03 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a voice of thanksgiving, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, artificial intelligence, be thankful unto him, Bible, bless His name, catch our second wind, come before his presence with singing, deceptions, endure right to the end, enter into his gates with thanksgiving, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, glad to be alive, god, God made us and not we ourselves, halfway home, hands on the plough, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth to all generations, I am the way the truth and the life, instruction in righteousness, into his courts with praise, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lies, LOVE, no man cometh to the Father, not thinking ahead, not turning back, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, psalms, sanctify them through thy truth, Satan, serve the Lord with gladness, social media, stand our bounce, stick to the truth, thank God, the breath of life, the Lord he is God, The Lord is good, the man of God may be perfect, the sheep of his pasture, the word of the Lord, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, thy word is truth, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, we are his people, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Psalm 100:2. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
So it’s our mid-week work day, Wednesday, where we usually catch our second wind, but after all that partying this past long weekend, it will take more than a couple of days for us to catch our breath. We might need a whole week off to do that properly. (smile) But unless you take a week’s vacation, I’m afraid that won’t happen, so we’ve got to get it together under these tough circumstances. We should have thought about the tiredness and lack of sleep before we partied so heartily, and now we just have to stand our bounce. That’s what comes from not thinking ahead. (smile)
Anyway, the Good Library just opened unto the Book of Psalms, and the first thing that came to my eyes was Psalm 100, a psalm talking about hearty service to the Lord, serving Him with gladness, with a voice of thanksgiving and praise. And that’s just what we need right now, so let’s read it with a sense of joy and gladness.
‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps. 100: 1-5)
Yes friends, that’s a very interesting psalm, and is reminiscent of Psalm 145, where Bruh David talks about ‘God’s Unsearchable Greatness.’ But the scholars do have an interesting explanation for this psalm. They say: ‘The word praise in the superscription is actually the word thanksgiving or, more specifically, thank-offering. It was one psalm that accompanied a “thank-offering” (Lev. 7:12) that one presented when God had especially answered a prayer or given a great deliverance. The psalm contains a command to serve (vs. 1-3) and a command to praise (vs. 4-5).
Each section is in turn divided into three calls and three causes. There are three calls to serve, make a joyful noise (vs. 1), serve the Lord (vs. 2), and come before (vs. 2); and three causes for serving, the Lord is God, he hath made us, we are his people (vs. 3). Likewise, there are three calls to praise, enter his gates, be thankful, bless his name (vs. 4), followed by three causes for praise, the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth (vs.5).’
So you see my brethren, what we might previously have thought of as a short simple psalm, one to just read and pass over, is truly filled with great scriptural advice, with commands to both serve and praise the Lord. That’s why we cannot simply pass over anything found in the Lord’s word, for everything in there was placed there with a reason, and serves a particular purpose. We ignore stuff from the Bible at our own expense.
And what I like about this psalm is its simple truths, simply put: praise the Lord and serve Him. And when we look at it in the real light of day, those are the only two things we’re truly required to do; praise the Lord and serve him. So, though the Bible is chocked full of all sorts of stuff, the true basics of it is mainly serving God and giving Him thanks for His goodness and mercy towards us underserving children of men. And sometimes we just need to break things down to their basic nature to really get at what they’re trying to tell us.
Now that’s especially true in this modern information age, where so much information is available, and where social media, Artificial Intelligence and Satan are noising about so much stuff, filled with lies and deceptions. That’s why we need to stick to the truth. And what helps us to define and see the truth? The word of the Lord. For as Jesus said when praying for the disciples: ‘They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:16-17)
And what does that mean? This excerpt from an article on the subject on the gotquestions.org website explains it thus: ‘In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, (John 17) Jesus prays to His Father, saying, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”. In this verse, Jesus communicates two important facts: God’s Word is truth—God’s Word equals truth—and it’s by that truth that God sanctifies us, or sets us apart for holy service to Himself.’
Therefore, if we want to know truth, then we have to look to God’s Word, for as Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Yes my people, in these very deceptive, fraudulent, and days of outright lying, there are only two places we can look to for the truth; that’s God’s Word and to His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who made it very clear when He proclaimed: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6)
So let’s see what we’ve learned today nuh, or merely refreshed our memories on. (smile) Our basic purpose is to serve and praise the Lord, and His Word is truth, as put forth by His Son Jesus who ought to know. But most important of all is that we can only get to the Father through the Son. Let’s never forget that, even as we go home today declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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!’
And having said all of that, here’s another truth: if we endure right to very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, in all wisdom and truth, let’s plan to meet right at the very end nuh! Much LOVE!
…the Lord created mankind to communicate with Him…through, praise, service and thanksgiving…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a black cat, affliction, as a roaring lion, be sober, Black Friday, compassions, cross my path, death, deceptions, drunk or sober, eternal glory, folklore, Friday 13th, Friday chant, God's LOVE, grace of God, Granny's warning, hell, joyful for a season, lasts till eternity, level of joy, lies, make you perfect, mercies, mind yuh business, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, ordinary workingman, Peter's warning, renewed and refreshed, rest, seeking whom he may devour, settle you, sin, stand under a ladder, sufferation, suffered a while, temptation, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the devil, the forbidden fruit, the God of all grace, the grave, the trash heap, times of celebration, to him be glory and dominion, trouble free, victory, vigilant, walketh about, we give him the power, withch's tales, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
It’s a beautiful though cold morning, the sun’s shining, and the air is filled with all of God’s LOVE, mercies, compassions and His many other attributes! Glory be! And contrary to folklore and witch’s tales, no evil is in the ascendance today, just because it happens to be Friday the 13th! In fact I’m feeling more spiritually alive than I’ve been in a while, and am seriously rejoicing, because like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘Something good is going to happen to me…and furthermore…something good is going to happen through me today!’ All praise and glory to our great and wonderful, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God my faithful and believing brethren!
And yes, there seems to be a somewhat higher level of joy in the ole fella’s spirit this morning. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know the reason for it, but coming down the stairs a short while ago, carrying my cup of java, a sudden spurt of joy just entered my soul. And it’s only the Lord to be thanked for that! Bless His holy name! And believe me, when the Lord suddenly cranks up the joy in your spirit…oh…it’s such a wonderful thing that words cannot truly convey. (smile) But enough about me, let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say this ‘Black Friday’ morning nuh.
‘Well TGIF! Thank God is Friday at long last! I do need a break from the slave master’s work! But then we have this foolishness about Black Friday again, because is Friday the 13th! Chuh! How much Black Fridays we going to have eh? We have one to thief we money after Thanksgiving, and another one to frighten we whenever the 13th of the month falls on a Friday. The powers of evil really trying to trap we into falling for their nonsense yes. But I have more sense than that…though I’m not going to walk under a ladder on purpose today, or just stand up and let a black cat cross mih path…Hn, hn hn! That’s because prevention better than cure!
But seriously though, I just hope this weekend is sunny and bright, so that I can get out and do some things I want to do. Doh need no snow further fouling up the works, when it done cold already. But thank God for Fridays and weekends oui! Don’t know how I’d mange without them.’
And that’s for certain sure friends, what would we do without Fridays and weekends eh? So let’s be truly thankful and sincerely declare our Friday Chant, which gives our Christian take on the situation. Altogether 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!’
Yes my people, even though we have the weekend to relax and be refreshed, we can’t afford to drop our guards because the enemy is always lurking around trying to catch us napping, so he can slip into our souls and create confusion. And yuh know what, that’ s always easiest to do in times of great celebration like this Christmas season, because we naturally let our hair and our guards down when we celebrate. And it certainly won’t do for us to be caught up in the devil’s net while we’re celebrating the oh so important and momentous birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
That’s why we have to be very cognizant of both Granny’s and Peter’s warnings this Christmas time. And the first one, we all know and LOVE: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ Peter’s though is scarier and more religious in tone. ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ Now that can strike fear into some of our hearts, but please remember that the devil cannot do us any real harm unless we allow him to. He’s been broken and relegated to the trash heap by Jesus’ wonderful victory over his dominion; hell, death and the grave, though he still likes to think he’s a hot number.
And please don’t be fooled by his lies and deceptions, for he’s still the master of those, but he can’t truly hurt us unless WE give him the power to do so, like our forefathers, Adam and Eve did back in the Garden of Eden when they listened to his deception that the Lord wouldn’t really kill them if they ate of the forbidden fruit, but it would open their eyes and they would become like God. (Gen.3:1-24) And yes, it did open their eyes, but to the knowledge of sin, from which came the ‘sufferation’ that’s enveloped our world since that foolish and fateful day.
And yes, they didn’t die suddenly, but suffered an even worse faith: separation from God’s goodness, spiritually cast out into eternal darkness to live with Satan for all time. And that’s the curse we’ve all borne until Jesus came and sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to set us free! Glory to His wonderful name! The problem though, is that unless we turn to Jesus and receive Him as our Lord and Saviour, we’re still headed for Hades and eternal darkness with its master. That’s why we need to pay serious attention to Peter’s warning, as he continues: ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet. 5:9)
Yes, I know the fact that all the brethren are suffering affliction and temptation doesn’t help some of us, but it does show that we’re not alone in our problems. However, if we do stand steadfast against the enemy, we can be assured of this most important fact. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (establish), strengthen, settle you.’ (1 Pet. 5:10)
Ah my people, it is unfortunate that we can’t go through this sin-filled world trouble free, but we do have God’s faithful promise, that in His time, He will strengthen, settle and establish us. And when we take sincere hold of that promise, then we can truthfully declare: ‘To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen!’ (1 Pet. 5:11) So let’s be on our p’s and q’s this Christmas season nuh. Much LOVE!
…sin can seem joyful for a season…but the grace of God lasts till eternity…
17 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a devout Jew, a pivotal role, a word to the wise, acclamations, against a stone, aura of love, bear thee up, Christians, confidence, dash thy foot, deceptions, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fear not, followers of Jesus, friends, fulfill the Old Testament, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God is a refuge and fortress, God spoke the world into existence, God will supply all my needs, heavenly Father, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, I can do all things, in the image of God, in their hands, invincible, Jesus Christ, lead us astray, lift you up, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peace, power of prayer, power of words, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, riches in glory, salvation, Satan, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strike thy foot, sufficient, the Son of God, this is the day the Lord has made, through Christ who strengthens me, tricks, trust, truth, ungodly world, up his sleeve, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom
Psalm 91:12. They shall bear thee up (lift you up) in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone.
Ah mih fellow believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, another Monday has dawned on us and many of us are, or were not ready to handle it. But as our Lord and Saviour said so often to His disciples in His earthly sojourn, ‘Fear NOT!’ Yes, we need not fear because He has given us the two most powerful weapons on this earth, that of words and of prayer!
Remember He spoke this great universe into existence, and since we’re made in His wonderful image, and have been granted total control of the entire universe, our words therefore contain great power. So let’s be wise and invoke some of them nuh, beginning with enabling declarations, powerful acclamations, encompassing His most faithful promises to us.
So please declare with me: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24) ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil.4:13) ‘God will supply ALL my needs through His riches in glory, through Christ our Lord and Saviour!’ (Phil.4:19) ‘If God be for us, who can be against us eh?’ (Rom.8:31) Not a single soul mih people! Not a single evil soul has power over us unless we allow them to! That alone should boost our spirits!
And this last one that just confirms everything else: ‘And the God of all grace, who has called me to His eternal glory in Christ, after I have suffered a little while, will Himself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast.’ (1 Pet.5:10) Oh Glory to God my faithful brethren! The same omnipotent power that has allowed some ‘sufferation’ in our lives, is the same tower of grace, mercy and forgiveness who will eventually bring us out of it all and reward us with the glory of heaven, through His magnificent Son, Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of ALL things! Wowee, Wowee! (smile)
Now let’s invoke that other eternal gift, the power of prayer, by declaring our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in strong voice with sincere hearts. ‘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, oh friends, our wonderful God will NEVER turn down such a heartfelt prayer request! And we know that’s true because we can now feel the adrenaline flowing through our bodies, as His Holy Spirit works His healing and enabling power in us! Give God the praise!
And friends, the most logical place to continue is with these enlightening and most encouraging words of the psalmist from Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and a fortress. ‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place); There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up (lift you up) in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone.’ (Ps.91:9-12)
And if you think our Bit isn’t important, just check out Matthew 4:6. Those are the very words Satan used to Jesus when he tried tempting Him to throw Himself off the temple roof. And don’t think that the prince of darkness doesn’t know the Good Book nuh; he knows it better than any of us! He knows how, why and when it was written because he plays a very pivotal role in it. And that’s why he has all those li’l tricks up his sleeve, why he can use the Word so deceptively to lead us astray.
So our best defense is to also know the word, so that when he comes to us with his lies, innuendoes and deceptions, we can wave him off like Jesus did, and contemptuously declare: ‘It is written, Man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that procedeth out of the mouth of God.’ (Matt.4:4) And friends, that wasn’t an original Jesus saying nuh, it was based on Moses’ words to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 8:3.
And the other two times Jesus rebuked Satan, His words were also based on the Old Testament (Deut. 6:16 and Deut.6:13, 10:20, Josh.24:14). So please don’t think that Jesus just came spouting new stuff. Remember He was a devout Jew and His purpose for coming to earth was to fulfill the words of the prophets written in the Old Testament. As He said, the Old Testament was written about Him, He saw Himself all over it. (smile)
So friends, as we run our earthly race, let’s remember how Jesus ran His nuh, and strive to be like Him. It’s the only way that makes sense. He didn’t have it easy either, but He placed ALL His hope and faith in His heavenly Father. And if the Son of God could do that, we mere mortals, born of dust, would be foolish to do otherwise. Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
29 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, aspiring to inspire, Assad, assignment, authority, benefits, bless the Lord oh my soul, Christians, cohorts, corrupt, deceptions, decisions, do nothing, earthly wealth, Easter, Edison, egotist, Erdogan, eternal value, exercise influence, facade, fleshly lusts, forget not all his benefits, glamour, glitz, gospel truth, happiness, hell, Henry Ford, household words, iniquities, lair, lay about, lazy, let Israel hope in the Lord, lies, life, light, lite, Lord Acton, loving-kindness, Lucifer, negative, power, power corrupts, precious jewels, Putin, quit, redemption, Saturday, shine of gold, showing us the way, spring season, taunts, teaching us, test cahracter, the Holy Spirit, the king's pajamas, Trump, understand life, Walt Disney, way, wickedly, wiles, with the Lord there is mercy
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
So friends, once more it is Saturday, when we have to make our own decisions as to what to do with our day; to just lay about and do basically nothing, or get up and get done the million and one things that need doing, especially in this emerging spring season. The choice is yours. (smile)
But whatever you choose to do, right now, let’s contemplate some of our friend, Anselm’s quotes of this past week. You know he is always aspiring to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And this first one is a blast: ‘When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.’ Now who’s right or wrong there eh?
This second quote is a little more serious. ‘Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.’ That’s gospel truth if you want to succeed in this life. Eschew the lite and the lazy, the egotist and the negative, for they will only pull you down.
But remember this one, even when you’re down. ‘A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.’ And that goes for everything, in all walks of life, especially Christianity, for in Jesus’ vocabulary there is no such word as ‘quit’! So remember, NEVER QUIT! When you fall, get back up, dust yourself off and keep going, because success might just be around the corner.
And if you check out a lot of the successful people in this world, you’ll find that many of them failed many times before they succeeded. People like Walt Disney, Edison, Henry Ford, didn’t succeed on their first try, but they never gave up, and now their names are household words.
This last quote though is somewhat scary, as it says: ‘If you want to test the character of a person, give them power.’ Now it might be true, but I certainly don’t want to try it, for I’ve seen too many people go mad with a little power. What did the British Lord Acton say about power? “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority.’’
Yes friends, power corrupts. And all of us have seen how a little power corrupts. And right now, we have several examples of big power going to people’s heads in Russia’s Putin, Syria’s Assad, Turkey’s Erdogan and Mr. Trump in the U.S, just to name a few of the more prominent ones. They all think that they are the king’s pajamas and know best how to run things.
But one thing’s for certain sure, all these power hungry people, fall at some time or another, and usually great is their fall. And one of the reasons is that they don’t pay serious attention to the words of our Bit. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’
Yes friends, these cohorts of the evil one, Lucifer, pay no attention to the Lord God Almighty. Some might mention His name conveniently, but He is really nowhere in their hearts, otherwise they wouldn’t be behaving as wickedly and horrendously as they are doing. They don’t seem to realize that ALL there is on the earth and in heaven above belongs to Him. But thankfully we Christian believers know better and behave more sensibly, at least some of us. (smile)
Now yesterday we enumerated some of the benefits (verses 3-5) and were looking at scriptures which corroborated the first part of verse 3; ‘Who forgiveth all thine iniquities…’ And I have one more piece of scripture to add to it, before we move on to the second half of that verse.
Hear the psalmist: ‘Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ (Ps.130:7-8)
Oh friends, is there hope in Lucifer, or mercy, or LOVING-kindness, or redemption from our iniquities? Absolutely not! All he seeks to do is to add to our iniquities and thus get us to accompany him to his rotten lair in hell. So why would I want to follow him eh? In fact, why are so many of us falling for his lies, his taunts, his wiles and deceptions eh? It just doesn’t make sense my people.
Since Jesus defeated Lucifer at the Easter season two thousand years ago, he has no hold whatsoever over us, except what we allow him to have. But yet we fall for his story about earthly wealth and fleshly lusts and the shine of gold and other precious jewels, the supposed appeal of glamour and glitz, full well knowing that it’s all a façade, just a glittering front, like movie sets that look so wonderful on camera but have nothing behind the outer shell.
Ah friends, our world is bursting with all sorts of things that are trying to turn us away from God, but we’re supposed to have His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, teaching us and showing us the way. So why are falling for all the nonsense that has no eternal value eh?
I implore us, please, please, let’s be wiser than that nuh. Christ is the ONLY TRUE LIGHT, LIFE and WAY! Let’s remember that and act accordingly nuh! Much LOVE!
…ALL benefits in this life…come from Almighty God…and from no one else…
25 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, acknowledge God, all creatures great and small, all that glitters is not gold, All things bright and beautiful, all things wise and wonderful, artistry, birds, creatures of nature, deceptions, encouraging words, enticing words, evil doers, evil lifestyle, facade, faith, fear, fellowship, foolishness, fret not, fruits in the garden, glamour, glitter, gloat at our misfortune, glory hallelujah, glowing colours, God made them all, God's gift, in all thy ways, in the power of God, ingenuity, inherit the earth, jehovah god, Jesus, joyful songs, judgement, justice, knowledge of God, lean not unto thine own understanding, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, make smooth thy paths, man's glory, Mother Nature, persuasive, praise and worship, Rest in the Lord, righteousness, schemes., seek ye first the kingdom of God, summer sun, sunset and morning, thanksgiving, the evil one, the noonday sun, to be happy in Jesus, trembling, trust and obey, trust in the Lord, wait patiently, wicked devices, wings, wisdom
Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.
Aye mih breddren, it’s fellowship day! Glory Hallelujah! So here, in the Lord’s sanctuary, (smile) let’s start it off in the most appropriate fashion nuh with some praise and worship, because our awesome God LOVES nothing more than to hear our sincere and joyful songs of praise and thanksgiving.
This morning we’ll offer the sacrifice of praise through our wondrous rendition of the old but favourite hymn, ‘All things bright and beautiful.’ And as we raise our voices in glorious song, let’s picture in our mind’s eye, the objects and creations we’re singing about.
Please sing with me. ‘(Refrain) All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. Each little flow’r that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings: (Refrain)
The purple-headed mountain, The river running by, The sunset and the morning That brighten up the sky: (Refrain) The cold wind in the winter, The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden, He made them ev’ry one: (Refrain)
The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water We gather ev’ry day: All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.’
And that’s the living truth my people! Our great God made everything! And made them so beautiful too, especially the things and creatures of nature! I do hope as you sang about the birds and the mountains, the rivers, trees etc. that you pictured each one in living colour and appreciated their beauty, because the Lord made them for our enjoyment and pleasure.
And those who don’t appreciate nature, its beautiful colours, artistry and ingenuity, will never fully understand or appreciate the wonder that is our magnificent God! That’s because ‘Mother Nature’ is God’s outstanding work of art, His greatest, most impressive canvas!
And having given thanks and praise and admired God’s handiwork, let’s now turn to His word, another aspect of His creation, this one meant for us to follow, to be obedient to, so that we can enjoy everlasting fellowship with Him.
Listen to the awesome advice of our Bit. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’
Just imagine nuh friends, what a wonderful life we can live if we admire God’s artistry as well as put our sincere trust and faith in Him! Mama Yo! Nothing on earth could be better than that!
But I guess our sinful nature, plus the lies and deceptions of the evil one stop us from being able to enjoy all that Jehovah God has in store for us. We are fooled by the glitter and glamour that the world offers, when in reality it’s only a façade, a nice looking front for a decrepit, destructive, evil lifestyle.
Remember friends, all that glitters is not truly gold, and the world cruelly plays on our affection for bright, shiny things and toys. But my people, the wisdom of the world is not wisdom at all, but utter foolishness. True wisdom is God’s gift.
As Bruh Paul warned the Corinthians: ‘And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing (persuasive) words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand (be) in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.’ (1 Cor.2:3-5)
That’s why we need to trust in God and rely on Him for our needs. Jesus said it quite plainly that we should first seek God and His kingdom, then all our necessities would be met. (Matt.6:33)
But man’s wisdom tells us that we should be seeking our needs first. That’s wrong advice my brethren, so if you are currently trying to meet all your needs through your own efforts, then please stop it right now! It’s a fool’s wisdom and only serves to lead us down the garden path where the evil one can gloat at our misfortune.
Listen to Jeremiah as he expatiates on the theme, ‘Knowledge of God is man’s glory.’ ‘Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING –kindness, judgement (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:23-24)
Remember yesterday we spoke about delighting ourselves in the Lord? Well LOVING-kindness, justice and righteousness are the things we ought to delight ourselves in if we are to please the Lord.
Now let’s go home with some mightily encouraging words of Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday sun.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:5-9)
Oh friends, that’s the best advice we can get this Sunday morning! So please let’s take it all to heart as we go out to fellowship with other believers in the Lord’s sanctuary today, for it’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…trust and obey…for there’s no better way…to be happy in Jesus…than to trust and obey…
23 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, aura of love, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, Bruh Paul, complain, conceptions of God, confidence, confusion, conquerors, deceptions, enthusiasm, evil, fellowship, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, graven images, holy spirit, humble servants, idolatry, idols, immorality, in the world but not of it, inroads into the enemy's ranks, invincible, Jesus Christ, keep our focus on Jesus, keep yourselves from idols, lead and guide us, lies, little children, LOVE, material things, moan and groan, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, moth and rust destroy, Oh Lord God Almighty, put a smile on Jesus' face, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, spiritual armour, spunk, steadfast faith, the Battlefield of the mind, the nature of the human animal, the renewing of your mind, the things of the world, the wisdom of Jesus, the work week, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, trust, ungodly world, vim and vigour, walk in the Spirit, where our minds lead, where your treasure is there is your heart, wiles, wisdom, you cannot serve two masters at the same time
1 John 5:21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Oh boy, oh boy, it’s Monday; the day that causes so much topsy-turvy and confusion in our lives! It never ceases to amaze me nuh. We know that Monday is coming and that we have to get out to work, but yet every week so many of us are still unprepared for it, and we moan and groan and complain and say all sorts of bad things about such a lovely day. (smile)
And I guess unless our society stops operating the way it does – with work Monday to Friday – we’ll continue to be late and miserable on Mondays until Jesus comes back. Oh, I just realized something; Monday itself is not the problem nuh, it just happens to be the first day of the work week. If we made any other day the first day, the same thing would happen.
Hn, hn! It’s just the nature of the human animal. That means we’ll need our Monday Morning Battle Hymn for a while yet. So let’s sing it out with plenty spunk and vim and vigour. (smile) Remember that Jesus, our choirmaster, requires excellence from us in all our endeavours.
All together in harmony 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!’
Good job my people, good job! Halfway through you could see the smile slowly appearing on Jesus’ face as He realized that we were going to put down an excellent rendition. Glory Hallelujah!
There’s no better thing we believers can do than put a smile on Jesus’ face! Now let’s go into the evil world and see if we can walk in a manner that does the same thing nuh. And we should be able to continue lighting up Jesus’ spirit since our motors are now up and running, fuelled by the adrenalin that’s pumping through our system.
But while we journey through the world my brethren, please remember the wise words of John in our Bit. ‘Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.’
Yes Friends, we need to not allow the things of the world, be they graven images or simply material stuff to take our eyes and hearts off of Christ. And that’s so easy to do with all the wiles and lies and deceptions that the enemy sends against us. It is imperative that at ALL TIMES our focus be on Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour! For though we are in the world, we should not be a part of it; meaning taking part in all the idolatry, immorality, etc. that the world presently glorifies.
Now here are some scholarly comments on our Bit. ‘5:21. Idols here may well have the sense of erroneous conceptions of God. John addressed such false notions throughout the letter. However fervent our LOVE for others and our adherence to God’s commands, such human efforts will come to nothing apart from true understanding of God as revealed in Christ. To know Him as He is causes LOVE and obedience to be the redeeming worshipful responses to God that He intends them to be.’
Yeh Friends, I know that’s somewhat cerebral, (smile) and it is true, but our main concern today is simply about not making the things of the world more important than God. And to do that successfully, the first step is to initiate what Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom.12:2)
Yes my people, it all begins and ends with the mind. As Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) talks about the book she wrote, ‘The Battlefield of the Mind.’ That’s where the battle first rages for supremacy, for where our mind leads, there shall we go.
And the scholars define that verse thus. ’12:2. Be not conformed (lit. “stop conforming yourselves”): They are to resist being poured into the mould of the present thinking, value, and conduct of his world. This term is used only here and in 1 Peter 1:14.’
Oh we all know that is difficult to do, but if we walk in the Spirit, and not in the flesh, as we are commanded to do, we can do it. And we’ll end most appropriately, with the wisdom of Jesus.
‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven , where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:19-21)
And if Jesus says it’s so, then obviously it is so! So my fellow believers, please let’s go out today and not hunger for the things of the world, but for the things of heaven, for that is the ultimate in wisdom. Much LOVE!
…you cannot faithfully serve two masters at the same time…
24 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a step backwards, actions of man, back to school, believers, blame game, breakdown of the family, chameleons, church, commensurate action, confidence in man, confidence in princes, constant fear, deceitful above all things, deceitfulness, deceptions, deceptiveness, divine direction, ever-faithful God, evil deeds, faithful God, faithful promises, fellowship, food for thought, fruit of his deeds, gospel truth, grieved the Lord's heart, hazardous act, heartbreaks, holy presence, incurably sick, Jesus Christ, lazy weekend, let our faith soar, lies, LOVE, make ends meet, man's innermost being, man's natural disposition, outsourcing, price to pay, progress, proper fellowship with God, redeemed heart, redeeming grace, refined by the fire, religion, righteous purposes, spirituality, stand strong in Christ, sunshine and roses, take heart, the heart is deceitful, the Lord searches hearts, theology, tree of life and knowledge, true motives, trust, umemployment, untrustworthiness, weekends, wickedness, working two jobs
Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
And then it was Saturday… Hip, hip hurrah! (smile) Long time I haven’t heard that one. Yes Friends, it’s Saturday with all its late rising due to tiredness from the workweek, plus from Friday night’s partying, with more plans for partying later on. Let’s hope though, that somewhere in our busy and /or lazy weekend, there are also plans for church and fellowship with other believers.
Unfortunately, some people work harder at home on the weekends than they do during the week at their places of employment. What with young children to look after – no baby sitter then, laundry to be done, groceries bought, the house cleaned, and all the necessary preparations for the following week.
Some people, especially mothers long for the week to begin. And with school soon opening, hn! That means more shopping for new fashionable stuff to wear, and all the other accoutrements for back to school. It’s a good thing my days for that stuff are over. Thank You Lord!
No wonder a lot of parents aren’t too enamoured of the weekends since their personal lives get even busier than during the week. But Friends, that’s the price they say we have to pay for progress, although I really don’t see how we can call it progress, when we’re so busy that we don’t have much time for ourselves.
And with both parents out working now, often at more than one job, just to make ends meet, that seems to be a step backwards rather than forwards, especially when you add stuff like the breakdown of the family, the high unemployment rate and the constant fear in the air of losing one’s job to outsourcing in some undeveloped country.
Anyway my brethren, I know it’s rough out there for many of us, and it’s liable to get rougher before it gets better. But as believers, we need to stand strong in Christ and the faithful promises of our wonderful and ever-faithful God.
Now He never promised that life would always be sunshine and roses, but that He will not cause us to suffer more than we can bear, and will bring us out of anything He allows us to go through, refined by the fire. So we need to let our faith soar, to take heart and believe that our Creator will come through for us, as He’s promised.
And talking about heart, let’s finally bring in our Bit: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
And that’s gospel, gospel truth my people! Our hearts are so deceptive, and change so quickly, like chameleons, from one extreme to the next, who can really know what’s truly buried in them eh?
That’s why Jeremiah continues speaking on God’s behalf: ‘I the Lord search the heart, I try (test) the reins (mind, most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (deeds). (Jer.17:10)
Oh Friends, the Lord’s lucky, He can see into the depths of man’s soul and reveal their true motives. Meanwhile, we humans can only judge another’s heart basically by their words and outward actions. And sadly that leads to an inordinate amount of lies, deceptions, heartbreaks and other evil deeds.
Now before we get into some relevant scripture, hear these important words from the scholars. ’17:9-10: The heart (cf. Prov.4:23) means man’s innermost being. The bent of man’s natural disposition, apart from God’s redeeming grace, is described as deceitful (lit. crooked) and desperately wicked (incurably sick).
Therefore man cannot trust his own heart but must leave all to God who alone knows the heart and judges all men fairly. Only a person with a redeemed heart can live in proper fellowship with God. (Job 11:13; 1 John 3:18-24).’
Yes my people, because of the naturally evil disposition of our hearts, trust in man is a very uncertain and hazardous act. No wonder the psalmist so strongly advised: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9) Please note that he specified that not even royalty can be trusted.
But all of this untrustworthiness began right at the very beginning when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the tree of life and knowledge. When the Lord came looking for them, they hid, because they knew they had disobeyed Him. Their eyes were also opened and thus they realised their nakedness and attempted to cover up themselves. And when God asked them what had happened, the blame laying began. Adam blamed Eve, and she blamed the serpent.
Ah Lord eh! But God was having none of their deceitfulness and kicked them out of the beautiful garden. (Gen.3) And sadly Friends, from that day onwards, man’s heart just kept getting more and more evil.
Until the day God finally took stock of man: ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination (thought or intent) of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (all the day long). And it repented the Lord (the Lord was sorry) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.’ (Gen.6:5-6)
So much so, that He decided to destroy everything that He’d so tenderly made. Ah mih breddren, when man’s heart becomes so wicked that it alarms God and grieves Him so much that He considers destroying all the beautiful things He’s made, you must know that things are in a really bad state.
And we’ll end with some more important words from the scholars on those two verses. ‘Repented does not imply that God made a mistake in His dealing with men, but rather indicates a change in divine direction resulting from the actions of man.
It is “an anthropopathism” (a human emotion applied to God), describing the pain that is caused God by the destructiveness of His creatures. It is used 30 times with God as its subject, each time speaking of a change of mind or intention that accords with His righteous purposes, and results in action commensurate with those purposes.’
Wow! We’ll soon need someone to explain the explanations! (smile)
Oh mih people, there’s a lot more to come tomorrow, God willing of course. But let’s ponder today’s stuff with an open heart, remembering that it’s only as we turn to Almighty God with a redeemed heart, that we’re able to stand in His holy presence. That ought to give us plenty of food for thought. Much LOVE!
…who knows the true thoughts of a man’s heart…only the Lord God Jehovah…
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