14 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after that ye have suffered a while, all that glistens is not gold, and forget not all his benefits, as a roaring lion, as far as the east is from the west, baubles and bangles, be sober, be vigilant, Bible, bless the LOrd o my soul, blessing, both thou and thy seed may live, called us unto his eternal glory, callous and cruel world, casting all your care upon him, choose life, christianity, crowns thee with loving-kindness, cursing, death, deepen my breath, don't save earthly treasures, faith, forget not all his benefits, forgives thine iniquities, God's awesome presence, God's benefits, heals all thy diseases, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, keep God first place in our lives, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, life, LOVE, make you perfect, mercy, moth and rust doth corrupt, quiet my soul, redeems thy life from destruction, relax my muscles, relax my musclesslow my thoughts, satisfies thy mouth with good things, save up treasures in heaven, seeking whom he may devour, showers us with undeserved blessings, so far has God removed our transgressions, steadfast resit in the faith, tender mercies, thank you for this tenderness, the God of all grace, the real McCoy, the sinful pleasures of Satan, thieves break through and steal, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, to him be glory and dominion, trust, truth, walking on air, walks about, wisdom, wisdom in spades, your adversary the devil, your love both surrounds and fills me, your unceasing nearness
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
At last it’s our lazy-day Saturday, where we can do as we please; laze about or work hard about the house… Hn! Work hard… Not likely! It’s a day to just take things easy; to contemplate life; to consider our future in terms of our present. Although even that sounds too difficult to do today. (smile) One thing we’re going to do for sure though, is to send up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer to heaven.
So, as one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And what more can you ask on a lazy-day than the Lord’s awesome presence in abundance eh? Nothing! Because it makes us feel light and refreshed, like we’re walking on air, we can’t do any wrong! (smile) But how can we with the Lord’s presence so strong in us eh? No way! And it’s sad that more of us don’t seek the Lord and a greater showing of His presence in our lives. Oh, how that would alleviate much of the pain and suffering that so many of us experience in this cold, callous and cruel world. But for whatever reason, too many of God’s creation shy away from Him, and thus lose the many benefits of His LOVING presence.
And we see a handful of those benefits from Bruh David’s writings in Psalm 103: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:1-5)
Oh my people, just look at the many benefits we get from associating with, from staying close to Almighty God! Why then would we ever want to go astray from His wonderful fold eh, when there’s no one, or nothing else that can offer us those marvellous and miraculous benefits? Let’s look a li’l closer at those wonderful benefits nuh. And the first one is indeed a major benefit, one that no one else can provide: ‘Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;’
Yes friends, can you imagine any other supposed God, even Satan doing that? No way! But the Lord Jehovah sent His One Son down to earth to die on our behalf, so that our sins could be forgiven. And furthermore, as Bruh David says later on in the psalm: ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:12)
And for that mighty deliverance, done from an heart of everlasting, unconditional LOVE, all the world should be shouting a loud and grateful ‘Praise God for His undeserving goodness to the sinful children of men!’ But, unfortunately, only a small portion of us are doing that wise and godly thing.
Then there’s this other marvellous benefit from knowing and being in close contact with God; ‘who healeth all thy diseases;’ Wow! What more can we ask eh my brethren; a kind, LOVING and compassionate God who forgives our sins, heals us and showers down undeserved blessings on us? And don’t forget that He satisfies our mouths and stomachs with good things that renew our strength like the eagles do!
Why then are we so stupid and foolish to fall for the deceptive, sinful pleasures of the evil one eh? Pleasures that only last a short while and which gets us into trouble with God. Satan does NOTHING good for us, because his total purpose is to keep us on the outs with Almighty God. And the sad part is that the stuff he offers is not even good stuff, not even the real thing, but ofttimes faked. Remember, all that glistens is not gold, and that’s where Satan exceeds; in the glittering gold-like or gold plated stuff. But with Jehovah God, we get the real stuff.
And remember what Jesus said about laying up earthly treasures; because moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin) them, and where thieves break through and steal:’ (Matt. 6:19) But the wise plan is to lay up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal.’ (Matt. 6:20) And we do that by keeping God first place in our lives and ignoring Satan and his evil deeds and pleasures as much as possible.
But it’s not easy, however, as Peter so wisely instructs us, we ought to: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt thee in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom steadfast resist in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (2 Pet. 5:6-9)
Yes my people, Satan likes to play games with our lives, but if we hold steadfast to our faith in Christ Jesus, we will defeat him most of the time. And as Peter assures us: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (2 Pet. 5:10-11)
Oh my fellow saints, being a true Christian in this corrupt and evil world was never, and will never be easy, but if we put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, then we will have all the tools necessary to defeat the devil and his evil cronies and live the good and abundant life down here on God’s great earth, that Jesus died for us to have. It’s all up to us, whether we take Almighty God seriously or not. However, please let’s be wise and do as Moses asked the Israelites long ago, when he placed life and death before them, as well as blessing and cursing, and then advised them ‘therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
Yes my brethren….that’s wisdom in spades! Please, let’s follow it for the sake of our children’s children! Much LOVE!
…Satan’s baubles and bangles are all fake…but God’s are the real thing…the real McCoy…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adulation, awestruck wonder, blessing, Davidic covenant, flashes of lightning, glory, heaven's mercy seat, holy is he, honour, I am in the midst, I sing, Jennie Lee Riddle, King of Kings, my everything, pandemic, proper authority, riches, rolls of thunder, sing a new song, strength, Teh Revelation song, that was slain, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the only wise king, the root of David, the salin lamb, to receive power, Tribulation judgements, where two or three are gathered, wisdom, with all creation, worthy is the Lamb
Revelation 5:12. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing…
It’s worship time again friends; the day of the Lord, the Sabbath day! So let’s get together and do just that nuh, for it doesn’t matter where we are, in a majestic cathedral, a rundown shack, or under a mango tree, once two or three of us are gathered together in Jesus’ name, then we can have church, for He will be in our midst, that’s His faithful promise. (Matt. 18:20) And all God’s people said a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His Holy Name!’ But sadly, many of us still can’t gather physically because of the pandemic affecting our world, but we can certainly gather by technological means and express our faith and receive God’s confidence and blessings.
So let’s get started with today’s worship song titled ‘The Revelation Song,’ written by Jennie Lee Riddle with lyrics adapted from Revelation 5 of the New Testament. It’s new to me, but it seems to have been around for a while. And am I ever amazed when I check out some of these songs on You Tube and see the number of different versions and how long some of them have been around and I’ve never heard of them. Now today we going to do an up-tempo version of ‘The Revelation Song,’ because it’s a song of much praise and thanks and thus calls for an up-tempo mood. (smile)
So in sweet and soulful harmony, let’s raise our voices to heaven in a sincere sacrifice of praise. ‘Worthy is the, Lamb who was slain, Holy, holy is He. Sing a new song, to Him who sits on, Heaven’s mercy seat. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, Holy, holy is He. Sing a new song, to Him who sits on, Heaven’s mercy seat (Chorus: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty Who was and is and is to come. With all creation I sing, praise to the King of kings, You are my everything, and I will, adore You) Clothed in rainbows, of living colour, Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder. Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be, To You: the only wise King
(Chorus: Holy, holy, holy….) Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder, At the mention of Your name. Jesus, Your name is power, breath and living water, Such a marvelous mystery. Oh, You’re worthy, mystery You are worthy (Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come. With all creation I sing, praise to the King of kings, You are my everything, and I will adore You, I will adore You…. With all creation I sing, praise to the King of kings, You are my everything, and I will adore You, I will adore You….’
Oh friends, that was a wonderful rendition of such amazing truth, for Jesus is indeed all those things…in fact He is our EVERYTHING! Consequently, He needs to be adored and revered and sincerely worshipped. He’s done so much for us, that anything less than complete adulation is a sin! (smile) And since the sentiments of the song are adapted from Revelation 5, I guess it’s only right that we hear some of the original words. This is where John in his revelation saw God the Father sitting on His throne in heaven with a book in His right hand, sealed with seven seals. And an angel, ‘a strong angel,’ John says, was proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?’ (Rev. 5:1-2)
Now according to the scholars, ‘The book is a scroll with seven messages, each of which has been sealed with the authority of God. The breaking of the seals would reveal the message inside each part of the scroll. Scrolls normally had writing on only one side. This scroll contains the Tribulation judgements of God (cf. ch.6; Ezek. 2:9-10; Dan. 8:26; 12:4) But unfortunately no man in heaven or on earth, or below the earth was found worthy to open it, or even look at it, and that brought tears to John’s eyes. (Rev. 5:3-4)
As the scholars confirm, ‘Only one with the proper authority could open the book by loosing or removing its seals (cf. Is. 29:11). The question is ‘Who has the right to judge the world?’ – that is, to reveal what is hidden in the scroll and to execute what is written.’ But then, one of the elders said to John: ‘Weep not: behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed (overcome) to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.’ Then John saw the slain Lamb in the midst of it all, with seven horns and seven eyes corresponding to the seven Spirits of God sent forth into the earth. Then the lamb came and took the book out of the hand of him that sat on the throne. (Rev. 5:5-7)
Oh friends, hear the scholars: ‘5:5-7. Christ is presented both as a Lion (Ruler) from the tribe of Judah (cf. Gen. 49:10) and as a Lamb (Redeemer; cf. Is. 59:7; John 1:29). The Root of David shows a messianic connection with the Davidic covenant (cf. 2 Sam. 7:16; Is. 11:1) and Christ’s right to the throne of Israel. The vision of Christ here brings together the twofold aspect of His first and second comings – His work as Saviour and as Sovereign. Christ has the right to judge, possess, and rule the earth because of His submission to the death of the cross (cf. Phil. 2:8-11).’
Now that’s why He’s our EVERYTHING! But the wonderful part of John’s vision is when the Lamb takes the Book, overwhelming thanks and praises break out in heaven as the four beasts and four and twenty elders fall down before the Lamb with their harps and bowls of incense – the prayers of the saints. ‘And they sung a new song, saying, ’Thou art worthy to take the book (scroll), and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred (tribe), and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on earth.’ (Rev. 5:9-10)
But mih people, that was only the beginning of the celebrations. After that John heard angels and elders around the throne, in their thousands and ten thousands, and thousand thousands ‘Saying with a loud voice; Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing…’ And furthermore, he heard every creature in the creation saying, ‘Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts (living creatures) said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.’ (Rev. 5:12-14)
And we think we can worship and party down here! Steups! Heaven is where the real party people are! (smile) Yes friends, with the wonderful Triune God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit that we claim to worship, much praise and thanks should always be in our hearts and mouths! Please have a blessed and glorious day thanking and praising our Triune God! Much LOVE!
…let everything that hath breath…praise the Lord… (Ps.150:6)
14 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, as the scripture says, ascension, awesome truth, blessing, body and bllod, bright and morning star, come, come unto me and drink, communion, confidence, confusion, crucifixion, day of the feast, deathless springs, draw water, drink of joy, eternal life, exalt His holy name, faithful believers, faithful promises, fellowship, filled to overflowing, free offer of grace, give Him thanks, glorified, God is my salvation, he that believes in me, hear his word, heart, holy wisdom, hope is guiding, I will trust, if any man thirst, impassioned, Jesu, Jesus stood and cried, Johann Sebastian Bach, joy, joy of man's desiring, joys unknown, listless, LOVE, not be afraid, our thirsty souls, out of his belly, poet laureate, quench, raise our voices to high heaven, reawakening, receptive to the Word, renew their connection, resurrection, rivers of living water, Robert Bridges, sacrificial actions, salvation, satiate, satisfy, seek relief from thirst, sent mine angel to testify, sing His praies, soften up our hearts, spiritually thirsty, striving, the bride, the bright and morning star, the church, the fire of life, the Holy Spirit, the last day, the Lord's sanctuary, the offspring, the root, the wells of salvation, tired souls, to Christ in faith, truth unknown, uncreated light, Word of God
John 7:37-38. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water.
‘Sunday morning coming down…’ And the Lord’s sanctuary is filled to overflowing! Bless His holy name! The faithful believers have come to renew their connection to Almighty God; to sing His praises and give Him thanks, hear His Word and receive His body and blood in the symbolic gesture of communion, thereby reawakening and reenergizing their listless and tired souls.
Wow friends! What a blessing it is to have fellowship every Sunday with other believers under the remarkable auspices of our Creator! So as we do every Sunday, let’s begin the proceedings with some praise and worship to soften up our hearts and make them more receptive to the word.
And today’s song of praise is that old but magical hymn, ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,’ taken from the 10th and last movement of the cantata ‘Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life,’ composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in the early 18th century. This version we’re going to sing today, is apparently the most common English one, written by poet laureate Robert Bridges.
So without further ado, let’s raise our heads, hearts, eyes and voices to high heaven in sweet, adorable and exalted praise, accompanied by the scintillating symphonic music of the master composer, as performed by the full orchestra. As one harmonious choir now: ‘Jesus, joy of man’s desiring, Holy wisdom, LOVE most bright; Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned, With the fire of life impassioned, Striving still to truth unknown, soaring, dying round Thy throne. Through the way where hope is guiding, Hark, what peaceful music rings; Where the flock, in Thee confiding, Drink of joy from deathless springs. Theirs is beauty’s fairest pleasure; Theirs is wisdom’s holiest treasure. Thou dost ever lead Thine own In the LOVE of joys unknown.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ALWAYS leads us, His faithful people, with LOVE, to unknown, unbelievable gasps of joy! Praise His Holy Name! Oh friends, Jesus is indeed the joy of our desire!
And why not eh? He has Holy wisdom, the brightest LOVE that exists and shines in the universe, not to mention the everlasting hope of salvation and eternal life He’s provided for us through His ever-faithful promises and sacrificial actions of two thousand years ago.
Now let’s hear his Word, which fashioned our flesh, then breathed the fire of impassioned life into it, as we strive to uncover unknown truths from it. And today’s scripture deals with ‘Drink of joy from deathless springs.’ Listen as our Lord and Saviour expounds on His abilities with thrilling confidence.
‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:37-38)
And can you imagine the confusion those statements caused amongst the mainly ignorant crowd. ‘But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.’ (John 7:39)
Yes friends, Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit that was to come upon every believer after His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension back to heaven. And if we’re truly spiritually thirsty, the best place to seek relief from that thirst is in Jesus. He is the ONLY one who can quench, can satisfy, can satiate our thirsty souls!
And in the end of the Good Book, He again declares unto John: ‘I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star’ (Rev.22:16)
And what does this revealing angel make known to John? ‘And the Spirit (Holy Spirit) and the bride (the church) say, Come (to Christ in faith for eternal life). And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst (thirsty) come. And whosoever will (desires), let him take the water of life freely.’ (Rev.22:17)
Oh friends, you can’t beat that offer! It’s the best offer going in this mish-mash world! And we’ll end with these beautiful words of scripture as prophesied by Isaiah about the Lord’s doings through Jesus.
‘Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (deeds) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ (Is.12:2-6)
And our Lord and Saviour is indeed great in our midst my brethren! So let’s be wise and do like the prophet advised nuh; let’s call on His name, declare His deeds, exalt His holy name and above all, accept His free offer of grace, whereby we can receive salvation and eternal life! That is wisdom of everlasting proportions! Much LOVE!
…in Jesus…we have EVERYTHING…we can ever need…
09 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all of heaven, and is, and is to come, angels, at his behest, before the throne, beloved of God, blessing, by your will they exist, cast their crowns, celebrations, Controller of the universe, Creator, dependent, extol God's character, fall down, for thy pleasure, friend of Jesus, friends, full of eyes, give thanks, God's creative powers, guard the throne, him that lives for ever and ever, him that sat on the throne, holy holy holy, honour, hurry, in christ Jesus, in everything give thanks, In the eyes of God, indebted, intelligence, Isaiah's vision, John the Revelator, living creatures, lord god almighty, LOVE, loves us to death, movement, power, pray without ceasing, rejoice evermore, represents strength, rest not, serve, share His love, should never cease, six wings, sovereign authority, swiftness, symbolize wisdom, thanksgiving, the eagle, the eyes, the face of a man, the four and twenty elders, the four beasts, the lion, the right to rule, the seraphim, the will of God, the wings, they were created, thou art worthy, thou hast created all things, to judge the earth, to receive glory, to receive power and riches, Triune Deity, Tuesday Mantra, which was, whims and fancies, worry, worship, worship the Father, worthy is the Lamb
Revelation 4:11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist).
Well it’s Tuesday mih breddren, and the Thanksgiving celebrations are over for another year… No, let me take that back: the large, overt celebrations are over for another year, because thanksgiving is something that should never cease in a believer’s life. Yuh notice how even in heaven the beasts and the elders fall down on their knees and worship and give thanks to God.
Hear this moving scripture. ‘And the four beasts (living creatures) had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not (cease) day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts (living creatures) give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist).’ (Rev.4:8-11)
Yes friends, giving thanks and honour and glory to Almighty God is something that should never end! Even when we get to heaven we’ll do it, because our heavenly Father is indeed worthy of such exaltation. And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘4:6-8. The four beasts or living creatures (lit. “living ones”) are probably angels (cf. Ezek.10:15-22) who guard the throne of God.
The eyes symbolize wisdom, and the wings depict movement. They worship God as did the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision (cf. Is.6:1-3). The lion represents strength (cf. Ps.103:20), the calf service (cf. Heb.1:14), the face of a man intelligence (cf. Luke 2:52) and the eagle swiftness (cf. Dan 9:21). The angelic vision has a strong allusion to Ezekiel 1:4-14.’
You have a lot of scripture to check out there friends. (smile) I just checked them out and they are indeed very interesting and make sense as the scholars explain. And per our Bit and the two verses before, the scholars tell us: ‘4:9-11. All of heaven worship the Father. The angels extol His character, and the elders (church) extol His creative powers. God has the right to rule and the sovereign authority to judge the earth, because He is both holy and the Creator of all.’
That last sentence should speak very powerfully to us my brethren, making us realize just how indebted and dependent we are on our heavenly Father; the Creator and Controller of the universe! We exist at His behest and pleasure, and He can shut us down with a mere thought.
Thankfully though, He is not a God of mere whims and fancies, but a strong and solid Deity who LOVES us to the death, although we don’t deserve it. All that we are and desire to be, depends solely on Him. That’s why I can’t understand why it’s so difficult for so many of us to truly serve and worship and give thanks to Him.
Why do you think Bruh Paul wrote these three verses to the Thessalonians eh? ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16:18) Because that’s exactly what the Lord desires of every believer in His Son Jesus Christ; praying, rejoicing and the giving of thanks!
Now hear John the Revelator again as he talks about the Lion and the Lamb: ‘And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts (living creatures) and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts (living creatures) said, amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.’ (Rev.5:11-14)
Ah friends, what more can I say eh? If we truly believe in Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit as our Triune Deity, then it behooves us to serve and worship and give them thanks, now and forever! And we’ll go home declaring (spelled it right) our Tuesday Mantra, which tells the world who and whose we are.
But I’ll like to add a li’l something at the beginning because many of us, though we mouth it every week, still believe that we’re what we do and what we have. I recently heard Cousin Bobby (Bobby Schuller – Hour of Power) from whom I originally got the Mantra, make that point. And he believes we should preface it with ‘In God’s eyes:’ just to be precise.
So here we go, in loud voice and sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, 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!’
Yes my brethren, forget how the world thinks about or judges you, the only important opinion is that of Almighty God, and He LOVES us just as we are. So let’s go out and share that LOVE now, as He so greatly desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…for true believers…godly thanks and praise…exaltation, honour and glory…should constantly be in our hearts…and our tongues…
26 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a medical mission, A prayer of confidence, a rainy day, acclamation, all praise and glory, an unruly evil, anger, assurance, bear olive berries, bless God, blessing, calmly and serenely, can no man tame, choose life, confidence, curse people, cursing, defiles us, difficult times, doth a fountain, dr robert h schuller, drizzle, edify, eternal future, face challenges, fall of mankind, full of deadly poison, God is behind me, God will help me, God's Holy Name, halfway home, hordes of humanity, Hour of Power Devotional, if god is for me, in the image of God, Joyce Meyer, life and death, looking forward, my conscience is clear, not afraid of problems, not looking back, out of the same mouth, overpowering downpours, prayer, proceeds blessing, resentment, salt water, set before you, shed man's blood, show me favour, something good is going to happen through me, something good is going to happen to me, spirit of confidence, strife, surging in my heart, sweet water, Thank You God, the breath of life, the fig tree, the right decision, the tongue, thy seed may live, uplift, Wednesday Wail, who can be against me, wonder
James 3:10. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
Looks like it’s going to be another ‘raaainy or raiiiny day’! Hn! Don’t know how to spell it so that it can bring out the Scottish brogue that the ad man uses. It sounds more like ‘riney day’ when he says it. (smile)
But if so, let’s hope it’s one like yesterday, with just a constant drizzle and no overpowering downpours, since I’ve got to go on a medical mission again today, but not into the heart of the city, just to the eastern end. It’s also an afternoon appointment, so there was no need to be up extra early to write the Bit before joining the hordes of humanity running into downtown Toronto. (smile)
And yesterday was a good day, the Lord caused people to show me favour wherever I went. I didn’t have to wait long for buses or taxis or medical appointments. All praise and Glory to His holy name!
And today I was led to share this assurance once again, from Gramps Schuler’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, titled ‘A Prayer of Confidence.’
Please pray with me. ‘It is flowing into me now, for my conscience is clear. I have made the right decision. I am not afraid of problems. I will face challenges calmly and serenely for God is behind me. He will help me. If I must go through difficult times, He will rescue me. I feel His spirit of confidence surging in my heart now. With Him I cannot possibly fail. “If God is for me who can be against me?” I have a strong feeling that everything is going to work out just beautifully. Thank You, God. Amen!’
Oh friends, I do hope your confidence surged with those words of acclamation and assurance. And you can say now like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘Something good is going to happen TO me today. And something good is going to happen THROUGH me today!’
Yes my brethren, our words and thoughts have awesome power, power to control our lives and actions, so let’s use them wisely, proudly and in a godly manner nuh. Stop all the fear mongering and negativity, like the Good Book says through Moses: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut.30:19)
Oh my people, the same things have been set before us, so let’s wisely choose life, instead of death nuh. And it all begins with our words; whether they show forth confidence and trust in Almighty God, or the negativity of the enemy. As James says so truly about the tongue: ‘But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.’ (James 3:8) And is it ever! It is the source of almost all the strife, anger and resentment that takes place in our world.
However, ‘Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude (likeness) of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.’ (James 3:9-10) And that’s a fact my fellow believers!
Hear the scholars: ‘3:9. James explains that man is made in God’s image (cf. Gen.1:26-27; 5:1), so to curse people and yet bless God is inconsistent. Though the fall of mankind has marred that image or likeness, James teaches that it still exists (as do Gen.9:6 and 1 Cor.11:7).’
And that will never change friends, for hear what the Lord said when He blessed Noah and his family. ‘Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.’ (Gen;9:6) So whatever we do to man, we will also be doing to God, because he has been made in the indelible, unchanging image of His Creator.
And James continues with these interesting comparisons: ‘Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.’ (James 3:11-12)
And the scholars point out: ‘3:12. The last clause of verse 12 differs from those that precede it. The former are questions that attempt to illustrate; this one is a statement to teach. As salt water cannot make sweet water, so the person who curses others cannot bless God. The cursing of people truly indicates what lies within a person.’
And is that ever so true my people! As Jesus says it’s not what goes into us that defiles us, but what comes out of us. (Matt.15:11) And cursing our fellow man shows in spades what’s inside of us. So let’s stop it nuh, and use words of blessing instead, which edify and uplift our fellow man. That’s wisdom from the top of the mount!
Now let’s go home declaring…(Chuh! These days, I just can’t seem to spell ‘declare’ right (smile)) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our envious position in Christ. As one now, with a sincere sense of purpose: ‘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!’
Look up friends, Jesus is with us down here on earth! Much LOVE!
…everytime I think about the eternal future with Christ…I just shake my head…in absolute and amazing wonder…
12 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a flood, a glorious future with Jesus, a righteous man, Advocate, anxious, arrogant, authority, availeth much, be careful for nothing, believers, below our noses, benefits, blessing, bold face, brash, care, Christ's obedience, Christian behaviour, christianity, come boldly, come to God, comfort, communicate, confidently, destroy the world, devastation, Elijah, end times, eternal life, evil world, eyes fixed straight ahead, find grace, glad to be alive, glory to God, halfway home, high priest, holy spirit, humility, hurricane Florence, in time of need, inherent sinful nature, Jesus, joint-heirs, know our place, like passions, LOVE, made known to God, makes sense, merits, need for prayer, Noah, North Carolina, not turning back, obtain mercy, percolating, power of prayer, powerful tool, pray, pray without ceasing, prayed earnestly, prayer, privilege, provision, repent, repentance, requests, salvation, sell the caffeine, shenanigans, sincere hearts, sinful, sinful men, sovereign God, supplication, thanksgiving, the armour of God, the breath of life, the effectual fervent prayer, the only answer, the throne of grace, ungodly times, uppermost in our lives, water, Wednesday Wail, wrath
James 5:16b. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.
Aye mih people, it looks like a glorious day is in the offing in my neighbourhood! Glory to God! But all of us are not that blessed, like the people of North Carolina who are expecting Florence, a category 4 hurricane to bombard them sometime soon.
But all most of us can do is pray for them. So let’s do that nuh! Let’s plead with the Lord to lessen the power of the storm, lessen His wrath, and even turn it away from making landfall, because we definitely don’t need any more devastation than what we already have.
What does the Good Book say? ‘Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are (with a nature like ours), and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth fruit.’ (James 5:16 18)
Yeh friends, that’s the power of prayer…unless the Lord is really tired and fed up with our sinful and ungodly shenanigans. Who knows? But as Bruh Paul wisely advised the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:6)
Then to the Thessalonians he said: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) That means prayer is ever so important my brethren! In fact it’s the most powerful tool we believers have in our arsenal. Yuh see, that even when you put on the armour of God, it’s not effective unless prayer accompanies it. (Eph.6:18)
And we’re ever so blessed through Christ’s obedience to God’s will, that as joint heirs with Him, we can ‘come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) Oh what a wonderful blessing and privilege that is my fellow believers!
But we need to be careful, for when the Good Book says boldly, it doesn’t mean brash, bold face and arrogant, but with confidence and a suitable amount of humility because we’re going before Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe and we must know our place. (smile)
I like how the scholars put it: ‘4:16. Only Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that boldness is possible only because of our High Priest (Jesus) The throne suggests a place of authority and provision. It is the place to obtain God’s grace when it is especially needed.’
And do we ever need God’s grace and mercy in these sinful and ungodly times friends! So prayer should be uppermost in our lives, even more than usual. It’s the only way we have to communicate with our sovereign God. So please let’s get busy nuh!
But along with the prayer must come some repentance and desire to stop being as sinful as we are and be obedient to God’s will. We obviously can’t be as obedient as Jesus was, because of our inherent sinful nature, but we all know that we can be better, even we believers can be much better. And if we are better and the world sees it, then the world will become better too.
And that’s all we’re seeking my brethren; the betterment of the world, through our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus! That’s why He came to earth and sacrificed His sinless life, and asked those who believe in Him to help Him make the world a better place. We surely aren’t doing that by our less than true Christian behaviour, not walking out talk like we should, and making the world turn away from Jesus, even to the point of blaspheming Him.
That’s not right my people! As His disciples and ambassadors we have a bounden duty to show the world, through our lives, the vast merits and benefits available in turning to Him for salvation, care, comfort and eternal life!
Hn, hn, hn! Ah mih people, it’s one of those days when the Holy Spirit just let the ole fella loose to do his thing. So I hope it all makes sense. I guess what I’m trying to advocate is the great importance of and need for prayer in our daily lives, both as individuals and as the church, the body of Christ, especially in these sinful end times.
Remember the last time the world got so sinful, in the days of Noah, that the Lord couldn’t take anymore and He destroyed it by flood? And yes, He promised Noah that ‘the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.’ (Gen.9:15b) But friends, the Lord never promised not to destroy the world again, just not by water.
So let’s wake up and smell the caffeine nuh; it’s percolating ever so strongly right below our very noses All is not right in our world, far from it, and we need to come to God in repentance without further ado, for who knows how much longer He will withhold His wrath on this evil world of ours?
Now let’s go home now declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our position in Christ. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 friends, I implore us to think seriously on the matters we’ve spoken about and open up our hearts sincerely to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, for He is the ONLY answer to our many problems. Much LOVE!
…the future won’t be glorious for many of us…if we don’t repent and come to God …NOW…
22 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian, a journey, a piece of gnarled barked, a positive outlook, a process, abides for ever, abundance, acceptable, aimless, apostle Paul, as a man thinks, awesome light of the Son, be born again, being obedient, blessing, christianity, clear direction, compassionate heart, conformed to the image of Christ, conformed to this world, courage, crashing breakers, cultivate us, curse, drifting back and forth, enemy of God, enmity, favour, fence sitting, follow God's direction, friendship with the world, from glory to glory, get to know Christ, glory to God, going to school, good, grow in Christ, grow spiritually, Grow Up, heresy, hold back, immature Christian, jump from church to church, let go, life journey with Jesus, love not the world, lust, made no effort, more than sufficient, negative word, no set purpose, one goal, One Year Book of Bible promises, only one way, perfect, play second fiddle, praying, put in the effort, root us, Ruth Harms Calkin, share blessings, shining brightly, single minded, soaring, spiritual puttering, spoken over someone, studying God's Word, success, talent, the battle is in our minds, the renewing of your mind, the will of God, things of the world, Thursday's Blessings, to meet our needs, tossed to and fro, total commitment, transformed, trust, undisciplined, unsteady, wading in self-pity, water us, wet weather, will of God, willingness, wisdom, wishy-washy Christians, ye may prove, yearn for change
Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Good news friends; after about three days of wet weather, it’s cloudy but dry in my neighbourhood! Wow! Let’s hope the sun comes out later to make it an even more pleasant day. But even if it doesn’t, we still have the awesome light of the SON shining brightly in our lives, and He is more than sufficient to meet ALL of our needs! Glory to God!
And without further ado, let me share something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. I don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, but is it ever so appropriate for our currently trying and troublesome times. It’s simply titled ‘Grow Up.’
Please read with me. ‘Picture it with me: a piece of gnarled bark tossed to and fro over the crashing breakers. First one direction, then another, back and forth, over and under. Aimless. No set purpose. Drifting…always drifting. What an accurate picture of an immature Christian. Nothing but spiritual puttering. Up and down, in and out.
One study group for a few weeks, then another. One church for a while, then another. Undisciplined, unsteady, one day soaring, the next day wading in self-pity. No consistency. The apostle Paul tells us to grow up! Not grow older, but grow up into Christ.
What we are today is more important to God than what we were yesterday. Our life journey with Jesus is now – this very day, this very hour. Why yearn for change if we’ve made no effort to follow the direction God has already given us?
To grow spiritually we must be single-minded. Our one goal? To be conformed to the image of Christ. He longs for our willingness to let Him root us, cultivate us, water us. Above all else, God wants our total commitment. He will take anything we give Him except second place.’
And isn’t all that the gospel truth friends? It surely is! God wants our total commitment, but we’re not prepared to give it. We want to hold back stuff from Him. But that won’t work. As I said yesterday, God doesn’t play second fiddle to anyone! Only one fiddler in His band; that’s Him!
And what we don’t seem to realize is that being a Christian is a process, a journey, like going to school; you begin in ABC (kindergarten) and work your way up through elementary, secondary and tertiary levels. But you must put in the effort required at each level if you wish to be successful and proceed to the next.
Christianity is exactly the same; you get to know Christ and become more like Him by first putting your entire trust in Him, then studying His word, being obedient, sincerely and constantly praying (communicating) and thus gradually growing in His image; slowly – from glory to glory.
But unfortunately today we have a whole lot of wishy-washy Christians, who talk a great talk, but don’t know the real Christ. We jump from church to church, apparently seeking what we want to hear, and not what the word really says. And the sad part is that plenty churches seem to preach that heresy.
But friends, there is ONLY ONE WAY to truly grow in Christ, and that’s the one advised by Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, our Bit for today. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
Yes my brethren, it all begins and ends in our minds. The battle between a true relationship with Christ and one with the world is fought primarily in our minds. That’s why they say, as a man thinks so is he. Therefore, if we want to be born again and grow in Christ, we have to let go of the things of the world, we have to stop conforming to what the world wants us to be.
As James so blatantly puts it: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to make himself) a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself the enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)
John though puts it a little nicer: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
That’s it in a nutshell friends; we can’t be friendly with world and be friendly with God at the same time! So let’s stop trying to do it nuh. Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, that the Lord has so graciously bestowed on us who truly believe and are obedient to His will.
In sincerity and truth 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!’
Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s spoken over someone. So let’s go out and generously speak those blessings over others nuh, for that’s why God gave them to us. Much LOVE!
…sitting on the fence is not an option…you’re either FOR God…or AGAINST Him…
08 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a physical skill, a time to every purpose under heaven, bad, blessing, book of proverbs, bounden duty, Caribana, Christian faith, discretion, equity, evil world, fairness, fals, friend of Jesus, God's will, good, grow in faith, in Jesus' name, increase learning, instruction, Jehovah, judgement, justice, know wisdom, knowledge of God, living God, LOVE, loving god, loving-kindness, merciful, moral discipline, protecting, prudence, reality, reverential awe, right behaviour, righteousness, season, serious living, share His love, skill in living, thanks and praise, the beginning of wisdom, the beloved of God, the fear of the Lord, the knowledge of the Holy One, the SON, the Sun, to everything there is a season, true, Tuesday Mantra, understanding, winning back, wisdom, wise behaviour, wise counsels
Proverbs 9:10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (Holy One) is understanding.
Awright mih breddren, the big Caribana party done now! Is time to get back to some serious living, and concentrate on winning back this evil world for Jesus!
As Cousin Sol so wisely and rightly says: ‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.’ (Eccl.3:1) Glory be, my people!
And is it ever a glorious morning out there; both the Sun and the SON are shining in all their brilliant splendour! Wow!
And when that happens you know for a fact that our great God, Jehovah, is still on His heavenly throne and still in control of the universe He created! Give Him some thanks and praise my people!
And all God’s children responded with a loud and grateful: ‘O heavenly Father, on this beautiful Tuesday morning we give you everlasting thanks and praise for all Your LOVING-kindness to us.
We bless Your Holy Name, we exalt and glorify You and pray that You will continue blessing and protecting us even if we don’t deserve it. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!’
Yeh friends, we do serve and worship an incredibly merciful and LOVING God! And there’s NONE OTHER like Him; the ONE and ONLY true LIVING GOD!
Let’s never forget that and keep living in His will and giving Him thanks and praise on a continual basis, for that’s why He created us.
Now here is our Bit, the same as yesterday. ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (Holy One) is understanding.’
Oh friends, that is such an important aspect of our faith that we can’t just deal with it in one day. In fact it’s the very basis of our Christian faith! Without the reverential awe of God, we simply cannot gain an understanding of what He is all about.
That’s why Cousin Sol says the getting of true wisdom, that which comes from God, and not from man, is so important for all believers. For then and only then can we grow in the faith and worship of our heavenly Father.
If you don’t know what He’s about, then you obviously can’t do Him and His word proper justice. And that’s why Cousin Sol wrote the Book of Proverbs: ‘To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive (understand or discern) the words of understanding: To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgement, and equity: To give subtilty (prudence) to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.’ (Prov.1:2-4)
And what does all of that mean? Let’s hear the scholar’s explanations. ‘1:2: Wisdom is the key word of the book and basically means “skill in living.” It is used in the Old Testament to refer to a physical skill such as tailoring (Ex.28:3), metalwork and woodwork (Ex.31:3-6), spinning (Ex.35:26); engraving and designing (Ex.35:35), and warfare (Is.10:13).
Used metaphorically, as in Proverbs, it refers to the skill to live life successfully. Instruction refers to moral discipline of one’s life, not to classroom instruction. Understanding means the capability to distinguish between true and false, good and bad, what matters most and what does not matter at all.’
So yuh see friends, wisdom is simply how to live a successful life, and the best way to acquire that knowledge is from the One who created us.
And the scholars continue: ‘1:3: Wisdom, a different Hebrew word from that used in verse 2, means “wise behaviour,” “wise dealing,” “good sense.” Justice is the same words as righteousness and refers to conformity to God’s law. Judgement is a legal term used of a judge’s verdict and refers to right behaviour. Equity is fairness in one’s dealings with others.’
‘1:4:The simple are naïve young people open to any influence, among the chief addressees in the book. Knowledge means the apprehension of reality, including an experiential knowledge of God. Discretion refers to the power of formulating and carrying out the right measures.’
Ah mih people, it all tells us that living a successful life is not easy, even with the wisdom of God. However, one cannot live a successful life WITHOUT the wisdom of God!
And you can only acquire that wisdom when you spend serious time with Him, read His word, and live life the way He wants. Remember He is the Creator, the BOSS, and we are mere servants. A lot of us seem to forget that crucial distinction.
And what happens when we sincerely seek to acquire wisdom. Cousin Sol says: ‘A wise man will hear, and will increase learning: and a man of understanding shall attain unto (acquire) wise counsels:’ (Prov.1:5) In other words, both the ‘wise as well as the untaught can learn from this book (Proverbs).’
And we need to remember friends, that Cousin Sol was talking here not from mere hearsay, but he actually lived that life, even to showing how to be foolish at the end, by moving away from the God who had blessed him so much.
So please, let’s be wise and sow those seeds deep in our hearts, bodies, souls and minds, that we can live successful lives. Now, as we always do on a Tuesday, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, telling the evil and ungodly world just who and whose we are.
‘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!’
Action stations my people! Much LOVE!
…sharing the LOVE of God…is a Christian’s bounden duty…
09 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cross, age after age, an intense longing for god, another bountiful day, at rest, Bethel, blessing, bondage in Egypt, bow down, Caleb, cleaving the sky, darkness, desires of the flesh, disgusted with, disobedience, doubting disciple, enter into my rest, err, faith, forty years, gather together, glory to God, go astray, God's awesome word, grace, grief, grieved, guidance, harden not your heart, holy presence, Jacob, Joshua, joyful wing, kneel before the Lord, let us worship, loyalty, mercy, miracles, my Father's home, my Saviour's love, my soul thirsteth for god, nearer my God to thee, our Maker, planet earth, praise and worship, privilege, proved me, provocation, rebel against God, Sabbath, safe, saints of Christ, sanctuary, Sarah Adams, strengthens, temptation, the living God, the Promised Land, the Red Sea, the sacrifice of praise, the sun gone down, the ultimate act, Thomas, truth, waking thoughts, wandered aimlessly, woes, words of wisdom, wrath
Psalm 95:6. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
Oh Glory to God my fellow believers for blessing us with another bountiful day on Planet Earth! And also for giving us the wonderful privilege of being able to gather together, in His sanctuary this Sabbath Sunday morning, to praise and worship Him and to hear His awesome word, which, as its truth seeps into our hearts and souls will strengthen us, by giving us His mercy, grace and guidance to face the upcoming week!
What a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! Every day He gives me greater reason to make that declaration. And when I reached out for a song of praise and worship for us to sing today, I just felt like getting closer to our Maker, hence this old hymn, ‘Nearer My God to Thee,’ written in the 19th century by Sarah Adams.
It is based on the topic of loyalty and the scriptures of Genesis 28:11-13, when God spoke to Jacob at Bethel and promised to make his progeny abundant and prosperous. It’s also based on Psalm 42:2: – An intense longing for God. ‘My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before him.’
Therefore friends, this morning, if our souls indeed thirst for the living God, then let’s offer the sacrifice of praise from our lips, as we endeavour to get closer, or as close as we can get to Him on this our earthly journey. So in full voice, in unison and perfect harmony, let’s sing! ‘Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain: Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!)
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, Darkness be over me, my rest a stone; Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n; All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n; Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise, Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise; So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain)
Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky, Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest, There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest; Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!’
Oh faithful saints of Christ, that was marvellous! And as we sang, one could feel the strong and beautiful presence of God in His house! The heartfelt feelings were so sincere that He had no choice but to grace us with His Holy presence!
Now let’s continue in that same vein; the sincere seeking and longing for and getting closer to God by invoking the glorious words and advice of our Bit. ‘O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.’ That’s the ultimate act my brethren; coming before the Lord in sincere, heartfelt prayer! Why, you ask?
Listen as the psalmist explains after our Bit. ‘For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under His care). (Ps.95:7a) There could be no better reason than that friends: we are beholden to our great and wonderful God in each and every aspect of our lives! We are His people, and He cares for us, both in LOVE and by providing our earthly needs every day.
But then the psalmist does something strange; he pleads with us: ‘Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion); and as in the day of temptation (trial or testing) in the wilderness. When your fathers tempted (tried) me, proved me, and saw my work.’(Ps.95:7b-9)
Now why would anyone in their right mind, rebel against God and try to test Him eh? Especially after they had seen the wonderful miracles he had performed on their behalf while bringing them out of four hundred years of bondage in Egypt? Only a people mad with lustful desires of the flesh, egged on by Lucifer could be so obtuse as to rebel against their maker.
Consequently, the psalmist, speaking on God’s behalf, continues: ‘Forty years long was I grieved with (disgusted with) this generation, and said, It is a people that do err (go astray) in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.’ (Ps.95:10-11) And God fulfilled His promised, when only Caleb and Joshua of all those who had left Egypt, set foot in the Promised Land.
For forty years the Israelites wandered aimlessly in the desert because of their disobedience to Almighty God. And friends, it just boggles my imagination that they could be so stupid after seeing all the miracles of God! No other group of people, to this day, has seen God work so miraculously on their behalf. Just the parting of the Red Sea should have been enough to convince them forever.
However friends, they saw it and didn’t believe, we didn’t see it, but let’s be wise nuh; let’s believe and be obedient, otherwise we will not enter into God’s rest. And let these words of Jesus to His doubting disciple Thomas, be a sure promise to us. ‘Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’(John 20:29)
Words of absolute wisdom my brethren! Words to wisely and confidently live by! Much LOVE!
…true faith in Jesus…means…believing…without…or before seeing…
02 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 150th Canadian Birthday, a name above every other, a worm, Aboriginal People, animosity, At the cross, beasts, Beelzebub, blessing, by faith, by thy blood, celebrations, Chinese, come together, cruelty, death, elders, enthusiasm, eternal life, eternal separation, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, evil problems, exalted Jesus, fireworks, glory, grace, gratitude, greater toronto area, honour, I am happy all the day, I first saw the light, Japanese, Jesus christ is Lord, living creatures, LOVE, Lucifer, my Saviour bleed, my sovereign die, open the seals, our Lord Jesus Christ, pity, racism, receive power, received my sight, reconciled with god, redeemed us, Revelation, riches, rock God's house, sacrifices of praise and worship, salvation, secrets, sexism, shame, significant, slain, slaves, strength, Thanks be to God, the body of Christ, the Book of Life, the Christian faith, the creature's sin, the cross of Jesus, the Father's will, the Great War, the Lamb of God, the mighty Maked, the sun in darkness hide, thunder storm, to the glory of God the Father, victory, who gives us the victory, wisdom, worthy is the Lamb, zest
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well friends, the 150th Canadian Birthday Party continues unabated. And though it was constrained a little by an afternoon thunder storm, after that, the sun came out brightly and the outside celebrations went on with much zest and enthusiasm, with brilliant fireworks filling the night air in many parts of the Greater Toronto Area.
Now some people felt that all the hoopla was somewhat hypocritical because of the blemishes on our Canadian record, re the very poor treatment of the Aboriginal People up to this day, plus the insensitive handling of Chinese and Japanese immigrants during the Great War, not to mention the racism and sexism that are currently rearing their ugly heads.
And all of those are serious problems for us to address, but if we only focus on our bad side, then no country would ever have cause to celebrate because every one has its own dark and evil problems and secrets. At least, hopefully, if we come together to celebrate a major anniversary, that togetherness will help to dissipate some of the current animosity found in our society.
But even if we’re not together in our country, please, let’s show that we are together in our churches, in the Body of Christ, as we offer sacrifices of praise and worship in His sanctuary this Sunday morning. And today’s hymn is the old stalwart ‘At the Cross.’ So let’s rock God’s house my faithful brethren with powerful song.
‘Alas, and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I? (Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!) Was it for crimes that I had done, He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And LOVE beyond degree! (Refrain)
Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin. (Refrain) But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe: Here, Lord, I give myself away ’Tis all that I can do. (Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!’
Oh friends, the cross of Jesus is ever so significant in our Christian faith, for it’s there where Jesus sacrificed His life so that we could be reconciled with God and have the wonderful options of salvation and eternal life. Wow! It is indeed the centrepiece of our faith! It’s where everything begins and ends! Without it, we’d be nothing, still mere slaves to the evil Lucifer, facing death and eternal separation from Almighty God, our Creator.
But thanks to Jesus, hanging in shame and utter cruelty on that tree at Calvary, we’ve been set free from every kind of bondage. Glory to God my people! And as the song says, once we’ve seen the light at the cross, all our burdens are rolled away, and we can be happy each and every day! Mama Mia! Thank the Lord for Jesus yes!
And as Bruh Paul so aptly puts it in our Bit: ‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Now that’s the awesome truth my fellow believers? Without Christ, we’d have no victory whatsoever! That’s why we have to be ever so thankful and show proper gratitude for all of God’s great mercies towards us.
Remember, He didn’t have to do anything for us. But because we were His creation, and so dear to His heart, He couldn’t just sit by and see us all go the way of Beelzebub! And Jesus didn’t have to give of Himself so selflessly and sacrificially either, but He delighted in doing the Father’s will, even though it was outrageously painful and shameful.
That’s why the Father highly exalted Jesus afterwards, ‘and given him a name which is above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11) Oh what a mighty champion is our Lord and Saviour!
And hear how John saw it in his vision in Revelation. As Jesus took up the Book of Life, ‘the four beasts (living creatures) and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and vials (bowls) full of odours (incense), which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book (scroll), and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred (tribe), and tongue, and people, and nation. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts (living creatures) and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands and thousands: Saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.’ (Rev.5:8-12)
And that’s exactly how it should be. So please my fellow believers, let’s praise and honour Jesus, and live for and LOVE Him down here on earth nuh, so that we will be able to praise and worship Him later on in heaven. That’s wisdom of everlasting proportions! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t honour Jesus on earth…you won’t praise Him in heaven…
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