04 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chain of comfort, a fatal vehicle accident, a pillar of cloud, a pillar of fire, blessed be God, by a roadway in the wilderness, by the comfort, can a women forget her sucking child, Caribana, comforted us by the coming of Titus, depart this earthly life, Don Moen, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, faith, fellowship, Give God thanks and praise, God is always with us, God is the Great Comforter, God will be my guide, God will do something new today, God will make a way, God will never leave us in the lurch, God works in ways we cannot see, graven thee upon the palms of my hands, have compassion on the son of her womb, heaven and earth will fade, His word still remains, hold me closely to his side, I will not forget thee, Jesus Christ, LOVE, love and strength for each new day, mercy, our flesh had no rest, rivers in the desert, sacrifices of praise, salvation, spiritual celebrations, the Father of all mercies, the God of All Comfort, the gospel truth, the Olympics, them which are in any trouble, to go by day and by night, Toronto Carnival, troubled on every side, truth, we may be able to comfort, wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, wisdom, within were fears, without were fightings
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies, and the God of all comfort.
And the summer festivities continue to make front page news, like the Olympics in France, and the Toronto Carnival, or what ever is its the new name, capturing the lion’s share of the news in Toronto. But please note, that despite the new title, the carnival festivities in Toronto will forever be known as Caribana in the hearts of the people. For names are continually changing, but not so people’s hearts. (smile)
Anyway, it’s Sunday, that means we need to take a break from the external worldly celebrations and turn to the internal spiritual ones in the sanctuary of God with other believers, so we can give Him much thanks and praise for getting us safely through this week and asking for His awesome mercy and grace to continue into the upcoming week. So let’s get on with it by singing our worship song for today, aptly titled, ‘God Will Make A Way!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth, as I found out from personal experience yesterday evening in the Exhibition Stadium, when I was struggling to make it to my venue, and He sent one of the supervisors of the grounds to give us an unexpected lift in his golf cart, and then gave me the strength and energy to walk back the long distance to the car at the end of the show. Now that might be the lesson, or one of the lessons, He wanted me to learn through that experience, who knows, but I’ll surely remember it. (smile)
Unfortunately though, the song we’re about to sing was born out of a much more tragic situation. The author, Don Moen, a previous choir director of The Hour of Power Religious Programme, had some of his family members depart this earthly life in a fatal vehicle accident some years ago, and deep in sorrow, on his way to the accident scene, while contemplating what to do, the Lord placed these words in his heart. Just another sign that God is always with us, whatever our circumstances, and we can always find comfort and reassurance in His presence.
So, let’s offer up sweet sacrifices of praise in a sincere, mid-tempo, soulful version of the song, remembering times when God showed up unexpectedly and calmed our sorrows. Singing: ‘God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today
Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today.
Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way.’
And if you’ve been a believer for a while, you’ll know that’s absolutely true! No friends, God will NEVER leave us in the lurch! He might not show up exactly when we want Him to, but He’s never late, and knows the best time to make His awesome appearance. And there are scriptures throughout the Bible speaking of God’s comforting nature, a few of which we can take a look at. And possibly the most well known one on the subject is this one from Bruh Paul in his second letter to the church at Corinth, where he writes in no uncertain terms.
‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies, and the God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) Wow! Yuh see that mih people! Our God is the Great Comforter! And in comforting us, He gives us the power and the encouragement to comfort others! Isn’t He a most magnificent and LOVING God? He certainly is!
Now listen to this other scripture where the prophet Isaiah talks about singing of God’s Comfort and Mercy. ‘Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking (nursing) child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven (inscribed) thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.’ (Is. 49:13-16)
How much more of the Lord’s comfort can we ask for eh? Even if a mother forsakes her newborn baby, the Lord has promised never to forget His people. And He is a most faithful God. We see him again making a way for His people, Israel, when He brought them out of Egypt. The Bible says: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, or the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex. 13:21-22) What a great God we serve my brethren!
Then we have this last scripture from Bruh Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, where he writes: ‘For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without (outside) were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but by the consolation (comfort) wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me (zeal for me); so that I rejoiced the more.’ (2 Cor, 7:5-7)
Yes my fellow saints, even the great apostle Bruh Paul needed comfort at times, and was comforted by the Lord in Macedonia through the coming of Titus with good news from the church at Corinth. Likewise, all of us need comfort at one time or another, and there’s no better place to seek it than from our heavenly Father and each other! Much LOVE!
…God…in His awesome wisdom…provides a chain of comfort…from Him to us…then to each other…and back to Him again…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great King above all Gods, at they right hand are pleasures evermore, Bible, Caribana, come before his presence with thanksgiving, cultural festivities', deepen my breath, divine presence, end of the summer, even unto the end of the world, faith, found grace in thy sight, god, God's presence permeating our souls, hibernate, I know thee by name, I love them that love me, in thy presence is fullness of joy, increase my awareness of you, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lo I am with you always, LOVE, my flesh shall rest in hope, my heart is glad, prayer, relax my muscles, search for me with all your heart, seek his face evermore, seek the Lord and his strength, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, shew me the path of life, slwo my thoughts, the last weekend in July, the Lord is a great God, those that seek me early will find me, thou goest with us, truth, where have all the flowers gone, wisdom, ye shall seek me and find me, your peace and love are present
Proverbs 8:17. I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.
Oh friends, can you believe that this is already the last weekend in July? Didn’t we just celebrate Canada Day on the first day of the month? How can we be seeing the end so soon eh? Next week we’ll be talking about August… and you know what that means – the end of summer! Brother! The days are running away from us, and in a li’l while, we’ll be sadly asking, where have all the flowers gone, as the cold weather steps in and the flora and fauna hibernate for another winter.
Thankfully though, all of that’s in the future. We’ve still got time to enjoy the lazy, hazy days of summer. But we have to be quick about it. And there are lots of summer festivities still to come, like Caribana, the EX; that big Canadian Fair at the Exhibition grounds, and every weekend there’s some cultural group celebrating their old homeland with food, drink and other cultural activities. So although the summer’s moving along fast, it’s still far from over.
But before we get out there and enjoy it all, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with sincere, heartfelt emotions. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And we can now feel God’s awesome presence permeating our souls and spirits even more than before, because that’s the kind of prayer the Lord just LOVES to answer. You can’t ask for anything dearer to His heart, than more of His presence in your life. And there are numerous scriptures that advise us to do just that. So let’s look at some of those scriptures about seeking God, about seeking His face.
And this verse from Jeremiah is probably the best one to start with, where the Lord says through the prophet: ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:13) That says it all my brethren! To find God, to come into His holy presence, we must seek Him with all of our heart. Nothing less will do. But that’s why many of us seek God and can’t find Him; we don’t do it sincerely, or with all of our hearts, but for selfish, lustful purposes. Obviously He won’t show up under such circumstances.
Then Psalm 105 tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.’ (Ps. 105:4) Yes friends, we’re to continually seek God’s face, seek His presence continually, every day, all day! And we see it in action when Moses prays for the Lord’s presence.
‘And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people. And he (the Lord) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
And he (Moses) said unto him (the Lord), If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.’ (Ex. 33:12-17)
Oh my fellow believers, you see how important the Lord’s presence was in the eyes of Moses. If He wasn’t with him and the Israelite people, he didn’t want to go any further, because the Lord’s presence showed that they were safe, separated and protected from other people. It’s the same with us today. If we don’t have God’s presence in our lives, we stand a greater chance of being hurt or destroyed, physically, spiritually or emotionally. And we’ll never feel truly safe while journeying though this strife-filled and evil world.
Meanwhile, in Psalm 16 – God Preserves His People, Bruh David writes: ‘I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:7-11)
Yes friends, as this commentary explains: Bruh David is speaking of ‘the divine presence as the place that is most desired, that gives “fullness of joy” (verse 11). From beginning to end Psalm 16 testifies to a life that finds its ultimate rest in God’s protective presence.’ You cannot find any fault whatsoever with that statement, because it’s the gospel truth! Then Psalm 95 wisely advises: ‘Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and great King above all gods.’ (Ps. 95:2-3) No disputing that either!
And no scriptures will ever be complete without a word of wisdom from Cousin Sol. On this particular subject, he conclusively states: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) Now that’s simply more gospel truth! And there are no better verses to end with than these two from Jesus. The first is the greatest advice going: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) If we’re wise, we’ll do exactly that. And this last one just ramps up our level of assurance in God: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b)
Now there’s no better reassurance that that my fellow believers! Jesus promised to be with us right down to the very end, and since we know that He keeps all His promise, we can go home today, unafraid, totally reassured, rejoicing in His awesome holy presence. Much LOVE!
…if you’re not in God’s presence…then you’re not enjoying the fullness of life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a true rewarder of them that diligently seek him, anger, brotherly LOVE, Caribana, chief identifying characteristic, Christianity 101, draw near with a true heart, God's clarion call, going right down to the wire with Jesus, great commission, greed, hate, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, hold fast the profession of our faith, in full assurance of faith, in god's eyes, it's Jesus all the way, Jesus now and forever, light of the world, living a diligent and responsible life, LOVE, make disciples of all nations, make hay when the sun shines, mark of the beast, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, our level of trust faith and surrender, salt of the earth, sealfishness, self-aggrandizement, share His love with my neighbour, take hard times in stride, the mark of love for Jesus, the name that's higher than any other, to provoke unto love and good works, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, uncertain and trying times, without faith it is impossible to please God
Hebrews 11:6a. But without faith it is impossible to please him:
So friends, Caribana done now! And a good thing too, because Tuesday has opened somewhat sunny, but cool and very windy; on the verge of what can be called a windstorm. But life goes on, we’ll still make hay when the sun shines, and when it doesn’t, we’ll do whatever the Lord asks us to do. (smile) Yes friends, we going right down to the wire with Jesus! Let’s never allow that to be a questionable situation! It’s Jesus ALL THE WAY! And all God’s people gave a loud and sincere shout of ‘Jesus! Jesus NOW and FOREVER!’
And it’s ever so easy to talk it mih people, but in these rather uncertain and trying times we cannot afford to just talk Jesus, we have to LIVE Him! Sincerely do the things He commanded us to do: Be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. (Matt. 5:13-16) Accept His Great Commission and go forth into all the world and make disciples of all nations, so that the world can know Him and come to Him for help and refuge that we all so badly need. (Matt. 28:19-20)
And then there’s LOVE! Yes mih brethren, the Agape or Brotherly LOVE of Christ, that needs to pour out of us in all our dealings with our fellow man. Remember, unless that LOVE is forthcoming, we’re not His true disciples, because He purposely stated that it’s only through the great and sincere LOVE we show to each other, that will mark us as His true disciples. (John 13:35) In truth my fellow believers, the mark of LOVE for Jesus is our chief identifying characteristic. Like the Bible talks about taking the mark of the beast, the Evil One, so we Jesus believers are supposed to take His mark, that of LOVE for each other!
And it’s so sad, that that LOVE which our world so badly needs right now is in such an abysmal shortage, while the things of the Evil One are flourishing like never before. I don’t know if our world has ever seen a time like this; one of immense greed, selfishness, hate, anger and resentment. A time of widespread self-aggrandizement and power-hunger, where numerous dictatorships are being birthed through evil ramifications and a foolish, doh-care, not interested, led astray populace. A time when there’s war and rumours of war all over the globe, and in almost every nation, a state of dissatisfaction and disenchantment runs high.
And there’s so much variation in our thinking that it boggles the imagination. There’s thinking running from the extreme left to the extreme right and all the way in between, making the voices so raucous and disunited that only chaos can be the eventual result. That is unless we Jesus’ people step up to the plate and make a significant difference. Do the job that Jesus purchased us with His sinless blood to do; that’s live right and show others the way to Him and eternal life.
That means living a responsible and diligent life; one of excellence and sincerity; following His example the best way we can, taking suffering and hard times in stride, like He did, learning obedience through the hard knocks like He did, fully knowing that our Lord God Jehovah will never leave nor forsake us, (Heb. 13:5) will be with us through whatever tough times we go through, will make a way for us where there seems to be no way, and eventually will work everything out for our good! (Rom. 8:28)
Now those are the things, the scriptures we need to take to heart and inculcate in our daily lives, because we know that our God is faithful, and never reneges on a promise. And I guess that’s where it all starts my fellow saints, with our level of trust, of faith and of surrender to God’s clarion call! And I believe these scriptures from Hebrews, clarifies it all. This first one in the chapter on the heroes of faith like Enoch and Noah, Abraham and Moses, specifies the necessity for strong faith to walk sincerely with God.
‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) That’s the first aspect of the situation friends, true belief in Almighty God. Then this second scripture from Hebrews enlarges and enlightens on the first.
‘And having an high priest over the house of God (Jesus): Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering: (for he is faithful that promised,) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10: 21-25)
Oh my people, those scriptures just put it in a nutshell for us: the importance of true belief in God and His everlasting faithfulness, especially right now, when the last days seem to be upon us. Then having Jesus as our high priest, our advocate and intercessor in heaven, we stand strong, never wavering, behind Him and all that He desires of us, through gathering together and encouraging each other to live in LOVE and do good works in His majestic name. The name that’s higher than every other name! That’s the ONLY WAY to truly live the Christian life my brethren!
And now that we’ve retaken Christianity 101 (smile) and our spirits have been lifted and refreshed, 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, let’s get out into the evil and ungodly world and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…without true belief and strong unwavering faith…one cannot live sincerely for Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
31 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a faithful ambassador, a horror show, a lie, a sin, a wicked messenger, ambassadors of Christ, brings health, burn the candle at both ends, Caribana, Christians, controlling things, Covid-19 pandemic, defeat the virus and unrest, diligence, excellence, falleth into mischief, fellow saints in Christ, followers of Christ, Friday chant, lockdown, omnipotent help, people behaving irresponsibly, racial riots, reconciled to God, represent Christ, sinful world, still on His throne, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the long weekend, the Lord God Jehovah, the ordinary workingman, the right attitude, the weekend, this too shall pass, tools at our convenience, towards Him and His word, uncertain times, unexpected storm, wake up and smell the coffee, we can't help others, what a bam bam, working for Jesus
Proverbs 13:17. A wicked messenger falleth into mischief (trouble): but a faithful ambassador is (brings) health.
And then it was Friday and everybody…well most everybody was shouting with glee: ‘The weekend, the weekend, the long weekend at last!’ Yeh friends this is the Civic Holiday weekend, the first Monday in August. And it’s also what should have been Caribana weekend in Toronto with all the carnival stuff happening. But like most everything else the Covid-19 pandemic has put paid to that for this year. What a bam bam of a year this 2020 has been eh! (smile) But what to do eh? We need to know that the Lord God Jehovah is still on His throne and still controlling things and that with the right attitude towards Him and His Word, this too shall pass!
But enough of me, let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say nuh. And as always, he exclaims: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! And thank God for this long weekend too! Just hope it not too hot and miserable though. And finally the rest of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) is being released into the Stage 3 lockdown mode. More places opening and inside service in restaurants and stuff. That sounds good, but ah wondering how safe or sensible it is for them to make this decision on this long weekend eh, knowing how people behaving irresponsibly all over the place?
Just think about that house party last week up in Brampton nuh, with some two hundred people and cars parked all over the grass and wherever. Steups! Can yuh imagine how some of them going to behave with the freedom granted them over this long weekend? But who am I to question it eh? The government seem to think they know what they doing…ah certainly hope so yes, for all of our sakes. But me and mine not going to do anything much different, to what we been doing – barbequing and going for walks and playing games together.
I need to get some rest too, as well as cut down on the drinking and smoking. Ah finally realizing that I’m not as young as I used to be, and can’t burn the candle at both ends like I used to, and get away with it. Hn, Hn! Let us hope though, that the release in this lockdown don’t drive people crazy and they end up doing nonsense to cause the virus to start spreading again nuh, and we have to go back into another lockdown. Brother! Would that ever be a horror show!’
And isn’t that the God-awful truth people! Having the society locked down again will definitely cause much more panic and disobedience than the original seclusion did! So let’s pray that people will be sensible, serious and responsible nuh, and we won’t be forced back into a lockdown situation again, but keep reopening li’l by li’l, glory by glory.
As one voice, with sincere hearts, let’s declare (steups!) our Friday Chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…some of it from work, as many of us are now back to work in varied ways, but most of our anxiety still comes from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus still causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. And now, on top of all that, we have racial riots and protests to put up with. Oh Lord, yuh know we can’t handle it on our own and desperately need Your help.
Yes, heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Ah friends, so much of this recovery from our current sickness and strife depends on how we, followers of Christ, Christians behave. We need to show the world Christ though not only our talk, but more importantly through our actions and behaviour. Things like LOVE, compassion, care, forgiveness and mercy have to be prominently displayed by us in these dark, angry and dangerous times. This is when we truly have to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, showing forth our faithfulness in spades.
This is more a time for action rather than talk, and even though some of us are still in lockdown mode we can still do a lot to help those less fortunate than us. We now have so many tools at our convenience that it would be a lie, and a sin, to say we can’t help others. Yes my fellow saints in Christ, this is a time when the cream, we believers in Christ need to rise to the top, be true and good ambassadors of our Lord and Saviour. Bruh Paul said it quite plainly to the Corinthians. ‘Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (implore) you in Christ’s stead (behalf), be ye reconciled to God.’ (2 Cor. 5:20)
Oh friends, we who have been reconciled to God, become righteous and justified, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, now need to go out and do what He wants us to do. He is our leader, and followers ought to do what leaders desire of them. Just like political ambassadors represent their countries in foreign lands, we too need to represent Christ wherever we go. And like Cousin Sol so wisely declares (yeahhh!) in Proverbs: ‘A wicked messenger falleth into mischief (trouble): but a faithful ambassador is (brings) health.’ (Prov. 13:17)
Oh my people, please, I implore us to be faithful ambassadors of Christ in these dangerous and uncertain times, and thus bring health to our society. Much LOVE!
…truly working for Jesus…means diligence and excellence… from a compassionate heart…
06 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blight, a son of Abraham, as if there was no tomorrow, call down fire and brimstone, Caribana, come to this house, convicted, downtrodden, eternal damnation, for our own good, friend of Jesus, from happiness to suffering, from suffering to happiness, God so loved the world, Granny's warning, he gave his only begotten son, his avowed earthly purpose, is a step, is an eternity, is come, Jesus saw it as a win, Jesus' enemies, Jewish Proverb, Judas, lost, LOVE, might not perish, none of them is lost, not come to destroy men's lives, not condemned, on a samaritan village, people dragging, salvation, save people, share His love, shunned by society, suffering, that all who believe in him, that which is lost, the best reward, the Holy Spirit, the sick, the Son of man, the son of perdition, time to work, to seek and save, too much partying, Tuesday Mantra, working for Jesus, Zaccheus
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
And now that the Caribana party done, is time to get back to work mih people! But you wouldn’t like to see the way some of us dragging as we attempt to reach the slave master’s place of slavery! Hn, hn! Too much partying over the last few days. But that’s the nature of the beast.
Now we going to drag we foot in the people work, just dying for Friday to come around. And the few times we lucid, we going to boast about the good time we had over the weekend. Ah don’t know if much work going to get done this week nuh, or if whatever is done will be up to scratch. But hear is a li’l something from a Jewish Proverb that might help us.
It says: ‘From happiness to suffering is a step; from suffering to happiness is an eternity.’ And isn’t that the awesome gospel truth! We jump from happiness to suffering like right off the bat. But it takes an eternity to move from suffering to happiness. The suffering doesn’t ever seem to want to finish, while the happiness is like over since yesterday.
And that’s the lesson for we partygoers this week: You partied hearty for a few days, now you going to suffer long before you recover! (smile) But don’t worry friends, if you’re a believer, Jesus will take care of you, even though you didn’t pay proper attention to Granny’s warning and partied as if there was no tomorrow. That’s because He specifically came to save people like you and me; the lost, the suffering, the sick, the downtrodden, those shunned by society.
Listen to how often Jesus tried to tell His listeners that nuh. The Jewish big wigs criticized Him for having lunch with Zaccheus, one of the rich and hated tax collectors, even though Zaccheus repented. But Jesus’ reply was simple. ‘This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:9-10)
Yeh friends, Jesus’ enemies saw it as a blight on His record, but Jesus saw it as a win, because He had saved one house from eternal damnation, and that was His avowed purpose here on the earth. Likewise, when the disciples wanted to call down brimstone and fire on a Samaritan village that refused to welcome Jesus, He rebuked them, saying: ‘Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.’ (Luke 9:55-56)
And we all know, what is possibly the mightiest saying of Jesus: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
Ah mih people, our heavenly Father’s deepest hope and most sincere wish is that not even a single one of His human creations will end up in Hades with the foolish and fallen Lucifer.
Hear Jesus in conversation with the Jewish elite again nuh. ‘All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise (certainly not) cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.’ (John 6:37-40)
Yuh see how important we were, and still are to the Father my people! All He wants is that we be saved from eternal separation from Him! And Jesus referred again to saving the lost, when He prayed that after His ascension, the Father would keep the disciples in perfect peace in the world, but not of it.
‘While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest, me I have kept, and none of them is lost (destroyed), but the son of perdition (destruction) (Judas); that the scripture might be fulfilled.’ (John 17:12)
So precious people of God, there’s nothing to be afraid of or be anxious and worried about when the Holy Spirit convicts us of any wrongdoing, because it’s all a part of the Father’s overall plan to save our souls from hellfire and damnation. We should in fact be glad and appreciate any warnings from the Holy Spirit because it’s all for our good.
Remember as believers in Christ, we’re not condemned, just convicted, and then it’s up to us to confess and repent and do better. The Lord, in His awesome wisdom and LOVING-kindness, has made whatever we need to come to Him readily available. So please, let’s be wise and use those tools for our benefit nuh.
Now let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know our awesome position in Christ. All together now: ‘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 if we sincerely meant it, let’s now go out and share that monumental LOVE and friendship of Jesus with the rest of the world, as He so greatly desires of us! Much LOVE!
…working for Jesus…the most rewarding work in this whole wide world…
05 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a quiet day, advice, afraid, antidote, ashamed, ask and you shall receive, aura of love, Caribana, doing the best we can for Jesus, forgiveness, further your glorious kingdom, get jealous, good motives, good work, hands on, his blood, humble servants, in strong voice, indwelling every believer, intimate, irritable, jobs, John, keeping lives and families together, kind of person, kindness, knocking on heaven's door, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not many days hence, pay our sin debt, personal power of Jesus, playing fair, ponder our situation, receive power, relaxation, residual effects, rest, rewards, right with you, sacrificed His life, serve a useful purpose, short tempered, sincerely believing, spiritual armour, the Holy Spirit, the uttermost part of the earth, to share Christ's gospel, truly baptized, with the Holy ghost, with water, witnesses, ye shall be baptized
Acts 1:5. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
And the Caribana celebration is still going strong this Monday morning, though many have gone back home or are in the process of doing so. In fact, today’s the day when a lot of the big parties will be held, but unfortunately, or otherwise, (smile) the ole fella will not be a part of any of those celebrations. I’m just going to spend a quiet day of rest and relaxation at home with the duchess. Yes, we getting old, and we value our quiet time at home now, much more than we ever did. (smile)
However, some of us do have to go to work, and when we read about the partying and the rest and relaxation, only to realize that we’re not a part of either one of those preferable situations, understandably, we liable to get somewhat jealous and irritable. But fear not working friends, we have the antidote for whatever’s ailing you this Caribana Monday morning. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; a mighty prayer of praise, of asking, of seeking and knocking on heaven’s door.
So as time is of the essence, let’s get right to it nuh. All together now, in strong voice, sincerely believing, for though Jesus said ask and you shall receive, (Matt.7:7) He also specified: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22) So yuh see friends, the asking part is important, but the believing part is even more so. Therefore, let’s ask and believe and receive nuh.
‘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!’
And as always, you can tell those who not going to work today, because their voices were the loudest and hoarsest; residual effects from a lot of partying. But I’m sure that for those of us who sincerely prayed and believed, our attitude and perspective has now changed. Our batteries are suddenly fully charged, and our energy level is much higher than before, and we just dying to get out into the evil world and give the enemy heck in Jesus’ name! (smile)
Oh my people, it’s so good when our spirits are raised and we are in full Jesus mode, because our lives run so much better and smoother. We’re not as short-tempered and irritable. Kindness and forgiveness come to us more readily and easily, and we’re not ashamed or afraid to share the gospel and LOVE of Jesus with others. And it all comes when we follow the leading and wise advice of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us for that very purpose.
Consequently, Jesus warned the disciples to remain in Jerusalem after His ascension: ‘For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And when, in their impatience, they asked: ‘Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?’ He calmly replied: ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:6-7)
Yeh friends, Jesus just reiterated what we know as the Great Commission. (Matt.28:19-20) Our raison d’etre is to spread Jesus gospel to all parts of the world and the Holy Ghost is our lead and guide for doing that. And we all know how Jesus’ words came to pass on Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Ghost invaded the souls of the believers in the upper room, appearing like cloven (divided) tongues of fire and sitting on each of them, giving them such supernatural power that they were able to speak in other languages of which they previously had no knowledge. (Acts.2:3-4)
And after that the Holy Spirit began indwelling EVERY believer, so that they could have the intimate and personal power of Jesus living with them. It couldn’t get any more personal or intimate than that my people! That’s the kind of hands on, always right there with you kind of person that our Jesus is! So how can we not do His bidding eh?
We not playing fair if we don’t put out our best on His behalf because He gave His ALL; His very life; sacrificed it for us, so His blood could pay our sin debt in full. And now, so many of us want what He offers, but refuse to do what He asks. That just doesn’t compute my people. So sometime today, let’s take a moment or two and ponder our situation nuh, our relationship to Christ and see whether we are doing the best we can for His kingdom. Remember, there will be rewards for good work with good motives! Much LOVE!
…after all Jesus has done for us…how can we not LOVE Him eh…and strive to do our best for Him…
05 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, ask, believing, blessings, Caribana, Charlotte Elliot, cleanse, coming to Jesus, confidence, deep devotion, excellence, faithful prayer request, fears, feeble in body, festivities, fightings, Give God glory, holiday weekend, humble servant, I believe, I come, intellectual mind, it shall be given, it will be opened, Jesus, Just as I am, just as you are, knock, knocks on the door, made us imperfect, many a conflict, many a doubt, no excuse, O lamb of God, of one dark spot, open arms, pardon, perfect rhythm, praise, receive God's word, relieve, rid my soul, seek, simplicity, soften our hearts, spent time with God, spiritual-mindedness, strong imagination, tenderness, Thank You Lord, thanskgiving, the answer to all our problems, the end of yourself, the great invitation, the Lord's sanctuary, thy promise, to stay away from church, tossed about, washed his disciples feet, welcome, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, without one plea, worship, ye shall find, ye shall receive
Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Oh my brethren, the Caribana holiday weekend is in full swing with lots of festivities happening all around the province, especially in and around Toronto. But that’s no excuse to stay away from church today.
Most of you won’t remember the days when nothing of any relevance happened in the city on a Sunday until after lunch. That gave people a time to visit the Lord’s sanctuary and fellowship with others in worship, praise and thanksgiving, while receiving His blessings and confidence for the upcoming week.
And though those times are long past, as true believers, we are now expected to make that decision for ourselves. So let’s make sure we give God some of our time today nuh. There’ll be lots left over afterwards for us to play and have fun and enjoy our lives. That’s exactly what He wants us to do, but only after we’ve spent some valuable time with Him.
So as always, let’s begin with a song of praise, to both give God some glory and soften up our hearts to hear and receive His awesome Word. And today we will sing a hymn penned long ago by an interesting lady, Charlotte Elliot (1789- 1871)
‘The first 32 years of her life were spent mostly at Clapham. In 1823 she removed to Brighton, and died there Sept. 22, 1871. To her acquaintance with Dr. C. Malan, of Geneva, is attributed much of the deep spiritual-mindedness which is so prominent in her hymns. Though weak and feeble in body, she possessed a strong imagination, and a well-cultured and intellectual mind.
Her love of poetry and music was great, and is reflected in her verse. Her hymns number about 150, a large percentage of which are in common use. The finest and most widely known of these are, “Just as I am” and “My God, my Father, while I stray.” Her verse is characterized by tenderness of feeling, plaintive simplicity, deep devotion, and perfect rhythm. For those in sickness and sorrow she has sung as few others have done.’
So let’s sing with that heartfelt and plaintive simplicity that her most popular hymn calls forth: ‘Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidd’st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot, to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.’
Ah friends, that’s the beauty of finding and coming to Jesus: You can do so just as you are! You don’t have to clean up yourself or anything like that, cause He will do all the cleansing and whatever else you might need, when you come to Him. Isn’t that great? It surely is!
Any other deity wants you to come clean and polished, but Jesus, our humble servant and friend is willing and able to do the dirty work Himself, just like He washed His disciples feet when He was here on earth. (John 13:1-20) Yeh friends, Jesus welcomes with open arms, anyone who sincerely comes to Him. As He says in our Bit: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ It’s as simple as that!
Once you’ve come to the end of yourself and realize you can’t get any further ahead on your own strength, all you have to do is turn to Jesus in prayer. Ask Him to come into your heart…and He will. Seek Him with all your heart, mind, body and soul…and you will find Him. And when He comes and knocks on the door of your heart… gladly and humbly open it and let Him in and say a joyful ‘Thank You Lord!’
People believe that becoming a child of God is difficult, but on the contrary, it’s one of the easiest families to become a member of. However, living according to His rules and regulations and doing what He expects of us after we become His brother or sister, that could become somewhat difficult, because the Father seeks excellence and wants us to conform as much as possible to our Big Brother’s image, especially in terms of obedience.
Oh, He knows that it’s impossible for us to be Jesus’ perfect clone, because He made us imperfect, but we still need to come as close as humanly possible, and He does help us. So if you’re down and dirty, sick and suffering, downtrodden and abused, and you just can’t take it anymore…please turn to Jesus, He will accept you JUST AS YOU ARE, and care and comfort you like no one else can. It only takes a simple, but faithful prayer request.
Here’s how Jesus put it: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22) Yes friends, Jesus is the answer to ALL our problems…but we have to go to Him with a sincere and humble heart. Much LOVE!
…there is no other invitation in the universe like Jesus’…which asks so little…but delivers so much…that’s why it’s called…the Great Invitation…
04 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, aches and pains, Anselm, ask, ask bread, aspires to inspire, be in the same place, best y date, Caribana, come to the Father in prayer, come tumbling down, do all things in His name, exercise our authority, exhilaration, fall in love, fervent prayer, find the courage to let go, frequent prayer, friend, generosity of god, genuine prayer, give a serpent, give a stone, give good gifts, Glory to christ, go after what you want, go out and party, high pedestal, it shall be given, it shall be opened, Jesus' logic, knock, learn to let go, living for Christ, LOVE, love others like yourself, make ends meet, make the sacrifices, multitasking, narcissistic times, no excuse for failure, nothing is impossible, perseverance, puny minds, raise clenched fists, relief, seek, self-esteem, self-worth, selfish, sleeping in, spread thin, step forward, step out in faith, venture forth, victory, what you're doing now, where you want to be tomorrow, working, ye shall find, your Father in heaven
Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
And so we come to Saturday – Caribana Saturday in Toronto…and again I’m up before I planned to because of the many aches and pains coursing through the ole bod. But I don’t think they are as bad as yesterday morning. And in any case, though they might slow us down some, we’re not going to let them stop us. Glory to Christ Jesus who strengthens us and allows us to do all things in His name!
So some people are getting ready to go out and party, some are sleeping in, and some are working, like me here, asking the Lord to show me what He wants me to write about today. But before we get to that, let’s look at some quotes from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And we have a full slate of them this week.
The first one tells us: ‘Learn to let go.’ Now that is indeed some wise advice, because we often hold on to things and people we ought to let go, because their season in our lives is over. And holding on to stuff and people who’s best by date has expired, does us no good whatsoever, just causes more problems than we need.
And that segues very nicely into this next quote: ‘One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you can’t change.’ Yeh friends, letting go brings a kind of exhilaration and relief to our spirits, as we say ‘Yes!’ and raise our clenched fists in victory.
And then there is this: ‘Fall in LOVE with yourself before anything else.’ Now there is some truth to that statement, but we have to be very careful with it, especially in these selfish and narcissistic times. LOVE for ourselves should be one about self-worth and self esteem, in conjunction with Jesus command to LOVE others as ourselves.
Now there’s no way we can LOVE anybody else if we don’t first LOVE ourselves. So please pay close attention to how you think about yourself. Do appreciate and value yourself, but don’t put yourself up on any high pedestal, and think you’re so much better than others, for you’ll eventually come tumbling down.
And the next quote poses a very interesting question. ‘Ask yourself if what you’re doing today will get you closer to where you want to be tomorrow?’ Now that’s a question a lot of us need to ask ourselves! So many of us are doing stuff we don’t like, and are spread very thinly amongst so many things that we can’t focus on the thing or things we truly want to focus on.
And in these days of multitasking and people having to work at several jobs just to make ends meet, steadily focusing on, and getting ahead in the area you particularly desire is difficult. But you can do it, if you know what you want, and are ready to make the sacrifices involved, and above all, with God’s awesome help. Remember NOTHING is impossible to Him!
And last quote gives us: ‘Three life rules: 1. If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. 2. If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no. 3. If you don’t step forward, you will always be in the same place.’ And they are all quite true. We just have to put them in the context of living for Christ and what He said concerning those things. ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’
Yeh friends, it’s only when we venture forth, we step out in faith that things truly begin to happen for us. As Jesus continues: ‘For every one that asketh receiveth; and that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt.7:8) And here Jesus was referring in particular to prayer, but in reality before we do anything, we ought to come to the Father in prayer about it.
The scholars offer this explanation. ‘7:7-10. The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer. Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (v.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
Now that’s certainly a very interesting statement…and it’s also true. Our wonderful God has given us ALL that we need to be successful down here on Planet Earth. We just need to exercise our authority over it all! And what better way to close than with the words of our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as he concluded His talk on the above subject.
‘Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matt.7:9-11)
You can’t beat Jesus’ logic there my people. If we, in our sinful nature, know how to give good things to our LOVED ones, then can you imagine the generosity of the God of LOVE and Giver of ALL good things? No! Our puny minds won’t allow us to. But if we have faith, and persevere in fervent prayer, we will get some idea of how generous He is. Much LOVE!
…asking…seeking…and knocking…are the only ways…to truly find out what’s happening…
03 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comfortable position, a modicum of circumspection, a rollicking good time, ambassadors of Christ, an ordeal, bodily aches and pains, Caribana, crying out, doing Jesus' work, efficient, Friday chant, fruitful, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, get a foothold, getting down, give thanks, in Jesus name, in resistance, in the world, Jeeves, joy, Judas Iscariot, kept thy word, leggo beast, level of excellence, LOVE, manifested thy name, may be one, not of the world, nothing that comes against us will conquer us, out on the boulevard, out on the limb, refreshed, renewed, sanctify them, serving Jesus, set us apart, showing off, Steelband Competition, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the evil one, the prince of darkness, the scripture might be fulfilled, the son of perdition, the workingman's song, the world hated them, the world spotlight, thy word is truth, to go quietly, Toronto's big day, up the ante, we bumbulum, we're special, week of work, wining, with the Lord's help, worthwhile
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Ah friends, it’s a sad day when bodily aches and pains contrive and conspire to drive you out of your bed! But that’s what came against me this morning. I got up around 5.30 to go to the bathroom and found I could barely walk the few feet to it. And that’s after going to bed around two thirty in fairly good shape. Every joint was crying out in resistance. Then when I went back to bed I couldn’t find a comfortable position to get back to sleep.
But with the Lord’s help I weathered it and did get some more spasmodic rest. However, the aches and pains in my back, both knees, both hips and both shoulders refused to go quietly into the sunrise, (smile) and I eventually got up somewhat earlier than I had planned.
But brother, what an ordeal! And I’ve been taking the pain pills fairly regularly. So why this painful episode now eh? Steups! But yuh know what? The aches and pains won’t keep the ole fella down for long. He’ll rally and fight back. And with the Lord’s help we’ll win, because the Lord has promised that nothing that comes against us will conquer us. Glory be!
And it’s Friday, Caribana Friday to boot, Toronto’s big day in the worldwide spotlight, so you know the workingman will be out and about blaring his song to all and sundry! ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Caribana Friday! A long weekend…and official time to play true leggo beast!
Yuh going to see we out on the boulevard tomorrow in we pretty costume…with the music blasting…and we doing we thing, getting down and wining, showing off we bumbulum and having a rollicking good time! Oh people, oh people, is Caribana weekend, the summer soon done, time to get out and have some fun, and thank the Lord for Fridays and weekends, especially the long ones!’
Yeh mih breddren, we must give thanks for our days off from labour, but we don’t need to go that far out on the limb like the workingman, where the evil one can easily get a foothold in our affairs. But like Jeeves says, a modicum of circumspection is necessary.
And it’s strange how life changes as one gets older. At one time Caribana was a big deal for me. Now I don’t even remember that it exists. That’s because I can’t handle all the walking and jammings again, as well as it has lost its flavour. It’s not as nice and authentic as it was before.
I’m not even enthusiastic this year to go to the Steelband Competition, the only aspect I support these days. I haven’t even heard from my buddy Bas, who usually goes with me. But who knows what will happen. It’s still early times. And don’t tell me that I’m getting old and cold, because I’m not. (smile)
Anyway, in response to the workingman’s song, let’s chant our more sedate and less frivolous Friday Chant. 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!’
Yes my people, in Jesus organization, we don’t behave like the world, that’s ruled by the prince of darkness behaves. As Jesus prayed to the Father on our behalf: ‘I have manifested (revealed) thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them (to) me; and they have kept thy word… I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine…
And now I am no more (longer) in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost (destroyed), but the son of perdition (Judas Iscariot); that the scripture might be fulfilled.
And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray NOT that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). ‘They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:6, 9, 11-17)
Oh friends, yuh see how important Jesus thought we were? He spent the whole of chapter 17, 26 verses praying for us. Even for the believers who’d come down through the ages (vs.20). He asked the Father not to take us out of the world, but to keep us filled with His joy and to set us apart from the world, so we don’t get too contaminated by it.
Now we do have to be in the world, otherwise how would we bring the lost and suffering to Him eh? But we don’t have to be a part of the world, meaning doing the things the world does, or living the way it does. We’re special friends. And we need to know it and behave accordingly!
As we said yesterday, we’re ambassadors of Christ, therefore we have to behave in a special way, a way that glorifies and exalts His Holy Name. And we definitely can’t do that by behaving the way the world behaves. So let’s up the ante nuh, let’s raise our level of excellence in doing Jesus’ work, otherwise we won’t be His fruitful and efficient ambassadors, like we’re supposed to be. Much LOVE!
…serving Jesus in this evil world… is not easy…but it sure is worthwhile…
04 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, blessings, Brooklyn, Caribana, carnivals, celebrations, confidence, conquerors, donkey's years, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, Eastern Parkway, enthusiasm, friends, glorious kingdom, gold, gospel truth, Granny's warning, holy spirit, honour, hope, humble servants, idols, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, Labour Day, legacy, length of days, lies, LOVE, Lucifer, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pagan wives, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, riches, rights, shame, silver, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, struggle, surrender, taunts, the Big Apple, the principal thing, the promotion of fools, the wise shall inherit glory, Toronto, truth, understanding, ungodly world, weary souls, wiles, wisdom
Proverbs 3:35. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.
So people, Labour Day Monday is here at last, and there’ll be celebrations all over the world, ostensibly in honour of the ordinary working men who fought and died for the rights that we so blessedly enjoy today. The sad part is that lots of the young folks don’t know, were never taught about the arduous struggle their forefathers had to go through to bring us to where we currently are.
All they know is that Labour Day is a time to party, and for many others, an occasion to make mas on the Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. And I can’t complain too loudly because at one time I also made the Parkway my Labour Day Monday haunt. But like most of the other carnivals around the world, back then it was much more colourful and entertaining, with real mas costumes, not a bikini bra and bottom and a headdress of feathers.
There would also be many big music bands, not mostly D.J’s. It was an opportunity to see people you hadn’t seen in donkey’s years, (smile) and reminisce about old times. But then everything began changing; the music and the costumes weren’t as nice, I could no longer handle the physical walking, and I hardly saw anybody I knew. So I eventually stopped going to the Big Apple for Labour Day, just like I stopped going to Caribana here in Toronto for the same reasons.
Anyway, enough of my whatever you call it, it’s Monday and some people still have to get up and go out and labour to keep our 24/7 world humming along smoothly. So let’s help those unfortunate folks get going with a rousing rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘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!’
And as always, the voices of those who are not going to work are the loudest and hoarsest from too much partying already. (smile) Oh, and before I forget, let me include Granny’s warning here. I’ve been remiss in not mentioning it so far on such a big weekend. So here goes: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’
And though it sounds ‘jokified’ friends, it’s a rather serious warning, because if we don’t pay attention to our activities and behaviour, the always lurking Lucifer will undoubtedly find an open spot to infiltrate our spiritual defenses. So please take it seriously. And that segues quite nicely into our Bit. ‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.’
Oh my brethren, what words of indisputable truth from the pen of Cousin Sol! And who should know better than him, since he was once the wealthiest and wisest man in the world, but then experienced foolishness and shame when he revoked the Lord God of his fathers for the many idols of his numerous pagan wives and concubines. But he wasn’t the first, and won’t be the last man to listen to a female and go astray….easy now ladies easy, it’s simply the truth. (smile)
And Cousin Sol had plenty to say on wisdom. Let’s hear a couple his statements on the subject. ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her (wisdom), and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.’ (Prov.4:7-8) Absolute truth friends!
And hear Cousin Sol once more. ‘Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding: For the merchandise (gain) of it is better than the merchandise (profit) of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.’ (Prov.3:13-16)
Ah mih people, yuh see the great benefits of pursuing wisdom! And you have to actively seek it, for it won’t just come to you naturally. So today, please let’s seriously start seeking wisdom nuh…that is God’s wisdom, not the world’s. Much LOVE!
…you can get everything…if you have wisdom…but everything won’t necessarily give you wisdom…
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