15 Oct 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a made up mind, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, be not afraid, be not dismayed, be of good cheer, believe only, bounden duty, don't lessen yourself to the world, fear thou not, glorify your father in heaven, heroes of our own adventures, I am thy God, I will uphold thee, lazy Saturday morning, let the world catch up to you, Let your light so shine before men, live for Jesus, living a substandard life, LOVE, many schemes in a man's heart, O ye of little faith, playing second fiddle, see your good works, take heart, the answer of the tongue, the counsel fo the Lord shall stand, the hand of the Lord, the preparations of the heart, the right hand of my righteousness
Matthew 14:27. Be of good cheer (take heart, courage) it is I, be not afraid.
It’s raining, it’s raining on this lazy autumn Saturday morning! A chill is in the air, ‘cause the wind’s a blowing, so the trees are dancing, their multi-coloured leaves a waving this way and that! And I’ve been enjoying every bit of this lazy Saturday morning…that is until now, when I can’t put off writing the Bit any longer. Oh, the tough times some of us have to bear eh. (smile) Anyway, as they say, you can run but you can’t hide, especially from the good Lord. So, let’s do what we always do on Saturdays; see if we can make heads or tails of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Now this first quote says: ‘I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.’ And that’s true to a certain extent. When we make up our minds on what needs to be done, in other words when we make a purposeful decision, we generally get a feeling of strength behind it, and we let go of the fear and anxiety that indecision usually causes. But what happens when we can’t make a decision eh, when indecision just bathes us in a stream of fear, especially in this crazy world of today. We keep living in fear and anxiety, keep living the substandard life that those emotions produce.
But when we live for Jesus…Glory be! Fear is no longer our nemesis, for with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, our Master and Guide, we can move along productively and courageously even in the midst of anxiety and worries. That’s because living for Jesus brings a peace of mind that the world cannot offer. Remember this great promise of our omnipotent God, through the prophet Isaiah? ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10)
Yes friends, that’s the promise Jehovah God made to His people long ago, and He’s kept it up to this day, because He’s not a deity that ever reneges on His promises, like some false gods do. And remember too that some of Jesus’ favourite words were ‘Fear not.’ And He said it so often that we don’t have space nor time to relate them all, only these few. Think of the occasion when Jesus went walking on the water to the disciples on the boat out in the sea. They were terrified as though they saw a ghost and cried out in fear. ‘But straightway Jesus spoke unto them saying, Be of good cheer (take heart, courage) it is I, be not afraid.’ (Matt. 14:27)
Then there’s that time that Jairus, the synagogue leader came to Jesus to heal his young daughter, but while they were on the way, Jairus’s servants came and told him that the girl was dead. What was Jesus’ response to that news? He told Jairus: ‘Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole (saved).’ (Luke 8:50) And what about when Jesus and the disciples were crossing the sea of Galilee and a terrible storm blew up on them, while Jesus lay asleep in the back of the boat apparently unconcerned. They woke him, terrified of drowning. ‘And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.’ (Matt:8:27)
There you have it in a nutshell my fellow believers. The three basics for handling fear are to believe, take heart or courage, and have faith in Jesus, for He is our Good Shepherd, and the shepherd always looks after the sheep. (smile) That brings us to these next two quotes. The first tells us. ‘If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.’ And the second advises. ‘When it comes to luck, you make your own.’ Now I chose to lump them together because I believe they basically say the same thing; you have the power to make your life the way you want it, and to change it whenever you feel like doing so.
Now again, that’s true only to a certain extent with the free will that God’s given us. But how many of us have tried to change our lives when we felt like doing so and just ran into so many roadblocks that change became virtually impossible eh? That’s because the hand of the Lord was in our affairs, like it always is. (smile) Let’s not forget these very important words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘The preparations of the heart in man (a man’s plans belong to him), and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.’ (Prov. 16:1) That means we can plan all we want, but it’s the Lord’s will that will eventually come to pass, because He is sovereign over even the thoughts and words of man.
And later on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol repeats that advice this way. ‘There are many devices (plans) in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’ (Prov. 19:21) And I can personally testify to that through hard experience. I never planned to be a writer on scripture, had plenty other secular plans in mind, still do, but then the Lord waylaid me, wouldn’t take no for an answer, and eventually brought all my other ventures to an end. Yes friends, the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray when the Lord peruses them. (smile) So though we have some leeway to make changes in our lives, what the Lord wants is usually what we’ll become.
And that certainly contradicts this next quote. ‘Our lives are stories in which we write, direct and star in the leading role. Some chapters are happy while others bring lessons to learn, but we always have the power to be the heroes of our own adventures.’ Again, it’s only true to the extent that the Lord allows us to write and star in our own production. But as we all know, He has a plan for each and every life that He creates, and when He’s ready to put His plan into effect, it’s wisest to simply accept it without any hassle, for He will just keep on making your life more miserable until you accept His dictate.
Trust me, I know what I’m talking about, because that’s what He did to me when He brought up this Bit idea. I laughed and said I couldn’t because I wasn’t sufficiently knowledgeable in scripture, and that was the truth. But He kept after me, placing obstructions in my way, until I had no choice but to agree. And when I began it was merely a verse of scripture. But through my perseverance and His faithfulness, it’s grown over the last fifteen, almost sixteen years, where I now find myself writing too much instead of too little. (smile) And that’s why I can vouch for the Lord’s faithfulness. He never gives you a task without the tools and the help to do it.
That brings us to this last quote. ‘Don’t try to lessen yourself for the world; let the world catch up to you.’ And that’s the gospel truth, especially if you are a follower of Christ Jesus! We ought never to take a back step to the world, but to step forward into the light and make the world a better place for Jesus. But unfortunately, not enough of us supposed believers are doing that. Instead, we’re playing second fiddle to the dictates, pleasures and evils of the world.
But please remember that in Jesus’s band, there is only ONE fiddler, that’s Him, and if we want to be a part of it, then we have to come to terms with that fact and stand up strong and steadfast in His marvellous name, and not play second fiddle to the world. As He so passionately desires and zealously stated: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16)
So please my fellow saints, let’s go out into this evil world and do as Jesus desires of us nuh – shine our lights! That’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…only in Jesus…can we find what our heavenly Father desires for us…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
27 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doh care attitude, a state of havoc and chaos, be your best, bind them about thy neck, bounden duty, disobedience, enjoy today, fear, find favour and good understanding, his commandments are not grievous, hurry, I am the beloved of god, in God's eyes, in the sight of God and man, it's all about love, laziness, length of days long life and peace, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, my son forget not my law, procrastination, share His love with the world, step up your love walk, the Ten Commandments, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unconditional LOVE, with all thy heart soul and mind, worry, write them upon the table of thine heart
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
And then it was Tuesday. That means, Monday is history, and Wednesday is still tomorrow. It therefore behooves us to enjoy today; to put our best foot forward today, or as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) likes to say, ‘Look your best, do your best and be your best!’
And you know that’s all the Lord really asks of us; to simply be as good as we can be. But sadly, too many of us are instead doing way, way less than our best. That’s one of the reasons our world is in such a ghastly state of havoc and chaos: believers in Christ Jesus just are not stepping up to the plate as they ought to, while the evil doers, the iniquity workers are constantly hitting the ball out of the park.
And why aren’t we believers doing better eh? I guess it’s a combination of several reasons: the first being fear. Fear of what our friends and family and the world at large will say and/or do; including rejection and belittling. Then there’s downright laziness, a doh care attitude and procrastination, that all lead to disobedience, be it conscious or unconscious.
But friends, this Tuesday morning in late September, in the fall of this very significant year of 2022, I want to remind us of these very significant words of our Great God, brought to us through the writings of Cousin Sol in the Book of Proverbs. Please listen closely…or rather, please read and inwardly digest with me. (smile)
‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck (like a necklace); write them upon the table of thine heart (mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:1-4)
Ah my fellow saints, it’s all so simple, though not necessarily easy. However, with the help of God, to whom we keep acknowledging that nothing is impossible, we can certainly do it if we sincerely want to and actively try. And what does the scripture say; ‘keep my commandments.’ Why? Because they will give us blessed and lengthy lives, lives filled with peace, favour and esteem from both God and our fellow man. Now isn’t that what we all long for? Absolutely! Then why aren’t we doing as much as we can to further those dreams and desires eh?
No doubt some of us feel that keeping God’s commandments are difficult, but that’s not true, as John says in his first epistle. ‘Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that LOVETH him that begat (God the Father) LOVETH him also that is begotten of him (Jesus, the Son). By this we know that we LOVE the children of God, when we LOVE God, and keep his commandments. For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (difficult, burdensome.) (1 John 5:1-3)
And before we go further, let’s find out what are these commandments that we’re talking about nuh, that we’re supposed to keep, and which according to John are not difficult or burdensome. Now according to the Good Book, the Lord issued ten basic commandments to the Israelites when they came out of bondage in Egypt, (Ex. 20:1-17)
However, Jesus in His immaculate or perfect wisdom, narrowed them down to two, namely. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)
So you see my faithful brethren, it’s only two basic things we need to do in this life; LOVE the Lord our God, and then LOVE our neighbours as we LOVE ourselves. Unfortunately though, in this current world in which we live, LOVE seems to be much more difficult to do than its opposite action, hate, since there is ever so much more hate in our world than LOVE.
We’re obviously not LOVING our God, but trying to get rid of Him, and as per LOVING our neighbours like ourselves, we veritably seem to hate ourselves by the way we treat our neighbours! What’s causing such a misfortune eh? I don’t know. Can it be fear? Certainly not, since John in his first epistle also deals with that, when he points out that ‘There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:18)
Oh friends, I know the answer to our problems – a great infusion of LOVE in our society – but unfortunately I don’t know how to do it, and thus I’m asking for your help. If you are a true believer in Christ Jesus, then it behooves you to step up your LOVE walk! That means LOVING the Lord our God more, and also LOVING ourselves more, so that we can transfer that self-LOVE to our neighbours!
Why do you think the Lord sent Jesus to earth to sacrifice His sinless life for us eh? Because He LOVED us with a burning LOVE, one that knew no bounds! It’s a LOVE that’s unconditional; a powerful, selfless LOVE that never changes or diminishes regardless of what we do! Now doesn’t that mean anything to you? I strongly suggest that it should. It should mean so much that we try to change our evil ways, or simply improve our godly ones, because it’s only through the right actions of believers in Christ that our world will become less chaotic and more LOVING!
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to do just that, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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!’
And having made that outstanding proclamation, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…it’s ALL about LOVE…LOVE created us…LOVE keeps us safe…and LOVE will take us home to heaven…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
13 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bunch of ingrates, always welcoming me, blame others for my failure, bounden duty, critical and obstinate, disobedience, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, escape your penetrating gaze, feed his flock like a shepherd, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those with young, Godd's goodness and mercy, goodness and mercy shall follow me, helping to build God's magnificent kingdom, hurry, I keep running back to you, I will fear no evil, judge harshly, know where your bread is buttered, lie down in green pastures, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, ministry of salvation forgiveness and eternal life, names not in the obits, One Year Book of Bible promises, pay for the sins of, pride, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrifice His only son, share His love with the world, thank you for Loving me, the beloved of God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the paths of righteousness, the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
It’s Tuesday; a brand new day friends, and thankfully our names are not in the obits…Praise the Lord! That means we’re alive, though possibly not kicking as hard and powerful as we might want to. (smile) But the important thing is that we were granted at least one more day to see God’s goodness and mercy on His planet earth, another chance to continue doing His awesome bidding, helping to build His magnificent kingdom. Glory be my people!
What a gracious, merciful and LOVING God we serve! There’s none other like unto Him! And that’s for certain sure! Who else would sacrifice their ONLY Son to pay for the sins of a bunch of ingrates eh? Only the Lord God Jehovah; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And that’s why this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin is ever so appropriate, ever so rich in reasons why the Lord God Jehovah is our God; our ONE and ONLY God!
It’s titled ‘I Keep Running Back to You.’ Please read with me: ‘You know how it is with me, Lord. So often I mess up my days. I judge harshly I am critical and obstinate I waste time and energy I blame others for my failure. There are people I try to avoid And tasks I try to evade And when I can’t have my own way I sulk in my own little corner. Lord, I even turn my back on You To escape Your penetrating gaze.
Then finally I get fed up with myself. The intolerable loneliness frightens me. And I can no longer endure my shame. It always happens, Lord – I keep running back to You! Where else can I go? Who else understands me so well Or forgives me so totally? Who else can save me from foolish pride? No one, Lord, but You. So thank you for accepting me For LOVING me For always welcoming me. I just can’t help it, Lord I keep running back to You!’
And that’s the way it ought to be my faithful brethren! Yes, we ought always to keep running back to our wonderful, unchangeable, ever-LOVING and always welcoming God, whenever the pressures of this world and our inherent sin nature get the better of us! That’s because there’s no place better to go when we can’t help ourselves. And here’s the reason why; it’s the Bible Promise on which the poem is based.
But I’m in somewhat of a quandary here, as to which version to use, the King James or the New International which the Book of Poems used. So to solve it, I’m just going to give us both. (smile) The promise comes from the Old Testament, through the prophet Isaiah. And it says: ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:11) Now that’s the King James Version.
Here’s the New International translation. ‘He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads them that have young.’ And I guess the only real difference between the two translations is that the former uses the future tense, and so it should, since the necessary situations had not yet unfolded. Meanwhile the second version uses the present tense because the Lord God has already begun what the prophet prophesied about; the coming of Jesus and His wonderful ministry of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life.
Anyhow, the important thing is that we know where our bread is buttered and where we need to run for help and succour when, because of pride and disobedience, life gets a bit too much for us to handle. And it all revolves around the pastoral imagery of the shepherd, who is responsible for the health, wealth and livelihood of his flock. The shepherd makes sure that his flock is well looked after and taken care of, thus the comparison of our great God to that of the Good Shepherd.
Remember Bruh David’s opening remarks in our second favourite scripture, Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1) That’s the purpose of a shepherd; to make sure that his sheep lack nothing or want for anything. And the Lord God Jehovah admirably performs that duty in the lives of those who believe in, and sincerely accept His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Glory Hallelujah!
And how does He do that, you might ask? Well, I guess the best explanation is Bruh David’s in the rest of Psalm 23. So let’s read it together. ‘He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still (restful) waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:2-6)
Wow! Life couldn’t get any better under any other shepherd my people, for the Lord gives us everything; from rest in this world, to rest with Him eternally. He causes us to walk in the straight and narrow paths of righteousness; takes away our fear, even when death threatens us; protects us with His powerful weapons, His rod and staff, as He refreshes us with an anointing of restorative oil, and prepares a feast for us right in front of our enemies, who can’t do a thing to overturn it!
Now, that to me is the perfect shepherd! And I want to be in His fold, and none other, because no other fold or shepherd meets the excellence of Jehovah God! End of story! And for those of us who are sincerely trying to walk in Jesus’ fold, let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra letting the whole world know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and confident voice: ‘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!’
And having broadcast that to the world, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is the epitome…the best example of a Good Shepherd…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
08 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Prayer for later years, able to accept favours with graciousness, becoming too talkative, bounden duty, chaos, compassionate heart., curse, driving our society into barren ground, endure boredom with patience, expressing an opinion on every subject, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, he that hath no rule over his own spirit, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he that ruleth his spirit, he that taketh a city, helpful but not pushy, I might be mistaken, if you can't handle the heat stay out of the kitchen, independent, Internet, keep my lips sealed, lack of manners, like a city that is broken down without walls, LOVE, make me thoughtful, negative word, of power love and a sound mind, restrain our baser desires, self-control, social media, teach me the glorious lesson, the freedom to open our yaps, the wisdom to keep my mouth shut, the word that falls on barren ground, Thursday Blessings, upheaval
Proverbs 25:28. He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Awright my Scrip-Bit friends and families, we down to the penultimate day of the work week… But wait, is it really Thursday already? Brother, these days passing too quickly for me yes…and I don’t think I’m bearing sufficient fruit in them nuh. It’s also the 8th of September too! The month and week just began, and they are already speeding away from us. But I guess that’s just life, how the Lord designed His universe to function, and those of us who don’t keep up with nature’s momentum, are just going to be like the word that falls on barren ground…left in the dust…fruitless. (smile)
Anyway, yesterday I did bear one good fruit, that of cleaning up a stack of papers I had sitting below my computer for ages. You know when you are a writer, or claim to be one, you always have li’l bits of paper with notes and such scribbled on them. Well, I’ve been meaning to go through that stack for a while now, but could never get around to it. Don’t go clapping yet, I have another stack on the other side to go through too. (smile) And when I finally got around to it yesterday, lo and behold I discovered this gem of a prayer that I haven’t seen for years.
That’s one of the benefits of going through old papers; you often find marvellous stuff in them. Now I must have shared this prayer before, because it’s too nice and too appropriate a prayer for me not to have shared, and I guess that’s why it’s been amongst those bits of papers, waiting to be shared again. (smile) It was apparently published in 2015 in a post named ‘Mary’s Musings – Life and times of a small town Nana.’ And is it ever appropriately titled – ‘A Prayer for Later Years.’
So please pray with me: ‘Lord, thou knowest that I am growing older. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and particularly keep me from falling into the tiresome habit of expressing an opinion on every subject. Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details. Give me wings too to get to the point. Give me the grace, dear Lord, to listen to others describe their aches and pains. Help me to endure the boredom with patience and keep my lips sealed, for my own aches and pains are increasing in number and intensity, and the pleasure of discussing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
Teach me the glorious lesson that, occasionally, I might be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not wish to be a saint (saints are so hard to live with), but a sour old person is the work of the devil. Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not pushy; independent; yet able to accept with graciousness favours that others wish to bestow on me. Free me of the notion that simply because I have lived a long time, I am wiser than those who have not lived so long –(although it’s often true- my addition).
If I do not approve of some of the changes that have taken place in recent years, give me the wisdom to keep my mouth shut. Lord knows that when the end comes, I would like to have a friend or two left. The author is unknown but I wish I had written it. I think it is appropriate for those of us of a “certain age.”
And is it ever my brethren! Yuh know the older you get, the more you believe you have the freedom and the right to do and say as you please. (smile) You believe you have earned that liberty simply by living a long time and seeing many changes. But even when we’re old, we still need to somewhat curtail our mouths and tongues, and not give free reign to every thought that comes into our often forgetful minds.
But yuh know what, that prayer isn’t only appropriate for old folks, but also for young ones…possibly even more so, as the young uns nowadays just like to talk and carry on about stuff they know nothing about. In our days it was, don’t speak until you’re spoken to, and then with as few words as possible. But today, with the lack of manners taught to this generation by we the parents – yes some of the blame must fall on our shoulders – and with the introduction of the internet and social media, the freedom to open our yaps, and anonymously too, is driving our society into the barren ground of chaos and upheaval.
And what does it all mean eh? I guess that in today’s busy and crazy world, the fruit of the Spirit termed self-control is sadly lacking. And what is self-control? One writer describes it thus: ‘Self-control (“temperance” in the KJV) is, of course, the ability to control oneself. It involves moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to our baser desires and fleshly lusts.’ And is our fleshly lusts and baser instincts ever getting away with the proverbial act of murder nowadays!
Why is that eh? Because too many believers are still dallying with stuff that drives them to sin. And yes, self-control ought to help us avoid them, but oftentimes, the only way to overcome some of those bad habits is to stay completely away from the things that cause them. And there are several scriptures that talk about self-control, like this famous one from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For the Lord hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
That means we have the Spirit of self-control. But why put ourselves unnecessarily in places where we have to use it to a great extent, when we can simply avoid some of those places eh? Cousin Sol also had a lot to say on the subject. Check out these two verses. ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ (Prov. 16:32) And the other verse says: ‘He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.’ (Prov. 25:28).
Yuh see friends, how important self-control is! If you don’t have it, you’re like a defenseless city, open to the invasion of sin. But when you have it…oh…you’re better than the strong man and the conqueror of cities! Wow! And unfortunately, self-control is one of our world’s biggest problems, driving all sorts of strife, evil and ungodly doings. But thankfully, our great and wonderful God has given us tools to handle any situation we encounter, including what we call our Thursday Blessings. So please, declare them with me now, so that we can activate them and get ourselves straightened out.
As one strong and confident voice. ‘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 every day! Amen!’
Oh my fellow saints, with all those tools in our toolbox, there’s nothing that we can’t handle, especially with God’s added help. So please let’s get out into the world and do our best to spread His gospel nuh, bring good news and glad tidings to the downtrodden and oppressed, so that they too can join His merry band of followers. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…if you can’t handle the heat…then stay out of the kitchen…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
19 Jun 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a solid foundation found in Christ alone, a turning point in our lives, all other ground is sinking sand, as for me and my house, assurance and refuge, bounden duty, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, continually praying for our children, cursed God in their hearts, dysfunctional homes, fathers should be good examples, Happy Father's day, having his children in subjection, I will liken him unto a wise man, it was founded upon the rock, Jesus Christ is the ROCK, LOVE, misuse of authority, My hope is built on nothing less, on Christ the solid rock I stand, one who ruleth well his house, provoke not your children to wrath, the family is falling apart, we will serve the Lord, when he shall come with trumpet sound, whosoever heareth these sayings, ye fathers
Ephesians 6:4. ‘And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Well, Happy Father’s Day greetings to all us fathers, be we good, bad or indifferent! (smile) The Good Book does say that the father is the head of the household, the leader, the spiritual guide and should be a good example to his children as he raises them in accordance with godly principles. In the words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph. 6:4)
Yes friends, fathers have an immense responsibility in rearing children and leading a household. As the scholars say, we must not provoke our children to wrath through things like ‘injustice, loss of temper, undue severity, cruelty, favouritism, suppression, sarcasm, ridicule, and misuse of authority.’
Brother! No wonder many men run away from that kind of awesome responsibility. It is indeed a lot to handle. And on top of all that we have to teach them about the Lord; rear them in proper LOVE and reverence to the Lord God Jehovah. Do as Joshua did, let it be unconditionally known; ‘but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh. 24:15d) A father should also be ‘One who ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity.’ (1 Tim. 3:4) That means managing his family in the right way, making sure that the children learn obedience in a dignified manner.
Wow! The good thing about it all though my fellow fathers, is that once we embark on the right track, the Lord helps us to run our families and raise our children. He just doesn’t leave us in a vacuum; tell us to make sure we do this or that and raise them according to His Word, then disregard us and leave us to rear them on our own. As true believers we ought to know that’s not how our wonderful God operates. Whatever He asks or expects of us, He also enables, gives us the tools to accomplish the task.
Unfortunately though, in today’s world where God is no longer recognized as being a very important part of our lives, many fathers don’t have the knowledge they need to carry out their responsibilities, or just don’t care, or are not living with their children, and thus the family, the smallest and most important group, the foundation unit of our society is sadly falling apart, leading to the malfunctioning and degradation of society as a whole. Yes friends, when the smallest part of an organism or organization is being ruined, it’s not long before the whole edifice collapses.
And yes, women do a fantastic job of keeping families together, but they can’t do it all by themselves, they need a male partner to help, if the job is to be done properly. And, unfortunately, it’s the children who suffer the most from these broken or dysfunctional homes. And since the males don’t have a decent example of what fatherhood ought to be, they continue in the same dysfunctional manner when raising their families. How many of us fathers are like Job eh?
The Good Book says: ‘And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about (his children’s feasting was over), that Job sent and sanctified them (set them apart, consecrated them), and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually (regularly).’ (Job 1:5) Isn’t that beautiful my people. Job knew the value of continually praying for his children. How many of us fathers do that nowadays eh? Not enough.
And yes, like this week we’re having the sermon before we get with the praise and worship. (smile) But that’s just how the spirit moved me this morning. But let’s get to today’s song, one that we all know and LOVE. It’s titled ‘My Hope is built on nothing less,’ written by the British Baptist minister Edward Mote (1797-1874). Oh, I know it’s an old song, but that just attests to its staying power, because it deals with assurance and refuge, of strength and a solid foundation that we find only in Christ Jesus, which I believe is a good sentiment for we fathers to seek this Father’s Day.
So, let’s offer up our scintillating sacrifices of praise in a joyful mid-tempo version, letting our sincerity pour out of both our mouths and our hearts. In perfect unison and harmony, let’s sing: ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. (Refrain: On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.)
When darkness veils his lovely face I rest on His unchanging grace In every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil. (Refrain) His oath, his covenant, his blood Supports me in the ‘whelming flood When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. (Refrain) Not earth, nor hell, my soul can move; I rest upon unchanging LOVE. I trust his righteous character, his counsel, promise, and his pow’r. [Refrain]
When he shall come with trumpet sound, oh, may I then in him be found, dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain: On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand… On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand… Oh thank You Lord…You solid Rock!’
Now didn’t that make you feel reenergized and reassured? It ought to…if you were sincere in your vocalizing. (smile) And it’s been said that the song was based on Jesus words from Matthew 7, as He winds down the Sermon on the Mount. It’s a story we all know about the two foundations. ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded up a (the) rock.’ (Matt. 7:24-25)
Yes mih bredrin, wisdom dictates than when we hear the teachings of Jesus that we build our lives and that of our families on Him, because He is the ROCK! A sure place of refuge for all and sundry! Where you are never turned away or left to die on your own. No one else can offer what Jesus offers, so please let’s wake up and heed His urgent call nuh, especially we fathers, for our children, our families and our society as whole are suffering because we are not doing our bounden duty to lead them in a righteous manner in Christ Jesus. Please. I implore us to let today be a serious and sincere turning point in our lives! Much LOVE!
…no other foundation but Jesus…will withstand the battering evil forces of the world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
18 May 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as a burning fire, bounden duty, catch our second wind, delayed not to keep thy commandments, disobedience -not doing what the Lord says when He says, endure to the end, his delight is in the law of the Lord, his word was in mine heart, I am a companion of all them that fear thee, I am halfway home, I know that my Redeemer lives, I made haste, I thought on my ways, I was weary with forbearing, in his law doth he meditate, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are fixed securely on the plough, not turning back, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, shut up in my bones, standeth in the way of sinners, stubborn goats running around wild, teach me thy statutes oh Lord, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, them that keep thy precepts, thou artmy portion oh Lord, to a glorious future with Jesus, turned my feet unto thy testimonies, walketh not in the council of the ungodly, Wednesday Wail, without a purpose, yet in my flesh shall I see God
Psalm 119:60. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
And the days surely are moving briskly along; we’ve already reached Wednesday, the middle of the work week. Time to stop for a moment and catch our second wind, so that we can finish the race of the week almost as strong as we began it. Unfortunately though, we can’t do that without the Lord’s help, without meditating on His Holy Word and obeying what the Word puts in our hearts and souls.
Yes friends, only our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has the awesome power to rejuvenate our souls and spirits, anytime and anywhere, and without Him, we’re just lost and stubborn goats running around wild, without a purpose, in the arid land that’s Satan’s world. Remember He clearly stated; ‘without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
That’s why the wise author of Psalm 119, could declare with confidence. ‘Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words. I entreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments. The bands (cords) of the wicked have robbed (bound) me: but I have not forgotten thy law. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgements. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy (LOVING-kindness): teach me thy statutes.’ (Ps. 119:57-64)
Now my fellow saints, that just corroborates what I’d said earlier. It is through meditating on and obeying the Lord’s Word that we get relief from the pressures of this earthly life. Many of us have indeed promised the Lord to keep His Word, but sadly have not done so, yet we’ve sought for His mercy. That’s not wise or logical my brethren. We can’t make a promise to God, but break it, then be boldfaced to seek His mercy. Promises, to God or anyone else, ought to be kept. I like how the psalmist puts it: ‘I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.’ (Ps. 119:59)
Now that’s what many of us need to do in these tough and terrible times; consider our sinful ways and then turn to the Lord God of our forefathers in repentance. And these are possibly the most important words of the whole passage of scripture: ‘I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:60) Oh my people, our keeping of the Lord’s Word is so important that as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) likes to say: ‘Do it when He says it, and how He says it. Any thing less is disobedience.’ We can’t procrastinate to do the Lord’s bidding until we feel good and ready, or do it how we feel it should be done. Otherwise, we’re not obeying His commandment.
And it’s important too to note as the psalmist points out, that though the wicked had him bound in cords, he didn’t forget the Lord’s Word. That’s how it ought to be with us my brethren. It ought to be like Jeremiah says when he was being persecuted for speaking the Lord’s Word. ‘Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing (of holding back), and I could not stay (endure it). (Jer. 20:9)
Ah mih bredrin, once the Lord’s Word gets seated in our hearts and souls it’s real difficult, if not impossible, to get it out, because, like Jeremiah experienced, it just keeps burning like a fire in our bones, with its truth, grace, mercy and the amazing promises of salvation and eternal life! Glory be!
That’s the power that true faith in God brings. We need to be like Job, who despite his many trials and tribulations could still stand up and confidently declare: ‘For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day (the last day) upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.’ (Job. 19:25) Oh my people, how many of us are so thoroughly convinced of that eh, even though we have seen the Redeemer, Christ Jesus come to earth and save us? Unfortunately, not enough of us to make a real difference in our world.
It is also imperative that we spend quiet time with the Lord, as the psalmist proclaims: ‘At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgements.’ (Ps; 119:62) Yes friends, we cannot learn and keep God ‘s Word without His help, without talking to Him about our problems and giving Him thanks for the many undeserved blessings He’s showered upon us.
And fellowship with other believers is also another important aspect of our faith, like the psalmist acknowledges: ‘I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.’ (Ps. 119:63) We need to hang out with others like us, others who believe in Christ Jesus and are committed to keeping His commandments. We ought to be like Psalm 1 says: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the council of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night.’ (Ps. 1:1-2)
That says it loud and clear friends! Too much association with the workers of iniquity does not become a child of God, because their iniquity is liable to rub off on us. Anyway, by now we ought to get the right picture. (smile) And for those of us who have gotten it, and are doing our best to practice it, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one loud and proud voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And please believe me my faithful brethren, those of us who endure right down to the end, will discover that the future is even brighter than we can think or imagine. So please, let’s endure right to the end nuh, for that’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…living for God is quite simple…obey His Word…then leave all the consequences to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
28 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: archangel Lucifer, be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, be strong and courageous, blessed are the righteous, blessed is the man, bounden duty, bow down to the prince of darkness, curse, divine protection, faith, favour, flourish in the courts of God, God will not cede His power to anyone, grow like a cedar in Lebanon, her leaf shall be green, his delight is in the law of the Lord, in his law doth he meditate, live by the word of the Lord, LOVE, negative word, options for living life, promotion, sitteth in the seat of the scornful, standeth in the way of sinners, that bringeth forth fruit in her season, that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, the happy man avoids evil influences, the smart money, the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, thou shalt have good success, Thursday Blessings
Psalm 1:1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
It looks like another beautiful day is in the offing, although it’s still a tad chilly for this time of year, but we certainly won’t refuse the sunshine, especially after the recent inclement and topsy-turvy weather in our area. And today friends, we are going to look at the type of person who warms the cockles of God’s heart as it is written in Psalm 1 – titled ‘Blessed are the Righteous.’
And with no mincing of words, right at the very beginning the psalm tells us that, ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night.’ (Ps. 1:1-2)
Those two simple verses say it all my people. The man who will find God’s favour doesn’t cavort with the wicked, but ponders on God’s word continually, and tries to live by what it says. Remember God’s warning to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death? ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall constantly be in thy mouth); but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
That tells us one thing; that a successful life depends on knowing God’s word intimately and putting it into action! And you can see that God was quite serious in His warning to Joshua, because He tells him the same basic thing in verses 6-9; be strong and courageous, read my word and live it, then you will have success. And that’s why the psalmist could confidently write those first verses of our psalm, and it’s perhaps why so many of us supposed believers are not having much success in our lives today. We are possibly hanging out with the wrong crowd, and thus are not knowledgeable enough in God’s word, so we cannot put it into proper action.
For as the psalmist continues about the blessed man: ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps. 1:3). Glory be my brethren! Can you imagine that? A person who does the will of God will never suffer want. Whatever the circumstance, they will be successful.
And Jeremiah reinforces that picture with these marvellous words of promise. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is, for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8) It couldn’t be put any better or simpler than that friends. The Lord favours those who walk in the wisdom of His word and power!
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation of Psalm 1. They say, ‘The key word in the psalm is the word blessed. It serves as a pronouncement upon a man – but a certain kind of man. In essence, the psalm is teaching that the blessed or happy man is the righteous man. The happy man avoids evil influences, deeds, and attitudes (vs.1); he delights in God’s word (vs.2); therefore, God causes him to prosper (vs.3).’
That makes total sense. If you do what God desires, lives the way He wants you to live, then He will make your way prosperous. It’s just simple common sense, especially when we consider that the Lord is our Creator, the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe and has ultimate control over our lives and everything that happens therein! But these days, we seem to be forgetting those basic facts and rebelling against His rule, even trying to remove Him from our society. It’s utter foolishness my people, because God has made it so clear that He will not allow anybody to overthrow him or usurp His awesome power.
Just consider what happened when the proud and foolish archangel Lucifer tried to overthrow the Lord. Him and his foolish cohorts were unceremoniously kicked out of heaven and the good life they lived, to walk the earth in sorrow and pain, till the Lord is ready to finally destroy them. And that’s what will happen to those of us who refuse to accept the risen Christ as Lord and Saviour, and instead bow down to the prince of darkness and this evil and ungodly world.
The psalmist puts it thus: ‘The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps. 1:4-6) Very simply and precisely spoken my fellow saints.
But, as the scholars explain: ‘On the other hand, the ungodly is worth no more than chaff (vs.4), and his destiny is judgement (vs. 5). Finally, the evaluation by the Lord Himself is described (vs.6). For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous (and it will be blessed), but (He also knows) the way of the ungodly (and it) shall perish. The psalm forms an appropriate introduction to the Psalter since it sets before the readers the three characters who will figure mostly in the psalms: the righteous, the ungodly, and God.’
And just for good measure (smile) we are going to add these precious words of another psalmist to the mix. ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. they shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green).’ (Ps. 92:12-14) Yuh see that friends, even in old age the righteous shall be fat and flourishing because they live by the word of the Lord.
So let’s remember that nuh as we go home today declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings that our wonderful God has bestowed on us to do His earthly work. Altogether 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 every day! Amen!’
And now, having invoked those blessings, it’s our bounden duty to go out and activate them in the service of the Lord, in the lives of others, just as generously as the Lord has shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…the prevailing options for living life…are in righteousness and in evil…but the smart money will always be on the former…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend of God, a man after His own heart, as for me and my house, bounden duty, clear direction for my life, come unto me all ye that labour, curse, divine protection, he leadeth me beside still waters, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he that hath ears to hear, hold on tightly to Jesus, I shall not want, LOVE, my yoke is easy and my burden light, negative word, our backs are against the wall, self-control, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, the great invitation, The Lord is my shepherd, the sinful pleasures of Satan, thou anointest my head with oil, Thursday Blessings, we will follow the Lord, ye shall find rest for your souls
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (meaning I will lack nothing that I truly need).
It’s a rainy Thursday morning. But Jesus is with us, and He will certainly see us through whatever the devil and this evil world tries to throw against us. As the song says, ‘I know that God is not finished, He’s not through with me. Although I am delayed, I am not denied.’
Wow! What a wonderful promise to hold on to. Yes, because God’s grace and mercy holds us together in times of trouble, as well as in times of prosperity, so that we won’t let go. And we desperately need to keep seeking and striving to stay in God’s good grace and mercy, if we sincerely desire to be a fruitful child of His. And one word we should never use is ‘DEFEAT.’
So, when our backs are against the wall, when we’re in the valley of the shadow of death, remember to hold on tightly to the hand of Jesus, which is always reaching out to us. And He will undoubtedly lift us up, restore our souls, and lead us out of the valley to clean clear waters, to victory in His name. And that’s exactly why Bruh David could confidently write in our favourite psalm.
‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (meaning I will lack nothing that I truly need). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters (that’s calm waters of rest). He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:1-6)
Yes friends, life is not easy for many of us, but as the song says, ‘You don’t have to cross Jordan alone.’ The Lord will cross with you, if you don’t give up on Him! And we could not find a better example of that than in the life of Bruh David, whose life was rough and ready ofttimes through no fault of His own. He did good, but others held out evil to him.
But in a mighty show of faith in the God of his forefathers, he never gave up. He stayed always close to the One who promised to be there through all kinds of weather. And that’s why he became the mightiest king of Israel, and despite his own sinful behaviour was touted as a friend of God and a man after His own heart. And that’s why we can’t ever beat God’s grace and mercy, once our heart is truly hungry and thirsty for Him and His Word!
So, though we are worried, troubled or concerned about anything at all, the right way to go about fixing it is by going to Jesus and asking for His divine help, because with Him nothing is impossible, which means He can do anything that needs to be done. And furthermore, He will NEVER turn down your request for help. In fact, He’s offered this Great Invitation to all who seek rest and peace.
Listen up to this awesome invitation, that NO ONE else can even deign to offer, because they don’t have nowhere near the mighty power that Jesus has. So He opens His arms wide to all and sundry by inviting: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
Oh my faithful brethren, what an amazing and most reassuring invitation! It’s free to anyone who needs rest and peace from their earthly burdens. Yes, whosoever will may come, is the eternal message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For as the man sings; ‘I’ve got Jesus, and that’s enough…that’s enough!’
Words of indisputable truth my fellow saints. For if you have Jesus then you don’t need anyone or anything else in this life, because He is the Creator, the Saviour, Advocate, Prince of Peace, Immortal Judge and the fountainhead of Grace, Mercy and LOVE! That covers every aspect of life, so how can you need anyone or anything else besides Jesus eh?
And for those foolish ones of us who seem to like the sinful pleasures of Satan and think that He is such a big man, just remember he was once the number One Angel, but because of greed and foolish pride rebelled against his Creator and was summarily kicked out of heaven with the other fools who rebelled with him, to walk this earth in sorrow and hard times, until time for his ultimate demise in the lake of fire. So, if you want to end up there with the evil one, suffer the worst fate possible, that of eternal separation from the Father, then follow the fallen one, Lucifer.
But as for me and my house, we will follow the Lord! That’s an indelible fact! And the sad part is that it doesn’t take a whole lot of wisdom, but simple common sense to realize that that’s the right, the best path to take in this crazy and confused world. But to each his own, and as the Good Book warns: ‘He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 13:9)
Now, for those of us who are listening, (smile) let’s go home declaring (oh yeahhh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, blessings the Good Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. In loud and proud voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And now my fellow saints, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those undeserved blessings in a manner that will cause others to come to Christ and LOVE and honour Him the way we do! Much LOVE!
…In Christ Jesus…we have ALL…that we can ever want or need…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
31 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be thankful unto God, bless His name, bounden duty, challenge our beliefs, Christians fight against Christians, come before his presence with singing, curse, divine promotion, enter into his gates with thanksgiving, evil doing, filled with mother-lode scriptures, forgive us our debts, give us this day our daily bread, he is divided against himself, his mercy endureth for ever, his truth endureth to all generations, id Satan cast out Satan, into his courts with praise, joy in living for Christ, lean not on your own understanding, living for Christ, LOVE, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, negative vibes, negative word, overflowing grace and mercy, resentment, self-control. self-discipline, serve the Lord with gladness, strife, success, the Christian life in a nutshell, The Lord is good, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord's prayer, the sheep of his pasture, the wellspring of God's word, thine id the power the kingdom and the glory, Thursday Blessings, Togetherness, unconditional love of God, unity
Psalm 100:1. Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth).
One more day people, one more day! Yes, through God’s overflowing grace and mercy, we’ve been granted one more day to enjoy the fruits of His great earth, in addition to His unconditional and everlasting LOVE! What a marvellous Deity we worship; One who has such care and compassion for us. That’s why scriptures like Psalm 100 – A call to praise the Lord – should continually be in our hearts and mouths. So please declare it with me this bright, sunshiny spring Thursday morning, the last day of March in this contrary year of 2022.
Let’s ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves, we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps. 100:1-5)
Oh my fellow saints that is the indisputable truth, and if we could just keep those sentiments in our minds and spirits and live by them, what beautiful, God-filled lives we would share! You know, a lot of us believe we must know the Bible backwards and forwards to live righteously, but that’s a big fallacy. In reality, we only need to know a few strong scriptures that embody the word of God, that speak of praise and worship, of forgiveness, of wisdom, of LOVE, and live by them.
Scriptures like this Psalm 100, like the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt. 6:9-13) That’s the Christian life in a nutshell my brethren!
Likewise, are those verses Prov. 3:5-10; all about trusting in God and not ourselves and sharing our first fruits with Him. The same thing goes for Psalm 23, that magnificent treatise of Bruh David’s on God’s goodness, that we affectionately refer to as ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ And there are several other scriptures that fall into that category, which we don’t have the time nor space to get into.
But each of us should personally search the Good Book and find scriptures that apply to our own situations and hold on to them tightly to serve us in time of need. And believe me, we will each have times when we desperately need strong scriptures to lean on and hold on to. So, yes, we do need to have a good grounding in the Good Book so that we can fight the many challenges that come against us, but for basic living, we only need a few verses that encompass the basics of Christian living.
When we have the sentiments and guidance of scriptures like mentioned above, written deep and indelibly in our souls, hearts, spirits and minds, then we don’t have to fight to live the Christian life, it just comes naturally from that wellspring of God’s word buried in us. But until we have solid scriptures living within us, scriptures that automatically rise up to boost our faith, living for Christ will always be an inconvenient struggle.
Now, regardless of the great faith we feel we possess, there will always be times when doubt will rear its awkward head and seriously challenge our beliefs, but generally speaking, when we are filled with mother-lode scriptures we will have comparatively smooth sailing. (smile) Remember too, that the higher we go in God’s kingdom, the greater our faith needs to become, because temptations become bigger and more plentiful as the cream rises to the top. For Satan doesn’t bother those who don’t do good and important work for Christ.
Why would he eh? That’s because if you’re not working for Christ, then you are obviously working for him. (smile) It reminds us of how the Pharisees said of Jesus casting out demons: ‘This fellow doth not cast out devils (demons), but by Beelzebub, the prince (ruler) of the devils (demons)… Then Jesus replied: ‘And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?’ (Matt. 12:24, 26)
That brings us to the question of the day; if Christians fight against Christians, like we are constantly doing, how then will the kingdom of Christ stand, and even more importantly move forward and grow? It won’t be able to do either, because standing strong and moving forth depends on unity and togetherness.
And sadly, I don’t think we can genuinely say that these days Christians are united and working together for the good of Christ’s kingdom, since there is so much infighting, resentment, strife and evil-doing currently existing in the body of Christ. And it’s only when we give up those negative vibes and start living as Jesus truly desires of us, in unity and harmony, despite our many differences and disagreements, that the kingdom of God will draw unbelievers to its fold and move forward in true righteousness!
And it’s not like we don’t have the tools and the wherewithal to do Christ’s work properly, because we do, it’s just that we are not putting our noses to the grindstone. We’re talking about tools we call our Thursday Blessings that the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do his earthly work. Now, those tools aren’t operational until we declare them, so let’s do that right now nuh.
Altogether: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And now that we’ve declared those blessings and thus made them operational, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share them with others just as generously as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…there’s such joy in living for Christ…when we’ve mastered the basic principles…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
24 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a name which is above every other name, a positive outlook on life, became obedient unto death, being in the form of God, bounden duty, curse, divine protection, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, exiled to eternal death, good friends, harmonious living, Jesus christ is Lord, Jesus keeps us well-balanced, Jesus put the Father's will first, Jesus turned the world upside down, Jesus' triumphant resurrection, let this mind be in you, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, negative word, pen-ultimate day of the workweek, reconciled back to the Father, selflessly sacrificed himself, the gospel truth, the only god that's alive and kicking, the Only real God, There's no God like Jehovah, Thursday Blessings, to the glory of God the Father, took upon him the form of a servant, whcih also was in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (harmonious living):
And then it was the pen-ultimate day of the work week, Thursday…sunshiny and cold, like winter is supposed to be! (smile) Ah friends, the weather has been playing such tricks and games on us recently, moving from one extreme to the next with such ease, that we are glad to finally see a dry, but cold sunshiny day, with no precipitation whatsoever. And it’s oh so good that we have Jesus to keep us well-balanced in our emotions and feelings, otherwise the recent see-sawing weather would certainly drive us crazy.
And as the song’s saying, ‘There’s no God like Jehovah!’ And that’s the gospel truth, for He is the ONLY real God, the ONLY One that’s alive and kicking! All other supposed gods are dead and immobile without any power to move themselves much less to move and impact a world of several billion lost souls. And that, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has done! Done it in spades too!
He’s turned the world upside down, so much so that His name is now the most LOVED and adored, as well as the most controversial on planet earth. That’s because He makes a substantial and wonderful difference through His Holy Spirit, in the lives He enters. You either LOVE Him completely, with all your heart, mind, body and soul, or dislike Him the same way, like the evildoers do. There’s no in-between where our Jesus is concerned; it’s either one or the other!
And why has this magnificent transformation taken place in our evil world down through the ages? Because Jesus came to earth two thousand years ago and selflessly sacrificed himself on the cross at Calvary so that man’s sins could be forgiven, and that we could be reconciled back to the Father, our Creator and Controller, from whom we had been long separated by our abominable sinful behaviour. And in return for that, for that selfless obedience, the Father honoured Him like never before.
Listen as the Good Book tells the story through the words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (harmonious living): Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8)
Oh friends, what a marvellous example Jesus is to us all with our sinful disobedience! And what all that means is Jesus believed in and preached and practised harmonious living while here on earth. And though He possessed a divine nature, was God in man form, He did not boast about it, ‘made himself of no reputation,’ but in all things put the Father’s will first, even being obedient to dying a horrible, unfair, sacrificial death on the cross for a bunch of ungrateful sinners.
But the Father asked Him to, because there was no other just and righteous way to absolve mankind of sin without blood being shed to pay the price for our heinous iniquities. And Jesus LOVED the Father so much that He acquiesced to His request despite the terrible ‘sufferation’ He knew He would have to undergo, even to being forsaken and cast aside by the Father as the bearer of the world’s sin, for a couple of days until His triumphant resurrection on that first Easter morn.
Wow! What a giant is our Jesus! And the Father appreciated Jesus’ great sacrifice so much, that He rewarded Him for His unswerving obedience and selflessness. Hear Bruh tell it nuh. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, 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. 4:9-11)
And that my people is why Jesus’ name is so great, so controversial and so compelling – it’s the highest name there is besides the Father’s! And one day, hopefully very soon, every being on planet earth will bow their knees to Him, acknowledge and submit to His sovereignty as Lord, as God, to the honour of the Father!
Now that’s the good side of the equation, but those unwise people who refuse to bow down and worship Him will be banished, exiled to eternal death and damnation because of their unbelief! It’s as simple as that my people. Either accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, or suffer eternal separation from the wonders of His amazing LOVE and marvellous kingdom.
And I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to take that chance. I’m going to do my best to stay close to Jesus, as close as white on rice (smile) so that when He comes again, I’m going home with Him and remain with Him forever, for wherever He is, I know that’s the best place to be!
And now, for all of us who think that way, let’s go home declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings granted to us to do His awesome work down here on earth. Altogether 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 every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share those gifts, or the fruit from them, as selflessly and generously with others, as Jesus shared them with us. It’s the only way to glorify His name. Much LOVE!
…there’s no other name that moves and fascinates mankind…like that of…JESUS…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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