23 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all circumstances, all will be well, an intense longing for god, and again I say rejoice, assurance, aura of love, awesome power, blood work, Christians, confidence, conquerors, Creator of the universe, disquieted in me, do like Jack, easier said than done, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, faithful believers, friends, grace, heaven, hit the road, holy spirit, hope thou in God, humble servants, I shall yet praise him, inconvenience, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus is coming back soon, joy, joyful, lies, loud and proud, LOVE, mode of rejoicing, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, o my soul, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, presence, Rejoice in the Lord always, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strength to face the road, taunts, the back of our minds, the big city, the Book of Life, the help of his countenance, trust, ultimate beauty, ungodly world, why art thou cast down, wiles, wisdom, working out all things for good
Philippians 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Ah friends, it ‘s another Monday morning; another damp and cloudy day, and the worst part of it is that I have to face the Monday morning traffic and go into the big city for some blood work at a special hospital – and it includes fasting too! Chuh!
It couldn’t be done at any other time of the day? No! It must be done by 8 a.m, and that’s why the Bit is so short and so early. Well there’s not much I can do about the situation, if I want to get the help the blood work will offer.
So unlike most Mondays, today I will definitely need the enthusiasm and strength to face the road, provided by our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s belt it out loud and proud nuh.
‘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 friends, I’m sure you heard my voice loud and clear this morning as we delivered a fine rendition! Jesus heard it too and He was proud of us, and promised that all will be well on this first day of the new workweek.
And I believe Him, so I’m not worried about getting out there at this early hour, it’s just that it’s rather inconvenient… And who likes inconvenience in this modern day society eh? (smile)
But on the other hand, rather conveniently, our Bit today is also a major encourager. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’
Ah mih people, we all know that is easier said than done, but as faithful believers we have been given the wherewithal to be joyful under all and any circumstances. We have been granted salvation through the free and undeserving grace of Almighty God!
Our sins have been forgiven, our names have been written in the Book of Life, the Holy Spirit of Jesus dwells in us to lead and guide us, and Jesus will be coming back sometime soon in awesome power to take us to dwell with him forever in the ultimate beauty that’s heaven!
So like the beautiful verse from Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God – we can also declare. ‘Why art thou cast (bowed) down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps.42:5)
Yes friends, that’s a wonderful verse of scripture we should all keep in the back of our minds, ever ready to encourage us, when our souls are feeling low down.
And as we said yesterday, rejoicing always is not necessarily jumping up and down all the time, but it’s an aspect of our strong faith that give us the assurance that our lives are in the hands of the omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present Creator of the universe, who is working out all things for our good.
Under those circumstances, we can therefore relax and rejoice always. And with those words of wisdom, (smile) I’ll leave us and go and get myself ready to do like Jack – hit the road! Much LOVE!
…when believers are in a constant mode of rejoicing…then the world truly sees Jesus in them…
02 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: 24/7 society, adrenaline, aura of love, blood, bloodshed, confidence, Creator of the universe, dangerous, David, delight in burnt offerings, difficult, disobedience, dracula lady, enthusiasm, evil, faith, further your glorious kingdom, give the Lord thanks and praise, hypocritical, incense, lies, like clockwork, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, obedience, obey the Lord's command, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, religion, renewed vitality, sacrifices, Saul, serve a useful purpose, short of breath, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, test, the Holy Spirit, the long weekend, the Lord weighs the hearts, to obey is better than to sacrifice, truth, unfair, ungodly world, vegetating, wiles, work
1 Samuel 15:22. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Well mih people, the ole fella is writing from his hospital room once again on this Monday morning, the first of the new year of 2017, looking out over the roof of the first floor and a small parking lot in front of it. Wow! What beautiful scenery!
Oh, before I go any further let me apologize for that typo at the end of yesterday’s Bit, where I wrote 2107 instead of 2017. I guess I must expect to be around till then. (smile)
Anyhow, I can’t tell you much of anything because nothing’s happened. I’m still short of breath, waiting to go for some tests, but I figure the long weekend is holding them up, as all the appropriate staff are not yet back to work. We’ll see what happens today.
In the meantime, I’m just here vegetating, trying to keep my peace and giving the Lord the thanks and praise He so rightfully deserves, hoping that sometime soon I’ll find out the problem, get it fixed and leave the hospital. And by the way, the Dracula lady just came for her draught of blood. (smile) They are here like clockwork early every morning.
But enough about me. I’m where I’m supposed to be, but others must go out and labour this holiday Monday, because of our 24/7 society. So let’s join them in singing a rousing rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and send them off with the adrenaline flowing powerfully through their bodies to do a good job on Jesus’ behalf.
As one now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that was pretty good, but as usual led by the loud voices of those who don’t have to go to work. So let’s turn to our Bit, the same as yesterday:
‘And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’
Ah friends, obedience is so important in the Lord’s realm that Saul lost his kingdom and his children’s inheritance because he refused to obey the Lord’s command. And I guess the same thing happens with us in these modern times, though on a smaller scale, when we are disobedient to God’s word.
I’m sure many of us can look back now at certain circumstances and see where certain things happened because we did not do what the Lord wanted, at the time He designated. Now don’t think that you’re being obedient when you do what the Lord wants today instead of yesterday as He asked. You’re not. The timing is also important, and being outside of God’s timing, counts as disobedience.
And the scriptures call now. Hear Bruh David from Psalm 40 – Praise for answered prayer. ‘Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. It Then said I, Lo, I come in the volume of the book (scroll) it is written of me. I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.’ (Ps.40:6-8)
Oh friends, like Bruh David, do we delight to do the Lord’s will, is His law within our hearts? I certainly hope so, otherwise we’ll be lost in disobedience and pay the price.
Now hear Cousin Sol. ‘Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth (weighs) the hearts. To do justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.’ (Prov.21:2-3)
And Isaiah in his call to repentance, solemnly declared: ‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread (trample) my courts?
Bring me no more vain (futile sacrifices) oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with (endure it); it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting… And when you spread forth your hands (pray), I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood (bloodshed).
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil. Learn to do well; seek judgement (justice) relieve the oppressed, judge (vindicate, defend) the fatherless, plead for the widow.’ (Is.1:11-13,15-17)
Ah friends, the olden Israelites were so hypocritical in their religion, that he condemned them before the Lord. The sacrificial system that the Lord had set up was fine, but the people were merely going through the motions with no real heart for God.
Sadly, a lot of that still exists today, and until we begin to truly LOVE, worship and obey the Lord, our lives won’t be as rich and smooth as they can be. Much LOVE!
…obedience is the number one rule in God’s book.
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, and any mistakes, but the hospital people had me jumping through hoops once the day shift came on. (smile) Hopefully, I’ll know better next time. Much LOVE!
17 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abused the weekend, aura of love, bring forth fruit, Christians, confidence, correction, Creator of the universe, deleted expletives, delight in the law, discipline, enthusiasm, every work, faith, friends, gifts, glorious kingdom, godliness, greet the new day, grin and bear it, he did that which was right, he prospered, he who doesn't hear shall feel, Hezekiah, holy spirit, humble servants, idolatry, in due season, in the commandments, in the law, in the sight of the Lord, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, Judah, leaf shall not wither, levites, LOVE, meditate, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pagan, planted by the rivers, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, same old, scornful, seek the Lord, shoot the messenger, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strangers, the counsel of the ungodly, the Good Book, the house of God, the Passover, the right track, the righteous, the seat of the scornful, the straight and narrow path, the ungodly shall perish, the way of sinners, this is the day the Lord has made, time to rise and shine, tithes, trust, truth, ungodly world, we will rejoice and be glad in it, what you sow you shall reap, widows and orphans, wisdom, with all his heart
2 Chronicles 31:21. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
It’s Monday, it’s Monday, friends, it’s Monday, time to rise and shine and greet the new day with enthusiasm and energy, and joyfully declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!’ But instead, what I hear is much steupsing and a shower of deleted expletives. (smile)
Oh friends, why shoot the messenger eh? I’m just trying to do my job. I know it’s difficult to get up on a Monday morning, to do the same old, same old, especially if we’ve abused the weekend. But that’s just a part of life, the way our society is set up, so we just have to grin and bear it.
Fortunately though, we do have an antidote for whatever ails you on a Monday, it’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. It sets the tempo for your day, brightens you up, and gets you going on the right track, the straight and narrow one that leads to Jesus. So let’s sing it as though we mean it nuh, with strong voice and perfect harmony, so that we don’t anger our choirmaster Jesus.
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!’
Now that wasn’t so hard eh mih people? We just got to put some effort into it. Jesus wasn’t overjoyed, but He was satisfied with today’s rendition.
And talking about effort, our Bit today epitomizes the actions possible through giving all we’ve got in God’s undertakings. ‘And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.’
Yeh friends, the Good Book is talking about King Hezekiah of olden times in Judah. He began his reign at 25, and reigned for 29 years; pretty long for kings of those times. But as the Good Book also says of him: ‘And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his (fore) father hath done.’ (2 Chr.29:2) That’s why he was commended in our Bit.
Hezekiah brought about a revival of godliness in Judah. He repaired the temple, threw out all the pagan stuff that was in there from the reign of Ahaz, restored the godly stuff and rededicated it to the Lord. He removed idolatry from all over the land, reinstituted the Passover and appointed priests and Levites to do temple duty, as had been ordered by Moses.
He also made the people bring their gifts and tithes to the Lord’s house, so that the priests and Levites who had no land, as well as widows and orphans and strangers could be fed. And they brought so much that they had to build storerooms for the leftovers. (2 Chr.29, 30, 31)
Ah friends, that’s what happens when we follow the Lord’s commands. How I wish something like that could happen today. But sadly most churches have fallen on hard times and can hardly make ends meet. Some are even being forced to close. We all want to have strong churches, but we don’t want to provide the wherewithal for them to do so.
Uzziah was another Judean king who did as Hezekiah: ‘And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that His father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions (fear) of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.’ (2 Chr. 26:4-5)
Please note those last words my fellow believers: ‘as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.’ Those were very important words back then, and they are even more important today in the selfish, greedy, strife-filled, ungodly, evil society in which we dwell. If we don’t seek the Lord our God, we won’t prosper.
And this is clearly stated in Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in due season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Ps.1:1-3)
Oh friends, it couldn’t be stated any clearer than that! And the sad fact is that we all know the principle by which God runs His universe – whatever you sow, that is what you shall reap – but for some unfathomable reason we choose to sow ungodly stuff. No wonder we are reaping so much ungodly stuff in our society these days.
Please remember the last verse of that Psalm my precious people. ‘For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps.1:6) And that’s gospel truth! Much LOVE!
…he who doesn’t hear… shall surely feel…the rod of God’s discipline and correction…
03 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a true Christian, adrenaline, aligning oneself, all the earth, antidote, aura of love, confidence, Creator of the universe, do good work for Jesus, endureth for ever, energizes, enthusiasm, enthusiastic, evil, evil hordes, exalth themselves, faith, fellowship, foolish, friends, fun, Gentiles, glory hallelujah, halfhearted, hit the road, holy spirit, homage, humble servants, hymn of praise, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, magnificent and magnanimous God, make like jack, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, play favourites, Praise ye the Lord, rebellious, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rewards, salvation, Selah, sing to thy name, sing unto thee, sometime thing, sovereignty, spiritual armour, spreading the good news of Jesus, steadfast faith, the Great Commission, the truth of the Lord, the weekend, the works of God, trust, ungodly world, unwise, wisdom, work time, worship
Psalm 66:4. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
Ah friends, the second big day of the week is here, and our journey through it will depend on how we handled the first big day of the week. (smile) Yeh mih people, it’s work time once again, and if we’ve used the weekend properly, we’d be all set and ready, enthusiastic and can’t wait to get out into the world and show the godless and the heathen how a true believer in Jesus, a true Christian behaves.
But since many of us have compromised ourselves on the weekend, consequently, we are not ready and able, or willing to face the evil hordes that abound in the working world. But there’s no reason to be anxious or afraid, for we have the right antidote for your problem. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and it energizes us, gets our adrenaline running so that we can go out and do good work for Jesus.
So without further ado, let’s raise our voices heavenward in harmony and praise. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh friends, that wasn’t too hot nuh; out of tune and not very enthusiastic, and our choirmaster, Jesus, definitely wasn’t pleased. You could see that by the serious look on His comely face and His unsmiling eyes. Nevertheless, most of us now have our motors idling smoothly, so let’s make like jack nuh, hit the road and do Jesus’ bidding, as per the Great Commission. (Matt.28:19-20)
That brings us to our Bit: ‘All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.’
Oh my brethren, that is ever so true! In due course of time, everyone on planet earth will be singing the praises of our wonderful God! Why? Because He is just such a magnificent, magnanimous, omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present, ever-LOVING, ever-caring, ever-faithful, kind, forgiving and compassionate Deity! Wow!
He’s also the Creator of the universe and all therein! And there’s NO OTHER like Him! So why wouldn’t we worship and sing praises to Him eh? Not unless we’re foolish and unwise. And, unfortunately, there are way too many of that type in today’s world. They think that God is a joke, or He just doesn’t exist.
But that’s the furthest thing from the truth my fellow believers, and we know that because God is at work in us, doing all sorts of wonderful things in our lives, as we work for Him down here, spreading the good news of Jesus, while storing up eternal rewards in heaven. Glory Hallelujah!
Listen to how the psalmist continues after our Bit. ‘Come and see the works of God: he is terrible (awesome) in his doing toward the children of men, He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood (river) on foot: there did we rejoice in him. He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.’ (Ps.66:5-7)
Now that last statement is a very serious warning to the unbeliever; they ought not to think too highly of themselves, for with the same speed that they are exalted, the Lord will pull them back down for their false pride and egotistic disregard of His sovereignty. Not aligning oneself with the Creator and Controller of the universe and paying Him great homage is a fool’s wisdom my people.
Hear the psalmist from Psalm 117, the shortest chapter in the Bible. ‘O Praise the Lord, all ye nations (gentiles) praise (glorify) him, all ye people. For his merciful (LOVING) kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.117:1-2)
And the scholars offer up these explanations on the psalm. ‘Psalm 117. This little psalm contains a great message. Though some have denied it an independent existence, attaching it to Psalm 116, Psalm 117 has all three elements of the hymn of praise: a call to praise (v.1), a cause for praise (v.2a, b), and a conclusion, which in this case is a simple praise ye the Lord (v.2c).
The fact that the nations and people (lit. “peoples”) are addressed in verse 1 makes this psalm the only one in the Psalter addressed in its entirety to the Gentile world. Its evangelistic mood was still baffling to some of Paul’s readers. This is one of four passages that Paul quotes from the Old Testament, in Romans 15, to prove that God is interested in saving Gentiles.’
Yeh friends, that’s one of the reasons Almighty God is worthy of much praise; He’s interested in saving EVERYBODY, not just some. Our God doesn’t play favourites, He wants all of His creation to come to Him, and that’s a part of our job. So please let’s get out there today and do it to the best of our ability nuh, obviously with the help of God, through His Holy Spirit that dwells within us. Much LOVE!
…praising our God should be an automatic, joyful and continuous response from believers…not a halfhearted, sometime thing…
21 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian's life, admonishing, alive and kicking, begin to bless, begin to do, beneficial influence, blessed children, blessings, boring, bow down, celebrity status, celebrity worship, Christ's Church, Christian virtues, Commonplace Days, Creator of the universe, daily drain, day-by-day drudgery, DETERMINATION, direction, dissension, disunity, divine inspiration, drudgery, dwell together, enthusiasm, exciting, false impression, family in Jesus, fertile soil, fixed securely, foolish waiting for, forbearing, forgive me, friends, giving thanks to god, glamourless duties, glamourous, glory to God, God's people, godly ambassadors, good morning, grace, halfway home, hymns, in the name of the Lord Jesus, in vogue, in word or deed, indwelling word of Christ, Jehovah, lift up the wualities, living for Jesus, loving, money, mundane, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, One Year Book of Bible promises, peace, peaceful, power, privilege, psalms, purpose, pushing on, quiet me, Ruth Harms Calkin, same old, sense of purpose, spiritual songs, spoon feed, strife, tasks, teaching, thank God, the breath of life, the Most High God, the way life is, the word of Christ, to a glorious future with Jesus, trite, true believers, unique fashion, unity, virtues, Wednesday Wail, whimper, whine, wisdom, work hard, worship
Colossians 3:17. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
And a most enthusiastic ‘Good morning’ to you my friends and family in Jesus Christ!
It is indeed a good morning, meaning that we are alive and kicking, and regardless of our feelings and circumstances, we don’t have to let them control us because we are the blessed children of the Most High God Jehovah, the Creator of the universe and all therein, and He looks after each one of us in His own unique fashion. Glory to God!
And I just had to share this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin because it is so appropriate for most of us. It’s titled ‘Commonplace Days.’
Read with me. ‘Lord of my commonplace days Forgive me for foolishly waiting for “divine inspiration” Before moving in on the tasks Personally assigned to me. Hopefully I am learning To face with greater determination The day-by-day drudgery The trite, mundane tasks The pushing-pulling glamourless duties.
Lord, even when I think I’m getting no place Keep me pushing on and on With purpose and direction. Grab my heart and quiet me When I begin to whine and whimper. Despite the daily drain I think I see it more clearly now: It is only when I begin to do That you begin to bless.’
Ah mih people, it’s all so true! It certainly reflects the lives of most of us; the daily drudgery and same old, same old glamourless tasks by which we make our living. But please don’t allow it get us down, because it’s simply the way life is. Everyday can’t be exciting and glamorous, for too much of that will eventually get boring and mundane too.
So please don’t be fooled by the celebrity worship that’s currently in vogue, because even the true celebrities, not the hangers’ on, have to bow down and work hard at sometime or other if they want to keep their celebrity status intact.
Remember friends, they are people just like us, only with a little more money, power and privilege. And besides, what passes for glamour today is only an outward show, often used to give a false impression.
Now today is Wednesday, so let’s turn to our Wednesday Wail and wail it with sincerity, enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose.
Wailing: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih people, every Wednesday that declaration truly wakes me up! It has me being sincerely thankful for the breath of life that’s flowing through my body, and reminds me of what is truly important; keeping my hands to the plough and looking forward to the wonderful future that Jesus has planned for His followers.
And I sure hope you all feel the same way too, otherwise you’d be missing out on the most wonderful times in your lives which come from living for and with Jesus.
All glory be to our wonderful Lord and Saviour who sacrificed His sinless lives for us! And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
That brings us to our Bit, which is also the Bible Promise for our poem above. ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’
Oh friends, that’s the summation of Bruh Paul’s advice to the Colossians as he talked to them about Christian virtues. And believe me, we couldn’t get any better advice than that for living this earthly life.
And the scholars tell us: ‘3:17. The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (v.16), but it is also to control all areas of a Christian’s life.’
Yeh friends, what’s the purpose of God’s word and Spirit indwelling us, if they don’t control our lives eh? None whatsoever!
And I’m going to spoon feed you all today (smile). Here is verse 16, as mentioned above. ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.’ (Col.3:16)
Ah mih breddren, I only wish that we could truly do that on a much wider scale than is currently been done, for then our world would definitely be a much better place.
And the scholars have this to say about that verse. ‘3:16. When believers are forbearing (v.13), and LOVING (v.14) toward one another, when peace reigns among God’s people (v.15), then the church is fertile soil for the blessings produced by the word of Christ.’
But sadly, the church in its current state is not very fertile soil because we are not as forbearing, LOVING, and as peaceful with each other as we ought to be. There’s just way too much disunity, dissension and strife in the church.
That’s why I’m imploring us today to improve, to lift up the qualities that are needed in us, and consequently Christ’s church, so that we can be the true believers, the godly ambassadors that we’re supposed to be, for that is the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…only when Christians dwell together in true unity…is Christ’s church truly blessed…
19 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: attributes, aura of love, Christians, complaining, confidence, count the ways, Creator of the universe, dependability, don't want to work, enthusiasm, entitled, evil, faith, faithfulness, fear, fertile ground, friends, generosity, gentleness, gifts of the spirit, gladness of heart, glorious kingdom, goodness, handouts, holy spirit, humble servants, in prayer, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, John Kennedy, joy, kindness, lazy, lies, long-suffering, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, lusts, meekness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, passions, patience, peace, perks, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, sacrificial giving, salvation, self-control, spiritual armour, spread the gospel, steadfast faith, taunts, temperance, the fruit of the spirit, the lust of the flesh, the weekend, the world owes them a living, tranquility of mind, trust, truth, turn to God, ungodly world, useful purpose, virtues, walk in the Spirit, walking in the flesh, walking in the Spirit, what you can do for your country, wiles, work, worry
Galatians 5:16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
‘Monday, oh Monday! Oh how do I LOVE thee? Let me count the ways…’ (smile)
Ah friends, so many of us dislike Monday, and it’s such a wonderful day… And I hear all the steupsing and complaining of those who disagree with my praise of Monday. That’s because we haven’t handled the weekend right, or we just blooming lazy and don’t want to go to work, but yet still expect to enjoy all the perks of working.
Anyway, the long and short of the story is if you expect to eat, then you must work, as per Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. (2 Thess.3:10) Too many of us nowadays, including supposed Christians, feel entitled, are expecting hand outs and believe that the world owes them a living.
But the truth is my brethren, the world owes us nothing whatsoever! We owe the world, to try and make it a better place than how we found it. How did John Kennedy, the U.S President put it? ‘Consider not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’ And that’s how it ought to be!
Enough palaver though, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and get ourselves together to go out and make the world a better place.
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!’
That wasn’t bad at all my people, somewhat raspy, but it put a smile on the face of our choirmaster Jesus. And that’s the important thing; keeping Jesus happy with our earthly doings. And the very best way to do that is by being obedient to our Bit. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.’
Now yesterday we looked at what basically constituted walking in the flesh, today we’ll check out what it means by walking in the Spirit. Listen to Bruh Paul expatiate to the Galatians. (smile)
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal.5:22-23)
Yes friends, those are the attributes that a Christian is supposed to show when walking in the Spirit. And the scholars give us a lengthy explanation, which I feel compelled to share, since it will help our understanding of the situation.
‘5:22. The word fruit is significant for three reasons. (1) It means the result, product, outcome or effect produced by the Spirit in the believer’s life. (2) Unlike “the gifts of the Spirit” (plural), only some of which are given to a Christian, each believer is to have all nine virtues composing “the fruit of the Spirit” (singular). (3) As fruit on a tree takes time to grow and mature, so the Spirit does not cultivate these virtues in the believer’s life overnight.
LOVE is the willing, sacrificial giving of oneself for the benefit of another without thought of return. Joy is the gladness of heart. Peace is tranquility of mind, freeing one from worry and fear. Long-suffering is patience with others, the opposite of a short temper, a disposition quietly bearing injury. Gentleness is kindness. Goodness is generosity. Faith is dependability.’
‘5:23. Meekness is gentleness, that is courtesy and consideration in one’s relations with others. Temperance is self-control, that is, the ability to harness and control one’s passions and lusts.’
There we have it my people, a breakdown of the nine virtues that are associated with the fruit of the Spirit. Yuh see, a lot is expected of us Christians, because our Lord and Saviour, our indisputable Leader, Jesus Christ, expects excellence from His followers, not some wishy-washy, leggo-beast, compromising, sitting on the fence behaviour.
And we all know it’s not easy to come up higher in this evil world, but it doesn’t happen overnight. As the scholars remind us these virtues take time to grow and mature, as the Holy Spirit that dwells within us nurtures them.
So please, let’s not beat up ourselves if we are falling down in any virtue(s), because that does not help the situation. When we find we’re not measuring up to our true potential, let’s turn to God in prayer and ask Him for help in whatever area we’re lacking in.
You know He’ll never refuse us anything that makes us more like His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ. So let’s sincerely and faithfully work at those virtues as we go out and face the enemy today and everyday of our earthly lives. It’s oh so necessary, if we are to spread the gospel to the whole world and fulfill Jesus’ LOVE Revolution. Much LOVE!
…Christians ought to be fertile ground…so that the Holy Spirit can grow good fruit within them…
15 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a back up plan, addiction, alive and kicking, appear before God, aura of love, be persistent, Christian maturity, confidence, Creator of the universe, cry out to God, dreaming large, enlist God's help, enthusiastic, evil, excited, faith, filling my soul with love, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, godless world, going to work, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, lustful purposes, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my soul thirsteth for god, never give up, O Lord God Almighty, o my soul, obedient to God's will, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, share it with others, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, technically speaking, TGIM! Thank God it's Monday!, that will be the day1, the Holy Spirit is working in me, the living God, the worthless things of the world, trust, truth, ungodly world, where is thy God, why art thou cast down, wisdom
Psalm 42:2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
And as they swing their feet over the bed unto the floor, in the early morning hours, a majority of believers gladly declare: ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday! I’m alive and kicking; kicking strong too! And I’m going to work! I’m going to work with joy and peace in my heart because Jesus is filling my soul with His LOVE and I just can’t wait to share it with others in this increasingly godless world! Oh thank God it’s Monday and the Holy Spirit is working its magic in me!’
Oh friends, as our Saviour expects of us, I’m dreaming large! What’s the point in dreaming if your dreams are small and easily accomplished eh? None at all! Our dreams must be big enough that we need to enlist the help of God to make them come true. And yuh better believe I do need God’s omnipotent help to make that one above there come true!
Hn! Believers waking up on a Monday Morning excited and enthusiastic to go to work! That will be the day! But I’m not giving up, because the Lord says we must be persistent and not give up. So technically speaking I’m just being obedient to God’s will. (smile) But fear not, we have a backup plan in place until we meet that plateau of Christian maturity; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s sing it loud and proud nuh, in rich harmony and vocal excellence, so that our choirmaster Jesus will be proud of us.
As one earthly choir now, let’s sound heavenly: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh that was a beautiful rendition my people! You could see Jesus’ eyes light up, and He couldn’t help looking at the Father dancing in the aisles of the throne room, and proudly mouthing: ‘That’s my people!’
Yeh friends, now that we’re up and our motors are running smoothly, let’s go out and keep that joy running in heaven with our earthly actions nuh. It will please our Lord and Saviour no end, and also make others want to come to Him, seeking salvation and eternal life.
Now here’s our Bit. But let’s begin with the immortal words of the first verse. ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’
Ah friends, do we have that intense longing for God? I surely hope so, because if we don’t, life will never go as straight and smoothly as it ought to. We were made to have that intense longing my brethren. The Lord made us for His glorification, not for our own sinful and lustful purposes. However, we’ve allowed the world to take away that longing for our Creator and replace it with not only a longing, but more like an addiction for the worthless things of the world.
That’s not very wise my people. And the sad part is that many of us, even in the rough times refuse to cry out to Almighty God for help because of our proud and haughty souls. The writer of the psalm though had a very different strategy. Listen to him after our Bit.
‘My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude. I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast). Why art thou cast down (bowed down), O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps.42:3-5)
Ah precious people of God, you’ll notice that though the psalmist was shaking it pretty rough, he never gave up on the God of his fathers. He still encouraged himself to hope in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to yet praise Him for the help of His presence. Oh friends, are we thus inclined in our sorrowful times to keep on praising our Creator?
It only makes sense my brethren, seeing that in the big picture, He is the provider of all that we have. As we said in in our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, He is the Creator of the universe and all therein, so who else is more qualified for us to turn to in our sorrows and problems eh? NOBODY!
And we’ll end with these words of encouragement and trust from Psalm 84. ‘How amiable are thy tabernacles (lovely are thy dwellings), O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.’ (Ps:84:1-2)
Yes my fellow believers, let us never be afraid or too proud to cry out to Almighty God in times of need, for it is the only reaction that makes sense. Much LOVE!
…one truth from the Bible…is worth more than all the wisdom of man…
12 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a broken heart, a life of joy and peace, a long time ago, all ye that fear God, almighty god, Amazing grace, as far as the east, as long as life endures, but now I see, but now I'm found, charles stanley, come and hear, contrite, contrite spirit, Creator of the universe, dangers, dissolve like snow, don't give up, exalted, extolled, falter, First Baptist Church, flesh and heart shall fail, forbear to shine, forgiveness, Friday chant, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, grace, gracious God, how sweet the sound, humble repentance, humble spirit, I once was lost, in Jesus' name, In Touch, iniquity, John Newton, joy, merciful, mercy, mighty wings, mortal life, my fears relieved, my hope secures, my shield and portion be, peace, perished, perspective, praise and worship, praised, promise, protective umbrella, revive the heart, revive the spirit, saved a wretch like me, sing God's praise, slave trader, snares, taught my heart to fear, tempestuous times, ten thousand years, testimony, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the hour I first believed, the party soon start, the voice of my prayer, the weekend, toils, transforming grace, two stepping, walk with god, was blind, week of work, what He hath done for my soul, will lead me home, with my tongue, within the veil
Psalm 66:16. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
Aye friends, I know that it’s Friday and all that; that you all are shouting out very loudly and enthusiastically: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The weekend done come… and the party soon start…and going all weekend long too! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend!’
Well mih people, I want us to begin the party right here by singing a wonderful old song that we all know and LOVE. Last night I heard a most stirring rendition of it from Uncle Charles’ (Charles Stanley’s) programme, In Touch, featuring a youngster whose name I believe was William Kemp, leading the First Baptist Church of Atlanta’s choir and congregation. The music was beautiful too…
Oh friends it sounded so good to me that I knew the Father had to be tapping, two stepping in the aisles of heaven. (smile) He definitely couldn’t sit still with such wonderful praise and worship reaching His heavenly home. And I knew that we just had to begin this morning’s proceedings with a wonderful rendition of it also.
So please sing with me: ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun. Amazing grace…how sweet the sound…that saved a wretch like me… I once was lost…but now I’m found…was blind…but now I see…’
Oh my believing brethren, what beautiful words and sentiments from the old slave trader, John Newton! Yuh see what can happen when Almighty God touches our hearts! So though you may falter in your walk with God, please DON’T GIVE UP, because with just one miraculous thought He can change your whole life!
That brings us to our Bit, from Psalm 66 – The great works of God. ‘Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.’ And precious people of God, we couldn’t ask for a better testimony of God’s grace and mercy than the words of John Newton that we just sang!
And the psalmist continues after our Bit with a short testimony of his own. ‘I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled (praised, exalted) with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.’ (Ps.66:17-20)
Yes my brethren, our merciful and gracious God will not turn away His ear from our prayer if our hearts are contrite and humble. Oh friends, why would He ever do such a thing eh, when He has specifically promised to bless those who come to him in humble repentance eh?
Listen to the psalmist from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit).’ (Ps.34:18)
And Isaiah confidently declares: ‘For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’ (Is.57:15)
Oh what a beautiful promise my brethren! That’s why a man like John Newton, with such terrible deeds on his conscience, could come to Jehovah God and receive mercy, forgiveness and grace to ease his aching soul. The same options are still open today for each and every human being on planet earth my people.
We just have to be brave and come to God with whatever is bothering us. He will dispose of our sins as far as the east is from the west, and give us grace and mercy to begin a new life under the protective umbrella of His mighty wings.
And believe me friends, there is no better place to be in these trying and tempestuous times as under the protection of God, the Creator of the universe and all therein! Now, being cognizant of our short span minds, (smile) we’ll stop here for today, and continue the same trend tomorrow, God willing of course.
Now let’s go home chanting our Friday Chant, so that we can get a better perspective on how to use the weekend. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Please put those words into action my people, because they will certainly benefit us when Monday comes along. Much LOVE!
…without God’s transforming grace and mercy…mankind would certainly have perished a long, long time ago…
06 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful heart, a negative direction, Anselm, awesome power, be strong, big eyes, bounden duty, Christ, communications network, Creator of the universe, diligent, disciples, encouragement, evil minions, faithful promise, faze, fear not, focus, foot soldiers, get on our horses and ride, God will come with vengeance, God with recompense, greedy, in victory, jealous, Jesus Christ, Job, land of love, less fortunate, let my lord speak, life is how we view it, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE Revolution, Loveland, Lucifer, missionaries, negative day, O man greatly beloved, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, open the other eye, P2, paint the world, peace be unto thee, positive, promise, reassurance, recompense, rejoice in his salvation, say to them, seek first the kingdom of God, seize the bull by the horns, sincere, song of praise, superiority, supremacy, swallow up death, technology, the appearance of a man, the good news of Jesus' love, the Great Commission, the living God, the Lord God Jehovah, the Love of Christ, the lusts of the flesh, the rebuke of his people, the redeemed, this is our god, vengeance, we will be glad, wipe away tears, word of mouth, world oriented
Isaiah 35:4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
Well a good Saturday morning to all you wonderful believers out there in LOVELAND! (smile) Yes friends, by the time we are finished with this world it will indeed be a land of LOVE, per Jesus and His LOVE Revolution!
But you know what? To achieve that glorious aim, we, His foot soldiers have to truly be sincere and diligent and without further delay, seize the bull by the horns and just keep spreading the good news of His LOVE all over the universe! That’s the only way to ensure that the world is won for Christ!
Now it is indeed a tough situation to handle, what with Lucifer and all his evil minions also fighting for world superiority and supremacy, but look at what the handful of original disciples did with nothing but P2 (walking) and word of mouth.
It’s obvious therefore that with all the new technology available to us now, we can do umpteen times better than them! We just have to make up our minds to do it, then get on our horses and ride… (smile)
And the wonderful thing is that nowadays you don’t have to even send out as many as missionaries as before, though they are still necessary, because a lot of the work can be done right where you are through the wonderful communications network we now possess.
So please, my brethren, let’s get really serious about spreading the LOVE of Christ nuh. Remember it’s our bounden duty, per the Great Commission. (Matt.28:19-20)
Now let’s turn to some interesting words from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. And in his first statement today, he seriously and wisely declares.
‘Do not let another human decide whether you are going to have a positive or negative day. You’re in charge of that decision, so make the decision to have a positive day regardless of how other people try to steer you in the negative direction.’
Ah friends, what awesome words of wisdom! We all know the controlling temperament that is predominant in today’s world, but as true believers, and strong individuals, we cannot afford to let others control us. Christ wants us to go in a positive direction, and that’s how we must go, regardless of what others think, say or do. We must make up our own minds.
And the second quote from our wise friend Anselm, is even wiser than the previous one. Listen up; it’s titled “Life is how we view it.” And it asks these rather important questions.
‘In your life, do you focus on those who have more than you or those who are less fortunate than you? Do you focus on how bad your job is or that you have a job? Do you focus on the smallness of your closet and house, or do you see that you have so many clothes you don’t have room to store them?
What eye are you looking out of? If you want the world to look differently, it may be easier for you to open the other eye than to paint the world.’
Well my people, I do hope that our answer to each question was the second half and not the first, because the first means we are too world oriented, with big eyes (greedy and jealous), allowing the lusts of the flesh to control us. And sadly, under those circumstances it’s not conducive to work sincerely for Jesus.
So please let’s ponder our situations, re that quote above, and make sure that we bring our focus into line with that of Jesus, seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, after which all those other things will be granted to us. (Matt.6:33)
And before we run out of space and time, let’s turn to our awesome Bit for the last time. ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.’
Oh my fellow believers, that one sentence is packed with so much encouragement, reassurance and promise, that if we truly believe it, there’s nothing in this evil, ungodly world that will faze us or make us fearful!
And why is that? Because it’s the solemn and faithful promise of our omnipotent God, the Creator of the universe and all therein, who never makes idle promises, and furthermore, He has the power to make each and every one come true.
Now listen to an example of the great power invoked in a promise, it concerns the strengthening of Daniel to receive his vision by the great river. “Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, and said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong.
And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.’ (Dan.10:18-19) What awesome power eh friends! And only the Lord God Jehovah, our wise and great God has it!
And we’ll close with some more awesome words, from the song of praise by the redeemed. Hear Isaiah tell it like it is. ‘He will swallow up death in victory (forever); and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:8-9)
Yes friends, that is the wonderful God that we worship! Therefore there is no need to be afraid or anxious for anything, because He will always look out for us, once we remain under the safe and protective umbrella of His everlasting wings! Much LOVE!
…all glory and honour be to the LIVING GOD…omnipotent…omniscient…and omnipresent…there’s none other like Him…
03 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, all that fall, all them that love him, be strong, Bless His Holy Name, call upon him, Creator of the universe, Elisabeth Beecher Stowe, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith in Jesus Christ, fall for anything, fear not, fearful heart, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God will come, halfway home, hands on the plough, Harriet, Henry ward Beecher, in truth, inroads, know him, look expectantly to you, LOVE, maturity, mea culpa, Mother Earth, obstinacy, obstinate, One More Day Devotional, precious people, recompense, sense of direction, speak the praise of the Lord, stand for something, stubborn, stubbornness, thank God, the breath of life, the enemy's camp, the Lord is gracious, the Lord is righteous, the power to save, the SON, the wicked he will destroy, truth, Uncle Tom's Cabin, vengeance, Wednesday Wail
Isaiah 35:4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.
Oh friends, what a glorious day is happening out there today! The sun’s shining, the Son is also broadcasting His brilliant light all over Mother Earth, and our magnificent and magnanimous God is on His throne controlling things!
Wow! That means everything is as it ought to be; the world is unfurling as it should, and there’s no need for us to worry or hurry.
Now here’s an interesting quote from Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God’s LOVE, and his 1875 adultery trial.
His sister was the famous Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe, author of the controversial anti-slavery novel, ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’
Henry Ward is reputed to have said: ‘No man is good for anything who has not some particle of obstinacy to use upon occasion.’ That’s totally true!
And as my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness reasons: ‘Although we may not want others to label us obstinate (stubborn), it might be that obstinacy is a needed quality for us in the right situations. Sometimes it is healthy for us to be stubborn, to hold steadfastly to what we want and who we are and where we want to be.
Faith in ourselves and obstinacy can be just what we need to survive a hard day. And we do get by, not because we’re foolish, but because our maturity tells us to hold on to our sense of direction,’
Ah my fellow believes, I can think of no better use of and cause for obstinacy than holding on to our wonderful faith in Jesus Christ! That’s one aspect of our lives in which there should be no room for argument! Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour and that’s that! Matter fixed! No room for discussion!
And as we said above, it’s our maturity in Christ and basic living that teaches us to hold on to our sense of purpose and of direction. We can’t be wishy-washy in this evil and ungodly world, otherwise this crazy, fraudulent, hypocritical society will take untold advantage of us.
We need to be strong and hold on to what we believe in. As they say, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. And that’s gospel truth my brethren!
We all know, have experienced, and are still experiencing the deceitful attacks of Lucifer and his evil minions trying to get us to give up, to renege on our promise to follow Christ, but that’s one area in which we should not even entertain any discussions, much less give into it.
Following Jesus Christ should be our most prominent area of stubbornness and obstinacy! And who don’t like it, can simply lump it! Now since it’s Wednesday, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with plenty belief and obstinacy. (smile)
Wailing: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh precious people of God, there’s nothing else to match keeping our eyes on Jesus and looking forward to the glorious future He has in store for us! And obviously we need to give immense thanks for the wonderful breath of life that’s still flowing through us, courtesy of our great, compassionate, caring and LOVING Creator!
You know, there’s nothing that warms the cockles of my heart like waking up every morning and finding that God’s Spirit, His breath of life is still flowing through me. Oh glory to God!
Enough of my rambling though, (smile) let’s check out our Bit. ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.’
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, that is indisputable, gospel, unbreakable, sustainable, utter truth…truth of every imaginable kind! For we all know the faithfulness of our omnipotent God!
He has the power to save us, as well as the faithfulness to do so. So as Christians we have to stand up strong and steadfast, rely on God’s promises if we want to prosperous and also make inroads into the enemy’s camp.
Now let’s end with these wonderful words of encouragement and reassurance from Psalm 145, Bruh David’s psalm of praise, subtitled – The Lord is gracious – as He indeed is.
‘The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you): and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy (gracious) in all his works.
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145:14-21)
Oh friends, oh friends, there could be no better reasons to stand strong, stubborn and obstinate in our belief in Almighty God, Creator of the universe and all therein! Now let’s go out today and do exactly that nuh, while blessing His holy name, for that is indeed wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Him…
P.S. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa… (smile) Much LOVE!
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