely, and humbly, ask for them. Now hear these awesome words from Psalm 104 – God’s preservation of nature.
‘The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches (possessions).
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable (teeming things), both small and great beasts (living creatures). There go the ships: there is that leviathan (a large sea creature of unknown identity), whom thou hast made (formed) to play therein.
These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat (food) in due season. That (what) thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of God shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.’ (Ps.104: 21-31)
Oh friends, what illuminating words! I never intended to quote that much of the psalm, but it just seemed like such a natural progression, showing us how all the things and creatures of the earth, even man, depended on their Maker, the Lord of Hosts.
And we’ll end with a telling verse from Bruh Paul, when the people at Lystra wanted to worship and offer sacrifices to him and Barnabas after they healed a crippled man.
‘Nevertheless he (God) left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.’ (Acts 14:17)
Yes friends, it is our most merciful God who gives us all that we have! Please let’s never forget that, and consequently behave as we ought to; with thankfulness and praise and worship of His glorious Deity! For that is indeed wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…O worship the Lord in truth…all you His creation…
03 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, a roaring lion, a very present help in trouble, afflictions, awesome feeling, be sober, be vigilant, Bless His Holy Name, calamity, Canada Day, confidence, Creator and Controller of the universe, Cross of Calvary, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, faith in Almighty God, fellowship, Friday chant, friends, generous help, glorious kingdom, God is a refuge for us, God is my defense, God is our refuge and strength, God only is my rock and my salvation, Granny's advice, I shall not be moved, in the Lord God is the salvation of Israel, Jesus Christ, LOVE, Lucifer, praise the Lord for His goodness, renewed and refeshed, resist steadfast in faith, rest in God's will, righteousness., Selah, showers us with blessings, speak the praise of the Lord, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the devil, the Fourth of July, the Lord is gracious, the mountains be carried into the sea, the sons of Korah, the undeserving children of men, thoughthe earth be removed, trials, tribulations, trust, trust in god at all times, wash away our sins, we will not fear
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.
Well my faithful Friends and believers in Jesus Christ, the big day is here, it’s Friday…
And as expected, a glorious shout rises up to heaven of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ The Canadians continued. ‘Thank God it was a short work week with a break in the middle for Canada Day! We now have some time to recuperate from that.’
Meanwhile the U.S Citizens declared: ‘Thank God is the Friday before the Fourth of July holiday yes! The partying going to be immense!’
And that’s no lie Friends! This Fourth of July weekend in the U.S is going to be one massive celebration, for it’s one of their two most celebrated holidays, the other being Thanksgiving.
But my people, please, please remember Granny’s sound advice. ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ We certainly don’t need Lucifer getting any more footholds in our lives.
So as Peter so wisely says: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren.’ (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Yes Friends, the ole devil is always on the lookout for those whose guard has been let down, and remember we tend to do that a lot during times of celebrations. So please be very careful this weekend. And to help us gain some proper perspective on how to spend the weekend, let’s chant our Friday Chant; loud and proud and sincere.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, a big modicum of circumspection is certainly called for this weekend. (smile) And our Bit today is oh so applicable to what we’ve been talking about so far. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.’
Ah mih people, as usual, I can’t help but say it: ‘What a wonderful and mighty and magnanimous and merciful God we serve and worship! Indeed, there is none other like Him!’ And how could there ever be eh?
That’s why the sons of Korah could boldly and confidently proclaim after our Bit: ‘Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah’ (Ps.46:2-3)
Yeh Friends, that’s how much trust and faith we have in Almighty God! That though calamity befalls the earth, we will still rest in His will. What an awesome feeling my brethren!
But why should it be otherwise, since He is the Creator and Controller of the universe. He it is who stills the howling winds and calms the raging seas, and sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross at Calvary to wash away our sins. So it is simply logical, and oh so wise, to place our entire faith and trust in Him and LOVE worship Him with all our being.
Now hear how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and my salvation. ‘He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62.6-8)
And a refuge He surely is Friends! What confidence Bruh David puts in the God of his fathers! Wow! And he had every reason to do so, because God walked with him and looked after him through all his days. It wasn’t easy though, but David persisted, and the Lord held him together through all his trials and tribulations.
Now why wouldn’t He do the same thing for us if we placed our faith and trust in Him eh? No reason whatsoever my brethren of faith!
And in these few words, Jeremiah concurs with all that Bruh David says. ‘Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer.3:23)
And not only the salvation of Israel my people, but the salvation of the entire world! That’s why He sacrificed his only Son Jesus; so that all who were interested had the chance, the opportunity to be saved.
And all God’s people lustily cried out: ‘Oh praise the Lord for His goodness to the undeserving children of men!’
And we’ll end with the immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he will also hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145.18-21)
Yes Friends, those are indeed the right things to do! So please, let’s all sing and speak the Lord’s praises, and bless His holy name for ever and ever nuh, for that is the wisdom of heaven, and what will carry us safely through down here on earth. Much LOVE!
…how can we not LOVE and adore…the One who created us…who LOVES us unconditionally…and still showers us with blessings every day eh…
20 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a decision, a dream, a gift, a proud look, a sound mind, a tad on the chilly side, abomination to God, absence of fear, absolute truth, alive and kicking, all is right in God's world, all my fears are gone, arrogance, assurance, be filled with courage, be fruitful and multiply, bear our burdens, bet your bottom dollar, beyond yourself, Bless His Holy Name, Bruh Paul, calm, chutzpah, common sense, communing with nature, courage, Courage is not the absence of fear, deliverance, disastrous state of our world, do god's work, do it afraid, encouraging words, entrance to the Lord's presence, evil world, fear mongering, fears, forgive their sin, friends, going going gone, Gramps Schuller, halfway point of the week, haughty eyes, he shall lift you up, heal their land, Hour of Power Devotional, humble yourselves, humility, in the sight of the Lord, Jerusalem, Judah, king of Egypt, let us rejoice and be glad in it, life, LOVE, my people which are called by my name, mysterious, no looking or turning back, peace, perverse mouth, power, Praise the Lord, pray, presence of a calling, pride, prosperity, Rehoboam, Scrip-Bit land, seek my face, servants, shall humble themselves, Shemaiah, spirit of courage, straight ahead to the finish line, Thank You Lord, the core of my invisible soul, the evil way, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is righteous, the presence of God, the spirit of fear, the sun is shining, them's the breaks, then will I hear from heaven, this is the day the Lord has made, tranquil, turmoil, turn from their wicked ways, turning away from God, what a relief, wisdom, wonderful Wednesday morning, working peace, wrath, ye have forsaken me, zenith
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well a wonderful Wednesday morning to you readers out there in Scrip-Bit Land! It’s a tad on the chilly side today, as it was yesterday. Ah Lord eh! What is the weather coming to eh? We had a beautiful Victoria Day weekend, then yesterday it suddenly turned cold and windy.
As one Friend told me yesterday evening, ‘you were boasting in the Bit about sitting on your porch last night communing with nature. Let me see if you will do it tonight too.’ (smile)
And Friends, sad to say I didn’t. It was just too so and so cold. But them’s the breaks! And furthermore, the sun is shining, we are alive and kicking and all is right in God’s world! Bless His Holy Name. That’s why we can say, as the psalmist did eons ago: ‘This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
We might as well my brethren, because the only other alternative is to be sad and miserable, and God gave us the day to be fruitful and multiply, both in terms of children and in His work here on earth. Anyway, we’ve reached the halfway point of the workweek – rather quickly and easily I must say – (smile) so there’s no turning or looking back now, just straight ahead to the finish line.
And to help us do that, here’s something from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, on the subject of courage, which we can never get enough of. He claims that courage isn’t a gift, but a decision. And ‘Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the presence of a calling – a dream that pulls you beyond yourself. Hence it is something you can never lose. It is always something that you can choose. So, choose it today!’
And then, in a little poem, he declares: ‘I have it! My fears are going, going, gone! I feel a mysterious, calm, quiet, tranquil assurance rising deep within my being. This remarkable spirit of courage is overpowering me. It is the very presence of God working peace at the core of my invisible soul. Thank You Lord. All my fears are gone. What a relief! Amen.’
Yes my people, courage, like all other good things, comes from Almighty God! It is He who gives us the wherewithal to bear our burdens with chutzpah, and not give up to the fear the enemy tries to instill in us. So please, today, let’s be filled with courage, as we endeavour to do God’s work and be fruitful.
And we will need plenty of courage if we are to fulfill the words of our Bit, especially with the power of the unbeliever in today’s world, and his determined purpose to remove all aspects of God from our society. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
Ah mih breddren, what a most worthy promise! One that should allay all our fears. But even if we’re still fearful, we can do like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘Do it afraid.’ We just can’t afford to let fear hold us back in these very difficult and trying times.
And we can punctuate that with these encouraging and uplifting words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7) And that’s the absolute truth Friends, so please let’s not give into the fear mongering of this evil world, for the power that’s within us, the Holy Spirit, is greater than that which is in the world.
And all of God’s people gave out a loud shout of, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen.’
Now let’s turn to some scripture that pertains to the first of the four things in our Bit, that we need to do to turn back to God, so that He can heal us and our land. That’s ‘humble themselves.’
Oh Friends, one of the things our God thoroughly dislikes is pride. As Cousin Sol says in Proverbs 8: ‘The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward (perverse) mouth do I hate.’ (Prov.8:13) And in Proverbs 1.17, he mentions ‘a proud look (haughty eyes)’ as one of the seven things that are an abomination to our God.
So Friends, it’s obvious that we can’t come before our heavenly father in pride and arrogance, for He will just ignore us, possibly just have us thrown out from His presence. (smile) Now hear how He rewards humility.
Way back when, in the days of the apostasy of Rehoboam, king of Judah, Shishak, the king of Egypt, came to fight against Jerusalem with a mighty army. And he captured several cities of Judah before he came to Jerusalem.
‘Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore I also left you in the hand of Shishak. Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous.
And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless, they shall be his servants; that they may know my service (distinguish my service from) the service of the kingdoms of the countries.’ (2 Chr.12:5-8)
Yuh see Friends, even though God provided them with some relief for their humility, they still had to pay a price for their earlier pride and arrogance. And I wonder why our world is in so much turmoil eh? Could it be partly because of our pride and arrogance and turning away from the ways of God?
You can bet your bottom dollar that our intransigence plays a big part in the disastrous state of our world my people!
And we shall close with one of the most notable scriptures on the subject. This from James: ‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:10)
Oh my people, my people, there is no better advice to be had than that! So please, let’s just grab it and run with it nuh, so that our world, our children, will stand a much better chance of life and prosperity than we now do. That’s wisdom and common sense at the zenith! Much LOVE!
…humility…it is the first…and most important requirement…for gaining entrance to the Lord’s presence…
24 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, abundant life, adventurous, all should come to salvation, all thanks and praise to god, amazement, and have it more abundantly, as I have loved you, Bless His Holy Name, blessings, bondage of sin, Bruh Paul, busy society, came together to break bread, celebrate the life death and resurrection of Jesus, collective family, cut-throat, do whatsoever I command you, enjoy each other's company, eternal optimist, everybody's doing their own thing, exciting life, faith, family life, family togetherness, favour, fellow believers, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, forgiveness, friends, get together, God's greatest desire, God's promised to work things out for our good, grace, greater love hath no man, greedy, hope, hurts my heart, I am come that they might have life, in exile, influence of Jesus, interesting, Jeus reigns supreme, joy, laughter, lay down his life for his friends, LOVE, love and togetherness, LOVE one another, mercy, merriment, obedient to God's will, opportunity, our Creator and sure Provider, overflowing grace, personal experience, physical treasure and pleasures, pick sense from nonsense, sacrificed Jesus, selfish, sins, some of the best days of my life, Son Jesus, soulful, spiritual enlightenment, such a blast, sufferation, tenderness, the first day of the week, the Good Lord, the greatest of these is love, the thief comes to steal, there am I in the midst of them, to go to be late is to be up early, undying LOVE, unending wisdom, ungrateful, unworthy, wisdom, wonder
John 10:10. The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Oh Friends, it’s been a Willie Shakespeare kind of night, in the sense of when he says in one of his plays – don’t remember which one – to go to bed late is to be up early. Hn, Hn! Well I was up very early because I went to bed very late, around 3:30 a.m. (smile)
Anyway mih people, what I want to say is that the last couple of days can be numbered amongst some of the best of my life. That’s because it’s the first time my brother and I have spent so much time continually together.
We were always Friends, but never hung out much together, and the thirty years I spent away from Tobago, in exile in the North Country, obviously reduced those opportunities.
However mih breddren, the Good Lord, our Creator and sure Provider, in His usual mysterious way, in His unending wisdom and overflowing grace, thirty odd years later has provided a surprise get together. Mama Mia! All thanks and praise to Him!
One day, a couple weeks ago, right out of the blue, I received an e-mail from my niece saying that her parents were coming to Canada. And they’ve been here with us the last two days, and oh my people, it’s been such a blast!
There hasn’t been that much laughter, merriment and family togetherness in the house for a while, because in this busy society everybody is usually off doing their own thing. But yuh know what Friends?
These last couple of days have shown me what Jesus truly means when He says in our Bit: ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’
It’s family life Friends, family togetherness He was talking about. That’s basically it. When family and friends and fellow believers get together and enjoy each other’s company under the overwhelming influence of Jesus, then life truly is graced and gifted with abundance.
I don’t believe Jesus was referring so much to the abundance of physical treasure and pleasures, but more to the abundance of soulful and spiritual enlightenment. And again we see Jesus emphasizing togetherness, when He says: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20)
And what we often forget, especially in this current selfish, cut-throat, greedy society, is that God’s greatest desire is that ALL should come to salvation; that we should live as ONE, in LOVE, joy and tenderness towards each other, as a part of His one, big, collective family. Otherwise He wouldn’t have sacrificed His One Son Jesus, to pay the price for our abominable sins.
And believe me people, Jesus did pay and enormous, a terribly high price to free us from the bondage of sin. Every time I consider what He went through to save us unworthy, ungrateful wretches, the very thought of His immense ‘sufferation’ hurts my heart.
But then, on the other side of the equation, I’m oh so thankful and grateful that He paid that exacting price, because it shows that the Father and Him truly LOVED, and still LOVES me!
This brings to mind Jesus’ directive: ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 12-14)
Then He went out and did exactly that – sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. Bless His Holy Name!
But please remember that one proviso: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ So if we’re not obedient to the will of Jesus, then we’re not His friends.
And sadly, that means a great proportion of mankind are not friends of Jesus, since we have so rudely and foolishly removed Him from all areas of our lives; at home, at work, at school and at play.
But Friends, Jesus is the eternal optimist. He believed in the saying that if you build it, they will come. So He died to give us the wonderful opportunity to come to Him in LOVE and togetherness.
And staying with that theme of togetherness and abundant life, let’s look at a scripture that appropriately describes it. It deals with Bruh Paul at Troas. ‘And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached (spoke) unto them, ready to depart on the morrow (the next day); and continued his speech (message) until midnight.’ (Acts 20:7)
Again, it was a coming together of the disciples to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Oh my fellow believers, there can be no greater joy than when Jesus is amongst, reigns supreme in the lives of a group of people! That’s when the abundant life truly kicks in, and why we need to take togetherness more seriously than we currently do, both as family and fellow believers.
Oh my people, being obedient to Jesus so that you can be numbered amongst His friends, is not always easy. In fact it can be very rough at times, when the Lord chooses to test us. But remember that He’s promised to ALWAYS work things out for our good.
And I can tell you from personal experience, that if you sincerely try to live obedient to God, then you WILL certainly lead an interesting, adventurous and exciting life, filled with wonder and amazement!
And how can we not eh, when our lives are constantly connected to: God’s Faith, God’s Grace, God’s Favour, God’s Blessings, God’s Mercy, God’s Forgiveness, and God’s undying LOVE!
So please my brethren, let’s get our acts together, and COME TOGETHER IN LOVE AND OBEDIENCE TO JESUS! That’s the wisdom of all the ages! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth…faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE…
P.S. Oh Friends, I surely hope that this Bit makes sense yes, stands together as a structural whole. But even if it doesn’t, I know that you all are smart enough to pick sense from nonsense. (smile) Much LOVE!
18 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Adam and Eve, adopted children of God, agony, All praise honour and glory to Jesus, auspicious, bend our knees, Bless His Holy Name, bow our heads, Christian, cringe with fear, day of judgement, death, depths of our souls, dwell in harmony, Easter, everlasting thanks, exorbitant price, extraordinary thing, faithful, fear, fellowship, footsteps of love, for they know not what they do, forbidden fruit, forgive them, forgiving Deity, freedom, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, Garden of Eden, generous help, give Jesus everlasting thanks, glory, Good Friday, good news, goodness, graciousness, greatest gift ever bestowed on man, heartfelt prayer, heirs with Jesus, high price of justice, holy spirit, honour, human-rights, intercession, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is worthy, joy, justice, justified, King of Kings, lead and guide, light of Jesus Christ, loathing, Lord and Saviour, Lord jesus, lord jesus christ, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving, magnanimity, magnify Your Holy Name, marvellous works, memorable Friday, no bounds, no more tears sorrow pain, obedience, patience, pay for our ghastly sins, pay our sin debt, payment for all of mankind's sins, peace, perseverance, praise, reconciled, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rescue, rest, resurrection, right fellowship with God, righteous, rivers of blood, sacrificial deed, selfless, sincere gratitude and thanks, sinners, sins, Son of Jehovah God, stripes, terrible ordeal, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, TGIGF! Thank God it's Good Friday, Thank you Jesus, tragedy, trials, tribulation, truth, unblemished lamb to the slaughter, unconditional LOVE, unity, worship and praise Jesus, worthless sinners, worthy enough
Luke 23:34a.Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
GOOD FRIDAY !
Oh Friends, that fateful day called Friday has rolled around once again! However, today is not only a Friday, but an extraordinary one that we term GOOD FRIDAY! Today we remember and celebrate the most auspicious and memorable Friday that has ever occurred in man’s history!
And though the event that occurred two thousand years ago today was a horrific tragedy; the stuff that took place on the surface was certainly bad, but its outcome was the greatest gift ever bestowed on mankind, that’s why it can be called good!
So today instead of just singing ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ We need to sing ‘TGIGF! Thank God it’s Good Friday!’
And you know that we’re referring to that memorable day when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sacrificed His sinless life, went like an unblemished lamb to the slaughter, to pay for our ghastly sins, so that we could once again have right fellowship with our heavenly Father.
And all of God’s people, feeling the trembling and gratitude boiling in their hearts, spontaneously sang out: ‘All praise, honour and glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of Jehovah God! Bless His Holy Name! Worship and praise Him and give Him everlasting thanks, for He is indeed worthy of it all!’
Yes my people, Jesus Christ is certainly worthy of more praise and thanks and honour and glory than we can ever give Him! For there is nothing or no one else who could have satisfied the Father’s high price of justice to pay our sin debt in full.
And that’s payment for ALL of mankind’s sins, from day one in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, right down to the day of judgement, and that promised time when sin shall be no more. When there shall be no more tears, no more pain and sorrow, but we shall all dwell in harmony and unity under the everlasting light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Rev.21:3-4)
Oh what a wonderful person is our Jesus! Let’s give Him some more thanks and praise nuh mih breddren. ‘Oh Lord Jesus Christ, there are not enough powerful and thankful words in our vocabulary to truly praise and thank You for Your selfless, sacrificial deed on our behalf. But with whatever we have, we’re pouring out our most sincere gratitude and thanks this Good Friday morn, hoping that You accept it with Your usual graciousness.
We know that it was a terrible ordeal You underwent for us worthless sinners, though You and the Father thought us worthy enough to pay such an exorbitant price to save us. We know You didn’t have to do it, but Your obedience to the Father knew no bounds, so you bore with great patience, perseverance and magnanimity the trials and tribulations the Father decreed as the price of our freedom.
In Your most horrible moments of agony, You were even gracious enough to cry out the words of our Bit: ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’ Only a truly LOVING and forgiving Deity could do such an extraordinary thing! Thank You Lord Jesus, thank You, thank You, thank You!
Unfortunately, that’s the best we can say. But for that awesome sacrifice, we promise to bow our heads, bend our knees and acknowledge You as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. We will give You all the praise and thanks we can muster, and walk obediently in Your footsteps of LOVE, peace, joy, goodness, human rights and justice, from this day forth and forever more!
Please accept our heartfelt prayer, and let Your Holy Spirit lead and guide us into all truth, so that we can magnify Your Holy Name and spread the good news of Your Story, all over planet Earth! This we pray in Your Holy Name, on the rivers of blood that flowed from the stripes inflicted on Your broken and abused body on that horrible day, two thousand years ago! Amen! And again we say, Amen!’
Thank You Lord Jesus Christ for coming to our rescue! Just the thought of where we would have been, where we would have ended up, without your faithful and LOVING intercession, makes us cringe with fear and loathing!
But thankfully, through the amazing and unconditional LOVE of the Father, we now have nothing to fear, and instead are now gloriously declared righteous, reconciled, justified, adopted children of God, heirs to His kingdom with You, and so many other wonderful things that it would take us all day to name them!
Father in heaven… Lord Jesus… all we can say again is THANKS! Thanks from the innermost recesses of our hearts, and the very depths of our souls! We LOVE You, and will try our very best to walk obedient to Your dictates. In Jesus Name we pray all of this. Amen!’
Oh Friends, this is what I was guided to write this Good Friday morning. I do hope that the sentiments expressed therein will touch your hearts, minds, bodies and souls like it touched mine.
Over the last couple of years I’ve been guided to a greater appreciation of the suffering that Jesus underwent on our behalf, and now the Easter season has truly become the best part of the Christian calendar for me, for that’s where Jesus wrought His most marvellous works.
Please let us mourn the death of our Saviour today, while remembering the awesome good that came out of it. And as we close, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much enthusiasm! Thought I’d forgotten eh? (smile)
‘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.’
Now Friends, and fellow believers, let’s just remember that after the death, comes the glorious RESURRECTION! Much LOVE!
…the price of reconciliation can never be repaid…because it was born out of such unbelievable LOVE…
09 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: belief, benefits, Bless His Holy Name, bless the Lord, Bruh David's forte, children of Israel. Moses, condemned, Daylight Savings Time, destruction, diseases, faith, faithfulness, forgiveness, Hades, heals, heaven, I AM, I can do all things, iniquities, Jamaican time, judgement, loving kindness, mercies, more than conquerors, negative aspects, oppressed, positive aspects, preamble, redeems, righteousness., slow to anger, small potatoes, steadfast and true believers, T&T time, the evil one, the Way, the Word, through Christ who strengthens me, total truth, transgressions, wisdom
Psalm 103:1. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Well Friends, it’s a mild Sunday morning, compared to those of the recent past. Yuh better believe that! The clock has also been set forward one hour, to begin the confusing strategy of Daylight Savings Time. Hn!
To tell the truth, I really don’t know who it benefits from it, if anybody. And it’s been recently proven that there are some negative aspects to the time change. But somebody, or bodies in power, must believe that whatever positive aspects contained therein, do outweigh the negative ones. So us menial folk just have to go along with the idea, whether we like it or not.
And it both amuses and disconcerts me in one respect; when we go forward, like today, we end up on T&T time, but when we go backwards at year’s end, we end up on Jamaican time. So before calling friends and family in those locations, I have to first consider what time schedule we are on, so that I don’t call down there too early, or too late.
Ah Lord eh! But them’s really small potatoes, mih people – wish that was our biggest problem – and there’s no need for us to worry, because we strong, steadfast and true believers can handle anything that comes against us, for ‘we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom.8:37)
And furthermore, as Bruh Paul so emphatically states to the Philippians: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) Never forget those two scriptures Friends, because they embody total truth for all the ages.
And I’m chuckling while I’m adlibbing here, because I don’t have a Bit as yet, and no clue how to continue this rambling preamble. (smile) But I am assured, because of those two statements above that the Lord will eventually strengthen and guide me, and cause me to write a most wonderful Bit. (smile)
Well it’s certainly in His best interest to do so, since it’s His Word that I’m writing about, and I’m sure, like me, He doesn’t want me to write nonsense.
And lo and behold, to prove His faithfulness and wisdom, He just guided me to a rather appropriate Bit for this Sunday morning: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.’
Yes my brethren, we can never find a better thing to do than to bless the Lord and His Holy Name! And that surely was Bruh David’s forte, as we can see from all the stuff he’s written, especially from this Psalm of praise and thanksgiving for God’s great and abundant mercies.
Now hear how he continues after that first verse. ‘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. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.’ (Ps.103:2-7)
And nothing my people, nothing whatsoever in those verses can be disputed, for down through the ages, they have been proven to be factual, many times over! Any problems we have with those words stem from us, from our lack of faith, our lack of true belief in the great I AM.
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to some more of this wonderful psalm. ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame (He understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps.103:8-14)
Now Friends, anyone who tries to dispute any of those declarations is either a liar or a fool, or both, because without the Lord’s abundant mercies and forgiveness, we would have been all condemned long ago to death, for our numerous sins, and exiled to Hades to dwell with the evil one.
‘But the mercy (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children. To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.’ (Ps.103:17-18)
More gospel truth my fellow believers! The Lord has made special preparations for those who walk obedient to His dictates. And Jesus, in telling the disciples that He was THE WAY to the Father, promised it thus: ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many mansions (Lit. dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:1-3)
Oh mih people, mih people, what a most marvellous promise! And we all know that lies and untruths, by His very holy nature, CANNOT proceed from Jesus’ mouth and Spirit. Thus, when we walk in sync with our Creator and heavenly Father, our eternal destiny is set in stone!
Therefore we all have great cause to exclaim, proclaim and declare like Bruh David: ‘Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers (servants) of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps.103:20-22)
And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord God Jehovah! Praise Him for His goodness to the undeserving children of sinful men! Praise Him for ever and ever! Amen.’
Yeh mih people, we certainly can’t go wrong in praising and giving thanks to our ever-LOVING, merciful, forgiving and most gracious God! Please put that in your pipe today and smoke it! (smile) Much LOVE!
…praise and thanks are two of the most important elements in worshipping Almighty God…
P.S. Yuh see Friends, as I told you, through faith in God’s mercy and unswerving help, the Bit didn’t turn out too bad at all, now did it. (smile) Much LOVE!
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