12 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man lay down his life, a mountain too high, an ocean too deep, atone for our sins, awesome truth, clarion call of love, cleansing blood, commandments, concentrate on love, diligence, enthusiasm, ever since he touched my heart, excellence, faithful, for his friends, from now until forever, give thanks, God loved us, godly tasks, greater love hath no man, he is my destiny, hear the Word, I always must be, I love him, I will follow him, Jesus Christ, joyous expressions in song, LOVE, Love makes the world go round, LOVE one another, miniscule by comparision, my true love, near him, nothing can keep me from him, our greatest possession, our life, our Lord and Saviour, Paul Mauriat, praise, Pranck Pourcel, receptive, right relationship with the Father, sacrifice, sincerity, softening our hearts, the best of the best, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the Lord's Day, the Lord's sanctuary, to keep me away, worship
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Ah friends, another wonderful Sunday is upon us! Glory be! And I know that we’re all headed for the Lord’s sanctuary to give Him thanks and praise, to worship and fellowship with other believers, to hear His awesome Word, and to renew and refresh our souls, so we can take back up our godly tasks this upcoming week and perform them with the excellence and diligence that the Lord requires.
And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with faithful and joyous expressions in song, thus softening our hearts and making them more receptive to the Word. And who says our Lord doesn’t move in marvellous and mysterious ways eh!
Today’s song is one from way back when. It’s not a hymn either, but a teenybopper’s clarion call of LOVE. I heard it recently and thought, ‘Wow! That’s the same sentiments we ought to have about Jesus. It should make a good Sunday piece. And believe me, when I began to consider a song for today, that was the first and only one to come to mind.
So here it is. ‘I Will Follow Him” is a popular song that was first recorded in 1961 by Franck Pourcel, as an instrumental titled “Chariot”. The song achieved its widest success when it was recorded by American singer Little Peggy March with English lyrics in 1963. Franck Pourcel and Paul Mauriat wrote the music. Arthur Altman adapted it. Norman Gimbel wrote the English lyrics.’
Most of you old fogies should know it, so let’s sing with enthusiasm and sincerity: ‘I Love him, I love him, I love him And where He goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow – I will follow him, follow him wherever He may go There isn’t an ocean too deep A mountain so high it can keep me away – I must follow him (follow him), ever since he touched my (heart) hand I knew That near him I always must be And nothing can keep him from me He is my destiny (destiny)-
I love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow, Jesus will always be my true love, my true love, my true love From now until forever, forever, forever –
I will follow him (follow him), follow him wherever he may go There isn’t an ocean too deep A mountain so high it can keep, keep me away Away from my love (I love him, I love him, I love him) – I love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow, Jesus will always be my true love, my true love, my true love From now until forever, forever, forever –
I will follow him (follow him), follow him wherever he may go There isn’t an ocean too deep A mountain so high it can keep, keep me away Away from my love And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow – I know I’ll always love him, I love him, I love him And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow – I know I’ll always love him, I love him, I love him.’
Yeh friends, those are words of awesome faith and trust that we ought to continually express in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! By the way, I didn’t have the wherewithal to capitalize LOVE, the many times it showed up, (smile) but you all know the high regard in which we hold it. For all that Jesus has done for us, following Him to the top of any mountain and the depths of any sea is miniscule by comparison.
And oh, when we talking about LOVING Him… Mama Yo! Our hearts just burst with the emotions that overflow them! Such is the great feeling we have for Him and His sacrifice on our behalf! No one else LOVED us enough to die for us…
And even if they did, their death did not have the power to do what His did; atone for our sins, cleanse us with His cleansing blood, and most of all bring us back into right relationship with our heavenly Father from whom we’ve been ostracized for oh so long. And Jesus hit the nail on the head when He declared to His disciples in our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth? Our greatest possession is our life, and if we give it for someone or something, then we must feel very close to that person or thing. And Jesus laid down His life for us, whom He considered His friends; those that do His commandments.
And here is an even more awesome scripture on the wonderful attribute of LOVE: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10) Mama Mia! It couldn’t get any better than that! That’s the best of the best!
All praise and glory to our wonderful heavenly Father for LOVING us so much that He broke His own heart by giving up His only Son as a sacrifice for us. Therefore, as John continues: ‘Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:11) End of sermon!
So friends, in honour of the Lord’s Day, let’s concentrate on LOVE today nuh. Much LOVE!
…LOVE is what makes the world go round…the LOVE of the Father for us…the LOVE of Jesus for us…and our LOVE for Jesus and the Father…
06 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a prowler, a robber, a storm of nonsense, admonished, an armed man, be wise, cease to exist, Colorado, consider her ways, creating new worth, crumble, diligence, dire poverty, enriching feeling, feeding on themselves, fell to ruin, fire and brimstone, folding of the hands, foundation of joy, gathers food, get on board, get over the hump, glad to be alive, go to the ant, good fruit, grace, Guatemala, habitually lazy person, halfway home, hands on the plough, hard work, Hawaii, heavenly Father, homelessness, in the hands of a few, in the harvest, joy, joyfully declare, knock us for six, leader, learn from the ant, looking forward to, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, make ends meet, mercy, negative things, New Mexico, no guide, not looking back, overseer, part-time work, poverty, prayers, predictable circumstances, prosperity, relative comfort, right the wrongs, self-starter, sit on our laurels, sleep, sluggard, smell the java, summer time, taskmaster, the breath of life, the fallen lot, the middle of the week, the weekend, this is the day the Lord has made, threat, trash pile, uplifting, volcanic problems, wake up, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wealth, wealthy societies, Wednesday Wail, wildfires, winter season
Proverbs 6:6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
So friends, it’s Wednesday, the middle of the work week. Are you already looking forward to the weekend? I know a lot of us are. Wednesday just seems to be the day we get over the hump. (smile) But there is no need to relegate the other days to the trash pile because every day comes bearing good fruit and plenty of grace, mercy and LOVE from our heavenly Father.
We ought to enjoy each and everyday regardless of what it’s called and what we have to do in it. That’s why I want to begin today by joyfully declaring like the psalmist of old: ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’
Mamacita! What a good, uplifting and enriching feeling that produces! With that foundation of joy, we can now move on and handle whatever negative things that may come against us.
And in our relative comfort, let’s remember in our prayers those unfortunate people in Hawaii and Guatemala who are dealing with volcanic problems, and those in New Mexico and Colorado where wildfires are burning out of hand. Yuh know fire and brimstone are mankind’s biggest threat. (smile)
And I was just led to an interesting and very appropriate Bit for out times. Hear these words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise; Which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (bread, grain) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov.6:6-8)
Ah my people, in these unfortunate times of excessive laziness, sloth and entitlement, there is no better example for us to follow than the ordinary ant, who though they have no leader or leaders like us, go about their business with such wisdom, gathering their food for the winter season in the summer time and storing it away for the rough times to come.
And Cousin Sol continues on the subject: ‘How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov.6:9-11)
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘6:6-11. The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (v.7), meaning that the ant does not have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (v.8).
Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard (v.9). His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little bit more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber (v.11).’
Oh friends, I don’t know if there has ever been a time when our interest in working, in being productive has been lower than now. But I guess to a certain extent it comes with the territory, meaning that the more a society becomes prosperous, the more we tend to sit on our laurels and forget what and who brought us to that position of prosperity.
It’s only hard work and diligence that enriches a society, and when we forget that, the society will inevitably crumble. That’s why our history is loaded with wealthy societies that soon fell to ruin, because they began feeding on themselves, rather than creating new worth.
And if we look closely and realistically we will see the same thing happening with our current society. In this supposedly wealthy and prosperous society, our young people are more into partying and chatting up a storm of nonsense than doing productive work and so many of us have to work at more than one job just to make ends meet.
Notwithstanding that jobs are becoming fewer and fewer, and when you find one it’s mostly part time. The level of poverty and homelessness is ridiculous for the amount of wealth we have, but so much of that wealth is in the hands of a very few fortunate and greedy ones.
And because of that wealth, they sit in their high towers and comfortable palatial homes and don’t recognize that our society is going to the dogs, is dying a slow and painful death, and unless that wealth is shared, some time, sooner than we expect, the full effects of a very lopsided economy and society will knock us for six!
Consequently friends, I implore us to wake up and smell the java, which incidentally is a huge aspect of our economy, and start trying to right the wrongs that we are able to. Yes, unless and until, each and every one of us begin to start making changes within our spectrum, our society will just keep going downhill, until we’ll be eventually numbered amongst the fallen lot.
It’s not too late friends, so let’s get to it nuh. The LOVE Revolution of Jesus is waiting, praying and hoping that you will get on board. And for those of us who are already on board, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in and with Jesus.
In strong voice and sincere heart, let’s wail: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we know that that future with Jesus will indeed be most glorious! Much LOVE!
…anything that feeds on itself…will soon cease to exist…so let’s be wise…and learn from the ant nuh…
11 Apr 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, adversity, African Proverb, appreciative, be glad in the Lord, benefits, bless the Lord, blessings, boogey along, breathtaking, compass him about, connection to Christ, declare God's work, diligence, disunity, drive them away, earthly lot, enemies be scattered, eternal life, eternity, exalt, exceedingly rejoice, excellence, extol, flee before God, focus straight ahead, glad to be alive, glorious future, go alone, go far, go quickly, go with friends, God's omnipotence, God's unrelenting power, halfway home, hands on the plough, hindrances, in the name of Jesus, in unity, Jah, joyfully, let God arise, let the righteous be glad, mind-blowing, negatively based lives, not looking back, obits, poor-me-one, positively, priase God, problems, rejoice before God, rides upon the heavens, right blend, righteous, salvation, sing unto God, smoke is driven away, sorrows, sufferation, suffering, surround, the breath of life, the heart of the matter, the presence of God, the wicked, the wicked perish, upright in heart, wax melts, Wednesday Wail, welcome, woe is me
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Welcome, welcome, one and all, to another brand new day on God’s great earth! Bless the Lord, praise His holy name! If you are reading this, then you can be assured that your name and/or picture has not shown up in today’s obits. (smile)
That means that our heavenly Father has more work for each of us to do down here on earth. Our time for going to heaven just hasn’t arrived as yet. So whatever the Lord has planned for us today, please, let’s go out and do it with diligence and excellence nuh, because that’s the attitude our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ desires from His followers. Glory to God!
Now here is a li’l African Proverb to tease our minds. It says: ‘If you want to go quickly – go alone. If you want to go far – go with friends.’ And it does sound logical, since by yourself you can just boogey along to wherever you want to go, with no hindrances.
However, the distance you can travel, if you have others along to help and carry you when you get tired is greater than trying to do it alone. So let’s ponder that this morning nuh, and try to find the right blend of how quickly we want to go with how far we want to go. (smile)
And while we are pondering that, let us also consider these wise and wonderful words of Bruh David from Psalm 68 – God has gone before his people – which includes our Bit.
‘Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.’
Ah friends, wise words that strike right to the heart of the matter; God’s omnipotence! And if the wicked shall perish before His unrelenting power, then the righteous, His followers, should rejoice and be exceedingly glad, because they will enjoy all His benefits and blessings.
And that’s the state we Christians ought to be living in today and everyday; one of rejoicing in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Unfortunately though, there are too many supposed Christians who are not living that kind of life. Too many of us are living this ‘poor-me-one,’ ‘woe is me’ lifestyle, unwisely believing that ‘sufferation’ is our earthly lot. But my people that’s the furthest thing from the truth, since Jesus died that we may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have problems and go through adversity, but suffering is not to be our main lot! If it were so, then Jesus would have died in vain, because we were already suffering and looking forward to a disastrous life in Hades before He came.
And since Jesus came to give us another and much better option for our lives, then we ought to be extremely glad and rejoice for salvation and the promise of eternal life in heaven with Him at some stage of the game.
So please, let’s get rid of this ‘sufferation’ complex so many of us have and just be glad in the Lord nuh my brethren. It’s why Jesus came and sacrificed His life for us.
Instead, as Bruh David continues, we ought to: ‘Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol (exalt, praise) him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH (Lord), and rejoice before him.’ (Ps.68:4)
Mama Mia! What wonderful advice! Now if only believers could cotton to that and do it eh! What a wonderful world this would be!
Oh fellow believers in Christ, I’m imploring us today to stop living the negatively based lives that so many of us are wrongly living. Let’s get rid of all the disunity and negative stuff that’s spoiling our lives and our church community and instead live the way Jesus died for us to live; positively and joyfully, in unity with each other.
As Bruh David says in Psalm 64 – Plot and punishment: ‘And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.’ (Ps.64:9-10)
Remember friends, we are supposed to be righteous and upright in heart! That means we ought to glory in our great and wonderful God, not simply plod along like suffering pilgrims!
Now listen to these two verses from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness – as Bruh David reiterates his wise advice. ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him).
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps.32:10 –11) And if Bruh David said it should be so, then let’s make it so nuh! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all the world know of our wonderful connection to, and with Jesus Christ. All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And I can’t help remarking that spending eternity with Jesus will indeed be glorious, mind-blowing and breathtaking! Much LOVE!
…for all the good and wonderful things that Jesus stands for…Christians ought to be much more appreciative and joyful…
08 Apr 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a present help, a refuge, close in death, common sense, defense, diligence, Easter, excellence, faith, fellowship, fleeting breath, for the oppressed, forgiveness, from thy wounded side, golden oldie, has not forsakne them, helpless, I was glad, in time of trouble, in times of trouble, let me hide myself in thee, let us go into the house of the Lord, logic, look to thee for grace, my salvation, my soul waits on God, no respite, nooks and crannies, omnipotent god, pour out your heart, praise, preserve me from trouble, raise our voices, reading God's Word, renewal of our souls, rock of ages, safety, security, seeking refuge in God, Selah, soften up our hearts, songs of deliverance, strong tower, thanks, the double cure, The Lord will be a stronghold, the water and the blood, to thy cross I cling, true courage, trust, trustworthy sentiments, truth, truthful mouthful, ungodly society, walk this evil world, wisdom, zeal
Psalm 9:7. The Lord also will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
‘I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps.122:1) Oh my fellow believers, what better way is there to begin this first Sunday after Easter than with the encouraging words of Bruh David eh? None really!
And I do hope that we all will be glad to go to the Lord’s sanctuary today to give Him thanks and praise and receive His awesome renewal of our souls and spirits through the reading of His word and our fellowship with other believers, so that we can continue to do His work with exceeding diligence and excellence in this evil and ungodly society. What a mouthful! (smile) But a truthful mouthful.
And as always, we’ll begin with some praise and worship to soften up our hearts, so that the Lord’s word can quietly and easily seep into all its nooks and crannies and revive us. Glory to God my brethren, for there is none like Him! Therefore let’s raise our voices to high heaven in sacrificial praise as we sing the golden oldie hymn, ‘Rock of Ages.’ It’s a hymn based on the theme of refuge, and today we’re seeking refuge in our great God.
All together now people: ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labor of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, When my eyes shall close in death, When I rise to worlds unknown, And behold Thee on Thy throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.’
Ah friends, there is no place of greater safety and refuge than under the mighty wings of our omnipotent God, as our Bit and the verse following it testify. ‘The Lord also will be a refuge (stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps.90-10)
Oh precious people of God, that’s gospel truth and wisdom to the nth level! And Bruh David is talking about us there; the ones who wisely put their trust in Almighty God! Glory be my people! Now that theme of refuge and stronghold being found in God is a constant in Bruh David’s writings. Let’s look at some of them.
In Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness, he powerfully proclaims: ‘Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah.’ (Ps.32:7)
Meanwhile in Psalm 46 – God is our refuge and strength – Bruh David opens with this bold declaration: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present (an abundantly available) help in time of trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps.46:1-3)
Wow! What powerful and trustworthy sentiments my fellow believers! I do hope that all of us gathered here today can express them as sincerely and powerfully, for it is only when we have that kind of faith, trust and security in our heavenly Father, that we can walk this evil and cruel earth with true courage.
And lastly, in Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and my salvation – Bruh David declares in no uncertain terms: ‘Truly my soul waiteth (waits silently) upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense (strong tower); I shall not be greatly moved (shaken)…In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.’ (Ps.62:1-3, 7).
Yes mih breddren, Bruh David was very sure of the One in whom he placed his trust; the Creator and Controller of the universe. And likewise, so should we. But just in case we don’t, or we’re not sure, let’s take this wise and very timely advice from Bruh David. ‘Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62:8) And that’s the indisputable truth!
So let’s go home this morning refreshed and lifted up my fellow believers, with God joyfully filling every inch of our hearts, bodies and souls, as our heavenly Father desires. Much LOVE!
…wisdom, common sense and logic…all dictate that we put our trust…in the One who created the universe and all therein…
22 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, actions, alive and kicking, behaviour, blessings, blind, brand of Christianity, broken, Christ's Church, Christian attributes, church at Laodicea, compassionate heart, compromise, creativity, curse, diligence, divine protection, excellence, faith, favour, fence sitting, God's great earth, help, I know thy works, in the name of Jesus, kicking butt for Jesus, lack of genuine faith, lackadaisical, lacklustre, lazy, legalistic approach, LOVE Revolution, lukewarm, medicinal qualities, miserable, naked, nausea, need nothing, negative word, neither cold nor hot, no passion, obits, poor, positive outlook, pray, promotion, Revelation, rich, scared, self-control, share our blessings, spew thee out, steadfast, success, talk a good talk, thanks and praise, the things of God, the things of the world, Thursday's Blessings, volunteer, walk a good walk, wealthy, worthless, wretched, zeal
Revelation 3:15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert (wish you were) cold or hot.
Awright mih breddren, another wonderful day on God’s great earth is upon us! Give Him thanks and praise! And you know what? I just checked the obits and none of our names or pictures are listed there! Wow! That must mean that we’re alive, alive and kicking, alive and kicking butt for Christ! (smile) I like that.
It sounds like something we were meant to do. But are we doing it? To a certain extent yes, but definitely not as much as we ought to. The problem with our brand of Christianity these days seems to be that we are doing a lot of right things, but we are not doing them sufficiently.
You know, you can give, volunteer, help, pray, whatever, show Christian attributes, but with a lacklustre attitude, no real passion for what you’re doing. It doesn’t seem to come from the heart, but from the mind. Like I’m supposed to do so and so, so I’ll do it, but not with any real zeal; a more legalistic approach than a heart-felt one.
But Jesus calls for excellence, passion, and diligence in His followers. That reminds me of what He said to the church in Laodicea, through John’s vision in Revelation, our Bit for today. ‘I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert (wish you were) cold or hot.’
Ah friends, that’s exactly how Christ’s church is today. The zeal and passion for growing it, for enhancing Christ’s LOVE Revolution doesn’t’ seem to be present in sufficient quantity amongst its believers. We still seem to be too taken up with the matters of the world and not enough with those of heaven.
And as Jesus continues after our Bit: ‘So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew (spit, vomit) thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods (have become wealthy), and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.’ (Rev.3:16-17)
Yes my people, if we look at ourselves in truth, we will see that we are still too taken up with the things of the world and not those of God, thus Jesus’ reproach.
Listen to these explanations from the scholars. ‘3:15-16. The church is likened to lukewarm water, or as being virtually worthless. Christ says He will “spew them out,” or eject them from His company. The hot waters of nearby Hierapolis were known for their medicinal qualities, whereas Colossae was known for its cold, pure water.
But Laodicea was forced to receive water by aqueduct from other areas. By the time it arrived at Laodicea it was lukewarm and provoked nausea. The works of the Laodicean church were as worthless as the city’s lukewarm water. The description does not refer to a backslidden condition, but rather to their lack of genuine faith.’
Ah friends, although I don’t think our contributions to Christ’s church are totally useless, I do believe that they are not worthwhile enough because our faith is not strong enough. Too many of us are too scared, lazy and lackadaisical about our faith. We don’t stand up steadfast and strong enough for what we believe in.
There is too much fence sitting and compromise in our behaviour and actions. And both those things lessen the strength of anything. We talk a good talk, but we don’t walk a good enough walk.
That’s why Jesus commanded the church at Laodicea: ‘I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried (refined) in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment (garments), that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear (may not be revealed); and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.’ (Rev.3:18)
I have to chuckle there friends, because nobody can turn a phrase like Jesus, can admonish you the way He does. And the scholars have this to say about that scripture. ‘3:17-19. Laodicea was famous for its wealth, its bankers, its medical school, its popular eyesalve, and its textile industry.
Christ says that spiritually the people of the church are poor, blind, and naked. True wealth is found only in God’s grace. This church had no spiritual value (gold), virtue (white raiment), or vision (eyesalve). He urges the Laodiceans to repent of their lack of genuine faith and of spiritual understanding.’
Fellow believers in Christ, I believe that admonition of Jesus will also stand us in good stead today. Please, I implore us to stop running after the things and wealth of the world, because they will avail us nothing in the time to come. It’s time we raise the level of our faith and actions and concentrate on sincerely growing Christ’s church as personified by His LOVE Revolution. Why do you think He blessed us with our Thursday Blessings eh? So that we can lift Him up.
Now let’s declare those blessings with a sincere heart and strong belief. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And if we truly believe, it, then let’s go out and share it with others as Christ desires, for a blessing is not a blessing until it’s declared. Much LOVE!
…Christ wants His followers to be either hot or cold…not in between…
14 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a decree, a glorious future with Jesus, aggrandizement, anathema, anger, angst, another blessed day, antidote, as we forgive our debtors, atrocities, bitterness, Britain, C.S. Lewis, Chinese, Christian, confess, debtors, debts, diligence, distrust, dog eat dog, excellence, festering the souls, focusing ahead, followers of Jesus christ, forgive men, forgive the inexcusable, forgive us our debts, forgiveness, God has forgiven, God's favour, God's great earth, God's righteousness, grace, hands on the plough, hatred, Holy will, Ireland, Japanese, Koreans, LOVE, memories of wars, mercy, moral, negative emotions, not looking back, rat-race, refuse to forgive, Scotland, sets the tone, seven times, sinner, sins, spiritual debts, the breath of life, the cross, the Lord's prayer, the message of Christ, the Middle East, this is the day the Lord has made, tit for tat, to be saved, trespassers, trespasses, under Christ's umbrella, until seventy times seven, Wales, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail
Matthew 6:12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Awright friends and faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we’ve been blessed with another day on God’s great earth! So let’s take advantage of it nuh, because we don’t know how many more we will be blessed with, if any, and let’s open today by declaring like the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24)
Wow! What a positive opening statement friends! That sets the tone for the rest of our day. We have the opportunity now to go out and enjoy God’s favour; His mercy, grace, LOVE and forgiveness as we work with diligence and excellence to do His awesome, holy will.
Mama Mia! It couldn’t get any better than that in this sinful and wicked world nuh mih people! Living under Christ’s umbrella is the best antidote for all that ails the world and us.
And I have a li’l something to share from C.S. Lewis that describes our Christian walk. He says: ‘To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth! God has forgiven us so greatly that it’s only reasonable and to be expected that we forgive others.
And you know what friends? That isn’t even an individual choice we have, because our Lord and Saviour, Our Leader and heavenly King, Jesus Christ enshrined it as a decree in what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer, as our Bit declares: ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’
Now what does that mean? The scholar’s offer this explanation: ‘6:12. Forgive us our debts 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 of his sins, but he must confess that he is a sinner.’
A good thing too, else some of us would still be confessing. (smile) And why is forgiveness so important you wonder? Well Jesus explains a couple of verses later. ‘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.12:14-15)
It’s as simple as that my brethren! Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Don’t forgive, and you won’t be forgiven. As the old people would say, ‘tit for tat.’ And would you believe, that in spite of Christ’s serious warning, forgiveness is currently one of the world’s biggest problems? And not only on the small, individual scale, but also on the large national stage.
What do you think is causing so many small wars and skirmishes to continue to flower and flourish all over the world eh? Memories of wars and other atrocities committed by long ago descendants. But the current ones have not forgotten or forgiven, so the anger, bitterness and hatred continue, unfortunately festering the souls of legions of people who had nothing to do with the initial atrocities.
Just look at the distrust and angst between the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese that now plays out in international affairs because of the way the Japanese ravaged the Chinese and Koreans in the recent wars. It’s the same thing in the Middle East. Thousands of years have passed and old wounds are still festering. Look at Britain, with Wales, Scotland and Ireland; the same thing is happening.
Old injuries and slights are still playing a vibrant part in today’s scenarios. And we won’t even talk about what’s happening with the individual members of our society. Forgiveness is anathema; repugnant and odious to so many of us, as we scurry through the rat race, the dog eat dog scene that’s today’s world.
We’re only interested in our own aggrandizement, and anyone that gets in our way, too bad for them. We want to be forgiven, but we refuse to forgive. And if yuh think that forgiving is a one-time deal, you better had think again. For when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother ‘till seven times?’ Jesus replied: ‘I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but until seventy times seven.’ (Matt.18:21-22)
So friends, forgiveness is an ongoing action. It never stops. Once there has been an infraction, there needs to be forgiveness. And the sad part of the matter is that forgiveness isn’t so much for the other person, but for you the forgiver. It releases your spirit from anger and bitterness and all the other negative emotions that clutter up your soul when you refuse to forgive.
Oftimes the person who you think has done you wrong, doesn’t even know it, or care, and goes on about their business regardless, while you hold all the unforgiveness in your heart. You are the one who’s suffering because you refuse to let go of the wrong. That’s not a very wise way to live my brethren. So please, let’s raise our level of forgiveness, and see how it raises the level of the remainder of our life nuh.
Now let’s go home shouting out to the world, our position in Jesus Christ through our Wednesday Wail. Altogether now. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And oh, how glorious indeed, will be that future with Jesus! I cant wait to experience it! Much LOVE!
…to forgive, forgive…and yet to forgive…that’s the message of Christ…and His cross…
12 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, armour, aura of love, be ashamed, be strong in the Lord, Calvary, carrying His cross, cast off, chastened, chastised, Christians, complaining, confidence, diligence, drunkenness, enthusiasm, excellence, far spent, figuratively, for our sakes, friends, fulfill the lusts, gave up the ghost, good fight of faith, griping, having done all, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, laziness, licentiousness, lies, light, literally, LOVE, manifest works, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Monday's door, night, pain, power of God's might, procrastination, put on the armour of light, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, revelry, salvation, shame, spiritual armour, stand, steadfast faith, sufferation, surrender, taunts, the day is at hand, the enemy, the whole armour of God, the works of darkness, to labour, trust, truth, under Christ's banner, ungodly world, victorious, walk honestly, wantonness, wiles, wisdom
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Well here we are once more at Monday’s door, my fellow believers in Christ. And we all know what that means; to labour, to labour, and yet to labour! Yes as the Good Book says, if we want to eat and have a roof over our heads, then we must work. (smile)
So let’s get ourselves together to go out and do just that nuh…and with a good attitude too, no griping and complaining. Did you hear Jesus griping and complaining when they were beating and ridiculing Him, or when He was carrying His cross to Calvary, or when He hung there for six hours until He gave up the Ghost?
No way Jose! He endured the serious pain and shame and terrible ‘sufferation’ without a complaining word, all for our sakes. And now, in the midst of prosperity and easy living, we find it hard to get up and do a li’l work so we can eat and glorify His holy name. Chuh mih people! We should be ashamed of ourselves!
And now that we’ve been properly chastened and chastised, (smile) let’s raise our voices, our hearts and spirits in a moving and uplifting rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether 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!’
Beautiful mih people, beautiful! I could feel our spirits rising as we got into the meat of the song. Now let’s keep that adrenaline flowing as we head out to fight the good fight of faith in another week of work, under Christ’s everlasting and victorious banner.
That brings us to our Bit: wise words of warning from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
And friends, this morning I want us to take that statement both literally and figuratively. Literally, in the sense that the night is over and daylight has come, that means no more sleeping and hiding out from whatever we have to do, no more laziness and procrastination, but actually getting out into the daylight and being about Jesus’ business.
And we do that by walking in the real light, doing what is right, and letting others experience the true aura of Jesus’ LOVE flowing from us. That’s basically the physical aspect of the situation.
And Bruh Paul spelled out how we ought to walk in the night. ‘Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ (Rom.13:13-14)
Yeh mih people, we have to be very careful of all we do in these last days and not give the enemy any leeway into our lives. Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ’13:11-12. Sleep means insensitivity to the demands of Christ on the Christian’s life. Now is our salvation nearer: The coming of Christ to deliver us from this sinful world grows nearer every day.
The night is the time while Christ is out of the world, and the world has been delivered into the control of the prince of the power of the air (Eph.2:2). The day is the reference to the time when Christ will return and establish His reign of righteousness.’
13:14. Make not provision for the flesh. One should not seek opportunities to satisfy the deep-seated desires of the sin nature, but should seek occasion to manifest works that are consistent with the new life in Christ.’
Ah my fellow believers, it is not an easy task we’re called to accomplish, but we CAN DO IT, with the Lord’s help, as Bruh Paul explains: ‘Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil…
Wherefore take unto you, (take up, put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.’ (Eph.6:10-11,13)
Yeh friends, it’s the only way to come up above the enemy and be victorious. So let’s put our all into it nuh…for Jesus’ sake. Much LOVE!
…victory only comes…through diligence and excellence…
07 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leader, a wake up call, an excess of rain, Anselm, blaming, Central America, come crashing down, creation, damage, destruction, diligence, disaster, do more, dream, earth, eternal life, eternity, excellence, excuses, fraudulent schemes, friend, God's work, grin and bear it, heaven, heavenly blessings, heavenly rewards, hit the nail on the head, Honduras, ignorant of, in the water, influence human behaviour, inspire, kept in store, learn, learn more, LOVE, manipulate, meant for harm, my words, Nate, Nicaragua, perdition, Ponzi Scheme, reboot, reserved unto fire, responsibility, right relationship with God, righteousness, salvation, Saturday, seek Jesus, shall not pass away, shall pass away, shower of rain, strengthened my resolve, the beginning, the day of judgement, the enemy, the fountain head, the most powerful instrument, the stockmarket, the U.S Gulf Coast, the Word of god, tropical storm, turned into good, two edged sword, understanding, ungodly men, wisdom, wishy-washy
Matthew 24:35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Ah friends, the enemy always finds some way to disturb God’s work yes! Would you believe that a short while ago, just as I was going to start writing, my trusty computer froze on me and I had to reboot it and start from scratch again?
And though the unexpected delay frustrated me some, overall it just strengthened my resolve to complete my task with diligence and excellence! So that what the enemy meant for harm, the Lord turned into good! All praise and glory to our heavenly Father who so wonderfully inspires us to do His work!
And then there was Nate; just a li’l ole tropical storm, but it has already caused loss of life and done oodles of damage to Central American countries like Honduras and Nicaragua, and is now supposedly heading for the U.S Gulf Coast.
Down there they are busily preparing to weather it as best they can. Meanwhile in my area we are thankful that we finally got a decent shower of rain earlier this morning. Heavenly blessings have been conspicuously absent from my area for a while now.
Hn! How do you reason it out eh: one place getting a surfeit, an excess of rain, while another gets a little to none? The answer is, you don’t, because that’s God’s department. You just have to grin and bear it as best you can, with His help of course.
Anyway, let’s pray that the Lord averts further disaster in the Southern U.S, or causes it to be minimal. I don’t think they can handle much more, but that whatever happens, it will serve as a wake up call to return to right relationship with the God of their forefathers.
And since it’s Saturday, let’s consider some of the inspirational quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his noble aspiration to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one let’s us have it with both barrels: ‘Stop making excuses.’
It hits the proverbial nail right on the head, for we are an excuse making society. We don’t want to take responsibility for anything, always blaming something or someone else for whatever has happened. And until we stop making excuses and start taking responsibility, our society will continue to be wishy-washy.
Then there’s this quote: ‘There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.’ That’s full of truth, but again, in our evil and ungodly society, unlike our friend Anselm, (smile) we focus more on manipulating people than inspiring them.
And that’s not wise, because at some stage of the game people will realize they are being manipulated and then the whole Ponzi scheme will come crashing down. Just look at the stock market and all the other fraudulent schemes existing in our society.
Now the next quote is in direct contrast to the last one: ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ Lots of truth in that friends! In fact our aim should always be to inspire others, as that’s what Jesus came to earth and died for; to inspire us to seek Him and His righteousness.
And I particularly like this last quote: ‘You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.’ Yes my fellow believers, that’s the gospel truth! A lot of us only recognize those who can do something for us, while neglecting, oftimes contemptuously, those who can’t help us in any form or fashion.
But we’re dreadfully wrong in that kind of thinking, for the latter might not be able to do anything for us here on earth, but they’ll do lots for us in heaven if we treat them with respect and help them as best we can. In other words, looking on them favourably will build up heavenly rewards for us. The Lord’s Word says that.
And as our Bit says: ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ That means all that our wonderful God has said will remain true even into eternity…and beyond. (smile)
And we’ll close this series of messages on the power and purpose of God’s everlasting Word with this scripture from 2 Peter, where the apostle is talking about living in the hope of the Lord’s coming. ‘Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers (mockers), walking after (according to) their own lusts (desires).
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep (died), all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of (forget), that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water (the great flood):
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and the earth, which are now (currently exist), by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against (until) the day of judgement and perdition (destruction) of ungodly men.’ (2 Pet.3:3-7)
Yeh friends, it’s all in the Word, and done by the Word, and of the Word! And we can only be afforded salvation and eternal life through the Word! So let’s make sure we write all of that indelibly in our hearts, and souls nuh, because it’s the source, the fountainhead of wisdom and understanding. Much LOVE!
…the Word of God…a mighty two-edged sword…the most powerful instrument in the universe…
04 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: anxiety, apply it to my life, backing out of the garage, bear witness, believers, but my words shall not pass away, calamity, christian heritage, composure, confident, contemplate, day after day, diligence, directives of God, disaters, divine help, eternal life, excellence, faith, faithful, faithfulness, fear, forgiveness, forgiveness of sins, gentleness, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, god, god head, God is in control, God's Word, grab a bite, greedy, halfway home, hang in, hardships, heaven, heaven and earth shall pass away, hope, Jeremiah, Jesus, joy, Leaders, Let there be light, LOVE, meditate, midway point, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, nothing has changed, obedience, obey, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, peace, politicians incompetent, ponder, power hungry, rejoicing of my heart, returning to God, sacrificial lamb, salvation, scriptures, selfish, shout for joy, sinless Son, So demanding, steadfast, steady attention, stretches of time, strife, strong, that passes all understanding, the breath of life, the dishwasher, the Holy Spirit, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the SON, the spoken word, the steering wheel, theFather, to a glorious future with Jesus, transforms, triumvirate, true, turmoil, Wednesday Wail, working for Jesus, workweek, year after year
Matthew 24:35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
And then it was Wednesday; the midway point of our workweek!
But yuh know what friends, nothing much has changed overnight nuh. Our world is still caught up in serious turmoil, with oodles of disasters, unbelievable strife and numerous greedy, selfish, incompetent, power-hungry leaders and politicians.
And what does all of that say? Hn! That we’re nowhere closer to returning to God and the divine help that we need to overcome our problems.
But luckily for us Christians, we still sincerely believe that our wonderful omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God is in control of the universe He created, thus we have the hope and faith to believe that things will turn out okay eventually, and that all the calamity and strife will pass one day, when He is ready for it to do so.
Consequently my fellow believers, we need to hang in there strong and steadfast, faithful and true, doing our best to bring Jesus to those who don’t know and accept Him. But that’s not easy, and we’ll see why, as we check out this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘So Demanding.’
Now read with me: ‘God, Your Word is so demanding. It demands great stretches of my time – Not just occasionally But day after day, year after year. I can’t just grab a bite of it With one hand in the dishwasher Or on the steering wheel While I’m backing out of the garage.
Your Word insists that I ponder That I contemplate and meditate That I seriously apply it to my life. It insists on obedience and forgiveness On gentleness and LOVE. Its claim upon me is absolute. Only as I obey Can I know the peace that passes all understanding.
But God Its very insistence transforms me For it proclaims Your faithfulness In superlative terms. As I give it my fixed, steady attention My composure increases My anxiety decreases And I am supported on every side.
Jeremiah said, “…your word was unto me The joy and rejoicing of my heart.” And in the margin of my Bible Next to the words of the prophet There is my own personal notation: “My heart, too!”
Oh friends, what a wonderful description of our Christian heritage! Yes, it is demanding, asks a lot of us, including, diligence, excellence, stick-to-itiveness, trust and surrender! But the benefits are even more glorious and wonderful!
We see God’s faithfulness in all its splendour and truth! Enjoy His overwhelming and endless support in ALL that we do. We are strong and confident, with less anxiety and fear dogging our everyday lives! And best of all, there is exceeding joy in our hearts, just like Jeremiah said so many moons ago.
Wow! What a pleasure and a joy to undergo the hardships associated with believing in and working for Jesus! The world’s treasures can in no way compare! Especially when we add salvation, forgiveness of ALL sins and eternal life with Him in heaven!
Oh my brethren, that ought to make us all jump and shout for joy, and harmoniously sing ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise be to our most wonderful, merciful, generous and forgiving God! A God who LOVED us so much that He gave His sinless Son to be our sacrificial lamb, so that we could become His children and live with Him forever!’
And all of that is based on His true and faithful Word which keeps on being handed down from generation to generation. As the Bible verse for the above poem, and our Bit declares: ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’
And how can it eh, when it was through the Word that the universe and all therein was created? Listen to John, the one sent to bear witness, expound on the subject. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.’ (John 1:1-2)
Yes friends, from the very beginning the Word of God existed, and it’s particularly important to note that the Lord created the world though the spoken word: ‘And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.’ (Gen.1:3)
So the Word of God is like a three part action: The first part refers to Jesus, who IS the Word and was with God in the beginning. Then we have the Word as the written directives of God, the Scriptures. And finally, there is the power that’s contained in the Word when it’s spoken!
So all in all friends, we couldn’t have a better faith, a better place and/or persons to turn to than our triumvirate Godhead of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, all connected through the Word! Now let’s go home then, with joyful hearts and souls as we enthusiastically and sincerely declare our Wednesday Wail.
As one faithful and harmonious body: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
What more can I say eh friends…? Much LOVE!
…though the evil world tries to get me down…my Christian faith continuously bolsters me…through the Word…
02 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: above all gods, aura of love, battle stations, blessed be the Lord, confidence, conquerors, Corinthians, dead objects, diligence, dilly-dallying, Egyptians, enthusiasm, evil, excellence, fearless leader, friends, Gentiles, glorious kingdom, great is our God, heathen, hoarded, honour, house of god, humble servants, idle boast, idols, inroads, invincible, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Jethro, lies, living God, LOVE, majesty, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our father's business, Pharaoh, reconnoitering, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rise and shine, salvation, sing unto the Lord, steadfast faith, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the good news, the Great Commission, the house I build, the trumpet's call, the wherewithal, the work of man's hands, trust, truth, ungodly world, wisdom
2 Chronicles 2:5. And the house which I build is (will be) great: for great is our God above all gods.
Rise and shine, friends, rise and shine! Hear the trumpet’s call! Battle stations all! Our fearless Leader, Jesus Christ is already at the battlefront reconnoitering the situation, waiting for us to come forward, so He can lead us into battle.
Please, no dilly-dallying this morning, there’s urgent work to be done. So let’s get a move on, let’s be up and about our Father’s business! And if you think you don’t have the wherewithal to do battle today, then join us, as we sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which gets our adrenaline flowing and kick starts our motors.
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!’
Awright mih breddren! That sounded good! Our choirmaster, Jesus was pleased. Now it’s time for us to get out there and join Jesus, our field General, on the front lines, for that’s where the battle is being fought. That brings us to our Bit: ‘And the house which I build is (will be) great: for great is our God above all gods.’
Ah mih people, what words of absolute truth from Cousin Sol as he set out to build the immaculate and magnificent House of God in the Golden Age of Israel! And this no idle boast, as you’ll realize when you hear the proud declaration of the psalmist from Psalm 96 – A call to praise God. ‘Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth (proclaim the good news of) his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the heathen (gentiles), his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.’ (Ps.96:2-6)
Yeh friends, any other supposed deity beside Jehovah, is merely an idol. They are all dead objects, the work of man’s hands, or creatures of his finite imagination. That’s because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the Only True Living God that there is! And if you don’t believe the psalmist, then listen to Bruh Paul in his first missive to the Corinthians, as he talks about Christian freedom and brotherly obligations.
‘As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we (live) by him.’ (1 Cor. 8:4-6)
Oh friends, how could there logically be more than ONE God eh? More than one god would never have made such a smooth running, self-sustaining, magnificent universe. It would have been total confusion all over!
Now hear corroboration of that fact from way back when, from Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, when he brought Moses’ wife and children to meet him in the Israelite camp in the wilderness. After Moses told him all that the Lord had done for the Israelites in bringing them out of Egypt, Jethro rejoiced.
‘And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt (behaved) proudly he was above them.’ (Ex.18:10-11)
Yes friends, our God is above everybody and everything! Give Him much deserved thanks and praise, glorify and exalt His holy name throughout all the earth! Spread His word from one end of the world to the next, so that the heathen can have a chance to experience His never-ending, unconditional LOVE, His healing power and the good news of His salvation!
That’s our Great Commission, so let’s get out there today and do it with diligence and excellence as He desires nuh. Much LOVE!
…the good news of Jesus…was meant to be spread far and wide…not selfishly hoarded…
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