08 Mar 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cruel dream, against the workers of iniquity, awesome grace and mercy, bring for thy righteousness as the light, but their walk leaves a lot to be desired, cease from anger, come hell or high water, Commit thy way to the Lord, delight thyself in the Lord, do good, don't give up, for the crumbs that remain, forsake wrath, Fret not thyself over evildoers, give thee the desires of thine heart, it was all a dream, it's a balancing act, It's B.S., it's not equal or equitable, Jehovah Rapha, keep on fighting, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither be thou envious, only one sure way, praise Your Holy Name, rectify this untenable situation, Rest in the Lord, scrape the bottom of the barrel, show others the way, sincerely seek your face, Surrender our lives and souls to God, the disenfranchised, the God who heals, the haves talk a good talk, the many are suffering more than the few, the poor are getting poorer, the privileged are enjoying their privileges, the rich are getting richer, the righteous shall inherit the land, the true state of the wicked, the underprivileged, they shall soon be cut down like grass, this too shall pass, thy judgement as the noonday, trust in our Creator, trust in the Lord, wait patiently for him, wake up from our sinful slumber, walk our talk, wise guidance and direction, wither as the green herb, your humble servants
Psalm 37:1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
The 5. a.m. alarm sounds…and I roll over and mutter, ‘O Lord, is Monday, got to get up and go and open the shop. Customers will soon be there knocking on the door anxious to get in…’ and I see myself bustling to fix up the place before opening time. But then something significant happens. I finally open my eyes and realize that it was all a dream, a cruel one, but still a dream. No real alarm went off, and one won’t go off until I don’t know when, for I have not opened the shop in months, because of the lockdown, and it won’t be opening this morning either, although the lockdown has been eased some.
I am a barber, I am a hairdresser, I am an esthetician, but my premises must still remain closed, while the liquor stores, the pot stores and the big groceries are open and making a killing. They won’t even allow me one or two customers at a time. Steups! But they still want me to pay rent on a shop that they’ve closed up, not me. And how do I get money to do that eh? From the li’l pittance the government so graciously grants me every few weeks? Chuh blast! And what am I supposed to live on, and feed my family with eh? It’s B.S! It’s all B.S!
The rich as usual are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer, and the status quo still holds; the privileged ones are enjoying their usual privileges, while the underprivileged and disenfranchised scrape the bottom of the barrel for the crumbs that remain. But isn’t that the way it’s always been, from the beginning of time? The haves sometimes talk a good talk, but their actual walk leaves a lot to be desired.
I know it’s a balancing act, but the powers that be are not doing a good or even fair job of it. Those at the bottom of the feed trough are suffering so much more than those at the top, but they are still talking about we are all in this together. Yes, we are, but not equally or equitably! For the many are suffering a lot more than the few!
And how do we rectify this rather untenable situation eh? Let’s see now. The first thing is that we must not give up. Come hell or high water we must continue fighting, because like all adversity, this too shall and must pass! And how do we do that? There’s only ONE sure way that I know, and that’s to trust in our Creator, Almighty God. Surrender our lives and souls to Him completely. He created us and still cares for us, and is the best one to lead and guide us through the universe He’s created for us to spend our formative years – eternity is our adult years. (smile)
And believe me, our God is allowing this pandemic to terrorize us because He’s trying to wake us up from our sinful slumber and bring us back to Him. Now the best way to do that is by taking His holy word to heart. Listen, as Bruh David teaches how from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’(Ps. 37:1-2)
Oh friends, that’s the initial step; do not envy or be jealous of the wicked who seem to prosper in their wickedness, for when the Lord is ready, their time of reckoning will come upon them. He has faithfully promised us that: ‘the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.’ (Ps. 37:28b-29)
Then here comes the mainstay: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6)
Yes my faithful brethren, that’s the starting point for us to stay strong and never give. Trust and delight in the Lord, and commit our way to Him, follow His lead and guidance, His plan for our life. No it’s not easy, but once we truly surrender to Him, He will enable us to do it. Then, as Bruh Paul would say: ‘And having done all that, thenSTAND!’(Eph. 6:13b) (smile)
But Bruh David puts it this way. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:7-9)
And that my people, is the only way to get through this pandemic successfully; turn your eyes heavenward to the One who made you and cares a whole lot about you, judging from the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, that He made on your behalf. So let’s begin at the beginning nuh, turning our lives over to God through sincere prayer, namely our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one voice now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
Now let’s go out and live up to our word. Much LOVE!
…like the haves…we Christians also talk a good talk…but in these troubled times…we desperately need to walk our talk…Jesus is depending on us to show others the way…
13 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a continuous life-long thing, a glimmer of spiritual desire, a personally intimate relationship with Christ, a religion called Christianity, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, acknowledge that God is the instigator, be not envious against, blessings of water, bring forth thy righteousness, by Christ Jesus, cease from anger, Commit thy way to the Lord, delight thyself in the Lord, do good, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, dwell in the land, exceeding abundantly, forsake wrath, Fret not thyself over evildoers, get intimate with God, give thee the desires of thine heaert, grateful for life, His desire planted in us, I awaked, I laid me down to sleep, I will not be afraid, in god's eyes, inherit the earth, Knowing God Intimately, LOVE, Most High God Jehovah, not a one and done thing, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, nothing to give thanks for, of ten thousands of people, One Year Book of Bible promises, Rest in the Lord, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrificed His sinless life, set themselves against me, shalt be fed, share His love with the world, supreme confidence, Thanksgiving Day, the evil doers shall be cut off, the giving of thanks, the Lord sustained me, the Me first club, the perfection of Jesus living in us, the whole world is your oyster, the workers of iniquity, they shall soon be cut down like grass, throughout all the ages, thy judgement as the noonday, trust also in him, trust in the Lord, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unto Him be glory in the church, unto him that is able to do, wait patiently for the Lord, washed clean, wicked devices, wither like the green herb, words of wisdom, your august Creator
Ephesians 3:20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
Aloha mih bredrin! Welcome to a bright, fresh, sunshiny Tuesday morning, washed clean by some blessings of water during the early morning hours! And yes, Thanksgiving Day finish now, but not the giving of thanks! The giving of thanks must be a continual thing, for without the continual giving of thanks, eventually, there will be nothing to give thanks for! Wow! What words of wisdom!
But seriously though, there is nothing like giving thanks to the Lord our God since there’s nothing that pleases Him more than His most important creation being grateful for life and all that He has provided for them. He also hopes that that gratefulness will consequently lead them to want to know Him better. And how do we do that you wonder?
Well here are the basics in black and white, taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This poem is appropriately titled ‘ Knowing God Intimately.’ And that’s how we ALL ought to know Him – through the auspices of His Son Jesus Christ! That’s His greatest desire!
So please read with me. ‘How do we learn to know God so intimately that all of life takes on a new freshness? We acknowledge that God is the instigator. We would not be wanting Him if He did not first want us. Even a glimmer of spiritual desire is HIS desire planted in us. We resign from our self-appointed office as president of the “Me First Club,” which gives God the privilege of saying. “Good! Now I’ll promote you.”
We focus on Jesus Christ, God’s Son. It is never a matter of how conspicuous we are. It only matters that He is conspicuous in us. We make no promise of perfection. All the perfection we’ll ever have is the perfection of Jesus living in us. We let God’s Word saturate our hearts. Five or ten minutes a day is far more helpful than three hours once a week. We trust God to do within us what we cannot do, knowing that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us.’
Yeahhhh friends! That’s how we get intimate with God! And it’s not a one time, one and done thing either, but is just like the giving of thanks, a continual, continuous life-long thing, that over time turns into a wonderful personal relationship between Creator and created. Mama Mia! There’s no relation more important or more beneficial that that one my people! For when you have such a close and intimate relationship with your heavenly Father, your august Creator, then the whole world is your oyster!
The devil will come against you in various guises, but he won’t be able to harm you, because you’ll be protected by the Most High God Jehovah and His majestic army of angels; your everlasting fortress and place of refuge. You will be able to say with supreme confidence, like Bruh David did: ‘I laid me down and slept: I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set them themselves against me round about.’ (Ps. 3:5-6) That’s the kind of faith and belief that wells up in our souls and spirits when we know our Lord and Saviour on an intimate basis.
And by the way, that’s why He sacrificed His sinless self on the cross at Calvary…not to just have a religion called Christianity, but for each one within that awesome group to get to know Him intimately and personally. In other words, being a Christian means having a personally intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. And is that ever a whole lot of personal and intimate relationships! It surely is.
But that’s how great and how LOVING and wonderful our Lord and Saviour is, that He could have so many intimate relationships at the same time and give His best to each and every one of them! Wow! Give Him some much-deserved thanks and praise my fellow believers!
And the Bible verse associated with today’s poem is also very appropriate. Hear Bruh Paul in his missive to the church at Ephesus as he talks about prayer for inner growth. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:20-21)
Yes friends, through Christ and His church, glory must be given to God who has the amazing power to do more than our puny finite minds and imaginations can ever conceive. And just to add some biblical heft (smile) to our earlier contentions, listen to these marvellous words of Bruh David that also tell us how to achieve personal intimacy with our Creator.
‘Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (you shall feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37: 1-9)
Oh my people, it couldn’t get any clearer or more basic than that! So let’s hope that we’ve all received the message – once again nuh (smile), and will keep on doing just what it dictates, so we can keep that wonderful personal relationship with the Almighty going strong and fervent. And as we go home, let’s bravely tell the world who and whose we are.
In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
So what we waiting for then eh? Let’s go out and show that trust and share that wonderful LOVE nuh! Much LOVE!
…fret not…trust…delight…commit…rest …cease…wait…and thou shall inherit…
13 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Ah cyar leave Him, and he shall bring it to pass, cease from anger, Christian artist, chutney soca, cleansing mandated by the authorities, Commit thy way to the Lord, cut down like grass, delight thyself in the Lord, Denyse Plummer, died on the cross, forsake wrath, Fret not thyself over evildoers, from hell-bound to holiness, from revelry to righteousness, from sin to salvation, gospel truth, he shall give thee the desires of thine heart, I am under a rock, I found the truth, I saw the light, in any wise to do evil, in times of storm, Jahovah hides me, Jesus, Jesus is our shelter, Jesus is the best upgrade, King of Kings, LOVE Walk, masks are compulsory, Na Leaving, neither be envious, never condemn nor forsaken me, no hugging and shaking hands, no singing, physical distancing, Rest in the Lord, rose up just like a boss, shall inherit the earth, the Anglican Church reopens its doors, the greatest decision, the workers of iniquity, those that wait upon the Lord, trust also in him, wait patiently for the Lord, wither as the green herb, Yahweh, Yeshua
Psalm 37:4. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
The day is here at last friends; the day when the Anglican church finally reopens its doors to their sanctuaries to have physical worship. Yes, it’s been five long months of technological worship while the sanctuaries lay quiet and dormant, some thought even dead! (smile) But the reawakening has eventually come, though with all the physical distancing and cleansing mandated by the authorities.
No hugging and shaking hands and masks are compulsory. Even the Eucharist has been changed up; no wine, just the wafer dropped into your hands by the priest with no bodily contact, and still physical distancing between believers as they approach the altar. And no kneeling at the altar either. Neither no singing. Only a soloist with a mask on, or the choir technologically beamed in.
Chuh! Some people might think the restrictions are too much and not worth the effort, while others will be overjoyed to have worship in church again. Anyway, to celebrate this auspicious occasion, the Lord decreed this special song for today’s worship. It’s by former star calypsonian Denyse Plummer turned Christian artist. It’s a rework of her earlier secular chutney soca hit, ‘Na Leaving,’ which celebrated all the good things of T&T, that those who were leaving there would miss.
From the first time I heard it, it became one of my favourite soca songs, and not only for the very descriptive lyrics, but also for the beautiful meshing, the impeccable melding of the African and East Indian riddims that we call chutney soca. So you can imagine when a few day ago, a friend sent me a copy of this reworked favourite with gospel lyrics, it was automatic that we should sing it this week. And isn’t it interesting how so many of the big secular artists are turning to gospel music nowadays. Some of them are even doing better than when they were singing the secular stuff, and if not financially, certainly in their soul and LOVE WALK. (smile)
Anyway, enough talk, let’s get to the sacrificial shout of praise. And as the sweet, soulful, easy rocking chutney soca music starts, we hear a couple bars, then we shout out ‘Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah! From revelry to righteousness…Cyar leave Him. From hell-bound to holiness…Cyar leave Him. From sin to salvation…Cyar leave him. A kingdom destination…Cyar leave Him. There I was, in my glee, wallowing deep in a pig pen, full of life, but so empty, on my way to a fiery end. But someone told me about a Saviour, who said He LOVES me and He cares.
In times of storm He is my shelter, so in His arms you’ll find me there. Yuh see ah cyar live life without Him, He is my King of Kings, He’s the reason I’m still living. Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. Never condemn or forsaken me dread…Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. For God man I living, For God I go dead. There are so few, who made it through, and come from the darkness of this world. But I saw the light, I found the truth. I have more than silver, more than gold. I gave my life over to Jesus, the greatest decision I’ve made. Boy I recommend you try Him, Jesus is the best upgrade.
He came to earth and died on the cross, rose up just like a boss, when yuh see me smiling, He’s the cause. Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. Never condemn or forsaken me dread…Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. For God man I living, For God I go dead. I am under the rock. The rock is higher than I. Jahovah hides me. I am under the rock. Go tell my enemies, that I am under the rock. Jahovah hides me, I am under the rock. I am under the rock. The rock is higher than I. Jahovah hides me. I am under the rock. Go tell my enemies, that I am under the rock. Jahovah hides me, I am under the rock.
From revelry to righteousness…Cyar leave Him. From hell-bound to holiness…Cyar leave Him. From sin to salvation…Cyar leave him. A kingdom destination…Cyar leave Him. Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah! (And we shout again) Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah!’
Wow mih people, what a rocking piece of worship! Please check it out on YouTube. Now yuh better believer all heaven was celebrating too, because they know the truth of those awesome words. And yes, yuh better believe that is the kind of difference, the amazing transformation Jesus performs in our lives when we surrender our all to Him! And yuh know what? Once we get with Him, it’s impossible to leave Him! No, we just cyar leave him at all at all. Mama Mia! Such is the LOVE and inspiration He inspires in us!
There isn’t an untrue statement in that song. Jesus moves us from sin to salvation, to that kingdom destination of heaven. And just like the prodigal son of whom He spoke, when He finds us in the pig pen, He takes us out, washes and cleanses us, because He LOVES and cares for us so much. He doesn’t condemn not forsake us. In fact He came to earth and died so that we could receive forgiveness and reconciliation. In times of storm He is our shelter, so where else yuh expect to find us eh? In His arms, under the solid rock that He is, which is so much higher than us.
And there are so few that find the light that He is, and come out of their darkness, so when yuh find the truth, which He also is, yuh must end up with more than silver or gold! And no fooling, the best decision we can ever make is to give our lives over to Jesus; cause He’s the best upgrade! Yuh see how He rose from the grave, just like a boss? That tells you He is the best upgrade you can ever get; the upgrade of all upgrades! So when you consider all of that, how yuh go leave Him eh? NO WAY! Instead we going to run and tell we enemies all about Him, so they could come and meet Him and enjoy the same benefits.
And the scripture to which I was led to describe all of that was Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – the immortal words of Bruh David. Please pray them with me nuh: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:1-9)
And that friends is the gospel truth, and when you receive Christ as your Saviour that is the kind of stuff His Holy Spirit leads you to do. So make that wise decision today nuh, is the best one you could ever make! Much LOVE!
…once yuh find Jesus…yuh cyar ever leave him…He’s so sweet and generous…
14 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things, be a partaker of, be not ashamed, beloved of God, bring it to pass, Buccoo, called according to His purpose, came to an end, cease from anger, clutching fear, Coronavirus, cur down like grass, delight thyself in the Lord, discipline, do good, Easter Tuesday, eternal life, evildoers, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, friend of Jesus, friendship of Jesus, ghastly destruction, give thee, Goat races, hearsya, holy spirit, hurry, I expect, I wait, I watch, in god's eyes, inherit the earth, LOVE, My personal rainbow, of power, omnipotent god, personal experience, pot of gold, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, share His love, sound mind, sweet Tobago, the afflictions of the gospel, the desires of thine heart, the divine perspective, the evildoers, the human perspective, the longest storm, the Lord God Almighty, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the spirit of fear, the testimony of our Lord, those that wait upon the Lord, to them that love God, true state of the wicked, trust in the Lord, Tuesday Mantra, waves of agony, work together for good, worry, You are my God
Romans 8:28. And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Well just imagine that nuh; no goat races this Easter Tuesday in Buccoo in sweet Tobago! It almost amounts to sacrilege! (smile) I don’t think that those races have been cancelled more than a handful of times ever since I was growing up there in Tobago. But today, the stadium – the only one in the world I believe that was built specifically for goat races will be empty, and no setta parties with loud music and plenty dancing will grace the beautiful seaside village of Buccoo, on this the most important day of their year.
But what to do eh? Coronavirus has spoken: ‘thou shalt be locked down, if thou wantest to prevent my worldwide spread and ghastly destruction!’ And so, what worldwide war has not been able to do; a tiny, but rather deadly and virulent virus has succeeded in doing; shutting down the world! But friends, let us never forget that the Creator and Controller of this wonderful universe is still sitting on His heavenly throne running things, and thus this virus business will end eventually, but in His time, because He has a purpose for allowing it.
So we just have to believe and have faith and carry on as necessary until then, for this too shall pass, as so many other disasters have, it’s just a matter of time. And to help us do that, here is an encouraging poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled, ‘My Personal Rainbow!’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, right now I struggle with clutching fear. Waves of agony pour over me as I face the darkest moments In my life’s history. But my conviction still stands firm: You are my God!’ (Glory Hallelujah my people!) ‘And though I cannot predict my future Or even tomorrow I am sustained by the reminder That the longest storm The world has ever known… And the worst… Came to an end one clear-sky morning. It was true for Noah It will be true for me. Though as yet I see no deliverance I watch I wait I expect My personal rainbow!’
Mama oh Mama! And do we ever believe and expect to see that beautiful rainbow with it’s wonderful pot of gold at its end! Why, you ask? The answer’s simple: because the Lord God Almighty promised it, and He does not renege on His promises. They have ALL been faithfully executed since the beginning of time and will continue to be faithfully executed… until the end of time! And there’s no doubt about that because He has said so unequivocally in His Word. ‘And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’
And if you don’t believe that, then you don’t LOVE God, and you’re not called according to His purpose! Simple as that! And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘8:28. To them that LOVE God is the human perspective. God is working ALL things together for good, but those who LOVE God are best able to appreciate that fact because they LOVE Him no matter what (cf. Job 13:15). To them who are the called is the divine perspective. Scripture often refers to believers as “the called” or “the elect.”
That’s why, as true believers, in these most trying and fearful times, we are not afraid. Yes, we are concerned, and we do pay strict attention to the rules, but fear does not take us over and make us like jelly – flapping and flubbing around uselessly. And that’s also because our great ‘God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power (His Holy Spirit), and of LOVE (His most significant attribute), and of a sound mind (discipline and self-control).’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
And with all of that solidly planted and growing in us friends, we need not be afraid of what will and can happen to us, but are able to take it all in stride as we lean and depend on the Lord, our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God to defend and protect us as He’s faithfully promised to do. Consequently, as Bruh Paul continued to Timothy: ‘Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou (a) partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (before time).’ (2 Tim. 1:8-9)
Yes friends, God has called and saved us with a salvation through Christ that we definitely did not deserve, but did it for His own purpose; basically, His endearing, unconditional and everlasting LOVE for us! So if we truly believe, then we need to take up our cross and follow Christ, unashamedly, through all the afflictions of this life, knowing the wonderful reward of eternal life that awaits us. And if all of that doesn’t move you, or reduce your fears and anxiety, (smile) then listen to these other most reassuring verses from Psalm 37; Bruh David’s declaration on The true state of the wicked.
‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass…
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:1-5; 7-9)
Brother! What wonderful advice! And the good thing about it all, is that Bruh David is not speaking from hearsay, but from personal experience! So for those of us who truly believe, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are.
All together now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
The natural next step is now for us to go out and do just that – share the LOVE and friendship of Jesus. Much LOVE!
…man was made by God…to LOVE…and be LOVED…
02 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an abomination to the Lord, because of evildoers, bring forth thy righteousness, Caribana weekend, cease from anger, choose none of his ways, Christians, comes a calling, commit thy way unto the Lord, complacent, deceitful enemy, delight thyself in the Lord, do good, drunk or sober, dwell in the land, ech step I take, enticements, entrapments, envy not the oppressor, feed on his faithfulness, flavour, fret not thyself, Friday chant, generous help, Granny's warning, his secret council, in Jesus name, Jesus, justice, lazy, like the grass, lost the West Indian vibe, LOVE, mind yuh business, modicum of circumspection, on yuh p's and q's, perverse person, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, sonny boy, soon be cut down, step up his game, the forward, the noonday sun, the workers of iniquity, times of celebration, trust alos in him, trust in the Lord, truth, wicked schemes, wisdom, with the righteous, wither like the green herb
Proverbs 3:31-32. Envy not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the forward (perverse person) is abomination to the Lord: but his secret (secret council) is with the righteous.
Well hello there all you partygoers, it’s the big Caribana weekend in T.O.! Yeh it’s the long Civic (local) weekend holiday at the beginning of August that just gets the city moving and a grooving for many people…but not for me. I’ve got to say that Caribana no longer interests me. And if I do anything at all, is just to check out the Pan Competition on a Friday night.
I think it’s just lost the real West Indian vibe and flavour and it’s no longer a participatory festival but has become a watching show. Plus there’s been so much wrangling and confusion and resentment and legal proceedings over the last few years as to who owns the name and who’s going to run it, etc. etc. that it has soured me on the whole thing. Most important of all though, I can’t handle the long bouts of walking any longer! (smile)
But people still enjoy it and think it’s a blast. So far be it from me to take a way from their joy. And the ordinary workingman is one of those particularly enthused as he joyfully declares: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday oui! And it’s Caribana weekend too! Yeahhhh! Another long summer weekend! We going to party and celebrate and have a good time! Celebrate the goodness of summer, cause it’s been a decent one so far.
Wow! The town going to be a mess this weekend with visitors from all over the world, and partying everlasting. I don’t have much need for the big crowds and them, so most likely I won’t go to the parade, unless the children badly want to. But I’m certainly going to participate in the many other sideshows, because this is my town’s biggest weekend of the year! We going to show them how to really party in a big town! Thank God for the long weekends in the summer yes, and particularly this Caribana weekend!’
Ah mih friends, I’m sure most of us will agree with those sentiments. It has indeed been a decent summer, and we are very thankful for it, but just remember to be careful in all your celebrations, have an eye out for the tempter, walk with a modicum of circumspection and remember Granny’s advice: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’
And I don’t care if yuh tired hearing me say it, you could set up yuh mouth and steups as much as yuh want, because it’s my bounden duty to remind you of it, so you don’t get into too much trouble when the deceitful enemy comes a calling with all his nice enticements and entrapments. (smile)
And believe me he does step up his game in these times of celebration, where we are most liable to let down our hair and get lazy and complacent. So please be on yuh p’s and q’s this weekend. Now all of the above has just been my rambling, it’s time to see what word the Lord has for us today. Soon come!
And thankfully, the Lord was right on cue…(smile) Isn’t He a wonderful God? He most certainly is! And His word for us today comes from Cousin Sol’s wisdom: ‘Envy not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the forward (perverse person) is abomination to the Lord: but his secret (secret council) is with the righteous.’
Oh, what marvellous words of wisdom and truth my fellow believers! And very appropriate for these evil and ungodly times! The Lord placed it in Cousin Sol’s mind to write it, so it must be true. And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then try Bruh David’s immortal words nuh. (smile)
‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (thou shall feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (as it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:1-9)
Oh my people, I hadn’t intended to write all of that nuh, but when I read it, I realized that all of it had to be said, because that’s the entire Word of the Lord in short form. It tells us exactly what and whatnot to do: trust, delight, fret not, cease, commit, wait, rest in…! If we only followed that wonderful advice, we’d be such wonderful Christians! (smile) So shall we listen attentively to Bruh David and follow his wonderful, God inspired directions? Of course, as true believers, WE WILL! (smile)
Now let’s go home chanting our Friday Chant that’s not as outgoing and rambunctious as the workingman’s song, but it meets our needs in Christ beautifully. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Ah friends, living and working for Jesus is such a wonderful life! Let’s gladly share His story with others as we enjoy this weekend nuh. Much LOVE!
…if yuh not in LOVE with Jesus…then yuh don’t know nothing about LOVE at all…
14 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, abomination to God, adrenaline, asaph, aura of love, cease from anger, choose none of his ways, commit thy way, confidence, conquerors, continually be reminded of, delight thyself in the Lord, desires of your heart, do good, earthly riches, enthusiasm, envious, envious at the foolish, envy not, eternal life, evil doers, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, God is good, gospel truth, heavenly glory, holy spirit, humble servants, I almost stumbled, inherit the earth, invincible, Jesus, jobs. wiles, joy, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, perverse person, plan your weekends, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, sinful souls, sold their souls, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, the Good Book, the oppressor, the prosperity of the wicked, the workers of iniquity, trust, trust in the Lord, truth, ungodly world, wait on the Lord, warned against, wisdom, wither as the green herb
Proverbs 3:31. Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Well friends, it’s such a glorious Monday morning that we should have no problem getting up and going out to meet the new work week. Hn! And I hear some of you sourly say, ‘Yeh, no problem eh? Well talk for yourself yes, but I have a problem every week getting up on a Monday morning.’ And I’ll reply ‘that’s because you don’t plan your weekends properly.’
Anyhow, for whatever ails us this Monday morning, we have the sure antidote for it; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, so let’s sing it with much gusto nuh, so that it can uplift our souls and spirits.
As one now: ‘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 now that the adrenaline is coursing through our veins, we should be able to ramp up our efforts on behalf of Jesus without a problem. (smile) And today we have an interesting Bit from the wisdom of Cousin Sol. ‘Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.’
Yeh friends, it’s something we’ve been continually warned against throughout the Good Book, but also something we need to be continually reminded of, because the pull of the oppressor and his wicked ways are so strong on our naturally sinful souls.
And for our benefit, Cousin Sol continues: ‘For the forward (perverse person) is abomination to the Lord: but his secret (secret council) is with the righteous.’ (Prov.3:32) And isn’t that the gospel truth my fellow believers! And if you think Cousin Sol’s words are not strong enough for you, then listen to Bruh David’s on the subject; words that we know and quote, and yet still don’t follow enough.
‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps.37:1) How often have those words been preached to us eh friends, yet we keep on doing exactly what they warn us not to do.
Oh, I know the world and its evil doings are powerful, and though the Holy Spirit that dwells within us is stronger than the world, it’s not going to override our desires. It’s our job to heed the guidance of the Lord’s Spirit if we want to do His will.
That’s why Bruh David advises: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps.37:3-6)
And friends, if Bruh David’s words don’t grab you, then listen to these of Asaph, the psalmist, who almost fell into the trap. ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:1-3)
Ah mih people, we all know it’s hard to see the wicked prosper and some of the righteous suffer unfairly. But please, please, I implore us not to fall for the lies of the world, because as the Good Book says, the wicked will eventually be destroyed and the righteous shall take over their wealth.
So in closing, let’s be further reminded by the encouraging words of Bruh David. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:7-9)
Please, let’s bury those words in our hearts and souls, so that we can remember them and put them into action when the evil one comes against us. Much LOVE!
…the wicked have sold their souls for earthly riches…the righteous have sold theirs for heavenly glory…
20 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, Alpha, always shining forth, anger, backbone, Be All, become like our big brother, belly, beloved of God, calamity, carnal, cease from anger, commit thy way, cut down like the grass, Daily Bread Devotion, delight thyself in the Lord, destroyed, dismal start to the day, distrustful, do good, do his bidding, do without Jesus, dwell in the land, end all, enduring trials, envious, eternal hope, everything to us, evil lucifer, evildoers, faith, feed on his faithfulness, fend for ourselves, fleshly laws of the world, fodder, fret not thyself, friend of Jesus, glory to God, God's handiwork, gospel truth, grow in grace, growing in faith, him who prospers, impatience, impatient, in the lives of, ineveitable end, jealousy, lack of trust, LOVE, maturity in Christ, more Christ-like, never leave nor forsake us, never reneges on a promise, Omega, physical darkness, purpose for being, put it into action, rain, rely on God, repetition, Rest in the Lord, righteousness, rough times, share God's love, spiritual laws of God, spiritual light of Jesus, steadfast way of life, thank the Lord for Jesus, the body of Christ, the church, the desires of thine heart, the Father gave us the Spirit, the man who brings wicked schemes to pass, the noonday sun, the workers of iniquity, to make us like the Son, tribulations, true believers, trust in God, trust in the Lord, Tuesday Mantra, unholy messages, wait on God's timing, wait patiently, walking with Christ, wither as the green herb, working wonders
Psalm 37:7. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Well friends, the rain continues to sprinkle down in my neighbourhood this Tuesday morning, marking a somewhat dark and dismal start to the day. But please remember that despite the physical darkness that might surround you, the brilliant spiritual light of Jesus is always shining forth in the lives of true believers. Glory to God!
What would we do without Jesus eh friends? I really don’t know nuh! For He is our Be ALL and End ALL – Our Alpha and Omega! In fact, He’s EVERYTHING to us! Without Him, our lives would simply be fodder for the evil Lucifer. Thank the Lord for Jesus yes!
And here’s a li’l insight into the situation through a Daily Bread Devotion Thought for the day. ‘The Father gave us the Spirit to make us like the Son.’ Glory be mih people! That’s our inevitable end, our very purpose for being; to become like our big brother, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! It’s God’s eternal hope for us.
Oh, He knows that we will never be completely like Jesus, because we just don’t have all His parts, but we can certainly become more Christ-like than we currently are. And that’s something we ought to work towards, both individually and as the body of Christ, the church.
But growing in faith and maturity in Christ, also means enduring trials and tribulations, adversity and calamity. For one does not grow that much in good times, but it’s in the rough times that we see our faith working wonders, our belly and backbone being strengthened, as we trust in and rely on God more than ever.
And the wonderful thing about our amazing God is that He helps us in doing whatever He asks us to do. He doesn’t ask us to do something, then leave us to fend for ourselves. Absolutely not! He gives us the wherewithal to do His bidding and comes to our aid when we ask for it.
No other supposed Deity does anything like that. Give Him much thanks and praise my people, for being such a wonderful God to us, woeful sinners that we are!
And the problems we encounter in walking with Christ are mostly brought on by our lack of trust in God and our impatience, our failure to wait on His timing. God has promised that He will never leave nor forsake us, and we know that He NEVER reneges on a promise, so why are we so distrustful and impatient eh?
Because we tend to live by the carnal and fleshly laws of the world, more than the spiritual laws of God. The world touts now for now happenings, but the Lord says wait on me.
And nowhere is it said better than in Psalm 37 – the true state of the wicked- those immortal words of Bruh David that make up our Bit for today. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.’
Yes we all know that passage, but we don’t practice it as much as we should. Oh, I know that the world is always bombarding us with it’s unholy messages, but there’s no real excuse for us not following Bruh David’s wise advice more faithfully, especially as we see God’s handiwork in our lives and we grow in His grace.
And I know that I quoted these verses from Psalm 37 not too long ago, but I’ll quote them again, because we only learn stuff through repetition; hearing or doing them again and again. And we definitely need to hear them again, if we’re ever going to stop living by the carnal laws of the world, and live by the spiritual ones of Christ instead.
So here goes: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness).
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps.37.1-6)
Yeh mih breddren, that’s what our faith is all about: trusting in the Lord and waiting patiently and eagerly for Him to do His will in our lives! Only then will righteousness and justice show forth in our lives.
Now listen to these two verses after our Bit. ‘Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:8-9)
And there we have the whole believer’s life story in a nutshell: trust in God, forsake jealousy and anger, do good, wait patiently on Him, and He will cause your life to be truly blessed. And that’s gospel truth my brethren! So let’s live up to it, as we should nuh.
Now let’s go home faithfully and sincerely declaring our Tuesday Mantra, proudly letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In unison now: ‘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 faithfully declared it, let’s now go out and put it into action as Jesus so badly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…wait…hope…trust…do good…look to the Lord…are not mere words to a true believer…but a steadfast way of life…
17 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, abject failure, admonitions, anger, Anselm, ascended Israel's throne, aspires, baptized with water, be of good courage, carnal, cease from anger, cyclone Gita, Day of Pentecost, different roads, disaster recovery, dispensation of the gospel, eagles, earthly lifetime, earthquake, evil system, FBI, Florida, forever, forsake wrath, friend, fulfill your dream, fulfillment, go haywire, God's realm, God's timing, Hades, Holy Ghost, hope, housework, Isaiah, joy, lazy time, life is too short to wait, limitations, lost, Lucifer, Mexico City, mount up with wings, not be weary, not faint, on the right track, quietly wait, reach the top, realm of the world, recompense evil, rejoice in his salvation, renew their strength, Rest in the Lord, revenge, run, Saturday, seeking happiness, sensible, set the table, Sheriff's Department, shooting rampage, song of the redeemed, strengthen thine heart, the promise of the Father, to inspire, Tonga, tongues of fire, trials, tribulations, wait on the Lord, waiting is everything, walk, walking the road to happiness, wicked schemes, wise, with Jesus
Psalm 27:14. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Awright friends, it’s Saturday…lazy time for some, but lots of housework for others… and then there’s disaster recovery for others.
Yes, our good friend, natural disaster has reared it’s ugly head again, at least twice this week; earlier on when cyclone Gita, a category 4 storm, tore through the Polynesian island nation of Tonga, and yesterday when another major earthquake of some 7.2 magnitude and an aftershock of 5 point something, hit the area around Mexico City. Luckily the damages weren’t nearly as bad as the one they experienced last year.
They say disaster usually comes in threes; and of course we had the shooting rampage at the High School in Florida earlier on this week too. And what’s heightened the anger down there is that the Sheriff’s Dept. reportedly had numerous calls about the shooter over the last few months.
The FBI also apparently had a tip on their Hot Line about him recently, and yet nothing was done by either agency to both remove and help him. And then we wonder why these things happen. Ah Lord eh! But ours is not to wonder why, but to do and hope not to die!
Now since it’s Saturday, let’s take a look at the quotes our friend Anselm graced us with this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘The most successful people reach the top not because they are free of limitations, but because they act in spite of their limitations.’
And there’s a lot of truth to that, for if you look at many successful people, they overcame a whole lot of limitations to make it to the top. And if you truly want to be successful, you can’t afford to let limitations stop you, otherwise you’ll never fulfill your dream.
And the next one says: ‘People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.’ Now that can be a bit contentious, because if you’re talking about fulfillment and happiness through the world’s carnal and evil system, then your are definitely lost!
However, if you’re walking on the road to happiness and fulfillment with Jesus…oh my brethren, then you’re definitely on the right track! Because only through Jesus can we ever find the joy and fulfillment that lasts and earthly lifetime…and then forever…
And the last quote is also one that provides room for some contention. All it says is: ‘Life is too short to wait.’ Well to a certain extent that’s true, but more so in the physical realm of the world, where haste and speed is everything. But in the spiritual realm of God’s world, waiting is everything my people!
It’s essential that we wait on God’s timing, for if we don’t, our whole life can go haywire in no time at all. That’s why there are so many admonitions in the Lord’s word about waiting on Him, one of the most famous being our Bit. ‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’
Oh friends, what marvellous advice from Bruh David! And nobody knew better than him, about waiting on the Lord. Look at how long after he was anointed to be king, and the number of trials and tribulations he went through before he finally ascended to Israel’s throne.
He could have tried to make it happen in his own schedule, but I assure you, it would either have never come true, or been and abject failure, but definitely not the glorious reign he enjoyed under God’s timing.
And today, I just want to remind us of a few of the many scriptures that advocate waiting on God. Let’s begin with this one from Cousin Sol, on the matter of revenge. ‘Say not thou, I will recompense (repay) evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.’ (Prov.20:22) In the first place we should not be seeking revenge, for the Lord has said that’s His job.
Now hear Isaiah in his song of the redeemed. ‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:9)
And we all know the famous scripture from Isaiah 40. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:31) Plenty of us quote it, but not enough live by it.
And then there is this astute reminder from Jeremiah in his Lamentations: ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:25-26)
And we have this command from Jesus to the disciples re waiting in Jerusalem. ‘And being assembled together with them (Jesus) commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts.1:4-5)
And some fifty days later the Holy Ghost baptized them with tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost. Yuh think if they had disobeyed Jesus and moved on they would have received the Holy Ghost and been able to set the table for the dispensation of the gospel all over the world?
Not on your life. If they hadn’t obeyed, we would probably never have heard of Christ and His wonderful, free offer of salvation and eternal life, and thus been forced to associate with Lucifer and his evil cohorts in Hades. What an awful and frightening thought!
And though it’s getting pretty long, (smile) I still want to throw in this gem from Bruh David, because it covers all bases. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:7-9)
Yeh friends, it’s not always easy to wait on the Lord, but it is the wise and sensible thing to do. Much LOVE!
…the Lord is NEVER late…His timing is always…PERFECT…
17 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a refresher course, abundance, abuse, anathema, as small as ever, back into action, backbreaking work, badgered, baser nature, be a part of the world, be not envious, bite the bullet, boundaries, bow to, catch up, cease from anger, chant up a storm, christianity, Christians, crapaud smoke we pipe, cut down, days off, delight thyself, desire to be with them, deteriorating, do good, drop down dead, dwell in the land, each step I take, economic situation, envious, evil men, evildoers, extremes, fairly divided, feed on his faithfulness, fellowship, fight the good fight, forget the toil, forsake wrath, freedom, fret not thyself, Friday chant, from morning till night, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, going overboard, greedier, heap more abuse, in Jesus' name, in soul body and mind, inherit the earth, iniquity, invitations, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, justice, killing me with work, like grass, live for Jesus, live in the world, LOVE, marginalized, next week, noonday, party, paycheck, prosperity, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, Rest in the Lord, righteousness, rise up, run the the good race, seek the Lord, senseless, slave master, temptations, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the desires of thine heart, the green herb, the Lord's authority, the poor category, the rich, the will, the workingman, the world order, tiring, tools, trust in the Lord, unfair, wait patiently for the Lord, week of work, wicked schemes, wither, workers of iniquity, worldly lures
Proverbs 24:1. Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them.
And then it was Friday…the day we all look forward to! And everybody shouted a loud ‘Yeah, Friday at last!’
I don’t know if our society is arranged the best that it can be nuh friends, and there doesn’t seem to be any movement afoot to change it. So we go, go, go for 5 days from morning till night, then are suddenly catapulted into 2 days of supposed freedom, where we try to catch up with our own lives, then get right back into action again on Monday morning.
No wonder it’s tiring and causes the workingman to loudly declare at the end of each week: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes mih brethren! One more day of work and I’d drop down dead! The slave master so unfair; killing me with work, but the paycheck as small as ever. The backbreaking work we do for the man…and all he does is heap more abuse on us. Steupssss!
That’s why when Friday come, we just have to go out and party till we senseless! Is the only thing that makes us forget the toil and abuse we have to go back to on Monday! All I can say is Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes! Otherwise crapaud surely smoke we pipe!’
Ah mih people, the economic situation is surely deteriorating in a world that’s chock full of abundance. It’s just not properly, fairly divided. The rich are getting greedier and richer, while more people are being marginalized and falling into the poor category. That’s why sometimes you can’t get annoyed with the workingman’s behaviour. Christians on the other hand, are expected to bite the bullet to a certain extent and don’t allow our baser nature to flourish. (smile)
That’s why our Friday Chant is so different from the workingman’s anthem. So let’s chant up a storm nuh, and release our frustrations, the way that Jesus would like and expect us to do. Altogether 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 fellow believers, it’s not an easy world we live in, nor an easy faith we follow, but be assured that whatever our God desires of us, He will give us the will and the wherewithal to accomplish it. That’s why we can adhere to the boundaries set out in our faith, the not going overboard, or doing stuff in excess, to the extremes.
And what makes it even more difficult is that all around us we encounter the worldly lures, invitations and eye-pleasing temptations that are such a big part of our evil world. They are supposedly anathema to godly people, but yet we are expected to live amongst them and not be too affected by them.
No, it’s definitely not easy, when almost every minute of every day in this increasingly evil society, we are badgered by some ungodly temptation, and to top it all, then face the increasing prosperity of those who fall for, or bow to the world order.
Our faith quite plainly warns us: ‘Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them.’ And if we want to live a godly life and eventually see the face of God in heaven throughout eternity, then we have to live up to the warning. Because, here is what happens to those who follow the wicked world order.
Bruh David explains it to us in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps.37:1-2)
Yes friends, that’s what is going to happen to those who don’t follow Jehovah God. And all the worldly prosperity and power won’t be able to help you when that time comes. So if you want to be cut down like the grass, then go right ahead and do what the world considers acceptable.
However, if you are wise and acknowledge the Lord’s authority, you will do like Bruh David recommends. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit they way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise (way) to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:1-9)
Yeh mih breddren, that’s Christianity course 101! (smile) And I guess the Lord thought we needed a refresher course this morning, that’s why He led me to that particular scripture.
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, we all know it’s not easy to live IN the world and not be a part OF it, but if we sincerely seek the Lord, He will definitely give us the tools to do just that. Remember He is faithful that promised. So let’s rise up and be strong nuh, fight the good fight and run the good race in Jesus name. Amen! Much LOVE!
…Jesus gave His life for us…the least we can do…is live our lives for Him…
12 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful follower of Jesus, a foolish thing, a rainy day, a sovereign Being, a wake up call, a waste of time, action, almighty god, behind the eight ball, believe, bush fire blazing, California, carnage, cease from anger, claimed numerous lives, communication revolution, courage, creativity, curse, earthquakes, engulfed homes, evil ways, evildoers shall be destroyed, extinguish His presence, faith, fellow believers, fires, foolish games, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, friends, glamourous, glitzy, God is alive and well, God is in control, God's infinite movements, God's salvation, homes, hope, hurricanes, impatience, in His own time, inherit the earth, Israelites, Jeremiah, Lamentations, livelihoods, lost their lives, LOVE, moral ineptitude, natural disasters, negative word, now-for-now living, obedience, patience, perseverance, power mongering, punishment, puny imaginations, quietly wait, rain pouring down, rebellion, repentance, Rest in the Lord, self-control, self-discipline, take better care of our planet, the back burner, the beginning from the end, the God of their fathers, The Lord is good, the soul that seeks God, the way of the world, Thursday Blessings, tragedy, trust, unpredictable weather, wait on God., wait patiently, wealth, wicked schemes, work everything out for good
Psalm 37:7a. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
It was a rainy day…a chilly one too…and mostly cloudy… Looks like today will be more of the same. Ah mih people, our weather is becoming so unpredictable that who knows what’s happening?
Meanwhile, with rain pouring down on this side of the continent, out on the West Coast, in California, another raging bush fire has claimed numerous lives and engulfed thousands of homes! Steups! So where is the rain that they need eh?
Sometimes, when we see all these natural disasters happening, it gets real hard to trust and believe and wait on our great and good God.
Oh, deep down, we know that He is in control and that all things will eventually work themselves out for good, but nonetheless we don’t want to see our fellow believers suffering such unbelievable tragedy. It hurts us to the very core of our beings, especially when we project ourselves in their positions.
And the number of folks who have lost their lives, homes and livelihoods in the last few months, to fires on the west coast of Canada and the U.S, and to hurricanes in the Caribbean and Southern U.S and to earthquakes in Mexico, is simply staggering.
I don’t know if so much natural carnage has ever occurred in such a short space of time in so many places before. But friends, all we can truly do is take better care of our planet and place our total faith and trust in the One who created us and the entire universe; Almighty God!
And as I keep reminding us, all of these natural disasters might just be a wake up call from God to cut out our intolerable evil ways and return to following Him in true repentance and obedience.
The Israelites suffered severe punishment whenever they drifted away from the God of their fathers, so why can’t it happen to us too, since we have also put God on the back burner of our lives, with every intention to totally extinguish His presence and place in our society.
Obviously that’s a very foolish thing to do, but nevertheless, many of us have done it, or are in the process of doing so. The way of the world; it’s glitzy and glamourous things and wealth and moral ineptitude have bedazzled us into thinking that God is a waste of time.
But my fellow believers that’s the furthest thing from the truth! Our God is alive and well, keeping a very watchful eye on everything, allowing mankind to play their foolish games of power mongering and rebellion.
He knows the beginning from the end and has all His plans laid out and will eventually bring them all to fruition…in His own good time! Now that last phrase is the all-important one… in God’s own time.
Remember God is a sovereign Being, full of might and power, whose thoughts and ways are much higher than ours. So in our finite and puny imaginations we can never truly understand His infinite movements and the time line for them.
Thus, regardless of how religious and holy and righteous we are, true wisdom can only be shown when we adhere to the immortal words of our Bit, which flowed from the pen of Bruh David as he wrestled with the same feelings and constraints that we are currently wrestling with. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:’
Oh friends, we’ll never find out how true those words are until we put them into action! Our God has made numerous promises, and He will keep them ALL, but in His own time and His own way! Until we learn to recognize and accept that, we’ll remain continuously behind the eighth ball.
Now listen to how Bruh David continues after our Bit: ‘fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only cause harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:7b-9)
Oh mih breddren, we all know how true those words are, so why aren’t we practicing them eh? Because we have been overwhelmed by the world’s impatience and desire for everything as soon as possible. Now-for-now living characterizes our society. We need to have everything immediately! That’s the unfortunate result of our technological and communication revolution.
Now hear this scripture that truly tells it like it is. Jeremiah, in his lamentations, tearfully but truthfully declares: ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:25-26) How much clearer can it get eh my people?
But before we go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, there is one proviso to it all; waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean sitting on our fannies and doing nothing. It means still doing what is necessary, working, persevering in God’s will. For that’s when the Lord showers down these heavenly blessings on us.
So let’s shout them to the world, so that others can see the goodness of God and thus wisely desire to embrace Him too. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
The next step is to now go out and bless others, because blessings are meant to be shared. Much LOVE!
…only as believers show patience and perseverance…will they be truly blessed…
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