07 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heavy thud, Anselm, back down to earth, beam, boomerang, brings us to our senses, changes in life, compassionate, condemn, Controller, Creator, disaster, dole out, evil, faults, friends, full of spunk, greedy, heat-wave, hot to trot, humbling, in your brother's eye, inner motives, judge not, judgemental, learn from them, life experiences, lived real life, measure ye mete, metaphorical comparisons, negative judgement, Northern California, offer help, opinionated, paly actor, plank, poetic justice, pray, prejudiced information, prescriptions, Protector, rafter, rain in Japan, render a verdict, selfish, solutions, Southern California, speck, steadfastly focused on Almighty God, takes time, the kind of person, the mote, the whole true story, thou hypocrite, too big for our britches, ultimate judgement, ungodly soicety, vey open, what was what, what you sow you reap, wildfire, ye be not judged
Matthew 7:1. Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged (condemned).
And so Saturday opened in my neighbourhood bright and beautiful…and cool! Thank the Lord! But down in southern California their heat wave apparently continues with temps reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit! Wow! And that wildfire in Northern California is still burning with a vengeance, causing people to run from their homes.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the rain is causing havoc, having killed several people over the last couple days. Mama Mia! On one side of the globe is one type of disaster, and on the other is a different kind.
But not to worry friends, the only way to handle all of that is by keeping our eyes and hearts steadfastly focused on Almighty God; our Creator, Protector and the Controller of ALL things. He has His reasons for allowing all that stuff, and there’s nothing much we can do about it but pray and offer whatever help we can.
And since it’s Saturday, guess we should turn to the quotes of our friend Anselm for this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, I only received one quote from him this week, but it is an interesting one.
‘Life experiences can, at times, be quite humbling, but you learn from them. But I like the changes in my life and what kind of person they’ve made me into. I’m very open, not as judgmental as I was in my twenties, and a lot more compassionate.’
And I know that’s true of many of us. In our early years we were full of spunk and hot to trot, figuring we knew everything and would show the world what was what. Hn! Hn! But instead the world showed us what was what! Isn’t that always the case when we get too high on our horses, or too big for our britches?
The world and our God has a way of humbling us, of bringing us back down to earth, and sometimes with a heavy thud, which quickly brings us to our senses. Unfortunately, that scenario usually takes time to materialize, so it’s often not until we’ve lived real life that we see the faults in our approach to it.
But as our quote says, eventually we become less judgemental and more compassionate. And oh how we badly need to reverse those two aspects of human nature in our mish-mash, evil and ungodly society today. Are we ever judgemental and opinionated about people and things we don’t know anything about. We see people and hear things and right away we jump to judgement, more often than not a negative judgement too.
But it seems we have forgotten the immortal words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on that particular topic. ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged (condemned).’ I couldn’t put it any better or simpler friends.
And Jesus continues: ‘For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete (use) it shall be measured to you again.’ (Matt.7:2) That’s just poetic justice friends, the law of God’s society, whatever you sow, you’ll reap; whatever you give out, you’ll get back. It’s like a boomerang; you throw it at someone but it comes right back to you.
Ah mih people, nobody can expand on a story like Jesus. Hear how He embellishes this: ‘And why beholdest thou the mote (speck) that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam (plank) that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote (speck) out of thine eye; and behold a beam (plank) is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote (speck) out of thy brother’s eye.’ (Matt.7:3-5)
Oh, is it ever refreshing to listen to Jesus! You’re always surprised and astonished by His metaphorical comparisons. And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘7:1-4. Judge not refers to an unfavourable and condemnatory judgement.
This does not mean that a Christian should never exercise judgement of any kind under any circumstances. The point being made here is that we are not to judge the inner motives of another. We are not to render a verdict based upon prejudiced information. Nor are we to use ourselves as the standard of judgement for with what…ye mete (measure) you shall be judged.
That ye be not judged refers to the ultimate judgement of God rather than our own judgement. The terms mote (Gr. karphos) and beam (Gr. dokos) are used metaphorically for a small fault and a great fault. A mote is a small speck of sawdust whereas a beam is a rafter used in building. Thus the idea of the text is that one cannot remove the speck from his brother’s eye until he has removed the rafter from his own eye!’
That hits the nail right on the head! And the scholars have another good one for verse ‘7:5. Thou hypocrite is the only statement that can be made for this play actor who pretends to be a physician when he himself is sick.’
And the sad part is that so many of us play actor doctors in this greedy, selfish and judgemental world are very sick ourselves, but we’re quick to dole out prescriptions to others. In other words, we’re hypocrites to the core!
Oh my fellow believers, please let us take a good look at ourselves before we go doling out solutions to others nuh, because very often we are doing worse than those we judge and condemn. Much LOVE!
…don’t offer opinions…unless you know the whole true story…
15 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broad grin, a complaining word, a godly mother, a mother's work, a virtuous woman, a warm hug, a woman of God, an endurance contest, awesome task, backbone of the family, batting an eyelash, beloved of God, blaring television, born again, breathe through my nostrils, broken dishes, call her blessed, cherish, chocalate cookies, compassionate, confusion, constant, dentist appointments, discipline, distasteful, duty-conscious, enterprising, ever an end, faltering steps, far above rubies, for Mom, God-hunger, good seamstress, heaven, her children rise up, her husband praises her, high temps, humour, hurtful words, independence, industrious, kind, like a new man, LOVE, marreid to a leader, midst of turmoil, monotonous work, Mother's Day, motherhood, my friend Jesus, nasty taste, not swayed by circumstances, nurturing, One Year Book of Bible promises, our tail would be grass, parched mouth, patience, praiseworthy, pressures, priceless treasures, principles of wisdom, rebellious tears, rewards, riddim of the falling rain, ringing phone, Ruth Harms Calkin, school conferences, self-starting, share His love, sleep better, struggles, Thank You God, the good and bad of it, the heart of her husband, thrifty, treasure, trials, trust, trustworthy, Tuesday Mantra, willing to do hard work, wise, work with God, worth
Proverbs 31:28: Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
‘I’m in heaven, yes heaven, cause I can once more breathe comfortably through my nostrils!’ Glory to God my breddren! I feel like a new man, after I went into the city yesterday afternoon and the medic took out some stuff left there after the surgery. The nostrils still aren’t perfect, but they are a whole lot better than they were.
Boy! Does it ever feel like a new world! Like I’m born again! And believe me, it took a little while for me to get accustomed to breathing through my nose again. (smile) But unfortunately that cloying, chalky, nasty taste from constantly breathing through my mouth for the last two weeks is still there. I guess it will take a while to go away…Let’s hope so yes, because it’s rather distasteful!
And I can certainly sleep a li’l better. I don’t have to wake up every hour or so to moisten my parched mouth. And talking about sleep, I did get lulled away by the beautiful riddim of the falling rain this morning, that’s why the Bit is somewhat late. (smile)
And in keeping with our promise not to just celebrate our mothers on Mother’s Day, I know some of us have already forgotten it, here is this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled ‘Motherhood.’
Please read with me: ‘Motherhood is now! The good and bad of it. The rewards and the trials. Tremendous pressures are placed upon you as a mother, for you have been chosen to work with God in the awesome task of nurturing the priceless treasures God has given you.
As a mother, you accept your children’s faltering steps toward independence with discipline, humour, patience, and a tremendous amount of trust. At times the struggles almost become an endurance contest. You wonder if you can handle all the confusion another day: the ringing phone, the broken dishes, the blaring television, the hurtful words. High temperatures, school conferences, dentist appointments, rebellious tears. Is there ever an end?
But suddenly in the midst of turmoil you catch a broad grin. You feel a warm hug. At bedtime somebody prays, “Thank you, God, for Mom and for the chocolate-chip cookies…and for LOVE.” You renew again your deep desire to create a genuine God-hunger in your children. God has chosen you for such a task as this.’
Wow mih people! What an accurate account of a Mother’s harried life! And surprisingly, most of them do it without batting an eyelash or offering a complaining word. What towers of strength they are! That’s why I encourage us to cherish and treasure and LOVE them much more than we currently do! For without them, as they say, ‘our tail would be grass.’ (smile)
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.’ Yeh friends, that’s the reaction of a godly mother’s family. It all comes from the last chapter of Proverbs which sings the praises of a virtuous woman.
As it says: ‘Who can find a virtuous woman (wife of valour)? For her price (worth) is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil (lack of gain). She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.’ (Prov.31:10-12) And I don’t know if I have enough space, but I will endeavour to describe the qualities of a godly mother, of an excellent wife, as set out in these last verses of Proverbs.
‘She is rare (v 10); trustworthy (v.11); constant in her LOVE (v.12); industrious (v.13); thrifty (v.14); self-starting (v: 15); enterprising (v.16); willing to do hard work (v.17); willing to work long hours (v.18); willing to do monotonous work (v.19); compassionate (v.20); prepared for the future (v.21); a good seamstress (v.22); married to a leader (v.23); an entrepreneur (v.24); not swayed by circumstances (v.25); wise and kind (v.26); duty-conscious (v.27); blessed by her family (v.28); not satisfied with the mediocre (v.29); a woman of God (v.30) ; and praiseworthy (v.31).
She is a woman of means (vs.15, 22) and a woman of great skill and ability who lives in an agrarian economy. She is a woman of God who is enterprising and dedicated to her home. Perhaps this acrostic on the excellent wife is placed at the end of the book because she, above all others, will be most able to demonstrate the principles of wisdom in the home.’
Ah friends, what more can I say about mothers eh? Nothing really. Yuh see the many varied tasks and problems she has to deal with. She is indeed the backbone of the family! So let’s try and do more to appreciate and LOVE her nuh, that’s our bounden duty.
Now let’s go home declaring who and whose we are through our Tuesday Mantra. ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we were sincere in our words, then let’s go out and share all we have with others as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…truthfully…a mother’s work is never done…
13 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart for Jesus, adversity, Anselm's quotes, blessed of my Father, builds our faith, Christian faith, commitment, commune, compassionate, cover the naked, do better, do wrong, downtrodden, easy, easy living, entitlement, evil, falling standards, foundation of the world, free will, giving up, goats, good, hard, healing, helping others, hunger, I was a stranger, I was hungry, I was in prison, I was sick, I was thirsty, Jesus, know better, lazy day, learn to do better, LOVE, naked, on his right hand, pandemic, pointing of the finger, poor, poverty, rampant, righteousness, Saturday, sense of purpose, share thy bread, shared, sheep., smiles, sweet sighs, sympathetic, tender, the glory of the Lord, the name of the game, the tumbling tumbleweeds, tolerant, true religion, unfortunates, vanity, we'll reap what we sow, wickedness, yoke, you came unto me, you clothed me, you gave me drink, you gave me food, you took me in, you visited me
Matthew 25:35. 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.
Ah mih people, our favourite lazy day, Saturday, is here at last! God bless Saturdays! And I see some big smiles and hear some sweet sighs as we just plan on lazing through Saturday, doing as little as possible.
But don’t worry, that’s your entitlement. You are allowed at least one day each week to just commune with yourself and your Maker, while just rolling along with the tumbling tumbleweeds. (smile)
So as we laze along this blessed Saturday morn, let’s check out some of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. I like this week’s quotes because they are simple and practical.
Hear this first one: ‘It’s supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it.’ Now isn’t that the very truth? It surely is, because in these whatever you may call them times, nobody wants to do anything that’s difficult. Easy living is the name of the game!
And that goes for our Christian faith too. As soon as a lot of believers’ come upon adversity, they are quick to think about giving up. They don’t realize that it’s the adversity that builds our faith. And that’s why our standards are continually falling.
And the second quote says: ‘How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.’ Oh so true my people! It’s just another way of warning us that we’ll reap what we sow, and we need to treat others the way we want to be treated.
This next one sounds like something Granny would say: ‘As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.’ Ah friends, where has that sense of purpose, that commitment to helping others gone eh?
Nowadays it’s predominantly each man for himself, and let the other one get by as best he can. I remember the days when the world wasn’t as prosperous, but there also wasn’t as much hunger and poverty, for we shared whatever little we had with the unfortunates. But today, in a world filled with plenty, hunger and poverty are rampant, pandemic to say the least.
Steups! The Lord must look down from His high heaven and sadly shake His head sometimes, asking Himself, just where did He go wrong. But it wasn’t Him that went wrong it was us, we had too much free will and evil had a stronger pull on us than good.
But hopefully this last quote will help us. ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.’ It’s as simple as that friends, we can’t do better until we know how to do better. So I guess our quest now is to learn how to do better.
And I have to laugh here at the philosophical stuff than Anselm’s quotes bring out every week. But it does the soul a lot of good, gets us thinking a little more than we normally might. It also brings us to our Bit, Jesus immortal words on the topic.
‘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.’ (Matt.25:35-36)
Yeh friends, that’s the kind of stuff that Jesus is looking for from His followers. If we do those things, then when Jesus comes into His kingdom, we’ll be like the sheep, on His right hand, and not goats on His left. ‘Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ (Matt.25:34)
Oh my brethren, we seem to forget that Jesus came to save the lost, the sick, the hungry, the poor; in other words, those who were having a hard time making it in life. If we go back to Isaiah, where he describes true religion, we’ll see where the Lord rags on Israel for their hypocritical fasting in the first 5 verses of chapter 58.
Then He says: ‘Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal (share) thy bread to (with) the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out (wandering) to thy house?
When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health (healing) shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee: the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward ( rearguard).
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord will answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of these the yoke, the putting forth (pointing) of the finger, and speaking vanity (wickedness).’ (Is.58:6-9)
Oh friends, that’s what true religion is supposed to be about, not the hypocritical rules and regulations that pass for it today. And you’ll see that it’s not only when Jesus came that caring for the poor and downtrodden became a part of our faith.
So let’s get serious about what we’ve said here this morning nuh, and try to do what we know is right, so that at the coming of Jesus’ kingdom, we’ll end up on His right hand and be called blessed. Much LOVE!
…unless we sincerely try to help others…we can’t truly say…we have a heart for Jesus…
20 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roof over you head, accused, and know my heart, aura of love, Beelzebub, blessed, Canada, choirmaster, Christians, compassionate, confidence, David, dread, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, Family day, fate, favour, fellowship of faith, forgiveness, forgiving, friends, God's kingdom, grace, Granny's advice, heavenly Father, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, if there be any wicked way in me, innocence, integrity, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, judge me, know my anxious thoughts, lead me in the way everlasting, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, merciful, mercy, motives, nice thread to wear, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, scowl, search me O God, should not eat, sincere, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, the truth will set you free, trust, truth, try me, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, work, workers
Psalm 139:23-24. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
And then it was Monday, the day that so many of us workers dread. But technically speaking friends, there’s no need to fear Mondays; that’s if we have used the weekend the right way and gotten enough rest and strength from our weekly fellowship of faith. But if instead we have abused the weekend, then we will be grouchy and miserable and don’t want to get up to go to work.
Some of us in Canada are lucky, or rather blessed, because we don’t have to go to work today, because it’s a Provincial Holiday. Good ole Canada!
But for those of you who have to go work, please look at the situation this way nuh. As Bruh Paul told the Thessalonians. ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess.3:10)
So it’s quite okay if you don’t want to work, but just remember that you won’t be eating either, and eventually you won’t have a roof over your head either… or nice threads to wear… (smile) So what’s your choice eh?
Hopefully that lights a fire under us this Monday morning and gets us moaning and groaning out of the bed and up and about. And to further encourage us, we have this antidote for the Monday morning blues, it’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, so let’s sing it out with much verve and enthusiasm and thus raise our adrenaline level.
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!’
Oh friends, that wasn’t too bad, our choirmaster, Jesus didn’t scowl…but neither did He smile, because He knew that the loudest and most raucous voices were coming from the Canadians who did not have to work today.
And we Canadians, please, please, as we celebrate Family Day, or whatever it’s called in your Province, remember Granny’s advice: Drunk or sober, please mind yuh business. And don’t give Beelzebub a chance to get a toehold in your affairs, since it’s always so much trouble to get rid of him, and he can do an awful lot of damage in a short space of time.
But one of the ways to get rid of him is to do as Bruh David does in our Bit, cry out to our God in all sincerity: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’
Yes my fellow believers, the easiest way to handle any problems at all in our lives, regardless of what they might be, is to go to our heavenly Father with them. But we have to be sincere, for remember He doesn’t just listen to our words, but digs deep into our hearts to discover our real motives. And if they are sincere, He will NEVER turn us away, but tenderly lead and guide us to where He wants us to go. That’s the beauty of our wonderful Father – ever LOVING, kind, compassionate, forgiving and merciful!
No wonder Bruh David kept going back to Him, time and again, when he found himself in trouble, whether of his own causing or not. Listen to him from Psalm 143 – Teach me to do thy will. He soulfully declares: ‘Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee (take cover) unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken (revive) me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off (put an end to) mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.’ (Ps.143:9-12)
Oh friends, if our heart is right, how can our merciful and graceful God not respond favourably to such an outpouring of anguish eh? Bruh David knew this principle that’s why he successfully received favour from God. Hear him again from Psalm 26 – Examine me, O Lord, and prove me.
This time he cries out: ‘Judge (vindicate) me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide (slip). Examine me, O Lord, and prove (try) me; try my reins (test my mind) and my heart. For thy LOVING-kindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.’ (Ps.26:1-3)
Ah mih people, like Job when he was wrongfully accused by his friends, Bruh David seems to have suffered the same fate, and cried out in innocence to his heavenly Father. No reason why we can’t do likewise, provided it’s the truth. Much LOVE!
…in God’s kingdom…the truth will ALWAYS set you free…
24 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and again I say rejoice, assurance, be alive, beloved of God, body of people, Christians, come unto me, compassionate, damp, disciples, downcast, drizzly weather, droopy, ever-faithful, faithful, find rest for your souls, forlorn, friend of Jesus, gentle, glorious Tuesday, glory to God, heavy laden, highways, humble, I am meek, I will give you rest, Jesus, kind, labour, learn of me, LOVE, LOVE for one another, loving, lowly in heart, merciful, miserable, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, omnipotent, on God's great earth, on our shoulders, precious people, Rejoice in the Lord, sad, self-confidence, share His love, take my yoke upon you, the great invitation, the happiest people, the Lamb's Book of Life, the SON, the whole weight of the world, this is the day the Lord has made, Tuesday Mantra, understanding, we will be glad and rejoice in it
Philippians 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Aye mih beautiful Scrip-Bit friends and family! How goes it on this glorious Tuesday eh? And believe me, in my area it’s not the physical aspect of the day that’s glorious, because though it’s dry, it’s still cloudy. Steups!
We haven’t seen the sun in over a week…but we see the Son EVERYDAY! Glory to God!
Don’t know if I’ve ever experienced that kind of damp, drizzly weather over such a long period nuh, in the middle of what’s supposed to be winter. But the important thing is that it’s a glorious day to be alive on God’s great earth!
Walking with Him is so unexpected and amazing and adventurous, that just being alive presents so many awesome possibilities. Wow!
That’s why, like the psalmist did so long ago, we can also confidently declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! ‘Glory to God my believing brethren!
When I consider how faithful and LOVING, He is, my heart just overflows with LOVE for Him. Take yesterday for instance. I had to go into the city early for some blood work. The traffic was rough in some places, but not bad overall, and I got there early.
And you better believe the Lord carried me, because I parked at the front of the building and the lab is way at the back, round several twists and turns, then up on the third floor. I certainly could not have made it without His help.
Coming back out was just as bad, although I took a different route. When I finally got to the front of the building, I had to sit down for a couple of minutes and rest.
And surprisingly, getting out of Toronto was worse than getting in, with construction and road work everywhere that I travelled, and people crossing against the no-cross sign. The highways were also bad, so bad that I had to change my usual route to get home.
But as He promised, the Lord took me there safely, and brought me back home safely, though somewhat tired and aggrieved. (smile) Yes friends, just remember that our God is faithful – EVER-FAITHFUL is one of His many names!
That’s why we can do what Bruh Paul proclaims in our Bit: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’
Yeh, precious people, if our wonderful God wasn’t faithful and kind, and LOVING, and merciful and gracious and understanding and compassionate and omnipotent, with our names written boldly in the Lamb’s Book of Life, we wouldn’t have the wherewithal to be a rejoicing body of people.
As Christians, we’re supposed to be the happiest people in the world! Hn! But you’d never believe that from the way so many of us behave sad and droopy, as though we have the whole weight of the world on our shoulders.
And that, after our Lord offered this 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 you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh friends, what’s so difficult in that to understand eh? And if you believe in Jesus at all, that should just make you break out in a big smile and have you hurrying to lay your troubles before Him!
But the problem is, I suspect, that many of us who claim to be Christians don’t truly believe in Jesus or in His many wonderful promises. Our minds may say we do, but not in our hearts, where it truly matters, else we wouldn’t be so wishy-washy and miserable and forlorn and downcast as we too often are.
Ah mih people, I’m chuckling here because that wasn’t the ‘sermon’ I had intended to write, but the Holy Spirit guided me to it. And since I’m only the messenger, an obedient one too (smile), I had to do as I was told.
Well, hopefully, there’ll be tomorrow, and I might get to preach the sermon – sorry, teach the lesson, I’ve been wanting to teach for the last two days.
Don’t worry though friends, it’s all good. The Lord is on His throne in the high heavens, and He is still in complete control of all of man’s plans and movements, so there is no need to fear.
Consequently, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra with oodles of self-confidence and assurance. As one 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!’
Oh isn’t that so beautiful and encouraging! Now let’s go and put it into action, by sharing the true, true LOVE of Jesus, as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…by this shall all men know…that ye are my disciples…if ye have LOVE …one to another… (John 13:35)
27 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Christmas Prayer, a hundred years old, a manger, a pine tree, a twinkling Christmas tree, a virgin, accursed, be glad, beloved of God, branches of a tree, bring us comfort and joy, caring, carved from a tree, cast out thine enemy, celebrate God's Love, celebrate your birth, Christ's birth, christianity, compassionate, cross, crying, daughter of Zion, disaster, dr robert h schuller, ever-faithful, ever-LOVING God, evergreen for ever, evil, fear, friend of Jesus, God will stop at nothing, God's LOVE, hands that reach to touch, hanging on a tree, he will rejoice over thee, he will save, hearts that heart, holy spirit, imagery, in his love, in the midst of thee, iniquity, invite road-weary, Jerusalem, joy, joy in my people, joy over thee, justice, life eternal, life-giving, LOVE, marries, mighty, my life, never fails, omnipotent, outstretched arms, pointing, promises, quiet rest, quiet you, reaching, redemption, rejoice, salvation, shame, share His love, sharing, sin, solid, songs of celebration, sparkling, strong-rooted, sturdy, supremacy, tall, the king of Israel, the Lord thy God, the siiner, the spilled blood of christ, the unjust, the voice of weeping, the whole gamut, the whole shebang, thoughts of God, to save my soul, to save us, travel-worn wayfarers, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly world, upright, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, with singing, Zephaniah
Zephaniah 3:17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in (quiet you) in his LOVE, he will joy over thee with singing.
Ah mih breddren, it’s Tuesday, the last day of this extra long weekend! Let’s hope that we all used the earlier portions properly, raising up Christ as the most important part of it all, for the whole shebang is all about His marvelous and miraculous birth!
And since the Christmas season is not yet over, I want to share with us this morning ‘A Christmas Prayer,’ from my Hour of Power Devotional by Gramps Schuller (Dr, Robert H. Schuller).
Please read with me. ‘You lead me, Jesus Christ, to thoughts of God. I see you in a manger carved from a tree. I see you as a young man with hands that reach to touch hearts that hurt. Your caring reaches out like the strong and kind branches of a gentle tree reach out to invite road-weary and travel-worn wayfarers to quiet rest.
I see you again hanging on a tree with outstretched arms taking in the whole world. From your cross, you show me that God will stop at nothing to save my soul. So, I celebrate God’s LOVE today as I celebrate your birth around a twinkling Christmas tree.
I pray my life, like yours, O Lord, may be tall and upright as a pine tree pointing, reaching, sharing, sparkling, life-giving, solid, sturdy, strong-rooted in God’s LOVE, a beautiful soul, evergreen forever. Amen.’
Oh friends, isn’t that beautiful? It surely is! Gramps Schuller covers the whole gamut, from birth to death in words and feelings so rich in imagery that we can’t escape its hold.
And wouldn’t it be wonderful if our lives can be tall and upright like a pine tree, exhibiting all those graceful and grateful aspects of Christianity, which can only be accomplished if our roots are deep and strong in God’s LOVE!
Yeh, it certainly would turn this evil and ungodly world upside down on its ear. (smile) So let’s keep working diligently on it nuh my fellow believers, and not waste Christ’s birth, life and death, as we seem to be currently doing.
Be that as it may though, let’s check out this interesting Bit that I was led to today. ‘The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in (quiet you) in his LOVE, he will joy over thee with singing.’
That is the wonderful promise the Lord made to His people Israel through the prophet Zephaniah, of their ultimate supremacy. And friends, that is exactly what the Lord began with the birth of Jesus! He came mightily in our midst, to save us, to bring us comfort and joy, with songs of celebration! Oh what a wonderful God we serve, my faithful breddren!
And would you believe that earlier on in that same chapter there are two more promises along those lines. In the first part of the chapter that deals with Jerusalem’s sin and redemption, the scripture says thus.
‘The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgement (justice) to light, he faileth not (never fails); but the unjust knoweth no shame.’ (Zeph.3:5)
Then later on, the Good Book declares: ‘Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgements, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see (fear) evil (disaster) any more.’ (Zeph.3:14-15)
And did our ever-faithful and ever-LOVING God ever fulfill those promises beginning with the birth of Christ!
And through His Holy Spirit, our marvellous God has given us all the tools so that we won’t fear, but can rejoice in comfort, for our salvation has been paid for by the spilled blood of Christ, and life eternal, in His wonderful company is ours to bask in. What more can we ask eh friends? Not much really.
Now I want to share two last scriptures, both from Isaiah, re our God’s rejoicing over us. While talking of the restoration of Zion, Isaiah declares: ‘For as the young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.’ (Is.62:5) I just LOVE promises like that!
Now hear this final scripture of promise under new heavens and a new earth. ‘And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
There shall be no more thence an infant of days (who lives but a few days), nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die a hundred years old; but the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed.’ (Is.65:19-20)
Oh friends, I can surely live with promises like those! Now let’s go home strengthening ourselves in the promises of God, by declaring our Tuesday Mantra, with the zest, the passion and strong belief it deserves.
As one 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!’
Oh people, oh people, what can be better than being LOVED by an omnipotent, caring and compassionate God, and being a friend of Jesus eh? Nothing my brethren, absolutely NOTHING! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
30 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name above every name, a rainy day, at the right hand of God's throne, be of good cheer, caring, Christian, compassionate, complaining, dark clouds, despising the shame, doing my own thing, endured the cross, every knee shal bow, every tongue confess, exalted, faith, fellowship, finisher, freedom, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, glorious days, Glory be, glory to God, good and faithful servant, humanity, humbled himself, in Jesus' name, in the form of God, in the likeness of men, ingrates, intercession, Jesus, Jesus christ is Lord, looking unto Jesus, loving kindness, lusts of pleasure, no reputation, obedience, obedience to God's will, originator, overcome the world, peace, perfector of our faith, Philippians, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, rewards, sacrificial end, servant, set before him, shame, sinless soul, stalwart resolve, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the author, the death of the cross, the joy, the SON, to the glory of God, trials, tribulations, way of life, we reap what we sow, welcome, when the trump is called
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Well my people, it was indeed a rainy day in my area yesterday, and today looks like it’s going to be more of the same. But as always, even when we can’t see the sun, we know it’s somewhere behind the dark clouds hovering overhead.
Likewise, even if we don’t see the Son, we know for sure that He’s around, bright and beautiful, dwelling in our hearts minds, bodies and souls! Glory to God!
Now it’s Friday, and despite the gloomy weather, I’m still hearing joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and two glorious days of freedom are on the horizon! Oh, the weekend is mine, to do what I want with it! Glory be! And even though the rain is falling, it’s not going to stop me from doing my own thing! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’
Ah friends, the lusts of pleasure are rearing their ugly heads, so let’s counteract them with our more sensible way of spending the weekend nuh, by chanting our Friday Chant. In one strong voice 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.’
And please people, let’s not just chant the chant, but let’s work it too, put it into action, so that we can have a great upcoming workweek, for remember whatever we sow on the weekend we’ll reap during the week. (smile)
And that segues quite nicely into our Bit. ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’
Yes my fellow believers, to run this race of life successfully, we have to keep looking to Jesus every day, for He is the one who designed the Christian way of life, and faithfully lived it right through to its sacrificial end. We can do no better than emulating Him, for therein lies eternal wisdom.
Now yesterday we continued dissecting our Bit by looking at the statement ‘who for the joy that was set before him.’ And though there was no joy in the real sense of the word, Jesus ‘endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’
His obedience to the Father’s will was outstanding. The joy came much later; after He had sacrificed His sinless soul for a bunch of ingrates. And these words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians explains it all.
‘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)
Yuh see friends, Jesus came to earth as a man for the specific purpose of dying on the cross for our sins. Remember, He was God, but took on our humanity and humbled Himself as a man, without complaining, so that He could do the Father’s will.
And yuh see what happened afterwards? The Father exalted Him; made His name higher than every other, and caused every tongue to declare that Christ is Lord, and He’s now set down at the Father’s right hand, offering intercession for us.
Wow! That’s how the Lord rewards us when we stand in obedience to His word, despite the trials and tribulations involved in our circumstances. It’s not easy, Jesus proved that, and He also promised it. ‘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)
Yes mih breddren, though the world will be full of calamity, we can afford to be peaceful and of good cheer, because our Lord and Saviour has already overcome the sinful world. So let’s keep on looking to Jesus nuh, being humble and obedient, caring and compassionate, enduring our trials and troubles with a stalwart resolve, backed by Jesus’ promise never to leave nor forsake us.
Let’s keep on keeping on, with no thought whatsoever of giving up, until that day when we come to stand before the Father, and He invites us to live with Him forever, by uttering these wonderful words: ‘Welcome, thou good and faithful servant,’ and hugs us to His breast, the way a caring and compassionate father does his child.
Oh friends, we couldn’t ask for a better welcome than that! So please, let’s get ourselves together and do the things we ought to do nuh – we all know what they are – so that when the trump is called up yonder we’ll be there, getting a heavenly welcome. There’s no better reward than that! Much LOVE!
…true humility and obedience to God’s word on earth…will bring untold rewards and exceeding LOVING-kindness in heaven…
10 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a jasper, a rainbow, a sardine stone, all things are possible, all ye that labour, an emerald, an ole sinner, arthritic pains, at God's right hand, Christ is working in you, come unto me, compassionate, continue fighting, crowns, dial up a prayer, earthly pilgrimage, elders, find rest for your souls, gentle, George Nooks, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God is with you, God's footstool, God's throne, gracious, halfway home, heavy laden, his eyelids test, hold on to Jesus, humble, I can do all things, I love you Lord, I will give you rest, I'm not turning back, in heaven, in the midst of the storm, intercedes on our behalf, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, John the Revelator, kind, lack of sleep, learn of me, Lord and Saviour, loving, lowly of heart, meek, my burden is light, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my yoke is easy, neither by heaven, obedient to God's Word, only a prayer away, piggy back on Jesus, precious people, ride out the storm, successfully navigate life, swear not at all, take my yoke upon you, thank God, the breath of life, the children of men, the difficulties of life, the great invitation, the Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's eyes behold, the Lord's throne, the Most High God, the throne room, thrones, through Christ, to the very end, travail, trial, truth, under the weather, Wednesday Wail, white raiment, who strengthens me, wisdom, you're not alone, your morning is coming
Psalm 11:4. The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try (test), the children of men.
Oh friends, the ole fella’s a bit under the weather this bright and blessed Wednesday morning. Some of the old arthritic pains are acting up today, and a lack of sleep isn’t helping the situation either. Hn, hn! But yuh know what, the ole fella is going to persist, he’s going to continue fighting right to the very end.
I’m going to do like George Nooks says in his song: ‘Hold on to Jesus and ride out the storm. Ride out the storm. God is with you. You may not feel Him, But you’re not alone. I know you’re hurting. But your morning is coming. So just hold on to Jesus, and ride out the storm.’
Oh what words of truth and wisdom my precious people of God! Life’s not easy to successfully navigate, but when we hold on tightly to Jesus, we’re able to ride out each and every storm that blows up in our earthly pilgrimage.
That’s the beauty of our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! With Him beside us, we can handle anything that comes against us. As Bruh Paul so succinctly but truthfully puts it to the Ephesians: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13)
Yes my believing brethren, ALL things are possible when Christ is working with you! So if you’re hurting this morning, if you’re in the midst of any storm at all, I strongly advise that you get hold of Jesus, ask for His holy help, and just piggy back on Him, for He has promised to see you through all the difficulties of life.
Recently we spoke about 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)
Ah mih people, there’s no better or greater invitation that has ever been offered in all the long history of mankind! And yuh know what? Those of us who refuse to avail ourselves of that magnificent, most encouraging and uplifting offer are definitely not wise, we’re putting ourselves through much unnecessary travail and trial.
Life will bring enough of that to us, we don’t need to bring anymore on ourselves. So please remember that whatever we’re going through this morning, Jesus is only a prayer away; call Him, and He will surely come and help you.
Now let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with much enthusiasm, sincerity and truth. Wailing: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Mama Mia! How reassuring and uplifting is that eh mih people! Wow! Although I’m shuffling along like an old man this morning, (smile) I am still excited to be alive! How good it feels to breathe that godly breath of life, to feel it just coursing through my aching body!
And yuh better believe, I’m certainly not looking back, because my best days are still out in front of me, they’re all mixed up with the glorious future that Christ has planned for me!
And all I can shout is ‘Glory Hallelujah! Thank You Lord for being so kind and gracious, so LOVING and compassionate to an ole sinner like me! I LOVE You Lord, and will try my best to be obedient to your word, all the days of my life! Amen!’
Yeh friends, if we’re not excited and enthusiastic to be alive, regardless of the difficulties we may be facing, then our connection to Jesus is not right. Please talk to Him, dial up a prayer to Him RIGHT NOW, and let Him help fix it.
And I’ve been so excited and rambling on so much that we barely have space and time for our Bit. ‘The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try (test), the children of men.’ More exciting and beneficial truth this Wednesday morning my faithful brethren!
Now let’s see how many scriptures which corroborate our Bit, we can fit into the available space and time we have. And there could be no better place to begin than with Jesus as He talks about oaths. ‘But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.’ (Matt.5:34-35)
And there’s also no better place to end than with the words of John the Revelator, as he is invited to visit the throne room of the Most High God. ‘And immediately I was in the spirit: and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight (appearance) like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats (thrones): and upon the seats (thrones) I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment (robes); and they had on their heads crowns of gold.’ (Rev.4:2-4)
Yes friends, a lot of stuff is happening around the throne of God in heaven. It’s from there that our lowly earth and lives are planned and controlled. Let’s not forget either, that that’s where our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is operating from, as He sits at God’s right hand and intercedes on our behalf. Much LOVE!
…all things in the universe bow to the One who made them…He who sits upon His throne in the high heavens…
07 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, A journey of love, a positive outlook, abundance, accept, accomplishes His will, allow your love, amend, blaspheming, blessed, broken, by might, by my spirit, by power, ceiled houses, centre my life, change our sinful ways, charles stanley, cherish your love, clear direction, compassionate, compromise, consequences, consider your ways, courage, creativity, curse, cursing, declare blessings, desires, disobedience, divine protection, earthly lusts, embrace, empowerment, examples, expensive price, family, favour, fellowship, forgiving, friends, fulfillment, God doesn't change, God's plan for our lives, God's presence, God's work, good, guidance, Haggai, health, hefty price, in the name of Jesus, lead, let go, lie waste, LOVE, meditation, merciful God, negative word, obey God, panelled, Pentecost, power in the Word, prayer, profitable, promotion, prosper, reading the Word, rebellion, remove God, repent, responsibilities, return to His fold, ruins, saith the Lord, self-control, self-discipline, sinful, smarten up, St. Therese, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, take note, talent, tardiness, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the Lord of hosts, the obits, the power of God's word, the time is not come, Thursday Blessings, to face up to responsibilities, ungodly, unrepentant, walk in your steps, wisdom, working relationship, Zerubbabel
Zechariah 4:6b. Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.
One more day, yes, one more day!
Oh my fellow believers we’ve been blessed with one more day to carry out God’s plan for our lives. So please let’s use it right nuh, since we don’t know if we’ll be granted any more. Tomorrow we might just wake up and read our names in the obits. (smile)
So we need to make the very best use of today, for that is all we have. And let’s begin, as we should, by asking the Lord for His lead, guidance and ‘enablement’ to successfully work His wonderful plan.
Let’s pray this powerful prayer taken from a Devotional, Discovering God’s Presence in LOVE – A Journey of LOVE, Walking with St. Therese of Lisieux. I believe I’ve shared this prayer sometime ago, but as we say, when it’s nice you have to do it twice, if not thrice. (smile)
Please pray with me. ‘Jesus, I desire above all else to centre my life in you. Only you can give me the courage to face up to my responsibilities, to be compassionate and forgiving, to let go of what is not important and to embrace what is important.
I am called to accept and to cherish your LOVE for me and to allow your LOVE to go out from me to all your people. Help me to walk in your steps without compromise, and to be open to your presence in all of the people I meet. I make my prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.’
Yes my fellow brethren in Christ, we can only do God’s work with His empowerment. And having asked for God’s guidance, let’s now declare the power of God’s Word over our lives by enthusiastically and sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings.
All together 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!’
Yes mih people! How good and profitable it is to declare blessings over our lives and of those around us, because there’s awesome power in the Word!
As our Bit so wisely tells us, it’s ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.’ And that’s gospel truth friends! Since Pentecost, we’ve had the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us, and it’s through that wonderful Spirit of guidance and LOVE that God accomplishes His will.
But we have to listen closely to it’s leading for any success to be had. And that’s where so many of us go wrong; thinking that we’re listening and following God’s Holy Spirit, when in actual fact we’re following the earthly lusts of our flesh and our own thinking.
And that can get us into some serious trouble. It’s therefore very important that we develop a close and excellent working relationship with our God, through consistent prayer, meditation, reading of His word and fellowship with other believers so that we can understand the moving of the Holy Spirit within us. Remember, not everything that seems right is right, and even if it’s right, it might not be good for us.
Now let’s get a little background on how and why our Bit came to be. ‘In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, (Jazadak) the high priest saying,
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled (panelled) houses, and this house (the temple) lie waste (to lie in ruins). Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.’ (Hag.1:1-5)
Yeh friends, the people were living in good houses while the Lord’s temple lay in ruins! Obviously the Lord didn’t take too kindly to that. Hear the scholars’ explanation.
‘1:2-6. Ceiled houses refers to ceilings panelled with fine woods. Such a practice was common for the residences of kings (cf. 1 Kin.7:7; Jer.22:14). In contrast, the Lord’s house lay in waste. The command Consider your ways, is issued five times throughout the course of this prophecy (vv.5,7; 2:15, 18).
It is a plea on the part of God for the people to take note of what they are doing, and amend their ways accordingly.’ Oh my people, our great, faithful, LOVING, forgiving and merciful God is saying the exact same thing to us today: ‘Consider your ways.’
Just look at how we’re living nuh; sinful, ungodly, unrepentant, cursing and blaspheming as though He doesn’t exist. We’re trying our level best to remove His from our society, so that right now it’s all about what we want, as the world and its ungodly lusts and desires drive us.
That’s not right friends, the Lord is still on His throne, sadly looking on at all we do, and if we don’t smarten up, repent and return to His fold sometime soon, then we’re going to pay a rather expensive price for our disobedience and rebellion.
That’s just the way it has been, as we can see from the numerous examples in the Good Book. Our God hasn’t and doesn’t change, so if we don’t, there will be a hefty price to pay.
Please, I beg, I plead with us to remember that, and thus, in heavenly wisdom, change our sinful ways! Much LOVE!
…as uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) says…the best way to live this life…is to simply obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…
P.S. Sorry for the tardiness of the Bit, but I went our yesterday evening, so it ended up being an exceptionally late (or early) morning. (smile) Much LOVE!
24 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a friend of Jesus, a summer's day, adversary, apologies, armour, be able to stand, beauty of the day, belief, caring, celebrations, Christians, compassionate, deep down inside, eternal life, faith, fallen angel, flesh and blood, focused on God, foe, forgiveness, glad to be alive, glory to God, god, God's armour, God's protection, God's provision, grace, having done all, he that is in the world, He that is in us, how good god is to me, humanity, I've got a joy, Iam, inspiration, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, just one of those days, LOVE, loving, Lucifer, makes me want to shout, mercy, ministry, miserable, my friend Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, overwhelmed with joy, planet earth, powers of darkness, practice what we preach, put on the whole armour of God, rebelled, reggae riddim, resisting Satan, sacrificial death, salvation, schmes, share His love, shout, sincerity, spirit, spiritual warfare, the beloved of God, the happiest people, the Holy Spirit, the whole armour of God, the wiles of the devil, tiredness, to stand, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unconditional LOVE, unhappy people, witness, wrestle
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Oh friends, oh friends, my sincerest apologies for the lateness of the Bit, but it’s just been one of those days. Hn! One of those days when my body rebelled, refused to get up before it was good and ready.
Believe me, I had no idea that the ole bod was so tired nuh, since I didn’t do anything tiring yesterday, and the celebrations didn’t cause me to get to bed any later than usual. I guess though that it was just a residual tiredness from my earlier activities.
Anyway, though I’m still physically groggy, when I went outside just now and experienced the wondrous beauty of the day – like a perfect summer’s day – my spirit was overwhelmed with joy. It made me feel truly glad to be alive.
And consequently, it brought to mind one of my favourite songs that I heard yesterday. It’s an easy lover’s rock reggae riddim that I’ve shared before, but as they say, these gems are never too tiring or old to be heard again and again, because they lend great inspiration to our souls.
It’s a song titled ‘I’ve got a joy,’ sung by a lady named Mounia Sahara. Please sing this very inspirational chorus with me. ‘I’ve got a joy deep down inside, that makes me want to shout, how good God is to me! Yes, I’ve got this joy deep down inside that makes we want to shout how good God is to me!’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! All Christians ought to feel that way because our wonderful God has indeed been exceedingly good to us all!
Yuh know, Christians ought to be the happiest people in the world because of all that we have; God’s unconditional LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, plus salvation and eternal life paid for by the sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
But unfortunately we are some of the most miserable and unhappy people on planet earth. Steups! Ah Lord eh, when are we going to learn to practice what we preach eh?
Anyhow, it’s a beautiful Tuesday, God is still on His heavenly throne, and still in control of His world! So let’s sing our Tuesday Mantra with true sincerity, strong faith and total belief.
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.’
Oh isn’t that just wonderful my fellow believers? It surely is! What can be better than being a beloved child of God and a friend of Jesus eh? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
And we certainly don’t have to worry about what the world says about us or how it defines us, because greater is He that’s in us – the Holy Spirit of Jesus – than he that’s in the world – the foolish, fallen angel Lucifer. (1 John 4:4)
And to help us prove that, let’s turn to our Bit, that remarkable verse of scripture, which so rightfully declares: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’
And that my people, is indisputable truth! When we are wearing the whole armour of God, we are invincible! Glory to God! And please note that it requires the whole armour, all of it, not bits and pieces.
And before we get to what that armour consists of, I’m going to repeat a couple verses from yesterday because there are some interesting and important explanations from the scholars that I did not get to share.
After our Bit, Bruh Paul declares: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against (hosts of) spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you (take up, put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:12-13)
Now here are the scholars’ explanations of those verses. ‘6:12. Wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian.
Flesh and blood refers to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world-rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’
Yes friends, a lot of powerful spiritual enemies are lined up against us. And per ‘6:13. Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry.
The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again.’
And that’s no lie friends! The evil powers of darkness will continue to come at us, time after time, wave upon wave, trying to gain serious entry to our souls.
However, once we are clothed in God’s protective spiritual armour, and our minds are focused on God, rather than the world, those evil spirits won’t be able to harm us. And on that upbeat note, we’ll close today. (smile)
Now let’s put on that spiritual armour of God and walk strong, tall and proud, caring, compassionate and LOVING, about God’s great earth, because that’s what He expects of us. Much LOVE!
…as Christians in an evil world…God’s protection is ALWAYS necessary…
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