02 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a right heart, Abel, accountability, actions, another week of work, assured, buoyed by hope, Cain, character, church at Rome, circumspection, conviction, darkness, do, faith, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, getting me safely, gifts, God created, guidance, habits, hope, in Jesus' name, in the beginning, Jesus Christ, leading, leggo beasts, Let there be light, Lord and Saviour, lurking enemy, moderation, obtained a good report, overwork, patience, perseverance, prevail against the enemy, realization, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, righteous, roller coaster, sacrifice, saved by hope, sensible plan, soul body and mind, speaking it into existence, stand strong, talk, testifying, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the elders, the evidence of things not seen, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the state of our hearts, the substance of things hoped for, the tempter, the weekend, the Word of god, think, trials, tribulations, Trini Quote, type A personality, void, wait eagerly, watch your thoughts, with conviction, without form, witness, words
Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.
So once again it’s Friday mih people and crazily swirling through the atmosphere are joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The weekend’s here at last… and the next two days belong to me and only me! And I’ll do exactly what I want with them! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend!’
And we do have to thank our heavenly Father for Fridays and the weekends, but we can’t behave like leggo beasts when they roll around. We need to have some accountability, some sensible plan for our two days off; one filled with moderation and circumspection so that we don’t fall prey to the ever-lurking enemy.
And our Friday Chant gives us some idea of how to use the weekend wisely. So let’s chant it nuh, chant it with sincerity and enthusiasm. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh friends, that’s the general idea. Our weekend activities must allow us to come back out bright and beautiful on Monday morning. If they don’t, then we’ve not done it right.
Now here is an interesting Trini quote from my Trini friend. ‘Wen last yuh went tuh ah funeral an de job was present eh???’ That’s generally said to someone who over works, constantly bringing work at home etc. thereby neglecting their home, family and health.’
So all you A type personalities beware, you don’t see work at funerals, meaning you need to slow down and smell the roses some. And our Trini friend also wishes us to ‘Have a great day, and…Watch your thoughts: They become words Watch your words: They become actions Watch your actions: They become habits Watch your habits: They become your character.’
All very true my brethren, so let’s be very careful about what we think, talk and do please, for in the long run, it will all affect our destiny. That brings us to our Bit, a very interesting and important passage of scripture. ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’
Yes mih people, faith, buoyed by hope is what keeps us keeping on in this cruel and evil world. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to withstand the trials and tribulations that beset us, that have us going like a roller coaster, round and round without any stopping. Only faith in Almighty God allows us to stand strong when the tempter comes calling.
Listen to these verses after our Bit. ‘For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible).
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.’ (Heb.11:2-4)
Yuh see friends, it’s through faith that the elders, leaders of the church were considered of good repute. And it’s only through faith we can understand how our awesome God made the world by speaking it into existence from nothing.
The Good Book tells us: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon (was hovering over) the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.’ (Gen.1:1-3)
Now only through faith can we believe all of that, as well as the whole story of Jesus. And here is some interesting info from the scholars on the earlier passage about Abel.
’11:4. Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain: In what way was his sacrifice better? Was it because his was animal and Cain’s vegetable? Or his a firstling and Cain’s not the firstfruit? Or his with blood and Cain’s without? Both Hebrews and Genesis (4:1-15) demonstrate that it was not the offering that made one acceptable and the other unacceptable.
God accepts both grain and animal offerings according to their purposes. The character of the worshipper made one offering acceptable and the other not. Abel offered his by faith; Cain obviously did not. Genesis records that even before the rejection of Cain’s offering his heart was not right with God. (Gen.4:7).’
So faithful followers of Jesus, it all comes right back down to the state of our hearts, because that’s where God looks to discern our righteousness.
And we’ll end this message on faith with the immortal words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (eagerly) for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25)
Yes friends, it all begins with hope. And hope is only relevant when it comes to something that we can’t see or don’t have; then through faith, we persevere and wait expectantly for it to come to pass.
Now let’s raise up our hope and faith so that we can go out into the ungodly world that surrounds us, strong, assured, and with conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour over all, and through the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit we will prevail against the enemy. Much LOVE!
…without a right heart…without faith…we cannot please God…
19 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's game, a negative wedge, abundance, abundantly, adversity, another week of work, balance, be abased, believers, Belzeebub, care of, circumspection, circumstances, commuting, comparing ourselves to others, concern for, confusion, contentment, debt, different, discipline oneself, dissuade us, envious, fellowship, financial aid, fishbowls, flourished, frail human shoulders, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, go without, greedy, have life, hurrah for the weekend, I have learned, I speak in respect of want, in Jesus' name, in whatsoever state I am, jealousy, Jesus Christ, keeping up the Joneses, learned in a classroom, level of power, lies, life lessons, live in prosperity, mama yo, material possessions, miserly, need, opportunity, overnight, P.S. I Love You, peace of jesus, perspective, practical life experiences, pretensions, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, sacrificed, show off society, social standing, sold their souls, strain, stress, stringently, suffer need, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the weekend, to abound, to be content, traffic jams, trials, tribulations, unhappiness, want, wisdom, work
Philippians 4:11. Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Aye mih people, another bright, sunshiny day is in the offing… And it’s Friday to boot! So you can imagine the raucous shouts worldwide of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Hurrah for the weekend! Get yourselves together to party! No more slaving for two, whole big days! Mama yo! We going to mash up the place! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah friends, you can’t help but voice those sentiments after facing the endless traffic jams, both morning and evening, that result from everybody commuting to work these days and working in the li’l fishbowls that so many of us toil in, five days a week.
But we have a better perspective on the usage of the weekend. It’s called our Friday Chant. So let’s chant it and raise the stakes to a higher level nuh. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, that is a much better way to spend the weekend. It provides some semblance of balance and circumspection, along with some godly intentions, not merely a free for all of worldly lusts and pleasures.
Now here is an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. It says, quite straightforwardly; ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’
And there is indeed a lot of truth in that statement friends! Comparing ourselves to others is one of the big problems in our current society. Keeping up with the Joneses causes more confusion, debt and jealousy than we can ever imagine.
The world’s wrong definition of who and what we are, which depends on our material possessions, social standing and level of power, drives too many of us to levels of debt, work, lies and pretensions that we cannot safely manage.
I thank the Lord everyday, that though I may desire some of the things and standards of living that others have, I’m not envious, neither do I try my level best to become like them. And the sad part is that oftimes we don’t know what others have sacrificed to get what they have and where they are.
And if we knew, we wouldn’t be so quick to want to be like them, because many have sold their souls to Beelzebub for their power, social standing and material possessions. So friends, let me strongly dissuade us this Friday morning from comparing ourselves to others, because it’s just a fool’s game.
The Lord in His absolute wisdom made us each different for a purpose. If He wanted us to be all the same, He would have done so. And trying desperately to be like others only drives a negative wedge in our lives. So please stop it! End of sermon. (smile)
That brings us to our rather appropriate Bit. ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’
Oh my brethren, learning that, takes so much stress and strain off of our frail human shoulders, especially in this show-off society of ours.
Hear the scholars take on our Bit nuh. ‘4:11. Not that I speak in respect (because) of want: Paul’s ability to be content despite the circumstances assures the readers that his joy of verse 10 is not solely over his “need” being met at their expense. He implies that he could have done without their financial aid. For justifies this implication.
I have learned …to be content: The Greek here suggests that contentment is a lesson learned neither in a classroom nor overnight, but through many practical experiences in life.’
And indeed so it is my people! Contentment is a learned way of life, through many trials and tribulations. Bruh Paul was here acknowledging the financial aid he’d received from the members of the Philippian church.
‘But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of (concern for) me hath flourished (revived) again; wherein ye were also careful (though you surely did care), ye lacked opportunity.’ (Phil.4:10) They were concerned about him, but lacked the opportunity to minister to him.
That leads Bruh Paul to continue after our Bit. ‘I both know how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’ (Phil.4:12)
And we’ll end with some interesting explanations from the scholars. ‘4:12. By listing some specific examples, this verse elaborates upon the very general and broad “in whatsoever state I am” of verse 11. Be abased means literally to discipline oneself, that is, to tighten the belt in lean times.
To abound means to live in prosperity. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed (or, “in all circumstances I have learned the secret of how”) to be full, that is, “well fed.” To abound means to have plenty. To suffer need means to go without.
Paul has acquired the skill required for successful living with little and with much, the latter being harder. “For one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.” (Thomas Carlyle).’
Yeh friends, for many of us, living in prosperity is indeed harder than living in adversity. When we have plenty, we often don’t know what to do with it. However, when we only have a little, we just have to make do.
Now please don’t get the idea that we’re supposed to live miserly or stringently, because Christ said He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly, but by the same token, we also need to know how to live when we don’t have abundance, and not be greedy or envious of those who have.
So let’s go out there today and begin learning the life lessons we need to live as we ought nuh. (smile) Much LOVE!
…contentment can only be had through the peace of Jesus…
05 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful heart, a wasted life, accountable, another week of work, balance, be strong, circumspection, daughter of Zion, defense, each step I take, enthused, exalted, fear not, feasting, fellowship, free time, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, giddy, glorify God, Glory be, God will come with vengeance, God will save you, goodness, heartaches, humble, irresponisbility, just, lawgiver, LOVE, loving kindness, lowly, Palm Sunday, partying, pay a price, recompense, refeshed in soul, reinvigorated, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, responsibility, rested, riding upon an ass, righteous, righteousness, rode triumphantly, sacrifice, salvation, same old, slavery, sorrows, strength, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord is our judge, the Messiah, the person we become, the weekend, thy king cometh, total control, vengeance, weary, what a mighty God we serve
Isaiah 35:4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.
And then it was Friday, the favourite day of the working class! Thus the ringing out of declarations such as this, all over the world.
‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! At last that wonderful day is here! The start of the weekend and all the wonderful things we going to do during that time; like feasting, like partying hard…and whatever else comes to mind! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends oui; for this short escape from the new-fangled slavery! At last it’s Friday! Glory Be!’
Ah mih people, the weekend is the only li’l free time we have nowadays, so we obviously tend to, or try to pack so many different things into those couple of days off.
Consequently, we end up giddy and/or weary at the end of it, instead of rested, enthused and rejuvenated for another week of same old, same old. That’s why there has to be balance and circumspection in our weekend actions.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective on how to use our weekly free time. Chanting: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes friends, it’s that fine balance of rest, fellowship and partying that we need to make the weekend truly a time of renewal. So let’s just pay better attention to our weekend activities nuh, and make sure we’re getting the essential things we need to glorify God in the new workweek.
Now here’s an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU! Poster.’ It says, ‘We can’t do much about our appearance, but we have total control over the kind of person we become.’
Now once upon a time the first part of that quote was oh so true, but now with the advances in plastic surgery and otherwise, it is possible for us to change our appearance if we desperately want to. However, the second part of the quote still holds true; we can totally control the kind of person we become.
The problem here though, is do we want to accept responsibility for the kind of person we are or have become? In this age of irresponsibility, we just like to blame others for everything that happens to us, while accepting little or no responsibility for our own actions.
But friends, this is not the way our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ operates in His kingdom. In Jesus’ world, everyone is held responsible and accountable for their own behaviour and actions. So if you’re a believer, you had better smarten up and begin taking responsibility, otherwise you’re liable to pay a substantial price for that irresponsibility.
Anyway, it’s time to turn to our Bit, that most encouraging and reassuring scripture. ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.’
And that’s no lie my brethren! Our God has sincerely and faithfully promised to save us and to recompense us for our heartaches and sorrows. What a mighty and wonderful God we serve my fellow believers!
Now let’s hear some scripture that emphasize that promise. First up is this wonderful passage from Zechariah: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech.9:9)
Oh friends, we all know that wonderful promise was fulfilled when Jesus rode triumphantly through the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey, an animal of peace, on Palm Sunday!
And all God’s people loudly and gratefully declared: ‘All praise and honour and glory be to our great and awesome God for faithfully keeping His promise of the Messiah’s coming!’
Now hear Isaiah at the end of the chapter describing salvation for those who trust in God. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is.33:22)
And for sure he will do that my people! In fact he has already done it by sending Jesus to sacrifice His sinless and holy life to pay for our disgusting sins! Oh glory to God for His goodness and LOVING-kindness to the children of men!
And we’ll go home to these wondrous and reassuring words of the psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to Bruh David.
‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps.89:15-18)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, please, let’s never forget all of that, for our lives are based on it! Now let’s go forth and rejoice today, knowing that we are made strong and free through the righteousness and sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t know Jesus…then your life is being wasted…it’s definitely not being fulfilled as it should be…
29 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dose of Jesus, a dose of reality, a modicum of circumspection, a sense of balance, accuracy, aspirations, assessment of difficulties, associating with Jesus, balance, be afraid, be anxious for nothing, be gracious to you, be of good cheer, benediction, blueprint, care, changing circumstances, Christ, circumspection, Comforter, compassion, despair, doing my own thing, dreams, drive me crazy, earthly living, encouraging, encumber ourselves, facts of today, favour, fellowship, finite minds, fortunes, Friday chant, function at a high level, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, give you his favour, give you peace, goals, Guide, harmony, hopes of tomorrow, i have overcome the world, in Jesus' name, in me ye might have peace, Jesus, keep your hearts and minds, let not your heart be troubled, lift up his countenance on you, living in the past, LOVE, make his face shine upon thee, maturity, moderation, Moses, my peace I give unto you, navigate, nose to the grindstone, not as the world giveth, passeth all understanding, peace, Peace i leave with you, prayer, reality, reassuring words, refreshed, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, respect for reality, rest, Robert H Davies, semblance of balance, signs of maturity, slave master, soul body and mind, stress, sufficient fun, supplication, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanksgiving, the depths of despair, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God, the weekend, tribulation, trying times, vicissitudes of life, virtual reality, wisdom, working people
John 14:27. 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.
So it’s Friday! And all over God’s great earth, working people are celebrating! They are ecstatic that the weekend is upon them, and are joyfully singing: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! When this working day is done, my time will be my own! No more slave master to drive me crazy, to keep my nose to the grindstone! I’ll be free! Doing my own thing! Glory Be! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah friends, we all know how important the weekend is for most of us, trying to get things done that we couldn’t do during the work week. But we can’t afford to encumber ourselves with too much of our own activities either, for we’ll just continue the stress of the workweek. The weekend is a time when we must recapture some semblance of balance in our lives.
So let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better idea of how to achieve that balance. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, we must find some way to get rest, relaxation and fellowship into our weekends if we want to be able to function at a high level the following week. And in keeping with that philosophy, here’s an interesting quote from one Robert H Davies. In checking though, there were so many people with that name, I couldn’t figure out which one said it.
Nonetheless here it is. ‘One of the signs of maturity is a healthy respect for reality – a respect that manifests itself in the level of one’s aspirations and in the accuracy of one’s assessment of the difficulties which separate the facts of today from the bright hopes of tomorrow.’
Yes friends, a healthy dose of reality is what a lot of this world needs right now, especially with all the huge emphasis we’re currently placing on what is called virtual reality. Today, if true reality hits some of us in the face we won’t even recognize it! (smile)
But we do need to be more mature and sensible about what has gone before, what’s happening today, and our prospects for the future. We must stop living in the past, learn to accept the present, and refrain from painting too bright a future, which when it doesn’t come to pass will only drag us down into the depths of despair.
Goals and dreams are great to have, but we must temper them with a modicum of circumspection, of reality, otherwise they can mess up our lives. Essentially what we need in our lives, especially in these trying times, these rush and push days, is a proper sense of balance.
And you know what my people, that can only be accomplished with a big, wonderful dose of Jesus: of His LOVE, His peace, His care and compassion! And nowhere is that more readily seen and available than in the words of our Saviour, as highlighted in our Bit.
‘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.’
Ah friends, what encouraging and reassuring words! Jesus was there telling His disciples of the necessity for Him to go away so that the Holy Spirit, our Guide and Comforter could be sent to us.
Now obviously it takes some maturity in the Christian faith to accept those words of Jesus at face value. But it’s the only way that we can truly handle the vicissitudes of this life, our changing circumstances and fortunes. Only through the peace and harmony gained by associating with Jesus, can we ever successfully navigate the stormy seas and strong winds of this life.
And please note the priestly benediction that the Lord gave Moses for the children of Egypt way back when. ‘The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee (look on you with favour), and give thee peace.’ (Num.6:24-26)
Yeh friends, without the peace and favour of our wonderful God moving in our beings, our lives will never be stable and successful.
Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the Philippians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:4-7)
Oh precious people of God, what a moving and encouraging set of scriptures! Through constant prayer and thanksgiving we are able to invoke the wonderful peace of God, that’s always close by, through the Holy Spirit! A peace that our finite minds can’t even understand, but we can surely feel it.
And we’ll end with these reassuring and triumphant words of Jesus. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Friends, as true believers in Christ, let’s therefore go forth today, and everyday, holding those words of enduring truth in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, so that we can successfully navigate our way through this evil and ungodly world, for that is wisdom to the nth power!
Much LOVE!…Jesus is the blueprint for successful earthly living…so let’s copy as much of His style as possible…
23 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, armour, aura of love, barbecues, be strong in the Lord, buffeted and bombarded, ceasefire, Christians, circumspection, confidence, conquerors, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, faith, fireworks, footholds, friends, glorious kingdom, having done all, holy spirit, humanness, humble servants, infiltration, invincible, jealousy, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, let out hair down, lies, LOVE, moans and groans, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, party trappings, put on the whole armour of God, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, schemes., spiritual armour, spiritual battle, stand, stand against the wiles of the devil, steadfast faith, summer season, tactics, the rulers of darkness, the whole armour of God, truce, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, Victoria Day, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, weary souls, wisdom
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Awright friends, this notable long weekend in the best big country in the world is winding down. Yes, the Victoria Day holiday, named for the previous longest reigning monarch (63 years) in the British Empire, celebrated on the first Monday before May 25, is noted for the opening of the summer season.
It finds the privileged set flocking to their cottages in the country, while those who stay in town begin planting their gardens. And the weather this weekend has been rather appropriate for it all; warm and sunshiny, though with the occasional cloud cover. Hopefully today will continue to be the same.
And wonder of wonders, the traffic on the roads this weekend has been negligible in comparison to others of the recent past. What’s going to kill that though is the start of road repairs. Chuh! Sometimes the inconvenience caused by those road repairs makes you long for winter. But anyway, the barbecues and the fireworks and all the other attendant party trappings will be out in full force today.
That means I have to remind us of Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, please, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ It’s great advice friends, because it’s at times like these, when we let our hair down, that the enemy, who is always lurking in the background, finds footholds in our souls. And we definitely cannot afford to let that happen.
Now unfortunately, not everybody is celebrating Queen Victoria’s birthday with a public holiday. That means many of us still have to go out and labour this Monday morning… and I do detect the jealousy in some of the moans and groans I hear coming forth from the unlucky ones.
However, as usual, we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to help us overcome those jealous moments (smile), so let’s belt it out loud and sweet nuh.
As one harmonious 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!’
Ah mih people, it was loud but inharmonious and somewhat scratchy. And you could tell by the hoarse and cracking voices the ones who were off today. They were obviously the most boisterous. Our choirmaster, Jesus, just sighed and shook His head, understanding the humanness of the situation.
But nonetheless, those of us who have to go out and labour, please let’s keep the adrenalin running and the Word of God constantly feeding our souls and minds, as we get out into the godless world and begin to do battle with Lucifer and his evil minions. Remember, once we have Jesus with us, the victory is assured! Glory to God!
And seeing that we’ve been talking about armour and battles and the enemy etc. I thought that today would be a good time to review Bruh Paul’s directives on the subject.
He tells the Ephesians: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts) of wickedness in high places.
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.6:10-13)
Oh my fellow believers, those are very critical and important verses of scripture, which we need to write indelibly in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, so that we can indeed withstand the evil of this world.
Now let’s get some explanations from the scholars. ‘6:10. Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “from henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on” until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no ceasefire, 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 friends, this shows that we are engaged in serious warfare. It’s no gimmick, but a spiritual battle unto the death, a battle for our very souls, and we have to be very serious about it if we expect to be good soldiers of Christ!
And some more explanations from the scholars. ‘6:11. Put on 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 position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”). Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’
Yes my people, the enemy does set us up to fall, but with ALL of God’s armour on, we can defeat Him. And we’ll end here, because I know that many of you don’t want to have too much to understand and ponder on this holiday Monday. (smile)
So, God willing, we’ll continue it tomorrow. Till then, please go wisely and safely with God! Much LOVE!
…to party is nice…but it must be done with reasonable circumspection…to avoid the enemy’s untimely infiltration…
19 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a forgetful hearer, a man beholding his natural face in a mirror, abnormal temp, all praise and glory to God, and not a doer, Beelzebeub, benefits, Bernard S. Raskas, blessed, Bobby Schuler, catching some rays, Christian faith, Christian walk, circumspection, decisions, doers of the Word, earthly pilgrimage, eternal life, friends of Jesus, gaze intently, guide us wisely, hold my breath, hold the mirror to our own soul, hope, Hour of Power, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, if any be a hearer of the word, inner principles, live in hope, may the Lord bless and keep us, outer man, persona, plural society, Prayer of the Beloved, principles, progress, reactions, salvation, self-confident, self-discipline, share His love with the world, tan, the individual, the Messianic King, the Mosaic Law, the natural course of life, the perfect law of liberty, the pull of the flesh, the tangled world of emotions, the teachings of Christ, traps, Tuesday Mantra, vitamin D
James 1:23. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding (observing) his natural face in a glass (mirror).
Oh friends and neighbours, would you believe that yesterday afternoon, around 5 o’clock, the ole fella was outside catching some rays, working on my tan, making some natural vitamin D! Oh all praise and glory be to our wonderful God!
It was actually around an abnormal 23 Celsius yesterday, although with a strong wind. We haven’t seen temps like that in the northern climes in over six months. Hn! And truthfully, I don’t believe we’ll see them for another couple months yet on a regular basis.
Today however, has also dawned bright and sunshiny, but with eventual temps only around 15 or so. But that’s more like normal, and much better than the cold wintry stuff we’ve been experiencing so far. So you can come and check out my tan anytime…and there are no tan lines. (smile)
Now let’s check out our Tuesday Mantra or the Prayer of the Beloved. Let’s declare it loudly and sincerely. ‘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.’
Oh my fellow believers that’s indeed who we are – the beloved of God and friends of Jesus!
And I heard a testimony on that recently from Cousin Bobby (Bobby Schuller – Robert Schuller 111) grandson of Gramps Schuller (Robert H Schuller), who now runs the Hour of Power T.V. Programme. He said that when he began saying that prayer everyday, he began to become more secure and self-confident in his Christian walk.
So if it could help him, it can surely help many of us who just don’t feel that confident in who we are and whom we belong to. So it might indeed be worthwhile to pray it everyday.
And now I want to share a quote from the well-known American Rabbi, Bernard S Raskas (1924-2010). He is reputed to have said these interesting words: ‘Any real progress in the tangled world of emotions must be made by the individual. Each of us must hold the mirror to our own soul and gaze intently at what we see there.’
And that’s oh so true, my brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in our Christian faith, because it all begins with an individual relationship with Christ. The church, the body of Christ is made up of individual believers, who look to Him for salvation and eternal life.
But unless, and until, you have made that individual decision to follow the Lord and Saviour of mankind, you’re simply not a part of His flock and won’t have any of the benefits provided therein.
And it’s not only in our Christian walk that we need to check ourselves in the mirror, but also as a normal human being. There are decisions to be made, and reactions to be framed, whether positive or negative, and in the natural course of life, a lot of this is based on our individual approach.
So though we live in a plural society, much of that plurality is based on individual thoughts, feelings and sentiments. Consequently, whatever we do or think or feel, will have a substantial bearing on our lives and the lives of those around us.
That’s why it’s ever so important for us to make wise, Christian based decisions, controlling our natural emotions with self-discipline and circumspection.
That brings us to our Bit, which reflects what we’ve been talking about. Let’s listen to it in its full context. James solemnly declares: ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding (observing) his natural face in a glass (mirror). For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.’ (James 1:22-24)
Yes my people, that’s oh so true of many of us. And it’s not that hard to do either, when we are wrapped up in the things of the world, as so many of us are.
We can either look at ourselves in a real mirror and consider the good and kind person that we are, or think of our wonderful Christian persona, then shortly thereafter forget it all and go out and behave unwisely and against all our Christian principles.
Friends, the pull of the flesh in this evil and ungodly world is great, and we have to be ever so careful of falling into the traps that Beelzebub designs and lays before us.
That’s why James continues: ‘But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (in what he does).’ (James 1:25)
And the scholars offer this explanation of that verse. ‘1:25. The perfect law of liberty probably refers to the teachings of Christ and His apostles. This law is perfect since Christ brought to completion the teachings and work of the Mosaic Law (c.f. Matt.5:17-20; Rom.10:4).
It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death (Rom.8:2-3); Gal.5:1,13). James also describes it as the royal law (2:8) for it is the law of the Messianic King (c.f. Gal.6:2).’
Ah mih breddren, it would be real nice and comforting if you’d check out all those references. I just did and found them all quite interesting and they helped me to better understand what we’re talking about.
Now I’m not going to hold my breath thinking or expecting that that’s going to happen, (smile) but one can surely live in hope, which our faith so greatly and wisely espouses.
And on that note of hope, we’ll end today. (smile) Now may the Lord bless and keep us all my people, and guide us wisely and safely along our earthly pilgrimage, until we come to finally rest in Him, on that wonderful day! Much LOVE!
…our outer man ought to reflect…the true Christian principles of our inner man…
19 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advice, advising, all is vanity, before the evil days come, circumspection, Comforter, Cousin Sol. the Preacher, Ecclesiastes, encouraging, fellowship, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, I have no pleasure in them, increased age, joy, live obedient to God's will, LOVE, man goeth to his eternal home, nor the years draw nigh, old age, personal affairs, provider, refreshed in body and soul, relaxation, Remember thy Creator in thy youth, renewed vitality, seek their Maker, spiritual upliftment, strong men shall stoop, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the almond tree shall flourish, the clouds return after the rain, the daughters of music, the dust return to the earth, the golden bowl, the halting gait, the keepers of the house, the mourners, the pitcher, the right perspective, the silver cord, the spirit return to God, the voice of the bird, tiresome, tremble, understand God's Word, vanity of vanities, vitality, week of work, weekend activites, when thou shalt say, white hair, wisdom
Ecclesiastes 12:1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.
So it’s Friday once again Friends….
And the workers shout back: ‘We know that! And thank God for it too, because this week’s just been one long, tiresome, drawn out week. Thus we can’t help but cry out in pleasure: TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend’s finally here, so we can get some rest and relaxation from massa’s hard labour! Thank You Lord, thank you!’
Yeh Friends, for some reason or other, this week has certainly seemed long and tiresome. But at last our wonderful heavenly Father has brought us to the end of it, like He’s faithfully promised to do, and now we have two big whole days to look forward to. (smile)
Unfortunately though, for some of us those two days might be even more stressful than the work week because we have a lot of household and personal affairs to attend to. But let’s chant our Friday Chant so that we can get some encouragement and assume the right perspective for weekend activities.
All together now. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Awright brethren, now that we’ve prayed that simple prayer, let’s hope that we can get the right attitude, one of circumspection, along with some upliftment to go bravely into the weekend. (smile)
And today my people, we have a very interesting Bit from Ecclesiastes which talks about vanity and the fear of God. Listen to the Preacher. ‘Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.’
Wonderful words of wisdom and advice my people!
And we’ll continue with the scripture that follows it. ‘While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves (stoop), and the grinders cease (stand idle) because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened (grow dim).
And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears (terrors) shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish (blossom), and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long (eternal) home, and the mourners go about in the streets:
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken (shattered) at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.’ (Eccl.12:2-7)
Ah Friends, some real imaginative scripture from Cousin Sol in his role as Preacher or Teacher. And I’m sure some of us have never heard those obscure and hardly ever taught, but highly interesting passages of scripture before.
But as they say, the longer you live, the more you learn. (smile) And that’s the purpose of our messages; to teach us, to help us learn and understand God’s Word so that we can live obedient to His will.
Now let’s hear some explanations from the scholars on the numerous things we don’t understand. ‘12”1-7. Though these verses describe old age, they are actually addressed to the youth (v.1). The gradual darkening of the heavenly bodies represents declining vitality and joy, and the approaching clouds represent the storms of old age (v.2).
The keepers of the house are the arms; the strong men are the legs; the grinders are the teeth; and those that look out of the windows are the eyes (v.3). Growing old is further compared to the decline of a great estate (v.4).
The almond tree is a reference to the white hair of old age; the crippled grasshopper pictures the halting gait of the elderly; and desire that fails may be the loss of sexual desire (v.5).
Finally, life itself in all its preciousness is cut off. Death is pictured as the irreversible shattering of a golden bowl when cut from the end of a silver cord and the similar smashing of a pitcher or wheel (v.6). After death the spirit returns to God for judgement and the body returns to dust (cf. Gen.3:19).’
Ah Friends, leave it to Cousin Sol to paint such a weird but interesting picture of life and death eh. And I do hope that those explanations of the scholars help us to understand the preceding scriptures.
And I’m chuckling here too, because many of us who have moved on in age are already feeling, or have been feeling the effects of increased age that Sol’s talking about for a long time now. (smile) I can tell you that I have.
The whole point of the scripture though Friends is to teach the youth to remember their God, their Creator while they’re young and strong and seemingly invulnerable.
Why? Because there will come a day when they lose all the strength and vitality of youth, and then what or whom will they have to turn to for comfort and succour eh? Nobody but their frail and feeble selves.
However, if during the glorious days of their youth they engage a strong and lively faith with Jesus Christ, then at the end, they will have the Great Comforter and Provider to look after them. Their Spirit will return with pleasure to God from whence it came, and the dust of their bodies to its mother, the earth, just as it was planned by the Father.
So Friends, let’s never stop encouraging and advising the youth to seek their Maker while they are young, so that they can have an enjoyable youth, as well as a pleasant and pleasurable old age, for that is undoubtedly wisdom at its zenith. Much LOVE!
…vanity of vanities…saith the preacher…all is vanity… (Eccl.12:8)
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella never got to be till after 3 this morning, and since he’s reached the stage that Cousin Sol talks about, he wasn’t able to get up too early. (smile) Yes Friends, these things do happen in old age. Much LOVE!
24 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abednego, abide in me and I in you, affections, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, anxiety, basking in hot temperatures, bring forth fruit, Bruh Paul, bundling up in winter coats, circumspection, cling to Jesus, come unto me, crucified the flesh, Daniel, deceitful, difficult and distressing times, envying one another, faithfulness, fear, fellowship, Friday chant, friends, generous help, get relief from your pain, God is a good god, God is ever-faithful, God won't burden us with more than we can bear, goodness, gospel truth, grace, help, I am meek and lowly in heart, I am the vine, I can do all things through Christ, I will give you rest, in Jesus' name, indisputable truth, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the answer, joy, kindness, lay them at the feet of Jesus, learn from me, like super glue, live in the Spirit, long-sufferng, LOVE, lusts, meekness, men plan while God laughs, Meshach, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, no threat of snow, our sufficency is of God, passions, peace, positive action, provoking one another, rejoice, relaxation, rest, running around half naked, self-control, sensible thing, shadrach, succour, sufficent of ourselves, summer accoutrements, take my yoke upon you, temperance, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the best laid plans of men and mice, the fruit of the spirit, the great invitation, the lion's den., times of need, truth, vain glory, walk in the Spirit, what a bam bam, which strengtheneth me, wisdom, wise, wishful thinking, without me you can do nothing, worry, ye are the branches, ye shall find rest unto your souls
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Aye Friends, as the old people would say, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray, and also, men plan while God laughs. I wanted to get up early, write the Bit and do some other stuff before the morning was finished. Hn! But obviously that was only wishful thinking. (smile)
And remember too, how a couple weeks ago when we were basking in temperatures in the upper teens and low twenties, when people were running around half naked, and all the summer accoutrements were being rolled out to enjoy it? Well that has all been reversed, without any warning either.
We’re lucky if we can get up into the high single digits now in the day time, and we’re back to bundling up in our winter coats. What a bam bam eh?
But Friends, let’s at least be thankful for one mercy; the sun is shining brightly this Friday morning and there’s no threat of snow in the offing.
So let’s rejoice, as we are wont to do, by declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes! The weekend’s here and labouring soon finish for another week! Our God is a good God, and He won’t give us more than we can handle! Let’s say it again: Thank God it’s Friday yes!’
Oh Friends, our God is indeed a wonderful Deity and He won’t burden us with more than we can bear, for that just doesn’t make any sense. Instead He helps us to bear our heavy loads, and invites us in His Great Invitation to come to Him for help and succour in times of need.
‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, what a magnificent offer and invitation! And since we know that God is ever-faithful, and keeps all His promises, this morning I implore all who are bearing heavy burdens, to come and lay them at the feet of Jesus and get relief from your pain, your worry, your fear and your anxiety.
That’s the wise and sensible thing to do, especially in these difficult and distressing times. No one else can even promise such things, much less keep the promise: ONLY JESUS CAN!
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to get us in the right mood, the right perspective to handle the short but oh so volatile weekend. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, we do have to handle the weekend with some circumspection, else we’ll be no good to God, or ourselves come Monday morning. And it all begins and ends with the faithful promise of our Bit. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’
Glory be, my people! With God’s help we can walk through fire like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and come out without even smelling of smoke. (Dan.3:20-30) And like Daniel, we can rest in the lion’s den without even one hair being plucked from our heads. (Dan. 6:14-23)
No wonder Bruh Paul made this bold and factual statement to the Corinthians in his second missive to them. ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor.3:5) And that is the gospel, gospel truth my brethren!
Now hear Jesus tell it to the disciples, and ultimately to us. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)
And that Friends, is the indisputable truth! Without Christ we can do little or nothing at all! That’s why it is ever so important for us to believe in Him and cleave, cling to Him like super glue (smile) if we want to do good and useful stuff in this godless and evil world.
And we’ll end today with a reminder of the kinds of stuff Jesus is talking about when He refers to us bearing fruit. Listen to Bruh Paul expatiate on the subject to the Galatians. (smile)
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (its passions).
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory (be deceitful), provoking one another, envying one another.’ (Gal.5:22-26)
Oh Friends, what a wonderful way to end today’s message! Please, let’s take it all to heart and go out and put it into positive action, in Jesus’ name.
And all God’s people declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’ Much LOVE my brethren!
…remember …for whatever ails us…whatever we need…whatever we desire…whatever the problem…Jesus IS the indisputable answer…
17 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd, barbecues, because they fainted, billion dollar questions, bounden duty, But when he saw the multitudes, circumspection, commandment, compassion, craziness, crucifixion, deceitful, deity, detriment, dierctionless sons of man, encourage, energy, enthusiasm, fellowship, flees, Friday chant, friends, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Gentiles, get a foothold in our souls, get too carried away, going astray, Guide, He was moved with compassion, hired hand, hireling, I am the good shepherd, I lay down my life, I lay down my life for the sheep, Jesus Christ, joy, laughing all the way to the bank, lost, LOVE, moderation, my neck of the woods, obedient to the Father's will, on the agenda, one fold, one shepherd, outside activities, personal danger, pleasure, pompous, power, privilege, proper guidance, proud, purpose, relaxation, rest, resurrection, revenous, sacrificed, scatters the sheep, shepherd, sinful world, stumblingblock, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the enemy, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the right perspective, the weekend's up to bat, warm weekend, weary, weekend
Matthew 9:36. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Ah Friends, it’s Friday, and it’s supposed to be another glorious day in my neck of the woods, so you can imagine the craziness that’s going to take place this weekend if the weather stays fairly warm. All the barbecues and everything that smacks of summer will be out in full swing.
You can already hear the working populace crying out with joy. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday yes, and the weekend’s up to bat! The ribs will be a braising and the beer a flowing! The talk will be plentiful and the laughter hearty and loud! Thank God at last for a warm weekend yes!’
Ah mih breddren, those of you down south, who have warm weather and plentiful sunshine all year round, wouldn’t understand what a nice, warm weekend means to us northerners nuh. But most aspects of our lives are built around the weather. In winter we do certain things because it’s too cold outside. Then in spring and summer we do other things because it’s warm out side.
Anyway, I believe that this is the first truly warm weekend of the year, so for sure, a lot of outside activities will be on the agenda. But just to help us not get too carried away and keep the right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant. And I surely don’t have to tell us with much enthusiasm and energy, because those will come naturally at this time of year. (smile)
So let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, a dash of moderation and circumspection are definitely needed as we get into this weekend. Otherwise we’re going to allow the enemy to get a foothold in our souls, for he is out there ravenous and deceitful as ever, looking for any way to cause us to fall.
And that is exactly what was happening in Jesus’ time, when our Bit was written. ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’
Yeh Friends, Jesus is still moved with compassion today because so many sheep are still going astray, being lost in this sinful world without any proper guidance. He wants to be, longs to be their guide and shepherd, that’s His bounden duty and purpose.
That’s why He declared during His earthly sojourn: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that’s exactly what He did later on Friends; He sacrificed His holy and sinless life for the lost and directionless sons of man. How wonderful!
Then Jesus went on to further explain: ‘But he that is a hireling (hired man), and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling (hired hand) fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.’ (John 10:12-13)
And that’s a proven fact my brethren, as the scholars remind us. ’10:12. A hireling (a servant for pay) will flee in time of personal danger, because he is working for money, and neither owns nor LOVES the sheep.’
But thankfully, Jesus is ever so different! And He proudly proclaims it: ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” (John 10:14)
Oh Friends, the billion dollar questions here are (1) does Jesus know you as a sheep of His flock, and (2) do you know Him as your good shepherd? I certainly do hope so, for our very lives, both earthly and eternal depend very much on those distinctions.
And Jesus continues with His monologue on the shepherd and the sheep. ‘As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.
Therefore doth my Father LOVE me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.’ (John 10:15-18)
Oh Friends what a beautiful passage of scripture. It says so much in those few words. Jesus is about to lay down His life for the sheep of His flock, and He is so obedient to the Father’s will, that the Father has no choice but to LOVE Him. Plus He’s going to bring another flock, the Gentiles into the equation, and make it all ONE big flock, with ONE shepherd. How glorious a promise!
And as the scholars say: ‘10:17-18. Jesus does more than predict His crucifixion and resurrection, He also shows that He has the power to lay down His life and take it again, once more asserting His deity.’
And sadly my people, that has been a major stumbling block for mankind, right from Jesus’ first days on earth, up to the present time. Men have doubted His deity from day one, and continue to do so, sadly to their own detriment. But the smart few, like us, who have embraced Him in all the splendour and power of His deity are laughing all the way to the bank; figuratively of course. (smile)
On second thought, heaven might have been a better comparison. (smile) Anyway Friends, let’s not be proud and pompous at being a chosen member of Jesus’ flock, for that has never been His intention.
Let’s do like Him, have compassion for those who are still lost, and try our very best to encourage them to come to Him, to become members of His flock too, for that’s what He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…oh what a joy, pleasure and privilege it is…to be a member Jesus’ one, worldwide flock…nothing else can compare to it…
06 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accomplish the work of Jesus, bottom line, capital city, caring, Carnival, Christian, Christian beliefs, circumspection, coconut water, compassion, cruel governments, cutting costs, don't give a damn, Esplanade, fat fannies, floundering, Friday chant, friends, generous help, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, homelessness, hunger, Jesus, Jesus began to teach them, Jesus Christ, Jesus was moved with compassion, joy, Last Lap, Library, light under a bushel, lost, market, May the Lord be with him, modus operandi, poverty, pray ye thereofre, profits, salt, saving grace, Scarborough, stuffed our faces, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the harvest is truly plenteous, the labourers are few, the Lord of the harvest, the poor are getting poorer, the rich are getting richer, the wisdom of heaven, they were as sheep not having a shepherd, tourists, ungodly world, unsaved, unwashed
Mark 6:34. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude), and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
Aye mih Friends, is Friday, the Friday before Carnival Friday…! And you know the standard response to that:
‘Oh TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Work soon finish for this week, then is party time on the weekend! Mama Yo! Next weekend is Carnival, so we playing mas from now till then! Thank God for Fridays yes!’
And you better believe that statement of playing mas from now to next week, because that’s what many people are going to do; party every night from now till Last Lap, when Carnival finishes, two Tuesdays from now. That’s the standard modus operandi from way back when. And I can tell you from personal experience that it’s a very interesting situation. Hn, Hn!
Anyway, we all know that’s not the godly way to carry on, so let’s chant our simple Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that’s the approach we ought to use towards the weekend! So please let’s rein in our ungodly lustful appetites and have some circumspection re our behaviour, for that’s what the Lord desires of us.
And as per the lateness of today’s Bit, I really can’t be blamed, that lies at the duchess’ door. Just as I was about to start writing it this morning she woke up and asked if I was ready to go to the market. Now I had promised to take her, but didn’t really expect her to get up so early, so when she surprised me, I had no choice but to keep my promise. (smile)
Would you believe that we’ve been here for over a week and this is the first time we were going into town? Hn! We left home around 9 o’clock to go into the bustling capital city of Scarborough. And believe me, it was truly bustling today, it being Friday and a big tourist ship had recently docked in the port.
We encountered a traffic jam just outside of town, which slowly wended its way down to Wilson Road where I turned to go into the market. Now to me that’s the new market, although it’s been there for many years.
When I talk about the market, I mean the old one up town. Obviously there was no parking anywhere close by and I drove around until I found a spot behind the Library, to me the new Library, because my Library was uptown too, near to the old market. (smile)
Anyway, we walked around the market, looking for my half-brother Hamer, who sells in there, and whom we had been unsuccessful in contacting, but apparently he wasn’t there today. So we just continued walking around buying stuff, half of which we had never intended to buy, but once we saw it, decided we needed it.
An hour or so later, after having a coconut water, we finally exited the market, loaded down with several bags. It was now a bit of a jam to get out of the city, but we stopped at the Esplanade to check out my sister’s-in- law flower shop.
Thankfully, we found her there, and there was much joy in the reunion, though it was somewhat reduced when we learned that my brother was in the U.S preparing to undergo surgery for some vein problems in his legs. May the Good Lord be with him, and cause the surgery to be successful.
We visited for a while, then when we were leaving, we asked her about a good place to eat, and she pointed to a place, Jattan’s, just over the street. We walked over there and stuffed our faces, then left for home, where we arrived around one o’clock, and obviously the ole fella had to rest from such exhausting activity. (smile)
I even managed to talk the duchess into lying down, which she usually doesn’t do during the day. Next thing yuh know, we’re both fast asleep, and I’m getting up after three, and the duchess just woke at four. And that’s why the Bit is so late.
‘And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude), and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.’ And like Jesus did, I’m expecting you all, in your Christian belief, to have compassion on me. (smile)
Ah Friends, as we’ve been saying for the last few days, compassion is one of the biggest things, if not the biggest thing, that we’re lacking in this cruel, evil, ungodly world. We don’t seem to care a whole lot about people again. Just look at the hunger, poverty and homelessness that surrounds us, in a world where there is more than enough for everyone! Steups!
But as the old adage goes, the rich are indeed getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer. And unfortunately, the rich don’t seem to give a damn about the poor! Just look at how they are throwing people out of work every day, to improve their bottom line, their profits.
No one’s thinking about increasing productivity to increase profits, just cutting costs, which means cutting employees. Ah Lord eh! But they still expect those people to exist, to eke out some low level of subsistence and to buy their products.
Chuh! The cruel governments are also making it harder for unemployed people to receive Unemployment Insurance by increasing the time line for qualifying for it. What evil jerks!
That’s why Friends, as a society, we have to very seriously think about turning back to our godly roots, finding Jesus and putting Him back at the forefront of our lives where He belongs. For He is the only one who seems to have compassion for the lost and floundering.
Listen to this heart-moving scripture nuh. ‘But when he (Jesus) saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’ (Matt.9:36) And isn’t that the gospel truth my Friends! We’re all running around like chickens with our heads cut off, like dumb sheep without a guiding, caring and compassionate shepherd. And the best shepherd there is, is none other than Jesus!
Hear the scripture continue: ‘Then saith he (Jesus) unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into the harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38)
Oh my brethren, Jesus is talking about the great amount of unwashed, unsaved, ungodly in our society, and we, His true and faithful followers, are the ones expected to go in and help reap the harvest of souls that’s there ready for harvesting. So please let’s do what’s expected of us nuh. And the first thing we have to do in reaping the harvest is show care and compassion to the unfortunate and needy ones.
So again, I plead with us to get up off our fat, complacent fannies and do some serious reaping of the harvest as is expected of us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That’s what it means to be a true follower of Christ, a true Christian.
So let’s throw off the bushels, the shades from our lights, so that they can shine brightly in a darkened world, and increase the salt in our souls so that we can successfully accomplish the work that Jesus has called us to do. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…Jesus died to save us…now we need to tell others about His saving grace…
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