05 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anger, Bible, blasphemy, bounden duty, chaos, christianity, circumstances, Competition with God, conflict, controversy, copetig with God is foolish, created minions, damnation, deceit, desire becomes my competition with God, easily distracted, election campaigns, embrace personal desires, erase my concern for a needy world, eternal life, evil co-workers, faith, forces not God-centered, freedom, giving allegiance to God, god, God teaches us lessons through circumstances, greed, hatred, hellfire, holy spirit, hurry, ignoring God-assigned tasks, in god's eyes, jealousy, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, leads to emptiness, leads to freedom and joy, leads to hellfire and damnation, leads to Jesus and eternal life, life seems to stand still, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, mercy, omnipotent Creator, on which side their bread was buttered, One Year Book of Bible promises, personal possessions, praying with pretence, rebellious acts, returned to the God of their forefathers, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, saying this is the way, seeking first the kingdom God, share His love with my neighbours, stay on the straight and narrow path, strife, the backbone, the beloved of God, the bread of adversity, the water of affliction, the wide and destructive path, thine ears shall hear a word, thoughts saunter through blind alleys, tied to the U.S apron strings, time becomes my competition with God, trust my friend Jesus, truth, trying to kick God out, Tuesday Mantra, U.S Presidential Election, unrighteous situation, walk ye in it, walking the path of self-indulgence, waste of money on election campaigns, waste valuable time, when ye turn to the left, when ye turn to the right hand, wisdom, worry
Isaiah 30:21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Well it’s here at last, Tuesday November 5th 2024! The day the whole world’s been waiting for with bated breath. And what’s so special about this day? Ah, it’s simply the main day of voting for the President of the United States of America! And after the gazillions of money wasted on one of the nastiest and most degrading and demeaning election campaigns ever, the outcome is set to cause even more problems, whoever ends up the eventual winner.
If Trump wins, the policies and face of America could change drastically. Meanwhile, if Harris wins, Trump and his supporters can create more conflict and chaos than they did the last time in 2020. However it turns out, things will change for America, and a lot of the world, who are tied to its apron strings. Let’s hope and pray for the best outcome…whatever that might be!
And with that prayer in our hearts, let’s turn to this fascinating writing from Our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s interestingly titled ‘Competition with God.’ And I don’t believe I’ve ever shared this one before, because it doesn’t even sound vaguely familiar to me. (smile)
Please read with me: ‘Often we must ask, what is my competition with God? When life seems to stand still, when my thoughts saunter through blind alleys, those very thoughts become my competition with God. When I embrace my personal desires instead of giving allegiance to God, desire becomes my competition with God. When I waste valuable time, ignoring God-assigned tasks, time becomes my competition with God.
When personal possessions erase my concern for a desperately needy world, possessions become my competition with God. If we allow a controversy in our lives, our praying may be with pretense, but it will not be with power. Walking the path of self-indulgence eventually leads to emptiness. Seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness leads to freedom and joy.’
And does it ever my fellow believers. In fact seeking God and his kingdom is the only thing on the face of this earth that truly leads to freedom and joy! And we all know that, or are supposed to know it, from Jesus trying to pound it into our heads in Mattew 6:33! (smile)
But what do we think about the main parts of the writing eh? Do we ever find ourselves in competition with God? And if so, how often? I believe that if we’re truthful, we’ll say that under the terms of the writing, we very often find ourselves in competition with God. (smile)
Yes friends, the many times our thoughts, desires, time and possessions are more focused on worldly or personal things does detract from our work for the Lord. And with the world in its current chaotic state, we can be easily distracted by forces other than God-centered ones. But it’s ever so important that despite the many distractions and provocations by the enemy and his evil co-workers, who try to lead us on the wide and destructive path that leads to hellfire and damnation, that we stay on the straight and narrow path which leads to Jesus and eternal life. (Matt. 7:13-14)
And the Bible Promise for today’s writing is one we all know but oftentimes don’t pay sufficient attention to. It’s this exhortation from the prophet Isaiah: ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21) That was a warning from the Lord to His people Israel about their disobedience and turning to worship idols of other nations. He will show them His graciousness and mercy after feeding them with ‘the bread of adversity, ad the water of affliction,’ for their rebellion. (Is. 30:20)
It’s also what the Lord told Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou may observe to do all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoserver thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:7) Yes my brethren, the way to success in this world is paved with the law of God, and nothing else!
And I like how the scholars explain the bread of adversity and water of affliction. They say ‘that reference shows that God teaches us lessons through circumstances when we will not listen to our teachers, who call us to walk in the way (i.e., the way of God).’ Yes my people, we have all suffered the bread of adversity and water of affliction from the hand of God, for our many rebellious acts down through the years.
And who knows if our world is not suffering one of those painful lessons for the atrocious and disgusting manner in which, in this supposed age of enlightenment, we’re trying to kick God out of our society. And though our world is falling apart, and nothing we’ve tried is working, we refuse to even consider that it might be the hand of God issuing a warning, and calling us to return to Him and His righteous ways.
But although the Israelites didn’t have as much book learning as we now do, they had much more common sense, for every time they rebelled and felt the whip of correction, they quickly realized on which side their bread was buttered and returned to the God of their forefathers. However, we’re so full of pride and heifer dust that we believe we have no use for God in our lives. Well then, we’ll just pay the price; ‘the bread of adversity and the water of affliction,’ until we learn once more to walk in God’s way; that’s one of righteousness, of peace, joy and LOVE!
And doesn’t it even make us thoughtful that those four attributes of walking with God are very lacking in our current society? That instead, the negative things like hatred, anger, strife, dissension, deceit, jealousy, greed, blasphemy, evildoing, etc. etc. are in ascendance?
Oh my fellow saints, that unrighteous situation, one of too much competition with God, ought to trouble us; trouble us so much that we get up and do something about it. For we do have the power and the tools, though not the mind or backbone to turn things around. But please don’t say we were not warned.
Anyway, with all that stuff on our chest, let’s go home now declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all the world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…competing with God is foolish…for He is the omnipotent Creator…and we’re just the minions He created…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a load of care, a sun and sheild, all is lost, angels, because of Jesus, believers in Christ, blessed, burdened, Christ has promised, comfort, confidence, conflict, constant prayer, count your blessings, courage, discouraged, enjoy the good things, everything belongs to God, face the world, fear, generosity, give thanks, God's sanctuary, grace, he who has an ear, help, hymn of praise, I can do all things, in everything give thanks, in heavenly places, in my mouth, in the face of adversity, indisputable truth, Johnson Oatman, journey's end, life's billows, lord of hosts, LOVE, maintian gratitude, makes the Lord his trust, mercy, name them one by one, plentiful, praise unto our God, put a new song, put us through our paces, respects not the proud, rise up in our hearts, sacrificial praise, song of praise, sons of Korah, spirits low on fuel, spiritual blessings, spiritual tanks, take for granted, tempest tossed, through Christ, tough times, trust in the Lord, turn aside to lies, walk uprightly withhold, wealth untold, weekly refuelling, who strengthens me, your cross seems heavy
Psalm 40:3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Oh my faithful believers in Christ, it’s time once again for the weekly refuelling of our spirits at God’s fuelling station, His sanctuary! Praise the Lord! We all can use that refuelling as the world and the enemy have certainly put us through our paces this past week and thus our spirits are low on fuel. That’s why we are coming in droves to church; to hear His word, sing praises to His holy name, fellowship with each other, and consequently refill our spiritual tanks, so that we can face the world with confidence and courage this upcoming week.
And as we’re wont to do, let’s open with a hymn of praise, an old favourite, ‘Count Your Blessings.’ It was written by one Johnson Oatman (1856-1922), born near Medford, New Jersey. And it’s said that he wrote over three thousand hymns, which means that ‘no gospel song book is considered as being complete unless it contains some of his hymns.’
Glory be mih people! Three thousand hymns are a lot of hymns yes! Wonder where he found time to write them all, especially when he was apparently a local preacher, a businessman with his father and an Insurance Agent? The important thing though is that he penned this one that we know and LOVE so much. Let’s belt it our now with sacrificial praise from our lips, and while doing that, see how many blessings we can also count. (smile)
As one harmonic choir now: ‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, *see what God has done. {*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.)
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by. (Refrain) When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy] Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. (Refrain)
So, amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, *see what God has done. {* And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.)’
Oh faithful followers of Christ, if we truly sit down and count the blessings that the Lord has poured down on us because of Jesus, will we ever be surprised! Why? Because they are so plentiful. Some of them we don’t even notice, they’ve been around for so long, that we now take them for granted. But please remember that everything in this world belongs to God, and it’s only through His wonderful generosity, mercy and grace that we can enjoy the good things that we do enjoy.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.’ Yes friends, it is an appropriate scripture for this morning. Having counted our blessings and finding so many, it’s only natural that a new song of praise to our heavenly Father will rise up in our hearts and souls!
And Bruh David follows up our Bit with this other momentous verse: ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. (Ps.40:4) What an awesome statement of indisputable truth! That’s the best way to receive blessings from Almighty God, both down here on earth and put aside some in heaven for eternal life.
As Bruh Paul said to the Ephesians: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’ (Eph.1:3) Ah mih people, the Lord has blessings stored up for us in heaven, all done through the work of Christ. That’s why Bruh Paul also advised us: ‘In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:18)
And the scholars add this explanation. ‘5:18. In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17, will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
Yeh friends, we know it’s not always easy to look up in the tough times and give thanks, but please remember what Jesus has done for us, and that it’s only through and because of him, the Father is showering so many wonderful blessings on us. And with His help, we can do ALL things. As Bruh Paul so succinctly put it: ‘I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13)
And we’ll close with these words from the sons of Korah in Psalm 84 – Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12) That says it all friends! Much LOVE!
…he who has an ear…let him hear what the scripture says…
29 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all I need, blind, broken every barrier, cleanse, Cleanse your hands, come unto me, confidence, conflict, courage, deceitful, deception, detrhone God, doubt, downtrodden, draw nigh to God, evil, face the upcoming week, fears without, fightings within, gather in the Lord's sanctuary, gentle, give you rest, goodness, grace, he who has ears to hear, healing of mind, health, heavy laden, humble, I come, I have put my trust in the Lord, I may declare all his works, inner thoughts, invaluable, it is good for me to draw near to God, James, Jesus Christ, Just as I am, labour, let him hear, lowly, lusteth to envy, meek, my burden is light, needy, O lamb of God, of one dark blot, offer grateful praise, outward deeds, pardon, Praise the Lord, pride, proud, purify your hearts, rascal, receive, relieve, resist the devil, rest unto your souls, rooting for Jesus, sacrifice of our lips, sinners, slow down, smell the rose, strengthen your spirit, submit yourselves to God, Sunday, take my yoke, the first day of the week, the great invitation, the lake of fire, the undeserving children of men, thy blood was shed for me, to rid my soul, to save the poor, understand the Lord's word, wealth, welcome, without one plea, worldliness, worship, wretched
Psalm 73:28. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.
And then it was Sunday: the first day of the week, where we slow down, take time to smell the roses and gather in the Lord’s sanctuary to offer Him our grateful praise and worship, and in return receive health, wealth and the ability to face the upcoming week with courage and confidence.
Wow! What a mouthful! But a true mouthful! And all God’s people declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord for His wonderful goodness to the undeserving children of men!’
And on that glorious note, let’s offer up some sacrifice of our lips by sincerely belting out this favourite old hymn, ‘Just as I am.’ So in loud voice and sincere belief, let’s raise our voices to heaven.
‘Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come! Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot; To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come! Just as I am, though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt; Fightings within, and fears without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; Sight, riches, healing of the mind; Yes, all I need, in Thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come! Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come! Just as I am, Thy love unknown Has broken every barrier down; Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come!’
Yeh friends, it doesn’t matter what state we are in, our wonderful Saviour will accept us just we are. You know some places you have to clean up before they’ll accept you, but not with the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s looking for you at your worst possible state, because that’s one of the reasons he came to earth, to save the poor and needy, the sick and downtrodden.
He is the ONLY One who declares that you can come to Him just as you are. And believe me, you won’t be wise if you don’t accept His wonderful 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)
Oh my brethren, every time I hear that beautiful piece of scripture, my heart just jumps for joy, knowing that I have such marvellous person to turn to in my troubles and times of need. All glory be to God for Jesus Christ!
Anyway, before we get into our Bit, let me apologize for my typo yesterday. I don’t know how many of you noticed it, but instead of saying ‘you reap what you sow,’ I wrote ‘you sow what you reap.’ Technically speaking it’s the same thing, since you can only reap what you sow. (smile)
And our Bit just reiterates the ideas we have declared in our hymn, and in the Great Invitation of Jesus. ‘But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’
Now why wouldn’t I put my trust in the Creator and Controller of the universe eh? Why would I put it in the foolish and deceitful rascal who tried to dethrone God and now aimlessly walks the earth backed by a façade of evil and deception, until the Lord is ready to immerse him in the lake of fire? I’m sorry friends, but as for me and mine, we’re rooting for Jesus!
Now hear James, the half-brother of Christ, who like a lot of Christ’s family, did not believe until the end of His earthly ministry. Listen as James talks about worldliness and pride. ‘Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy (yearns jealously)? But he giveth more grace; Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:5-10)
Oh my fellow believers, God gives us more grace than any of the world’s attractions or the lusts in our spirits, which means we can withstand both of them.
And the scholars explain the last three verses thus: ‘4:7-10. Therefore: The exhortations that follow logically result from the conditions in verses 1-6. Resist the devil: do not submit to, fear, or flee from Satan, but stand against him (1 Pet.5:8-10). Satan cannot lead (one) into sin against one’s will. Draw nigh: God will not be unmoved; His welcoming response is always near (cf. Deut. 4:7; Lam.3:57; Luke 15:20). Hands and hearts: The cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward deeds and inner thoughts (cf. Ps.24:3-4).’
The only advice I can give after reading all of that friends, is to read those references given in the scholars note. I just did, and believe me they are invaluable, they just strengthen your spirit and help you to better understand the Lord’s word. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…
12 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: agape, be brave, charity, Christ has made us free, conflict, Corinthians, courage, crown, danger, dearly beloved, death is gain, Dudley Atkins Tyng, duty, fear, George Duffield, gospel armour, joy, Joyce Meyer, liberty, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, mysterious hand of God, prayer, quit you like men, reign eternally, rout, royal banner, saving souls, serve the Lord, shame, slavery, soldiers of the cross, stand fast in faith, stand up for Jesus, suffer loss, the foe, the god of battles, the king of glory, the mighty hand of God, the trumpet call obey, the yoke of bondage, victory, watch, wisdom, worship, YMCA, zenith
1 Corinthians 16:13. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you (be brave) like men; be strong.
Oh friends, let’s begin this Sunday morning’s proceedings with a most appropriate moment of worship, as we sing the old standard, ‘Stand up for Jesus.’
Please sing with me: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory His army shall He lead, Till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the solemn watchword hear; If while ye sleep He suffers, away with shame and fear; Where’er ye meet with evil, within you or without, Charge for the God of battles, and put the foe to rout.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day. Ye that are brave now serve Him against unnumbered foes; Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone; The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own. Put on the Gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer; Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, each soldier to his post, Close up the broken column, and shout through all the host: Make good the loss so heavy, in those that still remain, And prove to all around you that death itself is gain.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song. To those who vanquish evil a crown of life shall be; They with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.’
And my fellow believers do we ever need to stand up for Jesus and all that He stands for in these very trying and difficult times! We’re not only meant to sing these words in church, but even more importantly to put them into action in our daily lives! That’s the only way Jesus’ LOVE Revolution will be victorious!
And to show how supposed believers are strange and unpredictable, I heard Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) say the other day that one of the many books she’s written is one titled, ‘The LOVE Revolution,’ and would you believe it’s the worst selling of all her books. Hn!
Why? Not because it was a bad book, because it isn’t, but because believers nowadays just don’t seem to be interested in ‘agape’ LOVE; the kind of LOVE that Jesus espouses, that has us caring about others, even when we are going through rough times. Ah Lord eh my brethren, when we going to wake up, to grow up and learn what real Christianity is eh?
Anyhow, as I went looking for the lyrics to ‘Stand up for Jesus,’ I discovered some worthwhile information on how it came about. Apparently, the writer, a Presbyterian minister, George Duffield Jr. in 1858 was an associate of the Rev. Dudley Atkins Tyng, who had recently been thrown out of his Episcopalian community for speaking against slavery.
In March of that year, Tyng preached one of the most successful sermons of modern times to the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) in the large space known as Jaynes’ Hall. Of the five thousand men that were there at least one thousand, became ‘the slain of the Lord,’ were converted. His sermon was apparently based on Exodus 10:11 “Go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord.” Pharaoh’s admonishment to Moses.
The following Wednesday, leaving his study for a moment, he went to the barn floor, where a mule was at work on a horse-power, shelling corn. Patting him on the neck, the sleeve of his silk study gown caught in the cogs of the wheel, and his arm was torn out the roots!
He died not long after that, but it’s reputed that before he moved on to the other side, he told his father “Tell my brethren of the ministry, wherever you meet them, to stand up for Jesus.”
At a memorial service for Tyng, Duffield preached a message based on Ephesians 6:14. “Stand firm, wearing the whole armour of God”, and supposedly the hymn was written simply as a concluding exhortation. However, the superintendent of the Christian school printed the hymn on leaflets for the children and one of those copies ended up in a Baptist newspaper…and the rest is history. Stand up for Jesus is now known and LOVED around the world!
Yuh see mih people how the mysterious hand of our great God works! Tyng gets tossed from his congregation for preaching against the inhumane system of slavery, but ends up saving many souls at the Y. But then through an unfortunate accident, he soon dies, but he’s already spread the seed he was meant to; stand up for Jesus, and his buddy Duffield, writes those verses more or less as a memorial, but the school superintendent prints it on some leaflets for the children, and a Baptist newspaper gets hold of one and publishes it. Only the mighty hand of God could have fashioned such an unlikely story!
And finally we come to our most appropriate Bit. ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you (be brave) like men; be strong.’ That’s Bruh Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians in his first missive. And to sweeten it, he adds: ‘Let all your things be done with charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor.16:14)
Ah friends, so much of great importance has been said in those few words of those two verses, that if we follow them, we can never go wrong. And we’ll end with a couple more verses where Bruh Paul is encouraging his readers to stand fast.
To the Galatians, he declares: ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’ (Gal.5:1) Wonderful advice my brethren!
And to the Philippians he solemnly advises: ‘Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.’ (Phil.4:1)
Oh friends, please let’s go out and do likewise today and everyday nuh, for that is wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…and having done all…stand…now, more than ever…Christians need to stand up steadfastly for what they claim to believe in…
02 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a day begun with Jesus, a godly life, a good name is better than precious ointment, a good name is to be chosen above riches, a good report makes the bones fat, a good reputation, a shout of thanks, a shout out to Jesus, Advocate, Alpha and Omega, bawling, born again, conflict, earthly riches, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, excellence, faith, forgiveness, fruits of the Spirit, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, godly principles, good character, halfway home, head holding, high priest, holy spirit, hope, human nature, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, in heaven alongside Jesus, in our own strength, integrity, jehovah god, Jesus christ is Lord, joy, kindness, King of Kings, Lord and Saviour, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving favour rather than silver or gold, material things, meekness, merciful God, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, no beating about the bush, praise, prince of peace, seek God's favour, self-control, stay focused on God, stress, the breath of life, the day of death, the day of one's birth, the light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart, the obits, the straight and narrow path, the vicissitudes of life, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, understanding, wealth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, worries
Proverbs 22:1. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and LOVING favour rather than silver and gold.
Aye Friends, it’s wailing Wednesday! So let us wail nuh. (smile) ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes my people, it’s simple, straightforward and to the point! No beating about the bush! If it’s a day for wailing, then why not wail from the very beginning eh?
But you know something else my brethren? A li’l wail, a li’l shout out to Jesus when you wake up in the morning to face a brand new day, is the best way to begin it.
Why? Because it causes you to be more focused, filled with more joy, more LOVE, faith, hope, kindness, forgiveness and mercy…more of the fruits of the spirit, like meekness and self-control. And those of you who practice it, know that I am telling the truth.
Oh my fellow believers, as well as you unbelievers, believe me, a day begun with Jesus WILL outshine any that’s not begun with Him, where He is not the focus of our minds, body and souls! So please, let’s pledge that from here on in, every morning that we arise and don’t see our name in the obits, that we’ll give Jesus a wail, a shout out of thanks and praise and glory.
And if we do happen to see our name in the obits, (smile) well then there’s no need to worry, because we’ll be right there in heaven alongside Jesus, exactly where we want to be.
Oh Glory to God, for giving us such a wonderful Lord and Saviour, Prince of Peace, Advocate, High Priest, the Alpha and Omega, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, to whom each knee will eventually bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord indeed! Glory Hallelujah!
And like our good God is trying to tell us something significant this morning, because I was led to a rather interesting Bit from Cousin Sol, namely, that ‘A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and LOVING favour rather than silver and gold.’ Oh my people, is that ever so true!
And as the scholars explain it: ‘22:1. A good reputation is more important that wealth.’
Oh if we’d only believe that my brethren, and stop running down the worthless wealth of material things and earthly riches, our lives would be so much better; less stress, less conflict, less head holding and bawling.
That’s what our great and merciful God is trying to tell us today; be a person of good character, one of integrity and excellence, seek my favour, rather than the world’s, and your life will be amazing.
Oh Friends, I know that when the vicissitudes of life come upon us, it’s not always easy to stay focused on Jesus, but we just have to do our best, so that we can receive His best.
When the money and health and relationship worries tumble down on us, it’s difficult not to try and withstand and/or overcome them in our own strength, although we have the faithful promises of our Lord to look after and provide for all our needs. It’s just human nature.
But since we are born again in the Holy Spirit, we need to put away those worldly fantasies and seize the opportunity to stay focused on God and His things, which are way more lasting and edifying than the things of the world. We can’t buy a good name, integrity or character with earthly wealth, although a lot of us are trying to do it, especially in these heady times of upcoming elections.
Earlier on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol tells us that ‘The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat (healthy). (Prov.15:30)
That’s ever so true Friends! When our eyes are opened with wisdom, our hearts rejoice, and when we are commended for our stellar behaviour, integrity and character, it does raise the level of our health; physically, spiritually and emotionally. There’s nothing like people saying good and truthful things about us.
As Cousin Sol say in Ecclesiastes 7: ‘A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.’ (Eccl.7:1)
Yes Friends, wise living, and we’re talking about godly not worldly wisdom, is ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO GO!
And you cannot be led down that straight and narrow path by anyone else other than Jehovah God.
So please, let’s go to Him today nuh, right now, if necessary, and sincerely ask Him to grant us the wisdom and understanding we need to live a wise and godly life, one that’s ever so pleasing to Him. For that is indeed wisdom to the nth degree…everlasting wisdom! Much LOVE!
…godly principles cannot be bought with earthly wealth…
12 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, afflictions, aura of love, backbone, battle hymn, believer in Jesus Christ, belly, bombarded, buffeted, cast down, chains, confidence, conflict, covenant, despair, destroyed, distressed, divine grace, dying of Jesus, earthen vessels, enthusiasm, exhortation, faith, fateful words, finish the course, forsaken, fortitude, furtherance of the gospel, glorious heights, glorious kingdom, God's sake, godless world, good news of Christ, great things, hard knocks, high standard, holy living, holy spirit, human genius, humanity, humble heart, humble servants, imprisonment, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lacklustre endeavours, lies, living by faith, lord god almighty, manna, maturity in Jesus, Monday, mortal flesh, passion, perplexed, persecuted, petty excuses, rejuvenation of spirit, religion, renewed vitality, salvation, sincere prayer, sincere reverence, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, steadfastness, suffer for Christ's sake, suffering, sure conquerors, testify, the gospel, the grace of God, theological basis, theology, treasure, trials, troubled, true believer, true Christian, ungodly world, unspeakable truth, useful purpose, weakness, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, without fear, zeal
Acts 9:16. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday! Yes, it’s time to get ready to go out and labour! And I don’t want to hear any nonsense about yuh tired or blue, or any such selfish, petty excuse. If you’re a true Christian, a true believer in Jesus Christ, then you have the necessary parts to conquer whatever is holding you back.
So let’s be humble and cast our cares on Jesus, as He’s repeatedly told us to do, and ask for our daily bread, our share of divine grace to handle today. And like the Lord gave the Israelites manna, food sufficient for each day, for forty years in the wilderness, He’ll do the same for us if we come before Him and ask with a humble heart and sincere reverence.
So without further ado, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn as though we really mean it, because I want to finish this Bit on Bruh Paul today, and there’s still a lot to talk about.
With one, loud, harmonious voice then, let’s sing: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That was excellent singing Friends! Now let’s go out into this godless world and put it all into practice, like Bruh Paul did. And as we do, let’s remember to thank the Lord that we don’t have to bear the extremely hard knocks that Bruh Paul bore in spreading the good news of Christ. For the Lord certainly lived up to His promise to Ananias in our Bit. ‘For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’
Now living for Christ means facing some adversity, but whatever they are, let’s hope we face them with the faith, trust and confidence that Bruh Paul did. Listen as we continue with his feelings and sentiments to the trials he experienced. This passage comes from 2 Corinthians. It’s one many of us know and use conveniently. Here, Bruh Paul is talking about living by faith.
‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled (hard pressed) on every side, yet not distressed (crushed); we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast (struck) down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.’ (2 Cor.4:7-11)
Ah mih people, that level of growth and maturity in Jesus that Bruh Paul exhibits there is not easy to obtain. But it is possible in conjunction with Christ, and as a believer, it’s expected that we’ll all seriously try to reach those glorious heights. And here’s some useful info from the scholars on verse 7 above.
‘Earthen vessels: In the wilderness under the old covenant, God’s presence dwelt in a tent, (the ark). Today He dwells in the believer’s heart. This is unspeakable truth and forms a theological basis for holy living (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19-20) But the stress here is on ‘earthen.’ An earthenware jar is brittle. It depicts humanity in its weakness. The gospel is not a product of human genius or clever intellect (humanity in its strength). Yet it resides in men of clay, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.’
Now let’s turn to Philippians, where Bruh Paul tells them: ‘But I would ye should understand (want you to know), brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen (turned) out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. So that my bonds in Christ (chains are for Christ) are manifest (well known) in all the palace (by all the palace guard), and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing (becoming) confident by my bonds (chains), are much more bold to speak the word without fear.’ (Phil.1:12-14)
Yes Friends, lots of people in and around the palace knew of Bruh Paul’s imprisonment for Christ’s sake and thus heard about the gospel, which pleased him immensely. And it even made some of the other believers confident enough to publicly promote the gospel. So in Bruh Paul’s mind, instead of it being a disappointment, his imprisonment actually spread the gospel more than if he’d been free.
Then at the end of that chapter, in exhorting them to steadfastness, he tells them: ‘For unto you it (salvation) is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.’ (Phil. 1:29-30)
Oh Friends, that means that salvation from God came to us and the Philippians because of Jesus’ suffering, so that if we want it, we’ll have to suffer some, like Jesus to get it. As well, some of the Philippians were then facing persecution like they saw Bruh Paul do some ten years before in Philippi, when he was beaten and imprisoned, and was again undergoing in the Roman prison, from which he wrote.
And we’ll end this series of messages on Bruh Paul with these fateful words to the Ephesian elders whom he called to Miletus to meet with him. ‘And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save (except) that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds (chains) and afflictions abide (await) me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.’ (Acts 20:22-24)
Oh Friends, in closing, my fervent wish and sincere prayer is that all believers will eventually come to a truly high standard of belief and faith in Christ Jesus, like Bruh Paul, and spread the Word as selflessly and unafraid as he did. Then and only then will God’s glorious kingdom be truly furthered with the zeal and passion that’s absent from our current lacklustre endeavours. Much LOVE!
…to move this wicked, ungodly world towards Christ…believers need to have…enormous amounts of faith, fortitude, belly and backbone…
SCRIP-BITS 