23 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a loving manner, aim of all Christians, babies in the spiritual realm, be no more children, belongeth to them that are of full age, beloved of God, Bible, Bible Study, carried about with every wind of doctrine, Christ's Church, Christian maturity, christianity, comfortbale living in the flesh, disabled, divisins, dull of hearing, envying, every one that useth milk, fed you with milk not meat, first principles, followers of them, going to school, grow up into him in all things, have their senses exercised, he is a babe, hurrying, in a loving, ineffective, inherit the promises, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lazy hearing, LOVE, minister to the saints, moving on in glory, sacrifice, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, slothful, sound doctrine, speaking the truth in love, spiritual growth, strife, strong meat, the advanced doctrines of Christ, the elementary rudiments of the Christian faith, the oracles of God, the spiritual realm, through faith and patience, to discern both good and evil, tossed to and fro, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unskillful in the word of righteousness, walk as men, wisdom, worry, ye are yet carnal
Hebrews 5:13. For every one that useth (partakes of) milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Then it was Tuesday… which means that another trying and uncomfortable Monday has been left behind in the dust…and we’re moving on in glory! Yes friends, if Christ Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, then you’ve been called and are expected to move on, to get better, to become more mature believers with each passing day. Unfortunately though many of us are still babies in the spiritual realm.
For as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘And I, brethren, could not speak to you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (solid food): for hitherto (until now) ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men (according to the dictates of man)?’ (1 Cor. 3:1-3)
And so it is with too many of us supposed believers, for we have been stuck in the elementary rudiments of our Christian faith for much too long, like babies who can only stomach milk, and have not matured or moved on to the advanced doctrines of Christ. Therefore, like babies, who cannot even help themselves, we cannot do any serious work for Christ because we don’t know what we ought to do, either because we don’t want to know, and are much more comfortable living in the flesh, or we’re afraid to step out and take a chance on Christ. But just look at the big chance Christ took on us when He sacrificed His sinless life for us. Why can’t we take a li’l chance and do the stuff that He desires of us eh?
But we LOVE to call ourselves Christians! Hn! Christians who don’t do any serious or sincere Christian work! And although we’re not supposed to be of the world, but merely in it, we behave like we’re of it. We live just like the world does, for if you look at the lives of a great number of supposed believers, it’s exactly the same as the world’s; meaning we still live a carnal, fleshly life, with all the envying and strife, dissensions and divisions, that the world sees as necessary. No wonder Christ’s church is so disabled and ineffective, because from the top down, there is too much unchristian like behaviour in it.
And Bruh Paul is not the only one to speak seriously on the immaturity of long time believers. The author of Hebrews also refers to their immaturity as milk and strong meat. Speaking of Christ’s qualifications to be our High Priest, he writes: ‘Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered (explained), seeing ye are dull of hearing, (of lazy hearing, slothful). For when for the time (when) ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles (sayings) of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat (solid food). For every one that useth (partakes of) milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat (solid food) belongeth to them that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use (practice) have their senses exercised (trained) to discern both good and evil.’ (Heb. 5:11-14)
Yes friends, only when we wake up and begin to take our faith seriously, to study the Word of God and all the wonderful things it has to offer will we be able to grow, to become mature and truly know and appreciate the differences between good and evil. For, as the scholars explain: ‘The warning of this passage is that what is now described as lazy hearing can result in an entire life of sluggishness. (6:12).’ And we’ll look at that scripture, but starting at verse 9.
‘But beloved, we are persuaded (confident of) better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of LOVE, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful (sluggish, lazy), but followers (imitators) of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.’ (Heb. 6:9-12)
Oh my brethren, that’s the kind of stuff that’s expected from us. To not be lazy, to wake up and minister to the saints and keep on ministering right down to the end, because God is faithful and will not disregard your work to His people. But all of that calls for sincere study, patience, perseverance and willingness to sacrifice even when it seems unbearable. That brings us to this ever so important warning of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight (trickery) of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in LOVE, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.’ (Eph. 4:14-15)
Yes my fellow saints, we need to grow up in all aspects of Christian living, into Christ, the head of our church, be no longer immature children, who can be deceived by any and everything we hear, but through that spiritual maturity can discern truth from lies and good from evil. And as the scholars tell us: ‘Christian maturity is attained, in part, by thorough instruction in sound doctrine given in a LOVING manner.’ That means, until Christ’s people truly decide to study and learn His ways and sincerely put them into practice, His church will continue to be much less than it ought to be.
Now, for those of us who are trying our best, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one 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!’
And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so hat the too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…attaining Christian maturity is like going to school…you only learn…when you attend and put your mind to it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
21 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend beyond compare, a man lay down his life for his friends, alone, Bible, bitter, cast thy burden upon the Lord, cast your every care upon him, casting all your care upon him, Christ is our best friend, christianity, come unto me all ye that labour, comfort, discouraged, disillusioned, exalt you in due time, faith, family struggles, fellowship, forsaken, God's faithfulness, God's sufficiency, greater love hath no man than this, he careth for you, he shall sustain thee, He will pardon you today, help us through the fog, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, I will give you rest, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Willard Peterson, loss of freedoms, LOVE, my burden is light, my yoke ie easy, no one understands like Jesus, our souls and spirits rejuvenated, sacrificial praise, salvation, solace, song of praise, the days are dark and grim, the Father of mercies, the God of All Comfort, the gospel truth, the great invitation, the Lord's Day, the presence of the Lord, the throne of mercy, truth, wisdom, you falter on the way
1 Peter 5:7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Wake up people, it’s the Lord’s day! Time to make our way to His sanctuary, to gather in fellowship, offering thanks and praise, while having our souls and spirits rejuvenated by His awesome LOVE, grace and mercy! And today’s song of praise and worship is an interesting one, written in the later years of the twentieth century by Kansas born Christian musician, Army Air Force Pilot, Moody Bible Institute Attendee, John Willard Peterson (1921-2006) The hymn is titled ‘No One understands like Jesus,’ which is the gospel truth, and it’s one in which we all can find comfort and solace from our worldly problems, just like the author found them when he wrote the song.
The story goes that Peterson was employed by a gospel ministry when a supervisory position came open, and he was led to believe that he would receive the promotion, but instead someone from outside was brought in to fill the position. Obviously he was disillusioned and discouraged but tried not to get bitter. Then one night he happened to meet the said man, who, though he seemed to be a pleasant person, that night made several hurting and caustic remarks to Peterson.
And according to Peterson: ‘Later that evening, after returning home, I was sitting in our living room thinking about the events of the past days and about the bitter experiences of that evening. I began to feel very alone and forsaken. Suddenly, I sensed the presence of the Lord in an unusual way and my mind was diverted from my difficulties to His faithfulness and sufficiency. Soon the thought occurred to me that He fully understood and sympathized with my situation–in fact, no one could ever completely understand, or care as did He.’ And that’s how this immortal, most appropriate song for hurting hearts was born.
So let’s sing it now, raise our voices in sweet, sacrificial praise, in a soulful gospel fashion, echoing all the sincerity and truth it contains. Singing: ‘No one understands like Jesus. He’s a friend beyond compare; Meet Him at the throne of mercy; He is waiting for you there. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him!) No one understands like Jesus; Ev’ry woe He sees and feels; Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals. (Chorus)
No one understands like Jesus When the foes of life assail; You should never be discouraged; Jesus cares and will not fail! (Chorus) No one understands like Jesus When you falter on the way; Tho’ you fail Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon you today. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him! No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him! Cast your every care on Him, Cause no one understands like Jesus.’
And as we said before, that’s the gospel truth! No human being can ever reach the level of understanding that our Lord and Saviour has for us! And I like how this commentary shows the appropriateness of the song in all of our lives. It says: ‘All of us go through periods when we feel all alone, and nobody seems to care. The problems seem so heavy, and we wish that we just had somebody who could help us through the fog that we face. The difficult times that we are now living in have brought new, heavy tensions. Unemployment, bills, mortgages, illnesses, family struggles, fears, terrorism, loss of freedoms, uncertainty – heavy burdens to bear. Unfortunately, during the past year three acquaintances of mine have committed suicide to escape their troubles. A hymn by John Peterson has often been a comfort to me when I have faced these seemingly “impossible” pressures.’
And no doubt it has also been a comfort to many more of us, especially in the trying and troubled times that we’ve recently been through, and are still going through. So what’s the scriptural basis for the song? Peterson says that as the song came to him he began to write the comforting words from Psalm 55: The Plea of the Fearful, where Bruh David solemnly advises us to ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be shaken.’ (Ps. 55:22) Now that’s another surefire promise that the Lord will always keep!
Then Peterson, turned to Peter, who had witnessed the perfidy of Judas, and also his own denial of Jesus three times, but then went outside and wept bitterly (John 18:15-27) He echoes the words of Bruh David. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 6-7) And nobody knew this better than Peter, because Christ eventually forgave him for his denials.
Christ is also our best friend as the opening verse of the hymn intimates. Remember Christ’s words to the disciples: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.’ (John 15:13-15) And there you have the greatest bond between friends, the sharing of knowledge, then Jesus went out and laid down His life for us all! You could not get a better friend than that!
And I believe there’s no better scripture to end with today than Jesus’ Great Invitation, where He invites all and sundry to come to Him, regardless of our trials and troubles. Thus, He says: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Yes my fellow saints, let’s remember those most inviting words and take advantage of them, because we will certainly not find that kind of faithful and true invitation anywhere else. Much LOVE!
…Blessed be God…even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…the Father of mercies…and the God of ALL Comfort… (2 Cor. 1:3)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, a new flock of believers, against the knowledge of God, anathema to our souls, anything of good report, anything praiseworthy, backsliders, bringing in to captivity every thought, Casting down imaginations, christianity, control of the mind, deceitful arguments, divine assistance, error of their ways, every high thing, faith, Friday chant, god, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mighty through God, powers, pricipalities, rulers, sharper than a two-edged sword, simmering unrest, spiritual armour, spiritual warfare, spiritual wickedness, surrender our lives to Jesus, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that exalteth itself, the battlefield of our mind, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the God of peace, the helmet of slavation, the shield of faith, the shoes of peace, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, the Word of god, think on these things, though we walk in the flesh, to the obedience of Christ, to the pulling down of strongholds, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, we do not war after the flesh, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are true, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Corinthains 10:3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh:
And the rain has returned…but we’re still going to shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because regardless of the weather, it’s still the last day of our work week and the start of our short weekend, and for that we’re always grateful! (smile) Ah friends, what wonders a Friday can work for and on us eh! Meanwhile, Mondays are anathema to our souls! But unfortunately that’s the way we are, and if we want to be better, we need to put our trust, surrender our entire selves to Jesus, so that we can get His peace, LOVE, grace and mercy working for us, instead of the evil and ungodly doings Satan tempts us with.
But as Bruh Paul warns us in his second letter to the Corinthians, that we should not walk according to Satan’s ways, but according to Jesus’ ways. ‘For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations (arguments), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ (2 Cor. 10:3-5)
Ah friends, though we live in a body, we don’t fight a physical war, or one by human standards. Instead our warfare is spiritual, ‘against principalities (rulers), against powers (authorities), against the rulers of the darkness of this world (world rulers), against spiritual wickedness in high places (wicked spiritual beings), that is fallen angels, demons and Satan himself.’ (Eph. 6:12) And they try to take hold of us through our minds, our thoughts and other ingenious and deceitful arguments. Remember the battlefield is our mind, and whoever wins the battle of our minds is the victor.
That’s why it’s absolutely necessary to be careful of what we think and talk about, for Satan and his evil cronies are very disciplined and ingenious and can come at you from all sides with all different kinds of arguments that sound right and will eventually wear you down. But as children of the Most High God, we need to stand strong and fight these evil doers with the spiritual armour and weapons that God has given us, namely: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word, all of that bound together with prayer are the spiritual weapons we have to use against the enemy. (Eph. 6:14-18)
And let me point out one thing here, it’s about the Word of God, our spiritual sword. As the author of Hebrews so kindly informs us: ‘The word of God is quick (alive), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb. 4:12) Now that just goes to show how powerful the Word of God is, and the powerful weapon we have at our disposal.
But there’s also a drawback to that power of the Word, because God is constantly scrutinizing our lives through it, and we ought also to carefully scrutinize our own lives with it, to ensure that we’re living the way we ought to. As the scholars say: ‘God’s eyes sees man as though he were naked, unable to hide behind excuse or pretense.’ But yet, so many of us try to do just that; hide from God behind some flimsy excuse or pretense. When are we going to learn eh, that our lives are like open books before our Creator and Controller.
Anyway, we now know that through deceit and lies, the enemy tries to get strongholds in our minds, but we have to ignore those evil and untrue desires, with good and proper thoughts, while fighting the spiritual battle with the armour and weapons of war provided us by God. And what are those good and proper thoughts upon which ought to dwell? As always, Bruh Paul doesn’t give us any theory without giving us some practical examples. Listen as he writes to the Philippians on the general kind of thoughts we ought to have.
‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are LOVELY, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil. 4:8-9) So there we have the whole picture my fellow believers, and to help us put it into practice, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine assistance.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, if we truly want divine help, then we have to start the ball rolling by improving ourselves, by being better examples of Christian faith and discipleship! That’s the long and short of the story, my people! Much LOVE!
…the mind…the mind…it’s all about control of the mind…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grateful heart, A Prayer of thanks, according to his riches in glory, all my love and adoration, be gracious unto thee, being my guide, being my sustainer in life, Between Freinds newsletter, cast thy burden upon the Lord, christianity, curse, disobedience, divine protection, express my gratitude to you Lord, faith, forgiving my sins, give you his peace, god, God commendeth his own love toward us, God so loved the world, great is thy faithfulness, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he shall sustain thee, his compassions fail not, holy spirit, I bless your holy name, I give you glory, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lift up his countenance on you, LOVE, make his face shine upon thee, mercy, my God shall supply all your needs, negative word, prayer, rebellion, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-control, thank you for being my provider, thank you for Loving me, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower, The Lord bless thee and keep thee, the Spirit of truth, therefore I have hope, this I recall to mind, thou has lacked nothing, Thursday Blessings, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wisdom, your kindness and grace
Philippians 4:19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Now there’s no rain on this Thursday morning, but the clouds are battling with the sun to see who will win the day. Let’s hope the latter will be triumphant as the Son was against the dark and evil Satan. And there’s no better way to begin today than with a prayer for all that our wonderful God has done for us. It comes from the Between Friends Newsletter published by the Friends of the Society of the Little Flower, and it’s simply entitled ‘A Prayer of Thanks.’ So please pray with me:
‘Gracious Lord, Thank You for this LOVELY day. I come before You with a grateful heart. Thank You for all of your blessings and goodness in my life. It is only because of your kindness and grace that I am able to get through each day. I give You glory. I give You all my LOVE and adoration. Thank You for LOVING me and forgiving my sins. I want to express my gratitude to You, Lord, for everything You have done in my life. Thank You for being my Provider, I appreciate your works in my life. Thank You for being my Guide and helping me make good decisions. Thank You for being my Sustainer in life. Even when things are difficult, I trust that You are working and that You will always see me through. Thank You, Lord, for all that You do in my life. I bless your holy name. Amen.’
Ah friends, like a good cup of tea hits the spot in our stomachs, so that prayer hits the prayer spot in our souls! It seems to cover all of the major elements of our God’s grace and mercy towards us. So, let’s see what scriptures we can find that exemplify some of the things that our God is to us. And I guess the first scripture we should state is the first blessing that the Lord instituted among the Israelites, where He said unto Moses.
‘Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee and keep thee: The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put (invoke) my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.’ (Num. 6:22-27) And yuh know what friends, many thousands of years later we are still invoking the Lord’s name over us and receiving His blessings! Give him much thanks and praise!
And per God’s kindness and grace, I just adore this scripture from Jeremiah’s Lamentations. ‘Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:19-23) Oh my fellow believers, truer words were never spoken! It’s only because of God’s grace and LOVING-kindness that we haven’t been totally destroyed, for that’s what we deserve for our rebellion and disobedience.
But our God LOVED us so much that He broke His own heart and sent His one Son, Jesus Christ, a sinless lamb to die on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. As Bruh Paul writes to the Romans, one of my favourite scriptures: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Now if that isn’t a true showing, or rather the greatest example of LOVE, then I don’t know what is. And Jesus Himself said it so well: ‘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)
And as for being our Provider, there are so many scriptures on the subject that we can only quote a few, like this one that Moses pointed out to the Israelites: ‘these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou has lacked nothing.’ (Deut. 2:7b) And that was the indisputable truth! They had food, clothing, health and every thing they needed. That’s why Bruh Paul could later on make this astounding but real proclamation: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19).
And Jesus could confidently announce: ‘Therefore take no thought (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:31-33) And you will discover that it’s the gospel truth, if you seek and keep God first place in your life.
There are also numerous scriptures about God being our guide. Let’s highlight a couple. This one from Isaiah is a popular one: ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21) And that voice we hear guiding us is the voice of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus said: ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what’s mine), and shall shew (declare) it unto you’ (John 16:13-14)) So both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are our guides in these troubled times, therefore if we need wise guidance, then we must meditate on the Word and listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
And as God being our Sustainer, we only have room for a few of the many scriptures that exist. Listen to Bruh David as he says in Psalm 55 – The Plea of the Fearful. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:22) That’s the indisputable truth my people! And Isaiah said it thus: ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee.’ (Is. 26:3) And Jesus wraps it all up when He solemnly declares: (yesss!!!) ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
That says it all my brethren! Now let’s turn to those underserved blessings we call our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has given us to do His earthly work. Let’s declare them so that they can be activated. As one voice! ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having accepted those blessings, we must now go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that others can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…like the great planner He is…the Lord has made preparation for ALL of our needs…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
17 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a house full of sacrifices with strife, a positive difference, a word fitly spoken, a world of iniquity, artificial intelligence, Bible, bitter envying, christianity, death and life are in the power of the tongue, defileth the whole body, demonic, disciples of Christ, don't boast, easy to be intreated, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fight the good fight, fraudulent world, gentle, glory not, god, gossip, hands on the plough, hard work, he that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life, he that openeth wide his lips, in peace of them that make peace, in settings of silver, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep the door of my lips, lawlessness of our tongues, lie not against the truth, lies, like apples of gold, LOVE, my God will supply all your needs, peaceable, scriptural tidbits, sensual, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, set on fire of hell, setteth on fire the course of nature, shall eat the fruit thereof, shall have destruction, sown in peace, strengthening our backbones, strife, thank God, the breath of life, the fruit of righteousness, the tongue is a fire, they that love it, through His riches in glory, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wisdom is earthly
Psalm 141:3. Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.
And just like that, the sunshine has disappeared, and a rainy day has foisted itself upon us. But because we have Jesus, we roll right along with whatever punch the world, or the devil chooses to throw at us! And helping us to do so are some more of those scriptural tidbits we call acclamations, like this one: ‘My God will supply all of my needs through His riches in glory through Christ our Lord and Saviour!’ (Phil. 4:19) And indeed He will, if we live the life He desires of us. And this one is oh so necessary for so many of us: ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ (Ps. 141:3)
Yes friends, in this talkative, lying, fraudulent, gossipy world, believers most definitely need to watch what they say, as our words can get us in very serious trouble. Remember what Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21) Oh my fellow believers that’s the gospel truth, those of us who LOVE to blabber will certainly suffer for it. Remember too that old saying, you shall eat those words? And all of us have seen it come to pass in our lives when we’ve spoken some unkind or unnecessary words.
And again, Cousin Sol reminds us in Proverbs: ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (preserves) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov. 13:3) And no, it’s not easy to control our tongue, for as James so wisely discourses: ‘And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members; that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (our existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:6)
And as the scholars explain: ‘The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan (cf. 3:15) That means the tongue causes a whole lot of problems in our individual, lives as well as our world. What causes wars and rumours of wars, etc. etc. talk and the lawlessness of our tongues. And that reference above there is important enough for us to take it up from verse 13. James writes, concerning earthly and heavenly wisdom: ‘Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge (has understanding) among you? let him shew out of a good conversation (conduct) his works with meekness of wisdom (that his works are done with meekness of wisdom).
But if ye have bitter envying and strife (self-seeking) in your hearts, glory not (don’t boast), and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (demonic). For where envying and strife is (self-seeking exist), there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated (willing to yield), full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.’ (James 3:13-18)
Yes my fellow saints, our tongues can be used for good or evil, but it all depends on which one we choose to use them for. Yuh see what happens when we allow Beelzebub to use our tongues; strife and envying, bitterness and boasting take place. But when we allow the Lord to set a watch upon our lips, His heavenly wisdom comes down to us and we seek peace, goodness, righteousness without partiality or hypocrisy. Now isn’t that the better way? It certainly is! But unfortunately in this current version of our world, one that’s so evil and ungodly, Satan has the upper hand when coming to the tongue, for so many lies, deceitful practices, strife, hypocrisy and partiality are present that it’s brought our world into a total scene of chaos and disaster.
And social media and the new darling of the public AI (Artificial Intelligence) are just encouraging the lies and misdirection that’s already so widespread on the earth. Then, unfortunately, those of us who know better, Christians, are not pulling our weight, not helping to reduce the garbage that’s circulating in our world, but some of us even add to it by spreading gossip and stories that we know nothing about, instead of trying to limit the foolishness that’s been so easily spread abroad, and also flourishes, or as the word says, goes viral within seconds.
Oh my people, my people, we have a big task ahead of us, trying to sow peace and righteousness on the earth, and we might never accomplish it until Jesus returns, but the important thing is that we try; we try to turn things around as best we can. But therein lies the problem, not enough of us are willing to try. We just want to sit back and enjoy the fruits, the entitlement that we can get from doing nothing. And to a certain point I can understand that reasoning, because trying to make a positive difference means hard work, sacrifices and other stuff our flesh detests.
But what about our spirits eh? What about the power, wisdom and LOVE we have from our great God? What about the sacrifices our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made for us? Are we just going to allow them to be in vain? I certainly hope not. That’s why I’m pleading with us to begin making a difference, strengthening our backbones so that we can sacrifice some of our pleasure and leisure to fight the good fight of peace and righteousness in Jesus’ name. Now it’s up to us to get out into the world and be shining beacons of light and salty and tasty elements of peace and righteousness, as Jesus desires and expects of us. Remember, that’s our bounden duty as disciples of Christ!
Now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our amazing and invincible and position in Christ Jesus. as one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And for good measure, if we endure right down to the very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and plan to meet at the very end nuh, so that we can enjoy that glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…a word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time)…is like apples of gold…in pictures (settings) of silver…(a timely and fitting word is precious and pleasing)…(Prov. 25:11)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
16 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christ-like attitude, a new theatre of strife, as for me and my house, be grateful, be the salt of the earth, Bible, bring about positive change, called me to his eternal glory in Christ, Christian, christianity, Christians are action oriented, elect God-fearing leaders, god, hearts and souls, hurry, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, If God be for me who can be against me, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, LOVE is of God, make me strong firm and steadfast, one one cocoa full basket, share His love with my neighbours, sincere action figures, something good is going to happen to me, something good is going to happen to me today, step up to the plate, suffered a little while, the beloved of God, the dustbin of history, the foolishness of man, the fullness of life in Christ, the God of all grace, the light of the world, this is the day the Lord has made, this too shall pass, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, turn up their noses, we will rejoice and be glad in it, we will serve the Lord, will Himself restore me, wisdom, worry
Psalm 118:24. This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Then it was Tuesday, and another uncomfortable, disturbing Monday has been flung into the dustbin of History! There’s also no doubt that spring has seriously sprung now! Yes! We had some good showers in the mornings over the weekend, but by afternoon the sun had come out strong and vibrant, actually spreading some warmth, and yesterday was a particularly beautiful spring day, despite it being Monday. (smile) Today is supposed to be another of those beautiful days with temps in the high teens.
So let’s be grateful and thank our great God for all the blessings He’s bestowing on us, by gratefully declaring (yesss!!!): ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) And while we’re at it, why don’t we declare a few more very useful acclamations, like: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) And what about this most useful one: ‘If God be for me, who can be against me? NOBODY!’ (Rom. 8:31)
Then there’s this non scriptural acclamation, but every bit as true: ‘Friends show their LOVE in times of trouble, not in happiness.’ (Euripides) And that’s the gospel truth! Oh how much better our world would be if supposed friends would show up in times of trouble and help, instead of running away like scared chickens! Next up is this wonderful acclamation first proclaimed by Joshua. ‘As for me and my house, we WILL follow the Lord; that’s for sure!’ (Josh. 24:15)
Now what about this gem: ‘And the God of all grace, who has called me to his eternal glory in Christ after I have suffered a little while, will Himself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast. Glory to God!’ (1 Pet. 5:10) Now that one is a bit long and somewhat tough to master both in memory and deed, but if we can ever get it right in our hearts and souls, our lives will be much better attuned to the vagaries and eccentricities of this world, because we’ll know without a doubt, that whatever comes against us is only for a time, and that our great God, will, in His time, restore us to the fullness of life in Christ Jesus.
Unfortunately though, a lot of people turn up their noses at acclamations, but that’s just the foolishness of man, because when we acclaim the scriptures or anything that is good and true, we reinforce the goodness and strength of God within ourselves, so when tragedy or trouble strike, we have enough confidence in our system to allow us to handle it with a good, Christ-like attitude. Finally, there’s this acclamation that sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘Something good is going to happen TO me today! Something good is going to happen THROUGH me today!’
And that’s exactly how it ought to be my brethren! Good things happen to us, and good things happen through us, for that’s the will of God. He delights in working through His wonderful followers. That’s why Jesus kept telling us to LOVE each other, for LOVE is of God. And if we’re showing true, brotherly LOVE to one another, then we’re behaving like God, and that’s what it’s all about…behaving like Christ as much as possible. And with our world in a sad and sorry state of strife, war, greed, hunger, poverty, sickness and natural disasters, we desperately need Christians to step up to the plate and be the salt of the earth and light of the world that Jesus expects us to be.
Oh my fellow believers, no one else is going to change our disastrous world if we don’t. Please, let’s understand that. Change, or rather positive and productive change will only come if we supposed Christians get up off of our lazy, comfortable, entitled fannies and do the work necessary to bring about positive change. We’ve got to stop the plentiful talking for which we’re so famous, and instead become serious and sincere action figures, who are getting things done, like Christ desires!
It’s sad to see our world degenerating, deteriorating more and more with each passing day. For every day we hear about a new theatre of strife, and none of the old ones are closed, as well as starvation and sickness somewhere else in our world of plenty. What’s wrong with us eh? And the sad part is that many of our leaders who are promulgating the negative stuff claim to be believers in Christ Jesus, to be Christians. But how can we reconcile their warlike and evil actions with a supposed Christian nature eh? No way!
The trouble also stems from the fact that too many of us believers claim we can’t do anything about the worldwide situation, and that might be true to a certain extent, but what about electing true God-fearing leaders eh? And what about the negative situations right in our own neighbourhoods? Now don’t tell me that there aren’t any, because there are oodles of fixable problems in each and every neighbourhood, which Christians could be helping to alleviate, if we so desire, and thus making our little part of the world better. But, with our sad attitude of indifference, we all sit and wait for someone else to fix the problems.
However, what did some wise someone once say. If we want peace, let it begin with me. Yes friends, anything we truly desire has to begin with us! We each have to develop the habits of movers and shakers in our own areas, if we ever expect to see positive change. And we don’t have to start with big changes, small ones will do. For as my Jamaican people tell us: one one cocoa full basket. And it certainly does. Each small change we make builds up in number, till we have a full basket of them.
So please my fellow saints, let’s get up and get a move on nuh, let’s start taking back our beautiful world from the evil doers, who are just bent on destroying it, and sending both it and us down to Hades with the evil one. And that’s not an acceptable option. But it’s only if we wake up and start smelling the roses, will it ever change. End of Sermon. (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock stock and barrel.
As one 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!’
And having made that proclamation, we are now bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with those we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…whether it’s in peace or war…actions always speak louder than words…and Christians are action oriented people…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, abide with you forever, another comforter, bring all things to your remembrance, christianity, degeneration of our well being, divine help, ease the pain, faith, forgiving God, full spiritual armour, gentle leading, god, God-centred lives, grace, guide you into all truth, he shall testify of me, holy spirit, I will pray the Father, if ye love me keep my commandments, in the holy name of Jesus, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leave you comfortless, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, mercy, method to God's madness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my peace I give unto you, negative situations, neither let it be afraid, our Triune God, Peace i leave with you, Pentecost Sunday, rat race, repentance in our hearts, road rage, send in my name, stressful factors, teach you all things, the calming power of Jesus, the God who heals, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Trinity, the pittance, the Spirit of truth, truth, turn from our evil ways, unsavoury work mates, until our dying day, weekend reverie, wisdom
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever;
And as always, after Sunday comes Monday – the day we rather unfairly dislike. And why do we dislike Monday? Because it disturbs our weekend reverie, sending us back out into never ending rat race of the workday world, with endless traffic jams, that breed bitter road rage, and on top of all that, unsavoury work mates. (smile) But if we want to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, then we have to bite the bullet, get out there and labour for the pittance our selfish and greedy masters believe we’re worth.
And it’s best we do it with a good attitude, for anything less will only lead to further degeneration of our wellbeing. We cannot be overwhelmed by the stressful factors of this busy world and yet lead productive, God-centred lives. Thus, we need the calming power of Jesus at the forefront of all that we do, through the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit that dwells within us to accomplish that very task. Remember Jesus’ promise to the disciples, when He informed them of His return to heaven in the near future? ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever;’ (John 14:15-16)
Please note that last phrase, the Comforter is to be with them and us forever! So, from the day we believe in Christ, and that Comforter comes to dwell within us, He never leaves until our dying day. Now, that ought to give us a wellspring of confidence, but unfortunately not enough of us supposed believers enjoy it, because we don’t follow the Comforter’s gentle leading. We talk the talk, but in reality don’t walk the walk. And what’s this Comforter all about eh? As per Jesus: ‘Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:17-18)
And there Jesus promises that He will always be with us through the Spirit of truth, which the world doesn’t and cannot know, but that we know and will eventually have dwelling in us. Then later on He expands on the Spirit of truth and what it would do. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter (Helper), which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:25-27)
Ah friends, what comforting words from our Lord and Saviour! Yes, the Comforter or Helper, would be the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Holy Trinity, our Triune God! And according to Jesus, He would enable the apostles to remember all His words and works as they endeavoured to do His bidding and put quill to parchment to ensure that His earthly legacy endured down through the ages. And that’s exactly what the Holy Spirit did back then when He filled the believers on that fateful Pentecost Sunday in Jerusalem and the church of Christ was born, and what He’s still doing to this day for us who have believed because of what the disciples have written; that’s the New Testament.
And if there’s one thing to be said for Jesus, He was always encouraging His followers. As we saw above there, He blessed them with His particular kind of peace, unlike any the world could provide, and that they should not be worried because He had things under control. And in the next chapter, He reiterates His earlier encouragement. ‘But when the Comforter (Helper) is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which preceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye shall also bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.’ (John 15:26-27)
Then Jesus expands on that when He tells them: ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what is mine), and shall shew (declare) it unto you.’ (John 1612-14) Now that’s certainly an interesting scripture and as the scholars point out: ‘Just as Jesus came to do the will of His Father, so the Holy Spirit is sent to speak not of Himself, but of Christ.’
So what’s the long and short of the story? That if we have Jesus, His peace, LOVE, grace, mercy etc. as well as the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us and remind us of Jesus, then we ought not to be afraid of this evil and ungodly world, and should get out there on Mondays, in full spiritual armour, just rearing to go and to do serious battle in the holy name of Jesus! And to help us keep everything in perspective, let’s go to the throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
And if we do as we prayed; turn from our evil ways, by humbling ourselves, praying and sincerely seeking God’s face, then divine help will surely be forthcoming! Much LOVE!
…there is method to God’s supposed madness…as first He operated through Jesus…and now operates through the Holy Spirit…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
11 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as many as received Him, Bible, born not of blood or flesh but of God, but the world knew him not, christianity, courage, creativity, curse, dwell in the land of the shadow of death, enshrined in darkness, experienced the darkness, faith, formidable actions, glorify your father in heaven, god, have the light of life, He came unto his own, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, his own received him not, I am the light of the world, in the shadow of death, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Let your light so shine before men, lighteth every man that cometh into the world, LOVE, miraculous appearance, negative word, prayer, prosper, repent, salt of the earth, salvation, seen a great light, self-control, success, supernatural strength, the dayspring from on high, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Messiah, the people that walked in darkness, the remission of sins, the tender mercy of our God, the world was made by him, they may see your good works, Thursday Blessings, to bear witness of the Light, to give knowledge of salvation, to give light to them that sit in darkness, to guide our feet in the way of peace, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, tooted his own horn, truth, upon them hath shined the light, witnessed unto himself, Ye are the light of the world, you can't enjoy the light
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Ah Lord, why couldn’t today be like yesterday eh? Unfortunately, the bright and warm sunshine of Wednesday has been transformed into a wet, bleak, dreary, dark, uninviting Thursday morning. And yesterday afternoon I so enjoyed sitting on my front porch for the first time this year, very comfortably drinking in the activity on the street, whether they were humans, cars, dogs, or simply Mother Nature. That looks though, like it will just be a one day stand, (smile) as the computer is calling for rain today. But that’s okay, we’ll live with it, for we’ll enjoy the sunshine even more after having experienced the rain. As they say, you can’t enjoy the light, until you’ve experienced the darkness.
And that’s oh so true, especially when speaking of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Before He came, we were totally enshrined in darkness, without any hope of ever getting out of it, but with His miraculous appearance and formidable actions, we did get out of the darkness into His glorious light! Glory be! As Isaiah so gloriously testified: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath shined the light.’ (Is. 9:2) And that prophesy was certainly fulfilled by the coming of Jesus!
As Matthew writes of Jesus’ teaching ministry. ‘Now when Jesus had heard that John (the Baptist) was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up (has dawned). From that time Jesus began preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 4:12-17)
Yes friends, there’s no doubt that Jesus came a to shed light on our darkness. As Luke also writes of Zacharias’ speech at the birth of his son, John the Baptist. ‘And thou, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (the Dawn, the Messiah) from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing (manifestation) unto Israel.’ (Luke 1:76-80)
And we all know that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, setting the stage for Him, talking of repentance, of baptism and the forgiveness of sins. The words of John the apostle also attest to those facts. ‘There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of the Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, (own domain), and his own (his own people the Jews) received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:6-14) Oh my faithful brethren, Jesus was indeed the One sent by the Father to bring us out of darkness into His wonderful light.
And if you still don’t believe that He is, was, and will always be the Light of this world, then listen to Him say it Himself. He said to the disbelieving religious sect of the Jews, the Pharisees: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And the Pharisees did not believe, because He bore witness of Himself, or as we would say today, was tooting His own horn. But the fact still remains that if Jesus did not come to earth, die on the cross of Calvary to atone for our sins, then rise again on the third day, so we could do the same, we would still be forever shrouded in the darkness of Satan, the evil ruler of this world, who desires to keep us chained to his evil doings.
But Christ, the Light of the world, came and set us free! Glory Hallelujah! And to make it even better, He told us that when He left this world, that we, His true followers would assume that mantle. ‘Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14a, 16) And our God is so wonderful that He even gave us the tools, the undeserved blessings to do the job. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare them now, so that they can be activated in our lives.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and put those blessings to work in the lives of others, as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…it’s high time that we Christians behave…like the real salt of the earth…and the true light of the world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
10 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: against the knowledge of God, all things are become new, anger, As God for christ's sake forgave you, be ye angry and sin not, be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, Bible, bitterness, Casting down imaginations, christianity, climate change, coloured our days, deceitful lusts, endure to the end, every high thing, faith, forgiving one another, given themselves over unto lasciviousness, god, God-given wisdom, greediness, halfway home, hands on the plough, he is a new creature, holy spirit, I will do a new thing, if any man be in Christ, invite Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Christ, long term residents, LOVE, make a way in the wilderness, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, neither give place to the devil, not turning back, now it shall spring forth, old things are passed away, put off the former conversation, put on the new man, remember ye not the former things, rivers in the desert, shadowed our nights, shorts and t-shirts, spring, thank God, that exalteth itself, the blindness of their hearts, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the cellars of fear, the crux of the matter, the neighbourhood of our thoughts, the sun of his love, throw out our old baggage, to a glorious future with Jesus, uncleanness, walk not as other Gentiles walk, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, worrisome thoughts, wrath
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Oh friends, if I didn’t know that we were still officially in the season of spring, I’d believe that today was a grand summer’s day. Yes, this Wednesday, has blossomed bright and sunshiny with temps in the high teens! And people are already out in their shorts and t-shirts. But this temperature is possibly an abnormality, and we will soon revert to true spring time temps. Anyway, who doesn’t like a summer’s day eh, at any time of the year! And with the climate change business making things topsy turvy and eccentric, we’ll take a good day whenever we can, be it spring, summer, winter or fall! (smile)
Now, let’s cool the enthusiasm a tad, with this snippet from the In Touch Devotional for this month, titled ‘Consider This.’ Please read with me: ‘Worrisome thoughts aren’t always intrusive – sometimes they’re long-term residents. In fact, we may not remember a time before they coloured our days and shadowed our nights. What would life be like in their absence? It’s hard to know. And not knowing is one of the most fearful things of all. But when we invite Jesus into the neighbourhood of our thoughts, He speaks gently to our worries – He calls us out of the cellars of fear and into the sun of His LOVE. All we have to do is reach out. And then let Him do what He does: make all things new.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my fellow believers? Christ makes all things new when we turn to Him, when we entrust our very lives to Him in true surrender. And there’s no better scripture that details that fact than this one from Bruh Paul’s second missive to the Corinthians. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17) Yes friends, when we become believers in Christ we need to throw out all our old baggage, for we’ve become new people, and old stuff will tempt us back to our old way of life.
But we must also allow Christ to do new things in us, that He dearly desires to do. It’s like the Lord promised the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah. ‘Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ (Is. 43:18-19) And that’s exactly what Christ will do in our lives – make a new and godly person out of us… if we let Him.
It’s also as Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians, re putting on the new man. He writes: ‘This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind. Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through (because of) the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness (hardening) of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness (licentiousness), to work all uncleanness with greediness.’ (Eph. 4:17-19)
Now that’s how most of us lived before we accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, and it’s how the other unbelievers still live, with hardened hearts and a stubborn will, adhering to fleshly lusts and licentiousness, that’s caused them to be separated from God. And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
And be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members of one another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister unto hearers. And grieve not (don’t make sad) the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:20-32)
There you have it my brethren; some valuable practical steps we can all take to put on the new man, and then to keep him on! And keeping him on is the crux of the matter; keeping him on the rest of our earthly lives, because the devil will try mightily to make us go back to our old way of living. Yuh see how Bruh Paul also warned about not giving the evil one an opportunity to get into our heads and thus our hearts. And he wrote about that in more detail to the Corinthians: ‘Casting down imaginations (arguments), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ (2 Cor. 10:5)
And what does all of that mean. Check out this commentary. ‘Casting down imaginations (not accepting the devils thoughts, suggestions, visions) is a spiritual weapon that you must use to be victorious over the enemy. You must learn to actively fight to maintain God’s vision for you. You must only accept imaginations (thoughts) that line up with the Word of God.’ Yes my people, let’s remember that this earthly life is an ongoing battle with the devil, who fights with spiritual weapons, but we have already won the victory through Christ Jesus, we now only have to maintain it; not allow the wicked one to steal it back. And no, it’s not easy, but we have all the tools and weapons to do it, if we so choose.
Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Altogether: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Then there’s this proviso; if we endure right to the very end with Christ, that end will be even more glorious than we can either ask or imagine. So please, let’s use our God-given wisdom and plan to meet there nuh! Much LOVE!
…in Christ…we are all new creations…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
07 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: actions speak louder than words, All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, at the name of Jesus, baptizing them, Bible, christianity, crown him Lord of all, display brotherly love, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, faith, go ye therefore and teach all nations, god, hymns, I am with you always, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, Jesus is Christ the Lord., join the everlasting song, King of Kings, let every kindred every tribe, lift our voices, Lord of Lords, LOVE, on this terrestial ball, shrp-tongued, the form of a servant, the Great Commission, wisdom, yonder sacred throng
Philippians 2:10a & 11a. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…
So it’s another Sunday in the life…the one after the biggest in our faith – Easter Sunday! And we’re still celebrating Christ’s triumphant resurrection though not as intently as last week. The tempo has quietened somewhat, but the awesome memories of that marvellous day still remain burned in our memories forever and tickle us to death (smile) when we remember what it meant – our own resurrection and eternal life in the company of our awesome Triune God! Nothing could be sweeter than that my fellow believers!
And today in the Lord’s sanctuary, we’re going to give Him some thanks and praise for all that He’s done for us, through this glorious hymn “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” It is one of the most popular Christian hymns, and is often referred to as the ‘National Anthem of Christendom.’ The lyrics were written by Edward Perronet (1721-1792) a prominent British Pastor at one time affiliated with the Wesley’s of the Methodist persuasion, but afterwards became a pastor of a dissenting congregation.
And there’s this fascinating commentary re Mr. Perronet and His unusual predisposition. ‘It is interesting that those who express the most eloquent praise are often the people we would deem the least likely to have the ability. Yet David, the adulterating, murdering, lying king of Israel wrote a good deal of the Psalms, which we still use today as our guide for worship. In the same way, all accounts show Rev. Edward Perronet to be a sharp-tongued, difficult personality, who would rather pick a fight over theology than display brotherly LOVE.’
But whatever Mr. Perronet’s fault(s), he wrote a beautiful hymn, that we shall now use to offer up our sincere sacrifices of sweet, savoured praise in a mid-tempo version. So with true heartfelt emotion, let’s sing: ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, Ye ransomed of the fall, Ye ransomed of the fall, Hail him who saves you by his grace, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all.
Sinners, whose LOVE can ne’er forget The wormwood and the gall, The wormwood and the gall, Go, spread your trophies at His feet And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, On this terrestrial ball, On this terrestrial ball, To him all majesty ascribe, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. O that with yonder sacred throng We at his feet may fall; We at His feet may fall; We’ll join the everlasting song, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all.’
Oh most certainly will we crown Jesus Lord of all! In fact the Father has already done it, as Bruh Paul writes in Philippians: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of his heavenly privileges):
And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:5-11)
Wow! What a magnificent Son, Warrior, Leader and fine example Jesus is to us all! Although He was deity Himself, He didn’t noise it about, boast about it, but became a servant in man’s likeness to do the work His Father desired of Him, and thus the Father exalted Him like no one else. We call Jesus the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Wow! It could get no better than that! But I’m getting carried away with my own excitement, (smile) and there’s this commentary that I badly want to share about the hymn itself.
It says: ‘This hymn is a declaration of praise, but it’s also much more than that. The words both declare the majesty of Christ and task us with making that majesty known to all. Like many hymns describing the glory of God and the hope that one day all people will see that glory, this hymn alludes to Philippians 2:9-11: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” We long for this day, and declare our hope in its arrival in the text of this hymn.
But are we willing to declare that hope to those who have not heard it? The phrase, “Easier said than done” comes to mind here. After we have sung these words of victory and longing, what do we do? Do we act on those words and turn our expectancy into realities? Or do we wait for someone else to do it for us? The fourth stanza of this great hymn declares, “We’ll join the everlasting song….” Everlasting means that we are a part of that song right now – are we willing to lift our voices together to sing more than a hymn, and truly crown our God Lord of all?’
Now that’s a most valid question my fellow believers! Do we just sing the words of the hymn, or do we put them into action in our own lives, while sharing the fascinating facts and sentiments with others? The only way to truly crown Christ as Lord is by being excited about Him and the amazing, selfless work He did on our behalf, and telling others about Him, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do. We cannot truly honour Jesus, by simply mouthing the words to a hymn, but activating those words in a manner that will cause others to want to hear them, then themselves share with others.
That’s what Jesus meant when He gave us the Great Commission: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20)
And having sung that great hymn with heartfelt gusto, it now behooves us to go out and spread the good news of His gospel, put it into action! Much LOVE!
…actions usually speak louder than words…it’s time for Christians to make their actions heard…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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