03 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th of July, a roaring lion, afflictions, aura of love, be ye holy, Canada's 150 birthday, celebrations, Christians, confidence, confirm, croaking voices, dedication, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, encouragement, enthusiasm, eternal glory, evil, faith, follow Christ, friends, fun, grace, groundings in Christ, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, life changing, life ending, LOVE, Lucifer, make you perfect, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obedient children, on our p's and q's, on the lookout, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, resist the enemy, salvation, seeking whom he may devour, sober, society runs 24/7, spiritual armour, standing strong, steadfast faith, strengthen, the devil, the God of all grace, the prince of this evil world, trust, truth, ungodly world, vigilant, walking tall, walks about, watchword, weaknesses, wisdom, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
So the celebrations continue apace! Yeh friends, Canada’s 150th Birthday Party is still going strong. It ought to wind down today, but tomorrow is the U.S. 4th of July Independence Day Celebrations, and whoever in the U.S was lucky enough to get today off would have a wonderful real long weekend!
Hn, Hn! That means this is a big partying weekend in North America. But nonetheless, because the society runs 24/7, some people have to go to work today, so they still need some encouragement to get up and go out on a Monday Morning, especially when so many of their co-workers don’t have to. So let’s give them a rousing sendoff nuh, with a rousing rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! (smile)
All together 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 wasn’t that a blast! Lots of enthusiasm and hoarse, croaking voices from those who are staying at home, while those headed for work, could only resignedly shake their heads in jealousy. Jesus, our choirmaster, sighed wearily and shook His head too.
But friends, please let caution be our watchword in these long days of celebration, and let Granny’s advice be front and centre in our minds and souls: ‘Drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ I know some of us are tired hearing that bit of wisdom, but if we heed it, it will keep us out of a lot of problems, some of which can be very serious and life changing, as well as life ending.
That’s why Peter warns us so strongly in our Bit: ‘Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’
Yeh friends, Lucifer is always on the lookout for those of us he can infiltrate. That’s all he does; walks to and fro in the earth looking for people to destroy, especially in times of celebration when all our weaknesses are most exposed. And he gets the most pleasure from destroying Christians. That’s why it is ever so necessary for us to keep our p’s and q’s about us, and don’t give him a chance to get into our lives.
And Peter continues his advice. ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) by your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:9) So the enemy doesn’t choose us specially to come against, he comes against everybody, all Christians, wherever he might spy an opening. That’s why we have to be strong in our faith and resist his evil overtures, otherwise we’ll just muddy up our heavenly situation.
Now earlier on, Peter took a broader look at the situation when, in talking about Christian dedication, he declares: ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare you minds for action), be sober, and hope to the end for the grace (rest your hope fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so ye be holy in all manner of conversation (conduct.) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.’ (1 Pet.1:13-16)
That’s the way it is my brethren. If we intend to follow Christ, then we need to be serious, well-disciplined and as holy as possible, because that’s what Christ is about. And in any case, the best way to foil Lucifer’s unwanted advances is to stick close to Jesus. And Peter acknowledges that, as he puts the finishing touch on today’s story, a couple verses after our Bit.
‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:10-11)
Ah mih people, this life is not easy to handle, but if we are serious about following Jesus, then He will give us the wherewithal to handle the prince of this evil world and all his evil cohorts. So please keep standing strong and walking tall for Jesus and the glory of God. That’s the greatest state to which we can ever attain! Much LOVE!
…in proportion to our groundings in Christ… will be our ability to resist the enemy
29 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, adulteres, be not overcome of evil, blessed, carnal, cavorting with the enemy, Christ is alive in your hearts, Christ's sacrifice, Christians, consequences, courage, creativity, curse, elixir, enamoured of the world, enemy of God, enmity with God, enough for me, faith, faithful promise, favour, foolishness, friend of the world, friendship of the world, glory to God, humble apology, if any man love the world, Jesus Christ, love not the world, lustful world, merciful Father, negative word, no brainer, one foot in God's realm, one foot in the world, our Lord and Saviour, overcome evil with good, prosper, rewards of God, righteous living, rigours of getting old, rough night, seek first God's righteousness, self-control, self-discipline, shining in my heart, sit on the fence, sleep, succeed, talent, the benefit of choice, the light of the Son, the love of the Father, the things in the world, the will of God, Thursday Blessings, too tired to sleep, traitorous behaviour, vital signs, what a wonderful God we serve and worship
1 John 2:15. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
Oh friends, please accept my humble apology for the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella had an unexplainable rough night last night. For some reason I can’t fathom, that wonderful elixir called sleep simply eluded me for most of the night.
And it’s not like I wasn’t tired, I was, because I had been running around doing stuff in and out of the house for most of the day. And generally I can sleep whether I’m tired or not, but not last night. Steups!
The only thing I can attribute it to is that I was too tired to sleep. Hn! I must admit too, that I felt a bit hyper, though all my vital sings were normal. And as expected, when I did get to sleep, the body just refused to awaken until it was satisfied. Ah Lord eh! The rigours of getting old! (smile)
But you know what mih brethren? Though outside is wet and cloudy, more rain again last night, with little or no sunshine, and my back is aching more than I’d like, the brilliant light of the Son, of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is shining magnificently in the ole fella’s heart…and that is certainly enough for me! Glory to God in His high heaven!
And I’d advise you too friends, that once Christ is alive and well in your hearts, then nothing else really matters, for He will take care of everything, that is His faithful promise! Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my fellow believers!
That’s why it’s so surprising that so many supposed Christians still put the carnal and lustful world before the holy and righteous, just and merciful Father, especially when we’ve been specifically told not to, in our Bit.
‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.’
Oh my people, I don’t see how it could be any clearer than that nuh! And we know that we can’t LOVE the Father and the enemy at the same time…but some of us are indeed trying to do it, with one foot in the world and one in God’s realm.
But that’s pure foolishness friends! It won’t work, you can’t sit on the fence and jump from one side to the other.
And James tells us in no uncertain terms. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself the enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)
And that’s no lie! So I don’t see why so many of us are still pandering to the worthless and evil enemy, thus negating all that Christ has done for us.
In the immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God. To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Gal.1:4-5)
Yeh mih people, why knowingly make Christ’s great sacrifice a waste of time eh, by frivolously cavorting with the enemy? We’ll have to answer for that some day, and believe me, the consequences for such traitorous behaviour won’t be cheap or easy.
But the Lord in His wisdom gave us each the benefit of choice, and so, we’ll just have to pay for the bad choices we make. As the old people would say, however you make up your bed, that’s how you’ll lie down on it.
So if it’s rumpled up with plenty sin, then you’ll just have to endure the consequences, but if it’s well made with righteous living, then you’ll enjoy the everlasting rewards of God. And I’m chuckling here at how the ole fella is ‘preachifying.’
But friends, you all know what I’m talking about: we desperately need to get away from being too enamoured of the carnal things of the world, and return to the righteous things of God; seek first His righteousness, then we’ll get everything that we need, instead of first seeking everything we need, then trying to turn to God afterwards.
Chuh! That’s pure foolishness! And we’ll give the last scriptural word to Bruh Paul in his address to the Romans. ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom.12:21) Words of indisputable wisdom to truly live by my fellow believers!
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings with which we’ve been so thoroughly blessed. In all sincerity and truth, in one strong, unified 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 everyday! Amen!’
And since blessings are meant to be shared, let’s go out and generously share them with others nuh, the same way that God has generously shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…LOVING God…and trying to please Him…instead of Lucifer…should be a no-brainer for wise humans…especially supposed believers…
27 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a miserable sinner, a saint, a wave of the sea, all or nothing at all, all thine heart soul and might, area of obedience, beloved of God, carnal, christianity, Christians, compromise, devotion, disturbed, Divided Heart, double minded, easy row to hoe, far country, fleshly universe, half-motivated, half-satisfied, holy spirit, hurry, invade our space, jump rope, lack of clear direction, lead and guide us, love God first and foremost, love not the world, Love the Lord thy God, Lucifer, mix weeds with seeds, Moses, personal loyalty, reminiscent of the weather, rock her doll, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, side trips, spiritual world, strobe lights, surrendered to christ, the love of the Father, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the rains, the things of the world, Thor's hammer, thunderstorm, tormented, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, vagaries of the climate, walk a straight path, wavereth, wet mentality, worry
1 John 2:15. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
And it’s a cool, wet Tuesday morning in my area. Summer seems to have come in with a cool, wet mentality, for we haven’t had any real hot days as yet, and the rain’s been fairly plentiful.
Oh we had a doozy of a thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, with all the glorious effects of Thor’s hammer and the beautiful strobe lights of his fellow god. (smile)
But would you believe that thereafter, it turned into a wonderful day of sunshine and warm weather. And then around four o’clock this morning the rains came cascading down again.
Oh the vagaries of the climate these days eh! Let’s hope that this doesn’t morph into a rather hot and dry summer as time goes by. But here is something that’s reminiscent of the weather, and also of too many of us supposed Christians.
When I read it I chuckled because a lot of us behave this way. It comes from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin and is simply titled ‘Divided Heart.’
Please pray with me. ‘Lord I am so often tormented By my lack of clear direction – So often disturbed By my divided heart. I am like a little child Who wants to rock her doll And jump rope at the same time. I want to obey You in part If I can choose the area of obedience.
I want to be real except at those moments When compromise is more appealing. I want to be half-motivated And half-satisfied with things as they are. I want to walk a straight path If now and then I can enjoy A few side trips into the far country.
I don’t want to be a miserable sinner But neither do I feel excited About being a saint. I want to be partly Yours And partly my own. But in the secret chamber Of my divided heart I am so often disquieted By the pointed question: “Why do you so foolishly Mix weeds with seeds?”
And that’s a question many of us need to ask ourselves my believing brethren, since we apparently haven’t really and truly surrendered our souls to Christ. We want to have one foot in the spiritual world and when it suits us, one in the carnal, fleshly universe.
But that’s not wise my people, and our God won’t put up with it. He wants ALL of us, or nothing at all. We can’t run to Him when we choose, and then run to Lucifer when it’s convenient for us.
In effect we still have too much of this evil world in us, as the Bible Promise associated with that poem and our Bit for today declares. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.’
Yes, I know friends, that true Christianity is not an easy row to hoe, but if we truly surrender our all to Christ, He will, as He has promised, give us the wherewithal to hoe it.
Why do you think He put the third Member of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit to dwell in us eh? As we saw yesterday, it’s to lead and guide us along the straight and narrow path that leads to the Father.
But as we also saw yesterday, the Holy Spirit won’t invade our space unilaterally, He waits to be invited to sincerely lead and guide us. And right within our Bit, lies the crux of our problem: We still LOVE the fleshly, carnal things of the world too much.
And as the scholars explain: ‘2:15. LOVE not the world is a command implying that action now in progress must cease: “Stop LOVING the world!” There is, of course, one sense in which Christians should LOVE the world, since God Himself did and does (John 3:16).
But in the sense of pledging personal loyalty and devotion of one’s whole being and means, Christians are to “LOVE” God first and foremost (Deut. 6:5; Mark 12:30).’
And just to further bring home the point to us, we’ll quote the immortal words of Moses to the Israelites way back when. ‘’Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.’ (Deut.6:5)
Now that hasn’t changed at any time down through the ages my people. And when Jesus’ detractors facetiously asked Him what was the greatest commandment, He reiterated the awe inspiring words of Moses, as you can read in Mark 12:29-30.
So I don’t see how we expect the Lord to approve our fence-sitting, for that is being double-minded, and James warns us that ‘He that wavereth (is doubting) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:6-8)
Good Christians, we need to forsake the things of the world and cling to the things of God, if we truly want to see the abundant blessings of God in our lives. That’s all there is to it!
So let’s go home in truth and in spirit declaring our Tuesday Mantra. With one sincere voice 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 if that’s truly whom we are, then let’s go out and let the world know it nuh my brethren, as Jesus so dearly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…one simply cannot LOVE God and Lucifer…at the same time…that’s a true impossibility…
26 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a position of strenght, adrenaline, antidote, aura of love, Christians, Comforter, complaints, confidence, enthusiasm, eternal life, friends, generous help, glory hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, move mountains, pray the Father, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, separated from God, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, touch God's heart, truth, ungodly world, unity, wisdom
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever.
Okay mih brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s see if we can’t get it right this Monday morning nuh! For once, let’s not complain and be miserable because we have to get up and go to work, even if we had a rather rough weekend.
Let’s put the joy and strength of Jesus that’s supposed to be in our hearts at the forefront of our minds this morning, so that when we awaken and stretch, the words that come out of our mouths are not complaints, but more like: ‘Good Morning Lord. Thanks for allowing me to see another day. I LOVE You and will do my best to follow You all day long. This I pray in Jesus name. Amen!’
Oh friends, that’s guaranteed to touch God’s heart and have the angels open the windows of heaven to pour down blessings upon you. But just in case the Monday Blues unfortunately have you all wrapped and trussed up in sadness and sorrow, then we have the perfect antidote for that as well. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and when we sing it with much vim and vigour and sincere belief, it just gets our adrenaline flowing and our spirits soar and we feel like we can conquer the world in the strength of Jesus! Wow! What an antidote!
So let’s burst out in harmonic song nuh: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That was good mih people! Our choirmaster, Jesus had a big smile on His handsome face. And I know you can feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins, because I am feeling it too. So let’s just get ourselves together and take the battle to the enemy this Monday morning as Jesus desires of us.
The best way to fight is from a position of strength and unity, which we have because of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, that leads and guides us in all circumstances, through every situation, good or bad. Jesus promised it in our Bit. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever.’
And we all know that our Lord and Saviour keeps ALL of His promises. Now here is some info from the scholars on that verse. ’14:16. Another (allon) stresses that the Holy Spirit would be “another” like Jesus. A Comforter (Paraclete) is an advocate called alongside for aid in time of trouble.’
Now that Comforter is the Holy Spirit, the third person in our Trinity. Jesus came to do the work of the Father, then the Holy Spirit came to do the leg work, indwelling everybody, that Jesus being in human form could not do. And we all know that the Holy Spirit came to indwell ALL believers at Pentecost and thereafter, when it filled the upper room where the disciples were assembled, because Jesus had told them to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came.
And come it did, in spectacular fashion; like ‘a rush of a mighty wind…appearing unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.’ (Acts1:2-3) What a hard act to follow! And it stirred up the disciples and had them speaking in the languages of the visitors to Jerusalem. Then Peter preached his greatest sermon, and at the end some three thousand people received Christ. Glory to God!
That’s the power of the Holy Spirit my brethren! But we have to allow it to lead and guide us. It won’t do it on its own; it won’t usurp our power of choice that the Lord granted us from day one. So it’s completely up to us whether or not the Comforter will operate in our lives. If you are a believer, it will be in you, but you have to invoke its help.
And it would be a rather foolish thing not to do so my brethren, else you’ll just end up walking the wide and dangerous path that leads to Lucifer and eternal separation from Almighty God. Now that is definitely the worst thing a human being can ever do: be eternally separated from God. So please, let’s use the wisdom that God gave us to engage the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can be led along the straight and narrow path that leads to our heavenly Father. Much LOVE!
…who has the power dwelling in them to move mountains…only Christians…
25 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Amazing grace, blessing, bountifully, bright shining as the sun, Christians, curse, dangers, deceived, despair, eternal life, faith, found, generous in giving, glorify God, God is not mocked, grace, greetings, guidance, harden thine heart, harvest, he that soweth sparingly, homelessness, how sweet the sound, humans, increase, John Newton, joy, lead me home, lend him sufficent, lost, LOVE, made fat, magnanimous god, mortal life, my fears relieved, my hope secures, my shield, noble lives, open thine hand wide, peace, portion, poverty, praise, prosperous, reap bountifully, righteous, safety, salutaitons, salvation, saved a wretch like me, scatter, shall reap sparingly, shut thine hand, sickness, sing God's praise, snares, taught my heart to fear, thank, the hour I first believed, the liberal soul, the light of the world, toils, trust, waters, wisdom, with blessings, within the veil, worship
2 Corinthians 9:6. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.
Well greetings and salutations on this beautiful Summer Sunday morning my fellow believers! May the wonderful grace of God and His awesome peace be with and among us as we meet in His sanctuary to praise, worship, thank and glorify Him. And to get us going, let’s sing those heartfelt words of John Newton written so long ago, when he finally found God, and aptly titled ‘Amazing Grace.’
So with much passion and humble sincerity, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise to Almighty God. ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.’
Oh friends, what a magnanimous God we serve and worship! His undying and undeserving grace and mercy are what keep us going in this evil world. His is the salvation and eternal life to which we look, like a bright shining beacon in the dark, stormy night, offering guidance and safety from the perils on our earthly journey.
No wonder Jesus declared, ’I am the light of the world!’ For without Him, our world would be covered in total darkness, the cover Lucifer needs for his evil deeds. So please let’s be everlastingly grateful for the brilliant and lifesaving light of Jesus nuh, which gives us true hope, faith and trust for the future.
Now let’s turn to our Bit; one of the life principles of our great God. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.’ More awesome truth of Scripture my people! Whatever we give out, shall be given back to us; whatever we sow, we shall reap, and sometimes in greater quantity too, whether it be good or evil.
And today we’ll simply peruse some scriptures which agree with our premise. So listen to Cousin Sol as he contrasts the doings of the wise and foolish. ‘There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that witholdeth more than is meet (right), but it tendeth (leads) to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat (prosperous): and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that witholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be on the head of him that selleth it.’ (Prov.11:24-26)
Oh friends, yuh see, when we scatter, or water, or sell, meaning being generous in our giving, it usually leads to prosperity, but being miserly tends to poverty. So if we are interested in having a full and prosperous life, then we must be generous in our giving and helping.
Meanwhile, the psalmist in Psalm 112 – Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord – joyfully declares: ‘A good man showeth favour (is gracious), and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion (justice)… He hath dispersed (distributed abroad), he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn (strength) shall be exalted with honour. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved: he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.’ (Ps.112: 5, 9-10)
Yes precious people of God, as Christians we are called to live righteous and noble lives, giving and helping from humble and sincere hearts as our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did in His earthly sojourn, two thousand years ago.
And Moses warned the Israelites long before that: ‘If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates (towns) in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide (freely) unto him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth.’ (Deut.15:7-8)
You can’t get away from it friends, the Lord has shown us LOVE and mercy and grace, and He expects us to do the same with our fellow humans. Now if some of us would only share some of the much we have with others in desperate need, there wouldn’t be as much poverty, sickness, homelessness and despair in our world today.
But don’t forget, the Lord is watching each of us to see how we use the resources He so generously bestowed on us, and we’ll eventually have to answer for our good or bad stewardship. Now let’s end with a timely word from Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked (fooled, outwitted)” for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ (Gal.6:7) Words of utmost wisdom friends!
So let’s remember that generosity is at the heart of the Lord, and it should also be a major priority in ours, if we sincerely desire to be true disciples of Christ. Much LOVE!
…you can only harvest what you sow…
21 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a belt of truth, able to stand, accepted Christ, against the wiles of the devil, armour, bull's eye, christianity, Christians, depressing winter, discombobulate us, earthly race, endurance, evil cohorts, evil schemes, fall by the wayside, fame, fiery darts, giving no ground, glorious future with Jesus, glory to God, gospel of peace, grow in faith, halfway home, health, helmet of salvation, holy character, hot, humid days, internal parts, knowledge of the word of God, loins girded with truth, Lucifer, mano a mano, moral conduct, our Lord and Saviour, patience, peace, perseverance, praying, protective armour of God, run the race, saints, shield of faith, short attention spans, sitting ducks, spiritual warfare, stand, struggle, suffering, summer, supplication, sword of the Spirit, take up the whole armour of God, the breastplate of righteousness, the breath of life, the strength of the Lord, the Word of god, truth, wealth, Wednesday, Wednesday Wail
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Lo and behold friends, it’s already Wednesday, the middle of the workweek! These days sure are passing by quickly, and in another couple, summer should officially be upon us.
That ought to make us happy up here in the colder climes. What a way we look forward to the hot and humid days of summer eh, after months of cold, depressing winter. But then we also complain that the summer’s too hot and humid! (smile) How to please us eh?
Apparently we can’t be truly pleased. We are like our nowadays children, who, despite their abundance of toys, nonetheless get bored with them very quickly, and keep wanting something new to hold their short attention spans.
That’s why some of us supposed Christians never grow in faith. We look upon Christianity as a toy, or something that will automatically bring us health, wealth and fame. But nothing is further from the truth friends.
Of course you can become, healthy, wealthy and famous as a Christian, but that is not the reason for it all. And Christianity desires lots of perseverance, endurance, patience and oftimes much suffering and struggle.
It’s not an easy row to hoe, especially when confronted by the many wiles and evil schemes of the devious enemy, who have set out to purposely discombobulate us.
Consequently, many Christians fall by the wayside, because they don’t have the internal parts to run the hard race that’s set before them. But my people, if we are to be successful in the running of this earthly race, then we have to make certain preparations and hold on tightly to certain things.
Now over the last couple of days we’ve been talking about the spiritual warfare in which we automatically enter in when we become followers of Jesus Christ. The enemy targets us, puts a big bull’s eye on our backs, once we’ve accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
And yesterday, as we saw from our Bit, one of the necessities for fighting this war is having on the protective armour of God at all times. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’
Yes my fellow believers, without God’s armour in our possession, we’re like sitting ducks for Lucifer and his evil cohorts. But with it on, and the strength of the Lord flowing through us…oh my people, we can battle like you won’t believe. Glory to God!
And since some of you might be wondering what this glorious armour consists of, let’s listen to Bruh Paul as he explains it to the Ephesians after our Bit. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your loins) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18)
Yes friends, those are the things we call the armour of God, with which we can fight the devil mano-a-mano, giving no ground whatsoever!
Now let’s get a brief synopsis of all that. Having our loins girded with truth is basically having on a belt of truth, which is knowledge of the word of God.
The scholars tell us: ‘The ancient soldier’s loins (“waist”) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place. Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by his spiritual “belt” or his knowledge of the truth of Scripture.’
There we have it precious people of God! The first and most important piece of armour is knowing the truth of God’s word! We can’t put up any resistance until we have God’s truth firmly entrenched in our souls, since that is the basic reason for our war; the truth of God, versus the lies of the enemy.
Then we need to put on ‘The breastplate of righteousness,’ which the scholars say ‘may be read “the breastplate which is righteousness.” It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (“righteousness”).’
Now there is much more stuff to talk about re God’s armour, but unfortunately we’ve run out of time and space. But tune in tomorrow and we’ll continue it. In the meanwhile, please ponder on what we’ve already talked about; the first priority of knowing the truth of God’s word, and then putting it into action with a godly, moral lifestyle.
Now let’s go home declaring the truth that’s in our hearts via our Wednesday Wail. Wailing all: ‘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!’
Ah mih people, what bliss it is to be in league with Jesus! Now let’s go out and share that joy with those who unfortunately don’t know Him. Much LOVE!
…a soldier of Christ…desperately needs God’s armour…to successfully fight his Christian war…
20 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed joy, a corn cob, able to stand, anger, be able to withstand, Christians, cock-a-doodle-do, communicating with God, demons, denonic onslaughts, fallen angels, fear, formidable foe, furrowed brows, give a stranger one of your smiles, God's armour, hand to hand combat, hatred, hear yourself think, humanity, in high places, Jesus Christ, keep away from me, Love of Jesus, Lucifer, ministry, negativity, our Lord and Saviour, powers, principalities, put on the whole armour of God, Satanic assaults, share His love, sipping a ting, spiritual warfare, spiritual wickedness, stand, stressful day, strife, sunshine, the beloved of God, the evil day, the good news of Jesus, the only sunshine he sees all day, the rulers of darkness, the wiles of the devil, the work of the enemy, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, upper echelons of power, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, wicked spiritual beings, witness
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Aye mih people, what a blessed joy it is to be able to sit down on my porch at minutes to four in the morning, without much clothes on, munching a corn on the cob and sipping a ting!
Hn! And I see the furrowed brows on some of you, wondering, ‘what’s a ting, how can you sip a ting? Well friends, a ting is just the name of a carbonated, grapefruit based drink from T&T.
Oh, I know some of you have the joy of doing that sort of thing all year round, but we in the north country don’t, so when we do have the opportunity, to us it’s a big deal. And the morning was nice and quiet and cool; just right for silently communicating with God and nature.
That, to me, is the best time of the day; when most of the world is sleeping, and you can even hear yourself think. We’re talking about those quiet moments before the macho cock stridently crows ‘cock-a doodle-do, cock-a-doodle-do,’ and awakens the universe to another loud and stressful day.
And believe you me, the days are getting louder and more stressful, as the strife and hatred and anger proliferate around our world. But here’s a li’l something from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU Poster that will help us defeat some of the negativity on our planet.
It says: ‘Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.’ And surprisingly, my faithful brethren, there is a whole lot more truth in that statement than some of us are willing to believe.
That’s because we’ve become such sour and negative people, and refuse to share even a simple pleasantry with another human being, and not only because of their race, creed, colour or class, but simply because of the stern, serious, keep away from me look that so many of us present to the world today, a lot of it simply rooted in fear.
And all of that is simply the work of the enemy. That’s why, today, I believe it’s ever so necessary for us to consider the words of our Bit. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’
Yeh mih people, as we read yesterday, without God’s strength and His protective armour, we are unable to resist the enemy’s negative fear-mongering schemes. Now it’s time we have a refresher course in what God’s armour consists of, and how to use it successfully.
Firstly, let’s remember that as Christians, we are engaged in serious warfare, warfare of the spiritual kind. As Bruh Paul informed the Ephesians. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness (spiritual hosts of wickedness) in high places.’ (Eph.6:12)
Yes friends, you’d be amazed to know the amount of spiritual wickedness that resides in the upper echelons of power in this world. And the scholars offer this explanation on that verse.
‘6:12. Wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refers to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary.
Instead she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’
So you see, precious people of God, it’s a mighty force of evil that is lined up against us, and it will take an even mightier force to defeat them. And that mightier force is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Glory to God!
But friends, just like it would be foolish to go into flesh and blood warfare without some protective clothing or amour, likewise, we need protection in this spiritual war in which we’re currently engaged.
Consequently, Bruh Paul has wisely advised us: ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:13)
And what does all of that mean? Listen to the scholars. ‘6:13. Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry.
The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’
Of that we can be sure my brethren! Lucifer will keep attacking us until Jesus returns and completely obliterates him. In the meanwhile though, we definitely need to be prepared; clothed in God’s protective armour and filled with His fighting strength so that we can STAND!
And having decided to do just that, let’s go home now with joyful hearts and spirits, joyfully and sincerely declaring our Tuesday Mantra.
‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we truly meant it, then let’s go out and share the beautiful, awesome, soul inspiring LOVE of Jesus with others, as He expects of us. Much LOVE!
…sharing the good news of Jesus’ LOVE…is what the Christian is all about…
19 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roof over our heads, a sense of urgency, adrenaline, arrows, aura of love, be strong in the Lord, Beelzebub, bread and butter, cease-fire, cessation, Christians, confidence, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, following Jesus, friends, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, he that keeps Israel, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, labouring, lies, LOVE, Lucifer, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no work no pay, peace, protective covering, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, serve a useful purpose, slings, slumber nor sleep, soldiers of Christ, spiritual armour, spiritual battle, steadfast faith, taunts, the antidote, the power of his might, trust, truth, ungodly world, wisdom
Ephesians 6:10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Well fathers, our special day is over now, hope we all had an enjoyable day. Mine was fairly quiet, but very interesting. However, it’s now time for us to concentrate on, and get back to labouring so that we can keep a roof over our family’s head and bread on our table. It’s nice to be pampered and spoiled, but we certainly can’t forget about our bread and butter, our jobs. (smile)
And I know that for plenty of us fathers, after all the celebrations yesterday, it’s going to be difficult to get up this morning to go and labour, but just think about it this way nuh: no work, no pay. (smile) But as always, we have the antidote for whatever ails you this Monday morning. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and when we sing it sincerely and joyfully, it just refreshes and renews us, gets the adrenaline flowing in our bodies.
So let’s belt it out now nuh, with plenty gusto and expectant faith. As one big earthly choir 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!’
Oh friends, that was a bit harsh and raucous, but the enthusiasm was great, and Jesus, our choirmaster understood our shortcomings. But now, with that same enthusiasm we just showed, aided by the adrenaline that’s coursing through our veins, let’s go out and face the enemy and battle them mano a mano in Jesus’ name. That’s what He’s expecting of us.
And as Bruh Paul advises in in our Bit: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’
Yes my fellow believers, above everything else, if we want to go and fight the enemy, then we have to be strong in the Lord, because that’s where our strength and our help come from. As the psalmist declares: ‘My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.’ (Ps.121:2-4) And that’s gospel truth my people! Our God will look after us at all times, under whatever circumstances and situations!
Before we go further though, let’s check out some info from the scholars, re our Bit. ‘6:10. Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on” until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no cease fire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities. “From now on” till the end there is all out war. The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “Let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely by His mighty power.”
Ah mih people, how mighty is our God! The mightiest of them all!!! As we’ve said a couple times above, He made the heavens and the earth and all therein, so He must be truly powerful, and He does strengthen us to do His bidding. However, regardless of what strength we have, as warriors, we also need protective covering from the enemy’s slings and arrows, that’s why the verse after our Bit is so important. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph.6:11)
Yes friends, we need to put on our protective spiritual armour, this morning, and every morning, before we go out to fight against the enemy, so that we don’t get hurt. It’s one thing to be strong in the Lord, but it’s another to fight without protective covering.
And the scholars offer us these explanations. ‘6:11. Put on (Greek ingressive aorist imperative) (smile) denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical positon in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”). Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’
So friends, it’s no joke war in which we’re involved, it’s serious business, serious stuff on which our salvation and eternal life depends. So please, let’s take it very seriously nuh, because our enemy, Lucifer, is taking it very seriously. He’s definitely out to trip us up and make us turn away from following Jesus. And that’s definitely not a wise thing to do. Therefore, let’s put on our spiritual armour, and with the strength of our great God flowing through our minds, bodies and spirits, let’s go out and battle Beelzebub – battle him to the finish! Much LOVE!
…soldiers of Christ arise…arise fully armoured and strengthened by Almighty God…
17 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, aee the good in people, Anselm's quotes, authentic, backbone, band our bellies, be persistent, bear patiently, Christ is Lord indeed, Christians, endurance, endure, every foe is vanquished, faults, for my name's sake, fraudulent, goats, grocery shopping, happiness, harrowing experiences, hated of all men, have patience, he that shall endure, Hebrews, household chores, in harmony, in Jesus' name, in your patience, lay aside every weight, lazing around, live in harmony, no need to worry, not a hair of your head shall perish, persecution, perseverance, persist, persistence, possess ye your souls, private space, probe, promises, run with patience, see the good in people, selfish, shall be saved, sheep., signs of the end times, sin, so great a cloud of witnesses, stand up for Jesus, stand up until the end, strong and steadfast, sufficent unto the say, take no thought for the morrow, technological innovation, that ensnares us, the race set before us, the trouble thereof, the trumpet call obey, then you win, they laugh at you, to the end, two-faced, under God's control, under the umbrella of god, whimper, wisdom, your true self
Mark 13:13. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure (bear patiently, be persistent) unto the end, the same shall be saved.
And then it was Saturday mih breddren; a day for lazing around for some lucky ones, while others will be forced to do household chores ignored during the week, or go grocery shopping…
Chuh! It’s always something eh? Whatever happened to the glorious promises that technological innovation would make our lives easier eh? Our lives are busier than they ever were! Yes we have much more stuff, but we also have much more stuff to look after. Anyway friends, there’s no need to worry, for it’s all under God’s mighty and wise control! Glory to Him in the highest!
But it’s Saturday, so let’s check out some of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘Be congruent (in harmony, together), be authentic, be your true self. Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.’
Ah friends, that’s how we ought to be, but in these fraudulent, selfish times, too many people are not their true selves, they are two-faced for whatever reason, thus they cannot live in harmony with themselves.
And then there’s this one: ‘See the good in people and help them. I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.’ That’s a very good philosophy my people. We should always look for the good in others, but in these current times, we still need to be very careful about whom we let into our private space.
Now listen to this quote: ‘Take care of this moment. I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.’ Much truth lies in that. Jesus said that if we sought the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all we needed to lead a good life would be provided.
Then He concluded: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:34) That simply means that every day will take care of itself if you are living under the umbrella of the heavenly Father.
And I like this last quote. ‘Persist. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.’ Yes, precious people of God,, there’s an awful lot to be said about persistence. It will get us through the most agonizing and harrowing experiences or situations when nothing else will.
And we have one of the best examples of that in our Bit. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure (bear patiently, be persistent) unto the end, the same shall be saved.’
Ah friends, those are the words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, expressed in the course of telling His disciples about the signs for the end times. Please note that those who shall be saved, are those who endure, persist, have the patience, the belly and backbone to stand up until the end, against all the evil and unjust stuff that will come against believers.
And we are seeing a lot of that stuff happening nowadays my fellow believers, which means we have to band our bellies and stand strong and steadfast in Jesus’ name, if we want to see the kingdom of heaven. We can’t afford to fall down, give up, and whimper out in fear now. This is the most crucial time in our history; a time when the sheep will be separated from the goats. The sheep will follow Jesus, while the goats will lust for Beelzebub.
And we will invoke the eternal wisdom of the author of the Hebrews. Hear this classic verse. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.’ (Heb.12:1)
What a magnificent verse of scripture that is my brethren! So strong that it ought to light a fire under us in these end times! We need lots of patience, perseverance and endurance my people if we’re going to fight the good fight for Christ!
And to boost our spirits and courage at this stage of the game, please listen to Jesus’ promise as told by Luke. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:17-19)
What a promise mih people! Not a hair on our heads will perish if we stand up strong under the persecution that will come against us. Wow! And we all know that Jesus is ever-faithful to keep ALL of His promises. So please hold on strong, stand in unity, because together we’re much stronger than apart.
Let’s raise up Christ’s church as we’re supposed to nuh. This is the time when all Christians must come together, regardless of colour, class, creed or race. Let’s do it for Jesus. It’s the least we can do for all that He’s done for us. Much LOVE!
…stand up…stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
16 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer in Jesus Christ, a perfect world, a state of crisis, be thou envious, boundaries, burdens, Christians, disasters, drink, eat, evil, evildoers, exalt thee, fellowship, fight for power, final resting place, Fret not thyself over evildoers, Friday chant, fun, glorious kingdom, God's greatest creation, greed, heartwarming, heavenly Father, homelessness, hurt's one's heart, immense role, in Jesus' name, in time of trouble, inherit the land, iniquity, Jesus Christ, job losses, joblessness, joyfully declare, looking over yuh shoulder, measly pennies, our Lord and Saviour, outsourcing, party, peace, personal aggrandisement, poverty, refreshing reaction, relaxation, rest, righteous, salvation of the righteous, shake we bodyline, sickness, slave labour, slave master, strength, strife, technology, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanks and praise, the blameless man, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the rich getting richer, the upright, the weekend, the wicked destroyed, the workers of iniquity, the workingman, transgressors, trust in God, unfeeling way of life, wait on the Lord, warmongering, wars
Psalm 37:1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Ah mih people, it’s Friday and the ole fella doesn’t know what to write… Imagine that nuh! (smile) But I have no doubt that the Lord will lead me where He wants me to go eventually.
Our world is in such a state of crisis that it doesn’t even make sense to talk about the wars and strife that are rife all over, neither the disasters, natural and man made that also abound.
Steups! It does hurt one’s heart when one sees all the unnecessary nonsense that’s going on; the greed, the fight for power and personal aggrandizement, and the evil methods being used to accomplish those evil ends, especially when we can’t take any of it with us to our final resting place.
Oh, I know we cannot, or will never live in a perfect world, but it certainly doesn’t have to be as warmongering and evil as it currently is.
Such a beautiful world that God made for us to enjoy is going to waste as we rush headlong instead to foolishly destroy it …and in the aftermath, God’s greatest creation – mankind. Though sometimes I seriously wonder about that designation.
So sometimes it’s heartwarming to hear the ordinary workingman not pay too much attention to the numerous ills of our world and simply and joyfully declare: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday…and the weekend is here at last. No more slave labour for a few measly pennies, and no evil slave master continually looking over yuh shoulder.
Is we time now! Time to do exactly as we please… to party hearty, eat, drink and shake we bodyline to endless music! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Yes friends, that goes to the extreme, and we as Christians need to have boundaries, but it’s such a simple, refreshing reaction to our unfeeling way of life, where there is so much poverty, sickness, homelessness and joblessness.
In fact, almost every week in this supposed enlightened, sophisticated and brilliant age, fewer and fewer people are able to sing the workingman’s song, because of constant job losses to technology or outsourcing to cheaper production locations.
But everyday, we read about the rich getting richer. Oh, I know it’s in the Bible. But does it have to be so extreme, where one percent of the world controls ninety something percent of its wealth? Definitely not!
Blessedly though, we Christians have the wonderful God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to turn to at all times, be they times of crisis or times of joy and prosperity!
And on Fridays we declare our Friday Chant, loud and proud: ‘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.’
It’s short and simple too my brethren, but it does recognize the immense role that our heavenly Father plays in our lives, gives Him the thanks and praise that He so rightfully deserves.
And isn’t it interesting and amusing that from not knowing what to write about at the beginning, I’ve written so much! Hn, hn! But that’s the way our great God moves; in rather mysterious ways sometimes.
And finally we come to our Bit, which reassures and gives us confidence to keep keeping on in the way of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, regardless of how the world goes. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.’
Words to live by my brethren, although they are not always easy to put into effect. But listen to how Bruh David ends the psalm. ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off (destroyed), thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay (native green) tree.
Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect (blameless) man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps.37:34-40)
That says it all friends! If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then those words of faithful promise ought to lighten your worldly cares and have you singing for, and with joy, each and everyday of your life! Much LOVE!
…when we sincerely trust in Jesus…the burdens on our souls are truly lightened…
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