18 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a change of attitude towards God and sin, a change of conduct, a change of mind, a fearful heart, a sense of sorrow, abundance, be thankful, Bible, born again, clear direction for my life, confirm the feeble knees, courage, curse, divine protection, god, God will come and save you, God will come with vengeance, God's goodness, God's supernatural wisdom, gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, making preparations, mercy, negative word, promotion, rejecting the world's folly, repent, repentance, salvation, streams in the desert, strengthen ye the weak hands, talent, the abundant life, the church age, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the eyes of the blind, the Great tribulation, the grim reaper, the kingdom of God is within you, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the lame man leap as a hart, the last days, the Rapture, the result of God's mercy, the tongue of the dumb sing, Thursday Blessings, torrential rain, truth, wisdom
Matthew 4:17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (near).
So it’s Thursday, a couple of days after the torrential rain we had in the Southern Ontario area. Clean up is still underway though, and some people are still without power, but I believe most, if not all of the earlier flooded roads are now open to traffic. Ah friends, one never knows what can happen at any given time, so one should try to be prepared for anything. And I know that’s not always possible, for who believed that we would be flooded out…and so quickly last Tuesday morning eh? I don’t think even the meteorologists thought we would have such a deluge. But let’s be thankful, for it could have been worse, as many others have recently experienced.
And talking about preparations for possible disasters, we might not be able to prepare for the physical ones, but we can surely prepare for the spiritual ones…like the grim reaper suddenly showing up and calling your name. With all the natural disasters and man-made strife currently happening in our world, it’s time that we seriously do what John the Baptist preached to the people of Israel. ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 3:2)
Yes friends, the experts say that there are lots of signs pointing to the last days of the church age, and if that’s true, and you haven’t repented and accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, then things will be real bad with you. When the Rapture happens, you won’t go home with Him to heaven, but remain here on earth to face the Great Tribulation. And believe me, if what the Bible says is true of that period, and I believe it is, then you’re in for one helluva of a rough time here on earth, more terrible than what we’ve ever seen. That’s why it’s so important to know that you wont’ be here for that ghastly period of time.
And John was not the only one to call for repentance. No. Jesus did too, when He began His ministry. The Bible tells us that once Jesus heard of John the Baptist’s imprisonment, and possibly after the attempt on His life in His hometown of Nazareth, He moved to Capernaum and there set up His ministry. And ‘From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of God is at hand (near).’ (Matt. 4:17)
And what does repentance mean? The scholars explain: ‘Repent means a change of mind that results in a change of conduct. Repentance is not merely sorrow. It involves a complete change of attitude regarding God and sin and is often accompanied by a sense of sorrow and a corresponding change in conduct. Such repentance does not arise within man himself, but it is the result of God’s mercy in leading man to it. (cf. Acts 5:31; Rom. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25). Thus repentance involves the very process of conversion whereby men are born again (of the Spirit). John’s and Jesus’ message was necessary in order to prepare people for the kingdom of heaven which was at hand (near).’
And it basically means the renouncing of one’s sins that one be united more closely to God and all His ways. As Bruh Paul writes: ‘Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?’ (Rom. 2:4) Yes my people, when we see the truth of God’s goodness, grace and mercy, it leads us to repentance, to rejecting the foolishness and folly of this evil world. We can’t help but repent and acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Now what does the kingdom of heaven or of God mean? First, why does Matthew say ‘kingdom of heaven,’ while Mark and Luke say ‘kingdom of God.?’ The scholars theorize that Matthew substituted the word ‘heaven’ for ‘God,’ because of his Jewish emphasis, for many Jews regarded it as blasphemous to refer to God by name. Mark and Luke had no such problems because they were writing predominantly to Greeks and Romans. And when Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven (God) is at hand, He’s not talking of some future date, but of right then, for His presence on earth, His coming as the Messiah has introduced the kingdom of God to men as the prophets proclaimed, especially this scripture from Isaiah.
‘Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm (make firm) the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart (deer), and the tongue of the dumb (mute) sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.’ (Is. 35:3-6)
Ah mih bredrin, Isaiah there promised the salvation of the Lord and Jesus came to fulfil that promise. He paid the price for all of our sins and gave us a chance to begin anew with the Father, to return to a right relationship with Him, thus allowing us to enjoy heavenly benefits down here on earth. No, we don’t need to get to heaven to live the blessed life, it’s available to us as soon as we sincerely accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. As Jesus said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
And when answering the Pharisees question about when will the kingdom of God come, Jesus says more clearly: ‘The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For behold the kingdom of God is within you (or in your midst). (Luke 17:20-21) No friends, the kingdom of God cannot be seen or placed in a particular spot, for it’s a spiritual movement. And as the scholars suggest: ‘If the Pharisees cared to look around , it was clear that with John the Baptist and Jesus the kingdom was in fact already at hand.’
They were too blind to see that, too full of their own importance to recognize the changes that were taking place right around them. But we know the truth, and have been bestowed with undeserved blessings, we call our Thursday Blessings to help it along. So let’s declare them now so that they can be activated in our lives.
Altogether: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, we are now duty bound to go out and use them for the benefit of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…without true repentance…one will never enjoy the wonderful kingdom of God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spate of ungodliness, absolutely nothing, abundance, are destroyed, as those who will not see, Bible, blind leaders of the blind, both shall fall into the ditch, cause them to err, christianity, civil war, courage, curse, Declaration of Independence, ego problems of leaders, faith, fight the good fight of faith, fight tooth and nail, flee these things, follow after righteousness, god, going to hell in a hand basket, Happy Independence Day U.S.A, honour me with their lips, if the blind leade the blind, internal conflict, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, negative word, none so blind, O man of God, Pharisees, prosper, self-control, slavery, succeed, talent, the leaders of this people, the messenger of the Lord of hosts, the preists lips should keep knowledge, their heart is far from me, they draw nigh unto me with their mouth, they that are led of them, Thursday Blessings, truth, War!, what is war good for?, wisdom
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and they that are led of them are destroyed.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY U.S. OF A!
Yes friends, today the U.S. A celebrates it’s 248 year of independence from Great Britain after the challenging war to gain their freedom ended with the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776. So they are not so old either, (smile) less than a hundred years older than us up here in Canada. However, their history has been a tumultuous one from the very beginning. The fight for freedom from Britain, then their own Civil War between the Northern and Southern States in 1861over slavery; with the economics of slavery and political control of that system being more central to the conflict than the basic morality of it.
And sadly, right now the U.S is facing a significant amount of serious internal conflict, while also having deeply committed connections to several other external conflicted areas. Let’s hope and pray that they can solve their many problems without the threat of violence rearing it’s ugly head, for remember as the U.S goes, so does a lot of the world!
That reminds me of the these words of wisdom in that old song by the Temptations: ‘War! What is it good for? Absolutely NOTHING!’ And that’s the gospel truth my people, but yet mankind insists on regularly fighting wars, wars that don’t really prove anything, wars that only kill and destroy, leaving the combatants worse off than they were before. I guess it’s an ego problem; generally the ego of the countries leaders.
That brings up a couple of sayings: one from Jonathan Swift, the English/Irish author (1667-1745) who said ‘There are none so blind as those who will not see.’ Yes, understanding cannot be forced on someone who chooses to remain ignorant. And the other quote is from Jesus , where He says of the Pharisees: ‘Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.’ (Matt. 15:14)
And I like how this commentary explains it. ‘Jesus uses the ridiculous one-sentence mini-parable of a blind person leading another blind person in order to show that following the lead of the Pharisees is equally ill-advised. His point could not be made any more vividly: your highly respected religious leaders, the Pharisees, are not reliable guides at all.’
This all stems from earlier on when Jesus referred thus to the Pharisees. ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:7-9) Back then, the Pharisees and various other religious leaders pushed more traditions of men on the people, rather than the dictates of God, using it to advance their powerful place in the society.
And sadly, in these modern times the same thing is happening, many preachers or churches are using the traditions of men to keep the people in quiet submission, rather than teaching them the true word of God. It’s reminiscent of Isaiah’s words re Israel: ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and they that are led of them are destroyed.’ (Is. 9:16) Unfortunately that’s happening quite a lot today, not only in religious circles, but also in political ones. No wonder the enormous amount of strife and upheaval that’s currently endangering our world.
Malachi’s words on the punishment of the priests, who were speaking untruths and thus breaking the covenant of an everlasting priesthood made to Levi and his descendants, also ring true in these ungodly and hypocritical times. He writes: ‘For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial (shown partiality) in the law.’ (Mal. 2:7-9)
Ah mih people, a spate of ungodliness and deceitfulness is spreading across our world like we’ve never seen before, and it’s up to us, the true believers in Christ Jesus to rein it in, or preferably, put a stop to it. But it won’t happen unless we give up the pretty baubles and bangles that the world constantly dangles before our lustful eyes, then come together as one true body and fight tooth and nail to regain the lost territory and gain new ones for Christ.
It’s as Bruh Paul says to Timothy: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art so called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12) Yes my fellow believers, our world will never turn around, or even have a hope of doing so, unless and until we get up and fight the good fight of faith. It’s all up to us, unless we want the world to go the way it’s currently going; that’s to hell in a handbasket.
And for those of us seriously interested in making some good and godly changes, the Lord has generously provided us with underserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare them now, so they can be activated in our lives. Altogether: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
Now it’s our duty to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us. Much LOVE!
…thou therefore endure hardness (hardship)…as a good soldier of Christ… (2 Tim. 2:3)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong will, abundance, be not dismayed, Bible, blessed are ye, christianity, conditional promises, courage, creativity, curse, discipleship, even to the end of the world, faith, fear not, fear thou not for I am with thee, for my sake, god, great is your reward in heaven, heavenly blessings, holy spirit, I am thy God, I am with you always, I have called the by name, I have redeemed thee, I will be with thee, I will strengthen thee, Jesus, Jesus Christ, like the Son of God, LOVE, meditating on the scriptures, negative outlook on life, neither shall the flame kindle thee, our response to God's promises, persecute you, rejoice and be exceeding glad, say all manner of evil against you falsely, show our mettle, stand strong in Faith, stepping up to the plate, supernatural wisdom, talent, Thank You Lord, the form of the fourth, the help of God, they shall not overflow thee, they that strive with thee shall perish, thou art mine, thou shalt not be burned, through the rivers, unconditional promises, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, when men shall revile you, when thou pass through the waters, when thou walkest through the fire, wisdom
Isaiah 43:1b. O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, a somewhat cool and cloudy summer’s day. It’s definitely not as hot as those of the last week, and neither is the wind as strong as it’s recently been. The beleaguered trees must certainly have sent up a ‘Thank You Lord Prayer’ for this break in the cruel wind dance they’ve been forced to perform for way too long. (smile)
But you know what friends, in this crazy and cruel world, oftentimes we are also called on to perform deeds we don’t want to perform, for long periods of time, and it’s only with the help of God, through His Holy Spirit are we able to hang on until a period of rest comes. And it’s of the utmost importance for believers to note and to remember that we have the assurance of our great God that He will enable us to hang in there, though our world seems to be falling apart at our very feet.
Listen to these comforting and reassuring words of God from the Book of Isaiah, as he let’s the children of Israel, and also we believers today, know that we have been chosen by Almighty God. ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded (disgraced): they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.’ (Is. 41:10-11)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s a sure promise of our ever-faithful God for us to hold on to in these dark and very dangerous times. Now it won’t all happen automatically… No! We have to make our contribution to the situation by sincerely believing and having the faith that allows us to do what’s necessary while holding on the Lord’s promise. And those things are only attained by constantly meditating on the scriptures, putting them into action, praying and fellowshipping with other believers.
Remember, we are partners with God, and in almost every situation we have a partner’s part to play, for the Lord won’t do it all, every time. And, unfortunately, that’s why so many of us supposed believers don’t see the Lord’s hand at work in our lives; we don’t do our part, simply expecting the Lord to show up and make every thing right.
Oh, sometimes He will, but certainly not all the time, because He expects us to pull our weight. He’s given us the promises, some of which are unconditional, but many that are conditional, or depend on our coming up to scratch, stepping up to the plate. So, to avail ourselves of the Lord’s promises, it’s often necessary to show our faith, our mettle and stand up strong, do whatever it takes to make the promises come true in our lives.
Now here’s another interesting promise from the Lord through Isaiah, as He assures the children of Israel of their redemption. ‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.’ (Is, 43:1-2)
And my beleiving brethren, we’ve seen those promises literally come to pass, like when the Hebrew teenagers, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fire for not bowing down to the idol made by the Babylonian king, but they came out untouched, not even smelling of smoke. (Dan. 3) The king when looking into the furnace even said that he saw four people instead of three in there… ‘and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (a son of the gods) (Dan. 3:25)
You see friends, Jesus Himself was in there with those faithful teenagers. And it’s the same way He’ll be with us when we suffer trials and tribulations for His sake. Remember His words from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt. 5::11-12)
And no, it’s not always easy to put up with false accusations and unjust persecutions while doing Jesus’ work, but unfortunately it’s all part of our discipleship. And while giving us the wherewithal to handle it, He will also stand beside us during the whole time of trial. For He’s also promised: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b)
Yes my fellow saints, life on this earth never was easy, and never will be, until Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom, but in the meanwhile He’s assured us of His awesome help by coming to earth and dying on the cross of Calvary to pay our sin debt in full, redeeming us like promised in Isaiah. Then rising from the dead and assuring us of that same resurrection if we believe in Him, then sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to lead, guide and comfort us in our times of trial, and finally to return and take us back with him, so that wherever He is, we might also be. We certainly cannot expect more from Him. No! The rest of it is up to us… providing we believe.
And God is so good to us that He’s also given us a bunch of undeserved heavenly blessings to do His earthly work. So let’s declare them so they can be activated in our lives. As one voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…God’s promised us a lot…but a lot depends on…our response to the promises…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a sweet smelling savour, a taste of hellfire, abundance, already reached perfection, an offering and a sacrifice to God, as Christ loved us, avoid hell, be all that Christ saved me for, be with us to the end of the world, be ye followers of God, being confident of this very thing, Bible, bounden duty, chickens coming home to roost, christianity, consuming desire, conversion takes a moment, courage, creativity, curse, faith, for the prize of the high calling in God, forgetting the past, god, growth takes a lifetime, he which hath begun a good work in you, heatwave, I press toward the mark, I strain to reach the end of the race, It Takes a Lifetime, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep working toward that day, looking forward to what lies ahead, LOVE, negative word, never leave nor forsake u, never lose sight of heaven, no AC in hell, One Year Book of Bible promises, prosper, reached the pinnacle that God ordained, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrifice is a part of discipleship, self-discipline, succeed, supernatural wisdom, sweet smelling aroma, talent, Thursday Blessings, tough sledding, turn to Jesus right now, walk in LOVE, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.
And the band of musicians and revellers came dancing down the street in the hot sun singing: ‘Heat wave, heat wave…Everywhere is heatwave…’ And that seems to be the gospel truth these days, for all about the world that familiar refrain is being heard. In my neighbourhood we’re now up to our fourth or fifth day of over thirty-degree temps… I’ve lost count. And even when we have a strong wind, the wind’s invariably hot.
Ah Lord eh! Our chickens are coming home to roost. We getting a li’l taste of what hellfire’s going to be like, and most of us definitely don’t like it. (smile) And remember, you won’t be able to turn on no AC down there. So I’d strongly recommend that we turn to Jesus RIGHT NOW and accept Him as Lord and Saviour, so that we can avoid that inferno, where we’ll sashay down to at the end times, if He isn’t the Lord of our lives.
Consequently, unless you have to go out, it’s best to stay inside in air conditioned comfort, if possible. And if you do have to go out, make sure you’re well protected with sun-block, leaving as little skin as possible exposed to the scorching elements. End of Sermon! (smile)
And today, I’ve been led to a rather appropriate writing from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin titled, ‘It Takes a Lifetime.’ Not sure if I’ve shared it before, but it’s ever so apropos for these treacherous and ungodly times.
Please read with me: ‘How I LOVE the words of the apostle Paul. “I don’t mean to say…that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” (Phil. 3:12-14 NLT)
What tremendous encouragement! Paul, who knew Jesus Christ so intimately, whose consuming desire was to please him, who endured illness, imprisonment, shipwreck, beatings, mockery, and heartache all for the sake of Christ – this very same Paul confessed he hadn’t “arrived.” God was still growing him! I see again, while my conversion took but a moment, my growth takes an entire lifetime. In God’s great wisdom and knowledge He anticipates the finished product while He LOVINGLY takes me through the long, long process.’ End of story!
And what a most enlightening and encouraging story it is my faithful believers. It clearly shows us that the tough and resilient Bruh Paul, who withstood numerous difficulties and dangers for the Lord’s sake, still didn’t think that he had reached the pinnacle that God had called him to attain. It’s the same with us. As the story says, it takes a moment to be converted, but a lifetime to reach our planned end. And all that time God is growing us, transforming, shaping us into the perfect image of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for that’s been His most ardent desire from the beginning of time.
Yes friends, Ephesians 5 tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children: And walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour (aroma).’ (Eph. 5:1-2) That means we have to be like Jesus in both our thinking and behaviour.
And this passage from Philippians puts it even better. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of all his privileges). And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8)
Oh my people, Jesus though deity, came to earth as a man, as a servant, and sacrificed himself for us on the cross of Calvary. So, if we’re to be like Jesus, then we ought to be prepared to sacrifice ourselves, both on His behalf and those of our fellow believers. Let’s remember that sacrifice is an integral part of discipleship. And though we might find it tough sledding sometimes, we need to remember what Jesus did for us, and that He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5) and to be with us always, even unto the end of the world. (Matt. 28:20) Those scriptures ought to keep us encouraged and constantly working on His behalf.
Now here’s this other important scripture that shows God’s presence, purpose and plan for us. Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Of course my fellow believers! If God begins a good work in us, transforming us to the behaviour and beliefs of Jesus, He won’t stop until He takes us home or Jesus returns to earth! So there’s no need to fear being left out in the cold, like some unfinished work that someone just threw aside. Our God will NEVER do that! He LOVES us too much! We’re too valuable to Him; His greatest and most dear creation!
But we have to be of the same mind as Jesus. That’s prepared to work though whatever comes against us, and do like Bruh Paul says: ‘I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:14) Please, my fellow saints, I plead with us to never lose sight of that high calling of God in Christ, for it’s our earthly goal. Now, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, so that we can activate them. Blessings so generously given to us by our heavenly Father to do His earthly work.
Altogether: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And having now activated those blessings, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use them for the benefit of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…while here on earth…Christians should never lose sight of heaven…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a great family, a li'l light displaces much darkness, belief, Bible, Christian walk, christianity, conviction, courage, creativity, curse, eil cronies, exercising our faith, faith, faith builders, favour, glorify your father in heaven, god, God always anoints us to do His work, good friends, have the light of life, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, I am come a light into the world, I am the light of the world, in the face of adversity, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leave a good legacy, Let your light so shine before men, LOVE, negative word, prosper, remember what god has done for us before, scared of failure, seen a great light, shy away from God's work, sin, succeed, supernatural wisdom, the land of the shadow of death, the onus is on us, the people that walked in darkness, they may see your good works, Thursday Blessings, truth, upon them hath the light shined, whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness, wisdom, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. Another week of the month, of the year, of our lives behind us… And did we do anything in it that will leave a good legacy behind us for others to contemplate and possibly follow? For all our sakes, I surely hope so, (smile) otherwise it would have been just another wasted week in our wonderful, God-given lives. Ah friends, too many of us waste our lives either doing nothing or doing stuff that’s not really worthwhile, while God has a plan for us to do good work for His kingdom. And many of us shy away from doing God’s work, from putting His plan for our lives into action because we’re either sacred of failure, or find that God’s plan might be too big for us to handle.
But remember friends, God NEVER asks us to do anything without giving us the necessary tools, the wherewithal, the anointing to do it. But we have to dredge up the conviction, the faith, the belief that we can do it, otherwise all the anointing will be of no use. We need to remember all the promises He’s made us, and all the times before when He’s helped us through whatever project He had assigned. That’s one of the most important faith builders in our Christian walk; remembering all the previous times when God saw us through whatever problems we encountered, and believing that if He could do it before, He can certainly do it again.
Oh my people, the onus to make something of our lives is not on God, but on us. He gives us whatever we need, shows us the way, then we have to get up and action the situation. And yes, it oftentimes takes a lot of faith to do stuff in the face of adversity, but the Lord has sincerely promised to never leave nor forsake us, and since we full well know that He’s not a God who reneges on any of His promises, then we should have the gumption to get up and do His will. But laziness…and fear…the need for comfort…etc. etc. keep us from exercising our faith.
Unfortunately though, when we fail to react positively to God’s will, it leaves the way completely open for the devil and his evil cronies to pile more evil into our world, enslave more of our brethren into the depths of darkness that the evil doers like to keep their captives in. And that’s against the very reason that Jesus came to earth. As He says in the gospel of John: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And Jesus’ coming was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2)
Then later on in John’s gospel Christ reiterated His purpose of bringing light to a darkened world when He cried out to the unbelieving people, some of whom believed in Him, but were afraid that the Pharisees would put them out of the synagogue if they showed their faith, for they LOVED the praise of men more than the praise of God. ‘Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.’ (John 12:44-46)
Oh friends, Jesus did not come to earth to do His own will, but that of the Father, that means when we refuse to get up and do God’s will we are thwarting the very reason Jesus came into the world; to save it from the evil powers of darkness, and bring it into the bright and shining light of God the Father. Sin has caused our world to become a dark and frightening place with nothing good to ever come out of it. However, Jesus came to change all of that, to bring light to a darkened world, and we are a part of His plan to do so.
Consequently, He’s depending on us to get up and help Him spread the good news of His gospel and bring the many captives and slaves of darkness into the bright light of His kingdom. Remember what He said: ‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (John 9:5) But once He left this world, He expects His followers; apostles, disciples or whatever you choose to call them to continue being the light and continue spreading the truth of His word. That’s why He also said in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13, 14,16.)
Yes my fellow saints, that’s our basic purpose on this earth; to spread the light of Christ through His gospel, His word of truth. And when we refuse to do it, regardless of the reason, we effectively short-circuit the entire operation, for each chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So please, let’s wake up and stand up for Christ, the way He stood up for us! And as I said earlier on, God doesn’t ask us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it, and He’s generously blessed us with the very tools we need to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare them (chuhhh!!!) so they can be activated.
Altogether: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
Now, with those amazing blessings under our belts, it’s our duty to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they can come out of their darkness into the light of Jesus, and come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…where light shines…darkness is displaced…and it only takes a li’l light to displace much darkness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, according to his riches in glory, all things work together for good, an house of defence, be about the Lord's business, be careful for nothing, be of good cheer, be thou my strong rock, Bible, bow down thine ear to me, commit our spirits into the Lord's hand, courage, curse, deliver me in thy righteousness, deliver me speedily, faith, god, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I commit my spirit, i have overcome the world, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in me ye might have peace, In thee O Lord do I put my trust, into thine hand, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let me never be ashamed, LOVE, my God shall supply all your needs, MY rock and My fortress, negative word, O Lord God of truth, one foot in both worlds, psalms, sacrifices, self-control, sit on the fence, take up your cross daily, talent, the peace of God which passeth all understading, thou hast redeemed me, Thursday Blessings, to them who love God, total trust in the Lord, tribulation, truth, who are called according to His purpose
Psalm 31:1. ‘In thee, O Lord do put my trust (take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
And then it was Thursday…And yes, the ole fella is up somewhat early to be about the Lord’s business, that’s because I have a couple of medical appointments this afternoon and did not want to be rushing around later to accomplish my tasks. So strange things do happen in this world, today, instead of being late…we’re being early! (smile) Now what are we going to talk about this morning eh, this sunny but somewhat chilly penultimate day in May? Well the Good Library opened just now in the Book of Psalms, and my eyes alighted first on Psalm 31 – Bruh David talking about ‘My Rock and My Fortress.’ One of his many psalms of both lament and praise.
So please read with me: ‘In thee, O Lord do put my trust (take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock (rock of refuge) for an house of defence (fortress) to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily (secretly) for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.’ (Ps. 31:1-5)
Oh friends, those are powerful words of commitment and trust! Bruh David was serious about them, and as we read them, the question arises, are we also serious in our commitment to Almighty God? Do we consider Him our strong rock and fortress of refuge, our strength and deliverer in these turbulent and topsy turvy times? Let’s hope so, for we surely do need someone bigger and stronger than us to help us get through the craziness that’s overtaken our world. And who better than the Lord God Almighty, the Creator, and Controller of the universe, the most powerful being in existence. If He cannot take care of us, then no one can.
But as Bruh David says, we have to commit our spirits into His hand if we want His protection. And that’s totally, not partially, as we like to do in most godly things. For some reason we don’t seem to trust the Lord completely, or we just want to always have some sort of control over our goings and comings. However friends, with the Lord it’s ALL or NOTHING at ALL! He doesn’t do partway stuff, so for those of us who like to sit on the fence and try to have a foot in both worlds, He will not pay any attention to your cries for help.
And we all know that, but yet we still always try to withhold something, not give all of ourselves, possibly because we don’t truly trust the Lord to take care of all of our needs as Bruh Paul assured the Philippians. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) Yes friends, we mouth it, but don’t sincerely believe it…well not all the way. But our God needs our sincere trust and surrender if He is to do much good for us. You’ll notice in Bruh David’s own life, although he was hounded by enemies on all sides, he gave his total trust to God, and the Father, in His time and way resolved them for him.
Note, his problems did not go away overnight, or that he never had any further problems, but he stood his ground with God throughout all his trials and that’s the way we need to be. Regardless of our circumstances, how threatening or fearful they might be, we need to stand strong in the Lord and His might and believe as the word says: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) The problem is that we expect God to fix all of our problems right away and allow us to live a life of wine, women and song, without any further encumbrances.
But that will never happen, for in this sinful and ungodly world, we will have troubles and problems until the day we die, because that’s just the kind of world we live in. As Jesus rightly said: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And yes, it’s not easy to have good cheer when your whole world seems to be crumbling down around you, but if you have put your sincere trust in Jesus, then you will indeed have a modicum of peace during your trials.
Your circumstances will not drive you crazy, or to drink and drugs, but you’ll fall on your knees and ask the Lord for help, while giving Him thanks and praise. As Bruh Paul wisely advises us: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7) Now again, that isn’t always easy to do, but if we have sincerely trusted Jesus, and believe that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us, (Phil. 4:13) then we will be able to handle whatever comes against us.
Many of us erroneously believe that coming to Christ means a life of ease and comfort, but oftentimes it’s not. It might even mean more problems, tests and sacrifices, because living for Jesus desires us to take up our crosses daily and walk with him, forgetting ourselves, so we can do His work. The good news though friends is that living for Christ is all worth it, for in the long run the rewards greatly eclipse the sacrifices. But it takes strong and sincere faith and belief and a willingness to give up all for Christ.
And on the good side of things, we have a whole lot of undeserved blessings, that the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, but they have to be declared to be activated. So let’s do that right now nuh. As one voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And having declared those blessings, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!
…to receive all of God’s favour…we must trust Him…ALL THE WAY…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, a strong will, be instructed ye judges of the earth, be likened unto the Lord, be wise now O ye kings, Bible, break them with a rod of iron, christianity, courage, curse, dash them in pieces, faith, fear the Lord and ye shall live, god, God is greatly to be feared, I am the true vine, Jesus, Jesus Christ, justice and judgement, kiss the son, lest he be angry, like a potter's vessel, LOVE, mercy, my Father is the husbandman, negative word, O Lord God of Hosts, prosper, rejoice with trembling, scattered thine enemies with a strong arm, self-control, serve the Lord with fear, strong is thy hand, succeed, talent, the habitation of thy throne, the heavens shall praise thy wonders, the Holy One of Israel is our King, Thursday Blessings, thy faithfulness in the congregation of the saints, truth, who among the sons of the mighty, who in heaven can be compared unto the Lord, who is a strong Lord like unto thee, wisdom, ye perish from the way
Psalm 2:11. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
And it’s another beautiful summer-like day, this Thursday in the merry month of May. It’s not as windy though as the last two days, which have seen some rocking and riotous winds blow away the rain we were promised. The dark clouds did appear, but the winds seemed strong enough to blow them away. So now we’re left with some dry ground thirsting for heavenly blessings. But we know that our God is good, and in His time, He will send the rain to water the ground of His awesome creation. For as Jesus said: ‘I am the true (genuine) vine and my Father is the husbandman (vinedresser, gardener). (John 15:1)
And furthermore, a good gardener never allows his garden to suffer for lack of water and other nourishment. So we can be assured that when the time is right, divine water will appear, we will not be allowed to go through a season of drought. Consequently, it is very apropos for us to sing of the power and greatness of our amazing God, like Ethan the Ezrahite did in Psalm 89, where he writes: ‘And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?’ (Ps. 89: 5-6)
And the obvious answer to that question is an emphatic ‘NOBODY!’ Thus ‘God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ (Ps. 89:7) Now that ought to be a sure consequence of God’s greatness and power, but unfortunately it’s not, for too many of the earth’s inhabitants repudiate and blaspheme His holy name, instead preferring to give their allegiance and loyalty to the evil Satan. But as it says all throughout the Bible, the wicked shall be destroyed and their name forgotten upon the earth. And as Psalm 2 in particular says: ‘Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ (Ps. 2:9)
Then Psalm 89 continues to sing of the Lord’s power and might. ‘O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them. Thou hast broken Rahab (Egypt) in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm. The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
The north and south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon (those who live around mounts Tabor and Hermon) shall rejoice in thy name. Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. Justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) are the habitation (foundation) of thy throne: mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth shall go before thy face.’ (Ps. 89:8-14) And all of that is the gospel truth my people, facts we can find in the Lord’s word verifying all that the psalmist has said.
And now we come to the really good part. (smile) ‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps. 89:15-18) Ah mih people, it’s obvious that if the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our God, then we have nothing to fear from anybody or any thing, for He is powerful, just and righteous enough to overthrow them.
The problem though is that we have to hold Him in awesome reverence and majesty, understand that He is indeed the sovereign ruler of the universe and be obedient to His will and Word. But sadly that’s not happening on a large enough scale today because His supposed people have turned to Beelzebub and his evil cohorts, doing the awful things that they advise, instead of God’s desires. But as we said earlier, all of that will end eventually, for Satan is already a defeated foe, and anyone who associates with him will suffer the same fate of destruction that he suffers; that’s eternal separation from Almighty God.
And I can’t begin to tell us how disastrous such a fate will be, for it’s the worst fate that can ever happen to a human soul. Please believe me, and change your allegiance from the evil Satan to the One true God, for Satan is simply a liar and deceitful enemy, who’s looking for gullible and easily persuaded folks to accompany him to eternal destruction. That’s why this warning from Palm 2 is ever so valuable in these turbulent and chaotic times. ‘Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son (an act of homage and submission), lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.’ (Ps. 2:10-12)
Oh my fellow saints there could be no better advice in all the world! For if we don’t put our trust and faith in the Son, Jesus Christ, we will eventually be destroyed by His wrath! That’s a faithful promise. So let’s be wise, get our heads together, declare and use what we call our Thursday Blessings, that’s the many undeserved blessings the Lord has given us to do his earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!
…fear the Lord…and ye shall live…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart glowing with praise, a positive outlook on life, be careful for nothing, Bible, christianity, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, devotional, faith, favour curse, great is our God and of great power, great is our Lord, great is thy faithfulness, he healeth the broken in heart, his compassions fail not, his understanding is limitless, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in the morning, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, it is good to sing praises unto God, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, it is pleasant, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, more love and joy, negative word, praise is comely, Praise ye the Lord, pray without ceasing, psalms, rejoice evermore, success, supernatural strength, the believer's best freind, they are new every morning, this is the will of God in Christ, Thursday Blessings, thy faithfulness every night, to shew forth thy lovingkindness, to sing praises unto thy name O Most High, to warm our cold hearts, upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the harp, with a solemn sound, worship
Psalm 92:1. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
Oh friends, at long last, warm and sunny days seem to be here again! Thank the Lord! It’s about time we felt some of the sun’s awesome heat to warm our cold hearts, souls, bodies and minds after this long winter season. Granted, it wasn’t that cold, but still the chilly, damp weather is what really gets into the bones and causes all sorts of illnesses and emotional downturns. But with summer seemingly on the way, there is a li’l more LOVE and joy in the society, although not as much as we so badly need.
And today we’ll take a look at a couple of scriptures about giving thanks to our great God, for all that He’s done on our behalf. And the first scriptures come from Psalm 92, aptly titled ‘Give Thanks to the Lord.’ So please read with me: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth (declare) (steups!!!) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lyre or lute); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps. 92:1-4)
Oh my fellow saints, it’s so obvious that the Lord deserves our thanks, both morning and evening, and even during the daytime because of His unfailing goodness and mercy to us each and every day! And if, as the psalmist says he has made us glad through His work, then there’s even more reason to give Him praise and thanks!
And Psalm 147, titled ‘Sing Praise to the Lord,’ gives the same message. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah): for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (beautiful). (It surely is!) The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds (sorrows). He telleth (counts) the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (limitless).’ (Ps. 147:1-5)
More indisputable truth my brethren! Our God is both great and good, therefore He necessitates praise from His people! Unfortunately though, His people don’t thank him as much as they ought to. Some of us only give thanks on Sundays when we go to church, others don’t even remember to give thanks at all. But please remember as Jeremiah says: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23)
Oh friends, our wonderful God deserves amazing praise and thanks for the simple reason that we are still alive today, through His great mercies and faithfulness. You know how many people didn’t wake up this Thursday morning? Many! Why? I don’t know. But I’m sure some of them did not waken today because they were not in the habit of giving the Lord the thanks and praise He so richly deserves. It’s mind boggling that we can call on the Lord for all the stuff we want, but when we get it, we forget to give Him thanks and praise.
My people, we should be thanking our God all through the day: for every good and positive move we make; for every scrape or negative situation that He gets us out of. Praise should be a continual thing in the hearts and lives of the true believer. Why do you think Bruh Paul highly advised us through his letter to the Philippians to ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) And to the Thessalonians, he said: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5: 16-18)
Yes my fellow believers, giving thanks and praise to Almighty God is essential in our daily lives, it’s His will for us. One of the reasons He created us is that we could praise and worship Him, and reciprocate his wonderful LOVE like all the other heavenly hosts. He didn’t just make us to beg and badger Him for lustful, ungodly stuff, as some of us seem to think from our ungrateful and rebellious attitudes. Heartfelt thanks is essential for the believer if he or she expects to receive all that God has in store for them. And I don’t know how else to say it but like that.
Anyway, enough preaching for today. And the Bit is already late because I had to go down to the hospital for some tests this morning, so let’s keep it short and sweet. (smile) And since it’s Thursday, it means declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings very generously given to us by the Lord to do His earthly work. So as one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) it’s now our duty to go out and generously use those blessings, so that others can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…a heart glowing with praise and thanksgiving…is the believers best friend…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
25 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, achieve perfection, advantage of light over darkness, anger flares, blaring car horns, buy into Christ's philosophy, christianity, compassion, courage, creativity, curse, faith, favour, fear hath torment, flawless, fulfill God's purpose in our lives, furious voices, god, God loved us, God's love for us, God's ways are higher than ours, great is thy faithfulness, grieved souls, herein is love, his compassions fail not, In Touch Devotional, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus brings life and light, Jesus Christ, let my presence bring quietness, LOVE, muscles tense, negative word, new every morning, not that we loved God, offer softness to strangers, peace flowing in my words, perfect love, perfect love casteth out fear, ramp up the love of God, salvation, Satan brings death and darkness, self-discipline, supernatural wisdom, tempers rise, the art of gentleness, the propitiation for our sins, there is no fear in love, Thursday Blessings, we ought also to love one another, wisdom, without blemish, your light warming hearts
1 John 4:18a. There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment.
Well, unlike yesterday, today, Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week, has opened bright and sunshiny, though somewhat chilly. But that’s okay, for once there is sunshine in the neighbourhood, then many spirits will be uplifted just because of it. That’s the advantage that light has over darkness, specifically, the light that Jesus brings to our lives and our world, over the sinful and ungodly darkness that Satan desires to engulf it in. And to help us see and receive that amazing light of Jesus, let’s turn to God in prayer. It’s this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional, Let Us Pray section.
So please pray with me: ‘God, teach me the art of gentleness in a world of blaring car horns, furious voices, and grieved souls. May I offer softness to strangers and to people I know – the same tenderness You’ve shown me. Not harsh, rushed, or callous, You’re filled with compassion and perfect LOVE. When tempers start to rise and muscles begin to tense, when anger flares in people’s eyes, Let my presence bring a quietness – Your light warming hearts, Your peace flowing in my words. In Jesus’ name. Amen’
Oh friends, do we ever need that kind of quiet calming and gentleness that Jesus offers in this harsh, angry and strife-filled world! And the world can only experience it through us, His loyal followers. As the prayer says: ‘Your light warming hearts, Your peace flowing in my words.’ And sadly, that’s the only way the world will ever see light and peace; through us, if we wholeheartedly buy into Christ’s philosophy and seriously and sincerely put it into practice. And all I want to do today is remind us of a few important scriptures that sort of jumped out at me while reading the prayer.
The first one deals with the phrase ‘You’re filled with compassion and perfect LOVE.’ And is our great God ever! And we all know this magnificent, heart-warming and uplifting scripture dealing with God’s wonderful compassion, as Jeremiah so rightly puts it in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23) And we’d better say, praise the Lord for those new compassion every day, otherwise we would have long ago been destroyed for our obstinate sinfulness and disobedience.
And as per ‘perfect LOVE’ what’s that you ask? Basically, as this commentary explains: ‘Perfect LOVE is an expression of God’s LOVE for us, and it is only complete (or perfect) when we reflect it back onto Him.’ And the Bible is peppered throughout with the amazing LOVE of God for us. And John in particular deals with what we call perfect LOVE in his epistles. Listen up: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11)
And there is no doubting that logic my fellow believers, for without God’s LOVE we’d all be headed straight for hell fire and damnation, with no option whatsoever to receive salvation and eternal life. So we had better be thankful for God’s LOVE and be wise and reciprocate it as best we can. And as the scholars tell us: ‘No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’ That brings to mind God’s declaration (yesss!!!) in Isaiah that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, therefore we cannot understand them. (Is. 55:8-9) But we can definitely understand what He tells us to do.
Then John later continues: ‘Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God is LOVE; and he that dwelleth (abides) in LOVE dwelleth (abides) in God, and God in him. Herein is our LOVE made perfect (LOVE made perfect among us), that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:15-18)
And I believe it’s important to note this commentary on what it means to be made perfect in LOVE. It says: ‘We normally use “perfect” to mean “flawless, without any blemish” (“He got a perfect score on his exam”). But ‘teleios,’ (Greek word translated perfect) primarily means to fulfill one’s purpose. So being “perfected in LOVE” means “having God’s LOVE fulfill its purpose in us.” Remember that though we can try with God’s help to achieve perfection, none of us can be truly perfect in this world, except in the sense that we truly fulfill God’s purpose in our lives.
Ah my fellow saints, there seems to be much more I want to say, (smile) but time and space are not cooperating, so if God spares life, we’ll continue on this topic tomorrow. Now, let’s declare out loud, and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, those undeserved blessings bestowed on us by God to do His earthly work. As one voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!
And having set those blessings in motion, we are now required to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him, like we do! Much LOVE!
…until Christians ramp up the LOVE of God in our world…evil will continue to have the upper hand…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
11 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as many as received Him, Bible, born not of blood or flesh but of God, but the world knew him not, christianity, courage, creativity, curse, dwell in the land of the shadow of death, enshrined in darkness, experienced the darkness, faith, formidable actions, glorify your father in heaven, god, have the light of life, He came unto his own, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, his own received him not, I am the light of the world, in the shadow of death, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Let your light so shine before men, lighteth every man that cometh into the world, LOVE, miraculous appearance, negative word, prayer, prosper, repent, salt of the earth, salvation, seen a great light, self-control, success, supernatural strength, the dayspring from on high, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Messiah, the people that walked in darkness, the remission of sins, the tender mercy of our God, the world was made by him, they may see your good works, Thursday Blessings, to bear witness of the Light, to give knowledge of salvation, to give light to them that sit in darkness, to guide our feet in the way of peace, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, tooted his own horn, truth, upon them hath shined the light, witnessed unto himself, Ye are the light of the world, you can't enjoy the light
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Ah Lord, why couldn’t today be like yesterday eh? Unfortunately, the bright and warm sunshine of Wednesday has been transformed into a wet, bleak, dreary, dark, uninviting Thursday morning. And yesterday afternoon I so enjoyed sitting on my front porch for the first time this year, very comfortably drinking in the activity on the street, whether they were humans, cars, dogs, or simply Mother Nature. That looks though, like it will just be a one day stand, (smile) as the computer is calling for rain today. But that’s okay, we’ll live with it, for we’ll enjoy the sunshine even more after having experienced the rain. As they say, you can’t enjoy the light, until you’ve experienced the darkness.
And that’s oh so true, especially when speaking of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Before He came, we were totally enshrined in darkness, without any hope of ever getting out of it, but with His miraculous appearance and formidable actions, we did get out of the darkness into His glorious light! Glory be! As Isaiah so gloriously testified: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath shined the light.’ (Is. 9:2) And that prophesy was certainly fulfilled by the coming of Jesus!
As Matthew writes of Jesus’ teaching ministry. ‘Now when Jesus had heard that John (the Baptist) was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up (has dawned). From that time Jesus began preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 4:12-17)
Yes friends, there’s no doubt that Jesus came a to shed light on our darkness. As Luke also writes of Zacharias’ speech at the birth of his son, John the Baptist. ‘And thou, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (the Dawn, the Messiah) from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing (manifestation) unto Israel.’ (Luke 1:76-80)
And we all know that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, setting the stage for Him, talking of repentance, of baptism and the forgiveness of sins. The words of John the apostle also attest to those facts. ‘There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of the Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, (own domain), and his own (his own people the Jews) received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:6-14) Oh my faithful brethren, Jesus was indeed the One sent by the Father to bring us out of darkness into His wonderful light.
And if you still don’t believe that He is, was, and will always be the Light of this world, then listen to Him say it Himself. He said to the disbelieving religious sect of the Jews, the Pharisees: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And the Pharisees did not believe, because He bore witness of Himself, or as we would say today, was tooting His own horn. But the fact still remains that if Jesus did not come to earth, die on the cross of Calvary to atone for our sins, then rise again on the third day, so we could do the same, we would still be forever shrouded in the darkness of Satan, the evil ruler of this world, who desires to keep us chained to his evil doings.
But Christ, the Light of the world, came and set us free! Glory Hallelujah! And to make it even better, He told us that when He left this world, that we, His true followers would assume that mantle. ‘Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14a, 16) And our God is so wonderful that He even gave us the tools, the undeserved blessings to do the job. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare them now, so that they can be activated in our lives.
As one voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and put those blessings to work in the lives of others, as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…it’s high time that we Christians behave…like the real salt of the earth…and the true light of the world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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