22 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a scientific experience, at thy right hand, bedrock, blessed by the Lord, blessings, causes us to get things, commandment, compassionate heart, corruption, courage, creativity, curse, don't drop the curtain on tomorrow, dr robert h schuller, dwell securely, eternal separation from God, faith love, favour, forgiveness, frustrations, fullness of joy, God's will, God-given, Happy Thanksgiving U. S of A, Holding on, Holy One, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, human emotions, human existence, important decision, in all your living, largesse, leave my soul in hell, man can suffer, marvellous, my flesh, my glory rejoiceth, my heart is glad, mysterious mood, need hope, negative word, never give up on hope, once there's life, penultimate day, pleasures evermore, Praying Expectantly, prosper, prosperous, rest in hope, return to God's fold, self-discipline, set the Lord always before me, shall not be moved, share blessings, strayed, succeed, tension, thanksgiving, the abode of the dead, the path of life, the presence of God, the worst situation, Thursday Blessings, Thursday's Blessings, turned away, when you're dying, your eyes get their sparkle back, your load is lifted
Psalm 16:9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope.
So now it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of the workweek… and there are smiles and hand shakes and hugs amongst workers, unlike earlier on in the week, because they know that there is only one more day to go before the weekend break, so the tension and frustration has lessened some. And it’s also Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. of A, so that means no work for many people, lots of food and travel and celebration!
Happy Thanksgiving U.S. of A! I do hope you all sincerely give thanks for all the blessings that the Good Lord has bestowed on you, although I know that some of His wrath is also upon your head right now because of your awful sinful ways. But He’s such a wonderful Deity that if you will only return to Him and His fold, you will find forgiveness a plenty.
Please remember that no other nation in the History of mankind has ever been as powerful and prosperous as yours, and that’s because you were truly blessed by the Lord when you walked mostly in His will and commandment, and He is the one who causes us to get things and become prosperous.
But now you, and a whole lot of us have turned away, strayed from His ever-LOVING arms, and consequently we are experiencing some rather rough times in all areas of our lives, all over the world. Our planet is degenerating more quickly than we can keep up with.
And that brings us to the body of today’s message; a lesson in HOPE from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) a collage from several days readings in His Hour of Power Devotional. And do we ever need to have loads of HOPE in these turbulent and oh so trying times!
We’ll begin with this: ‘HOPE. It is a marvellous, mysterious mood that comes into your personality. Suddenly your load is lifted, colour returns to your skin, and your eyes get their sparkle back. What is it? It is a scientific experience of the presence of God operating in your personality…
When it happens in the personality, it can only be scientifically described as the presence of a God of LOVE coming into your mind, your spirit, your body, your personality! This is God! This is HOPE!’
Yes my fellow believers, that’s the first thing we need to know…HOPE comes from God! Now hear this: ‘The only thing between today and tomorrow is tonight. And that’s when the stars come out! So NEVER give up on HOPE! Don’t drop the curtain on tomorrow….
Great people are ordinary people who just will not give up HOPE! And what is HOPE? It is Holding On, Praying Expectantly!’ Wow friends! I hope you notice how Gramps Schuller spells out HOPE through the first letter of each word. (smile)
Now the last piece for today: ‘You need HOPE when…you’re dying. And you need HOPE in all of your living. There will be no LOVE without it. HOPE is what will keep your faith alive. That’s why HOPE is right in the middle of the holy trinity of human emotions, “FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE!”
Yes my fellow believers, HOPE is the very bedrock of our human existence! Without it, we can’t have faith nor LOVE, it’s what gets us going in the first place, and keeps us going, keeps us holding on, because we know that once there’s life, once there’s the breath of God in our bodies, there’s HOPE! Now let’s see what Bit we can find that’s most appropriate for all of that. Soon come!
I’m back…a minute later. (smile) I guess these awesome words of Bruh David says it all. ‘I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures evermore.’ (Ps.16:8-11)
Oh friends, I can only present to you the goodness and LOVE and HOPE that rests in God, you have to make the very important decision, the most important decision in your life, whether or not you’ll accept it. So there it is, in black and white…please be wise and accept it, for if you don’t you’ll eventually have to endure the worst situation man can suffer; everlasting separation from Almighty God!
And as true believers here’s what you get to enjoy down here on earth; we call it our Thursday Blessings. Let’s declare it loud and proud: (awright…spelled it right there) ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and share them with others, as Jesus desires. That’s what blessings are for! Much LOVE!
…a blessing is not a blessing…until you speak it over others…and share your God-given largesse with them…
11 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abideth forever, ambassadors, be not conformed to this world, be transformed, behave like the world, burn out, carefree, circumspection, commandment, disciples, dissolute, do a good job for Jesus, enjoy the weekend, enmity with God, enregy, enthusiasm, fellowship, followers of Christ, foolish thinking, free up yuhself, Friday chant, friendship with the world, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glory to God, idolize, in Jesus' name, let it all hang out, licentious, limits, LOVE, love not the world, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, Mammon, mandate, material wealth, obedient children, our major calling, party hearty, pride, pride of life, relaxation, rest, resuscitation going downhill, righteousness, seek ye first the kingdom of God, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the christian way, the love of the Father, the new man, the renewing of your mind, the things of God, the things of the world, the way of the world, the weekend, the will of God, value systems of the world, you cannot serve God and mammon, you may prove
Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Oh friends, the week finally finish! Glory to God! And for us Canadians, after the Caribana weekend, it was indeed a short week. So now we have a li’l time to rest and recuperate from all that exhilarating action. (smile)
But for some really exuberant folks, the weekend will always be the time to totally celebrate the couple days off from work. Consequently they are now excitedly shouting: ‘TGIF! TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! The Lord give us two days to party, so leh we party hearty nuh!
We can’t afford to waste the li’l time we have for weself in foolish thinking about work and all the other nonsense. Just let it all hang out, free up yuhself and doh worry about nothing till Monday! That’s why we have the weekend! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’
And I dare say that many of us believers would like to let it all hang out on the weekend, (smile) but we know that is not the Christian way; that is the way of the world. Now that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the weekend, but just that we need to put some limits on the ‘carefreeness.’
We definitely don’t want to be dissolute and licentious and give Lucifer any opening whatsoever to come against us. We need to think more like our Friday Chant says: ‘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 mih breddren, that’s the Christian way; we enjoy the time off, get some rest, relaxation and fellowship, so that we can handle the upcoming week with new energy and enthusiasm.
If we don’t apply some limits to our life with some resuscitation along the way, we’ll just keep going downhill until we burn out completely, and worst of all, won’t be able to do a good job on Christ’s behalf, which is our major calling.
So though we may feel to let it all hang out on the weekend, let’s hang in there, persevere with some circumspection, remembering that we are disciples of Christ, ambassadors for His kingdom and we can’t afford to behave like the world does.
That’s why Bruh Paul was so emphatic to the church at Rome as our Bit declares: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
That’s only basic common sense friends, for the world does not recognize the things of God nor His kingdom. So if we want to be true followers of Christ we need to abstain from a lot of things which the world thinks is right, but which our heavenly Father totally abhors and detests.
And the scholars offer this explanation. ’12:2. Be not conformed (lit. “stop conforming yourselves”): They are to resist being poured into the mould of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world. This term is used only here and in 1 Peter 1:14.’
And since most of us won’t go and read that verse, I will spoon-feed us. (smile) Peter in his call to Christian dedication, says: ‘As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.’ Meaning we should not go back to being the old kind of persons we were before we found Christ and put on the ‘new man.’
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures which also admonish us to stay away from the evil, ungodly world. Listen to James: ‘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 (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4)
It’s that simple friends. As Jesus said: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (the world, material possessions).’ (Mat. 6:24) So you obviously can’t serve the One True God and also worship, or idolize, or run behind the material possessions of the world.
And we’ll conclude with some of the most authoritative words on the subject from 1 John. ‘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.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’(1 John 4:15-17)
Oh my fellow believers, it couldn’t be put any simpler and plainer than that. As Christians we ought to LOVE God and do His will first and foremost.
Remember Jesus’ words to the hypocrite Pharisee who asked Him. ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus saith unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt.22:36-38).
So friends, let’s go and do just that nuh, for it is the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…that’s the Christian’s mandate…
01 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lamp, a light unto my path, association, At last, bacchanal time, believers, benefits, commandment, communication, converting the soul, covenants, crucifixion, defense, enduring forever, enlightening the eyes, entrusted myself, eyes fixed straight ahead, forest of my thoughts, forty days of Christ's temptation, fulfillment, get serious, God's Law, God's Word, God-centred, great news, guarantees my wholeness, halfway home, hands on the plough, honeycomb, immeasurable, in the thick of battle, interaction, Jesus, judgements of the Lord, Lent, Lenten season, LOVE, make time, making wise the simple, meditate, monk-like, more to be desired than gold, moved, my rock, my soul waits, not turning back, one, One Year Book of Bible promises, perfect, perfectly safe, practice, pure, put into action, read, rejoicing the heart, righteous, ruins of my heart, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, shaken, sincerity, statutes, strong tower, study, supports me, sweeter than honey, temptations, testimony, the breath of life, the fear of the Lord, the right path, the wilderness, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be loved, true, trust, truth, understands, Wednesday Wail, without God, wonderful life, worldly activities
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Ah friends, bacchanal time done now! It’s Ash Wednesday, the first day both of March and of the Lenten Season, where Christians settle down and get real serious about their interaction and communication with Almighty God.
It’s a season of intense study and meditation and looking inside to see what’s there and how it relates to our Christian faith, and how we can bring ourselves into closer association with our heavenly Father, as we go through the forty days of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness that lead up to His eventual crucifixion.
Now that doesn’t mean we have to be monk-like and don’t enjoy our lives. Absolutely not, but we do need to cut down on some of the worldly activities and be more God-centred, more God focused and serious about our faith and how we react to temptations, a-la Christ.
And here is a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that sort of describes what I’m talking about. It’s titled ‘At Last.’
And it says: ‘At last there is One With whom I am perfectly safe. One who knows thoroughly All the rubbled ruins of my heart. At last I see all that is Riddled and distorted in me Can still find God-planned fulfillment.
At last I need no longer explore The deep, dark forest of my thoughts For there is One who understands me Far better than I understand myself. One who stands with me In the thick of the battle One who supports me On the slippery, ice-crested paths.
At last I have entrusted myself To One who guarantees my wholeness Someone whose LOVE is immeasurable. In all the world He alone can LOVE me As I need to be LOVED. At last there is One – My Lord and my God!’
Yeh my people, that is the stage that we all need to come to; a proper understanding of whom our God is, what he’s all about, and the immense trust that we can and ought to place in Him if we call ourselves believers.
That’s the kind of stuff we need to sincerely seek during this Lenten Season. And the Bible Promise for that poem comes from Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and my salvation.
‘Truly my soul waiteth (waits silently) upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense (strong tower); I shall not be greatly moved (shaken).’ (Ps.62:1-2)
Yes friends, when we can truly declare those words with the utmost sincerity, then we’re getting the situation right, then we’re truly moving along the right path. But before we can get to that point, we have to invoke the words of our Bit. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’
We need to get serious about God’s Word. And as we said yesterday, MAKE TIME to read, study and meditate on it, then put what it tells us into sincere action in our lives. Remember that the Word has been given for our benefit, not God’s, and if we don’t try to practice it in all sincerity and truth, then crapaud smoke we pipe!
But you can’t practice what you don’t know, that’s why it’s so important to become very knowledgeable about the Good Book and what it says. Only then can we hope to say that it’s a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
Now listen to what Bruh David says about the Lord’s word in Psalm 19- The creation and covenants of God. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the (drippings of the) honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps.19: 7-11)
Oh my brethren, isn’t that great news? Wow! It surely is! Look at all the benefits we can derive from knowing and keeping the word nuh: it restores our souls, makes us wise, rejoices our hearts, enlightens our eyes, the word endure forever and is true and righteous.
Chuh man! It’s worth more than gold, the real good kind, and is even sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb! Mama mia!
And if that wasn’t sufficient, it also warns us when we are going astray. And then, when we abide by the Word, we are handsomely rewarded in the end! What can be better than the Word of the Lord then eh mih people? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
So please, I implore us to ponder on all those things this Lenten Season, so that we can get right all that we need to get right. Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, with much enthusiasm and true sincerity.
‘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!’
What a wonderful life my precious people of God! Much LOVE!
…God gave us life to live…but we can’t live it fully without Him…
28 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a helping hand, a light unto my path, adultery, Ash Wednesday, bacchanal time, backyards, befriend, believers in Christ, best of health, bind, Brazil, broad highway, caring, carnality, Carnival, christianity, Christians, commandment, destruction, dire need, direction for our lives, Eva Rose York, finding the time, foolish way to live, forsake not the law, foundation, friend of Jesus, helping those who need help, human nature, I shall not pass this way again, kindness, lamp, lay, Lent, lewd behaviour, lewdness, light, lighten someone's heavy load, LOVE, making the time, Mardi gras, meditating, misfortune, nakedness, needy, New Orleans, path, peosperity, Proverbs, put God first, putting into action, reading, reciprocate, relieve some pain, remove some barrier from the road, reproofs of instruction, Scarborough, share His love, straight and narrow path, studying, the beloeved of god, the Good Book, the law, the way of life, the Word of god, them's the breaks, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to this one lend, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuesday Mantra, utmost importance, while there's life there's hope
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Well friends, it’s bacchanal time in several places in the Western Hemisphere today! Most noticeably, there’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and Carnival in Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago. The people are supposedly letting off the last of their carnality before immersing themselves in the seriousness of Lent, which begins tomorrow on Ash Wednesday.
And recently I read that in a few parts of Brazil, the church has gotten them to tone down the lewdness and carnality of the festival. All power to them, because the festivals have really gotten out of hand with the amount of nakedness and lewd behaviour being displayed.
Usually I’d be in T&T, watching the proceedings on the tube, as well as going into the big city of Scarborough (smile) to watch some in person. But since I’ve been grounded here on account of my medical situation, I’ll just have to imagine it in my mind. But them’s the breaks.
Hopefully by next year, I will be strong and healthy enough to not only watch, but also participate in some of the activities. (smile) While there’s life, there’s certainly hope my people!
But there’s also stuff that we can and should do, even though we’re not in the best of health. And today I want to share a quote from Eva Rose York (b Fitch), (1858-1935) organist, editor, teacher and one of the earliest female composers in Canada. This comes from her symphony titled ‘I shall not pass this way again.’
And it says: ‘I shall not pass this way again; Then let me now relieve some pain, Remove some barrier from the road, Or lighten someone’s heavy load; a helping hand to this one lend, Then turn some other to befriend.’
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, those are the kinds of things we should be concentrating on in our own little areas, in our backyards; in some form and fashion, helping those who need help.
Remember, that’s what Jesus came to earth to do; to save and to help us in our desperate time of need. Consequently, as Christians, we need to reciprocate His caring and kindness to the needy.
And believe me, ironically, in a world that is so full of prosperity, it is also full of people in dire need and want. So let’s try and see whom and how we can help in our little way nuh. It’s all a part of our Christian Manifesto.
And to help us do that, we also need to consider our Bit.‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’
Yeh friends, it’s of the utmost importance that we take the Word of God seriously and let it lead and guide us on our earthly journey, because that’s exactly what it is meant to be; a guide book, a manual for earthly living, written by our Creator and Provider for our benefit.
The Lord doesn’t need it, since He penned it, but we miserable sinners do, and if we don’t allow it to set the direction for our lives, along the straight and narrow path, then we’ll eventually get lost, confused and blinded on the broad highway that leads to destruction.
Now we wouldn’t want such misfortune to befall us eh? No siree! So why aren’t we more into God’s Word eh mih people? Why do so many of us complain that we can’t find the time to immerse ourselves in the Good Book?
It’s not a matter of finding the time, it’s a matter of making the time to stay in touch with our heavenly Father and His godly desires for us. It’s easy for us to make time for the foolish pleasures of the world, but making time for God is a hard task and it usually takes second place.
But friends, that’s a very foolish way to live. God should always be in first place in our lives, no matter what the circumstances! If you put Him second, then most likely, He’ll also put you second, and I’m sure you won’t like that.
As the old people, would say, ‘do so, ent like so.’ Meaning that you don’t like others doing to you, what you did to them. I guess that’s just human nature though.
Now here is an interesting take on our Bit from Cousin Sol in his warning against adultery in Proverbs. ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart (mind), and tie them about thy neck.
When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is the light; and reproofs of instruction are the way to life.’ (Prov.6:20-23)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s how important God’s word and His instructions are to us living the good life. So please, let’s try and do better nuh, let’s make time for reading, studying, meditating and subsequently putting God’s word into action in our lives. It’s the wisdom of the ages.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra with all sincerity and truth. In unison now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Glory Be precious people of God! Now let’s do as we declared nuh; go out and share the LOVE of our friend Jesus with others, for there are many who desperately need it. Much LOVE!
…helping others…is a foundation rock of Christianity…
10 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a negative go round, a wonderful world, acts of encouragement, Anselm, bounden duty, brotherly LOVE, commandment, common sense, criticism, critics, disciples, dreams, encouragers, evil minions, feel comfortable, foolishly, for God so loved the world, glory hallelujah, God's little Acre, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, hope, hypocrites, imperfect, imperfections, inadequate, Jesus Christ, Jesus' logic, lacking compassion, leaps and bounds, learn to like yourself, LOVE, LOVE one another, Lucifer, man is imperfect, minus category, narcissist, our Lord and Saviour, perfect, practical value, pray, redeemed, selfishly, sensational soup, should not perish, standards, sunshine of sweet Tobago, tasty concoction, temperatures, that whosoever believes in him, the ability to dream, the cross at Calvary, the heathen, the highest good, the lake of fire, the wherewithal to do His will, tropical climates, unconditional, warm my innards, winter climes
John 3:16: For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Well hello there all you blessed people residing in warm, tropical climates! Hn! I must say that right now I envy you all because it seems like the real cold weather is starting to come upon us. Temperatures are now residing in the minus category…
Ohhhh, how the warmth and sunshine of sweet Tobago would just warm and refresh my cold body and aching soul right now! And today is also Saturday, so that means Brother Kirby’s sensational soup will also be on the boil up Calder Hall! Some of that tasty concoction right now would just warm my innards and have me calling for more! (smile)
And I guess that’s why we’ve been granted the ability to dream. But one day soon friends, one day soon, that dream will come alive, I will bask in the beautiful climate of God’s Little Acre! Obviously though, it all depends on the Good Lord’s willingness to so bless me. In the meantime though, we’ll just hope and pray and ask for the wherewithal to do His bidding in these cold winter climes. (smile)
Anyway, enough of my dreaming, let’s check out some of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this past week, in his efforts to inspire us for a better tomorrow. The first one says: ‘It is of practical value to learn to like yourself. Since you must spend so much time with yourself, you might as well get some satisfaction out of the relationship.’
Ah mih people, those words are so true that they couldn’t get any truer! (smile) We spend most of our time with ourselves, so we might as well like what we see in the mirror, otherwise we’d be on a negative go round all the time.
That doesn’t mean we have to be a narcissist and go to the other extreme, but we must feel comfortable in ourselves, else we’d be even more miserable than we are right now. (smile) And besides that, if we don’t like and appreciate ourselves, we won’t be able to truly like and appreciate others.
Anselm’s second quote declares: ‘We can improve our relationships with others by leaps and bounds if we become encouragers instead of critics.’ And is that ever so true my brethren! Somehow or the other we seem to have lost the use of the word encouragement from our language.
Everyone’s a critic these days. But the fact of the matter is that none of us like criticism, even if it’s true and well-intentioned. We all respond so much better to words and acts of encouragement. I guess it’s just the overwhelming negativity of the world that has us acting so selfishly and foolishly, lacking compassion and common sense.
And the last quote from Anselm is another gem. ‘You don’t LOVE someone because they’re perfect, you LOVE them in spite of the fact that they’re not.’
Oh friends, if we’d only live that out, we’d certainly live in a wonderful world! But instead, we choose to LOVE others only if they LOVE us, or do what we want, or come up to the standards that we set. We seem to conveniently forget that mankind is an imperfect being, that’s how our God made us.
But you know the wonderful thing about it all is that God LOVES us dearly despite our imperfections. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Jesus in our Bit. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Yeh mih people, if our wonderful God didn’t LOVE us in spite of our imperfections, which lead to abominable sins, we’d all eventually end up in the lake of fire, like Lucifer and his evil minions will do. But His heart was so filled with compassion for us, His greatest creation, that He broke His own heart and sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary so that we could be redeemed. Glory Hallelujah!
So why then do we find it so difficult to be kind to each other eh, to show a little brotherly LOVE eh? Remember what Jesus said to the disciples? ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
And sadly, that’s how it plays out in today’s world; the heathen looks at us and laughs, considering us hypocrites, because the LOVE we claim to have, or should have as followers of Jesus, we either don’t have, or don’t show to each other. Then according to Jesus’ logic, we’re not His disciples, regardless of what we may think.
Ah my brethren, you know it’s all about that one, simple, but far reaching word – LOVE! And it all stems from the LOVE of God!
Listen to what the scholars say about that. ‘3:16. LOVE is both an attribute of God and a description of His being. He alone is the epitome of divine LOVE and the source of all true LOVE. His LOVE is unconditional and consistently seeks the highest good of the one who is LOVED.
Illustration: God’s LOVE was clearly demonstrated at Calvary when Jesus died for all our sins (1 John 3:1). Application: Because God first LOVED us, we ought to LOVE others as well (1 John 4:11). (First Ref. Gen.2:16- 17; Primary Ref. John 3:16; cf. James 1:17).’
Oh my fellow believers, why is it so difficult to show LOVE and respect for each other eh, when that is exactly what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ desires of us? In this day and age, the talk of LOVE is cheap and plentiful, but the reality of it; LOVE in action, is woefully inadequate. Please friends, let’s try and do better nuh, Jesus didn’t just ask it of us, He COMMANDED IT! Much LOVE!
…LOVING God, oneself, and each other is not merely a request…but our bounden duty…
11 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a free world, a man lay down his life for his friends, a sacrifice to God, aroma, as I have loved you, bowels of compassion, break faith, Christ-like behaviour, Christian, commandment, eternal life, fellowship, felt dawn, free-all, freedom, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's love in Christ, godlier perspective, greater love hath no man, heart, hold it high, honour, In Flanders Fields, John McCrae, leggo beast, licentiousness, lives, loss of lives, LOVE one another, loved, melancholy day, modicum of circumspection, motor, offering, passed the torch, peacemaker, precious possession, relaxation, Remembrance Day, rest, salvation, saw sunset glow, sweet-smelling savour, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thank God, the LOVE of God, the poppies blow, the torch, time to fly, touch the sky, true meaning of love, truth, ungodliness, warmonger, week of work, weekends, were loved, World Wars
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Well friends, it’s Friday, and many of us are singing our Friday jig: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! At last it’s our time to do as we please. No more massa looking over we shoulder to see what we doing. It’s our time to fly, as high as we want to; to touch the sky even. Thank God for Fridays and the weekend!’
But as always, that jig is a little too expansive with room for things that ought not to be indulged in. And we have our Friday Chant that offers a much better, healthier and godlier perspective.
So let’s chant it now nuh. ‘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 Christian brethren, that’s a much better way to use the weekend. Behaving like leggo beast, with all sorts of licentiousness and ungodliness isn’t appropriate behaviour for a child of God, a follower of Jesus Christ. So as Jeeves would say, let’s moderate our behaviour with a modicum of circumspection nuh. (smile)
Now this Friday is a special and somewhat melancholy one in man’s memory, as we celebrate Remembrance Day, in honour of all those brave people who died in the Great Wars, especially the First World War. We remember those who gave their most precious possession, their lives, so that we could have a basic freedom in our lives.
Now unlike what some think, freedom isn’t just granted, more times than not it has to be fought for. And those brave men and women did just that for us. So it’s essential that we remember them and give many thanks for their Christ-like behaviour, as least one day in every year.
And in their honour, I’d like to share the world’s most famous War Memorial Poem, ‘In Flanders Fields,’ written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae on the morning of May 3 1915, at the battlefront during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium.
Please read with me: ‘In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place: and in the sky The larks still bravely singing fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead: Short days ago, We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, LOVED and were LOVED: and now we lie In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe To you, from failing hands, we throw The torch: be yours to hold it high If ye break faith with us who die, We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.’
Oh my people, the many wasted lives created by that war eh! Young people died by the thousands. We claimed there’d never be another war like that, yet some thirty years later we’re fighting another World War, and several smaller ones after that.
Steups! Mankind just seems to like war yes; innately he is a warmonger, rather than a peacemaker.
And on this Remembrance Day of 2016, I believe that our Bit serves as a most appropriate reminder of all those deaths. Listen to Jesus, as He talks to His disciples about LOVE and friendship. ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’
And that’s indisputable, irrefutable, gospel truth! Yes my precious people of God, those soldiers laid down their lives for us, so that we could have the opportunities we now have and to continue their efforts to have a free world. They have passed the torch to us.
It’s just like Jesus laid down His life so that we could have salvation and eternal life and show others the way to Him.
However, though we seem to appreciate to some extent the loss of lives back in the war, we don’t seem to particularly like or adopt Jesus’ words before our Bit. ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’ (John 15:12)
Now, if friends give up their lives for us, because they LOVED us, in keeping with Jesus’ commandment, we ought to LOVE and cherish those who remain. But unfortunately, in these times of worldwide anger and strife, the true meaning of the word LOVE is still eluding us.
We tend to talk it a lot, but seldom do the acts required of it. How can we call ourselves true Christians then eh my brethren, when we are not following the commandment of Jesus?
Now hear how John puts it in his first epistle. ‘Hereby perceive we the LOVE of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good (goods), and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion (heart) from him, how dwelleth the LOVE of God in him?’ (1 John 3:16-17)
That’s a very good question, friends! And the scholars offer this explanation of those verses. ‘3:16-17. The standard for our LOVE is God’s LOVE in Christ, who died for us. LOVE that observes need, and does not act to minister to it, is NO LOVE at all. Bowels of compassion in modern English would be “heart,” proceeding from our inward core of awareness and action.’
Ah mih people, sadly that does not happen in our poverty-stricken and sickly world as much as it ought to. That means we are falling down as Christians. Anyway, let’s close with the words of Bruh Paul while explaining to the Ephesians, the ways of a believer.
‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour (aroma).’ (Eph.5:1-2)
I couldn’t have said it any better, so please friends, let’s see if we can’t ramp up, improve the incidence of true LOVE in our lives and our societies nuh. It’s the ONLY thing that will stop our world from the current free-fall that it’s currently in. Much LOVE!
…true LOVE is the motor that should drive our lives…
26 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a liar, a pillar of salt, blessings, bound for heaven, care, casual, commandment, compassion, conquerors, Creator, dread, dread of punishment, enjoy life, enjoying the journey, epitome of hypocrisy, faith, fire and brimstone, fit for the kingdom of god, flippant, glory hallelujah, God's judgement, God's LOVE, good health, greatest destination, halfway home, hate his brother, heaven, heavenly Father, him that loved us, hope, hypocrisy, I'm not looking back, in all these things, journey, joy, lead and guide, Lot's wife, LOVE, mercies, more than conquerors, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, nay, no fear in love, our Lord and Saviour, peace, ploughing, punishment, rejection, sacrificed His sinless life, steady, suitable, the breath of life, the Christian walk, the glory train, the Holy Spirit, the joy of the Lord, the mansions of heaven, usable, Wednesday Wail
Romans 8:37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.
Well hello there my fellow travellers on the glory train that’s bound for heaven! I do hope that this short (smile) missive finds you in good health and hope and that you are enjoying the journey towards the greatest destination ever – HEAVEN!
Oh yes, we are meant to enjoy the journey too, that’s why our Lord and Saviour sacrificed his sinless life for us.
Now, no long journey is ever easy, but we’ve been given the wherewithal to also enjoy this one; things like hope and faith, LOVE and peace, blessings and mercies, care and compassion, as well as the Holy Spirit of God that dwells within us to lead and guide us along the right path.
Why do you think our Creator and heavenly Father ensured that we had all that good stuff eh? So that we could enjoy life here on earth! We don’t have to wait until we reach heaven to enjoy life, heaven begins right here on earth.
He knew that earthly life wouldn’t always be easy and fun, but He’s given us enough tools to make the overall journey enjoyable.
So please let’s start using those tools and begin enjoying our little bit of heaven right here on earth, else we’d just be disappointing our Father, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that’s working so hard to encourage and fill us with joy.
Please remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8:10) So if we lose our joy, as the enemy desires, then we’ll also lose our strength in Almighty God. Sermon done! (smile)
And since today is Wednesday, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with the appropriate enthusiasm, passion and JOY!
Wailing: ‘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!’
Yes friends, therein lies the joy that we’re supposed to have and show to this evil and ungodly world! We’re alive, and as true believers ought to be steady in our ploughing, concentrating on the wonderful future that Jesus has planned for us in the mansions in heaven, not our rough and cruddy past.
Remember what Jesus said: ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)
As the scholars explain. ‘9:62. Fit, occurring elsewhere only in 14:35 and Hebrews 6:7, means “suitable” or “usable.” One who makes life’s lesser matters of greater priority than God’s work is of little use to Him.’
And remember too what happened to Lot’s wife when she looked back, as fire and brimstone were pelting down on Sodom and Gomorrah, she turned into a pillar of salt. (Gen.19:26) Nuff said.
Let’s get into our Bit, perhaps for the last time. ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’
Oh friends, that is such a wonderful scripture! It ensures of us the power we’ve been granted through God’s everlasting and unconditional LOVE for us! Wow! Are we ever blessed!
And we’ll continue today with John’s treatise on LOVE. ‘There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:18)
Now, before we go any further, please listen to this explanation of that verse by the scholars. ‘4:18. Fear hath torment: Abject fear of God is based on dread of punishment. But God’s LOVE for us renders such dread obsolete.
Fear is still part of the Christian walk in the sense of profound reverence, the unwillingness to violate God’s trust in us (see Acts 10:35; 13:26; 2 Cor.7:1; Eph. 5:21; Phil.2:12; 1 Pet.1:17).
Believers need not fear eternal rejection as a result of God’s judgement (John 5:24), but this does not mean a Christian’s approach to God is to be casual and flippant.’
Please pay serious attention to that explanation my people, because it can make or break our Christian walk.
And John continues: ‘We LOVE him, because he first LOVED us. If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVE his brother also.’ (1 John 4:19-21) End of story my people!
And the scholars have this to offer. ‘4:19-21. Our LOVE, if it exists and mirrors God’s LOVE at all, is not our own but God’s doing. The epitome of hypocrisy is the claim to LOVE God while withholding LOVE from others. For Jesus Himself commanded that he who LOVES God is to demonstrate this through LOVING others.’
So my fellow believers, when we’re bandying around the word ‘LOVE,’ as is our wont today, please let’s remember its true meaning and give it its rightful due, for that is wisdom of untold proportions. Much LOVE!
…only the true LOVE of Jesus…can truly make the world go round…
20 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a waste of time, all for one, aura of love, Beelzebub, Christ's Church, commandment, confidence, courage, enthusiasm, evil, faith, Father's Day, friends, fun, godly manner, Guide, harmony, holy spirit, honour thy father and mother, hope, hullabaloo, humble servants, in the land God gives thee, invincible, ism, Jesus Christ, joy, laughed him to scorn, lead, lies, lip service, LOVE, members, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, one for all, Oneness, peace, promise, reality of work, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, righteous, sally forth, schism, sincerity, spiritual armour, standing 'O', steadfast faith, taunts, the body is not one member, the body is one, the business of the day, the enemy, the rear end, thy days may be long, trust, truth, ungodly world, unity, warning, wiles, wisdom
1 Corinthians 12:14. For the body is not one member, but many.
Aye friends, the hullabaloo of Father’s Day is over now, time to get back to the reality of work! (smile) However, before we embark on that subject, I want to extend one reminder, and not to the fathers, but to the children.
Please children, please don’t ignore your fathers, in fact your parents, during the remainder of the year. I know we get all gushy and lovey-dovey come Mother’s and Father’s Day, and even then, plenty of us only pay lip service to the occasion, but what happens during the rest of the year eh?
Too many children basically ignore their parents during the rest of the year. And my warning is all for your benefit. Remember the only commandment that has a promise tied to it. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex.20:12) So for your sakes, I’d suggest you children do a better job of honouring your parents than you’re currently doing. Nuff said!
Now let’s get down to the business of the day and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn as though we genuinely mean it, with plenty enthusiasm and sincerity.
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!’
It wasn’t bad friends, but not one of those renditions that creates a standing ‘O’ in heaven. And Jesus, our choir director wasn’t really displeased, so we doing okay. (smile)
But mih people, is time now to get down to brass tacks and go out and face the music with strength, courage, faith and trust that the Holy Spirit that indwells us will truly lead and guide us in a godly and righteous manner and enable us to do God’s will and fulfill His plan for our lives.
If we don’t seriously and sincerely try our best to do that, then our entire faith will be a waste of time, and we won’t be encouraging any others to come to Jesus for safety and succour, but rather turning them away, into the greedy, evil, waiting hands of Beelzebub. And friends, we don’t want to do that EVER! Jesus sacrificed too much for us to let Him down like that.
That’s why we have to stand strong, in unity and harmony, displaying the oneness that Jesus desires in His earthly organization; His body, the church. And that sense of harmony and oneness of purpose is indicated in our Bit. ‘For the body is not one member, but many.’ And that’s why it’s so difficult to get true harmony and unity amongst the members of Christ’s church.
And Bruh Paul likens the church of Christ to the human body. ‘For as the (human) body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one (human) body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.’ (1 Cor.12:12)
But we all know the different parts of the body have different functions, and none are really supposed to be more important than the other, but they all still jockey for importance. (smile)
As Bruh Paul puts it: ‘If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were the eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body (where would the body be)? But now are they many members, yet but one body.’ (1 Cor.12:15-20)
Ah friends, it’s the same with Christ’s church; we consist of many members with different roles, but with our sinful and lustful human nature taking precedence, we foolishly fight amongst and against each other to see who is more important. But my people that is so counterproductive.
And as Bruh Paul so wisely points out later on: ‘but God hath tempered (composed) the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether (if) one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.’ (1 Cor.12:24-26)
But obviously it isn’t working that way in Christ’s body these days, for there is lots of ism and schism disfiguring it, making it the joke of the town. That reminds me of the story where all the parts of the body wanted to be the boss, including the rear end, and all the other parts laughed him to scorn. But when he decided to shut his doors, the rest of the body became sick.
Hn! Just goes to show that even the lowest member is important in God’s set-up. So let’s try to live in harmony and unity nuh my people, so that we can do Jesus’ will productively. Let the heathen fight amongst themselves, but let the Christian church stand strong as ONE! Much LOVE!
…Christians unite…one for all…and all for one…
05 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light unto my path, a positive outlook on life, abundance, almighty god, Beelzebub, blessed, blessings, break free, commandment, compassionate heart, corrupt, courage, creativity, darkness, earthly pilgrimage, enlightening the eyes, everlasting light of Jesus, evil, evil minions, eyes of faith, faith, family, favour, find time, flattery, frauds, friends, fulfillment, glory to God, God's supernatural wisdom, health, I am blessed, illuminating our souls, Jesus Christ, lift up, lift up your soul, light of the world, make time, making wise the simple, material world, meditate, mercies, more to be desired than gold, our Lord and Saviour, prayer, promotion, prosper, protection, receive clear direction, reggae ditty, rejoicing the heart, reproofs of instruction, reward, righteousness, Scrip-Bit, self-control, self-discipline, shamans, shine bright, strife-filled world, strong will, study, succeed, success, supernatural strength, sweeter than hony, talent, testimony, the BIBLE, the Book of Life, the fear of the Lord, the Guide Book of Life, the judgements of the Lord, the law, the secret of life, the way of life, the Word of god, Thursday's Blessings, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, ungodly world
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Morning mih Scrip-Bit breddren! Another new day has dawned, and we are alive to see it…Glory to God!
And though it’s somewhat cloudy, with rain in the forecast, there’s no need for believers to be overly concerned, since we ALWAYS have the bright, shining everlasting light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ illuminating our souls, to lead and guide us safely through the darkness of this evil and ungodly world.
And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’
And talking about shining, I heard this li’l reggae ditty last night titled ‘Lift up your soul,’ by Kaisha Lee.
It contained a wonderful chorus that went something like this: ‘Shine bright, lift your heart up; lift your soul up; lift your smile up. Shine bright, lift your heart up; lift your soul up; lift yourself up. Why don’t you break free and lift your heart up; lift your soul up, lift your smile up. You know that you want to. You know that you got to… Shine bright…’
Yes friends, we’re supposed to shine bright because Jesus considers us the light of the world, and we do need to break free from the chains of this corrupt and material world and lift up our hearts, our souls and our basic selves to a standard that’s approved by our Leader Jesus Christ.
And since today is Thursday, let’s prepare ourselves to receive the new mercies and blessing our great and gracious God is getting ready to send our way, by declaring our Thursday’s Blessings, because, remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s spoken over someone.
As one now: ‘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!’
Ah mih people, how can Beelzebub ever hope to defeat us when we are so well surrounded and bolstered by all those blessings of Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of this universe eh? No way Jose!
The only problem now is that have to believe it, see the blessings coming to pass through our eyes of faith. That brings us to our Bit, which rather appropriately has to do with light and guidance. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’
What a wonderful and true bit of scripture my fellow believers. The Word of our God is indeed a lamp and a light to guide us safely through this world. The Bible is the Guide Book of Life and Living in this crazy and strife-filled world. It contains answers to every question and every situation that we can face in this earthly pilgrimage. But we won’t know those answers unless we read it my brethren.
And strangely and sadly, it can be so difficult to get supposed believers to read the Word of God. I don’t know why. We claim to be believers, and that the Bible is important, but for some unholy reason we can’t seem to find the time to read it.
Friends, let me let you into a little secret: you don’t find time to read God’s Word; you MAKE time to read it! Just like you make time for all the other activities in your life, you need to make time to find out how to live this life.
And that’s a simple reason why so many supposed Christians are having untold problems in their lives; they refuse to read the Word to find the answers to their problems, and instead rely on all the frauds, the shamans and all the other ungodly counsellors and directives of the world.
Wake up nuh precious people of God! You can’t know what God has to say unless you communicate with Him through His Word and prayer!
And hear how Cousin Sol puts it in his warning against adultery. ‘For commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman (seductress).’ (Prov.6:23-24)
Truer words were never spoken my fellow believers! Until we have a lamp filled with oil and a clean glass covering so that we can clearly see the way, we will always falter in the consuming darkness of this evil world.
Lucifer and all his evil minions read and study and meditate on their tomes of evil, so that they can become even more evil than they already are. So why can’t we do the same with our directives for righteousness eh?
And we’ll end with Bruh David’s take on the subject from Psalm 19 –The creation and covenants of God. ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yes than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the (drippings of) the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in the keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps.19:7-12)
Oh my people, I can’t put it any better than that! And Bruh David knew exactly what he was talking about because he lived it. Why are we so presumptuous to think that we know better eh?
Anyway, nuff said for today! I implore us to ponder it all and to make the wise and sensible decision to get seriously involved in God’s Word, for that is the only way to successful living. Much LOVE!
…only in the Book of Life…can one find…the secret to the good life…
08 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversities, affection, anger, blessed, Bruh Paul, busyness, christ jesus, Christian life, commandment, conforming to God's will, Corinthians, daily struggles, eternal reward, expectant faith, faith, fight the good fight of faith, flee these things, follow after righteousness, gentleness, god of all comfort, godliness, grace, hardships, hunger and thirst, hungry hope, in the sight of God, keeping up with the Joneses, lake of fire, lay hold on eternal life, lord jesus christ, Lord of Lords, LOVE, love for money, Lucifer, meekness, negative consequences, O man of God, obedience, patience, peace from God our Father, perseverance, Praise the Lord, resentment, reverence for God, salvation, sin, spiritual life, steadfastness, stress, striving for material wealth, struggle with sin, the Father of mercies, the King of Kings, the Lord jesus christ, the prize, things of God, things of the world, Timothy, wisdom, with every beat of our hearts, with every breath we take
1 Timothy 6:11. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.
Aye Friends, on this summer Saturday morning, I greet you with the words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ! Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’ (2 Cor.1:2-3)
Yes my brethren, we have indeed been blessed by seeing another day on God’s great earth! And grace, and peace, mercies and comfort are all ours for the taking. So please, let’s take them as we need them nuh, through expectant faith and hungry hope, turning to Jehovah God in every circumstance of our lives, with every beat of our heart, with every breath of life we take!
That’s what He expects of us my brethren, faithful followers that we are. And since we have lots of stuff to look at, I won’t ramble on today… ‘Praise the Lord!’ several voices mutter in the background. (smile)
So let’s get straight to our Bit, wise words from Bruh Paul to his protégé Timothy. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.’ Wisdom indeed Friends! Bruh Paul had just finished telling him what not to follow.
And the scholars have a good explanation of that verse. ‘6:11. Flee these things means shun a LOVE for money (v.10) and the striving for material wealth (v.9) with all its resulting woes. Follow after means pursue. Righteousness is practical correctness, conforming to God’s will in one’s thinking and acting.
Godliness is proper reverence for, and obedience to God. Faith is a trust in God that grows stronger. LOVE is a maturing affection for God and man. Patience is perseverance or steadfastness in life and service. Meekness is gentleness.’
Yes Friends, it all applies to us in these troubled times too. And in simple language it means don’t run behind the evil, idolatrous, destructive things of the world, but rather concern yourself with the good, wholesome and everlasting things of God. I don’t know how many times we need to hear that before we believe it and put it into practice nuh.
But too many of us are still running behind the things of the world, especially material wealth and money and are suffering the resultant negative consequences like general unhappiness, busyness, weariness, stress, anger and resentment.
Ah my people, trying to keep up with the Jones’ is a rough scene yes, which could eventually cost your life, and there are no guarantees of success. So please pay serious attention nuh, and let go of the flimsy, worthless things that Lucifer and his evil hordes are pushing. It will serve you much better in the long run.
Then Bruh Paul goes on to tell Timothy: ‘Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:12) Ah mih people, all of that also pertains to us in these dreadful and distressful times.
Hear the scholars’ explanation. ‘6:12. The good fight concerns the daily struggle with sin in the Christian life, and the hardships and adversities in the ministry. A genuine believer demonstrates the reality of his faith by being engaged in this warfare. Lay hold on eternal life does not negate the fact that a believer now possesses spiritual life (John3:36); rather, it speaks of fully realizing or appropriating salvation as the believer matures.’
Yuh see mih breddren, as we face the daily struggles and hardships of life with steadfast faith, we grow, we mature in the Christian life. Oh it’s by no means an easy journey, but when we consider the prize, the eternal reward that’s waiting for us, it certainly makes it all worthwhile.
I don’t know about you nuh Friends, but I surely prefer to have salvation and eternal life with Jesus amidst plenty hard knocks down here, than to satiate myself with the things of Lucifer, then end up in the burning lake of fire when the time of judgement comes.
And to show how most of the things of the world that we hunger and thirst for are a waste of time, just take a look around your homes and you’ll see that amongst those things that we had to have, most of them are languishing, or have languished in obscurity for ages, as the shine and desire wore off in the early days. Most of them we only want them until we get them, then our interest quickly fades. So why do we still run them down eh? The Lord alone knows!
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth (gives life to) all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; (c.f. John 18:36-37). That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable (blameless), until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Which in his times he shall show (manifest), who is the blessed and only Potentate (sovereign ruler), the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; who hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.’ (1 Tim.6:13-16)
Oh Friends what glorious words of truth, what a perfect word picture of Jesus Bruh Paul paints there! Glory be!
And the scholars’ explain thus: ‘6:13. A charge is a command. Quickeneth contains the idea of giving life to. Since god gives life to all things, He can also enable Timothy to “fight the good fight” (v.12).’
‘6:14. This commandment refers back to the charge in verse 13 which embraces the injunctions of verses 11-12. Thus ‘this commandment” is the charge to pursue godliness (v.11) and to fulfill one’s ministry (v.12). Without spot, unrebukable means Timothy is to be meticulous in his obedience of verses 11-13, that is, without fault and failure in compliance.’
So Friends, there’s no more left to say today. Please pay careful attention to all we’ve said, and I do hope that the Most High God Jehovah will help us to understand it, then put it into practice, as soon as possible. Much LOVE!
…Jesus…the ultimate ruler…King of Kings…and Lord of Lords…Potentate of all He surveys…
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