07 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child is born, a son is given, adrenaline, asaph, ascension, awe, battle lines, birth, born of a virgin, care, christianity, compassion, confidence, copulation, Counselor, Creator of the universe, death, down in the dumps, egg, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fallen humanity, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, furthering God's glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, judgement, justice, keeping lives and families together, lies, LOVE, mercy, Messiah, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, payment for sins, peace, praise your holy nmae, redeemed, redemption, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, resurrection, reverence, righteousness., sacrifice, salvation, serve a useful purpose, sexual relations, sinless, sperm, steadfast faith, taunts, the everlasting Father, the Lord of hosts, the mighty God, the one and only true living God, the Prince of Peace, the sanctuary, the throne of David, thy way O God, trust, truth, unblemished, ungodly world, weary souls, who is so great a God, wiles, wisdom, Wonderful, work, zeal
Psalm 77:13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?
Awright friends, it’s Monday, so let’s be up and at ‘em nuh! Our Field Marshall, Jesus Christ is already at the battle lines waiting patiently for us, and it’s a crime, a sure sin to keep Him waiting too long.
So for those of us who fellowshipped and worshipped yesterday, whose spirit is ready to do battle, let’s wake up those who are down in the dumps, moaning and groaning, tired and finding it difficult to get a move on, with a mighty rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one awesome 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!’
Wonderful friends, simply wonderful! Jesus was just smiling and tapping as He swung His baton in guidance, and the Father too was smiling and tapping, as He listened to us bare our hearts and souls in awe and reverence!
Now with all that adrenaline running through our motors, let’s get us to the battlefield that’s work and show the heathen, the unbelievers, how Jesus’ followers do life here on earth nuh, with LOVE, peace, mercy, forgiveness, care and compassion!
Ah mih breddren, my days on paradise are quickly drawing to a close, but that’s life. It was a rather interesting vacation with all sorts of ups and downs, and one I will remember for as long as I live. All glory be to a great God who looks after His followers with all those wonderful attributes we mentioned above!
That’s why when we are confronted by our Bit: ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’ We can confidently declare in a loud and proud voice: ‘NOBODY is as great as our God!
And that’s the indisputable truth! That’s also why the psalmist Asaph, in the verses after our Bit could loudly, proudly and truthfully proclaim: ‘Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength amongst the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.’ (Ps.77:14-15)
Yes my people, our great and awesome God has indeed done all of that! And since I’m going to make today the last day for this particular Bit – and I hear many voices whispering, ‘Thank God!’ (smile) I’ll get to some real powerful factors in our God’s redemption of His people; namely the birth, death, resurrection and ascension of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Wow! What moments of true might and power from the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING God!
Let’s talk generally about those actions, because we’d be here till next never (smile) if we tried to look at them in detail.
Long before Jesus ever came, the Lord promised His people a Messiah, a Saviour. Isaiah prophesied this when he declared: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is.9:6-7) And perform it did He ever!
Now here is the clincher in the whole scenario: our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born of a virgin named Mary! Upon that lies the entire basis of Christianity. If you don’t believe that, or if it isn’t true, then Christianity is a fake.
But that’s the only way Jesus could have been born a sinless man. If He had had an earthly or human father then He would have been amongst the fallen humanity as we are. But to ensure that He was both man and God, the Father conceived Him spiritually in the womb of a virgin; a woman who had had no sexual relations with any man.
So He had an earthly mother, which made him man, but a heavenly and spiritual Father, which made Him God. That’s why He could have lived amongst us, feel all the pains and anxieties we feel, but still considered sinless.
And He had to be sinless, unblemished like all the sacrifices the Jews made, otherwise He could not have been sacrificed on the cross of Calvary, and thus paid our sin debt in full. Oh glory to God my people!
The Father in His holiness, righteousness and justice needed payment for our sins, if they were to be forgiven, and the only unblemished person beside Himself was His Son Jesus. That made the argument moot, if He intended to redeem His fallen creation.
So friends, let’s end with these two question nuh; is there any other supposed deity who LOVES His followers, more than our great God who sacrificed His Only Son for us?
The answer is obviously a resounding NO!
And lastly, is there any other supposed deity down through the ages, who could have made a human being without some sort of copulation between a male and a female of the species?
The answer is also a resounding NO!
Even in these days of high technology and great advancement in the science of human reproduction, to produce a human being, it still takes the sperm of a male to come into contact with the egg of a female, however that is accomplished. I rest my case. Much LOVE!
…only a most mighty and powerful Deity…could have created this world and all therein…
21 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Inspirational Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a rollicking time, analogy, Anselm, as the heaven is as high above the earth, attributes, basic objective, believing is seeing, bless the Lord, blessings, catalyst, children's children, Christ's realm, compassion, edifying, Emotional Quotient, encouraging, EQ, everlasting, faith, fellowship, focused on God, forgiveness, free choice, friendships, generations, glory and honour to God, glory hallelujah, grace, grass, home away from home, hope, Hours of Power Devotional, Intelligence Quotient, IQ, Jesus Christ, joy, life, likeness of Christ, LOVE, loving kindness, memories, mercy, no place like Home, obedient to God's will, Radisson Hotel, relationships, righteousness., Sea Breeze, seeing is believing, so great is his mercy, Thanks be to God, to them that fear him, Tobago, truth, understanding, wander away from God, wisdom
Psalm 103:11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.
Once again friends and neighbours, on this bright and beautiful Sunday morning, I’m coming to you from my little cottage by the sea in sweet Tobago, aptly called ‘Sea Breeze.’ (smile)
Got back here late last night. And is it ever so good to be back home in Tobago again! As they say, there’s no place like home. And this is my home away from home right now.
Anyway, this morning I’m bringing words of LOVE, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, understanding, grace, and blessings from our heavenly Father; all the attributes of which He is the Supreme Possessor and Giver.
And all God’s people declared loudly: ‘Thanks be to God, who gives us generously of all His attributes!’ And we all know that as gospel truth friends!
Now I’ve got a lot to share today, so let’s begin right away with this quote from our friend Anselm, who delights in inspiring us to live a better tomorrow. And this rather appropriate quote tells us that: ‘Believing is seeing. You gotta believe something will happen for you before you see it. Have faith in the process of getting there.’
And that’s ever so true my people! In Christ’s realm, you have to believe it before you see it. With Christ, believing is seeing, not like the world thinks, that seeing is believing. That’s where those two great attributes, hope and faith come in; for without them we can’t believe without seeing.
And to help us along in that regard, Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from his Hours of Power Devotional tells us about our EQ as opposed to our IQ.
Now our IQ or Intelligence Quotient is naturally related to our intelligence. However, our EQ or Emotional Quotient is related to our hope and faith. Gramps defines a high EQ as ‘a heart that has strong faith, unquenchable hope, and passionate LOVE.’
Glory Hallelujah! Oh how I wish that all God’s children were blessed with such a high EQ! Unfortunately though, we’re not, but fortunately it is indeed possible and very necessary that we build up that high EQ. And that is all a part of what out Bit is about; trying to keep us focused on God, His Word and His plan for our lives.
Now remember though, that the Bit IS NOT sufficient reading and studying material for a child of God. It is a useful catalyst, but we all need to get deeply involved in the Word and fellowship with other believers on our own. That’s the only way we’ll ever truly grow to a likeness of Christ, achieve a high EQ, which is our basic objective.
Now I haven’t kept you all up to date on my recent activities, sorry about that, (smile) but I can only write what the Lord directs me to write. And thankfully He’s given me some room for that today.
Well you all know that I was in Trinidad for the last few days. You also know I went to the Southland by water taxi and had a great time.
On Friday evening we also had a rollicking time as some friends and family gathered with me in the lobby bar area of the Radisson Hotel where I was staying. The hotel has a happy hour every Friday evening from 5 to 7, but our happy hour lasted from about six to eleven. Hn, Hn!
We laughed and talked and drank and munched some chicken wings the hotel provided, shared old memories and made some new ones that we can share at a later date. Glory to God!
I saw a couple of friends whom I hadn’t seen since I left the UWI Mona campus in Jamaica in 1969. Brother! That’s something like 45 years. But what I like about these old friendships is that though we don’t see each other often, when we meet, it’s just like we saw each other yesterday, we pick up from right where we left off. That is what true friendships and relationships are all about!
Enough about my activities though. I’ll leave yesterday’s activities for tomorrow though, because it was truly an eye opener for me, and will take up too much time and space.
So let’s get to our oh so wonderful, encouraging and edifying Bit. ‘For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.’
Yes Friends what a wonderful analogy to show how great God’s mercy is towards those of us who revere and worship Him – as high as the heaven is above the earth! Wow! That’s pretty high! So just imagine how much LOVING-kindness He has stored up and pours down on us nuh.
And all I can say in response is: ‘All glory and honour be to our magnificent and magnanimous God who is so interested in our welfare, in every aspect of our lives!’
The problem here though is that many of us have a problem in truly believing that Almighty God, that great entity on high, can be interested in our plain and simple, lowly and mundane lives. But my people, He truly does. He made us and has a big stake in everything that happens in our earthly sojourn.
Listen to how Bruh David continues in Psalm 103, from which our Bit is taken. ‘As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it (remember it) no more.
But the mercy (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (revere) him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.’ (Ps.103:15-17)
Ah mih breddren, our God’s mercy spans time from whenever it began to whenever it ends, if ever, and is available to all generations during that time. What more can we ask eh? Not a whole lot, except His guidance and strength to keep on LOVING Him and being obedient to His holy will, so that we can keep on enjoying His (LOVING-kindness.)
Yes friends, it is somewhat of a conundrum; we have to LOVE and obey God, but at the same time we do need His strength, wisdom and guidance to do it. Yuh see how we’re inextricably tied up with our Creator!
And we’ll end with these wise words from Bruh David. ‘Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers (servants) of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps.103:21-22)
Now that’s wisdom for all the ages! Much LOVE!
…yes…we do have free choice…but to wander away from God…means we’re not using that free choice wisely…
13 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fleeting moment, a name above every other name, alive, apologize, appearance, at the name of Jesus, awakened, cast not away your confidence, change, chronic illness, circumstances, compassion, disconsolate, endurance, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, everything can change, exalted, faith, feelings, frame of reference, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's gifts, God's plan for us, he is a rewarder, he that comes to God, holy spirit, hope, humble, humility, in a split second, Jesus as our guide, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, joy, joy waits for no man, joyfulness, labour of LOVE, let this mind be in you, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, memories, mercy, ministered, more to be desired than gold, obedience, obedient, on a high note, One More Day Devotional, Paradise, patience, Praise the Lord, receive the promise, recompense, rewards, sacrifice, selfless, sinners, sweeter than honey, Tanhuma, the death of the cross, the Good Book, the Lamb that was slain, the will if God, them that diligently seek him, to the glory of God the Father, Tobago, trust, walking with Jesus, which also was in Christ Jesus, wisdom
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.
Oh mih breddren, it’s Saturday; another beautiful day in Paradise! Glory Hallelujah!
On second thought though, I think I need to apologize for my effusive opening to those of you who have not awakened to such a paradisaical situation as I have. (smile)
But friends, the most important thing, regardless of our physical situations and limitations is that we have awakened. Glory to God! And once we’re alive and walking with Jesus Christ there is ALWAYS that wonderful thing called HOPE! Hope that through Jesus, our circumstances can change, can improve.
Now that’s one of the reasons I’m in Tobago; I have the hope that the sunshine and saltwater will alleviate my physical ailments. So far though, there are plusses and minuses on the scoreboard, but I still have hope, am still believing that by the time I’m ready to leave in the next few weeks I will be healed. Or at least be in much better shape than when I came.
That’s hope, that leads to faith. And a little reminder here that we cannot have faith without hope. So please don’t be disconsolate even though your surroundings, though your life might not be on a high note right now, because with Jesus as our guide, everything can change, sometimes in a split second.
So NEVER stop having HOPE! And another thing too, once we’re alive, it means that God has a plan for us to carry out, otherwise we wouldn’t be here to tell the story.
And all God’s people said a loud, proud and grateful ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
And I’m chuckling here friends, because this was not what I had planned to write, neither was what is about to come, but this is where I was guided, so who am I to complain eh?
And I want to share something from my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness, and you can count me amongst that lot.
Anyway, today’s quote is attributed to one Tanhuma, whom I believe is a Jewish sage from way back when. And he profoundly declares that ‘Joy waits for no man.’ And I know that all of us have found that our several times throughout our lives.
The text goes on to tell us: ‘Joyfulness is one of God’s greatest gifts. Joy transcends all time and place. Joy causes unmeasurable and often indescribable feelings which we might only have for a fleeting moment. Joy is like opening a special present. It is a state of mind, a frame of reference for future memories.’
Yes my people, joy is all of those things, but more importantly joy comes from a secure and comfortable walk with the Lord. As the Good Book says: ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ (Neh. 8:10)
That’s why the ole scoundrel Lucifer tries to steal our joy; because he knows without it, we are helpless and very susceptible to his evil charms. So please let’s stand strong and steadfast in that joy that our God provides, so that we can do His will in faith, trust and obedience, like Jesus did.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.’ And as we’ve been saying for the last few days, only by thinking like Jesus can we do the things He wants us to do.
And we see the utmost importance of all that when we consider the scripture which says: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:8)
Yes my people, Jesus became so humble and obedient to His Father’s will, that He went like a lamb to the cross for our benefit….
And all God’s people cried out a loud and grateful ‘Glory Hallelujah! Blessed is the lamb that was slain for us!’
And though we will never reach Jesus’ level of humility and obedience because of our built in sinful nature, the object of the whole living exercise is to try and get as close as possible to it. And you know what happens when we serve the Lord obediently and sincerely? He rewards us! Not always down here on earth, but He puts away some for us in heaven.
And we have the best example of that in the next few verses of Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Mama mia my people! What a wonderful God we serve and worship! Yuh see how He exalted Jesus for His selfless sacrifice on our behalf, by making Him ruler of all, where all must bow and confess that Jesus is Lord!
But please pay close attention to the end of that sentence; ‘to the glory of the God the Father.’ Yes my brethren, ALL that we do, is ALL for God’s glory! Even Jesus’ sacrifice was to show God’s mercy and LOVING-kindness to a bunch of ungrateful sinners!
So my fellow believers, though we are not working, not serving God because of the rewards we can get, we nonetheless have those rewards as something to look forward to. And we’ll close today by sharing a few scriptures that encourage us in that respect, beginning with Bruh David’s poignant words from Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God.
He declares that the keeping of God’s statutes and judgements are ‘More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (the drippings of the honeycomb). Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps.19:10-11)
Now hear the author of Hebrews, which I believe is Bruh Paul, because it sounds too much like him. ‘For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of LOVE, which ye have showed towards his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.’ (Heb.6:10)
And we’ll close with these most encouraging and uplifting words again from Hebrews. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36).
I couldn’t say it any better my people, so I implore us to go out today and do God’s will with mercy, compassion and LOVE in our hearts, being mindful of the rewards that are accruing in our accounts in heaven. Much LOVE!
…for he that cometh to God must believe that he is…and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him… (Heb.11:6b)
25 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, appreciation, attributes of God, aura of love, blizzard, churlishness, compassion, complaints, confidence, conquerors, contention, Creator of the universe, Eastern coast of North America, enthusiasm, eternal life, everlasting life, evil, faith, false teaching, fellowship, foolish pride, for God so loved the world, freezing to death, glorious kingdom, God is LOVE, Gos id light, gusto, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, hope, human response, humble servants, immortal words, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, let us love one another, lies, life-giving words, LOVE, LOVE is of God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obedience to god, prayer, prayers, ravages, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, right belief about Christ, running out of gas, snow, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, suspicion, taunts, thankfulness, the BIBLE, the greatest of these, truth, understanding, ungodly world, useful purpose, weary souls, whoever believeth in him should not perish, wiles
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.
Ah friends, this Monday morning is one day many of us should be ever so thankful that we’re not living on the Eastern coast of North America, because of the terrible blizzard that passed through that area on the weekend, dropping humongous amounts of snow on the ground. Ah Lord eh!
On the news, I believe it was Saturday, I heard a woman saying that she and her family had been snowbound on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for 12 hours. Another woman and her family, on another highway, had been snowbound for some twenty hours. Can you imagine that – sitting in a car for so long, the windows all frosted and you being anxious about running out of gas and possibly freezing to death?
One of those two women had their diabetic father with her, on his birthday to boot. Not a very pleasant way to spend your birthday at all. I believe though, that one of those families was fairly close to a gas station, so they were able to get some food and refreshment. I don’t how much that helped though, when you couldn’t drive, and you were still a long way from home.
Please let’s remember in our prayers the millions of people along the Eastern seaboard who are still undergoing the ravages of the snowstorm. So let’s have no complaints and churlishness because you have to get up and go to work. Let’s just sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with extra gusto and thankfulness.
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!’
That was good friends, but I don’t think that our choir director, Jesus, heard enough thankfulness in our voices. (smile) But He does know that we believe His words found in our most encouraging and uplifting 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.’
And how could we not believe those beautiful, eternal life-giving words eh, unless we’re real dense and full of foolish pride? And I know that some of you might be tired with the same Bit for so long, but my people, that is possibly the most important statement in the entire Bible. It was the ONLY reason that Jesus came to earth!
And if you can’t feast on those miraculous and momentous words for a few days, then I’d strongly suggest you question your faith. And I can’t guarantee that it will finish today either, for there’s still a fair amount of scripture to be studied on it. And we’ll begin with the immortal words of John’s first epistle, re God is LOVE!
‘BELOVED, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7)
Now let’s stop right there and get some valuable explanations from the scholars. ‘4:7. John returns to the theme of mutual LOVE. Perhaps the false teaching he felt compelled to combat had contributed to suspicion and contention in the fellowship. In contrast, John is not saying that everyone who LOVES is a Christian, whether they trust in Christ or not.
He makes it clear elsewhere that true knowledge of God entails right belief about Christ, as well as right response to God, including LOVE of others. Mere human LOVE apart from Christ’s redeeming presence and motivation falls short of LOVE in its fullest dimension as a human response to God’s perfect and infinite compassion (cf. 1 Cor.13).’
Oh my brethren, I do hope that that helps us to better understand the precept of God’s LOVE; His LOVE for us, as well as our LOVE for Him and for others. It must be accompanied by true belief in Christ and obedience to God’s Word!
Now let’s continue with the scripture. ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:8)
We have to stop here again my people to get a little insight on that verse from the scholars. ‘4:8. John has also recorded that “God is light” (1:5) and “Spirit” (John 4:24). LOVE is one of the many attributes of God and is to be understood in relation to the others, such as holiness and justice.’
Yes friends, our God is what in sports parlance we’d call an all-rounder – has many parts to His nature! However, He is not just a jack of all trades, but indeed a MASTER of them all! (smile)
And you know what? I think we’ll stop there for today, since I don’t want the Bit to get too involved and difficult to understand. So, the Lord willing, we’ll just have to continue it tomorrow. (smile)
Bear with me friends, it’s all for a good purpose, to our benefit. And I do hope that our understanding and appreciation of God’s LOVE has improved, has grown today, because that’s what it’s all about. Much LOVE!
…And now abideth…faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1Cor.13:13)
23 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a relationship with God, advice, any man should boast, beloved followers, better understanding of God, blessings, by grace you are saved through faith, care, Christ's atonement, compassion, created in Christ, divine grace, easy yoke, Ephesians, faith, foolish pride, for God so loved the world, for good works, forgiveness, free choice, glory hallelujah, God's goodness, God's purpose, going his own way, grace, grow in Christ, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, Jesus, lead and guide, leftovers, life-changing words, light burden, logic, loving kindness, maturity, meat and potatoes, menu, mercies, not of works, read and spell, recreated by Christ Jesus, rocket science, running back for more, salvation, sample God's wares, sinful nature, spiritual birth, surrender your life to God, the cross at Calvary, the gift of God, the greatest gift ever given to man, the kindness of God, the long and short of the story, understanding God's Word, unmerited favour, whoever believeth in him should not perish, workmanship
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.
And the people sang: ‘Saturday, oh Saturday, what do you have in store for us today?’
And the Lord replied likewise in song: ‘For my beloved followers, today I have brand new blessings, brand new mercies, etched with forgiveness, grace, care, compassion and LOVING-kindness. That’s my constant menu, except they are freshly prepared each and every day. I don’t do leftovers for those I sincerely care about.
And I have the best server in the world, My Holy Spirit. He will lead and guide you through the entire day, giving you good advice as to what to do and say.
So if you like what I’m offering, come on down and sample my wares. I guarantee that once you’ve sampled them, you’ll never go away; you’ll just keep running back for more. So see you soon. All my LOVE! Your heavenly Father.’
And that’s exactly how it is friends! Our magnificent God prepares His menu of delights afresh for us every day. As he says, He doesn’t do leftovers. But the only way you can truly sample His wares is by surrendering your life and soul to Him, so that He can set up His Holy Spirit in your soul.
The Holy Spirit is the server, so if you don’t surrender and allow Him in, then you won’t be able to sample the menu. No rocket science my brethren, just simple logic!
And all of that is borne out in the marvelous words of 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.’
Oh precious people, how can we doubt or disbelieve those life-changing words eh? It’s been historically proven that Jesus did die on the cross at Calvary, and if He was indeed whom He claimed to be, and there’s no reason to doubt it, then that’s the greatest gift that has ever been given to mankind! Glory Hallelujah!
We should all be shouting and praising and thanking God for His wonderful gift of salvation through Christ, and be ever so willing to live under His easy yoke and light burden.
But mankind is a different animal, possessing free choice, foolish pride and a sinful nature, so he doesn’t always make the wisest decisions. And even when you read and spell for him, like I’m trying to do here, he still insists on going his own way.
However, let’s turn to the scriptures for more facts on the subject. Yesterday we were looking at Bruh Paul’s message to the Ephesians, concerning faith and grace and how they work in a believer’s life. We ended up where he declared that God’s purpose was to demonstrate His goodness to them through Jesus Christ so they could have a better understanding of Him. (2:7)
Today, we’ll continue from there. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and not that of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:8-10)
Now friends, those are three of the most important verses concerning our faith! The first thing we need to realize is that we are saved by God’s grace, His unmerited favour, and nothing that we have done ourselves.
The scholars explain that verse thus. ‘2:8. For gives the reason for this future demonstration of divine grace. It is because man owes his salvation to this grace or undeserved divine favour.’ Then they go into all sorts of explanations about the different tenses and genders of the Greek words which I will leave out.
The long and short of the story though is: ‘This means that no part of salvation is “of yourselves” or due to what we do – the whole of salvation is the gift of God. Man is saved “by grace” that is, by the kindness of God in having Jesus die for our sins. But this grace is appropriated through faith, that is, man believes what God has done for him and relies upon Christ’s atonement to blot out his sins and bring him into a proper relationship with God.’
In other words, NONE of our good works can get us into heaven. We can ONLY get there by accepting God’s LOVING-kindness and having faith, believing In Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Unfortunately though, a lot of people still misguidedly believe that good works will get them into heaven. I sincerely hope that they smarten up before it’s too late.
As for ‘2:9. The reason in part, that salvation is not achieved by good works is to prevent men from bragging of having earned a place in heaven by themselves.’
Yuh think the Lord stupid? He made man, and He knows what we are capable of. Can you imagine the bragging and boasting that would have gone on if we could get to heaven through good works!
‘2:10. For verifies the assertion of man’s good works having no part in obtaining salvation. Workmanship refers not to our original or physical birth, but to our spiritual birth: what we are spiritually in the good sense is due to God, not ourselves. Created in Christ Jesus unto good works means “having been (morally) recreated by Christ Jesus for good works;” that is, Jesus remade our spiritual lives so that we could then do good works.
The apostle’s thinking is this: since the Christian has been given spiritual life for the purpose of doing good works, there could have been no good works by him prior to conversion that would merit salvation. Good works follow – do not precede – salvation.’
There you have it friends, Bruh Paul’s treatise on grace and faith. I know I’ve shared most of this stuff before, but it’s such an important part of our belief system that we can never hear it enough.
So today let’s spend some time pondering on the meat and potatoes set before us nuh. It’s time we stop drinking milk and eating baby food and gain some maturity, moving on to a higher understanding of God’s Word (smile). Much LOVE!
…we can only grow in Christ…by gaining a deeper understanding of His Word…
21 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A journey of love, a righteous man, a secular, atonement, Beelzebub, bleak, bleary, bounden duty, care, Christ died for us, compassion, conviction, darkness, disobedience, dispel the darkness, egocentric world, fellow believers, for God so loved the world, forgiveness, glory hallelujah, God's chosen people, godless society, grace, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, Israel, justification, justified, live in the light of God's presence, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, New Testament, Old Testament, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, reconciled, reconciliation, repentance, sacrifice, Saint of the Little Flower, salvation, saved, saved from wrath, should not perish, sin, sinners, soldiers of Christ, St. Therese, substitutionary death, the Word of god, this is the day the Lord has made, turn a blind eye, ungodly world, vicarious deathm, we will rejoice and be glad in it, whosoever believeth on Jesus, wisdom
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.
And then it was Thursday! Glory Hallelujah! Yes friends, one more day of being alive and kicking on this glorious planet under the auspices of Almighty God, it’s Creator and Sustainer!
What blessed folks we are, so blessed that we can say with sincerity, truth and great enthusiasm; ‘this is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Yes my people, we will be glad and rejoice although outside looks bleak and bleary, another uninspiring winter morning. (smile)
And we can do that because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, through His Holy Spirit, lives and reigns in our hearts, bodies, minds and souls. Oh glory to God my fellow believers in Jesus Christ!
Now here is a prayer that I thought we could all use. It’s taken from a devotional booklet titled ‘A Journey of LOVE. Walking with St. Therese of Lisieux,’ the saint of the Little Flower.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, help me to live always in the light of your presence. Should any darkness challenge my belief and LOVE for you, dispel that darkness so that I might witness to your merciful and gracious LOVE. Grant me the wisdom to confront a secular and egocentric world with your message of care and compassion for all people. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.’
Oh friends, do we ever need God’s grace and wisdom to confront the dark, evil and ungodly world that now surrounds us! It’s definitely not easy living a life for Christ in an increasingly secular world, but we have to do it as good soldiers of Christ and His LOVE Revolution, because that is the only thing that will turn our godless society back to out wonderful, generous and forgiving Maker.
And believe me, we do need to turn back in conviction and repentance if we want our world to not only survive, but also to thrive. Friends, we can’t continue the woeful state of sin in which we’re living and expect God to turn a blind eye.
As I’ve asked before, why do we think that He would punish His Chosen People, Israel for their disobedience and not us eh? Go ponder that.
Anyway, let’s get to out 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.’
Oh my precious people, what wonderfully uplifting words; words of encouragement, of unending LOVE and a promise of a wonderful life in the hereafter! How could we ever not believe and accept them as gospel truth eh, especially since Jesus sacrificed His sinless self to fulfill them?
I’m sorry for those who refuse to believe them, but it’s also our bounden duty to live lives and talk a talk that encourages them to change their beliefs and ways, for that’s what Jesus desires of us. Remember the Father doesn’t want to lose even ONE of His precious creation to that evil fool Beelzebub.
Now let’s turn to some scripture that emphasizes the importance and truth of our Bit. Listen to Bruh Paul writing to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his (demonstrates His own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom.5:6-11)
Oh Friends, how could we ever doubt God’s great LOVE for us eh, when while we were yet sinners, His enemies, He sent His Son, Jesus to die for us? We shouldn’t, but unfortunately many of us do.
Now I know some of that scripture might be somewhat confusing, so here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘5:8. Christ died for us: His death was vicarious. That is, He did not die merely for our benefit but in our place. His was a substitutionary sacrifice.’
‘5:9-10. By his blood…by his life: The death of Christ and His shed blood effect (created, enables) salvation (Eph.1:7, 2:13; Col.1:14, Heb.9:12-15), but the life of Christ sustains it. The reference is to the abiding results of Jesus’ death and resurrection (cf.4:25).’
And Rom.4:25 says: ‘Who was delivered for (because of) our offenses, and was raised again for (because of) our justification.’
And we’ll end with a primer on Substitutionary Death from the scholars. ‘5:8. One of the historic fundamentals of the faith is the vicarious Atonement, in which Christ died as a substitute for sin. Illustration: In the Old Testament, this was taught typologically by the offering of an animal sacrificed for sin, looking forward to that ultimate sacrifice for sin, Christ (cf. Gen.22:8). In the New testament, Christ is described as having died in the place of the Christian (v.8), of the church (Eph.5:25), and of the world (Heb.2:9).
The concept of Substitutionary death is illustrated by the offering of a ram in the place of Isaac (Gen.22:13). Though Abraham was willing to offer his son as requested, God was prepared to accept a substitute that He had provided.
Application: Because Jesus died for everyone, Christians should take the message of the gospel to “every creature” (Mark 16:15). (First Ref. Gen.3:21; Primary Ref. Rom.5:8; cf. Eph.1;5).’
There you have it friends, in black and white! Please let’s study and ponder all that we’ve said today, so that the Word of God and His great LOVE for us will sink deep into our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, and give us the encouragement and strength we so badly need to enlighten this darkened world. Much LOVE!
…Adam’s disobedience caused sin… Jesus sacrificial death brought…reconciliation, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life…
18 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a standing O, asaph, at the front lines, aura of love, calamitous, Caleb, compassion, confidence, conquerors, covenant, Creator of the universe, disobedience, enthusiasm, evil, evil minions, facade, faith, flatter with their mouth, forgat his works, forgiveness, from whence comes our help, glamorous, glitzy, glorious kingdom, God was their rock, God's children, God's goodness, good life, grace, his wonders that he had showed them, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, iniquity, into the breach, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, jobs, Joshua, joy, lip service, LOVE, Lucifer, lusting, manna, meat, meet the enemy in battle, mercies, miracles, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, on which side his bread was buttered, pageantry, pomp, Praise the Lord, prosperity, Psalm 78, Redeemer, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, soldiers, sought God, spiritual armour, spreading God's Word, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, the early bird catches the worm, the high god their redeemer, the Love Revolution, the Promised Land, the things of the world, the wilderness, turned away his anger, ungodly world, victorious army of Christ, we can't fool God, wiles, wrath, you will reap what you sow
Psalm 78:11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.
Once more friends, once more into the breach on this cold, frosty Monday morning in mid-January! As good soldiers in the victorious army of Christ let’s get a move on! Remember the early bird catches the worm. (smile) The LOVE Revolution calls! And like any good leader, our Field Marshall, Jesus Christ is already at the front lines reconnoitring the enemy’s positions.
So let’s not be found wanting in these crucial times nuh, let’s get on with the task bequeathed to us; that of spreading God’s Word, His faithful, unconditional LOVE, His tender mercies, His everlasting grace and His endless forgiveness!
And all of God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord!’
And with that bit of energizing, let’s take it one step further by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with even greater pomp and pageantry. (smile)
As one now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Beautiful friends! That was beautiful! Jesus was in His essence as He conducted us. Heaven even gave us a standing O and called for an encore! Mama Mia! What a morning it’s turning out to be!
Ah mih breddren, we serve such a wonderful God that I don’t know how people can turn away from Him. But sadly they are doing it, and recently in droves too, lured by the glitzy and glamorous come on by Lucifer and his evil minions.
Unfortunately though, it’s only after they are caught in that evil web that they realize it’s all a façade, a trap from which it is very difficult to break free. They can’t do so without the help of Jesus, and it’s our job to win them back, as well as those who never believed, by the way we walk and talk and glorify His holy name.
That means we obviously can’t be like the Israelites of old, who turned away from God ‘And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.’
Now that is so mind boggling, I can’t even imagine it! Hn! In spite of all the miracles he did on their behalf, from down in Egypt to the provision of manna and meat in the wilderness, they still turned away from him. They must have been a really hard-headed and stubborn people – just like so many of us nowadays. So God, in His anger, slew some of them and made the lives of the remainder futile and calamitous. (Ps.78:33)
Now let’s listen in as Asaph continues his story in Psalm 78. ‘When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early (sought diligently) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.’ (Ps.78:34-35)
Ah friends, at last they smartened up and learned on which side their bread was buttered. I ‘ve been hoping and praying that the same thing can happen in our society today; that we can wake up and realize from whence comes our help, our prosperity and good life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be happening.
However, we cannot give up hope, for there’s no giving up in Jesus, we just have to continue talking our talk and walking our walk as we have been instructed to do, and the Lord will do the rest.
And Asaph writes on: ‘Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.’ (Ps.78:36-37)
Yes friends, the repentance wasn’t really true, it was just lip service. And I suspect that a lot of that is happening today. Many of us are merely paying lip service to God, while our hearts are truly lusting after the things of the world. Oh precious people, we can’t fool God, because He looks at the state of our hearts, rather than just listen to the words of our lying lips.
However, He’s such a wonderful Deity that Asaph tells us: ‘But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke (rebel against) him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.’ (Ps.78:28-41)
What a slap in the face eh! In spite of all God’s goodness, His chosen people rebelled against Him several times on the journey through the wilderness. But in His compassion and wisdom, He did not fully destroy them, just made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until all those who had come out of Egypt died. Not even Moses entered into the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the original lot who did so.
So my fellow believers in Christ, let’s remember that though the Lord might not destroy us for our constant disobedience, He will find other ways to make us pay. Much LOVE!
…whatever you sow…is exactly what you will reap…so you can’t sow disobedience and expect to reap salvation…
18 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discerner, a two-part being, believers in Jesus Christ, Christians, compassion, dirt poor, dividing asunder of soul and spirit, doing God's work, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, functions, furthering God's glorious kingdom, getting me through another week, glory hallelujah, God's LOVE, godly power, human bone structure, in soul body and mind, integrity, John's vision, judging by what we have, like a hammer, LOVE, material possessions, my word is like a fire, our most important activity, overstanding, P.S. I Love You, partying soon start, preserved blameless, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, sharper than any twoedged sword, speaking God's Word, the branch of Jesse, the joints and marrow, the right perspective, the rod of his mouth, the Son of man, the thoughts and intents of the heart, the Word of God is quick, the workweek finish, there is power in the Word, till the coming of Christ, True wealth is what you are, wisdom, with righteousness, with the breath of his lips, with your generous help
Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.
And then, at last it was Friday…
And the whole town singing, ’Friday, Friday Friday, we LOVE you! Even though today yuh dark and dreary, we still glad that yuh here, because it means the workweek finish and the weekend finally here. Partying soon start! Thank God for Fridays yes! Thank Him for everyday, but especially Friday!’
Ah mih people, try as we can, we can’t break the party attitude that is first and foremost on our minds come Friday eh. As I keep saying though, nothing’s wrong with partying, just that it shouldn’t be the major thought in our minds come the weekend. Some rest and relaxation, plus serious time with our heavenly Father are also important to our weekend activities.
And to help us get in the right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant like we really mean it nuh. 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 Friends, we need to remember that doing God’s work is our most important activity down here on earth, so it is necessary to make some special preparations that we can do it positively and effectively.
Now here’s a li’l brain teaser from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ poster. And it says: ‘True wealth is what you are, not what you have.’
And that’s the truth in spades my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! Who we are as people, is much more important that what we have. Unfortunately though, the world, including too many Christians behave the opposite way, judging others and ourselves by what we have.
Our material possessions are too often used to describe us as successful or not. But the truth is my people, we could be dirt poor in economic terms, but wealthy as ever internally, with integrity, compassion, wisdom, overstanding and God’s LOVE! Glory Hallelujah!
Now there’s nothing wrong with possessing economic wealth, but it must not take priority over those other things we just mentioned. So please, let’s get our priorities straight this Friday morning nuh, because the whole ebb and flow of our lives depends on it.
And that segues very nicely into our Bit. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’
Ah Friends, there is indeed immense power in the Word of our mighty and wonderful God! All glory and majesty be to Him!
And the scholars have this interesting info on our Bit, which they have titled: ‘Immaterial Part of Man. 4:12. The writer here draws an interesting parallel between the joints and the marrow, which have different functions, yet both are a part of a human’s bone structure.
Thoughts and intents are also two distinctive activities, yet both activities of the mind. And while the soul and spirit are distinct in function, both have an immaterial character. When considering the nature of humanity, we must realize a person is a two-part being, that is, with body and soul. But in activity or function the body, soul, and spirit of a person each has a different function.
Paul desired of his converts “whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess.5:23). (First Reference, Gen.2:7; Primary Reference, 1 Thess.5:23; cf. Prov.4:23.).’
Now that’s what is so wonderful about a human being; we’re made of so many different parts that function separately, as well as together, to make up the whole that we are in God! And please take a moment to read those references, because they are oh so good and true!
And today we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that corroborate the truth of our Bit, beginning with words from Isaiah, as he talks about the righteous reign of the branch of Jesse.
‘But with righteousness shall he judge the poor and reprove with equity (decide with uprightness) for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite (strike) the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.’ (Is.11:4)
Yes people, the Lord’s servant will do it all through the power of His mouth. Meanwhile, when talking about false prophets, Jeremiah describes it thus: ‘Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?’ (Jer.23:29)
And finally, in John’s vision of the Son of Man, he declares: ‘And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.’ (Rev.1:16)
Oh friends, I do hope that all of this is having some significant impact on us, teaching us about how mighty and powerful the Word of out God truly is. Why you ask?
Because until we understand that, we will be severely limiting ourselves of the power that we have, through speaking God’s Word. And life is hard enough as it is, we don’t need to make it any harder by limiting the godly power that’s available to us. Much LOVE!
…there is power in the Word…power in the Word…power in the Word…
15 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be a friend of Jesus, Christ is the way, come to ruin, compassion, depart from evil, do good, eternal life, eternal separation from God, few there be that find it, give me Jesus, glory hallelujah, glory to God, his seed begging bread, how Christ functions in our lives, 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 have not seen the righteous forsaken, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, LOVE, loving kindness, narrow is the way that leads to life, no one comes to the Father but through Jesus, Praise is the song of a soul set free, precious, privileged, put Jesus at the forefront of our lives, reignites the fire of Jesus, share His love with the world, show by example, spend our day wisely, the babbling fool, the heart of wisdom, the Life, the Lord upholdeth him, the love and compassion of Christ, the one and only true living God, the steps of a good man, the Truth, the wise in heart, thenk the Lord, thou shalt not stumble, thy steps shall not be hindered, Tuesday Mantra, we can do all thing through Jesus, we have Jesus with us, what a joy to be loved by God, what's done in darkness will come to light, when thou goest, when thou runnest, wide is the gate that leads to destruction
Proverbs 4:12. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened (hindered); and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Well Friends, another day has dawned, bright and beautiful, and we’re alive to see and experience it! Glory to God!
Oh, I know that where you are, it might not be beautiful in the physical weather scene, but for sure in our hearts and souls it is marvellous, especially when we consider that we have Jesus to walk along with us to help us spend our day wisely.
And all God’s children gave out a loud and proud shout of: ‘Thank the Lord! Give me Jesus any and everyday!’
Yes my brethren, with Jesus walking alongside us, we can handle all our problems, do all things in His mighty power. Glory to God!
I’m truly sorry for the unbeliever who cannot fathom, much less experience the LOVE and compassion of Christ, and the wonderful way He function in our lives.
That’s why we believers need to make every effort to show them by our example, how precious and privileged it would be to have Jesus working in their lives too.
Anyway, today is Tuesday, so let’s confess our Tuesday Mantra with sincerity and truth nuh. All together 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.’
Ah mih people, every time I say that prayer, it just awakens something in me! It just seems to reignite the fire of Jesus in my soul! It’s simple, but very real and practical. Oh what a joy it is to be LOVED by God and be a Friend of Jesus! It couldn’t get much better than that my brethren!
So please, as sincere followers of Jesus, let’s give those things the prominence and priority in our lives that they truly deserve nuh, because it’s all for our benefit.
And today, for the last time, we’ll continue looking at scriptures that deal with this particular Bit. ‘When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened (hindered); and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.’
Yes Friends, more wonderful promises and great stuff to look forward to when we place Almighty God and His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at the forefront of our lives. Glory Hallelujah!
No other faith can truly declare those things, because it is ONLY, the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING GOD, who can make such promises and faithfully keep them!
Give Him some much-deserved thanks and praise my people, for His awesome majesty and never-ending, unlimited LOVING-kindness to us, His undeserving children. For, as the Our Daily Bread Devotional said, yesterday: ‘Praise is the song of a soul set free!’ And it is indeed my people.
Now let’s see what the scriptures have to say about all of that nuh. (smile) And we’re going to begin with some wise words from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol. ‘The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating (babbling) fool shall fall (come to ruin). He that walketh uprightly walketh (securely, safely): but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.’ (Prov.10:8-9)
Yes friends, all that’s done in darkness will eventually be brought to light, so please be careful of the deeds you do.
Then in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – Bruh David unequivocally declares: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.’ (Ps.37:23-27)
Oh what wonderful words of living truth my people! Those who truly serve the Lord will never be left in a fallen state, and their descendants will always be blessed! Glory to God!
So why aren’t’ more of us being good and righteous eh, and thus filling our world with LOVE and peace, rather than the hate and strife it’s now so thoroughly embroiled in eh?
Good question that Friends, but one to which I can only surmise the answer: we don’t truly believe what the Good Book says; and/or, we are much too preoccupied with the things of the world instead of the things of God. We each have to decide individually, what is keeping us away from the good things of God.
And we’ll close this series of messages with the ultimate word on the subject, that from Jesus Himself. Now listen closely my people, because it involves the very essence of where you will spend eternity.
‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
Yes my people, those are the words of Jesus. We have two choices in this life; the strait and narrow way that leads to eternal life, or the wide and broad path that leads to eternal separation from God.
It’s up to us to choose. Hopefully we’ll all choose the more difficult, but much more rewarding first option, because it is the heart of wisdom itself. Much LOVE!
…Christ is indeed…the WAY…the TRUTH…and the LIFE…NO ONE… comes to the Father but by and through Him…
10 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a soft spot for strangers, a stranger in a foreign land, Abraham, angels, be not forgetful to entertain strangers, blessed of my Father, blessing, compassion, depressing moments, encourage love and hospitality, give a stranger one of your smiles, God shows no partiality, guidance and comfort, hospitality, I was a stranger, I was hungry, I was in prison, I was sick, I was thirsty, inherit the kingdom, light of jesus, light of the Son, Lot, LOVE, love ye therefore the stranger, lower one's spirits, mercy, Moses exhorts the Israelites, naked and ye clothed me, orphans, P.S. I Love You, parable of ten talents, separated the sheep from the goats, sing with His angels, smiling like a Cheshire cat, some have entertained angels unawares, stand on my two feet, takes a bribe, testify, the beloved of Christ, the Love and Light of Jesus, the only sunshine he sees all day, truth, University of the West Indies, widows, wisdom, ye came unto me, ye were strangers in the land of Egypt, you gave me drink, you gave me food, you have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto me, you took me in, you visited me
Hebrews 13:2. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Oh Friends, it’s such a magnificent blessing to have the brilliant light of the Son always shining in our souls, because when you get up at eight o’clock in the morning, look outside and only see grey skies and dank weather in the offing, it does tend to lower one’s spirits, for the sun is a natural energizer. And when we don’t see it for a period of time, it can bring some depressing moments.
But glory to God, we have the eternal, the everlasting LIGHT of Jesus to show us the way, both spiritually and emotionally!
That’s why those people who don’t have Christ as their Lord and Saviour are often more depressed and miserable than those who look to Him for guidance and comfort! That’s why this quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster is so apropos for today.
Listen to it, not only with your ears, but also with your heart and souls. ‘Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.’
Now my people, that is both truth and wisdom of enormous proportions! We never know what’s happening with others, and sometimes a kind smile might be just what they need to lift them up over the bar of their current circumstances.
I’m sure many of us have felt the warmth and the li’l thrill that flashes through our souls when someone we don’t even know offers us a warm, kind smile, for no other purpose than to be friendly and sociable.
And a warm, kind smile is certainly a necessity in the northern climes where in the autumn and winter months the weather is often grey and cloudy and lousy. So let’s use the light of Jesus and perk up today nuh my brethren and go out smiling like a Cheshire cat. (smile)
It’s okay if they think we’re crazy, because the LOVE and LIGHT of Jesus is overflowing in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’
Yes Friends, the Lord has a soft spot for strangers, as well as widows and orphans as we see all through scripture. Listen as Moses exhorts the Israelites on the subject.
‘For the Lord your God is a God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward (the great God, mighty and awesome who shows no partiality, nor takes a bribe).
He doth execute the judgement of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. LOVE ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ (Deut.10:17-19)
Yes my fellow believers, just a little reminder that many of us were strangers at one time in the lands in which we now live, therefore we need to show some compassion and mercy on those who have come after us.
But let’s go back to our Bit now and some important explanations on it from the scholars. ’13:2. One incentive the author uses to encourage LOVE and hospitality is that some have entertained angels unawares. For example, Abraham (Gen.18:1-3) and Lot (Gen.19:1-2) were unaware that their guests were angels at the time they received them.
Care must be taken so as not to read too much into this statement. The verse says that “some have entertained” (aorist tense). The use of the present tense, meaning that some do entertain angels, would provide grounds for expecting this still to happen. But such is not the teaching.
We should nonetheless show hospitality to the needy, for it will benefit us as well as them when it is done as to the Lord (cf. Matt.25:35-40).’
And here in living colour is that reference. Jesus had just finished teaching the parable of the ten talents, and begun talking about when He came back in His glory and splendour to rule the earth and separated the sheep from the goats.
‘Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand (the sheep), Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered (hungry), and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt.25:34-40)
Oh my people, that’s how important it is to help the poor and needy in Christ’s teaching! And I can personally testify to the benefits of being taken in as a stranger, for in my second semester on the Mona campus of the University of the Wet Indies in Jamaica, a long time back, I was a stranger in a foreign land, with no friends or family around, and I fell on some hard times.
But fortunately, the Lord God Almighty in all His LOVING-kindness, opened the hearts of Amy and Aubrey Brown to take me into their home and look after me until I was able to stand on my two feet again. The tears well up in my eyes now, as I remember that fitful time.
The Lord bless and keep you all Aunt Ames and Uncle Aubrey as you sing with His angels up there in heaven, for I refuse to even think of what might have become of me, if you all had not taken in this stranger from Tobago when you did! I doubt I would be here writing this Bit today.
So friends, I implore us, as we go about our business today, let’s not forget to smile and offer any kindness we can to someone in need, because they might not be angels, but they are certainly the BELOVED of Christ! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing that a smile and a little kindness can’t fix or alleviate…
P.S. Ah friends, unfortunately late nights and early mornings don’t mix. (smile) Much LOVE!
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