30 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a month of good weather, a pelican in the wilderness, a sparrow alone on a house top, adorationworship, all the kings of the earth thy glory, an owl of the desert, as we forgive our debtors, blurt out our needy requests, but thou O Lord shall endure forever, come to know and love him like we do, comes sincerely from the heart, Consider This, daily bread, deliver us from evil, desires to hear our problems, divine intervention, don't make it a habit, don't take it for granted, duty bound, eaten ashes like bread, faith, for thine is the kingdom, forgive us our debts, give us this day our daily bread, hallowed be thy name, hear my prayer O Lord, help us in the best way possible, holy spirit, hurry, if God spares life, in earth as it is in heaven, in god's eyes, In Touch Devotional, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our personal friend, Jesus taught his followers to pray, lead us not into temptation, let my cry come unto thee, LOVE, loves us closer than a brother, mercy, mingled my drink with weeping, my bones burn like glowing embers, my bones cleave to my skin, my days are like a shadow, my days vanish like smoke, my enemies reproach me all the day, my heart is blighted, Our Father which art in heaven, prayer is welcome in heaven, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, soothes his troubled mind, the beloved of God, the heathen shall fear thy name, the last day of September, The Lonely Soul, the power and the glory for ever, the prayer of the destitute, the unchanging nature of God, the voice of my groaning, thine indignation, thou hast lifted me up and cast me down, thy kingdom come, thy remembrance unto all generations, thy will be done, thy wrath, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, withered like grass, worry
Psalm 102:1. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee.
Oh friends, it’s Tuesday, another beautiful summer’s day! It’s also the last day of September; a month that’s been awfully good to us in terms of weather conditions. It’s provided so many nice, bright, sunshiny and warm days that we’re not accustomed to at this time of year, that I’m anxiously wondering what the month of October will offer us. But we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find that out, if God spares life. (smile)
Anyway, today we’re going to look at an article in the September In Touch Devotional under the title of Consider This. So please read with me. ‘When Jesus taught His followers how to pray, He began with adoration and worship and ended with a request – a model many of us follow today. In Psalm 102, we find an honest cry from the writer’s heart: ‘For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food (Ps. 102:3-4 -New International Version).
It’s only after this revelation, this transparency before him, that the writer praises God for who he is and the ways He is faithful. Sometimes, before we can offer praise and adoration, we need to talk to God about how we’re feeling. And that’s okay. Jesus is Lord, but He is also our friend – one who wants to hear how we’re doing and listen to our honest, unfiltered selves.’
Ah mih people, that’s all oh so true! Jesus gave us a model pray in what we call The Lord’s Prayer, where He offers up praise and adoration before asking for a personal request. He taught us thus: ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt. 6:9-13)
Yes friends, we see Jesus giving the Father glory and adoration before asking for His daily bread. And that’s a good model to follow, if we do it sincerely, so that God knows we’re not just coming to Him for selfish and greedy reasons, but we also value His Lordship and sovereignty. However, sometimes we’re so befuddled, anxious, afraid or whatever, that we don’t have time, or cannot even form words of adoration, and all we can do is blurt out our needy requests to God. And as the article says, that’s also okay with the Lord, for Jesus is our personal friend, the One who LOVES us closer than a brother, and He’s only to glad to hear our problems and then help us in the best way possible.
But we ought not to make it a habit and/or simply take it for granted. No. For just like we don’t like others to come to us just bleating out their wants and needs, but to at least make some pleasant conversation first, (smile) so does the Lord in general like to hear our appreciation and admiration for His heavenly grandeur. And having said all of that, let’s see what Psalm 102 has to say. And the very title, ‘The Lonely Soul,’ as well as the preamble before the psalm, tell us a whole lot about it. ‘A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord.’ Now that’s something many of us know about. (smile)
So, please read with me. ‘Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble: incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. For my days are consumed (vanish) like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth (a fire in a fireplace). My heart is smitten (stricken), and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave (cling) to my skin (flesh).
I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me (deride me) are sworn against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up (exalted me), and cast me down. My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.’ (Ps. 102:1-11)
Now that’s certainly telling the Lord what’s wrong. However, right after pouring out the troubles of his heart, the psalmist turns to praise and adoration, and confidently declares: ‘But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.
So the heathen (Gentiles) shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.’ (Ps. 102:12-18)
Then the psalmist continues for another ten verses pouring out his admiration and gratitude to Almighty God. And as the scholars so interestingly point out: ‘The answer to the psalmist’s grief is not, in this case, direct divine intervention to alter his situation, rather the psalmist’s own reflection on the unchanging nature of God in His dealings with men soothes his troubled mind.’
Wow! So, you see, once we truly know and LOVE the Lord, we don’t always need divine intervention to solve our problems, but it can also come from our very own reflections. And once we sincerely praise and adore our great God, it doesn’t matter when we do it, for heaven is not a place that stands only on rigid ceremony.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. ‘In God’s eyes, 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that declaration (steups!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…any prayer is welcome in heaven…once it comes sincerely from the heart…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a preening peacock, acknowledge God's sovereignty, adoration, affirmation of faith, after this manner, an act of spiritual expression, as it is in heaven, as we forgive, confess, conformity of will, deliver us from evil, effective reign of God, for ever and ever, forgive us our trespasses, fr thine is the kingdom, Give us this day, hallowed be thy name, house of the Lord, in earth, indispensable, lead us not into temptation, moral, move mountains, oppressive world, Our Daily Bread, Our Father, petition, pray ye, prayer, prove our faithfulness, provision of manna, reverence for God, sinning saints, sins, song so fpraise, spiritual debts to God, strength in numbers, tempted by our own lusts, thanksgiving, the Lord's Day, the power and the glory, through the Messiah, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, which art in heaven
Matthew 6:9. After this manner pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps.122:1) Oh my fellow believers in Christ, that’s exactly the invitation I’m offering us this Sunday morning, the Lord’s Day! Yes, it is good and right that we venture into His house on His day to acknowledge His sovereignty, holiness, grace, compassion and mercy towards us, miserable sinning saints that we are. In fellowship with other believers, we are expected to lift our voices in songs of praise and thanksgiving and receive encouragement from listening to His holy Word.
And since there is strength in numbers, it means when we gather together, we are a powerful group, able to move mountains with our faith, but we also spread the joy of the Lord amongst each other, encouraging each other as needed. So please don’t refuse this invitation today, because you never know what wondrous blessings or opportunities the Lord has in store for you in His sanctuary today.
And even if there is nothing special, you leave there like a preening peacock, (smile) full of confidence and joy in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And believe me nothing is better than that in this cruel and oppressive world! Glory to the Most High God Jehovah! Ah mih people, like the ole fella getting excited…And why not eh, since Christ is the greatest thing to ever happen to mankind. And if I have to tell you that, then something wrong with yuh faith yes! (smile)
Anyway, putting all of that aside, let’s begin the proceedings with praise and worship. And since we sang the second most popular Bible scripture last week; the Lord is My shepherd, I figured it’s only right to sing the most popular one today, The Lord’s Prayer. So let’s get to it nuh, in strong, sweet, sincere and solemn harmony, so that the Father has no choice but to look down on us with favour.
‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever…for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen!’
Yeh friends, short but sweet! And we all know it as the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. Luke describes the scene thus: ‘And it came to pass, that as he (Jesus) was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.’ (Luke 11:1) And the scholars offer this footnote: ‘11:1. Religious communities of the time customarily had their own distinctive prayers. Perhaps the disciples wanted theirs.’
And we know what Jesus told them: ‘After this manner pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.’ And He went on to tell them the awesome, far-reaching words that we just sang. It’s amazing how it seems to cover all that our earthly life calls for. But if it comes from Jesus, what else would we expect eh?
Now the scholars offer some interesting explanations on the prayer, and I’m going to share them. Let’s hope we have enough space. (smile) ‘6:9. The beginning phrase, Our Father, is completely uncommon to the prayers of the Old Testament. The two major elements of the prayer are adoration and petition. Hallowed be thy name addresses the attention of the prayer toward God and reverence for His name and His person. Hallowed (Gr. hagiazo) means to be held in reverence and holy awe.’
‘6:10. The phrase Thy kingdom come refers to the eschatological (study of end times) nature of this prayer. Notice that the kingdom is to be prayed for, implying that it has not yet arrived. The kingdom represents the full and effective reign of God through the mediatorial office of the Messiah. The recognition of Thy will be done emphasizes the idea that prayer is to bring about the conformity of the will of the believer to the will of God. Prayer is an act of spiritual expression that brings us into conformity to the very nature and purpose of God.’
‘6:11. The section of petitions begins with the request to give us this day our daily bread. Bread (Gr. artos) may be applied to the provision of food in general. The term ‘daily’ (Gr. epiousios) denotes “indispensable.” The concept of daily provision of bread fits perfectly with the Old Testament example of the daily provision of manna to the Israelites while they were wandering in the wilderness. (Ex.16:14-15).’
‘6:12. Forgive us our trespasses refers to sins, which are our moral and spiritual debts to God’s righteousness. The request for forgiveness of sin is made here by the believer. In order to be saved one need not necessarily name all his sins, but he must confess that he is a sinner.’ ‘6:13-15. Lead us not into temptation is a plea for the providential help of God in our daily confrontation with the temptation of sin. God does not tempt us to do evil, but we are tempted by our own lusts (James 1:13-14).
However, God does test us in order to give us the opportunity to prove our faithfulness to Him. He never desires to lead us into evil itself. Therefore if we resist the Devil, we are promised that he will flee from us. The prayer closes with a doxology of praise (expression of praise to God): For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen, which is a liturgical (pattern for worship) ending similar to 1 Chronicles 29:11) Though omitted in some manuscripts, these words constitute a fitting and climactic affirmation of faith.’
And so it does my fellow believers! I also hope that those explanations give you a better understanding of what our most beloved prayer is all about. I certainly learned a lot from them. And neither did it take up as much space as I expected. (smile) So let’s get ourselves to church sometime today nuh and enjoy fellowship with other believers in the holy presence of Almighty God! That’s my prayer and wish for all of us today! Much LOVE!
…in humble prayer…praise ought always…to come before petition…
17 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed honour, a no-brainer, a viper's sting, adrenaline, antidote, aura of love, brilliant light of the Son, cloudy days, confidence, Creator of the universe, death, deliver the godly, deliver us from evil, enthusiasm, enticing, eternal life, eternal separation, evil, faith, faithfulness, fall victim to temptation, fleshly desire, for ever, free gift, glorious kingdom, glory to God, heavenly places, holy spirit, humble servants, Jesus Christ, lead us not into temptation, leading and guiding, life everlasting, LOVE, lust, Monday blues, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, on Jesus' behalf, punished, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, reserve the unjust, rest, reverberates in our hearts, right wrongs, salvation, sin, sinful nature, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, temptation, tempted of god, the day of judgement, the enemy's ranks, the gift of God, the glory, the hearts of all believers, the power, the wages of sin is death, thine is the kingdom, triumvirate God, trust, truth, ungodly world, unmerited favour, victory in Jesus, wisdom, work diligently
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Well friends, cloudy days are here again, but the hearts of all believers are shining brightly with the brilliant light of the Son! Glory to God!
Yes my believing brethren, the outside weather might be dark and dreary, but there’s absolutely no reason for our hearts to look the same since we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit of our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent triumvirate God living within us, leading and guiding us to victory in Jesus!
Wow! What a blessed honour that is my people! That’s why on this cloudy Monday morning, at least in my area, we need to get ourselves together and get out strong and work diligently on Jesus’ behalf.
And since Mondays are not kind to many of us (smile) let’s belt out our antidote for those Monday Blues, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. With one heart and voice 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!’
Oh I know friends, the adrenaline is just running through us now, and we’re rearing to go out and optimize our efforts in this evil and ungodly world and right whatever wrongs we can, all in the name of Jesus our Lord and Blessed Saviour!
And so we should, on the basis of all that He has done for us; selflessly bringing us salvation and eternal life through His woeful death on the cross at Calvary and then His triumphant Resurrection on Easter Sunday!
Now let’s look at our Bit, probably the last day for this one, (smile) who know eh? ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ Meaningful direction from Jesus on how we should pray.
Now yesterday we saw how He prayed sincerely to His heavenly Father for us, and it really touched my heart. Today we’ll look at why He had to pray for us, and why we still need lots of prayer.
Listen to James. ‘Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.’ (James 1:13) Words of absolute truth friends!
God doesn’t tempt us, for He doesn’t want us to do wrong. But He might allow some stuff to come against us to try our faithfulness. So why then do we fall victim to temptation eh?
James further enlightens us. ‘But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust (fleshly desires), and enticed.’ (James 1:14) Yeh mih people, it’s our sinful nature that propels us to temptation.
And what happens when we give into temptation? Hear James again. ‘Then when the lust (fleshly desire) hath conceived, it bringeth forth (gives birth to) sin, when it is finished (full grown), bringeth forth death.’ (James 1:15)
Oh friends, here we need to remember those immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Romans: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is everlasting life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23)
Yes precious people of God, as the scholars tell us: ‘6:23. Wages: Emphasizes what we deserve. Gift of God: Emphasizes God’s unmerited favour.’
However, we can only receive that unmerited free gift by believing on God’s Son, Jesus Christ. So it’s a decision each human being needs to make. Succumb to temptation and thus death; eternal separation from Almighty God, or accept Jesus and live forever with Him in heavenly places.
And that’s a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned, since eternal separation from God is the WORST thing that can ever happen to a human being.
Now let’s close with an interesting statement from Peter. ‘The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.’ (2 Pet.2:9)
Ah mih people, hopefully that statement reverberates in our hearts today and helps to keep us away from temptation. Much LOVE!
…temptation always seems so enticing…but in reality…it holds a deathly viper’s sting…
16 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a;ll may be as one, anguish sore, bitter grief, Charles Wesley, compose so rich a crown, deliver us from evil, evil, exalt, flow mingled down, for ever, glorify, grace, growing up in Tobago, guidance, I count but loss, I should boast, in the death of christ, in the world, in thy name, isaac watts, joy, Judas, lead us not into temptation, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, none is lost, pegged for hell, pour contempt on all my pride, praise, ransomed race, richest gain, righteous Father, sacrifice them to His blood, sacrificial deed, sanctify, sinners grace, sorro, St. Andrew's church, strength, temptation, the cross of Calvary, the evil one, the Gentiles, the glory, the Lord's sanctuary, the power, the Prince of Glory, the scripture might be fulfilled, the son of perdition, the upcoming week, the whole realm of nature, the world hated them, thine is the kingdom, thorns, thy truth, thy word, thy word is truth, vain things, when I survey the wondrous cross, worship, worthless sinners
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Ah friends, it’s another glorious Sunday morning and we’re gathered in the Lord’s sanctuary to praise and worship, glorify and exalt Him, as well as receive His awesome grace and mercy, strength and guidance for the new week that’s upcoming.
And as always, let’s open with a song of wonderful praise; ‘When I survey the wondrous cross.’ This is one of my favourite hymns, and it brings back fond memories of a boy growing up in Tobago and St.Andrew’s church in Scarborough during the Easter season, packed to capacity on a Sunday morning, full of young people, all raising their voices in praise.
So let’s raise our own voices in sacrificial praise now my people, let the heavens reverberate with the powerful and sincere sound of our voices, singing these inspirational words penned by Isaac Watts many moons ago, which Charles Wesley, another prominent hymn writer, reputedly said he would have given up all his songs, to be able to say he wrote this one.
‘When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and LOVE flow mingled down! Did e’er such LOVE and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
His dying crimson, like a robe, Spreads o’er His body on the tree; Then I am dead to all the globe, And all the globe is dead to me. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; LOVE so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.
[Added by the compilers of Hymns Ancient and Modern] To Christ, who won for sinners grace By bitter grief and anguish sore, Be praise from all the ransomed race. Forever and forevermore.’
Oh my fellow believers what a magnificent pouring out of praise in words that just touch the heart and truthfully reflect the awesome and sacrificial deed that Jesus so selflessly suffered on our behalf!
Without His sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary, we’d all still be worthless sinners pegged for hell with the evil one Lucifer. But through Jesus’ superhuman efforts we now are bound for glory instead through salvation and eternal life! Oh Glory be my brethren!
Ah friends, as Christians we should be happy like pigs in mud! (smile) And when we check out our Bit, those immortal words of Jesus in His blueprint for prayer, we should get even more joyful – if that’s possible (smile), because it assures us that we have a heavenly Father who is constantly watching over and guiding us, to whom we can turn to for comfort and succour in ALL situations!
Wow! How could we not LOVE Jesus eh, after all He’s done for us? And if you don’t believe me, then please listen to how Jesus prayed to His heavenly Father on our behalf before He underwent His own tough times.
‘I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more (longer) in the world, but these are in the world; and I come to thee Holy Father, keep them through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost (destroyed), but the son of perdition (destruction); (Judas), that the scripture might be fulfilled.
And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one).
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart for your purposes) through thy truth: thy word is truth. And as thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me.
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast LOVED them, as thou hast LOVED me.
Father, I will (desire) that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou LOVEDST me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the LOVE wherewith thou hast LOVED me may be in them, and I in them.’
Wow mih breddren, what an awesome prayer! I never intended to print it all, but once I got started I just could not stop. I doubt that anyone else has ever prayed so sincerely and fervently for any of us. Jesus even prayed for those that would come after Him, meaning the Gentiles, people like us.
And I have to confess, that though I’ve read those words before, they’ve never meant so much, or made such a difference before. I truly appreciate them now, and so I hope do you my fellow believers. It just goes to show the truth in the saying, the more we read the Word, the more our eyes are opened. Much LOVE!
…Jesus didn’t only die for us…He also prayed for us…
15 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a positive attitude, Anselm, challenges, Christian, common to man, decision making, deliver us from evil, different results, difficult times, discover, do what you want to do, dream, emotional distress, endurance, endures temptation, energy, evil, explore, for ever, fruition, glorify God's name, God is faithful, grocery shopping, grow, guidelines, hanging out with Jesus, heart's desires, household chores, humble thee, in your sails, joy, lazing around, lead us not into temptation, learning experiences, mature, money, opportunities, pleasure, problems, put your best foot forward, running from difficulties, safe harbour, Saturday, stop signs, taking in the sightd, temptation, the crown of life, the glory, the Mosaic Law, the power, them that love him, thine is the kingdom, this is the day the Lord has made, throw off the bowlines, thy latter end, time, trade winds, victory, we shall rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom, work clothes
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Saturday, O Saturday! What have you got in store for me today eh? Will it be an easy day, just lazing around the house or going out and taking in the sights? Or will it be pure drudgery, like household chores and grocery shopping?
Whatever kind of day you turn out to be though Saturday, I’m sure of this one thing; I’ll constantly have the company of Jesus with me, always by my side to provide a healthy chuckle or lend a helping hand when times get difficult. And we’re going to have good time, because this is the day the Lord has made, therefore we shall rejoice and be glad in it. Glory be, mih breddren!
What a joy and a pleasure it is to have Jesus hanging out with us. Chuh! It couldn’t get any better than that nuh! And though I could go on singing the praises of Jesus all day, He requires me to look at some of the quotes that our friend Anselm blessed us with this week, as he aspires to inspire us to a better tomorrow.
And this first quote is something many of us believers need to put into practice. ‘If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges.’ Remember friends, it’s a good, Christian attitude and always putting your best foot forward that eventually brighten your way.
This next quote should be obvious. ‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.’ Doing the same thing, or thinking the same way, won’t get different results.
Now these next two, which I’ve made one, are certainly interesting. ‘Problems are only opportunities in work clothes. Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.’ And there’s lots of truth in them both, for problems usually show us opportunities, as well as guide us in sound decision making.
And this last quote is a definite winner! ‘Do what you want to do. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.’
Gospel truth that friends! But we need to do our do with a modicum of circumspection and with God always predominant in the mix. And I can give a personal testimony to that, because over the years I’ve gone out on a limb – am still doing it (smile) – and done some of my heart’s desires.
Now they were expensive in terms of time, energy, money and emotional distress, but the Lord allowed me to experience them, and I don’t regret them, because they were all learning experiences. But I have to chuckle when I remember how the Lord eased me out of them all, when He considered it time to seriously get into His Word and write His Bit. God gives us dreams, my brethren, so that we can go after them and bring them to fruition and glorify His holy name.
Okay, enough rambling, let’s turn to our Bit, everlasting words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus, as He taught the disciples, and by extension, us, how to pray. ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’
Now yesterday we saw from the scholars’ explanation that God doesn’t tempt us, though He allows some to come against us to test our faithfulness. James gives us this talk on the subject. ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them the LOVE him.’ (James 1:12)
And the scholars have some interesting opinions on that verse which give us better understanding. ‘1:12. Mankind understandably may look on tragedy as the curse of God, as Job’s friends did. Trials are, however, the means through which God’s blessings can come. One’s endurance in and victory over trials bring God’s blessings. Christians, therefore, are not instructed to seek avenues of escape.
God desires that they mature in the situation rather than move from it. (cf. Rom.5:3-5; 1 Pet. 1:6-7). He does, however, promise to provide an escape if the testing becomes unbearable (1 Cor.10:13). God’s people need to meditate more on James 1:12 than 1 Cor.10:13. The reason for this, and why God allows trials in the lives of His people is revealed in the Mosaic Law: “That he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end” (Deut. 8:16).’
Ah mih people, I know that doesn’t sit well with some of us, since we’d prefer to escape all the trials and tests. But then how will we ever grow in faith eh, if we keep running from difficulties, because it’s in difficult times that we grow and mature?
And we’ll end with the verse from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians which the scholars believe makes us too soft and sappy. ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor.10:13)
And please note friends, the scholars tell us that the Greek term used in that verse refers more to a safe landing place for a ship, than for an actual escape. So the Lord’s plan is not for us to entirely escape the temptation, but help us to endure it and come out safely on the other side.
Let’s therefore stop thinking about only escaping temptation, but more about fighting through them and coming out victorious on the other side, with God’s help of course. That’s wisdom of eternal proportions! Much LOVE!
…only by fighting through trials…rather than escaping them…can a believer grow in faith…
14 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmation of faith, body, boundaries, carnal acts of the flesh, Christian character, cloudy, combat temptetion, come rain or shine, confrontation, dark times, deliver us from evil, doxology of praise, drab, entice us, evil, exalted as head, faith, fellowship, fleshly pleasures, for ever, for thine is the kingdom, Friday chant, fun, generous help, good times, heavenly showers, honour, hope, lead us not into temptation, lusts, majesty, massa work, party hearty, party people, pay, praise to God, providential help, rain, refreshed, relaxation, remembering God, renewed, resist the devil, rest, riches, righteousness, seep into our hearts, showing promise, simmer, sincerity, sinful gifts, soul, steadfast, strengthens our faith, temptation, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the glory, the power, the power of God, the thirsty ground, the weekend, the work of Jesus, the workingman, truth, ungodly, victory, watered, week of work, wisdom
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Well my people, we did not get the rain that we were expecting in my area yesterday, it just remained drab and cloudy, showing promise, but nothing else. However, shortly after midnight, heavenly showers came pelting down in a big way and finally the thirsty ground was watered and refreshed. Praise to God!
Right now it’s still damp and cloudy outside, and who knows what will happen later on. But nonetheless it’s Friday, and the weekend looms large and the ordinary workingman can’t help but shout: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! It seems like the weekend would never come! And massa work so blooming hard…and the pay so li’l bit!
But for the next couple days we don’t have to worry about massa and he work at all, at all nuh. It’s we time to do what we want… where and with whom. And believe me, come rain or shine, we going to party hearty for the next couple days! Oh Thank God for Fridays and the weekends! Party people, let the party begin!’
And who doesn’t like a party eh, especially after a hard week of work? But the boundaries, friends, the boundaries must be tighter than those the ordinary workingman seem to be proposing, else we’re liable to fall into too many evil, ungodly and carnal acts of the flesh, which won’t sit right with our supposed Christian character.
Our Friday Chant contains a much better intent, so let’s declare it now in all sincerity and truth. ‘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 people, I know that it seems to take all the fun out of living, out of the carnal aspect of life yes, but it reinforces our Christian values, which we need to keep firm and steadfast so that we don’t fall to the endless temptation that the evil enemy constantly throws at us.
That brings us to our Bit, immortal words of Jesus, a part of what He gave us as a blueprint for prayer. ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’
Yes, precious followers of Christ, we indeed need to seek the power of God to help us resist the entreaties of the evil one, who constantly comes bearing worldly, carnal, sinful gifts to entice us into foregoing our righteousness.
We can’t do it on our own, for our sinful and lustful flesh naturally leans towards the ungodly things of the world. And it’s only through the amazing power of God, His Holy Spirit working in us, that we can resist the fleshly pleasures and beautiful looking things of the world that are constantly held up to us for participation and acceptance.
Now listen to the scholars’ explanation of that verse. ‘6:13-15. Lead us not into temptation is a plea for the providential help of God in our daily confrontation with the temptation of sin. God does not tempt us to do evil, but we are tempted by our own lusts (James 1:13-14).
However, God does test us in order to give us the opportunity to prove our faithfulness to Him. He never desires to lead us into evil itself. Therefore if we resist the Devil, we are promised that he will flee from us.
The prayer closes with a doxology of praise: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen, which is a liturgical ending similar to 1 Chronicles 29:11. Though omitted in some manuscripts, these words constitute a fitting and climactic affirmation of faith.’
Yeh friends, it’s faith and hope; hungry hope and expectant faith that carries us through the dark times, as well as the good times. Let’s not forget our awesome God when things are going well with us, as we are so tempted to do. Remembering all the good things He has done for us in the past helps to strengthen our faith.
Now let’s end with the magnificent prayer of Bruh David to which the scholars alluded, after he encouraged his people to give generously to the building of the Lord’s sanctuary.
‘Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.’ (1 Chr.29:11-13)
What beautiful words of praise and thanksgiving friends! Please, let’s allow them to seep into our hearts and souls today, and gently simmer there as we go about doing the work of Jesus. That’s wisdom of eternal proportions! Much LOVE!
…God does not tempt…He combats temptation…
19 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciple's prayer, almighty god, as we forgive our debtors, aura of love, call unto me, confidence, deliver us from evil, Eliphaz, enthusiasm, for thine is the kingdom, forgive us our debts, forgiveness, give us this day our daily bread, glorious kingdom, hallowed be thy name, humble servants, I love them that love me, I will answer thee, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus is calling, joy, labouring time, lead us not into temptation, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, on earth as it is in heaven, Our Father which art in heaven, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, show thee great and mighty things, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Lord's prayer, the power and the glory, those that seek me early will find me, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, ungodly world, vain repetition, wisdom
Proverbs 8:17. I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) will find me.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s labouring time, labouring time! Monday morning is here, and Jesus is calling to us to join the fray…
But first He says, just take a few moments and pray: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever…and ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:10-13)
Yes my people, it’s a simple and somewhat generic prayer, but nonetheless powerful in its simplicity. According to the old time formula for prayer, it begins with adoration …’Hallowed be thy name…’ then moves into petition…’Give us this day our daily bread…’ then ends in more adoration…’For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory…’
And though it’s a useful prayer, per the scholars: ‘This prayer, often called the “Lord’s Prayer,” is in reality a disciple’s prayer. In no way does the prayer itself embody all of Christ’s teaching about prayer; and having just warned against vain repetition (v.7), He did not intend for this particular prayer to be merely recited with empty meaninglessness.’
Unfortunately though, that’s what many of us do; recite it without any true heart-felt feeling. Please let’s stop doing that, because it just demeans and lessens the power and purpose of the prayer.
And having said all of that, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a joy and exuberance that will put a brilliant smile on Jesus’ face, and have the Father tapping His toe and clapping along with us.
In perfect 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!’
Oh my people, that was indeed wonderful…magnificent…magnifico! You could see the joy in Jesus’ eyes as He wielded His baton with grace and majesty, while the angels sang along. And, wonder of wonders, the Father, unable to help Himself, had to get up and dance, so moving and exhilarating was the performance! Mama Mia!
Now that ought to get us all ‘adrenalized’ (smile) to go out and do God’s will, and thus invoke the sentiments of our Bit. ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) will find me.’
Ah mih breddren, how truly wonderful it is to LOVE and serve the Most High God and be able to seek and find Him under any and all circumstances. Let’s make sure though that we just don’t seek Him when times are rough and we need help, as so many of us tend to do.
It’s ever so important to seek Him during both the bad and good times, so that we don’t give the impression that we’re only in it for what we can get from our omnipotent God, but because we truly LOVE and adore Him and we feel refreshed and enlightened in His company; He just brings out the best in us.
Now let’s check out a couple of scriptures which corroborate our Bit, beginning with words from the promise of a glorious return to Jerusalem of the captive Israelites in Babylon. ‘Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not (are inaccessible).’ (Jer.33:2-3)
Yuh see Friends, Judah had turned away from the Lord, been corrupt, proud and unfaithful to their covenant with Him, so they had to suffer the unfortunate consequences. Likewise, we, individuals as well as nations will suffer serious consequences for our disobedience. However, our God is so gracious, merciful and forgiving, that if we repent and sincerely turn back to Him, He is willing to accept us back into His fold.
That brings us to Job being implored to repent of his sin by his buddy Eliphaz. ‘Acquaint now thyself with him (God), and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law (instructions) from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shall be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles (tents)…
For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.’ (Job 22:21-23, 26-28)
Yes my people, all Eliphaz says there is gospel truth, and since our God and His Word does not change, that means it all still applies to us today. So please let’s grab hold of wisdom, and understanding and sincerely turn to God, and follow Him faithfully from now until eternity, for that’s the only thing that makes any sense in this lost and forlorn world. Much LOVE!
…if you’re not following Jesus…then you’re not doing the right thing…and will suffer the eventual consequences…which won’t be very pleasant…
09 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heartfelt call, a myriad of reasons, a showboat act, all praise and glory to the Lamb, as we forgive our debtors, be not as the hypocrites, Calvary, commandments, conquering the hearts of men and women, daily bread, deliver us from evil, double visionm sitting on the fence, ecstatic babblings, Elijah, ever-Loving, forgive us our debts, give God some thanks and praises, glorious earth, glory hallelujah, go forth to love and serve the Lord, god, Gramps Schuller, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, in Jesus' name, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ won my heart, lead us not into temptation, leading and guiding, LOVE, love to pray standing in the synagogues, lustful, may be seen of men, misuse, Mount Carmel, New Testament, no man can serve two masters, our hearts and souls, our number one priority, pray to thy Father in secret, pray without ceasing, prayer, prophets of Baal, public prayer, restrictions, reward thee openly, robert h schuller, sacrifice, seek ye first the kingdom of God, selfless love, Sermon on the Mount, slefless, the bright Light and Love of jesus, the foundation prayer, the glorious truth, the greatest mountain climber, the heathen, the htings of heaven, the Lord's prayer, the prince of darkness, thine is the kingdom, thy will be done, too enamoured of the world, total obedience, vain repititions, warm and affectionate, worthless things
1 Thessalonians 5:17. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!
Oh Friends, on this Thursday spring morning, which looks like it will be another rainy day in my area, let’s give our wonderful God some thanks and praises nuh, for allowing us to see another fruitful day on His glorious earth.
And though our physical surroundings might be raining and cold or extremely hot and miserable, our hearts and souls are always warm and affectionate, because of the bright LIGHT and LOVE of Jesus flowing through them.
And all of God’s children said a loud and proud: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and glory be to the Lamb that was slain for us on Calvary’s hill!
And this morning I want to share a paragraph from the Hour of Power Devotional, where Gramps Schuller, (Robert H. Schuller) now sadly deceased, gives us a look at Jesus from his perspective.
‘Jesus Christ was the greatest mountain climber of all times. He climbed all the way to the top of the mountain of Calvary. And from that point He has been conquering the hearts of men and women for two thousand years. From His mountain peak, Jesus Christ won my heart.’
And isn’t that the glorious truth Friends? Jesus climbed to the top of Calvary and offered Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf, and for that selfless, ever-LOVING deed, He won our hearts hands down!
So why aren’t we showing more of that selfless LOVE to our brothers and sisters like he did eh? Who knows my people, who knows?
I guess there must be a myriad of reasons, but I suggest the strongest general one is that we are too enamoured of the world and its bright, lustful but worthless things, and not interested enough in Jesus and the things of heaven.
But remember that Jesus warned us to seek the kingdom of heaven first, that should be our number one priority, then our heavenly Father would add all those things that we need here on earth to us, for He knows our needs. (Matt.6:33)
He also warned us that no man can serve two masters; we can’t serve God and the prince of darkness at the same time. (Matt.6:24) That double vision and sitting on the fence attitude will get us nowhere with either personage, because they both desire total obedience.
That brings us to our Bit: PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.’
And let’s jump right away into Jesus’ teaching on prayer from the famous Sermon on the Mount. ‘And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites (pretenders) are: for they LOVE to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou prayest, enter into thy closet (inner room), and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.’ (Matt.6:5-8) That’s the truth in spades my people!
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘6:5-6. Praying, like giving, is to be done to the Lord, not to man. Jesus said that people LOVE to pray standing in the synagogues. Both a time and place for prayer were customary in the ancient Jewish synagogue (cf. Mark 11:25)
Therefore, Jesus is not condemning the practice of public prayer, but rather the misuse of it. Because of the statement enter into thy closet, some have suggested that all public prayer is wrong. This would be contrary to the rest of the New Testament statements about prayer, commandments and restrictions regarding prayer, and examples of prayer meetings (cf. Acts 12:12)
The principle here is that the believer should not make a show of his prayer nor the answers he receives to prayer in such a way as to call unnecessary attention to himself.’
‘6:7. Jesus warned that we use not vain repetitions (Gr. battalogeo denote babbling or speaking without thinking). Such prayer was characteristic of the heathen. A good example of this is found in the ecstatic babblings of the false prophets in the Old Testament and in the prophets of Baal who confronted Elijah on Mount Carmel (cf. 1 Kin.18:26-29).’
There we have it Friends! Prayer should be a humble, simple, often private, but sometimes public call to God, without a whole set of talking and repetition like we sometimes tend to do, figuring that the more we say, the more God will hear and answer. But that’s totally wrong my people. The Lord hears us the very first time.
After that, Jesus taught His disciples our foundation prayer, which is certainly worthy of hearing again. ‘After this manner therefore pray ye: Our father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:9-13)
And now my brethren, my fellow believers in Jesus, having said that prayer, let’s go forth to LOVE and serve our magnificent and magnanimous God nuh, with the awesome power of His Holy Spirit leading and guiding us this day and forever. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen! Much LOVE!
…prayer ought to be a heartfelt call…not a showboat act…
24 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accumulation of things, acknowledge God, as we forgive our debtors, awesome power, be content, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, Commit thy way to the Lord, contentment, Cousin Sol, deceitful thoughts and attitudes, deliver us from evil, desire to be rich, destruction, don't overwork, erred from the faith, esteem, eternal life, faith, favours, fight the good fight of faith, fly away as an eagle, focus, food and clothing, for thine is the kingdom, forbearance, forgive us our debts, forsake friends and families, forsake God, fortunes, give us our daily bread, goal of our lives, godliness, godly and righteous service, goodness, gospel truth, great gain, greediness, hallowed be thy name, headaches, heavenly rewards, holiness, Jesus, judgement, justice, lead us not into temptation, light, lost fortunes, LOVE, loving kindness, made fortunes, majesty, man of God, material wealth, meekness, meritorious benefits, moth and rust destroy, Our Father, pain, patience, perdition, physical riches, praise and thanks, priorities, Psalm 37, raison d'etre, respect, reverential awe, rewards, rewards for faithful service, riches have wings, righteousness., root of all evil, ruin, shun money, significant teaching of jesus, slaves to riches, snare, sorrows, stupidity, supernatural sight, teaching of Jesus, temptation, tender mercy, the LOVE of money, the power and the glory, thieves break in, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, Timothy, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, true motives of our hearts, trust in the Lord, where your treasure is there is your heart, wings, wisdom
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin, destroy), and where thieves break through and steal.
Aye mih Friends, it’s Thursday, what’s new, what’s on the agenda for today eh? I know that all of us have lofty plans for the day, but just remember, for them to succeed, we have to commit these plans to the Lord, link them with His plan and will for our lives.
As Bruh David so wisely advises in 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.’ (Ps.37:5-6)
But first things first my brethren; let’s give our wonderful God a mighty shout of praise and thanks for causing us to see another marvelous day here on earth, for without His goodness and tender mercy, His LOVING-kindness and forbearance, that wouldn’t be possible.
So please pray with me, this prayer that Jesus taught us. ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:9-13)
Yes my people, it’s always best to acknowledge our heavenly Father before we begin asking Him for this and that. It just shows our respect, our reverential awe for His holiness, His spectacular majesty and awesome power, and that we’re not merely interested in whatever good things He might have to offer us.
For also remember that He can see, and does read the true motives of our hearts, so any hypocrisy we try to hide from Him WILL BE exposed to His supernatural sight. Consequently, I don’t understand how so many of us still come to God with deceitful thoughts and attitudes, thinking to fool Him. Absolute stupidity!
Anyway, that brings us to our Bit, a very significant teaching of Jesus. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin, destroy), 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)
Oh Friends, what a very instructive and hopefully convincing passage of scripture, that all of us will sincerely and confidently take note of!
And the scholars have this to say about those verses. ‘6:19-21. The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term treasures implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven).
The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather of rewards for faithful service, as illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’
Yes my brethren, unlike the world’s theory that we should aggrandize ourselves with the worthless physical riches of the earth, Jesus is advising us to store up the favours and rewards for godly and righteous service in heaven.
And it’s a proven fact that wherever the choice things of our heart are located, that’s where our attention will be focused. So if the treasures of the world hold the place of highest esteem in our lives, then that’s where our focus, our priorities, will lie.
However, if the rewards and riches found in heaven speak more to us, then it’s on heaven and heavenly things that our focus and priorities will be trained.
And though the riches of the world are nice to have, running behind them, making ourselves slaves to collecting them is not a very wise idea. For that path only brings immense headaches and pain, in the long run causing us to forsake our friends and families, and most importantly our God.
Now let’s look at some scriptures that support our Bit. And the first comes from the pen of wise Cousin Sol, where he unequivocally declares: ‘Labour not (do not overwork) to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? (Will you cause your eyes to fly on it, and it is not?) For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.’ (Prov.23:4-5)
And who should know the effect of riches my people, better than the richest man ever eh? And it is the gospel truth, as we can see from the many who have laboured long and hard to attain material wealth, then lost it all, in no time at all.
And there are also many stories of people who have made and lost several earthly fortunes in a lifetime. So it’s essentially easy to amass earthly riches, but the problem is keeping them.
And we’ll end today with those wise, famous and memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content.
But they that will (desire to) be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds of) evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things (shun a LOVE of money); and follow after (pursue) righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:6-12)
Oh my people, that passage of scripture says it all! So please, I implore us, let’s all look seriously today at our attitude towards material wealth, and wisely place it at the nether end of our priorities, not make it the goal of our lives.
Instead, let’s make the accumulation of heavenly rewards our raison d’etre, our reason for living. Now that’s the wisdom of everlasting life! Much LOVE!
…earthly wealth can easily be lost…and in any case we leave it all behind…when we go to collect our heavenly rewards…so why doggedly pursue it eh…
09 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as we forgive our debtors, ask, asking for help, believer in Jesus Christ, blessings, bounden duty, communicating with God, communion, crying out to God in prayer, daily bread, deliver us from evil, despising shame, do unto others as you want them to do to you, don't give in to negative circumstances, endured the cross, factual data, faithful, forgive our debts, forgiveness, fundamental importance of prayer, God has heard my prayer, God has promised, God in the flesh, God's people, greetings, hallowed be thy name, heartfelt prayer, hold on to the Lord's faithful promises, in faith, in trust, it's good to be alive, Jesus, Jesus went out into a mountain to pray, joy, knock, lay aside every weight, lead us not into temptation, LOVE, loving kindness, magnanimous god, mercy, new mercies, Our Father which art in heaven, patience, perfecter of our faith, perseverance, prayer, prayer to god, promises, right hand of God, run with patience, salutations, seek, something joyful to look forward to, son of god, stand strong and steadfast, surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, teach us to pray, the author, the Father's help, the golden rule, the number one means of communicating with God, the power and the glory, the sin which ensnares us, thine is the kingdom, thy will be done, to work all things out for our good, trials and tribulation, trumped up situation, we shun it to our detriment
Psalm 66:1. But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Oh Friends, blessings and greetings and salutations this Wednesday morning! It’s certainly good to be alive, although all might not be right with us.
And remember that new mercies and LOVING-kindness from our magnanimous God will be filtering down to us all day, so that’s something joyful to look forward to.
Therefore, let us not give in to any negative circumstances that are coming against us. Instead, let us stand strong and steadfast in faith and trust, for we know not what the end of the day will bring, for the Lord has promised to work all things out for the benefit of His people.
So if you consider yourself to be one of God’s people, then it’s your bounden duty to hold on to the Lord’s faithful promises. And if that is proving difficult to do, then there is always the option of crying out to Him in prayer, asking for help to handle the situation until He is ready to deal with it.
Remember, prayer is the NUMBER ONE means of communicating with our heavenly Father, and we shun it to our own detriment. And that’s not a trumped up situation, but one established by thousands of years of factual data.
That’s why the author of Hebrews could say with much conviction: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us.
Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfecter) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb.12:1-2)
Oh my people, do you think the ‘cloud of witnesses’ went through all of their trials and tribulations for nothing? Or that the Father sent Jesus to die for us with no great plan envisioned?
Obviously not! The Lord made us in the first place so that he could have communion with us, which came about through prayer and answer. And even though we fell and became sinful, it was still the Lord’s intention to have meaningful communion with us.
Therefore He sent Jesus to pay the price needed for us to come before Him…again in prayer. Communicating with God has always been, and will always be first and foremost through prayer my people!
That’s why the psalmist could say in our Bit with such utter conviction, even before Jesus came to earth to save us: ‘But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.’
That Friends, is also why I’m trying to drive home to us the fundamental importance of prayer in believers lives! For it surely is surprising the number of supposed believers who don’t engage in serious prayer. But how can you call yourself a sincere believer in Jesus Christ and don’t indulge in serious and sincere communication with Him eh?
For how do you think Jesus managed to bear His trials and tribulations on earth? By prayer! Although he was God in the flesh, He still needed the Father’s help to bear the painful tasks set out for Him.
Hear the Good Book on the subject: ‘And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.’ (Luke 6:12)
Oh my brethren, if the Son of God needed prayer down here on earth to help Him, why do we mere mortals think that we don’t eh, and don’t seriously consider it?
And the importance of prayer is further highlighted my people by this episode: ‘And it came to pass, that as he (Jesus) was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.’ (Luke 11:1)
Yuh see Friends, knowing the importance of prayer in their lives, John must have thought his disciples to pray. And according to the scholars: ’11:1. Religious communities of the time customarily had their own distinctive prayers. Perhaps the disciples wanted theirs.’
But whatever the reason, Jesus granted their request, giving them this prayer as an example. ‘After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt.6:9-15)
Ah mih breddren, yuh see how important Jesus considered forgiveness that after the basic prayer, He went on to talk about it?
That should tell us all something, basically we ought to obey the golden rule: do unto others as you would that they do unto you, for as you do to others God will do to you. And that’s all I have to say for today. (smile)
Now may the Lord bless us and keep us safely under the protection of His powerful presence, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Much LOVE!
…the best way to ask, seek and knock…is through heartfelt prayer…
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