29 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, artesian well, assurance, Beelzebub, belief, believe, blessed, bounden duty, bread, bread from heaven, bread of life, challenge, comes down from heaven, confidence, crapaud smoke we pipe, dissatisfaction, doubt, empty days, encourage, eternal, evil minions, flowers, fortify, freed me, glad to be alive, glorious kingdom, gloriously rich, glory hallelujah, God of glory, halfway home, hearts unfold, heaven, honest surrender, hunger, I'm not looking back, ignorance, immortal gladness, impoverished heart, Irreversible, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful joyful, life, life-changing thoughts, Lord and Saviour, Lord of love, LOVE, manna, melt the clouds, Moses, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, never hunger, never thirst, One Year Book of Bible promises, opening to the sun above, personal lives, positive vibes, praise and worship, Ruth Harms Calkin, sadness, seeking signs, sheer joy, signs, sin, spiritual, surrender, thanks and praise, the breath of life, the dark of doubt, the lake of fire, the light of day, the true bread, they that have not seen, thirst, thoughts, unmoved, uplift one's soul, vibes, vim and vigour, we adore you, Wednesday Wail, well, wisdom, wonders
John 6:48. I am that bread of life.
Awright friends, let’s begun the show with a li’l praise and worship nuh, like we ought to. Let’s sing the first two verses of the beautiful hymn, ‘Joyful, joyful…’
In full voice now: ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore You, God of glory, Lord of LOVE, Hearts unfold like flowers before You, Opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day Hallelujah we adore You! Hallelujah! Amen! Amen! Amen!’
Oh my people, that was indeed a rousing rendition! Nothing like giving thanks and praise to uplift one’s soul! Now let’s keep up the positive vibes by getting into this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘Irreversible Yes.’
And it says: ‘God, You have done A beautiful thing for me. You have freed me from the dissatisfaction Of so many empty days and months. Into my impoverished heart You have poured life-changing thoughts of You Making each new day gloriously rich.
You have struck a deep artesian well in my soul As sheer joy springs forth. All because in an act of honest surrender When life had lost its challenge I said an irreversible YES to You!’
Oh friends, that’s the joy and beauty that springs forth when we say an irreversible ‘YES’ to God! Glory Hallelujah!
Those who refuse to say yes to Him, surely don’t know what they’re missing nuh, but it’s our bounden duty to point it out to them through our words and the godly actions of our lives. So please let’s do that sincerely and diligently nuh, so that we can glorify our heavenly Father and spur on His glorious kingdom as we ought to!
And we not done yet mih people; more positive vibes to come as we declare our Wednesday Wail with plenty vim and vigour, showing that we truly believe and mean it. (smile)
Wailing now: ‘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!’
Oh my fellow believers, am I ever glad to be alive, having Almighty God’s awesome breath of life flowing through me this Wednesday morning at then end of June 2016! I surely hope you are too. For what good is being alive if you’re not enjoying it eh? None whatsoever!
And if we’re happy to be alive, then we need to do the things that keep the joy surging forth in our spirits, meaning keeping our hands firmly to the plough and focusing on the future, that glorious future that Jesus has planned for us.
And all God’s people declared a loud and thankful ‘Hallelujah! Amen!’
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is also the promise upon which the ‘Irreversible Yes’ poem was based. And it’s such a simple but awesomely powerful statement made by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. ‘I am that bread of life.’
What confidence and assurance our Saviour displays! Earlier on, He’s been trying to teach His listeners about what truly matters. They were seeking signs of Him that would encourage and fortify their belief. Then they taunted Him by saying: ‘Our father’s did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ (John 6:31)
I guess Jesus spirit must have been moved, and He sadly shook His head at their ignorance. ‘Then said Jesus unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.’ (John 6:32-34)
No doubt the hungry crowd was thinking in terms of physical bread, but Jesus was talking about spiritual stuff. ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)
What a powerful statement friends! The problem though, is do we believe it, or are we like those who heard it spoken from Christ’s lips, but remained unmoved? I certainly hope that we do believe it with all our souls, bodies, hearts and minds, otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe!
Why do I say that? Listen to this explanation from the scholars. ‘6:35. I am the bread of life means the bread that gives life. The life of which He speaks is spiritual and eternal.’
Oh my people, that means if we don’t believe we won’t have eternal life! And that’s the worst thing that can happen to a human being! Just imagine being eventually cast into the lake of fire with Beelzebub and all his evil minions nuh? Think what it would be like to endure such tribulation?
Yuh think our earthly trials and tribulations are bad? Well that will take the cake! And all because we did not believe the simple words of our Lord and Saviour. It boggles my mind to think that so many of them saw the signs and wonders He did here on earth and yet still refused to believe.
Oh friends, we didn’t see those personally, but thankfully we do believe, and our belief is strong and irrepressible because in these modern times, He’s also wrought signs and wonders in our personal lives.
Let’s keep on believing friends, and keep on doing what He desires of us, for that is undoubtedly the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…blessed are they that have not seen…and yet have believed… (John 20:29b)
27 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, affection, as for me and my house, aura of love, banished, blessed is the man, blessings, choose, Christians, compass, complaining state, condemned, confidence, conquerors, conviction, desolate, encouragement, enthusiasm, envy, eternal life, evil, excellent, falsehood, favour, found guilty, friends, fruit, glorious kingdom, good cheer, gospel truth, grouse, harmoniously, hearsay, holy spirit, human beings, humble, humble servants, in season, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, maketh the Lord his trust, mama yo, miserable, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, on the cross, overcome, peace, personal experience, promise, prosper, quagmire, redeems, rejoice, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, resistance, respects not the proud, rest, righteousness., rise and shine, rivers of water, sacrificial death, salvation, sins, slay the wicked, sour, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, surround, the enemy, the right foot, the soul of his servants, trust, truth, truthful, turns aside to lies, ungodly world, we will serve the Lord, whining, whom you will serve, wisdom, wise decision, wither
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Well friends, it’s a brand new day called Monday! Mama yo! (smile)
And we all know what means; time to rise and shine and get to work. Now we can either do that in a sour, miserable, complaining state, or we can do it filled with the peace and LOVE and good cheer of Jesus. It’s your choice. But believe me the latter way is the best way.
One way or the other you have to go to work, so who are you hurting if you go there whining and complaining eh? Most likely yourself.
What I don’t understand about human beings is that we have to go to work, that’s a given, so why constantly grouse and complain when the work day rolls around, especially when, as Christians we have God’s peace and LOVE and otherwise that will enable us to overcome our natural resistance?
Anyway, that’s for each of us to figure out individually. Right now let’s try to help the situation by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much enthusiasm and positive conviction. All together now, harmoniously and in strong voice.
‘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 was excellent! Or as Nuculer, a long ago friend would say ‘most excellent man, most excellent!’ And Jesus, our choir director thought so too, going by the big smile on His face and His energetic working of the director’s baton.
That means mih people, that we’re getting off on the right foot, with plenty enthusiasm and adrenalin coursing through our bodies, so let’s get out there in the ungodly world and show them what’s what nuh!
Show them the true LOVE and affection of Jesus, so that they can envy us and want to come to Him too to receive the salvation and eternal life that we possess through His sacrificial death on the cross, which banished our sins forever!
Ah mih breddren, I’m chuckling here as the Spirit moves me, and the brain is thinking faster than the pen can write. (smile) But enough fooling around, let’s get to our Bit, the same one as yesterday: ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’
Oh friends impeccable truth and wisdom for all of us to live by! If we would only truly trust in God and live a decent, humble, truthful life, this world would be such a wonderful place, instead of the deep, dark and evil quagmire that it now is!
The sad part about it all is that only we Christians can do anything positive with it. That’s why we have to do things like go out to work on Monday mornings with a joyful and peaceful attitude, and thus set a good example. That’s the only way the heathen will come to heel and seek Jesus.
Let’s move on now to some scriptures that corroborate our Bit. Listen to Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned, found guilty). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (condemned, found guilty).’ (Ps.34:21-22)
What wonderful words of promise and encouragement my brethren! And as we always note, Bruh David isn’t speaking from hearsay nuh, but from personal experience. That means we can trust his words without fear of falsehood. And listen to Bruh David once again, this time from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection.
‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that LOVE thy name be joyful in thee. For thou Lord wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass (surround) him as with a shield.’ (Ps. 5:11-12) Friends, Bruh David certainly knew what he was talking about.
And we’ll end at the beginning; (smile) Psalm 1- Blessed are the righteous – which clearly spells out the kind of life the righteous can expect. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)
Oh friends, oh friends, what more encouragement do we need to live a righteous and godly life eh? I certainly don’t need anymore, for me to at least try and live right. So I’ll leave us to ponder those thoughts today, to decide whether you want to live a godly or ungodly life. It’s all up to you. Please make the wise decision. Much LOVE!
…choose you this day…whom ye will serve…but as for me and my house…we will serve the Lord. (Josh.24:15)
20 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a waste of time, all for one, aura of love, Beelzebub, Christ's Church, commandment, confidence, courage, enthusiasm, evil, faith, Father's Day, friends, fun, godly manner, Guide, harmony, holy spirit, honour thy father and mother, hope, hullabaloo, humble servants, in the land God gives thee, invincible, ism, Jesus Christ, joy, laughed him to scorn, lead, lies, lip service, LOVE, members, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, one for all, Oneness, peace, promise, reality of work, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, righteous, sally forth, schism, sincerity, spiritual armour, standing 'O', steadfast faith, taunts, the body is not one member, the body is one, the business of the day, the enemy, the rear end, thy days may be long, trust, truth, ungodly world, unity, warning, wiles, wisdom
1 Corinthians 12:14. For the body is not one member, but many.
Aye friends, the hullabaloo of Father’s Day is over now, time to get back to the reality of work! (smile) However, before we embark on that subject, I want to extend one reminder, and not to the fathers, but to the children.
Please children, please don’t ignore your fathers, in fact your parents, during the remainder of the year. I know we get all gushy and lovey-dovey come Mother’s and Father’s Day, and even then, plenty of us only pay lip service to the occasion, but what happens during the rest of the year eh?
Too many children basically ignore their parents during the rest of the year. And my warning is all for your benefit. Remember the only commandment that has a promise tied to it. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex.20:12) So for your sakes, I’d suggest you children do a better job of honouring your parents than you’re currently doing. Nuff said!
Now let’s get down to the business of the day and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn as though we genuinely mean it, with plenty enthusiasm and sincerity.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
It wasn’t bad friends, but not one of those renditions that creates a standing ‘O’ in heaven. And Jesus, our choir director wasn’t really displeased, so we doing okay. (smile)
But mih people, is time now to get down to brass tacks and go out and face the music with strength, courage, faith and trust that the Holy Spirit that indwells us will truly lead and guide us in a godly and righteous manner and enable us to do God’s will and fulfill His plan for our lives.
If we don’t seriously and sincerely try our best to do that, then our entire faith will be a waste of time, and we won’t be encouraging any others to come to Jesus for safety and succour, but rather turning them away, into the greedy, evil, waiting hands of Beelzebub. And friends, we don’t want to do that EVER! Jesus sacrificed too much for us to let Him down like that.
That’s why we have to stand strong, in unity and harmony, displaying the oneness that Jesus desires in His earthly organization; His body, the church. And that sense of harmony and oneness of purpose is indicated in our Bit. ‘For the body is not one member, but many.’ And that’s why it’s so difficult to get true harmony and unity amongst the members of Christ’s church.
And Bruh Paul likens the church of Christ to the human body. ‘For as the (human) body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one (human) body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.’ (1 Cor.12:12)
But we all know the different parts of the body have different functions, and none are really supposed to be more important than the other, but they all still jockey for importance. (smile)
As Bruh Paul puts it: ‘If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were the eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body (where would the body be)? But now are they many members, yet but one body.’ (1 Cor.12:15-20)
Ah friends, it’s the same with Christ’s church; we consist of many members with different roles, but with our sinful and lustful human nature taking precedence, we foolishly fight amongst and against each other to see who is more important. But my people that is so counterproductive.
And as Bruh Paul so wisely points out later on: ‘but God hath tempered (composed) the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether (if) one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.’ (1 Cor.12:24-26)
But obviously it isn’t working that way in Christ’s body these days, for there is lots of ism and schism disfiguring it, making it the joke of the town. That reminds me of the story where all the parts of the body wanted to be the boss, including the rear end, and all the other parts laughed him to scorn. But when he decided to shut his doors, the rest of the body became sick.
Hn! Just goes to show that even the lowest member is important in God’s set-up. So let’s try to live in harmony and unity nuh my people, so that we can do Jesus’ will productively. Let the heathen fight amongst themselves, but let the Christian church stand strong as ONE! Much LOVE!
…Christians unite…one for all…and all for one…
13 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a song of loves, actions, all is not lost, aura of love, bad goods, bombarded, bounden duty, buckle down, character, Christ's body, Christ-likeness, complaining, confidence, contrition, Creator of the universe, disunity, do good, earthly sojourn, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, examples, fighting, fine fettle, fools, forgiveness, friends, get serious, gift, glorious kingdom, gospel of Jesus, great commission, habits, harmony, hope, humble servants, invincible, jehovah god, jobs, lies, LOVE Revolution, lustful, make thy name remebered, market, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, passion, pilgrimage, public places, rearing to go, relaxation, renewed vitality, repent, reverence, salvation, schools, serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, spread LOVE, stand up for Jesus, steadfast faith, taunts, teach all nations, the church, the people shall praise thee, things of the world, thoughts, tiredness, to all generations, Trini Quote, trust, ungodly world, unity, urgency, wedding song, wiles, wisdom, words, worship
Psalm 45:17. I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
Oh my fellow believers, let’s hope this Monday morning meets us all in fine fettle, up and about, and just rearing to get out into the world and do good, spread LOVE like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did in His earthly sojourn!
So forget the complaining, soak up the tiredness, and let’s get a move on! And to aid us in doing that, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much urgency and plenty passion.
As one earthly choir, sounding sweet like a heavenly host now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih breddren that was a good rendition; strong and passionate, though not as harmonious as we can be. Anyway, our choir master, Jesus, was pleased with our performance, so there’s nothing to worry about on that score. And since our motors are now idling smoothly, let’s get out there and join our fearless Leader on the battle lines, and help to grow His surging LOVE Revolution!
Now before we turn to our Bit, please check out this Trini Quote of de Day, recently sent to me by a Trini friend. And it says: ‘If fools doh go to de market, bad goods would not be sold.’ This quote is used as a warning to pay attention to what you buy; as well as well as laughter to the one who is selling. Have a great day! Watch your thoughts: They become words Watch your words: They become actions Watch your actions: They become habits Watch your habits: They become character.’
Oh yes friends, our thoughts do eventually morph into our characters, so we have to be very careful about what thoughts we allow to percolate in our minds. Nuff said on that!
And now here is our Bit: ‘I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.’
Now mih breddren, though the psalm was originally written as ‘A song of LOVES; a wedding song for a king, that last verse, our Bit, is the bounden duty of all believers. We were made to worship and reverence our Creator and also to spread the good news of Jesus; His gospel of the free gift of salvation and eternal life!
That’s what we ought to be about in this earthly pilgrimage. We need to be worthwhile examples of Christ-likeness so that others will want to come to Him in contrition, repent and receive His forgiveness and salvation.
That is why Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
Now the disciples did their job, they passed it down to the next generation. And every generation has passed it down until it got to us. So those previous generations have down their job.
Unfortunately though, we don’t appear to be doing such a good job at passing it down to the next generation, for the next one apparently has no time for God, which is our fault as parents and supposed teachers of the Word.
And to make matters worse, the enemy has taken control of the world and is trying his level best to remove God from all aspects of our society. And we’re not putting up the fight we ought to. That means there is even less hope of our children hearing about Jesus in the schools and public places.
It’s a sad state of affairs friends; we as parents have not done our duty properly in teaching the children about God at home, and consequently the children don’t go to church. And where, once upon a time it was possible for them to learn about Jehovah God in the schools, now there’s no religious teaching there either, so our children now have no real opportunity to hear the Word.
Furthermore, the enemy is building on that lack of God in our children’s souls by bombarding them with flimsy, useless, lustful things of the world. Will the next generation remember Jehovah God? And will they praise Him? Certainly not to the extent that they should!
People are turning away from God in great numbers, because the church and those who inhabit them are not walking the walk of true Christianity. We seem to be more interested in disunity than unity and harmony which is supposed to be one of the tenets of Christ’s body.
There is more confusion and complaining in the church than in the enemy’s camps. That’s why churches are failing. Friends, all I can say is that we must not give up; NEVER! We are still alive, that means there’s still hope, if we get serious and buckle down and begin doing our bounden duty the way we are supposed to.
Our God will surely help us, when He sees our sincere commitment. And we know that we can do anything with Him in our corner. So my fellow believers, let’s get it together nuh. In Jesus’ name. Much LOVE!
…all is not lost…the battle can still be won…if we truly come out fighting…and truly stand up for Jesus…
04 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a ploy, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, Anselm, anxious, aspires to inspire, being right, being wrong, bend over backwards, brain power, bring forth, came to my rescue, confidence, decision making, decisions, delight, dependent, dethrone, empty, every aspect of our lives, evil minions, failure, fall into the trap, fearing to be wrong, foolish society, free gift of mercy, good foundations, gospel truth, higher than the earth, holy, humble, idols, important input, in vain, incomprehensible, integral parts, lack of confidence, leave God for last, lose in the end, Lucifer, maturity, maturity in Christ, mercy, minor things, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, never giving up, no where else to turn, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, over thinking, perspective, ponder, put God first, rebel, rebelling, return to Him void, right hand man, righteous, salvation, sinful, small matters, smell the roses, starting over, the Creator of the universe, the heavens, the one and only true living God, the truth of the matter, threat, unrighteous, void
Isaiah 55:8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
Oh friends, it’s one of those rare days when the ole fella doesn’t know what to say! Imagine that nuh! (smile) And strangely enough, I think it mostly happens to me on Saturdays. I guess it’s a ploy of our God to keep me humble and dependent on Him. But there’s no real threat of me being otherwise because I can’t do what I do without His tremendously important input.
So since I don’t have anything sensible and concrete to say, then I’ll just use the words of someone else who has, namely our friend Anselm, who consistently aspires to inspire us. And that’s the Lord’s doing too, in case you didn’t notice. (smile) He came to my rescue quite quickly today.
And what does our friend Anselm has to offer us today eh? First of all he advises us to: ‘Realize that failure or being wrong will not kill you. Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.’
Now there is much truth in those statements friends, though our selfish and foolish society might choose to differ. Failing and being wrong are integral parts of life. All of us endure them at some time or other, and it’s through failure, that we build confidence, by starting over again, by never giving up.
And as Anselm says, confident people know that they will not be always right, but they’re not afraid to be wrong. And that’s something we believers ought to seriously and sincerely work towards, because it brings us maturity in Christ.
And the second quote from Anselm declares: ‘Put things into a wider perspective. It is very easy to fall into the trap of over thinking minor things in life. So when you are thinking and thinking about something ask yourself: Will this matter in 5 years? Or even in 5 weeks?’
Oh friends, that’s gospel truth, for many of us fall into that trap of over thinking the small things in our lives. And a lot of that comes from our lack of confidence; confidence to make reasonably quick decisions with good foundations, especially on small matters. Too many of us ponder and ponder and become anxious about our decision making.
But fellow believers, if we’d start out with the right decision; that of taking it all to God before doing anything else, our anxiety and lack of confidence would not be a problem. But too often friends, we leave God for last.
What’s that popular saying? After exhausting all the man-made solutions we foolishly declare: ‘Well I guess I have no where else to turn but to God now.’ And we expect God to be happy with us and bend over backward to help us.
Steups! Not so at all my brethren. Our God takes delight when we put Him FIRST in EVERY aspect of our lives, not look upon Him as a last resort.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.’
And that’s truth we cannot dispute my brethren! The Lord’s thoughts and ways are holy and righteous, while ours, because of our fall from grace, are basically sinful and unrighteous.
And He goes on to further explain. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:9) And so it should be, if He is indeed the Creator of the universe and all therein!
Now why would we want to bow down to and worship a Deity that has less brain power than us eh? But foolishly we do it when we worship dead and inanimate idols. We have higher thoughts and ways than them, so why worship them eh?
Because we listen to Lucifer and his evil minions and refuse to acknowledge the might and power of the ONE and ONLY true and living God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And yuh know what my people, nobody knows the truth of the matter better than Lucifer, since once upon a time He was Jehovah’s right hand man, until he foolishly chose to rebel, just like so many of us are choosing to do today. But friends, there’s no sense in rebelling against our Creator and Provider, we’ll lose in the end, because He’s the most powerful Being in the universe.
Listen to Him again. ‘For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void (empty), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’ (Is.55:10-11)
Yuh hear the confidence in that statement my fellow believers! Our God is not some little flunky trying to act big and tough like some of our earthly rulers. But He is the real McCoy!
Listen to the scholars. ‘55:8-13. God’s sovereignty and omniscience are extolled by the statement that His thoughts (i.e. purposes or intentions) and ways (derakim, or “directions”) are higher than ours. While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purposes.
Therefore, He reveals Himself to men by His word, which shall not return to Him void (in vain). The word of God, therefore, accomplishes His purpose in announcing salvation to all mankind.’
Yeh friends, that is the Word of our great God; powerful and mighty in its own right! It will do whatever He sends it do, and in this particular instance, the prophet Isaiah was talking about the coming of God’s salvation, a free offer of mercy to all. Glory Hallelujah!
And as promised, it came through the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So please people, let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh, and embrace the most wonderful gift ever – that of salvation, with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, because that is the very essence of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…who or what can dethrone a God who is…omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent…no one or nothing…
P.S. It’s a good thing I didn’t have anything to say! (smile)
30 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abckbreaking labour, abuse, aura of love, celebrations, Christ is Lord indeed, condemned, confidence, conquerors, conscience, degradation, distress, diverse culture, doctrine, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, ever-faithful, ever-Loving, every foe is vanquished, evildoers, faith, fire water, friends, glorify your father in heaven, good conduct, good works, Granny's warning, gusto, holy spirit, humble servants, incorruptibility, Indentured workers, Indian Arrival Day, inroads, integrity, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, let your light so shine, lies, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, made alive, Memorial Day, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, progeny, put to death, quickened, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, reverence, rewarding, sincerity, sinful nature, slavery, sound speech, spiritual armour, stand up for Jesus, steadfast faith, suffer, taunts, the good fight, the trumpet call obey, the will of God, trust, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, well doing, wiles, wisdom
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
And then it was Monday… But fortunately, for many people it’s not a work day. In the U.S. it’s the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, where the brave men and women who died while serving their country in the military forces are remembered and honoured.
Meanwhile in T& T (Trinidad and Tobago) it’s a holiday celebrating Indian Arrival Day. That was the memorable day of May 30th 1845 when the Fath Al Razak docked in the harbor of Port of Spain with two hundred and something adult Indians; the first set of Indentured (contract) Workers from India.
Slavery had been abolished and it was difficult to find labourers to work in the sugar cane fields, so the Colonial masters turned to a new form of human abuse and degradation. I don’t know if it was any better than the slavery the African people suffered, because it was still back breaking labour and the Massa still held the upper hand.
If my history memory serves me right, I believe they were contracted for something like seven years and then were free to do their own thing on a plot of land so generously given to them by the plantation owners. Anyway, that’s how the diverse culture of T&T began, and continued down through the years with all sorts of other races coming to settle there.
That’s why T&T women are also some of the most beautiful in the world – and that’s no lie – (smile) with the progeny of all the different races mixed together.
Anyway, last weekend we in Canada were showing off with our Victoria Day holiday, now it’s our turn to face the music this Monday morning and go out to labour. And as always, to help us get up to speed, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty gusto and sincerity.
As one heavenly choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih people, that wasn’t so hot nuh. Chuh! You could tell that the U.S. and T&T people with their hoarse, raspy voices were already into their cups. Hn! Our choirmaster, Jesus, just shook His head and sighed a knowing sigh.
And I guess I’ll have to take a little of the blame for that since I forgot to offer Granny’s warning per these long holiday weekends. ‘Sonny Boy, please, ah beg yuh; drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’
And as true believers, we definitely have to remember that, because when we get into the celebrations, especially the fire breathing ‘waters’, we lose all sense of responsibility and give the ever lurking enemy a chance to get into our soul and disrupt it.
And with a disrupted soul we obviously can’t do what Jesus asks of us in our Bit. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
When our brain is all muddled and befuddled our lights definitely are not shining, neither are we doing good works. And we’re definitely not glorifying our heavenly Father, but rather letting Him down, sullying His holy name.
So all you friends in the U.S and T&T, please be careful, let’s not spoil the good thing we have going, with our wonderful, ever-faithful, ever-LOVING God.
Now let’s check out what Bruh Paul had to say to his apostolic delegate Titus on the subject. ‘But speak thou the things which become (are proper for) sound doctrine… In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness (integrity), gravity (reverence), sincerity (incorruptibility), Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part (an opponent) may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.‘ (Titus 2:1,7-8)
Yes friends, it’s important that the enemy doesn’t have anything bad to say about us, as Peter talks about per suffering and reward. ‘Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation (conduct) in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened (made alive) by the Spirit.’ (1 Pet.3:16-18)
Ah mih people, a Christian’s life can be indeed be difficult and somewhat unfair at times, but overall, believe me, it is very rewarding. And we’ll close with some explanations from the scholars. ‘3:16. A good conscience refers to a clear conscience, that is, one void of offense.’
‘3:17. In the will of God we are sometimes called on to suffer for well-doing as a testimony to others.’ ‘3:18. That he might bring us to God means in order that Christ might bring us to, or give us access to God.’
Oh my brethren, none of us like pain and suffering, but it is the lot of our sinful nature, and if we sincerely turn to God in our times of distress, He will give us the wherewithal to bear it. Please remember that. Now let’s go out and continue the good fight so that Jesus’ LOVE Revolution can be successful! Much LOVE!
…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
23 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, armour, aura of love, barbecues, be strong in the Lord, buffeted and bombarded, ceasefire, Christians, circumspection, confidence, conquerors, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, faith, fireworks, footholds, friends, glorious kingdom, having done all, holy spirit, humanness, humble servants, infiltration, invincible, jealousy, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, let out hair down, lies, LOVE, moans and groans, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, party trappings, put on the whole armour of God, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, schemes., spiritual armour, spiritual battle, stand, stand against the wiles of the devil, steadfast faith, summer season, tactics, the rulers of darkness, the whole armour of God, truce, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, Victoria Day, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, weary souls, wisdom
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Awright friends, this notable long weekend in the best big country in the world is winding down. Yes, the Victoria Day holiday, named for the previous longest reigning monarch (63 years) in the British Empire, celebrated on the first Monday before May 25, is noted for the opening of the summer season.
It finds the privileged set flocking to their cottages in the country, while those who stay in town begin planting their gardens. And the weather this weekend has been rather appropriate for it all; warm and sunshiny, though with the occasional cloud cover. Hopefully today will continue to be the same.
And wonder of wonders, the traffic on the roads this weekend has been negligible in comparison to others of the recent past. What’s going to kill that though is the start of road repairs. Chuh! Sometimes the inconvenience caused by those road repairs makes you long for winter. But anyway, the barbecues and the fireworks and all the other attendant party trappings will be out in full force today.
That means I have to remind us of Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, please, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ It’s great advice friends, because it’s at times like these, when we let our hair down, that the enemy, who is always lurking in the background, finds footholds in our souls. And we definitely cannot afford to let that happen.
Now unfortunately, not everybody is celebrating Queen Victoria’s birthday with a public holiday. That means many of us still have to go out and labour this Monday morning… and I do detect the jealousy in some of the moans and groans I hear coming forth from the unlucky ones.
However, as usual, we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to help us overcome those jealous moments (smile), so let’s belt it out loud and sweet nuh.
As one harmonious choir now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih people, it was loud but inharmonious and somewhat scratchy. And you could tell by the hoarse and cracking voices the ones who were off today. They were obviously the most boisterous. Our choirmaster, Jesus, just sighed and shook His head, understanding the humanness of the situation.
But nonetheless, those of us who have to go out and labour, please let’s keep the adrenalin running and the Word of God constantly feeding our souls and minds, as we get out into the godless world and begin to do battle with Lucifer and his evil minions. Remember, once we have Jesus with us, the victory is assured! Glory to God!
And seeing that we’ve been talking about armour and battles and the enemy etc. I thought that today would be a good time to review Bruh Paul’s directives on the subject.
He tells the Ephesians: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts) of wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:10-13)
Oh my fellow believers, those are very critical and important verses of scripture, which we need to write indelibly in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, so that we can indeed withstand the evil of this world.
Now let’s get some explanations from the scholars. ‘6:10. Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “from henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on” until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no ceasefire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities. “From now on “till the end there is all out war.
The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “Let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely by His mighty power.’
Ah friends, this shows that we are engaged in serious warfare. It’s no gimmick, but a spiritual battle unto the death, a battle for our very souls, and we have to be very serious about it if we expect to be good soldiers of Christ!
And some more explanations from the scholars. ‘6:11. Put on denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”). Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’
Yes my people, the enemy does set us up to fall, but with ALL of God’s armour on, we can defeat Him. And we’ll end here, because I know that many of you don’t want to have too much to understand and ponder on this holiday Monday. (smile)
So, God willing, we’ll continue it tomorrow. Till then, please go wisely and safely with God! Much LOVE!
…to party is nice…but it must be done with reasonable circumspection…to avoid the enemy’s untimely infiltration…
16 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: And it shall come to pass, aura of love, cataclysm, complaining, confidence, conquerors, Day of Pentecost, drem dreams, earning a paycheque, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fellowship, friends, glorious kingdom, God's will, good works, guides us, holy spirit, I will pour out my spirit, inconvenience, invincible, Jerusalem, jobs, kindness, lies, LOVE, makes our day, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obedience, old men, peace, prophesy, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, short attention spans, Simon Peter, socialize, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, supporting our families, teaches us, the last days, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, wishy-washy, working, young men see visions, your sons and daughters
Joel 2:28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
Monday, oh Monday! What a wonderful day thou art! No friends, the ole fella isn’t losing his marbles – at least not just yet.
Monday is a great day. It gets us back into the normal running of our lives and reintroduces us to the outside world, refreshed and renewed. It allows us to socialize with a wide group of people, meet and greet all our friends and fellow workers – those we like and those we’re not so thrilled about. (smile) And above all, it means that we’re working, earning a pay cheque, and supporting our families.
Now doesn’t that make Monday a great day? I think so. But too many of us look at Monday as a day of inconvenience; meaning we have to get up and go out to work, with all that that entails. But whatever day you have to begin work after a period of rest will pose the same problems.
If Tuesday was the first day of the work week, we’d still be miserable and complaining. Just look at how we behave when we’re gifted with a long weekend. So, I’d suggest the sooner we begin to like Mondays, or at least not despise them as much, the sooner our lives will improve. End of sermon! (smile)
Now to tie all of that up and give us the wherewithal we need to get up and get going, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty gusto and lots of enthusiasm. Hn, hn!
As one majestic choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that sounded real good friends! So good that our choirmaster, Jesus, gave us a big smile and a clenched right fist salute in acknowledgement. Glory Be!
Now all that’s left for us to do is to get ourselves involved in the ongoing battle and give the enemy heck! Kill them with LOVE and kindness! Oh, I know that is very difficult to do with some folks, but that’s what our Leader desires of us. And what our Leader wants, our Leader gets!
And having only celebrated the day of Pentecost yesterday, when the Holy Spirit was universally introduced, it is indeed important that today we be filled with it and let it control and guide our lives as our Lord and Saviour expects. That means we can’t be wishy washy today my people.
We have to stand up and be counted in true Christian fashion, like ole Simon Peter stood up on that first day of Pentecost and preached a marvellous sermon, based on our Bit. ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.’
Now let’s hear some of what Peter said. ‘But Peter standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose , seeing as it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that day which was spoken by the prophet Joel…’ (Acts 2:14-16) And then he went on to quote Joel 2:28-32, which includes our Bit. (Acts 2:17-21)
And the scholars offer this important warning re Peter’s sermon. ‘2:16-21. Peter does not say that Pentecost is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy concerning the last days (Rev.6:12). Peter does not see a celestial cataclysm (vv.19-20). Yet it is that of which Joel speaks, because it is the beginning of that fulfillment.
Peter did not see the Spirit coming upon all people, but he did see Him coming upon 120 (those in the room with him). It was the beginning, but surely not the complete fulfillment. Peter understood, as we should, that the last days had already begun, even with the birth of Christ (Heb.1:2; 1 Pet.1:20).’
Yes friends, we are indeed in the last days, but the last days as God sees them; meaning that they are stretched out over a long period of time in our reckoning, but in His it’s not that long. And we’ll end there for today, because the rest of stuff I have to share will make it much too long. And I always have our short attention spans in mind. (smile)
So my brethren, until tomorrow, God willing, may He bless and keep us all, grant us His peace that passes all understanding, and help us to stand strong in faith and do good works in obedience to His will. Much LOVE!
…who is the one that teaches us what to say…the Holy Spirit…who is the one that guides our way…the Holy Spirit…He is the one that makes our day…
15 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a one way street, a permanent manner, accepted Jesus Christ, adoration, an integral part of God's will, And it shall come to pass, assurance, awe, baptism, baptized with the Holy ghost, baptized with water, Christian, cloven tongues, confidence, Day of Pentecost, dream dreams, encouragement, evangelism, filling of the Holy Spirit, Galileans, glory hallelujah, God's enablement, God's peace, God-fix, I will pour out my spirit, Jerusalem, new wine, old men, power from on high, prophesy, raise the roof, reverence, see visions, songs of praise and worship, sons and daughters, source of strength, speak in their own language, speak with other tongues, steadfastness, the epitome of wisdom, the Lord's Day, the promise of my Father, the reception of God's guidance, the Spirit gave them utterance, the Spirit of God, wisdom, workday world, young men
Joel 2:28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
And then it was the first day of the week – Sunday – the Lord’s Day…Glory Hallelujah! That means it’s time to get our weekly God-fix! And that’s meant in a positive manner. It’s time to hie thee to the Lord’s sanctuary and raise the roof, or if it’s outdoors raise heaven’s roof, with songs of praise and worship, of adoration and awe and reverence to our wonderful Creator!
And the good thing about all that is that it’s not a one way street. In return we will receive God’s peace and confidence, His encouragement and assurance, His strength and steadfastness so that we can successfully face the workday world for another week.
And all God’s children gave out a delightful and grateful shout of ‘All praise and thanks be to our awesome God, who was, who is, and who always will be! Bless His holy name! Amen.’
And friends, today is a special day in the life of believers; it spells the formal beginning of Christ’s church; it’s the day of Pentecost, when the beginning of God’s promise in our Bit was fulfilled. ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.’
Before this, the Spirit of God worked from the outside, came upon believers individually, temporarily, often to perform some special work. But after that, the Lord’s Spirit was going to work internally, in a permanent manner. It would come upon each and every believer and dwell within them as soon as they believed; accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
And that promise from Joel was also renewed by Jesus just before His ascension, when He told the disciples: ‘And, behold I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry (stay) ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.’ (Luke 24:49)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘24:49. Here is the source of strength for effective evangelism. The promise of my Father stresses that the Spirit’s coming is not an afterthought, but an integral part of God’s eternal will. Endued conveys the picture of one being clothed with God’s enablement. Waiting is part of necessary preparation for the reception of God’s guidance and sanction.’
And that is exactly what the disciples did; they waited in Jerusalem until they were clothed with God’s Holy Spirit, His enablement!
Now listen to Luke describe the Day of Pentecost: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Oh how great is our God, my brethren! For as Jesus also told the disciples before His ascension: ‘For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:5) And so said, so done!
Now let me see if I can paraphrase an important distinction made here by the scholars. ‘2:4. Though verse 4 mentions only the filling with the Spirit, both the filling and the baptism occurred. Christ promised that the baptism would occur (1:4-5) and Peter later affirms that it did happen at Pentecost (11:15-16).
The filling and the baptism are two different works performed by the Holy Spirit. Note their contrasts: (1) Following Pentecost every believer receives the baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor.12:13); hence the New Testament never commands the Christian to receive it. But the filling of the Spirit is not experienced by all believers, and so is commanded (Eph.5:18).
(2) The baptism is permanent, happening but once and for all. The filling is ongoing, occurring continuously as seen in the present tense imperative of Ephesians 5:18, that is, “Keep on being filled.” The verse commands: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (riotousness): but be filled with the Spirit.”
The filling of the Spirit is the controlling influence of the Spirit within the believer. Such control is neither universal or unending, thus it must be commanded and does recur within the believers (cf.4:8,31) The baptism is the act by which Jesus, through the Spirit, at conversion brings the believer into relation with Himself and makes the believer part of God’s people, the church. The filling is the continuous experience within the Christian whereby the Spirit, who already indwells him, keeps control over his life.’
Ah mih people, I know that sounds somewhat confusing, but if you take your time and read it, you will eventually understand what it’s all about. (smile)
And we’ll conclude with some of what happened after the Holy Spirit came upon the early church. ‘And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad (this sound occurred), the multitude came together and were confounded (confused) because every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue (language or dialect), wherein we were born… Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt (perplexed), saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.’ (Acts 2:5-8, 11-12)
Oh my fellow believers, that must have been a rather tumultuous day in ole Jerusalem! When you hear a bunch of uneducated Galileans speaking about God in your own language, it must give you pause for wonder. And you can’t blame those who thought that the Christians were somewhat inebriated either.
So today, please, let’s sit and ponder what the Holy Spirit has done, is doing and has promised to do in our lives. And above all let’s try and keep our souls continually filled with Him, and thus let Him control us, for that is the epitome of wisdom! Have a blessed day of Pentecost! Much LOVE!
…what’s there to control and baptize us and keep us filled with Christ…the Holy Spirit…
11 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a marvellous God, abundance, alive and kicking, an easy row to hoe, appreciation, awesome God, blessings, buy, buy wine, call upon him, come ye to the waters, comfort, communicate through prayer, confidence, covenant, deceit, desire to do God's will, disappointments, eat, eternal life, excited, faith, faithfulness, fatness, followers of Jesus, free offer of mercy, Glory be, glory hallelujah, goodness, he that hath no money, hear, heartfelt call, heavenly downpour, help, honour, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, I'm so glad to be alive, Isaiah, leading and guiding, let your sould delight itself, lies, LOVE, mercies, milk, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, opportunity, prayer, problems, read God's word, salvation, seek ye the Lord, spend money, spiritually hungry, steadfast, thank God, the breath of life, the enemy, the Gentiles, the good shepherd, the obits, to live and work for Christ, trust, undying LOVE, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, without money, without price, worship, your soul shall live
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.
Yo mih Scrip-Bit breddren! What’s up with us this glorious Wednesday morning on God’s great earth eh? I do hope that we are all excited about the day that’s going to be filled with an awesome downpour of heavenly blessings and mercies from our awesome God!
Isn’t he something else my people? He surely is! Wonderful is His name! Providing such good stuff for us each and every day, walking with us along our way, leading and guiding us safely with comfort and undying LOVE, like the Good Shepherd that He is…
Oh it just makes me want to cry out with joy, and shout ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ every time I think about His unfailing goodness and mercy towards me! And I know you all feel the same way too, otherwise you wouldn’t be the true and ardent followers of Jesus Christ that you are!
Glory be, mih people! We have such a marvellous God, please, let’s do our very best to worship and honour Him with all our hearts, souls, mind and bodies nuh, for that is what He so rightly deserves. And to help us do that, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with great gusto, enthusiasm and sincerity of heart.
As one wailer now: ‘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!’
Oh friends, oh friends, I don’t know about you all nuh, but I for one am exceedingly glad to be alive and kicking today! I haven’t seen my name in the obits, so it just means that I’ve been granted another glorious opportunity to live and work for Christ!
And I know you’ll agree that there’s nothing better than that in this earthly life my brethren! He’s been so good to us that the least we can do to show our sincere appreciation is to live our lives on His behalf, spread the good news of His gospel, His great LOVE and faithfulness to all and sundry, His heartfelt call to each and everyone to come to Him and receive salvation and eternal life!
Oh what could be better than that eh folks? Nothing really! But just remember that living for Jesus is not an easy row to hoe; it’s fraught with disappointments and problems, but if we stick with Him, keep our hands steadfast on the plough, always looking forward, He WILL enable us to do what is necessary.
Our faith though, our desire to do His will must be real strong in order to overcome the lies and deceit the enemy will throw at us every living day. And that can only happen when we consistently read his Word, communicate with Him through prayer and be obedient to His will. That’s what strengthens our faith and trust.
And for those of us who are struggling with our faith, possibly filled with some doubt and anxiety, here’s some interesting advice from our friend Anselm, who is always aspiring to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And Anselm tells us that ‘ Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.’
And that’s gospel truth friends! We can never move forward unless we let go of something behind us, of whatever is holding us back. Remember Jesus and all the prophets kept reminding us not to fear, for we are in the BEST of hands.
And though we all know that that is easier said than done, it is possible if we confidently call on our great God for His awesome, never denied help. That’s why our Bit so wisely advises us to: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.’ And that is such an awesome piece of wisdom my people!
Now listen to how Isaiah begins that chapter of a free offer of mercy to all. ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance). Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.’ (Is.55:1-3)
Oh friends, where can we ever get a better offer than that eh? NOWHERE!
And we’ll end with this explanation from the scholars. ’55:1-7. God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come to eat and drink without money (or freely). He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to all men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’
Oh my people, my people, the Lord kept His promise and established a covenant wit us Gentiles through His wonderful Son Jesus Christ! Now it’s our turn to do our part in keeping that covenant.
Please, let’s allow wisdom to abound in our souls nuh, whereby we diligently and sincerely seek our wonderful God and call upon Him in confidence and trust, for that’s what He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…in all circumstances…whom shall we call first…Almighty God…
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