28 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominations, adversity, Amen, black and white, blessed, blessings, burn the candle at both ends, city gates, commandments, defiles, disobedience, doing right, dr schuller, empty pitcher, fruit of the righteous, glory and honour, god, God's amazing faithfulness, growing flower, holy spirit, Hour of Power, I come O God, Jesus is the only answer, Lamb's book of life, lies, long and arduous night, LOVE, LOVE one another, mountain spring, my soul, New Jerusalem, no night, on the outside looking in, paradise of God, poem of prayer, positive note, Praise the Lord, rewards, right decision, satisfying sun, straight from the horse's mouth, thank you, the end times, thirsty deer, time of prayer, tree of life, tribulation, truth, vim and vigour, warning, wisdom
Revelation 22:14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s been a long and arduous night…of sleep! Hn, hn! My body had its way with me. That’s what happens when you try to burn the candle at both ends simultaneously. (smile) But hopefully, now that the ole bod has had its fill of sleep, it will be able to do the Lord’s work properly, with much vim and vigour.
Anyway, let’s get rolling with a poem of prayer from Dr. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. And it’s truly amazing, that though I’ve been reading the Devotional for several years now, most of the stuff I share from it seems entirely new to me. This poem titled ‘Fill Me!’ falls into that category.
Please read and pray with me. ‘O Lord, like the thirsty deer which goes to drink from the mountain spring; like the growing flower which turns hungrily to the satisfying sun; like the empty pitcher which is carried to the fountain to be filled; so I come, O God, knowing that in this time of prayer my soul will be filled with your LOVE and truth. Thank you! Amen.’
And I certainly hope that all our souls will be filled with God’s LOVE and TRUTH, as we go out this rainy Tuesday morning to do His awesome bidding, securely backed up by His amazing faithfulness.
And all God’s people declared a mighty, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes Friends, let’s keep on praising His glorious Name, for He is indeed most worthy of all that praise, and infinitely more than we can ever come up with or imagine.
Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.’
Ah mih people, that’s a warning we should all take very seriously and heed immediately! For as we saw yesterday, the adversity and unfixable tribulation of the opposite action, disobedience, is certainly not to be desired. Being on the outside looking in, is definitely not where you want to be at the end times.
And today, I want to look at some appropriate scriptures which corroborate our Bit. And we’re going to start out on a positive note, with the blessings administered for doing right.
John tells us in his first letter: ‘And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.’ (1 John 3:23-24)
That’s plain and straightforward Friends!
And as per ‘the tree of life,’ Cousin Sol describes it thus in Proverbs 11: ‘The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed (rewarded) in the earth: much more than the wicked and the sinner.’ (Prov.11:30-31)
Now hear Jesus’ warning and promise on it. ‘He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.’ (Rev.2:7)
Straight from the horse’s mouth my brethren, so it has to be true!
Now as regards ‘the gates of the city,’ of the New Jerusalem, listen to John’s revelation: ‘And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh (causes an) abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ (Rev.21:24-27)
And all God’s people said a loud and thankful ‘Amen!’
So there we have it Friends, in black and white. If your name’s not written in the Lamb’s book of life, then you won’t be allowed into the New Jerusalem. And the ONLY way to get your name in that awesome book, is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then obey His commandments in this earthly life.
So now the choice is ours. Let’s hope we make the right decision right now, for remember when the end times arrive, there’ll be no chance to change our minds. It’s certainly NOW or NEVER!
So please, please, my brethren, let’s be wise for once in our lives and choose Jesus nuh, for He is the ONLY answer to whatever ails us. Much LOVE!
…I choose Jesus…because He first chose me…and that says a whole lot…
16 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: atonement for sins, awesome truth, blessings, burnt offerings, christianity, contrite hearts, faith, forgiveness, formalism, heart reality, loving kindness, mercy, one more day, one more morning, path to righteousness, peace offerings, penitence, psalm 40, reception of God's goodness, sacrifices, showers of grace, sin offerings, truly blessed, unblemished Lamb of God, understanding, walk humbly, windows of heaven, wisdom
Psalm 40:6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire: mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
And the choir sang: ‘One more morning, One more day. Filled with blessings and mercies new. One more morning, One more day. The Lord’s opened the windows of heaven, and sent us grace, through forgiveness; sufficient for One more morning, One more day.’ Oh Friends, are we ready to receive the steady showers of grace, mercy, blessings and forgiveness that our wonderful God is preparing to rain down on us today? I surely hope so. Because, if we’re not, then we’ll be missing something very special in our lives, something only believers can experience and receive. And therein lies the rub; the reception of God’s goodness. Many of us know and talk about it, but don’t really receive it. And that part is solely up to us. It’s just like if someone offers us something physical. If we don’t accept and receive it, we’ll never have it. It’s the same principle with God’s LOVING-kindness, only this time it’s spiritual and not physical offerings, but you still have to actually receive it in and by faith. A good example is when we ask for forgiveness, the Lord grants it, but until we acknowledge it ourselves, and actually feel forgiven, the forgiveness is wasted. So it’s essential that each and everyday, we brace ourselves to sincerely receive God’s grace, mercy and blessings through our faith and the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us. That will enable us to get on and stay on the path to righteousness. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’ And in passing, I’d like to say that the weatherman actually got it right yesterday, because by mid-morning the sun had come our bright and sparkling, though the wind played a hard and fast tune all day. Hurrah for the weatherman! (smile) When he screws up, we let him know, so in all fairness we should applaud him when he gets it right. And he says it’s going to be hot and sunny again today. Let’s hope he can get it right two days straight. And now turning to our Bit: ‘ Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire: mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.’ Words of awesome truth my brethren! Sacrificing things or animals doesn’t cut it with our God. As we saw yesterday, it’s our penitent and contrite hearts and minds that He’s interested in. Today, we’ll continue to highlight scriptures that deal with this fact. Listen to the prophet Amos on God’s behalf, in a call to repentance. ‘I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell (savour) in your solemn (sacred) assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols (stringed instruments). But let judgement (justice) run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.’ (Amos 5:21-24) That’s surely telling us eh! The scholars explain that scripture thus. ‘I hate, I despise your feast days: Religious activity without heart reality is repugnant to God. God-ordained forms of worship and religious expression without heart reality become only nauseating, empty formalism: and they anger rather than appease God.’ Truth in spades my people! And if we read Hebrews 10:1-18, we’ll find the subject discussed in greater detail, where we see Jesus, the unblemished Lamb of God, being the once and for all time atonement for sin. Hear the Good Book: ‘But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.’ (Heb.10:3-4) And that’s the honest truth! Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices for the remission of sins had to be made every year. But God, in His infinite wisdom did away with that under the New Covenant, where Christ atoned for the sins of ALL mankind for ALL time. We surely are wonderfully blessed, my fellow believers! There’s no other faith but Christianity where forgiveness of sins can be had by contrite repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. What a kind and caring God we worship! So I can’t understand why we’re so bent on removing Him from our society. He is the One who created us, cares for us, causes us to get health, wealth, peace, wisdom and understanding. And have you noticed that since we embarked on the erroneous task of removing God from our lives, that we’ve had much less of all those things mentioned above. Everything has gone into a deathlike tailspin because God is the One who causes all of that to happen, and if we’re not dealing consistently and truthfully with Him, then He’ll obviously stop blessing us. Now let’s end with another very informative and telling scripture. This from the prophet Micah, re the requirement of the Lord. ‘Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body (my own child) for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God.’ (Mic.6:6-8) That says it all Friends! So today, let’s ponder our individual situations and see how we shape up per those requirements, then ask the Lord to help us rectify whatever is wrong in that respect. That’s truly wisdom of the highest order. Much LOVE!…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…or else he’ll pay an exorbitant price for his disobedience…
25 Apr 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alone with God, blessings, compassion, complaining, faithful promises, fear, fellow believers, gladness, glorious day, good life, goodness and mercy, gracious, grateful, grateful praise, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, let your light shine, light, light of the world, light shining, loving kindness, new mercies, peace, petty stuff, Praise the Lord, prayer, showered down, steadfast, thanks and praise, the light's that Jesus, the righteous, the true light, the upright in heart, wonderful god
Psalm 97:11. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
Oh fellow believers in Jesus Christ, another wonderful day of life is in the offing! What with new mercies and blessings being showered down on the people of Jehovah God, and the faithful promises He’s made us, there’s no reason why every day couldn’t be a glorious day. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’ Yes Friends, I think we should do a lot more praising and a lot less complaining than we do, simply because we have it so good, compared to most of the world. However, we’ve gotten so comfortable and accustomed to the good life, that if we break a fingernail, we cry out in pain and complain. The Lord expects us to put up with the simple stuff though. Just look at what Jesus bore without complaining eh. Now that should make us feel bad when we complain about minor, petty stuff. So please let’s stop with the endless complaining when we have it so good. Instead, let’s give more praise and thanks for all the goodness and mercy our wonderful God has showered, is showering, and will shower down on us. And on that note, I’ll ask, have you given Him thanks and praise as yet, for allowing you to see another new day? Well that’s the first thing we ought to do when we arise each morning, for the Lord delights in the thanks and praise of those who benefit from His largesse and LOVING-kindness. That’s why our Bit today so wisely declares: ‘Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.’ And that’s an undeniable fact Friends! When our hearts are right, we shine with the glory of God, like Moses when he came down from Mt. Sinai bearing the two stone tablets that held the Ten Commandments. His face shone so brightly that Aaron and the people were afraid to come close and look upon him, and he put on a veil to talk to them. (Ex.34:27-35) And according to the scholars: ‘From that time onward the veil became part of his ordinary dress. Only two occasions were exceptions. (1) When he was alone with God, and (2) when he had a message for the people from God.’ It’s also interesting to note that when Job’s friends lambasted him, they too referred to his life bearing light if he repented and sought righteousness. Listen to Zophar. ‘For then thou shalt lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shall not fear: because thou shalt forget thy misery and remember it as waters that pass away; and thine age (life) shall be clearer (brighter) than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.’ (Job.11:15-17) Now hear Eliphaz. ‘Acquaint now thyself with him (God), and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.’ (Job 22:21, 27-28) Yes my brethren, light is indeed a big part of the Christian’s walk with God. It was important in the Old Testament and Jesus made it even more so. He spoke a lot about light and darkness. Remember that all important statement He made about us? ‘Ye are the light of the world.’ (Matt.5:14a) He was also characterized as the light shining in the darkness of this evil world. John referred to Him as ‘the True Light.’ (John 1:9) Jesus also portrayed Himself as light; ‘that true light is come into the world.’ (John 3:19) ‘Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.’ (John 12:35-36) So there’s no denying that light is closely associated with belief in Jesus. All God’s dealings are done in light and not darkness, because He has nothing to hide, plus the light is a refreshing change from the darkness of evil where underhanded deeds are done and hidden from the light of truth. Therefore all God’s children affairs should also be done in, or be able to withstand the light, exposed to the truth, for only lies, rebellion and deceit need the cover of darkness. For as Cousin Sol so wisely points out. ‘But the path of the just is as the shining (bright) light, that shineth more and more (ever brighter) unto the perfect day.’ (Prov.4:18) So all in all Friends, we need light in both the metaphorical and physical worlds, for without either, we can’t find our way in the darkness, making us very liable to stumble and fall in both situations. Consequently, our words and deeds should be above board, capable of setting worthy examples for both the believer and unbeliever to follow. As the psalmist so rightly declares in Psalm 112 – Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. ‘Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.’ (Ps.112:4) Oh my brethren, as followers of Jesus, and therefore children of light, please let’s go out today and in all our endeavours, endeavour to be gracious, righteous and full of compassion, so that we may further the righteous and glorious kingdom of God, as we are expected to do. That’s the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!…don’t hide your light under a bushel…set it at the top of the hill…so that all the world can see…and be gloriously reflected in that light…the light that’s Jesus…
23 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: antichirst, believers, blessings, constant threat, everyday occurrences, evil, false prophets, Great Tribulation, holy spirit, jesus is god, Love for Jesus, new mercies, New Testament, proactive, seek God, Spirit of God, spirituality, stressful work, the Truth, ungodly world
1 John 4:2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is God.
And then it was Saturday! One of the two days a body can sleep in, if it so desires. However, some of us are still not that lucky because we either have to get up and look after young children, or get out and do the weekly shopping, which we’re too tired to do after a stressful work day. But please remember Friends, that whether you can sleep in or not, God’s new mercies and blessings are still showered down every day, and if we look for them, we’ll surely find them. I believe that’s possibly the biggest reason why believers don’t see God’s blessings. We hear a lot of talk about new mercies and blessings every day, but many of us are left wondering about the whereabouts of God’s riches. That brings us to one of two problems; we expect whatever God offers us to just fall directly into our laps, without any work on our part. But that’s not always the case my people. Oftimes we have to seek out, search for those blessings, cause God will not always spoon feed us with whatever we want or whatever He offers. As He says, if you seek me, you’ll find me. (Deut.4:29) That refers to everything that has to do with God. We should always be seeking Him, talking to Him, praising and thanking Him. Many times we whine about not receiving a blessing, when it’s right in front of us, if we’d only look for it. That brings us to the second problem; the size of the blessings. Many of us subconsciously think of blessings and mercies as being large in size and provide bountiful resources. But the truth is that most are small, everyday occurrences that just make our lives a tad easier, or puts a smile both in our hearts and on our faces. So it’s time to stop looking for the big prize all the time, for that makes us miss the small ones that are there everyday. The whole point is we should try to be more proactive than reactive. Let the passion and LOVE for Jesus cause us to want to know Him, to want to work diligently on His behalf. But we also need to be careful and not allow that passion to run away with us, by examining things very carefully before committing to them. It’s like our Bit. ‘Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is God.’ Yes Friends, we need to know that what we’re doing and believing is truly of God, as our Bit warns. Then John continues his exhortation: ‘And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:3) And yuh better believe mih people that the antichrist spirit is alive and kicking throughout the world right now, more widespread and with better deceptive tools than in John’s day. And as John earlier declares: ‘I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.’ (1 John 2:21-22) Now here’s a note from the scholars on the antichrist. ‘The term antichrist refers to anyone usurping the place of Christ or opposing Christ. But the title of the Antichrist identifies a person who emerges during the Great Tribulation to lead Satan’s strategy on earth. The term is used five times in the New Testament and only by John, although the Antichrist of the Great Tribulation is identified by many other names and titles in Scripture: “that wicked” (2 Thess.2:8); “the son of perdition” (2 Thess.2:3); “the wilful king” (Dan.11:36) He is chiefly depicted in the Scriptures as an immensely powerful political leader. He apparently heads the revived Roman Empire, but will not be revealed until after the Rapture (2 Thess.2:3). He is the ultimate opponent of God, God’s plans, and God’s people. The presence of so much false teaching, John implies, reminds believers of the constant threat posed by evil to believers. Yet they need not fear; they need only be diligent and not slack.’ And the main reason believers need not be afraid is stated in John’s next verse. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4) And all God’s people shouted a glorious ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ because Jesus is stronger than Lucifer. The scholars note it thus: ‘Christ indwells believers; Satan is likewise the lord of his own followers. But Christ is greater than he who wreaks havoc in the world. Have overcome is in the perfect tense, stressing the abiding nature of their victory. Their strength lies in the fact that they are (born) of God.’ Now that’s sure refreshing and assuring! And John continues: ‘They are of the world; therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.’ (1 John 4:5) That’s so true! Those who bow to the spirit of the antichrist are of the world, a world which prefers the teachings of the false prophets and antichrist agents to that of God’s truth. How sad Friends. But thankfully my fellow believers, as John further declares: ‘We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.’ (1 John 4:6) And here’s how the scholars explain that verse. ‘Those who acknowledge the truth of the apostolic (New Testament) witness to Christ will recognize and conform to the teaching John is presenting. Those who do not are animated by a common and unifying spirit of error. John warns his readers against this spirit by contrasting their false views of Christ with the views that he, a personal follower and witness of Christ proclaims.’ Yeh Friends, it’s only logical that we should accept John’s proclamation, since he personally walked with Christ here on earth. In any case though my people, the important thing is that we always seek to find the truth…and not the world’s truth, but that of Jehovah God, which has the divine ability to set us free from both spiritual and physical bondage in this evil, ungodly world. So please, let’s try and make that our life’s goal, because it is wisdom at its highest level, and our diligent efforts will also be highly rewarded at the end time. Much LOVE!…the enemies of Christ seek ways to defame Him…but true believers know the truth…because of His Holy Spirit that dwells in them…
20 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Agur, ants, blessings, book of proverbs, christianity, clever inventions, conies, discouraged, disheartened, dissensions, divisions, embrace Jesus, eternal death, eyes of faith, faithful children, first day of spring, four small but wise things, gospel truth, great expertise, heavenly Father, locusts, loving kindness, mercies, merry-go-round, most holy name, never give up, northern climes, potential enemies, praise, prepare for predictable circumstances, sage, self-starter, separation from Almighty God, sincere voice, sluggard, spiders, strength of purpose, thanks, united body, vision, weak and feeble, webs
Proverbs 30:24. There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise.
And the merry-go-round that’s life, has turned one more time my Friends, to this cold, dreary looking day called Wednesday. Now officially it’s supposed to be the first day of spring in the northern climes. Hn! But outside looks nor feels anything like spring, with the snow covered ground and the bone chilling temps, made worse by a whipping wind. But please remember my fellow believers that regardless of how the day physically appears or looks in your particular area, just see it through your eyes of faith as being beautiful, because it really is. It’s still filled with wonderful, brand new mercies and blessings as decreed by our heavenly Father. And all His faithful children acknowledged His LOVING-kindness by declaring in a loud, sincere voice: ‘Oh Father God, You are so wonderful and generous to us, the sinful, undeserving children of men. That’s why we worship and serve and LOVE You so much, and will continue to do so till eternity! We praise You, give You thanks, and bless Your Most Holy Name! Amen.’ Now Friends, we have a very interesting Bit today – not that we don’t have them every day – but something about this one just seems special. It’s taken from the contribution of the sage Agur to the Book of Proverbs. According to the scholars, ‘Nothing is known of Agur, but he was likely one of the international sages of Solomon’s day (cf. 1 Kin.4:30-31).’ Anyway, he does write some very interesting and truthful stuff, showing great insight into nature and man’s life here on earth. And in our Bit today, he solemnly declares: ‘There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise.’ And what he says is gospel truth my brethren! Now let’s look at the first of these small but wise things. ‘The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat (food) in the summer.’ (Prov.30:25) And we all know that’s very true, because we’ve all seen the ants working diligently, doing whatever they need to do to provide a good life for themselves. As Cousin Sol says in Proverbs chapter 6: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (food) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov.6:6-8) And that’s the absolute truth people! As children growing up in the West Indies, we’d often watch an army of ants, fascinated by their scurrying around, busily doing their own thing, wondering how they were so diligent and focussed. But that’s built into their very nature by the Creator. And as to how that fits in with human life, listen to the scholars: ‘The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant. (1) The ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (v7), meaning that the ant does not have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances.’ Oh Friends, those lessons are even more important and valuable to us today! What with the great proliferation of laziness and idleness, especially amongst our young. Now let’s turn to the second small thing which Agur finds exceedingly wise: ‘The conies (rock badger or hyrax) are but a feeble folk, yet make their houses in the rocks.’ (Prov.30:26) Oh my brethren, how many of us of feeble strength and intellect can build our spiritual houses in the rocks, away from evil marauders eh? Not too many. But these small animals find a way to live in hills and rocks, away from the prying eyes of potential enemies. We need to be able to do the same thing my people. But that can only happen when we sincerely and securely embrace Jesus and all the good things He has to offer. Until then, we’ll be weak and feeble, driven to and fro by any kind of dogma, like a rudderless ship on a stormy sea. And the third thing which Agur talks about is; ‘The Locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands (in ranks).’ (Prov.30:27) Now isn’t that very strange, but rather interesting? Insects that have no leader, but yet go forth by their millions in proper ranks and formation! And their strength as a united body is enormous, for they rape and pillage the land like nothing else can. After locusts pass over an area, it looks like a moonscape, barren and desolate. Now if we humans, especially those in Christ’s church could only come together in such large numbers, with such vision and strength of purpose, then we’d have a much better chance of defeating the evildoers than we are now with comparatively puny numbers and petty divisions and dissensions. And last but not least of these strong and wise things of nature is; ‘The Spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.’ (Prov.30:28) Now the spider is certainly a work of true skill, cunning and strength! It builds its web all over, from the poorest hovel to the most pristine palace. It’s no respecter of places. And it cunningly catches its prey, its food in the sticky membranes of the web. We tear down these webs, but they soon build them back again. That’s tenacity people. Do we have that attribute? Not as much as we ought to. Too many of us get disheartened and discouraged at the first sign of danger or problems and quickly consider giving us. But please remember that giving up does not exist in Jesus’ vocabulary or that of His followers. Christ never gave up though the going was exceedingly rough. And can you imagine if He had given up as soon as the going got rough? Where would we be now eh? Left out in the cold, on the outside looking in, or rather facing a hellish time in the depths of hell with Lucifer, facing eternal death and separation from Almighty God. But with the Father’s generous help, Jesus stuck it out, so that we could have a chance to dwell in heaven, rather than hell for all eternity. And there ends the lesson for today my brethren. There’s a lot for the supposed smart and thinking humans to learn from the small, lowly, but very instinctive parts of nature, if we’ll only take the time to study them. Yuh see how the ancients did it and ended up wiser. But today with all our clever inventions and great expertise, we think we’re too high and mighty to learn anything from the smaller, lowlier creations of God. How wrong we are! So please, today, let’s take a few moments to ponder the attributes of those four lowly creatures, insignificant in our sight, but very pesty and pesky in our lives, and see how our individual lives and actions line up with them. Then let’s consciously make the decision and effort to do better. That’s wisdom in spades! Much LOVE!…though we look down disparagingly on the lesser creatures of nature…they do have a lot to teach us…supposedly first class beings…
11 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: blessings, cloud of witnesses, confidence, disobedience, endurance, enthusiasm, families, God of action, God's glorious kingdom, holy spirit, intensity, jobs, justice, labour time, lies, life's race, living God, Monday Morning, mysterious manner, obedience, perseverance, practice, punishment, put aside sin, race set before us, rejuvenation of spirit, religion, responsibilities, righteousness., run with patience, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, theology, things of earth, things of heaven, vitality, wiles
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday! Time to rise and shine and get ourselves ready to go out and labour! Time to joyfully shout,’TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday!’ the same way we shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ I know that’s not happening right now, but somehow in the near future I’m convinced it’s going to happen, because then we’ll all really become true believers and enthusiastically do what needs to be done to fight for Jesus and His most worthwhile cause. And yuh know, in that mysterious manner of our great God, yesterday morning I heard a song on the radio that I think speaks to our problem. The singer first tells us how Jesus left His heavenly home, where the living was easy, came to earth, was abused and mistreated by us humans, then sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary, was risen, and ascended into heaven to prepare a place so that you and I can go to spend eternity with Him. Then the vocalist poses this most interesting question: ‘What else do you want Jesus to do?’ And the question caused me to ponder it for a moment, cause surprisingly I’ve never really heard it put that way before. But my Friends, if we seriously consider the question, then we’ll be forced to truthfully conclude that the answer is nothing else. That’s because there’s nothing else for Him to truly do! He’s done His part in our covenant, over and above too, but now it’s up to us to do ours. And that’s basically our problem today; we lead a fairly easy and comfortable life and we don’t want to get up off of our fat rear ends and do what we ought to do. But yet we still expect to receive all the goodies that God’s promised. I’m sorry my people, but it doesn’t work so with our God of supreme justice and righteousness. He LOVES us a million fold, but He will not put up with our laziness and/or procrastination. Remember, obedience brings blessings, but disobedience entails punishment! So please, let’s band our bellies nuh, and stand up strong and steadfast and do our parts, and stop disappointing Jesus with our half-hearted, lacklustre, often hypocritical efforts. And the first move in that direction is to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with amazing enthusiasm and sincerity. As one great choir now, let’s rock heaven and earth: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Now that wasn’t bad, but still not as good as it ought to be. Interestingly enough though, a semblance of a smile crossed Jesus’ face, as He looked at the Father with a positive nod, indicating some improvement over last week’s rendition. (smile) That brings us to our Bit, wise advice from the author of Hebrews to all believers. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnares) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.’ And how do we do that? By ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb.12:2) And the scholars tell us that ‘Just as verse 1 establishes some qualities for the entrance into and the actual running of life’s race, so verse 2 directs one’s eyes to the finish line. Jesus is the author and finisher in that He has already blazed the trail and finished the course.’ So my brethren, it’s not like we have to blaze a completely new trail with our Christian living, because Jesus has already done that. All we have to do now is follow His lead, which unfortunately is proving extremely difficult for too many of us. And you know that Jesus didn’t have it easy, and warned that His followers wouldn’t have it easy either; ‘but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And since we now have the belly and backbone of Jesus through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, we therefore have the ability to run that race set before us with good strength, endurance and perseverance. But like anything else, to improve, we need to practice and train seriously. And Friends, that’s where we’re falling down; we’re not practising and training with enough intensity and seriousness, as though we really want to run this race and win it. But here’s the first step we all need to take, as Bruh Paul so wisely tells the newly minted Colossian Christians. ‘If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth.’ (Col.3:1-2) Yes my brethren, we have to put our minds to things like developing a deeper knowledge and understanding of Jesus, and thus a closer relationship with Him, developing godly virtues and putting them into action, and fulfilling our responsibilities both at home and abroad, because as I keep reminding us, our God is a living God, a God of action, and to be like Him, we must also be action oriented. So let’s get some serious action going nuh. Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
07 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anger, believers, blessings, boasts, discernment, faith, faithful believers, faithful promises, fruits of righteousness, glory of God, good works, goodness, grace, joy, joyous praise, lifeblood, mediocrity, pilgrimage, praise, Praise the Lord, prayer, religion, resentment, salvation, strength, thanksgiving, theology, triumph, ultimate purpose, victorious, wonderful god, worry
Philippians 1:11. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Oh Friends, what is your joy quotient this Thursday morning in March 2013 eh? Is it high, low, or just mediocre? I read an old Joel Osteen devotional earlier on that advised us to be always joyful, and today that advice just reverberated so strongly in me that I had to bring it to our attention. Why? Because I know that many of us, even faithful believers, have less, experience less than an adequate amount of joy on a regular basis. We still fret and worry too much, have too much resentment and anger in our souls, which only allows the wily Lucifer to suck the joy, the very lifeblood out of us. For remember, the joy of the Lord is our strength, (Neh.8:10) and without it, we’re helpless, useless, victims in waiting for all the negative actions and options of the evil one. So here’s a prayer taken from the devotional, which encourages us to up the level of our joy, and to keep it high at all times. Please pray with me: ‘Dear Father, thank You for filling my life with joy. Thank You that I am blessed and cannot be cursed. Thank You that in all things You cause me to triumph. Thank You for your strength within me that comes from that joy. I bless You today and rejoice in your goodness.’ And all God’s people declared a loud and joyous, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen.’ Yes Friends, today, and everyday, let’s prep ourselves early on, to rejoice in the goodness of our wonderful God nuh! What’s the purpose of having such a kind, LOVING and considerate God, whose Word abounds with so many faithful promises, if we just live in sadness and mediocrity, in worry and all the other negative things the world tries to get us involved in? We might as well have no God at all. Oh what a terrible, unthinkable thought! Anyway, with that exclusive joy of God in our hearts, let’s turn to our Bit. Sorry, not yet. First, let’s see what caused Bruh Paul to write our Bit. He’s writing from prison, talking about thanksgiving and prayer. ‘And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement (discernment); That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.’ (Phil.1:9-10) And the scholars have a good comment on those verses. ‘Things that are excellent means “things that really matter.” This refers to important issues. As the Philippians’ LOVE increases in knowledge and discernment (v.9), they will be able to accurately distinguish the vital and worthwhile things in life from those that are not. Contextually, the readers’ LOVE for Paul vexes them as they are anxious over his imprisonment. He wants them to perceive his imprisonment as being among those “things that really matter” because of the good that God will bring out of it. The purpose for such discrimination is that ye may be sincere (or morally pure) and without offense till the day of Christ.’ Then comes our Bit: ‘Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ Please note Friends, we can’t do what our Bit talks about unless we have the joy of God securely planted in our souls. Now listen to the scholars’ comments on our Bit. ‘This verse could be translated, “Filled with the fruit that is righteousness, which comes through Jesus Christ for the purpose of glorifying and praising God.” The believer who is pure and without offense before God (v.10) has divinely developed in him a practical “righteousness” or daily moral life that measures up to God’s standards in character and conduct. The ultimate purpose for this “righteousness” is to glorify God.’ Yes fellow believers, let’s never forget that regardless of what we do or what happens to us, our ultimate purpose on this earth is to glorify the Most High God Jehovah! That’s why we’re filled with the Holy Spirit and the subsequent righteousness granted to us; all because of Jesus’ actions! So now, having made all of that understandable, (smile) let’s introduce some scripture that corroborates our Bit. For that we’ll turn to Ephesians, where Bruh Paul’s telling them of grace and faith. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:8-10) That ought to put everything in its proper perspective my brethren: We were saved through the unmerited favour of God, so that nobody could boast of their good works. And also spiritually reborn through Jesus, so that we could then do good works. And we’ll close with a comment from the scholars on that subject. ‘The apostle’s thinking is this, since the Christian has been given spiritual life for the purpose of doing good works, there could have been no good works by him prior to conversion that would merit salvation. Good works follow – do not precede – salvation.’ And all God’s people said a loud and glorious ‘Amen!’ Yes Friends, please remember that our earthly pilgrimage is first and foremost about praising and glorifying our most wonderful God! Much LOVE!…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…for without Him…we are nothing…nothing at all…
05 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Alpha, awesome God, believing in jesus, blessings, children of light, fatherly LOVE, flowers fade, fulfilling life, glorious day, glory of God, grass withers, holy spirit, humble servants, Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, Omega, protection, reconciliation, sacrifice, thanks and praise, the beginning, the end, the first, the last, walk in light, Word of God
Isaiah 40:8. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
One more morning, one more day, filled with new mercies, filled with new blessings, showered down from heaven with fatherly LOVE! Yes Friends, that’s what is happening on this new Today, and what happens on every new Today! And before we get too carried away, let’s realize that it’s not because of our goodness, or what we rightfully deserve, but because of our wonderful God’s LOVING-kindness towards us! His heart is so overflowing with LOVE and tenderness for us, that despite our lack of enthusiasm and strong faith, He has a hard time saying No to us. So in grateful appreciation, let’s offer a few words of thanks nuh. Pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, we, your humble servants, created and so richly provided for by You, offer our sincere thanks and praise this new day. We don’t know what lies ahead, but we know that whatever comes our way, You’ll be right there with us to help us through it. Please continue to bless and protect us. We pray this in the holy name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life at Calvary, so that we could be reconciled and once again have glorious fellowship with You.’ And all God’s people declared a loud and sincere, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’ Ah mih people, I’m so glad that it was only supposed to be a few words. (smile) But yuh know, sometimes when you start giving our awesome God the praise and thanks He so richly deserves, you often get carried away by the deep LOVE for Him that’s in your heart. Now let’s turn to our Bit, which, as promised, is the same as yesterday. I’m trying my best to be like the Lord and keep my promises. (smile) And our Bit boldly proclaims: ‘The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.’ And that’s no lie, my brethren! The Word of our great Deity will never depart from the life of this world, as long as it exists, be it in physical or spiritual form, because it comes from the Mighty One who created it and all it contains. Unfortunately many don’t believe that, and I’m genuinely sorry for them, because it means they are not enjoying the rich and fulfilling life that comes from believing and following the Word of the Most High God Jehovah. And as Isaiah confidently declares before our Bit, in this Chapter 40, that deals with comfort through trust in the Lord: ‘And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The voice said, Cry (out), And he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the godliness (loveliness) thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit (breath) of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.’ (Is.40:5-7) Yes Friends, in the time line of our God, we certainly have short lives; lives comparable in our understanding, to that of the grass and flowers that spring up rich and beautiful one day, but by the next are withered and faded. However, the glorious Word of our omnipotent God will live much longer, indeed forever! Why? Because it comes from the One who is Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, who created everything that exists, controls it all, and can do whatsoever He wants with it! As the prophet Micah promises, when talking about turning swords into ploughshares: ‘And I will make her that halted (is lame) a remnant, and her that was cast far off (the outcasts) a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.’ (Mic.4:7) What an awesome promise my fellow believers! And it will eventually come true, because our God is ever faithful to keep His promises. Meanwhile, Isaiah solemnly delivers another of God’s promises in Chapter 24, that after judgement comes upon the earth: ‘Then the moon shall be confounded (disgraced or ashamed), and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients (elders) gloriously.’ (Is.24:23) Wow mih breddren! That will be such a glorious day that even the sun and moon will have to step back from the marvellous light of our enchanting God! And as we like to do whenever possible, we’ll end with some moving and meaningful words of the Master Teacher, Jesus. Here, He’s telling the people of His upcoming death, resurrection and ascension. ‘The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest the darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knowest not wither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.’ (John 12:34-36) Oh Friends, that’s the Word of our God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And yuh know what? It will certainly live on forever, so if we’re smart, we’ll consciously choose to follow it, so that we too can live on forever with Him. Much LOVE!…true believers…must use the wisdom generated by the Holy Spirit in them…to LOVE and obey the Word of God…
26 Feb 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anger, bitterness, blessings, carnal, confusion, corruption, crime, death, destruction, envy, evil work, fleshly lusts, gentleness, godless society, good fruits, greater toronto area, growth, guns, holy spirit, human-rights, hypocrisy, idol worship, jealousy, LOVE, mercies, murder, partiality, peace, peaceable, pure, resentment, righteousness., strife, topsy-turvy weather, violence, wisdom, young people
James 3:16. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Ah Friends, yesterday has passed, and today is upon us again, with all of God’s new mercies and blessings! And His people offered a loud, ‘Thank you Lord! We praise and bless Your Holy Name!’ Unfortunately though, many of us in the Greater Toronto area won’t be pleased with it, because the weatherman has been warning us for the last few days about another terrible storm coming our way, starting this evening and continuing into sometime Wednesday. The temperature is supposed to be around 4 Celsius, so let’s hope that we are lambasted by rain, rather than the dreaded white stuff, as the weather people seem to expect. It only looks beautiful when it’s undefiled by man. Anyway, as true and strong believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ, we’ll handle it, with His most valuable help. I guess that means some breathing tests I’m supposed to have tomorrow will be cancelled again, like they were last week when the rather inclement weather struck. (smile) These days I’m so tired of the topsy-turvy weather that I’m not going out if it’s bad, unless it’s for some thing very, very important. The tests can wait. It’s not like I’m still sick and suffering from bronchial congestion like I was a few weeks ago. Anyway, enough of my unimportant problems, let’s turn to our Bit, which is way more important. It’s the same one as yesterday. ‘For where envying and strife is (self seeking exists), there is confusion and every evil work.’ And we saw yesterday that that was indeed truth of the highest order, especially in our modern, selfish, evil, godless, idol-worshipping world. Now yesterday we ended by saying that violence and strife are possibly the number one products of our present world. Ah Friends, the crime, violence, and widespread corruption within our nations are heart-rending. And here we’ll use T&T, Trinidad and Tobago as an example. It’s been recently reported that in the first forty something days of 2013, there have been sixty something murders in the twin island Republic of between 1 and 2 million people. And that’s without any major incidents from the recent Carnival celebrations, which the police said was the cleanest and least problematic in years. Now I’m not crying down T&T, just using it as a broad example because I have the figures, for violence is widespread all over the globe. And to bring that point home, right here in ole Toronto the Good, young people, all be it from 15 years old have recently been shooting up each other, in broad daylight too. In fact, young people less than 25 years of age have been recently committing most of the gun crimes. That certainly doesn’t say much about the respect that our young people have for the human life; very little for both theirs and others. And the sad part is that these shootings are over very petty stuff. Most of them can’t even spell their blooming names or even wash themselves properly, but they’re quick to pull a gun over some foolish, petty, imagined slight. Now we won’t even bother to talk about the U.S. which seems intent on returning to the days of the Wild West with its proliferation of legal guns and crimes. Please note that in several states guns are now been legally worn openly. Ah Lord eh! When is going to end? When are we going to understand and wake up to the fact that guns only foster violence? When are we going to truly believe the age-old adage, that he who lives by the sword, and also the gun, dies by the sword and the gun too? As Bruh Paul so rightly told the Corinthians: ‘For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men (live according to man)? (1 Cor. 3:3) Yes my brethren, we are indeed carnal, almost totally living by the dictates of man and not God. And unfortunately a carnal mind hinders the growth of the Holy Spirit in mankind. So please, for all our sakes, let’s see if we can’t bring our world around nuh, beginning with our immediate families, to what James describes as the optimal situation. ‘But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated (willing to yield), full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.’ (James 3:17) Oh my fellow believers, that’s the only way we’ll ever turn our strife filled world around and see our children’s children live in harmony, peace and LOVE, rather than anger, bitterness, resentment and the resultant strife that only leads to untold, untimely and unnecessary death and destruction. That’s the wisdom for this age. Much LOVE!…and the fruit of righteousness…is sown in peace…of them that make peace… (James 3:18)
22 Feb 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirms God's justice, all who forget God, bide time, Bildad, blessings, body, caught in their own net, christianity, communion with god, earthly pilgrimage, endurance, fasting, fellowship, fool's folly, forgiveness, fun, glorious kingdom, grace, heathen, hypocrite's hope, hypocrites, Job, LOVE, mercy, mind, mire, patience, perish, praise and thanks, relaxation, remember God, rest, sorry lot, soul, spirituality, torn in pieces, traffic hassles, wisdom
Job 8:13. So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday; the second Friday in Lent! But the joyous ‘TGIF’s’ and ‘Thank God is Friday,’ are not as plentiful or powerful as normal. I don’t know if that’s happening because it’s Lent, but as I recently said, though Lent should be a serious time of reflection, contemplation and communion with God, there’s no need to lose our joy, whatever season it is. And remember those joyous shouts on Fridays are for the ending of the week of labour, the traffic hassles and all the other worldly distractions. It also gives us more time to spend with God, which should make us even more joyous. So please let’s keep our joy going, don’t let Lucifer fool us into thinking that we have to be so pious and holy we can’t have mucho joy in our souls. Remember, it’s that joy we get from being in sync with God that gives us the strength to bear the burdens we all face on our earthly pilgrimage. And to help us with that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with plenty power and sweet harmony. As one 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.’ That was awesome my people! Let’s do it for real now. Oh, by the way, the ole fella aced the fasting test yesterday! I got to the lab around ten thirty-five, but was it ever crowded. I knew though that I wasn’t leaving, because I had no desire to go through the fasting situation again. So I sat down and patiently bided my time, reading a novel. Jesus was surely proud of me, because I didn’t whine and complain. (smile) I didn’t leave there until eleven thirty, which meant I fasted for over 13 hours. Mama Mia! Hopefully that’s it for the year. Anyway, let’s turn to our Bit: ‘So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish.’ That my Friends, is the living truth, as declared by our living God! Before we get into it though, let’s get some background info. Those words come from Job’s buddy Bildad, as he affirms God’s justice. And just before our Bit, he’s talking about the demise of certain herbs. ‘Can the rush (papyrus) grow up without mire (marsh)? Can the flag (reeds) grow without water? Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.’ (Job 8:11-12) Then he brings up our Bit, comparing those who forget God and lead hypocritical lives to the demise of those herbs. Bildad further declares after our Bit: ‘Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web (house). He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.’ (Job 8:14-15) That’s oh so true my brethren! Those who forget God and play the hypocrite, their hopes shall eventually be dashed to the ground. Though they build their houses, intricate, pretty and supposedly strong like a spider builds its web, they will not endure. Like a house of cards, they will be easily blown down and destroyed. Now let’s look at some scripture that corroborates our Bit, starting with words of Bruh David, from Psalm 9; Praise for God’s justice. ‘The heathen (nations or gentiles) are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken (caught). The Lord is known by the judgement which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion (meditation or song) Selah. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.’ (Ps.9:15-18) Yes Friends, that’s the sorry lot of all those who don’t revere and worship the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to that other great psalmist, Asaph, as he righteously proclaims in Psalm 50; God is the judge. ‘Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation (conduct) aright will I show the salvation of God.’ (Ps.50:22-23) Oh my people, we certainly don’t want to be torn in pieces, do we? So let’s not foolishly forget Almighty God, the ONE who created the universe and all therein. Instead, let’s wisely offer Him praise and thanks, so that He may be glorified, and walk steadfastly in obedience to His Word, so that we’ll see His salvation. That is the wisdom of the righteous! More on this tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, let’s remember our God and spend worthy time with Him, so that He’ll continue to LOVE, bless, forgive, protect and show us His wonderful grace and mercy. Much LOVE!…a fool in his folly…says there is no God…but what happens then…as the wise man believes…that there is a God…
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