22 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lover of God, a lover of the world, abides for ever, acceptable, after one time is two, all my needs, all that is in the world, be aware of God's plan, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, burn the candle at both ends, by the renewing of your mind, chickens come home to roost, circumspection, common sense, crapaud smoke mih pipe, dedication, enmity with God, eternal life, eye candy, fellowship, followers of Jesus, Friday chant, friendship of the world, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, glamorous, happen through me, he that doeth the will of God, His guidance, if any man love the world, in Jesus name, is going to happen to me, is not in him, jeopardizing, keep us out of trouble, like a viper, love not the world, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, meditating on it, my computer is working, no precipitation, overdoing, party popping, prayer, prove, reading His word, relaxation, respect, rest, salvation, sane and sensible, sleeping on the work, something good, submission, surrender, TGIF!, Thank god for Fridays, Thank God is Friday, the Lord will provide, the love of the Father, the lust thereof, the perfect will of God, the pleasures of the world, the pride of life, the sun is shining brightly, the things that are in the world, the world passes away, this is the day the Lord has made, through His riches in glory, we will rejoice and be glad in it, weekends, what is good, wisdom, workingman's song
1 John 2:15. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
No precipitation…and the sun is shining brightly…and my desktop seems to be working decently …Glory to God! Yeh friends it looks like it’s going to be a good day all around! And even if it isn’t, we’ll still declare with sincere faith and trust: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it! And the Lord will supply ALL my needs through His riches in glory! Therefore me and my house will surely follow Him!’
And consequently; ‘Something good is going to happen to me today!’ As well as ‘Something good is going to happen through me today!’ Oh bless the Holy Name of our great and merciful God my believing brethren and forget not His benefits! Yeh mih people, the ole fella’s on a roll this Friday morning! (smile)
But so is the workingman, as he sings his song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Never wanted to see a Friday come as badly as this one nuh! Brother! Ah really tired this week after all the partying we do in that last long weekend, then having to go to work and slave for massa everyday! Steups!
Couldn’t even take a day off sick, because he was just waiting there like a viper ready to fire anybody who book off sick after the long weekend. So ah really don’t know how much partying we can do this weekend nuh. Ah finally realizing that ah not as young as I used to be and can’t afford to burn the candle at both ends as ah use to do!
As the ole people would say, after one time is really too yes! So we going to catch up on some rest this weekend, renew we energy, so that the partying could continue down the line! Wow! The body really tired and calling for sleep and rest! Hope the massa doh ketch me sleeping on the work today nuh…else crapaud smoke mih pipe! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes mih people!’
Yes mih bredden, our chickens usually come home to roost at some time or the other. The workingman is finally feeling the strain of overdoing his worldly pleasures. That’s why our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ instituted boundaries and cut offs for His followers.
He knew full well that overdoing the pleasures of the world would only bring heartache and suffering. And that’s why our Friday Chant is so much different to the workingman’s bacchanalian offering.
So let’s get into our chant now nuh, with strong voice and sincere sense of purpose. ‘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!’
Oh I know that our song is not as glamorous and party popping like the workingman’s, but it keeps us out of trouble with the enemy, and that’s all we need to ask of it. It gives us respect and circumspection as to how far to go and also what we need to do as followers of Jesus.
So please don’t denigrate it because it’s not as snazzy and popular as the workingman’s, which only invites the enemy to gain footholds in our souls, which is also the worst thing we could ever do, thereby jeopardizing our salvation and eternal life with Jesus. Now who would ever want to do such a foolish thing eh?
You’d think no sane and sensible believer would do that, but unfortunately there are many of us who are doing just that, nonchalantly disobeying the solemn and wise advice of John: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.’ That’s the living truth friends!
As John continues: ‘For all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.’ (1 John 2:16) Ah mih people, our natural instinct is to sin; participate in evil desires and lustful pleasures which are not a part of God’s realm and we have to stop letting the enemy deceive us with the eye candy that the world values but the Lord does not.
As James admonishes us: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world, is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4) That’s it right there in a nutshell my fellow believers!
And also as Bruh Paul put it so plainly 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)
Oh my people, as believers we need to be aware of God’s plan for our lives which requires our sincere dedication, surrender and submission to His guidance. And we can only achieve that by reading His Word and meditating on it, as well as through prayer and fellowship with other believers. To be truly God’s, we have to delve into and revel in what is His, not what belongs to the world.
And I know some of you are saying that we preached this sermon just recently, but this is one of those sermons that some of us need to hear everyday! (smile) For as John so sincerely reminds us: ‘And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:17)
Oh friends, I’m sure we all want to abide for ever, so let’s pull up our socks and do better with God’s help nuh! Wisdom and common sense dictate that we do! Much LOVE!
…one cannot be both…a LOVER of God…and a LOVER of the world…
03 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th of July, a roaring lion, afflictions, aura of love, be ye holy, Canada's 150 birthday, celebrations, Christians, confidence, confirm, croaking voices, dedication, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, encouragement, enthusiasm, eternal glory, evil, faith, follow Christ, friends, fun, grace, groundings in Christ, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, life changing, life ending, LOVE, Lucifer, make you perfect, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obedient children, on our p's and q's, on the lookout, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, resist the enemy, salvation, seeking whom he may devour, sober, society runs 24/7, spiritual armour, standing strong, steadfast faith, strengthen, the devil, the God of all grace, the prince of this evil world, trust, truth, ungodly world, vigilant, walking tall, walks about, watchword, weaknesses, wisdom, 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.
So the celebrations continue apace! Yeh friends, Canada’s 150th Birthday Party is still going strong. It ought to wind down today, but tomorrow is the U.S. 4th of July Independence Day Celebrations, and whoever in the U.S was lucky enough to get today off would have a wonderful real long weekend!
Hn, Hn! That means this is a big partying weekend in North America. But nonetheless, because the society runs 24/7, some people have to go to work today, so they still need some encouragement to get up and go out on a Monday Morning, especially when so many of their co-workers don’t have to. So let’s give them a rousing sendoff nuh, with a rousing rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! (smile)
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!’
And wasn’t that a blast! Lots of enthusiasm and hoarse, croaking voices from those who are staying at home, while those headed for work, could only resignedly shake their heads in jealousy. Jesus, our choirmaster, sighed wearily and shook His head too.
But friends, please let caution be our watchword in these long days of celebration, and let Granny’s advice be front and centre in our minds and souls: ‘Drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ I know some of us are tired hearing that bit of wisdom, but if we heed it, it will keep us out of a lot of problems, some of which can be very serious and life changing, as well as life ending.
That’s why Peter warns us so strongly in our Bit: ‘Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’
Yeh friends, Lucifer is always on the lookout for those of us he can infiltrate. That’s all he does; walks to and fro in the earth looking for people to destroy, especially in times of celebration when all our weaknesses are most exposed. And he gets the most pleasure from destroying Christians. That’s why it is ever so necessary for us to keep our p’s and q’s about us, and don’t give him a chance to get into our lives.
And Peter continues his advice. ‘Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) by your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:9) So the enemy doesn’t choose us specially to come against, he comes against everybody, all Christians, wherever he might spy an opening. That’s why we have to be strong in our faith and resist his evil overtures, otherwise we’ll just muddy up our heavenly situation.
Now earlier on, Peter took a broader look at the situation when, in talking about Christian dedication, he declares: ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare you minds for action), be sober, and hope to the end for the grace (rest your hope fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so ye be holy in all manner of conversation (conduct.) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.’ (1 Pet.1:13-16)
That’s the way it is my brethren. If we intend to follow Christ, then we need to be serious, well-disciplined and as holy as possible, because that’s what Christ is about. And in any case, the best way to foil Lucifer’s unwanted advances is to stick close to Jesus. And Peter acknowledges that, as he puts the finishing touch on today’s story, a couple verses after our Bit.
‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:10-11)
Ah mih people, this life is not easy to handle, but if we are serious about following Jesus, then He will give us the wherewithal to handle the prince of this evil world and all his evil cohorts. So please keep standing strong and walking tall for Jesus and the glory of God. That’s the greatest state to which we can ever attain! Much LOVE!
…in proportion to our groundings in Christ… will be our ability to resist the enemy
26 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: actions, almighty god, ambassadors, baptizing them, bless my soul, bounden duty, Christian brethren, commanded you, control our thinking, dedication, defined by, despair, destruction, diligent, disciple, earthly kingdom, faith cometh by hearing, faithful, fighting for Jesus, friends of Jesus, go ye, gone astray from God's word, hearing by the word of God, Holy Ghost, hurry, I am with you always, improve, in the name of the Father, into the heads, Jesus Christ, Jesus' work, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, lusts, make changes, making hay while the sun shines, martyred leader, missionary effort, missionary-minded, no time to waste, observe all things, overthrow, parameters, pass the baton, pronouncement, quagmire, risen Saviour, save us, serious, share His love, sharing the love of Jesus, sin, sloth, spread the good news of Jesus, teach all nations, teaching them, testing my patience, the beloved of God, the church, the enemy, the gospel of Jesus, the Great Commission, the lusts of the world, the Roman Empire, the SON, the vehicle of Christ's mission, time, to the end of the world, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unbelievers, victory, working for Jesus, worry
Matthew 28:19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Bless my soul; Tuesday has rolled around again! Brother! These weeks are flying by so quickly! Wasn’t it Tuesday just a few days ago? (smile) And don’t talk about the month of July; that’s almost finished…and it seems as though it just began!
That means there’s no time to waste or loose my Christian brethren, we need to seriously get together and do Jesus’ work. Remember, we are His ambassadors here on earth, and as we go, so does His earthly kingdom.
And believe me, right now, I don’t think that’s going as well as it can, or ought to. We’re not as serious, as diligent and faithful as we should be. We’re still allowing the enemy and the lusts of the world to control our thinking and our actions too much.
We need to make changes, improve as soon as possible, because time is not waiting on us, and while we laze around, the enemy is making hay while the sun shines. And the best place to begin is in figuring out and believing who we are. So let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra, which does that, in a loud, proud and grateful manner.
As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Yes friends, that’s who we are; the beloved of God and friends of Jesus! It’s time we sincerely and truly believe that and stop allowing the world to dictate otherwise to us, for we are not defined by its parameters, but by those of Almighty God!
And we definitely need to improve our attitude and efforts in sharing the LOVE of Jesus with the world, for that’s our basic duty. We should be getting into the heads of the unbelievers, making them want to be like us, not the other way around.
And we can’t do that until we’re really serious about working and fighting for Jesus, going all out to make sure the world understands who He is and the wonderful things He stands for.
Oh friends, our world badly, desperately needs to hear and learn about Jesus because it’s quickly sinking into a quagmire of sin, sloth and despair in its current direction. We have totally gone astray from the Word of God, and returning to His wonderful and comforting fold is the ONLY thing that will save us from total destruction.
And the world can only learn and hear about Jesus from us, His followers and believers. As Bruh Paul says in Romans: ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom.10:11)
So if the unbeliever doesn’t hear the word from us, how are they ever going believe eh? That’s why we need to ramp up our efforts to spread the good news of Jesus’ kingdom to all and sundry as He directed in the Great Commission, our Bit for today.
‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ Yes my people, that’s our bounden duty as dictated by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And He continues: ‘Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:20)
Oh my fellow believers, it’s all there in black and white; simple and straight to the point. The disciples took it seriously and ran with the baton that Jesus passed on to them, and eventually, through sincere work and dedication on the part of believers, the gospel of Jesus was prominent in the overthrow of the great Roman Empire.
Ah friends, there’s such power in the Word! Now it’s time for us to accept the baton and run with it. And it so happens that in this era of modern technology, we have the parts to spread the gospel, easier, wider and further than any other generation before us.
So let’s seriously, sincerely and diligently step up to the plate and perform our bounden duty nuh, because Jesus is depending on us to spread the good news of His glorious kingdom. And we certainly don’t want to drop the baton, or pass it haphazardly to the next generation.
Now here is some interesting info from the scholars. ’28:18-20. The Great Commission brings the first Gospel to its grand finale. Christianity is not represented here as the mere reverential devotion of disappointed men who honour their martyred leader.
Here is a far different scene. The triumphant, living Lord sends forth His ambassadors to proclaim His gospel throughout the world. The Great Commission is not just an order but a pronouncement of victory (mundus regium Christi) by the risen Saviour through His disciples.
All power or authority (Gr. exousia) is now in the hands of Christ, in heaven and on earth. On the basis of that authority and power the Christian disciple is to carry out the Great Commission of the church.
Go ye, though a participle, conveys the force of a command: “Go.” In other words, the idea expressed is that you must go and make disciples.
Teach all nations can be translated “disciple all nations.” Thus the converting influence of the gospel is indicated here. The “all nations” clearly indicates that the commission of the church is a worldwide one, encompassing the entire missionary effort. The church is not to be merely “missionary-minded.” The church is the vehicle of Christ’s mission to the world.’
And who is the church my brethren? We are! Therefore we are the ones who are expected to spread the gospel to all nations! Let’s do our job nuh! End of Story! Much LOVE!
…unless believers spread God’s Word…the world cannot be saved…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, I woke up late, then had some problems with Outlook. Ah Lord eh! It’s just testing my patience! Much LOVE!
04 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a winner, alive and kicking, belief in yourself, blasphemed, blessed, blessings, bring in damanble heresies, Christ's atonemnet, damnation, deceit, deceived by their own teaching, deceptive words, dedication, denial of christ, destruction, ever-LOVING God, exploit, faithful, false teachers, false teaching, falsehood, follower of Jesus Christ, formula for success, free-for-all world, further your glorious kingdom, generous and caring Creator, glory to God, goodness, gratitude, I am blessed, keep on keeping on, know the Word of God, lest any man should beguile you, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, meant for our good, mercies, never quit, Paul Bryant, Peter, pick sense from nonsense, pride, rain down on us, reject the way of truth, St. Francis, sweet talkers, thanks, thanks and praise, the race of life, the way of truth, the Word of god, this I say, true believer, truth, unorthodox teachings, wisdom, words of wisdom and truth
Colossians 2:4. And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words.
Well Friends, it’s so wonderful to be alive and kicking -even just barely – (smile) this Sunday morning, and though it’s still dark and chilly in my area. Oh Glory to God my brethren!
And what makes it even more interesting and exciting is that our ever-LOVING God has a whole bunch of new mercies and blessing freshly prepared to rain down on us today! Mama Mia!
And though we don’t know what they might be, we can be assured that they are ALL meant for our good, because that’s the promise of our most faithful Lord and Saviour.
Now before we go any further, I think some thanks and praise are in order. So please pray with me. ‘I am blessed…When I wake up in the morning…I am blessed. All throughout the day…I am blessed… When I lay my head on my pillow to sleep at night…I am blessed. Everyday of my life…I am blessed…
Oh thank You heavenly Father for pouring out so many blessings upon my life. And with Your awesome help, I will continue to LOVE You, praise Your Holy Name and further Your glorious kingdom. Amen.’
Yes Friends, as true believers in Jesus Christ, we are indeed abundantly blessed by our most generous and caring Creator! Let’s always remember that and show the appropriate thanks and gratitude for such undeserving goodness.
Now here is a very interesting quote from the July page of my Almanac… by the way, it’s still turned to May (smile)… from one Paul Bryant. I don’t know which Paul Bryant it is, because there are so many. It might have even been from the famed Alabama College Football coach, Paul (Bear) Bryant.
However this most enlightened person is reputed to have said: ‘If you believe in yourself, and have dedication and pride, and never quit, you’ll be a winner.’
Oh my people, those are simple, but awesome words of wisdom and truth! They are indeed the formula for success…in conjunction with the mighty Word of God of course! But with, or without the word of God, we do need self-belief, dedication, pride and the ability to keep keeping on if we ever hope to achieve any goal, or anything worthwhile at all.
So to win this race of life, we need to have all those qualities, and when the Word of God is added to them, then we’re well on our way. And the beauty of it all is that God’s Word will indeed help to bring out all those abilities in our life, because they are required to be a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ.
I hope that all makes sense. But even if it doesn’t, I know you all are wise enough to pick sense from nonsense. (smile)
And now, for definitely the last day, let’s turn to our Bit; Bruh Paul’s warning to the Colossians, re false teaching and teachers. ‘And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words.’
Ah mih people, we can never be warned or careful enough on the topic of false teachers and teachings, because it is so rampant in today’s free-for-all world. So please listen and pay close attention to Peter’s words on the subject.
‘But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly) shall bring in damnable (destructive) heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious (destructive) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall evil be spoken of (blasphemed). And through covetousness shall they with feigned (deceptive) words make merchandise of (exploit) you: whose judgement now of a long time lingereth not (has not been idle), and their damnation (destruction) slumbereth not.’ (2 Pet.2:1-4)
Yes Friends, there are plenty sweet talkers out there in this faithless and fickle world, who are only too willing to tell you all sorts of lies and untruths. And unless you know the Word of God for yourself, you won’t be able to resist them, because they sound so reasonable and true.
So please, let’s all make it a habit to continually delve into our Bibles, that we may learn the Word and have protection against the falsehood that permeates our world today.
Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘2:1-3. The opposite of true revelation is the message of false prophets and false teachers who deceive God’s flock and bring in damnable heresies. These heresies (unorthodox teachings) include an open denial of Christ Himself.
Denying the Lord that bought them indicates that Christ’s atonement potentially extends to all men, including these false teachers who reject Him. Therefore, they will experience destruction because they themselves will be deceived by their own teaching and continue to reject the way of truth.’
In conclusion Friends, please remember to look, learn and listen very carefully to whatever is being poured out before you, for that’s indeed the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…to protect oneself against falsehood and deceit…one must know the Word of God…
P.S. My parish of St. Francis held our 40th anniversary gala last night! And oh what a wonderful turn out and time it was! If it’s one thing we can do at St. Francis is party! (smile)
And today we will celebrate the Feast Day of our Patron Saint. And remember Friends, it’s Sunday, so don’t forget to go to church. Wonder how many will be at our early service this morning? (smile) I’ve got to finish this so that I can go. Much LOVE!
20 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bed of pain, a living sacrifice, a phase of the growing process, acceptable unto God, adversity, all things work together for good, an open door slammed in my face, arrogant, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, biblical principles, blessings from heaven, blind, born again, bury the hatchet, calluses, cannot serve two masters at the same time, children of light, commune with nature, conduct of this world, conforming to the world, courage, darkness, dedication, dependence on god, direction, divine dividends, facing difficulties, fruitful difficulty, God's blessings, Gramps Schuller, guidance, hard muscles, heartbreak, Jesus, justifying the believer, lift heavy loads, live a righteous life, mature in Christ, new life, obedience, opportunities to expand our horizons, pain, poured into the mould, priceless times, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, release the day's stress, ruptures, rut, sensible manner, setbacks, sin, stay in faith, suffocating ground, surrender, talk the talk, the image of Christ, the mercies of God, the renewing of your mind, the righteousness of God, the Word of god, too arrogant to believe, too blind to see, too stubborn to accept any other way, total committment, transformation, valuable lessons, value systems, walk the walk, will of God, windowless grave, with God by our side, you cannot serve God and mammon
Ephesians 5:10. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Well Friends, welcome to a wet and windy Thursday morning. Yes the blessings from heaven eventually fell last night. And it sure was a good shower, for it wet up most of my front porch so that when I went out to commune with nature and release the day’s stress, I wasn’t able to sit in my favourite chair by the steps, but had to sit in the one by the door.
And would you believe that habits are such strange things, that although the seats weren’t that far apart, it just never felt right. (smile) Oh I did sit and relax, but it just didn’t feel the same as in the other chair. We humans are such a piddling lot eh. (smile)
Anyway. Here’s an interesting prayer from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from the Hour of Power Devotional. It’s titled ‘TO FACE DIFFICULTIES.’
Please pray with me. ‘Truly, Father, all things work together for good to those who LOVE you. Thank you for the difficulties that produce divine dividends. I know that pain is only a phase of the growing process: that seed buried alive under suffocating ground in a windowless grave agonizes before it ruptures into new life.
I know that I build hard muscles in heart, mind, and body only when I lift heavy loads. I thank you for tough times that produce calluses that could save my spirit from softness that would be weakness. There have been times, O Lord, when only through great difficulty have I learned the valuable lessons.
I was too blind to see, too arrogant to believe, or too stubborn to accept any other way than by a bed of pain. I praise you for the times an open door slammed in my face and forced me out of an old rut that I never would have had the courage to leave, and led me down the road to a beautiful new life.
I thank you for heartbreak which causes me to bury the hatchet and speak again to someone with whom I had for far too long been out of touch. Thank you, Father, for life’s priceless times of fruitful difficulty. Amen.’
Ah my fellow believers, all of that is oh so true! Obviously we don’t like difficulties and pain, but it is in those times of adversity that we actually grow and mature in Christ. It’s the tough times that make us tough. But we have to be big enough and wise enough to realize it, then accept it and deal with it in a serious and sensible manner.
If you don’t believe me, then look back at some of the rough times in your lives and see how your spirit seemed stronger and more mature after them. Every time we go through adversity, we come out stronger and more faithful on the other side. So let’s not look at difficulties as setbacks, but rather as opportunities to expand our horizons, obviously with God by our side.
Now let’s look at our Bit. ‘Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.’
Yeh Friends, in all our doings we need to consider what is and what is not acceptable to our wonderful God. Once we’re born again, we become children of light, the bright and shining light that’s Jesus, so we cannot afford to be involved in anything that has to do with sin and darkness.
Listen to how Bruh Paul puts it to the Romans. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service. 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.12:1-2)
Now here are some explanations by the scholars. ’12:1. By the mercies of God summarizes all that God has accomplished for the believer in Romans 1-11 in justifying the believer (chs.1-5), enabling the believer to live a righteous life (chs.6-8), and being faithful to Israel (chs.9-11).
That ye present refers to a definite act of presentation. The verb is used of offering a sacrifice that became “holy” under the Levitical system (cf. Ex.29:37). This shows that the Christian life begins with total commitment and irrevocable presentation.
Your bodies: The body has been the instrument of sin (ch.6). Now it is to be presented to God as a channel through which the righteousness of God is manifested.’
’12:2. Be not conformed (lit. “stop conforming yourselves”). They are to resist being poured into the mould of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world. This term is used only here and in 1 Peter 1:14).’
Oh Friends, it all still pertains to us. But unfortunately, too many of us are still conforming to the world. Remember Jesus said ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt.6:24) That means we cannot serve two masters at the same time; God and the riches or material possessions of this ungodly world.
Now here is some more pertinent info from the scholars re Dedication to the Will of God. ’12:1-2. God’s will refers to His purpose for the life of the believer. It implies His guidance or direction in all of life’s decisions. Dedication is an act of surrender or submission to His will for our lives whereby we become a “living sacrifice.” Daily dependence on God results in our transformation into the image of Christ.
Illustration: When we seek to discern the will of God we must also be committed to doing the will of God as it is revealed in the Word of God. (John 7:17)
Application: The believer should evaluate every decision on the basis of biblical principles, knowing that obedience brings God’s blessing. (First Ref. Gen.22:12; Primary Ref. Rom.12:1).’
There we have it Friends; lots of stuff to ponder on this Thursday morning. Hope it helps us stay in faith and obedience to Almighty God, the way we ought to. But it can’t unless we study it, then put it into practice. That’s where the real results, the true fruits show. Much LOVE!
…as true believers in Christ…we must not only talk the talk…but even more importantly…we must walk the walk…
25 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ability, be glad and rejoice, be strong and of a good courage, become proud, blessings, Bruh David, common sense, courage, dedication, depart from evil and do good, DETERMINATION, earthly life, faith, fount of blessings, give it all they've got, give thanks, glory to God, his seed begging bread, hope, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, intelligence, Israel, Jesus, Joshua, Lucifer, magnanimous god, material things of the world, meditiate on God's word, opportunty, pillars of our faith, prolong his days, prosperous, righteousness., seek ye first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, stand in awe of God, strength, success, take no thought for your life, testimony, the breath of life, the Good Book, the Great Provider, the Holy One of Israel, the living God, the only true God, the wisdom of the age, then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, thou shalt have good success, wolf in sheep's clothing
Joshua 1:8b. …for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Oh Friends, it’s Thursday! Wow! Another terrific day in the history of civilization is on the way! Glory to God!
So please, let’s give thanks, be glad and rejoice in this day, because it is the wisdom of the age. It just had to be since the Holy One of Israel has a specially prepared fount of blessings on tap for us today. We just have to be obedient to His will and He will shower us with bountiful blessings, show us an awesome time.
And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and grateful ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and thanks and honour to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who sits upon His throne in the high heavens running things according to His wise and holy will!’
Yes my people, our God is indeed a great and magnanimous God! In fact, He is the ONLY TRUE God! And He’s also a LIVING God, which none of the other supposed gods are! It is His wonderful breath of life that courses through our bodies. That’s something we ought always to remember because it’s one of the foundation pillars of our faith.
Now here is an interesting quote on expecting success from Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993), the famous American minister, author and champion of the ‘Power of Positive Thinking.’
‘Hope is the great power that can move you to success. Why? Because when a man expects to win, he does not hold anything back, but gives his project all that he’s got. Most people fail not because they lack ability, intelligence or opportunity, but they fail because they don’t give it all they’ve got.’
And isn’t that the absolute truth! For when we expect success we put all that we have into it; time, energy and money. It’s the very dedication to our project and the determination to succeed that leads us to success!
So for all of us who have projects on the go, and that includes the living of this earthly life, let’s be dedicated and determined to succeed nuh, obviously with the help of Jesus. And how do we enlist the aid of Jesus? Simply by turning to Him, putting all out trust and faith in Him.
As the Lord told Joshua several times when He anointed him to lead Israel after the death of Moses. ‘Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1: 6, 7, 9)
So in the space of four verses, God warns Joshua three times to be strong and courageous and not afraid. Oh Friends, it’s the same thing that our great unchangeable God is saying to us today; ‘Be strong and of a good courage, and be not afraid.’ For we can’t do His bidding if we’re weak and fearful.
However my brethren, the clincher in the whole story is this verse, verse 8, from which our Bit comes. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8)
Yeh Friends, you see the true and real way to be prosperous and have success: be strong and courageous, but even more importantly, meditate on the Lord’s Word day and night. It calls for manly strength and courage, as well as a strong and courageous faith centered in the Word of God. That is the ONLY way to have lasting prosperity and success!
Moses had already warned the Israelites re the choice of a king, and what His most important role was: ‘And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear (stand in awe of) the Lord his God; to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.
That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren (become proud), and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days (continue long) in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.’ (Deut.17:18-20)
One simply cannot rule or live justly without the guidance of the Good Book!
And Jesus reiterated that command in the Sermon on the Mount when He told us in no uncertain terms. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothes)? … But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:25, 33)
Oh my people, how many times must we be reminded that the ultimate in wisdom and common sense decrees that we place our trust in our heavenly Father if we want to be successful in this world eh?
But in spite of it all, we still listen to Lucifer, the ole deceitful wolf in sheep’s clothing and believe, or act on the premise that you have to concentrate on the things of the world and the way the world thinks and acts, to make it. That’s a total lie my brethren!
The necessary material things will be provided for us by God, the Great Provider, if we concentrate on seeking and doing His will. And we won’t have to be fearful and anxious about our needs because the Father knows we need those things to survive, and He has promised that HE WILL provide them if we are true and faithful to His Word.
And what better way to end than with this powerful testimony from Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever merciful (merciful all the day), and lendeth, and his seed (descendants) is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.’ (Ps.37:25-27)
Oh Friends, all I can do now is to implore us to follow the wonderful advice we have received from several ever-faithful and reliable sources, if we truly desire to be prosperous and successful in this world. Much LOVE!
…true strength and power and prosperity…in other words earthly success…comes only from Almighty God…through obedience to His Word and Will…
14 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a godly feeling, be holy, be not conformed to this world, be sober, be ye transformed, by the renewing of your mind, Christian, climate change, conduct, conform, dedication, envy, evil, evil speaking, exhortation, faith, fashioning ourselves, followers of Christ, for I am holy, gird up the loins of your mind, glorious weather, goodness, grace, greetings, guile, habits, hang in there, happiness, hope to the end for grace, humble supplication, hypocrisies, ignorance, imagery, insanity, intoxication, life, LOVE, lusts, lusts of the flesh, Madam de Stael, malice, mental, milk of the word, Napoleon, negative ations, newborn babes, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, outward conduct, perseverance, personal discipline, positive results, poured into the mold, present thinking, problems, proviso, resolution, salutations, salvation, Second Advent, selfish feelings, shun the things of the world, sordid state, spiritual, stable, standard expectations, strength, stronger, tedious, the evil powers of the world, the French Revolution, the Holy Spirit, the new man in Jesus, the northern climes, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the things of Christ, tiring project, to be like Jesus, transform feelings into actions, transformation, uncompromising, value systems of the world, walk in LOVE, walk with jesus, weathern patterns, will of God, wisdom of the age
Romans 12:2. 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.
Greetings and salutations this chilly Thursday morning in mid-May my Friends and neighbours!
It’s amusing and surprising how we have gone back to chilly days after such glorious weather last week. It’s only like 6 or 7 degrees Celsius right now, and we’ve had trouble getting up to the mid teens. And when we do, the wind unleashes its fury.
But that’s just life in the northern climes, especially in these times of climate change. And talking about climate change, I don’t see how anyone can doubt the fact that it does exist and is causing us a lot of problems. Anyone over thirty ought to be able to see the differences in weather patterns between their early years and now.
The weather patterns are definitely not as stable and uncompromising as they used to be. They no longer conform to the standard expectations. But thankfully our faith lies in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so we don’t have to let the climate change worry us. We do have to be concerned about it, but not to the extent that it affects our thinking and our walk with Jesus.
And speaking of conformity and transformation, here is a quote from my March Almanac by Madam de Stael (1766-1817). Her full name was Anne Louise Germaine de Stael-Holstein. She was Swiss by birth, but French by persuasion; a woman of letters, who staunchly supported the French Revolution, while criticizing Napoleon.
Anyway, Madam de Stael reputedly said that ‘The greatest happiness is to transform one’s feelings into actions.’ Now there is some truth in the statement, but I would like to add the proviso; if it is a godly feeling.
Yeh Friends, just look at the sorry and sordid state of our world, made so by the transformation of so many evil and selfish feelings into actions. Now if those feelings had been godly ones in the first place, then they would have provided positive results, not the many negative ones that are now in effect.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘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.’ Oh my brethren, that is the major transformation that ought to take place in our lives!
And the scholars add this note. ’12: 2. Be not conformed (lit; “stop conforming yourselves”). They are to resist being poured into the mold of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world. This term is used only here and in 1 Peter 1:14.’
Yes my people, it’s time we seriously and sincerely shun the things of this world, for the things of Christ. And the only way to do that successfully is by the renewing of our minds and therefore habits. For the mind is where it all begins and ends.
Listen to Peter as he calls for Christian dedication. ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare your mind for action), be sober, and hope to the end for grace (rest your hope fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct); Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.’ (1 Pet.1:13-16)
Yes Friends, if we want to be true followers of Christ, we have to give up the lusts of our flesh that reigned therein before we found Jesus and His salvation!
And the scholars explain verse 13 thus: ‘1:13. The exhortation to set one’s hope involves an inward resolution. Gird up the loins of your mind: The imagery is that of personal discipline and outward conduct.
Be sober (Gr. nephontes): Be free of every sort of mental and spiritual intoxication. The revelation of Jesus Christ is the Second Advent when Jesus returns to earth to set up His kingdom.’
Oh Friends, I know that transforming our minds is no easy task, especially in these days of worldwide insanity, but if we want to truly follow Jesus, we just have to develop that inner personal discipline it takes to do the job. And don’t worry, it doesn’t happen overnight, plus the Lord will help you accomplish that task if you seriously turn to Him for help.
Remember, He will NEVER turn us away if we come to Him in humble supplication – and most definitely not, if we are truly desirous to be like Jesus.
And as Peter says: ‘Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.’ (1 Pet.2:1-2)
Yes my brethren, transformation to the new man in Jesus is not an overnight sensation, but is a slow, often tedious and tiring project that needs a lot of work and perseverance on our part. Remember too that the world doesn’t want us to become like Jesus, and will put every difficulty possible in our way to stop us from doing so.
But just hang in there Friends, they can’t stop you if you don’t want to be stopped. And never forget that He who abides in you, the Holy Spirit, is stronger that the evil powers of the world.
So let’s just walk in the LOVE, the goodness, the strength and perseverance of Christ today, for that is the wisdom of the age. Much LOVE!
…to walk successfully with Christ…takes a lot of wisdom…plenty manly parts…and overwhelming belly and backbone…
30 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pilot light, a spark of fire, absolute truth, act wisely, all praise and glory to God, all those things will pass, allergies, at the revelation of Jesus Christ, balmy shores, Baltimore, breathe easier, burst into flame, calamitous, Chile, Christian, complaining, dedication, disastrous state of our world, disciple, earthquake, elixir of sleep, Ethel Barrymore, Europe, first lady, frustrating, gird up the loins of your mind, glory to God, God will work everything out for good, good future, grin and bear it, grinning like a Cheshire cat, he that took me out of the womb, heartache, hope, hope to the end for grace, I will hope continually, imagery, internal muse, it takes fewer muscles to laugh than to cry, Jesus way, last day of April, laugh at yourself, laughter, lends hope and meaning to life, marvellous Saviour Jesus, Mediterranean ocean, mental and spiritual intoxication, migrants, Nepal, never to give up, old-timers, outward conduct, pain, perspective, positive action, practicing what I preach, proclaiming god's righteousness, righteousness., riots, sadness, salvation, Second Advent, spring into action, tempestuous, thou didst make me hope, Thursday, torment, truth, turbulent, volcano eruption, wars and rumours of war, when I was upon my mother's breast, while there's life there's hope, wisdom of heaven, you grow up
Psalm 22:9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.
Aye Friends welcome to this turbulent, tempestuous Thursday morning, the last day of April! It was just one of those nights. I don’t understand it myself. I went to bed a few minutes later than usual, but also got up several times during the night and couldn’t go back to sleep, couldn’t find a comfortable spot to set my aching body so that that beautiful elixir sleep could overtake it.
I guess many of you old-timers experience that at one time or the other. But it’s definitely frustrating, especially when you fall asleep at the time to get up. But you know what Friends?
It’s all a part of living this earthly life. And when you have that marvelous Saviour of ours, Jesus, walking with you, you can afford to grin and bear it, because you know that He knows what you’re going through, since He went through some serious pain and torment Himself, and that eventually He will work everything out for your good.
Glory to God, my people!
And as an adjunct to that, listen to this quote attributed to Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959), the screen and theatre actress, member of the prominent American Barrymore family of actors, whose distinctive style made her the ‘first lady’ of the American theatre. Ethel is reputed to have said: ‘You grow up the day you have the first real laugh – at yourself.’
And isn’t that the truth my brethren! Until we learn to laugh at ourselves, our mistakes, our troubles and our good times, we’ll never conquer the internal muse that tends to lead us to sadness and heartache and complaining whenever things don’t go our way.
As my One Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness reminds us: ‘It takes fewer muscles to laugh than to cry. We’ll breathe easier and deeper, and we’ll be much more content when we laugh… for laughter helps us to put things into perspective. It lends HOPE and meaning to life.’
And that’s the absolute truth Friends! But there are some things that we just can’t laugh at, like the destructive and disastrous state of our world. In the past couple weeks we’ve had hundreds of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean ocean, heading for the perceived balmy shores of Europe, in search of a better life than the calamitous one they had left behind.
Then there was the sudden eruption of a dormant volcano in Chile, combined with riots in Baltimore and a devastating earthquake in Nepal. Hn! And that doesn’t take into account the numerous wars and rumours of war, the seemingly never-ending strife that’s going on all over God’s beautiful planet.
Ah Lord eh! What a mess we’ve made of this wonderful Earth! But Friends, as we keep saying, while there is life, there is always HOPE!
That’s because our Creator has instilled that wonderful emotion in us from day one, as declared by Bruh David in our Bit. ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.’
Yes my people, our great God knew the plans, the good future He had in store for us, so He made us with that little something termed HOPE, which causes us never to give up, never to simply lie down and die when times get rough, but to always have a spark of fire, like a pilot light going in our souls.
Now that’s a very good description of HOPE there my Friends, never thought of it before. But a pilot light never goes out, it just keeps burning quietly in the background; always ready to burst into flame when it’s needed. That’s the way HOPE operates in our souls; always there ready to burst into positive action, even though the surrounding circumstances might indicate differently.
So Friends, I’m here grinning like a Cheshire cat, because to muddy the waters even more, my allergies seem to have chosen this particular time to act up. There’s been a steady stream of sneezing and blowing for the last few minutes. But I’m practicing what I preach; I’m just grinning and bearing it all, because I know that all those things will eventually pass, fade away! All praise and glory to God!
Now let’s see what the scriptures have in store for us today, re that invigorating and renewing feeling called HOPE. And what better way to start than with these encouraging words of the psalmist, as he prays for help in old age.
‘But I will HOPE continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall show forth (proclaim) thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers (limits) thereof.’ (Ps.71:14-15)
Yes Friends, that’s exactly how believers are expected to behave; always HOPING, and always proclaiming God’s righteousness!
Now listen to Peter, the rock, in his call to Christian dedication. ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare your mind for action), be sober, and HOPE to the end for the grace (rest your HOPE fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ (1 Pet.1:13)
What marvellous advice my people!
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘1:13. The exhortation to set one’s HOPE involves an inward resolution. Gird up the loins of your mind: The imagery is that of personal discipline and outward conduct. Be sober (Gr. nephontes): Be free of every sort of mental and spiritual intoxication. The revelation of Jesus Christ is the Second Advent when Jesus returns to earth to set up his kingdom.’
Now Friends, it’s time for us to ponder all that we’ve heard this morning, to digest it, then act wisely on it all. That’s the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…gird up the loins of your mind…then spring into action…it’s the Jesus way…
SCRIP-BITS 