23 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: among the gods there's none like thee, attend to the voice of my supplication, bow down thine ear O Lord, compassionate, don't fear go to God in prayer, faith, faithful believers, for the help of his countenance, forgiving, Friday chant, God's Readiness to Forgive, hear me for I am poor and needy, holy spirit, hope thou in God, I shall yet praise him, I will call on thee, in the day of my trouble, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, rejoice the soul of thy servant, salvation, simmering unrest, stand strong and steadfast, stick to God like white on rice, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the God who heals, thou art God alone, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 86:1. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Well here we are friends at one o’clock on a beautiful though somewhat cloudy spring -like Friday afternoon. I’ve just returned from the big city of Toronto, with a clean bill of health from the medics, but while everybody is concerned with shouting TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the week end’s here at last!’ I’m shouting ‘Thank God that I got into Toronto and back safely!’
Yes, because going into that city nowadays is just a nightmare, with construction of streets and buildings everywhere, making the rutty roadways even busier and narrower than normal. It took me close to ten minutes to get through one traffic light right beside the hospital because one of the lanes was closed for some kind of work. But there’s nothing to do but grin and bear it. Now I don’t have to worry about going into the city for another couple of weeks. That ought to give me enough time to catch my breath and recover my sanity. (smile)
Oh by the way, I did have to use my cane, because the ole hip was still bothering me, but not as badly. Just hope it settles down completely by tomorrow. Enough of my woes though, let’s see what the Lord wants us to talk about today. And I hope to make it short and sweet. Hn! That’s all I have to say re that statement! (smile)
But on a serious note, while skimming through the Good Library I came upon Psalm 86, titled, ‘God’s Readiness to Forgive,’ and thought it a very good piece of scripture to peruse today. By the way, for our information, the scholars say it’s one of the five palms called prayers. The others are Psalms 17, 90, 102, 142. So, in the words of Bruh David, let’s pray: ‘Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.’ (Ps. 86:1)
And most of us can identify with those opening words, for in these tough economic times, many of us are poor and needy in material things, while many of us are also poor and needy in spiritual things. Some of us are even at a point where we’re continually bemoaning our situations through these words from Ps. 42. ‘Why art thou cast (bowed) down , O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? (Ps. 42:5a) Now those are always good questions, but the correct answer is always the rest of that verse: ‘hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:5b)
Yes friends, the presence of our God is ever around us, even in our worst circumstances. But until we understand that, we’ll never get any real relief or peace from our tumultuous situations. Bruh David knew of the Lord’s continuous presence, that’s why he never hesitated to call on Him, like in Psalm 86. Thus he continues: ‘Preserve my soul (life); for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily (all day long). Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.’ ( Ps. 86:2-10)
Ah mih people, Bruh David certainly laid it on thick, with the things usually associated with prayer; petition, adoration, and thanksgiving. But all of it is indisputable truth. Our God is great; as witnessed by His omnipotence, omniscience and omni-presence, and all the miraculous deeds He’s done down through the ages. He’s also LOVING, merciful, compassionate and forgiving, as shown by the sending of His Son Jesus to die and atone for our abominable sins, while we were yet sinners. And He even forgives us now, if we sincerely repent of current misdeeds.
Which other supposed god would even have contemplated such a self-sacrifice eh? None whatsoever! All I can therefore say friends, is that if you are in trouble, the ONLY One to call on is Almighty God, through the auspices of His Holy Spirit and His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. And as I keep saying, Bruh Davi knew on which side his bread was buttered, that’s why he stuck like white on rice to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and if we’re wise, we’ll do the same thing, for He’s our Creator, Controller, the Giver of our life’s breath and the salvation of our souls.
So, since our world is badly troubled in these current times, let’s do like Bruh David and go to the Lord in prayer, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for our many problems. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land.
We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, let it be known that the first step in receiving divine help is to actually show our trusting faith by being the faithful believers we talk about in our prayer. Much LOVE!
…when the world discourages us…don’t fear…go to God in prayer…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
20 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: cease from anger, compassionate, delight thyself also in the Lord, doesn't play favourites, doesn't spare the rod to spoil the child, drink of the river of thy pleasures, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, faithful, for the salvation of the Lord, God never gives up on us, great is thy faithfulness, holy, how excellent is thy lovingkindness, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you, it is good that a man, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus Christ, just, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, loving, mercy, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, remembering mine affliction, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him, righteous, salvation, should both hope and quietly wait, slow my thoughts, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, the wormwood and the gall, therefore I have hope, those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds, truth, we serve an intimate God, wisdom, your unceasing nearness
Lamentations 3:26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Well, I guess it’s what we will now refer to as a anormal day; cold and cloudy. And although there is a li’l daylight showing through the cloudiness, I won’t hold out much hope for bright sunshine. (smile) But, as we like to say, regardless of the weather and all our other disturbing circumstances, we will do very well, because we have the Lord Jesus Christ on our side! And all God’s people gave a grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’
So, in keeping with that sentiment, let’s turn to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and declare it with all sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as always, when we say those few words with heartfelt feeling, we experience the presence of the Lord moving in and around us, doing exactly what we asked for, calming our souls and refreshing our spirits, while increasing our intimacy with Him. What a LOVING and intimate God we serve my fellow believers! There’s none other like Him! He’s holy, righteous, just, faithful, LOVING, compassionate, doesn’t play favourites, and doesn’t spare the rod to spoil the child. (smile)
That means He is the perfect Father! And although many of us have become rebellious children, He NEVER gives up on us, always has His eye on our situation, so that when we finally reach rock bottom, and in all sincerity, cry out to Him for help, He’s right there to save us and bring us back into His fold. What a wonderful, marvellous, caring and compassionate God we serve! We can never say it too often.
Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 36: ‘Thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains (of God); thy judgements are a great deep (ocean): O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVINGKINDNESS, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fulness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.’ (Ps. 36:5-9)
Oh my people, what a beautiful and true discourse on the wonderfulness of our great God! That’s why, despite the tough times Jeremiah went through doing the Lord’s work, he could still so rightly describe it in his Lamentations. ‘Remembering (I remember) mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled within me (bowed down). This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:19-23)
And those words of truth we cannot ever doubt, for without God’s compassion and mercy, we would have been long ago consumed in our sin and unrighteousness. But the Lord is ever so faithful that even in Jeremiah’s tough times in doing the Lord’s work, he doesn’t give up, because he knew that the Lord would eventually come through for him. And because of that he had hope in the rough times, and likewise, we who claim to believe in God and His faithfulness, ought to have hope and not give up during the stormy times.
Just like the Lord is faithful to us, we are expected to be faithful to Him. Consequently, Jeremiah continues: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.’ (Lam. 3:24-25) Yes friends, when we sincerely seek the Lord, His blessings flow down on us even more than normal. As the Lord says in Jeremiah 29:13. ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’
That says it all! If we don’t actively and sincerely seek the Lord, we won’t find him, and therefore He won’t hear us. Then Jeremiah gives us this wonderful verse of scripture: ‘It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:26) Truer words were never spoken my brethren!
And Bruh David acknowledges them in Psalm 37. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on God’s faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:3-9)
Oh my fellow saints, there’s nothing in those heartfelt words to doubt, because Bruh David lived them. He wasn’t perfect, and like us made many mistakes, but all through the long and dangerous years when he was anointed to be the next king of Israel but spent them running for his life from the current King, Saul, he never took matters into his own hands or turned away from the Lord, but waited patiently and always sought Him for advice and comfort. And if we are going to be true believers in Christ Jesus, then that’s how we also ought to live in these trying and turbulent times. Much LOVE!
…godly wisdom says to…earnestly seek the Lord…and then faithfully wait on Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
17 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all ye that labour and are heavy laden, celebrity status, come unto me, compassionate, Danny Gokey, disappointment, faithful, Fernando Ortega, for his goodness, forgiving, give me Jesus, graceful, He is all that I need, I am meek and lowly in heart, I only want Jesus, I will give you rest, in the morning when I rise, Jesus is all anyone ever needs, knocking on the doors of our hearts, learn of me, loving, mansions, merciful, my burden is light, my refuge, my rest, my yoke is easy, Praise the Lord, rejection, saints of Christ, streets paved with gold, suffereration, take my yoke upon you, the calm in the storm, the light of the world, the Lord's Day, the way the truth and the life, to the children of men, understanding, virtual reality, welcome my Lord and Saviour, when I am alone, when I come to die, when I lay my head down, wisdom, worthless stuff, you can have all this world
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Come all ye saints of Christ, come from far and wide, let us gather in the virtual reality of His tabernacle so that we can praise and worship Him, on this His special day! And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord God Almighty for His goodness to the children of men! Bless His holy name!’
Yes friends, it’s the Lord’s Day again, and that calls for celebration and exaltation, while seeking wisdom, guidance and encouragement for the next seven days. We can’t meet in person, but they certainly can’t stop us from meeting by technological means. So let’s fire up those pieces of technological wonder, as well as our hearts, souls, bodies and minds and open the proceedings with a soulful piece of worship written by Fernando Ortega, titled ‘Give Me Jesus.’ But we’re going to do the live, soulful rendition by Danny Gokey.
Ah mih people, this song has become one of my favourites since I first heard it last year. And yuh know, earlier this past week, when I began thinking about what we’d sing today, that just flashed into my mind, and obviously it was game over! (smile) So let’s get with it; let our sacrifice of praise rise to high heaven as the black youngster on the rich sounding piano leads us into soulful, scintillating song. And please don’t forget the sweet background vocals from the diversified choir.
‘Ohhh ohhh, Give me Jesus… In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise Give me Jesus. (Chorus: Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus.) When I am alone, Oh When I am alone, When I am alone, Give me Jesus. (Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. For He is all that I need. Just give me Jesus) When I come to die, Oh, When I come to die, When I come to die, Give me Jesus.
(Ohhhh Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. Oh it’s all I need, all I need is Jesus. So Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, You can have all this world, You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus, He’s all I need. He’s all I need.
Give me Jesus…in the morning when I rise…when I lay my head down… when I wake up, when I lay my head down, said I need him, said I need you… said I only want Jesus…when I wake up… Yeahh! Just give me Jesus. All I need is him. We worship you, we worship you, say we worship you Lord. You’re the answer to my prayers, you’re the calm in the storm, you’re my rest and my refuge…oh yeahhh…’
Yes mih bredrin, yes! Who says worship ain’t sweet and uplifting eh? Tell them they don’t know what they talking about, especially when yuh worshipping Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary to pay for our abominable sins and thus established reconciliation with our heavenly Father, our Creator and Provider! Wow! Worship must be sweet when yuh worshipping the Light of the World; the Way the Truth and the Life! How could it not be eh, when Jesus is ALL anyone ever needs!
The song tells the gospel truth! In the morning when I rise, all I need to do is turn to Jesus, surrender my day to Him and He will lead and guide me in wisdom and truth. He is the answer to ALL our prayers, our calm in the storm, our refuge and strong tower. Then when I am alone, feeling lonely…oh mih people, NO ONE provides comfort like our Sacrificial Lamb, because He can empathize with our problems since He also experienced rejection, dejection, disappointment, ‘sufferation’ and all the negative things that this world throws at us.
And there are no better, more comforting words in the Good Book than those of His Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Now who in their right minds would ever want to turn down such an inviting and comforting invitation eh? A lot of people turn it down though. That means we have plenty people in our world who aren’t in their right minds. (smile)
So while we’re here on earth, Jesus is ALL we need. And when we die, He’s still ALL we need because He’s our Saviour, who paid our sin debt in full, so that we can enter paradise with Him and enjoy eternal life. Brother! What a magnificent and magnanimous Deity is our Jesus: LOVING, merciful, compassionate, graceful, forgiving, faithful…etc. etc.!
So why would we need anyone else in this life, or the hereafter eh? When we wake up, when go to sleep, when we need comfort, when we need forgiving, mercy, grace, compassion, strength to face the day, He’s the ONLY One who can provide it all! That’s why we can refuse ALL that this world has to offer, once we have JESUS! Keep the wealth and the power, the social and celebrity status of this evil world. We’ll settle for JESUS!
And besides, He’s promised that if we put His Father and Him first, seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness, all that we need will be given to us, because the Father knows what we need, and He won’t let us go lacking anything! (Matt. 6:33) No wonder Bruh David could proclaim, and so too can we: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ (Ps.23:1)
And even when it comes to earthly riches, who was the richest man ever eh? Solomon! The Lord made him that because he asked for wisdom and understanding to rule His people. So if the Lord thinks we need earthly wealth, He can also give us that, for He owns it ALL! So why bother with this wicked world and their worthless stuff eh? We can’t carry any of it with us.
And anyway, where we saints are going we don’t need it, for heaven is richer and more priceless and beautiful than earth ever will be – mansions and streets paved with gold…and JESUS, our shining star! So let’s keep leaning on Him nuh, holding tightly to His hand, and when He comes knocking at the doors of our hearts, let’s open quickly and receive Him with a hearty ‘Welcome my Lord and Saviour! Welcome!’ Much LOVE!
…Jesus made us…saved us…and will look after us for ever…Glory be…
03 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all that glistens is not gold, and forget not all his benefits, as a father pitys his children, as far as the east is from the west, bless the Lord oh my soul, bounty, clear direction for my life, compassionate, crowneth thee with loving-kindness, curse, do our bounden duty, executeth judgement for the oppressed, forgiving, free speech, generously share our blessings, giveth food to the hungry, God is a straight-shooter, gracious, he preserveth the strangers, he turneth upside down, he will not always chide, his acts unto the children of Israel, Jesus is filling our hearts, just, loving, magnanimous to a fault, merciful, negative word, neither will he keep his anger for ever, not even gold-plated, openeth the eyes of the blind, our world is totally rotten inside, plenteous in mercy, prosper, raiseth them that are bowed down, redeemeth thy life from destruction, relieveth the fatherless and widow, rewarded us according to our iniquities, righteous, satisfieth thy mouth with good things, self-control, slow to anger, so far hath he removed our transgressions, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him, stubborn hard-hearted pride, succeed, supernatural wisdom, tender mercies, that white menace, the inmates of the asylum, the Lord is merciful and gracious, the Lord looseth the prisoners, the Lord loveth the righteous, the sun's shining brightly!, the way of the wicked, Thursday Blessings, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, turned against their Keeper, we are dust, weighty cement shoes, welcomed them with opened arms, what a sad tale to tell, which made heaven and earth
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Gee…it’s Thursday, Thursday, Thursday! The day before Friday, Friday, Friday, when we’re let out to play! And thankfully, the roadways are bereft of that white menace, so nicely called snow! It sure seems like all’s right with our world; the sun’s shining brightly, Jesus is filling our hearts, and the java, she is indeed worthy of that venerable name; strong and sweet and potent!
But remember, all that glistens is certainly not gold, sometimes not even gold-plated. (smile) Yeh friends, despite the outward sheen, our world is totally rotten inside, and stinking to high hell! Hn, hn hn! I just realized I said, ‘high hell’ instead of ‘high heaven’. But that’s okay because heaven doesn’t encourage stench to come up there. (smile) Unfortunately though, the works of evil dominate our societies from one end of the globe to the other, from north to south and east to west! What a sad tale to tell! And why is our world in such a discombobulated and uncertain state eh?
One basic reason; the inmates of the asylum have turned against their Keeper, their Maker, the Lord God Almighty: ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth forever: Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked their way).’ (Ps. 146: 6-9)
Oh my people, that’s whom we have turned against! And no wonder our world is turned upside down, in a topsy-turvy evil and ungodly mess! If you turn against the good, just, LOVING, compassionate, merciful, gracious, righteous and forgiving One who created it all – and still controls it all, what else can you really expect eh?
But yuh know what my people, the same way we have turned away from God, we can again turn back to Him. The Israelites in their foolish and stubborn hard-hearted pride, although they knew of His goodness as well as His wrath, did it several times, and each time they came back, He welcomed them with opened arms, for that’s the kind of forgiving and merciful God He is!
Hear how Bruh David puts it nuh in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made his ways known unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.’ (Ps. 103:2-7)
Yuh see friends, our God is a straight shooter! He made whatever He made, however He wanted to make it, and then told us how He wanted us to behave, and what rules He wanted us to follow. But He was then magnanimous to a fault; He gave us the bounty, or weighty cement shoes of free speech. It could work either way, depending on our disposition towards Him. And sadly, I have to say that right now that supposed garnishee of free speech is acting like cement shoes, for we have turned against God and our abominable sins are weighing us down into the mire of deceit and self-destruction.
But the awesome God who made us is so wonderful, so magnanimous, that He’s known as the God of second chances, in fact the God of many chances! That’s why Bruh David could further expound in Psalm 103: ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear (sincerely reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (sincerely reverence) him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:8-14)
Oh mih people, what more can I say eh? I’ve tried to prove to us why our world is in such a sad and sorry state, and also how we can get it out of that distressing mess. It all depends on our relationship with the Lord God Almighty, Maker and Ruler of heaven and earth! If we sincerely worship and reverence Him, then our world will be turned around, be saved from the hellfire and damnation to which we’re currently headed in our dreadful and sinful pride and stubbornness!
It’s all up to us. Remember what Bruh David said at the start: ‘forget not all his benefits.’ (Ps. 103:2) Yes friends, all that Lord does and says is not for His benefit, but for ours, and He will not force us to do what we don’t want to do. So our future is all in our hands. End of sermon! (smile)
Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to live the way God desires, let’s go home declaring (yeahh!) our Thursday Blessings; awesome blessings which the Lord has magnanimously bestowed on us, so that we can do His work down here on earth. Altogether 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!’
So let’s go out now and do our bounden duty nuh; share those blessings with others, just as magnanimously and generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…to sincerely reverence our God…brings such joy and peace…to one’s spirit and soul…
25 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dispensary of spiritual food and medicine, by one man's obedience, by one's man disobedience, compassionate, Danny Gokey, encourage each other, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, exhorting one another, give me Jesus, God sent not his son into the world, He's all I need, I am the light of the world, I am the way the truth and the life, important that Christians assemble together, in the morning when I rise, just give me Jesus, long and short of the story, loving, many shall be made righteous, many were made sinners, no man comes to the Father but by me, omnipotent, that Christ is Lord, that cometh into the world, the church is a body inteacting, the Lord's Day, the name that's above every other name, the true light, the world through him might be saved, to condemn the world, to the glory of God the Father, when I am alone, when I come to die, which lighteth every man, you can have all this world
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Oh mih people, the time for praise and worship and ‘gatheration’ (smile) – if you can – has come around again, and we must not be found wanting in keeping the Lord’s Day holy as He desires, in whatever form and fashion we can. Good sentence eh? Bruh Paul would have been proud of it. (smile) The long and short of the story though is if we can go to church, let us go to church, and if we can’t, then let us get together through the radio, telephone, t.v., computer or however we can, for it’s important that Christians assemble, or congregate or worship together.
Remember the words of Hebrews: ‘Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is: but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:25) And no, that doesn’t mean we can’t miss a church service here and there, but that it is important for us to gather so we can encourage and exhort each other to keep the faith, especially in tough and uncertain times like these. As the scholars tell us: ‘The church is a body interacting (1 Cor. 12:14-27); it is not merely a dispensary of spiritual food and medicine.’ Although that’s also a part of its job. (smile)
So now that we’ve gathered on this Sabbath Day in late October of this watershed year of 2020, let’s do our best to encourage and exhort each other to stay the course with Jesus, difficult as it might be. And as always we going to begin the proceedings with a song of praise and worship, a li’l soulful ditty written by one Fernando Ortega, but today we’re doing a live soulful version by Danny Gokey.
I first heard it last week when I asked the duchess for something to sing, and soon thereafter she sent me ‘Buried Alive’ by Buju Banton, which we sung last week, and this tune by Danny Gokey, which I told myself that we’d sing this week, and which I sent to some of you by what’s app. That means some of you already know it, so it won’t be hard to sing. (smile) And it’s strange that after listening to several different versions of the song, I came right back to this one because of its powerful, soulful and heart-rending appeal.
So let’s all join together and raise our voices in harmonious, sincere, soulful, sacrificial praise, declaring the thing, the person, we desire most in this world. As the song says: ‘Give Me Jesus!’ Yes friends, He is definitely ALL we need in this world. Singing: ‘Ohhh ohhh, Give me Jesus… Give me Jesus… In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise Give me Jesus. (Chorus: Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus.)
When I am alone, Oh When I am alone, When I am alone, Give me Jesus. (Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. For He is all that I need. Just give me Jesus) When I come to die, Oh, When I come to die, When I come to die, Give me Jesus. Ohhhh Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. Oh it’s all I need, all I need is Jesus. So Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, You can have all this world, You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus, He’s all I need. He’s all I need.
Give me Jesus…in the morning when I rise…when I lay my head down… when I wake up, when I lay my head down, said I need him, said I need you… said I only want Jesus…when I wake up… Just give me Jesus. All I need is him. We worship you, we worship you, I say we worship you Lord. You’re the answer to my prayers, you’re the calm in the storm, you’re my rest and my refuge…oh yeahhh…’
Oh my brethren, that was indeed heart-rending. Jesus couldn’t doubt the sincerity of our plea to have Him in our lives. And why wouldn’t we desire Him when He’s so omnipotent and compassionate and LOVING eh? Let’s look at a few scriptures that paint that wonderful picture. To begin with, John tells us that Jesus was the Word, and that He was with God from the beginning. Then He was made flesh to come into this world to bring light to us poor sinners who were living in darkness, but who unfortunately did not understand the light. (John 1:1-5)
‘That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’ (John 1:9) And Jesus Himself corroborated that truth when He told His doubting listeners: ‘I am the Light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) That just goes to show Jesus’ amazing power. As a part of the Godhead, the Holy Trinity, how can we not be drawn to Him eh?
And then what greater LOVE could He show than coming to earth to sacrifice His sinless life to save us from the fires of hell eh? Hear Him: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) Now why would He do such a thing if He didn’t care deeply and dearly for us eh? It’s all about LOVE, my people, that outstanding characteristic the Lord holds for His creation, mankind. And Jesus puts it in a nutshell. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Yeh people, the only way one can receive salvation is through Jesus Christ! NO OTHER WAY!
And hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the church at Rome nuh. ‘For as by one man’s disobedience (Adam) many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.’ (Rom. 5:19) And that ONE is Jesus! The ONE who died on the cross to pay for our sins! So why wouldn’t we want Him eh, why wouldn’t He be our FIRST and ONLY choice eh, when He’s done so much for us, done what no one else could ever do?
And when yuh talking about ‘sufferation’ on our behalf, nobody did it like Jesus. Look at what He bore so that we could be set free. As Hebrews says: ‘For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ (Heb. 4:15) That’s why He can be our Comforter and Intercessor friends! He was tempted and suffered just like us, so He fully understands what we’re going through.
And we’ll end with these immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:5-11)
And if all of that doesn’t convince you that Christ is ALL you need in this world, then I don’t know what will nuh! Much LOVE!
…Christ is our…High Priest…Lord…Saviour…King…Comforter…Intercessor…our EVERYTHING…
P.S. Yes, it’s long, but justifiably so. (smile)
11 Mar 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sinful and fallen world, abuse, adversity, as many as I love, backbone and belly, bastards, be discouraged, be zealous therefore, church at Laodicea, compassionate, corporal punishment, despise not, even as a father, eyes fixed straight ahead, glad to be alive, God is faithful, God Jehovah, goes gaga over us, halfway home, hands on the plough, he chasteneth, he that spereth the rod, holy, humble apologies, I rebuke and chasten, illegitmate, irresponsibility, just, living for Jesus, looking forward, LOVE, loves us with undying love, merciful, nor faint, not turning back, repent, responsible for wrongdoing, righteous Deity, rude, scourgeth every son, sensible punishment, sent His only son Jesus, spoileth the child, the breath of life, the chastening of the Lord, the muse sleep, the son in whom he delighteth, to a glorious future with Jesus, to save us, too much leeway, train up the children right, unconditional LOVE, unmannerly, Wednesday Wail, when thou art rebuked of Him, whom he receiveth, whom the Lord loveth, Wisdom 101
Hebrews 12:6. For whom the Lord LOVETH He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth, (even as a father the son in whom he delighteth).
My most humble apologies friends as we’re a bit late this bright and sunshiny Wednesday Morning. That’s because I had one of those late nights, or early mornings, your choice, and then the muse called sleep was pretty good to me, kept me under for a decent spell. (smile) But welcome nonetheless to a new day of mercies and compassions from our most merciful and compassionate God Jehovah! Give Him thanks for His amazing, awesome and unconditional LOVE for us, who don’t deserve even one iota of His goodness.
But His heart of LOVE couldn’t help itself way back when He sent His only son Jesus to save us, and even now, despite our abominable sinfulness and disobedience and desire to rid our society of His overall presence, He still LOVES us with the undying LOVE of a heavenly Father! Wow! I know it’s hard to believe that with all the ungodly stuff we do and the low esteem in which so many of us hold Him, that He still goes gaga over us. (smile) But we’re His greatest creation, so just like how we hold important people in our lives to our hearts, He holds us to His.
Now isn’t it simply wonderful to know that we have a God, a Creator, who LOVES us dearly, despite our many shortcomings? It certainly is! But that doesn’t mean He won’t punish or discipline or chasten us for our disobedience, but even then it’s because He LOVES us that He chastens us. Hear the Good Book tell it nuh, as the author of Hebrews quotes Cousin Sol from Proverbs 3:11-12.
‘My son, despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord LOVETH He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth (even as a father the son in whom he delighteth). If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then ye are bastards (illegitimate), and not sons.’ (Heb. 12:5-8)
Oh friends, a lot of us believe that if God is so good, He should not punish us, but that’s not right, He punishes us because He LOVES us, the same way our earthly fathers punish us for wrongdoing because they are interested in our well being! Remember Hs is not only a LOVING God, but also a holy, righteous and just Deity, which means wrongs have to be righted and justice done. Jesus, in his message to the church at Laodicea, says it thus to John in Revelation: ‘As many as I LOVE, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’ (Rev. 3:19) That’s also wonderful advice for us today friends.
And the scholars offer this insightful explanation. ‘12:6. Whom the Lord LOVETH, he chasteneth: God’s principle of disciplining His own people is completely congruous (in line) with human practices. This quotation from Proverbs 3:12, stating God’s practice, corresponds to the commands God gave to fathers. “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly).” (Prov. 13:24: cf. 22:15; 23:13). LOVE and corporal punishment are not incongruous; they are two complimentary and necessary aspects of training.’
Now my people, please look at those reference scriptures because they are rather important in parenting. And it’s exactly why this generation is so unruly, undisciplined, ungrateful, irresponsible and figure the world owes them a living; we parents have not administered the necessary punishment for their wrongdoings. And don’t get me wrong, corporal punishment is not the only way to discipline children, but it is a necessary and useful method. Oh, we parents get so soft-hearted and foolish nowadays believing that if we hit our children it’s child abuse…Steups!
Yes, some parents overdo it, to the point where it does become abuse. But when there is no sensible punishment and the children turn back and are rude and unmannerly and even hit and kill us, as we’re seeing so much these days, we wonder why it’s happening. But it’s basically our fault; we did not train up the children right and the society is giving them too much leeway for irresponsibility, not holding them sufficiently responsible for their wrongs. And I’m sure that many of us parents, in our youth, were punished for our wrongs, and if it was within reason, I’m sure we’re much better off today because of it.
It taught us obedience, and responsibility. And sometimes just the threat of punishment is sufficient to keep us from doing wrong. I know in my case, my mother was LOVING and kind, but if she said do something, or don’t do something, and I stubbornly or foolishly refused to comply, I could get the strap. I didn’t always get it, sometimes she was indeed merciful, (smile) but I had no doubts whatsoever that it could be very quickly forthcoming if I didn’t obey. So friends this idea we have that because the Lord is so good and LOVING, bad things shouldn’t happen to us, and we shouldn’t be punished for our wrongs is totally unjustified.
We live in a sinful and fallen world, with sinful and fallen humans, so sin and wrongdoing and disasters will happen. The Lord never said that He would prevent us from going through all the rough times, but that He would be right there beside us in them. That’s because we need to go through the flood, the fire and the storm if we want our faith to grow, for it’s only in adversity do we see the real us come out and our backbone and belly grow. So today let’s concentrate on doing the best we can, with what we have nuh, and leave the rest to our wonderful heavenly Father, for He has promised to provide all our needs if we seek Him first. And He IS faithful to keep all His promises.
So let’s go home now declaring (yeeahh!) our Wednesday Wail letting all and sundry know of our enviable position in Christ! All together now, in strong voice with sincere hearts. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih people, that is certainly Wisdom 101! Living for, and with, and through, and in Jesus… Oh that’s the wisest action we can ever take in this sinful world. So let’s take it and stay with it till the end nuh, for if we do, the future will indeed be mucho mucho glorious! Much LOVE!
…come to Jesus…stick with Him…and everything will be made right…eventually…
22 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sweet dream, ashamed of Jesus, aura of love, bright eyed, bushy tailed, catapulted out of, compassionate, confidence, considerate God, darkened bedrooms, disciple's need to crucify himself, earn your daily bread, enthusiasm, fear of the conquences, fit for the kingdom of god, follow me, further your glorious kingdom, greater priority than God's work, honour Jesus, humble servants, if any man, jobs, keep a roof over your head, let him deny himself, life's lesser matters, lifting the cross high, looking back, looking forward to a glorious future, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, put His hand to the plough, rejuvenation of spirit, rush of adrenaline, sacrifice our wishes, starting to rock, supernatural help, take up his cross, the alarm goes off, the Holy Spirit, the real world, ungodly world, useful purpose, vinegar, vitality, will come after me, work is calling
Matthew 16:24. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
And the alarm goes off…and suddenly you are catapulted out of a sweet dream…and you steups and get up grumpily mouthing: ‘Chuh Blast! And just as the so and so dream was starting to rock yes! This blooming alarm and work nonsense going to be the death of me yes!’ Ah friends, in how many darkened bedrooms are those kinds of scenes playing out right now eh? Too many!
Welcome to the real world my people! It’s Monday morning and work is a calling. That place where you earn your daily bread; where you make the dough to keep a roof over your head and food on your table and clothes on your back…oh and the place that enables you to send your children to that expensive and elite private school. Yes, that place is crying out for you to get up and get in your new, expensive chariot and hit the traffic jam, so you can get downtown to the concrete jungle jaded and tired, to begin a new week of the never-ending rat race we so glamourously call work! (smile)
And so many of us are tired of it, would rather retire to the peaceful and quiet countryside. But that’s somewhat like a pipe dream if we want to keep on enjoying our current lifestyle. And the pressure has become so much that we can no longer handle it all in our own strength. Yes friends we need help, supernatural help! That’s why we have this antidote for whatever ails you on any workday morning, but particularly on a Monday, which is usually the hardest day of the week to get up. We simply call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we cry out to out wonderful God for grace and mercy to get out there and fight in His holy name.
So all together now, let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence and sincerely pray: ‘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!’
Yes mih people, how can our compassionate and considerate God ever turn down such a sincere prayer request eh, especially if it’s prayed in His Son’s name? He just can’t! That’s why you’re now feeling the rush of adrenaline and the belated enthusiasm to go to work! The Lord has ordered our guide and helper, His Holy Spirit, which dwells within each believer, to activate the necessary controls to make us bright eyed and bushy tailed, so we can go out into the evil world full of spunk, full of…whatever and vinegar (smile) and fight victorious battles on Jesus’ behalf.
And all God’s people said a loud and proud: ‘Glory to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit! They are indeed the best guardians a human being can ever have!’ And all His saints shouted a glorious ‘Amen!’ So be it!’ But friends, please realize that truly and sincerely serving Jesus is not all wine, song and roses. The test of true discipleship is indeed rough, as Jesus said to the disciples: ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’
Tough words those my brethren, but that’s the reality of the situation. If we really want to follow Jesus, we’ve got to sacrifice our wishes and dreams and take up our cross and follow Him. And the scholars have an interesting explanation on ‘Take up: The meaning is “lift up.” It is a stronger word than that used in 10:38 – “And he that taketh not his cross…’ – and implies a lifting of the cross on high, so that all may see it. This is the strongest statement in the New Testament about the disciple’s need to crucify himself, by yielding to the claims of Christ’s lordship over him.’
Yes fellow saints, we can’t serve Jesus only in private and expect to get any citations. Remember He said whoever is ashamed of Him and denies Him in public, He will do the same to them before the Father. (Matt.10:33) And sadly, a lot of supposed Christians try to hide their faith through fear of the consequences, but as Jesus also said to one fellow who wanted to follow Him, but desired to go home first and bid his family farewell. ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9:62)
Ah mih people, that refers to the way to plough a perfect furrow (row). Once you’ve begun to plough it, you can’t look back or it will not end up in a straight line. As the scholars say: ‘One who makes life’s lesser matters of greater priority than God’s work is of little use to Him.’ Similarly, you’re not ‘suitable’ or ‘usable’ in God’s service if you keep looking back instead of forward.
And it’s something we say every week in our Wednesday Wail: ‘We’re not looking back, our hands are securely on the plough. We’re looking forward to a glorious future with Christ.’ Now let’s go out and prove that this Monday morning nuh my fellow believers! Let’s show them that we are fit for service to Christ, as we lift our crosses high and honour Him! Much LOVE!
…the true disciple… doesn’t mind sacrificing his desires…for those of Christ…
08 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a gift, a li'l bit of Jesus, affliction, all one body, an obstacle, an opportunity to grow, Anselm, aspires to inspire, assurance, barriers, be of good cheer, be thankful, broken down the middle wall, caring, change, circumstances, Colossians, compassionate, conquer, control our attitudes, crowning grace, deceitful, Ephesians, feel sorry for yourself, flee seven ways, free from fear, from glory to glory, Gentiles, glory to God, have faith, have peace, holy spirit, human understanding, in Jesus name, in the world, insincere, Jews, keep your hearts and minds, leaving happier, live godly in Christ, living for Jesus, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, not stuck where you are, one church, overcome the world, peace, persecution, persevere, perspective, put on charity, shalom, sincere, spoken unto you, spread LOVE, suffer persecution, Thank You Lord, the bond of perfectness, the evil world, the Lord delivered me, the peace of God, these things, things will look different, tranquility, transform, tribulation, true, truth, unpalatable situations, walking with Christ, worry, you choose, youlook at things
John 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
‘Shalom friends, Shalom! Peace! Everlasting Peace! May the peace of God, that peace that passes all human understanding, which is instilled in us by the Holy Spirit, be unto you and yours this somewhat cloudy Saturday morning!’
And all God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Lord!’ For there is nothing that’s so badly needed right now in our world, than peace, the peace of Almighty God! And though it’s cloudy, the sun is valiantly pushing through, just like our efforts in Jesus Christ to transform this evil world, to have His LOVE Revolution conquer it! Have faith my brethren. If we persevere in Jesus’ name, it will happen.
Now let’s look at some of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at will change.’ Now that’s simply logical. If you look at things differently, then in the majority of cases, they will appear differently to you. I guess it’s all about our perspective.
And the second one tells us: ‘You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be.’ And isn’t that the glorious truth! My people, wherever we are, is where we have decided to be, at least for the time being, otherwise we’d be somewhere else.
That’s unless we’re living for Jesus, and He has us in a particular position or situation right now that we don’t like, and as far as we’re concerned, He is moving us too slowly from glory to glory. But even then, we can always change it. It might not work out for the best under your terms, but it’s always changeable.
Now this quote is simple but ever so important in a believer’s life. ‘Spread LOVE wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.’ Yeh friends, that’s what Jesus has called us to do, ‘SPREAD LOVE!’
His kind of LOVE; the kind that’s sincere and true and really caring and compassionate, not the empty, insincere, deceitful words that the world utters. That means whoever we interact with, we must leave them with a li’l bit of Jesus, so that their souls and spirits can be lifted through His awesome power.
That leads us to this last quote: ‘With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.’ That’s also very true my people! We might not be able to always control our situations, but we always have the power to control our attitudes towards them.
What did Jesus say about such situations? ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Wow! What assurance friends! Our Lord and Saviour has already overcome the world, so we should not allow our circumstances to drag us down and keep us down for too long. Through His Holy Spirit that dwells within us, we can have peace in even the most unpleasant and unpalatable situations.
Bruh Paul told Timothy in no uncertain terms: ‘Persecutions. Afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured; but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.’ (2 Tim.3:11-12)
And that’s indisputable truth! Once we stand up and proclaim the name of Jesus, the enemy WILL come against us. But as the Good Book says, he will come against us one way, but flee seven ways! Glory to God!
Now let’s end up with some significant scriptures on peace. Hear Bruh Paul to the Ephesians, re Christ: ‘For he (he himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us.’ (Eph.2:13) Yeh people, by His death and resurrection Christ has broken down all barriers between Jews and Gentiles. We are all one body, one church under His name now.
Meanwhile to the Colossians, Bruh Paul advised: ‘ And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.’ (Col.3:14-15) Oh friends, LOVE is the crowning grace of a believer, and right behind it is peace!
And to the Philippians, Bruh Paul wrote: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard, sustain) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7)
Now isn’t that wonderful! Though we don’t understand God’s peace, we certainly have it available to us. So let’s use it nuh mih breddren, for it’s wisdom personified. Much LOVE!
…walking with Christ…brings tranquility of mind…frees us from fear and worry…
18 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a bowl of cherries, a destiny, a new day, after dinner nap, Anself, aspires to inspire, be fed, be gentle with yourself, be not wise, beat ourselves up, behave appropriately, best intentions, by chance, by change, coincidence, common sense, compassionate, depart from evil, direct thy paths, do good, dwell in the land, entrust our souls to God, faith, faithful promises, fear the Lord, feed on his faithfulness, foolproof recipe, forgive ourselves, God's Word, greedy society, growing in faith, happiness, health to thy navel, immaterial things, imperfect human beings, in thine own eyes, joyful, kind, lean not, long life, marrow to thy bones, more Christ-like, more mature, move forward, never satisfied, offer thanks, permissive, petty, plan, recipe for success, riches, stop complaining, stronger, thankful, the Christian life, the lot of the believer, the master's will, the soothing sound of the rain, to rule God's people, torrential downpiur, troubles, trust in the Lord, trust your leader, trying times, unto thine own understanding, walking in God's plan, Walmart, what a life, what's meant to be will be, wisdom, with all thine heart
Psalm 37:3. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).
Well friends, the ole fella’s been up and about early. I even went out to my favourite store, Walmart and bought a new lamp, an LED one to boot. It seems to be working fairly well so far.
And everything outside surely looked and felt fresh and clean because we got some good rain yesterday evening, in fact a real torrential downpour, and later in the night it drizzled for quite some time. And after my after dinner nap, I just lay in bed enjoying the soothing sound of the rain and eventually fell asleep again. Hn! What a life!
But it’s a new day, for which we’re thankful, and will behave in the appropriate manner. And since it’s also Saturday, we’ll look at some quotes from our friend Anselm, who sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘Be gentle with yourself, you are doing the best you can.’
And most of us are doing our best, but unfortunately we’re not being gentle with ourselves. However, it’s something a lot of us need to learn how to do. We are kind and compassionate to others, but we beat up ourselves over the slightest mistake.
That’s not right friends. Just like the Lord forgives us, and we forgive others, we also need to forgive our selves. We’re only imperfect human beings, and consequently will make mistakes even though we have the best intentions and interests at heart. So please, let’s stop beating up ourselves unnecessarily.
And this next quote tells us that: ‘It might take a year, it might take a day, but what’s meant to be will always find its way.’ And I want to look at that in the context of the Christian life. The Lord has a plan for each and every person that He breathes life into.
That means we all have a destiny and the only person who can stop you from reaching it is you. Once you are walking in God’s plan, your destiny will come true, but believe me, it will certainly take more than a day or a year. (smile)
That leads us to this next quote: ‘Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.’ And it ties in with the last one, where in the Christian context, we don’t believe in chance or coincidence. We believe that everything is worked out through the Master’s will. Therefore, if you’re walking in His will, then your life will change according to the definitive plan that He has for it.
Now listen to this: ‘Happiness comes when we stop complaining about the troubles we have an offer thanks for all the troubles we don’t have.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! But it just so happens that in this prosperous, permissive and greedy society, we’re never satisfied with what we have. We always want more, even when we don’t have the time to use or enjoy what we already have.
And talking about troubles, most of the troubles we complain about are petty, immaterial things. Ninety percent of the world would be overjoyed to have our problems. That’s why we should be ever so thankful and joyful for the fairly trouble free lives we live.
And the last quote declares: ‘You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.’ And if you’re a Christian, then that will always be the case, because our God doesn’t explain everything to us, but He does expect us to move forward, daily growing in faith, because of His Word and all His faithful promises contained therein. That’s the lot of the believer.
Ah friends, it all depends on one word, ‘TRUST!’ Yeh, when we truly surrender our lives to God and put all our trust in Him, then we’re truly on our way. Listen to these words of Bruh David, a man who lived that trust throughout his life and was well rewarded by the Lord.‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).’
That’s just pure common sense mih breddren! If you’re walking hand in hand with the faithful Creator and Controller of the universe, your life must be on the up side! Look at all Bruh David went through before he became king, but in those trying times he kept on trusting the God of his fathers to look after him…and He did! So much so that Bruh David became Israel’s greatest king and ruler.
And the Lord will certainly do the same with us friends, if we entrust our very souls to Him. Life will not always be a bowl of cherries, but we will come out of the trying times stronger, more mature, more Christ-like, and filled with more faith. That’s just the way it works in the Lord’s economy.
And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to his son, Cousin Sol, whom the Lord made the wisest and richest man in the world because he asked not for riches and long life but for wisdom to rule God’s people.
‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)
Oh friends, there we have the recipe for success from two of the most successful men that ever passed through this world, and the foundation is exactly the same: sincere TRUST in Almighty God! Now why would we not use the same foolproof recipe eh? Could it be because we’re just stubborn and prideful and feel we know best…? Much LOVE!
…if you don’t trust your Leader…why are you in His organization…
08 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a voice of hope, boundless love, Christ died for us, compassion, compassionate, confidence, cries of the hungry, Cross of Calvary, everlasting kindness, fathomless grace, fellowship, focus on christ, God of compassion, grace to the thief, great is thy faithfulness, grief, heartfelt sincerity, his compassions fail not, judgemental, let the children draw near, LOVE, new every morning, offering of praise, pardoned the scoffer, praise, radiance of heaven, ran to meet you, reached out your hand, reconciled, rescue the lost, sacrificial praise, shade of your rest, shared in our tears, sheep without a shepherd, still sinners, streams of forgiveness, suffering, the dead breathed again, the eyes of sorrow, the lame, the Lord's mercies, the sigh of the weary, thorns of oppression, we're not consumed, withouth strength, wounds of disgrace
Lamentations 3:22-23. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Well mih breddren, it’s Sunday morning, time to get thee hither to the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship, praise, worship and exalt our heavenly Father and receive His blessings and confidence through His word for the upcoming week.
Now yesterday we looked at the quote of our friend Anselm that talked about being judgemental in our youth, but after life humbled us with some serious life-lessons, we became more compassionate. Well since we dealt with judgmental attitudes yesterday I want to deal with compassion today.
And it so happens that I went looking for a hymn on compassion to match our topic, and in the Lord’s grace and mercy was pointed to this beautiful modern hymn written by Keith Getty, Kristyn Lennox Getty and Stuart Townend. And it’s appropriately titled the ‘Compassion Hymn,’ with words that are ever so appropriate and heart-rending, putting our focus directly on Christ and His compassionate work on our behalf.
You can google it and hear the beautiful melody and music that will definitely touch your heart and soul. So let’s sing it out soulfully now nuh friends, in a medium tempo, in strong voice, with heartfelt sincerity, truly meaning the words of sacrificial praise that we offer.
‘There is an everlasting kindness You lavished on us When the Radiance of heaven Came to rescue the lost You called the sheep without a shepherd To leave their distress For your streams of forgiveness And the shade of your rest
And with compassion for the hurting You reached out your hand As the lame ran to meet you And the dead breathed again You saw behind the eyes of sorrow And shared in our tears Heard the sigh of the weary Let the children draw near
(Chorus: What boundless LOVE What fathomless grace You have shown us, O God of compassion Each day we live An offering of praise As we show the world your compassion) We stood beneath the cross of Calvary And gazed on your face At the thorns of oppression And the wounds of disgrace For surely You have borne our suffering And carried our grief As you pardoned the scoffer And showed grace to the thief
(Chorus: What boundless LOVE…) How beautiful the feet that carry This gospel of peace To the fields of injustice And the valleys of need To be a voice of hope and healing To answer the cries Of the hungry and helpless With the mercy of Christ (Chorus: What boundless LOVE What fathomless grace You have shown us, O God of compassion Each day we live An offering of praise As we show to the world your compassion) (repeat)’
Wow! Isn’t that just beautiful friends! It’s like a listing of all that Jesus has done for us; and it all falls under the heading of COMPASSION! No one has ever showed compassion like our heavenly Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; that seems to be their middle name, as our Bit and the other scriptures we’ll share attest to.
‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’
Oh friends, we should all be extremely grateful that the Lord is merciful and compassionate yes, else we’d be lost in hellfire a long time ago. And are we ever blessed that His compassion for us is brand new every day! Glory be mih people. And we’re going to highlight God’s greatest act of LOVE and compassion through the words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.
‘For when we were yet without strength, in due (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 (demonstrates His own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship my brethren! In that while we were still sinful enemies, still estranged from Him, He showed His great and unconditional LOVE for us by sending His Son to die on our behalf, so that we could be reconciled to Him.
Mama Mia! And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Exalt His holy name!’ And the best way we can do that friends, is by showing our LOVE and compassion to others, be they believers or not.
Remember what we sang in the chorus above: ‘What boundless LOVE What fathomless grace You have shown us, O God of compassion Each day we live An offering of praise As we show to the world your compassion.’ Yeh, we claim that we show the world your compassion every day.
But is that really true, or is it as true as it can and should be? I don’t think so friends. If we were really showing the world God’s compassion through our actions, our world would not be such a divided, strife-filled and unhappy place, pervaded by so much poverty and sickness.
So please, let’s get serious and begin living the words we sing nuh. Remember if it wasn’t for God’s compassion, we’d never have Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and would be still hell bound instead of heaven bound. Much LOVE!
…only true compassion heals the wounds of the world…
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