08 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 911 Emergency Number, a compassionate heart, a day of rest, a positive outlook, abundance, all things, angel, aspect of belief, At the cross, believing, blessed, broken, careful path, communication with God, Corville Peters, courage, creativity, curse, delivered, divine protection, dump trucks, excessive rest, expectation, faith, favour, God's willingness, hem and haw, Herod, Higher heights, hope, human arsenal, humble apologies, in a trance, in dream land, in Jesus, in Jesus' name, it is his angel, LOVE, more Christ-like, negative word, nowhere in sight, omnipotent god, on our behalf, overcome God's reluctance, Perter, power, powerful tool, pray, prayer, prayer was made, pregnant, prison, promises, prosper, seeing it, self-control, share with others, snow ploughs, strength, stressed out, succeed, success, talent, the Good Book, the Jews, Thursday Blessings, tired, trust, truth, twist God's arms, unborn child, watched the snow fall, weapon, whatsoever ye ask in prayer, wisdom, without ceasing, you shall receive
Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask for in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Ah friends, my most humble apologies for the lateness of today’s Bit. I have absolutely no idea what happened, except that when I was supposed to get up, I was still somewhere far away in dream land. (smile)
And it’s not like I did anything exhaustive yesterday, or went to bed later than normal. In fact yesterday was designated a day of rest, as I watched the snow fall, and then listened to the snow ploughs and dump trucks cart it away later in the evening. So my only conclusion is that I was simply tired from excessive rest! (smile)
But on a serious note, I’m asking us, especially our St. Francis people, to offer up sincere prayers for one of our church members, Abbi, who recently had to trek down to Indianapolis to help look after her very sick mother in the hospital. Some of you might not know her, because she usually comes to the 8.30 a.m service.
Her father doesn’t seem to be doing too well either, as he appears to be stressed out over his wife’s illness. And to complicate matters even further, Abbi is also 6.5 months pregnant, so she also has to look after herself and her unborn child. That means she has to walk a very narrow and careful path in this tremulous situation. There’s not much we can do for the family except pray. So please do that. They would very much appreciate your prayers.
Now here is something appropriate that I just found on one of the many pieces of paper that sit next to my computer. It’s a quote from Corville Peters, host of the Christian call in programme, ‘At the Cross.’ He says: ‘Prayer is not about trying to overcome God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness on your behalf.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth! Prayer is not about trying to twist God’s arms to help us, but to activate His waiting and His willingness to help. I guess it’s something like our 911 Emergency Number. When you call it, you don’t have to beg them to come and help you, because that’s exactly what they are there for.
It’s the same thing with our omnipotent God; He is there to always help us when we call, not hem and haw as to whether He should, or should not. And don’t ever forget friends, that prayer is the most powerful tool or weapon in our human arsenal! Otherwise, Jesus would not have said in our Bit: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask for in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’
And it’s very true. But please note the most important word in that sentence: ‘believing.’ Yeh mih people, we have to believe that we will get what we pray for. You’ll notice, that with Jesus, everything is about believing, about having hope and faith, about seeing it when it’s nowhere in sight.
Look at how we believe that Jesus died for us and LOVES us and all those good things, although we never met Him in the flesh. That’s what our faith is all about: when you believe, then you’ll see! And what better example is there than when Peter was imprisoned by Herod.
The Good Book tells us: ‘Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for Him.’ (Acts 12:5) And what happened after that. An angel came and let Peter out of the prison like he was in a trance. (Acts 12:6-10)
The Good Book continues: ‘And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety (for certain), that the Lord had sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.’ (Acts 12:11)
And we all know how when he knocked at the door of Mary’s house, the mother of John Mark, even though they were praying for him, nobody would believe that he was out there, saying nonsense like, ‘It is his angel.’ He had to keep on knocking before they would let him in. (Acts 12:12-17)
So you see friends, even though we pray sincerely, we still lack that ever-important aspect of belief. As Jesus said so plainly before our Bit: ‘Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain; be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.’ (Matt.21:21)
It’s all about faith, and trust and belief in Jesus and His awesome power and promises my brethren! Please, let’s not lose or lessen our faith, but rather build it up, so that we can move to higher heights, become more Christ-like, as the Father desires. And in keeping with all that, let’s go home now, proudly and sincerely declaring out Thursday Blessings.
In strong voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And if we truly believe it all, then our next step is to go out and share it with others, as Jesus intends for us to do. Much LOVE!
…prayer…that wonderful…and oh so powerful…method of communication with our great God…
18 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, all things are possible, baptized, believe, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, believing in God, blessings, Christians, compassionate heart, compelling narative, complex, courage, creativity, curse, faith, family, favour, fear, follower of Christ, friends, God is with us, greetings, guidance, health, heartaches, heavenly Father, hope, insights, jailer, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, key to everything, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, mercies, miracle, Most High God, negative word, pain, privilege of calling on God, promotion, prosper, put your faith in God, ready to receive Christ, reconciled, rejoiced, respond positively, rocket science, run roughshod, sacrifice, salutations, set our sights, simple, sinners, stripes, succeed, success, take the fear out of living, talent, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Good Book, the living God, the state of our hearts, the word of the Lord, there is hope, Thursday Blessings, too good to be true, walk sincerely, while there is life, wisdom, with God, withstand adversity
Acts 16:31, And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (household).
Greetings and salutations friends, this Thursday morning from our heavenly father, the Most High God, Jehovah! He sends His great LOVE and new mercies so that we can handle this day successfully, if we walk sincerely with Him. That is the key to everything; walking sincerely in His will.
And I want to let us know that God is with us, the same way He was with Jesus Christ when He was here on earth, so we have the wonderful privilege of calling on Him as Jesus did. Glory be my people! And it doesn’t make sense having the privilege if we don’t use it.
So let’s set our sights to call on God, at anytime, anywhere, and for everything, because that’s what He expects of us. He wants to be involved in each and every aspect of our lives, so please don’t keep Him out of anything, even the simplest aspect of our daily living, otherwise we could be in danger of losing wonderful insights, guidance and blessings.
That’s why the Daily Bread devotional thought tells us: ‘To take the fear out of living, put your faith in the living God.’ Truth of enormous proportions my brethren! For it’s only faith that conquers fear! The world expects us to be fearful, but our God desires us to be faithful! Which are we going to chose eh?
Fear is easy, you just kowtow, give in to it and let it run roughshod over your life. Faith however calls for us to be strong, to withstand adversity, even when times look extremely bad. It calls for pain and sacrifice, even when we don’t seem to have any more breath left in our bodies. Faith says, while there is hope there is life, and with God ALL things are possible!
And that’s what we are called to as Christians; being strong and steadfast in our belief and living for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who sacrificed His only Son Jesus Christ, so that we abominable sinners could be reconciled to Him. No other faith has such a simple but moving and compelling narrative. That’s why some people think it is too good to be true. But true it is my brethren! And there’s no rocket science involved.
That’s why when Paul and Silas prayed and the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and the prison keeper went to kill himself, thinking that all the prisoners had escaped, Bruh Paul warned him. ‘Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang (ran) in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas.
And brought them out, and said, sirs. What must I do to be saved? ‘And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (household).’ (Acts 16:28-31)
Yeh friends, that’s how simple it is. Believe, only believe in Christ and you shall be saved! It couldn’t get any simpler than that. But us complex humans think that anything so simple is of no use. Sometimes that might be right, but in this case it is definitely wrong.
And the Good Book continues after our Bit. ‘And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat (food) before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.’ (Acts 16:31:34)
Yuh see how it easy it is to be saved friends. But it all depends on the state of our hearts; whether we’re ready to receive Christ as our Lord and Saviour or not. Obviously the jailer and his family were ready, especially after seeing the miracle that God had wrought; the jail doors being suddenly opened, and yet no one escaping. But in general, we should not look for miracles before we believe.
When the Lord calls us we should respond positively, don’t try to fight it. And I can tell you from personal experience, that when you try to fight God, or ignore Him, your life just gets harder and more miserable. I did that when He first suggested the writing of the Bit. But when He wants you, He doesn’t give up. So it’s to your advantage, when He first calls to answer, ‘Yes Lord. Right away!’ You’ll save your self some heartaches.
And yuh know what? When we truly believe, we are inordinately blessed. Let’s now declare our Thursday Blessings, enthusiastically letting the world know how wonderful it is to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. As one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Yeh mih breddren, that’s what you have to look forward to when you put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…put not your trust in humans…but in the One who first created the world…then saved it…
11 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man lay down his life, abominable sins, actions, adopted family, adversity, almighty god, ambassadors of Christ, another day, appointed, ask of the Father, be asleep, bear good fruit, beat within my breast, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed, bounden duty, bring forth fruit, broken world, calamity, carnality, compassion, complicated, courage, creativity, curse, darkness, description of friends, divide and conquer, divided, dominate, downward slide, evil, evildoers, expensive, feeding the foul nature, fix what's broken, foul, friends, God's earth, good news, greater love, hath no man, heard of my father, hope, I command you, I have chosen you, in my name, in partnership with, in the grave, inappropriate, iniquity workers, insensitive, jehovah god, Jesus loves, killing, LOVE, love is so simple, LOVE one another, macabre, negative emotions, negative word, not ready for heaven, one I hate, one I love, ordained, overthrow, plan, precious people, problems, prosper, resentment, responsibility, ruling the world, sacrifice, self-discipline, servants, sharing the wealth, sin, sincere spirit, sinless life, success, successfully handling, talent, talk, talk's cheap, teach our children, the one I feed, Thursday Blessings, two natures, wisdom, ye have not chosen me, year of love
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Oh precious people of Jehovah God, welcome to another wonderful day on His great earth! Oh I know some of us will complain and ask what’s so wonderful about the day when you are surrounded by numerous problems, adversity and calamity? But let me ask you this? Would you rather be asleep in the grave this morning?
Most of you would readily answer a big ‘NO!’ That’s because you know that once you’re alive and in partnership with Almighty God there’s always hope for successfully handling your problems. And besides, regardless of how bad earthly life might be, most of us are just not ready for the heavenly one yet. (smile)
That brings me to an interesting ad I saw on the television recently, it said: ‘Killing can be so complicated. Mary kills people.’ That’s an ad for a t.v show about Mary killing people. Hn! How much more macabre and insensitive can we get eh? When we advertise a show about killing people, what does that say about our society eh? What does it teach our children and those that come after us?
But yuh know, if we had an ad that says: ‘LOVE is so simple. Jesus LOVES people!’ There’d be a big hue and cry over it. We might never ever get the ad to air in the first place, because the t.v. masters would consider it inappropriate. So killing is appropriate, but LOVE is not.
Ah Lord eh! What a downward slide our society is on! I’m reminded of the quote I got from somewhere that tells us: ‘Two natures beat within my breast. The one is foul, the one is blessed. The one I LOVE, the one I hate. The one I feed will dominate.’
Obviously our society is feeding the foul nature, that of sin, darkness and carnality, because that’s the one that’s dominating our world right now. But friends, as we said earlier on, once we’re alive and in partnership with our Creator, there is hope to fix whatever is amiss or broken.
And that’s exactly what we are planning to do in this Year of LOVE: fix the things that are broken in this broken world with the help of Almighty God! But friends, we can only do that if ALL believers in Jesus Christ come together and seriously work together to overthrow the evildoers in our world.
If we stay divided and broken, as we are, we will be of little use, since the iniquity workers will just continue to divide and conquer us. We believers are supposed to be ambassadors of Christ, here on earth, but it’s obvious we’re not doing such a great job, if evil and hate and not LOVE and compassion are still ruling the world.
And the sad part is that so many of us have this great talk and plan to do something about it, but unfortunately only a precious few are actually doing something about it. Talk’s cheap friends, but actions are expensive and involve sacrifice, which few of us really want to offer.
But remember what Jesus did for us? He offered His sinless life as a sacrifice for our abominable sins! He didn’t have to do it, but He LOVED us so much, and wanted a better future for us that He gave the ultimate sacrifice; His godly life.
As He said so passionately to His disciples in our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ And what did He do? He went out and laid down His life for us, because He considered us His friends, and wanted us to become His adopted family.
Hear How He continues after our Bit. ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known to you.’ (John 15:14-15)
That’s about the best description of friends you can get my brethren; sharing important stuff with others. Jesus told the disciples, and consequently us, all that the Father had told Him, which put them, and us, in a position to be His friends. But then what kind of friends are we, if we don’t do what our friend asks of us eh?
Hear Jesus again. ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained (appointed) you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give to you. These things I command you, that ye LOVE one another.’ (John 15:16-17)
Oh fellow believers, we didn’t choose Jesus, He chose each one of us to go out and bear good fruit in His name. That means we have a serious responsibility here on earth, per doing what He commands. And one of the first and foremost, and basic commands is to LOVE one another.
Oh my people, let’s concentrate on just doing that nuh: just LOVING each other as Jesus desires and letting go of all the resentment and negative emotions and activity that currently resides in Christ’s body, the church. You’d be surprised at how life would change if we just did that. And why should that be so hard to do when Jesus has already been so generous to us in our Thursday Blessings?
Let’s declare them in loud voice and sincere spirit. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now, our bounden duty, as faithful believers, is to go out and share those blessings with others. Much LOVE!
…Christianity is not a society for hoarding…but of generously sharing the wealth and good news of Jesus…
04 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, almighty god, animals, birds, blessings, born, bounden duty, coming to god's throne, compassionate heart, control, courage, curse, daily needs, dew, die, discretion, established the world, everlasting king, faith, favour, food provided, founded the earth, full of thy riches, God Jehovah, God's perfect timing, grace, harmoniously Planet Earth, how manifold are thy works, humans, humble prayer, idols, in wisdom, indignation, insects, Israel, jack of all trades, judgement, life, live, loving-kindness, mercy, multitude of waters, negative word, night of darkness, no fear, O Lord, outward help, perfect harmony, power, prosper, rains fall, rewards, screwed up, self-control, self-discipline, self-sufficient, share, storehouse, strength, stretched out the heaven, success, sunshine of Jesus, superior beings, suspended in space, talent, thanks and praise, the earth, the earth shall tremble, the ends of the earth, the living God, the moon, the seas, the seasons, the sun shines, the true god, the universe, the winds, Thursday Blessings, timekeeper, unbroken cycle, understanding, vapours, walking with Jesus, we're nothing, wisdom, wise in heart, wrath, year of love
Psalm 104:24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
So how shall we begin this morning eh friends? I guess by giving the Lord much thanks and praise as we ought to, as is our bounden duty!
First of all let’s thank Him for the life we have this morning, for bringing us through the past night of darkness into the bright sunshine of Jesus’ day. Let’s thank Him for all that He’s done for us during the past year and all the good stuff He has planned for us in this new year.
Ah friends, without God’s grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness we’re nothing, and can do nothing worthwhile. Let’s remember that and keep coming to His throne in humble prayer to get all of our daily needs, for that’s the storehouse from which they all emanate.
Have you ever wondered how this great universe is so self-sufficient? The earth just seems to stand suspended in space; the seasons roll around on time without any timekeeper; rains fall, the sun shines, the moon does it’s thing, the winds and the seas do their thing too, all without any apparent outward help.
Birds, insects and animals have their food provided for them and keep on in an unbroken cycle. Humans are born, live and die, and the world continues moving and functioning in perfect harmony…without any apparent outward help. Yes my people, Planet Earth functions so harmoniously because of the wisdom and strength of Almighty God who made it and all therein.
The only time when stuff gets screwed up on earth is when we humans, supposed superior beings, get involved and throw God’s perfect timing off. But have no fear, despite our foolish and mindless messing with His perfect universe, He is still in total control of it.
No wonder the psalmist declares so profoundly in our Bit: ‘O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.’
Oh friends, the works of our great God are indeed manifold; plentiful, various, different, but all fine tuned to the nth degree, because our God isn’t only a Jack of all trades, but more importantly, a Master of them all!
Thus, when dealing with the problem of idols in Israel, which were only the work of cunning men, the prophet Jeremiah could unequivocally proclaim: ‘But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God; and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his discretion (understanding).
When He uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth for the wind out of his treasures.’ (Jer.10:10-13)
What a mighty God we serve my people! The ONE and only true and Living God! And Jeremiah was so convinced of his words that he uttered them again in Chapter 51:15-19, when talking about the Lord’s judgement on Babylon.
Meanwhile listen to Cousin Sol’s take on the subject. ‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.’ (Prov.3:19-20)
Ah friends, if you’d only sit and ponder the miraculous spectacle that is the earth and all that moves within it, you’d realize that it would take an awfully mighty, wise and powerful Being to put it all together so seamlessly. And that being is our great God Jehovah! Give him much praise and thanks!
And Job says it thus: ‘He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? Which removeth the mountains, and they know not; which overturneth them in his anger. Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars…
Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder (prevent) him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?’ (Job 9:4-7,10-12)
Now that’s a very good question my people? Who will say unto Almighty God, what are you doing eh? Nobody in his right senses! But we are wise enough not to question God, instead we’ll serve and worship Him in all goodness of heart and thus enjoy His awesome blessings. Let’s tell it to the world friends, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings and let them know how the great God we serve rewards those who faithfully serve Him.
As one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Oh my people, in 2018, this Year of LOVE, let’s go out and share those blessings with the less fortunate nuh, for that’s what Jesus desires of us! Much LOVE!
…walking closely with Jesus…means sharing whatever He’s blessed us with…
28 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: advice, becoming more Christ-like, big fashion, courage, creativity, critical importance, curse, day to day things, deal bountifully, declare thy mighty acts, divine promotion, eagerly utter the memory of thy great goodness, falls into place, for our finite minds, get a stranglehold in our souls, glorious honour, go overboard, hide not thy commandments from me, I am a stranger in the earth, in the Good Book, knowing God's word, Lucifer, make me, meditate, meditate on, mercy, my thoughts, my ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative word, New Year's Eve, one generation, open mine eyes, ponder, praise thy works, prosper, resolutions, right reasons, seek God, self-confidence, self-control, self-discipline, sing of thy righteousness, so shall I talk of, spend more time with God, splendour, succeed, the birth of Jesus, the heavens are higher than the earth, the presence of Christ, the way of thy precepts, Thursday Blessings, thy wondrous works, to understand, too high, treasure trove, understanding, walk steadfastly with God, walking closer with Christ, walking with Jesus, well rounded, with thy servant, your thoughts, your ways
Psalm 119:27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.
Oh friends, don’t worry, this week is almost over; it’s already Thursday, and by tomorrow we’ll be getting ready to participate in another big celebration, New Year’s Eve.
What a way we celebrate in big fashion at this time of year eh! Let’s just hope that we understand and abide by all the right reasons for those celebrations, mainly the birth of Jesus, and don’t go overboard and allow Lucifer to get a strangle hold in our souls.
Now as the New Year looms large, I guess a lot of the talk turns to New Year resolutions. But as I’ve been saying for the last couple of years, there is ONLY ONE New Year resolution we need to make, and that is walking closer with Jesus, talking to Him more and becoming more Christ-like.
And why is that you ask? Because candidly walking with Jesus will allow you to do all the other day to day things you need to do, like loose weight, go to the gym, spend more time with God, volunteer your services more, be a better overall person. Christ will guide you into the things you need to change and do.
That’s why I say we only need ONE New Years resolution. The greater presence of Christ in our lives will keep us well rounded and on top of all that we need to be on top of. That’s the beauty of seriously walking with Christ; everything falls into place on it’s own.
And that’s why we chose today’s Bit from Psalm 119. ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’ Yes my fellow believers, it is ever necessary to ask God to give us understanding in matters that pertain to Him, for a lot of it will be too high for our finite minds.
How did Isaiah put it on the Lord’s behalf? ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is.55:8-9)
So it’s obvious then, if we want to learn some stuff about God, we will have to seek Him and ask for His mercy and understanding. Isaiah also said: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.’ (Is.55:6) And friends, there is no better advice in the Good Book than that. Just like we go to school to learn stuff, we have to go to God to learn about Him.
And earlier on in Psalm 119, the psalmist cries out to God: ‘Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live and keep thy word. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.’ (Ps.119:17-19)
That means we have to walk steadfastly with God and seek sincere understanding of His commandments, His statutes and His precepts. And not only that, but we have to meditate on them, ponder them in our hearts and souls, then tell them to all the world, so that they too can understand and come to LOVE God, the way we do.
As Bruh David boldly declares in Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).
One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.’ (Ps.145:1-7)
Oh my believing brethren, are we eagerly uttering the memory of God’s goodness and greatness? Are we singing of His righteousness so that the next generation will know how great a God He is? Not as much as we should. And if we don’t, the Word stands a great chance of being lost during these evil times.
How do you think we know about the Word? Other generations passed it down to us, and we need to do the same, but we can’t pass down what we don’t know and or understand. That’s why knowing and understanding God’s word is of such critical importance.
Friends, I implore us, let’s make 2018 a banner year for Christ nuh. Let’s raise up His LOVE Revolution like it’s never been raised up before, so that many others will come to know and LOVE Him, like we do. Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, the tidal wave of grace and mercy that the Lord has showered down on us.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Wow! What a treasure trove of blessings my people! They just boggle my imagination! Now let’s go out and share them with others as Jesus desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…whatever Jesus gives us…He expects us to share it…
18 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenaline, ancient days, anxiety, arm of the Lord, aura of love, awake, beauty of holiness, bondage, chomping at the bit, Christians, christmas day, clothed with majesty, confidence, courage, cut off Rahab, darkness, days of old, eager army, Egypt, engage the enemy, enthusiasm, evil, faith, faithful, fiery attitude, friends, frustration, generations of old, get a move on, glorious kingdom, gusto, he who has ears to hear, humble servants, in concert with God, in your face, inroads, invincible, Isaiah, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, judge the people, let the earth be glad, let the heavens rejoice, lies, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peace, pedestrian intro, put it into action, put on strength, rebelled, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteously, rise up as one, roll out of bed, salvation, show our mettle, snooze you lose, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, stellar efforts, surrender, the enemy's ranks, the forces of light, the heathen, the Lord reigns, the Lord rocks, the sooner the better, trust, truth, ungodly world, unified, well-disciplined, wisdom, words fail me, worship the Lord, wounded the dragon
Isaiah 51:9. Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days (days of old), in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut off Rahab, and wounded the dragon (serpent)?
Ah friends, I don’t know how to begin today’s Bit nuh. Words fail me. (smile) That’s because I want to give you a very snappy and in your face intro as writers are supposed to give their readers. But unfortunately, it seems the ole brain isn’t functioning on that level this morning, so I guess we’ll just have to settle for a somewhat simple and pedestrian intro. (smile)
So it’s Monday morning, time to roll out of bed and get ready to go to work. In fact, next Monday is Christmas Day, which means you have plenty stuff to do between now and then, so let’s get a move on nuh. Neither time, nor the world is waiting on you. Thus, as they say, if you snooze, you lose. And since we definitely don’t want you to lose, we have to stop you snoozing and start you moving. And we’ll begin that process by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with whatever gusto you can muster at this early hour of the day.
So 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!’
Ah mih people, it never ceases to amaze me how those words can perk me up on a cold Monday morning. How they can get my adrenaline running, the fire in my belly flaming brightly and have me just chomping at the bit, rearing to get out into the world and do battle with the iniquity workers on behalf of Jesus! I certainly hope that they bring the same fiery attitude to your soul, so that as one unified, well-disciplined, strong and eager army we can fight the good fight and make Jesus’ LOVE Revolution successful!
In other words friends, we have to do like Isaiah declared when he called the faithful to courage in our Bit. ‘Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days (days of old), in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut off Rahab, and wounded the dragon (serpent)?’
Ah my fellow believers, we are today’s faithful and just like the Israelites back then, we are being called to courage; called to show our mettle, what we are truly made of. It’s our time now to show that we can stand strong and fight valiantly against Lucifer and his evil forces of darkness. Remember we are the forces of light, and light ALWAYS overcomes darkness, but that light must first be shone in the darkness that surrounds it, otherwise it won’t make any difference.
It’s time friends, that we rise up as one and seriously engage the enemy, for right now, with our less than stellar efforts, we’re fighting a losing battle. The Lord fought for the Israelites when they were in slavery in both Egypt (Rahab) and Babylon and brought them out victorious. Now He wants to fight for us, but we have to get in concert with Him, otherwise it won’t work.
Yuh see how after the Lord brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, then they rebelled against Him and thus wandered in the wilderness for forty long, hard years because of it? Well friends, we’ll just keep on spinning our wheels in frustration and anxiety if we don’t right our ship and walk with the Lord, rather than against Him. Remember, He has nothing to lose, but we have so much to gain from walking faithfully with Him. And when He fights for us, we win, because He is the strongest, the most powerful force in the universe.
Hear how the psalmist describes it in Psalm 93 – The Lord is clothed with majesty. ‘The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved (shaken) Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.’ (Ps.93:1-2)
And in Psalm 96 – A call to praise God, the psalmist again declares the Lord’s power. ‘O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him, all the earth. Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad: let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof (all that is in it).’ (Ps.96:9-11)
Yes my people, that is the message we have to get out to the heathen – the Lord rocks! And the sooner we do, the better it will be for us all. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…then put what he’s heard into action…
14 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burning fire, a compassionate heart, a discerner of thoughts, a two-part being, abundance, activities of the mind, believers in Christ, body, bone structure, burns, challenges, Christian mandate, comforts, contradictory., courage, creativity, crooked places, curse, darkness, disturbs, divine protection, easy row to hoe, enlightens, eternal life, ever-LOVING God, faithful, favour, find, flying colours, frighten, glory to God, grace, handle any situation, harsh winter, health, in the name of Jesus, intentions, invigorates, Jeremiah, Jesus dwelling in us, joints and marrow, light, living, living God, living word, LOVE, mercy, merits of the Good Book, negative word, obey its commands, of the heart, One Year Book of Bible promises, persevere, philosophy, piercing, power, powerful, powerful weapon, preserved blameless, pungency, quick, reassures, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, seek, self-control, self-discipline, sharper than any twoedged sword, soul and spirit, soul searching, spirit, stay strong, success, talent, the Book of All Books, the dividing asunder, the true way to, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, topsy-turvy, tough things, white stuff, wisdom
Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.
And yes friends, a li’l more of that white stuff did fall overnight, but not so much that we can’t take it in our stride. (smile) And our world has become so topsy-turvy and contradictory these days, that even the weather people can’t agree on what kind of winter we’re going to have. Hn! One side claims it’s going to be rather harsh, while the other declares it’s going to be fairly mild. So whom do you believe eh?
But yuh know what, with Jesus richly dwelling within us, we can handle ANY kind of winter or situation that comes against us! Glory to God! Please remember that my people and stay strong when confronted by tough things and times, knowing that our wonderful, all knowing and ever-LOVING God will see us through them with His ever-flowing grace and mercy.
And I know that yesterday we had a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin, but when I saw this one, I couldn’t resist sharing it, because in general it’s so appropriate. However, in particular, it is a soul searching, questioning piece that will hopefully open up our hearts and souls to the wonderful merits of the Good Book. It’s titled “Book of All Books.”
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, I am overwhelmed As I read Your living Word. What power, what pungency I find within its pages. It stirs me, burns with me It challenges me, invigorates me And often disturbs me. When I obey its commands The results are what You claim: Darkness becomes light Crooked places become straight
The more I seek, the more I find. Within its pages, God I see beyond mere philosophy I see beyond a neat package of ethics. I crash head-on with a living Person The One who makes all things new. No other book can claim as much.’
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! No other Book that’s ever been written, or will ever be written will ever have the impact of the Bible, of the Living Word of the ONE, TRUE and ONLY Living God on humanity! And all of God’s people said a loud and proud ‘Amen!’
Yeh friends, the Word of God is extremely powerful! As the writer says, it stirs us up, challenges, invigorates, disturbs and also fires us up. How did Jeremiah put it? ‘But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones…’ (Jer.20:9)
Oh my faithful brethren, that’s exactly how the Word of our God should be in us; like a burning fire in our hearts, souls and bellies, ever present at the forefront of our lives, so that we can do justice to our claim of believers in Christ, and fulfill our Christian mandate.
And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’
Ah mih people, that just goes to show how powerful the Word of God is! It’s living, and more powerful and sharper than any man-made two-edged sword! Mama Yo! With the ability to divide and cut up the human body, right down to the joints and marrow, and discern our ungodly thoughts and evil intentions!
Brother! I wouldn’t want to come upon the Lord’s Word in the dark nuh! (smile) But yuh know what friends, when we do come upon the Word of the Lord, it doesn’t really frighten us, it works in the exact opposite way. It enlightens us, brings us out of our darkness, comforts, reassures us and shows us the true way to salvation and eternal life.
But enough of my speechifying, (smile) check out this info from the scholars on the ‘Immaterial Part of Man.’ ‘4:12. The writer here draws an interesting parallel between the joints and the marrow, which have different functions, yet both are part of a human’s bone structure. Thoughts and intents are also two distinct activities, yet both are activities of the mind. And while the soul and the spirit are distinct in function, both have an immaterial character.
When considering the nature of humanity, we must realize a person is a two-part being, that is, with body and soul. But in activity or function the body, soul, and spirit of a person each has a different function. Paul desired that his converts “whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess.5:23). (First Ref. Gen.2:7; Primary Ref. 1 Thess. 5:23; cf. Prov.4:23).’
Oh, I know from personal experience friends, that walking with Jesus is not an exactly easy row to hoe, but if we are faithful and truly believe and persevere, He will bring us through with flying colours. So please stand strong and steadfast! And please check out those references in the scholars info, they will provide a treasure trove of wisdom. (smile)
And what better way to end than by declaring all the wonderful blessings that our magnanimous God has showered down on us for being faithful followers. It’s ever so important that we speak our Thursday Blessings out loud, because a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken; remember the power of God’s Word, which created the world and all therein.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And now that we’ve declared our Blessings, let’s go out and generously share them with others, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…God’s Word…the most powerful weapon in the universe…don’t try to fight it…you’ll lose…
P.S. Yeh it’s long, but beautiful and worthwhile! (smile) Much LOVE!
07 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accolade, be gracious to me, believe god's Word, bread was buttered, burden, Christmas Season, come unto me, compassionate heart, confidence in princes, courage, curse, devastation, difficult situations, disbelief, distress, faith, find rest, foolishness, fragile, friend, gentle, get on our knees, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God of my righteousness, grace, have mercy on me, hear my prayer, heartbreaking pictures, heavy laden. give you rest, humble, I am meek, I called upon the Lord, in distress, labour, learn from me, loss of life, LOVE, lowly in heart, man after his own heart, mar the joy, mercy, momentary, my burden light, my yoke is easy, negative word, number one, offer prayers, prayer, prosper, self-control, self-discipline, set me in a large place, Southern California, succeed, take my yoke, talent, the great invitation, the greatest power on earth, the Lord answered me, the Lord God Jehovah, Thursday Blessings, time of need, trust, trust in man, trust in the Lord, wildfires, wisdom, yoke
Psalm 118:5. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.
Oh my people, what else is going to mar the joy of this 2017 Christmas season eh? I’m talking about the rampant wildfires that are currently raging through Southern California with a renewed vengeance. As the old people would, say, when it’s not one thing, it’s another. And that’s the truth.
The heartbreaking pictures of the sprawling devastation show us just how fragile and momentary our lives are. Can you imagine the terrible Christmas those people affected by those fires will spend? Ah Lord eh! Thankfully though, the loss of life doesn’t seem to be a major problem, for which we are very grateful.
Friends, please, let’s do what we can to physically help them, but most importantly, let’s get on our knees and sincerely offer prayers on their behalf, as prayer is the greatest power on earth.
And you know I wasn’t planning on using the Bit from the past few days today, but after writing that stuff above, I found that it was just so appropriate, that I had no choice. ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.’
That’s the best, in fact it’s the first thing those people should do; call on the Lord God Jehovah seeking His grace, LOVE and mercy in their devastating time of need. It’s first thing WE ALL should do when we find ourselves facing difficult situations, but oftimes it’s the last thing we do. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to turn to the Lord first nuh; if it’s a matter of trust or simple disbelief, but that’s what His word says.
Listen to His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, who else has offered such a magnificent and welcoming invitation eh? NO ONE ELSE! But yet we have problems in accepting it, and I really can’t understand why. All I can surmise is that we don’t truly believe God’s word, our faith isn’t strong enough, and we prefer to first put our trust in man, and leave God as a last resort.
But that’s utter foolishness my brethren! For as the psalmist so strenuously warns and reminds us in Psalm 118, a few verses after our Bit: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
How much clearer can that be eh friends? Not much. But what’s our usual first response when trouble comes? We run to the phone or text a friend, or google the problem on the Internet. And if none of that works, then we cry out to God for help and expect it to come immediately. But unfortunately friends, our great God doesn’t work like that.
He expects to be FIRST and FOREMOST in our lives, at ALL times, and in ALL situations! Anything other than that is unacceptable! Our first reaction should ALWAYS be to call on God, like Bruh David did in the opening of Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God.
‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress: have mercy on me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.’ (Ps.4:1)
Oh my fellow believers, as I keep reminding us, despite all his sinfulness and troubles, Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered, thus he continually called on the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And please note how he opens his prayer by acknowledging the righteousness of God, and then remembering all the times that the Lord had previously helped him, and then on those bases, pleading for help in his current calamitous situation.
We should be doing likewise in our time of adversity, but all too conveniently and foolishly we forget the times when the Lord helped us, and get angry when His help is not immediately forthcoming.
Friends, we can’t want a better example than Bruh David in terms of prayer and praise. He was a man just like us with a sinful nature, but he kept crying out to God in ALL situations, and wonder of wonders, the Lord called him a friend and a man after His own heart.
If we sincerely trust and rely on the Lord God Jehovah in ALL that we do, we too can look forward to being called a friend of God, and a man or woman after His own heart. To me, that is the greatest accolade we can ever receive in this life, and is something I’m trying to work toward.
But in the meantime I’m also going to enjoy the blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us, as listed in our Thursday Blessings. And since there is power in our words, let’s declare them with much enthusiasm, sincerity and truth nuh.
Loud and proud now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Oh friends, what a magnanimous and magnificent God we serve! Give Him the thanks and praise He so rightly deserves, and follow His desires, as we go out and share those wonderful blessings with others today. Much LOVE!
…who is Number ONE in our lives…and who are we going to call on FIRST…the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…
30 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a gathering of believers, a loving god, a positive outlook, a sacrifice for our sins, abundance, Adam, apple cart, authority, by himself, calamity, Christians, Colossians, courage, creation, creativity, curse, cursed is the ground, disobedience, dust, dwelt among us, eat bread, eat the herb of the field, every knee shall bow, exalted, fanciful idea, forefathers, give God the glory, glory of Jesus, good lives, grace, headaches, hearkened, holy spirit, honour, image of, in Jesus' name, in sorrow, in the sweat of thy face, inheritance, Jesus, kindhearted, King of Kings, life is rough, living image, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving-kindness, made flesh, mercy, negative word, on the right hand, pick sense from nonsense, praise, preeminent, privileges, prosper, purged our sins, reconciled, redemption, return to the ground, reverence, sacrifical death, sat down, self-control, self-discipline, share blessings, shining light, sins, success, supreme position, talent, thanks, the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, the first-born, the invisible God, the voice of thy wife, the Word, the word of his power, things God can do, thistles, thorns, Thursday Blessings, toil, tragedy, upholding all things, ups and downs, wisdom
Hebrews 1:3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Oh friends, another beautiful day in a wonderful life! Give God the Glory! Yes, He and He alone deserves the overwhelming praise and thanks for our good lives! Oh, I know some of us might complain that life is rough, and so it might be, but whoever said that life would always be smooth eh? Nobody!
That’s just some fanciful idea we’ve gotten in our heads, especially since we’ve become Christians and have read and heard about all the great and wonderful things that God can do, has done, and will do for His children. But from the day sin entered the world, through the disobedience of our forefathers, life was destined to have headaches, ups and downs, tragedy and calamity.
Please note what the Lord said to Adam at the time of their disobedience. ‘Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow (toil) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ (Gen.3:17-19)
Yeh friends, just a li’l reminder that after our fall, life would never be the same, and it would be rough, fraught with calamity, but also lined with good things because our God is a LOVING God, who is not only out to punish us for our wrongdoings. If that was His ultimate desire, we would have disappeared from the earth long ago.
But despite our shortcomings, He LOVED us so much that he sent His Son Jesus to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so we could be reborn by His Holy Spirit and get another chance at redemption, at being made right with Him. Only a very LOVING and kindhearted Deity would do such a thing.
That’s why we have the wonder and glory of Jesus in our Bit. ‘Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.’
Yes Friends, Jesus upset the whole apple cart with his sacrificial death, providing a way out for us woeful sinners! Praise His holy name! But let me get to the promise I made yesterday to offer some scholarly explanations to the verses we read in Colossians 1. I could write praises to Jesus all day, if you give me a chance. (smile)
In fact the verse we’re going to look at is praising Him. ‘Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born (first in rank) of (over) every creature.’ (Col.1:15) Yes, Jesus is the living image of our invisible God; ‘the Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us…’ (John 1:14)
But the scholars offer this explanation on the other half of the verse. ‘1:15. First-born here signifies two things (1) Temporal priority. As the firstborn child in a family is born before his brothers and sisters, similarly Christ existed before Creation. He existed before the universe was created.
And owing to the privileges usually given an oldest child, “first-born” also signifies (2) positional priority. The firstborn in a family was customarily accorded more honour, greater authority, or larger share of the inheritance, and so held a privileged position in relation to his brothers and sisters. In like manner Christ as the “firstborn” occupies a position supreme over the universe.
Therefore, when Paul declares Christ to be the first-born of every creature, the apostle does not mean that He is the first person whom God created; Paul instead means that Christ is earlier than, as well as preeminent in, all creation.’
Yes my brethren, it’s very important that we understand that Christ was around before the world was formed, and He played a major role in forming it, as well as in giving us the opportunity to be reconciled with the Father. That’s why He was so highly exalted by the Father: King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to whom all knees shall bow and whose name shall be spoken with the ultimate reverence, so that the Father can be truly glorified.
Ah mih people, I hope the Bit makes sense. There’s so much I want to communicate on this particular Bit, that I might tend to get confused at times – I’m only human, but I know that you all are smart enough pick sense from nonsense, (smile) and understand what I’m trying to say.
So now, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, blessings that our wonderful God has poured down on us out of His unlimited grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness.
As though we really mean it now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
There is indeed power in the spoken word friends, let’s go out and share those blessings in Jesus’ name now! Much LOVE!
…who is our bright and shining light…the glory of God…none else but…JESUS…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the bit, I was just somewhat tardy in getting up. (smile) Much LOVE!
23 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a reproach, afraid, all over the world, always, attachment to sin, believers, christianity, Christians, come to Christ, compassionate heart, Corinthians, courage, curse, dancing and singing, decline, disgrace, draw breath, enriched, evangelical meetings, every circumstance, exalteth a nation, fall short, fellowship, fight a good fight, flourish, gifts, give thanks, given you, God's will, God-given tasks, godly citizens, grace, greater effort, Happy Thanksgiving Day, heaven, I thank God always, impact, improve our act, Jesus Christ, kindness, knowledge, living like Christians, living right, LOVE, negative word, on your behalf, purge God, rejoice, rest on our laurels, revivals, right leadership, righteousness, ring with joy, self-control, self-discipline, shame, sin, sincere backing, sinful world, standing steadfast, step up to the plate, success, talking, testimony, thanked God, the body of Christ, the evil side, the grace of God, the necessary actions, Thursday Blessings, to perform, turmoil, unbelievers, ungodliness, utterance, walking, wallowing ship
1 Corinthians 1:4. I thank my God always on your behalf (concerning you) for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ.
Well another year has come around, and it’s Thanksgiving time in the U. S. once again! I’d like to wish them a most Happy Thanksgiving Day, probably their most widely celebrated holiday. But in doing so, I would also like us to remember that we should not just give thanks on a single man-declared day, but EVERY DAY; EVERY DAY that the Lord allows us to draw breath on His gracious earth.
And though the once great nation is now in sad decline and turmoil because of their ungodliness, their overwhelming desire to purge God from their society, and instead form a great attachment to sin, there are still lots of things to be truly thankful for, and no reason why the wallowing ship cannot be successfully righted with the right leadership and the strong and sincere backing of its still numerous godly citizens.
Remember, as Cousin Sol so rightly warns us: ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach (shame, disgrace) to any people.’ (Prov.14:34) And that’s no lie! Therefore the Christians need to step up to the plate and fight a good fight. And that’s not only required in the U.S. but ALL OVER THE WORLD!
Friends, if we want Christianity to not only exist, but to flourish, we who call ourselves the body of Christ, desperately need to improve our act. The evil side seems to be winning because of their greater effort, while we, the supposedly good side either rest on our laurels or are afraid to get up and perform the necessary actions that are required of us.
And yuh know my fellow believers, it’s not that we need any great evangelical meetings, revivals and all that, although those are useful, the most important thing that we can do is simply start living like the Christians we claim to be, by showing sincere LOVE and kindness to other believers, as well as the unbelievers. The only way that the unbelievers will ever come to Christ is if they see us living the kind of life we talk so much about.
But the sad fact is that we do more talking than walking. Just imagine nuh, if all Christians rose up and truly began living the way Christ desires us to, what a monumental impact we’d have on this sinful old world! Glory be mih people! Heaven would ring with exceptional joy! There would be such dancing and singing like heaven has never seen before!
But it all depends on US, my brethren. If WE don’t get up and begin living right and fighting and standing steadfast and strong, the sadness right now in heaven will continue and possibly get worse. That brings us to our Bit, which shows how Bruh Paul prayed and thanked God for the welfare and fellowship of the believers in Corinth.
Oh precious people of God, this morning I believe that we all need to consider these wonderful, prayerful and thankful words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians and let them resonate in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls as we go about improving our Christian image.
‘Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf (concerning you) for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.
So that ye come behind (short) in no gift; waiting for the coming (revelation) of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:3-9)
Ah friends, what a powerful and all-encompassing prayer! And I believe we badly need it today. Many of us desperately need God’s peace and grace as we struggle through unfortunate circumstances in our lives. We also need to be enriched by His word and our knowledge of it, so that we can perform our God-given tasks, using the various gifts that the Lord has so generously granted to each of us.
All the while remaining in fellowship with Christ and with each other. That’s when and where we are strong my brethren. Otherwise the enemy will just divide and conquer us, like they are currently doing. Let’s remember too that our wonderful God is ever-faithful, and if He has called us to His body, then He WILL provide all that we need to do His work, until His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ returns to take over His kingdom.
So please, I implore us to be strong and steadfast in Christ and with each other, so that the unbeliever can see what true Christianity is really all about and thus acquire that great desire to come to Jesus. Wow! What a time that will be! Now let’s be thankful for all the wonderful gifts the Lord has showered upon us, as we declare with loud voice and true sincerity our Thursday Blessings.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And now, as Jesus desires of us, let’s go out and share those blessings with others in His holy name. Much LOVE!
…rejoice…and give thanks…ALWAYS…in EVERY circumstance…that’s God’s will…
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