01 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful place, a brand new day, a compassionate heart, a dime a dozen, a low ebb, advances in technology, amenities, an ugly place, as white as snow, Ash Wednesday, Auld Lang Syne, bask in the sunshine, be as scarlet, began from scratch, blessings, blood guiltiness, bounden duty, building, called according to His purpose, Carnival, children, close harmony, come now, communicate with Him, crying out, curse, destroying, destruction, devoured by the sword, dissension, disunity, everlasting goodness, evil world, evildoers, faith, favour, forgive, future generations, gives the world hope, God's invitation, goodies, hate, health, heavenly Father, hope, in good faith, Isaiah, left overs, let us reason together, LOVE, Love the Lord, made specially for today, magnificent and magnanimous God, negative word, new mercies, New Year's resolution, one thing, personal relations, positive outlook, prosper, ready to cleanse, reasoning together, rebel, red like crimson, refuse, repentance, repenting, see a better world, shall be as wool, share our blessings, sins, standard of life, strife, strong conviction, succeed, talking to each other, the future, the good of the land, the mouth of the Lord, those who love him, Thursday's Blessings, turning to god, turns the world, Valentine's day, walking closer with Christ, war, willy-nilly, wisdom, worm
Isaiah 1:18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Welcome, welcome, one and all to a brand new day in God’s great universe! And it’s not only a new day, but also one filled with new mercies and blessings from our heavenly Father, stuff he made specially for today.
He threw out all the left overs from yesterday and began from scratch this morning, so those who LOVE Him and are called according to His purpose can bask in the sunshine of His everlasting goodness.
Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous Deity we serve and worship my brethren! But remember YOU have to communicate with HIM, to get those goodies! He doesn’t just hand them out willy-nilly. (smile)
And would you also believe that today is the 1st of February? Brother! We were just singing Auld Lang Syne a few days ago, welcoming the New Year, now we’re already hot into the bacchanalian bash called Carnival, with Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day falling the same time in two weeks. Is the year flying by or what?
Let’s hope that we all are keeping our New Year’s resolution, that of walking ever closer with Christ this year, strong and in good order, because that’s the only way we will be successful in this crazy, troubled, war-like, evil world.
And you know friends, the ‘One thing that turns the world from an ugly place to a beautiful place is LOVE. LOVE gives the world hope!’ And is that ever so true my people. Without LOVE permeating our hearts and souls, we simply have no hope, since hate is all about destroying, but LOVE is about building; building together in close harmony.
But sadly, if we look around our world right now, there is very little, if any building, everywhere is simply destruction, both manmade and natural. How does that augur for the future of our planet eh? It’s not very encouraging. If we keep on destroying everything in our path, the future generations will be left with nothing.
Is that what we want for our children, and our children’s children? Even the evildoers will answer no to that question, but none of us are doing anything substantial to stop if from coming to pass. That’s why we’re crying out now, in our Bit, like the prophet Isaiah did on the Lord’s behalf, many centuries ago to the Israelites.
‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’
Yeh friends, it’s all about mankind sitting down and reasoning together if we want to see a better world. And the two verses after our Bit clearly spell out the consequences of not doing so. ‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured by the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:19-20)
Oh my people, we don’t have to wait for the Lord to tell us that. It’s written ever so plainly in our behaviour, where there’s so much dissension and disunity, even amongst family, much less between countries. Consequently, strife is all-pervasive, and wars are a dime a dozen. It’s easier to pick out where there is no strife than where there is strife, because there are so much fewer of the former. That’s to tell you how bad it is.
But turning back to our Bit. Let’s get some explanations from the scholars. ‘1:18-20. The prophet’s appeal to come and reason together reveals God’s gracious invitation to all men. It literally means to be “reasonable” by repenting and turning to God. Their sin is described as scarlet and red like crimson, referring to their blood guiltiness before God.
The term ‘crimson’ also means “worm,” referring to the colourfast red dye of the scarlet worm. The eradication of this stain turns it snowy white and is symbolic of the life-changing grace of God, which delivers men from guilt and condemnation of sin. Thus the prophet reminds his readers that God stands ready to cleanse and forgive all who will turn to Him.’
Oh mih breddren, from way back then, our wonderful God was prepared to forgive sins to those who turned in repentance to Him, and today He is still in the forgiving business. All we have to do is turn to Him in true repentance. Are we willing to do that so our world and our children can enjoy a better standard of life in the future?
I do hope so, because with all the amenities and advances in technology we now have, the most important aspect of our society, personal relations between humans is at a low ebb, and until we fix that, nothing else will make life any better.
Now, for those of us who choose to LOVE the Lord and obey Him, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. In full voice and strong conviction: ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and do our bounden duty; share those blessings with others, as Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…only by talking to each other…in good faith…will our world ever improve…
05 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to my righteousness, action, adversity, afraid, back to school, beloved of God, break a nail, Christ's body, Christian lives, christianity, clean up our act, cliques, commitment, commitment to excellence, compromises, delight in him, departed from God, dissension, divisions, do right, do wrong, dr robert h schuller, dreaming, easy life, Elihus, end times, enlightened, excellence, extra mile, faith in action, faithfulness, fighting amongst ourselves, foolish, forgiveness, forgiving God, frail, friend of Jesus, fun and frolic, further Christ's kingdom, God rewards us, God's Word, he recompensed me, hell, his eyesight, honest, hypocritical lifestyles, Job, kept the ways of the Lord, Labour Day, lack of commitment, LOVE, merciful, obedience, perfect, Pharisees, Possibility Thinking, pray unto God, redeem his soul from the pit, righteousness, rocket science, share jesus' love, summer, talk, the cleanness of my hands, the easy way out, the light of the living, the Lord rewarded me, the party's over, Tuesday Mantra, up front, upright before God, walking our talk, work, worthwhile difference
Psalm 18:20. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Well friends, it’s the Tuesday after Labour Day, which means that all the fun and frolic of summer is drawing to an end. As the D.J plays that famous last tune: ‘The party’s over my friends. It’s time to call it a day…’ Yeh mih breddren it’s back to school and work time now.
And to add fuel to that fire, here’s a li’l blurb from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) on the subject. He says: ‘Possibility Thinking isn’t just dreaming. It’s faith in action. That translates into W-O-R-K with a patient commitment to excellence.’
And that is exactly what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ expects of His followers; a serious commitment to excellent work! And in these end times, we all need to step up our work in and for the kingdom of Christ.
He’s losing more followers than He’s gaining, and that’s due in large part to our lack of commitment, our compromises, generally taking the easy way out and preferring to enjoy the easy life of the world, rather than go the extra mile for Christ.
Why? Because that might include some ‘sufferation,’ some adversity on our part, and we’ve gotten so soft and afraid of adversity nowadays, that we’d rather allow Christ’s work to suffer, than we break a nail trying to further His kingdom.
And when the unbeliever looks at our hypocritical lifestyles, what can we expect but criticism and disbelief eh? Too many of us are not living true Christian lives; we’re like the Pharisees of old, who preached one thing in public and did something completely different in private. That’s why Jesus continually lambasted them.
And if we seriously believe in Jesus and sincerely want to do His work and try our best to become like Him, then we’ve got to clean up our act, and begin walking our talk. Oh, many of us are doing it, but definitely not enough to make any worthwhile difference.
There are too many divisions in Christ’s body, too many cliques and too much dissension for it to function at a consistently high level, and until we stop fighting amongst ourselves, Christ’s church will not grow the way it is supposed to.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.’ And that’s exactly what happens in God’s kingdom; we’re rewarded for our faithfulness and obedience to His Word.
And Bruh David continues in his thanksgiving for deliverance from his enemies, after our Bit: ‘For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgements were before me, and I did not put his statutes from me.
I was also upright before (with) him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.’ (Ps.18:21-24)
How much plainer can it be eh friends? We do right and the Lord rewards us. We do wrong, and He doesn’t. Oh my brethren, Christianity is not rocket science. It’s simply believing in God and doing our best to be obedient to Him and His word.
God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He knows we will make mistakes, because we’re frail and foolish, (smile) that’s how He made us. But He does expect us to try our best. And that is simply what too many of us supposed believers are not doing.
Now listen to Job’s friend, Elihu, as he reasons with Job about God’s forgiveness when men repent. ‘His flesh shall be fresher than (young as) a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth: He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him (delight in him): and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render (restore) unto man his righteousness.
He (God) looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver (redeem) his soul from going into the pit (hell), and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.’ (Job 33:25-30)
Yes friends, our God is a most merciful and forgiving God, but we have to be honest and up front with Him. Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, which clearly states who and whose we are.
‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
So let’s go out and share that LOVE nuh, for that’s what Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…Jesus calls us to action…much more than to talk…
12 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adopted, At the cross, broken, cantankerous, Christ's body, Christ's death, clear direction, curse, death, dissension, disunity, divine protection, divisions, elders, Ephesus, eternal life, extend your love, family, feed, fellowship, foundation, free, friends, fulfillment, grasping the cross, homage, I bow my knee, injustice, it is done, Jesus, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, made a way, negative word, overcome the grave, overseers, peace, positive impact, promotion, purchased with his own blood, quarrellsome, reconciliation, resentment, sacrifice, salvation, shame, shepherd, sin, sinners, sons of God, success, supernatural strength, take heed, the church, the church of God, the cross of Christ, the focal point, the grave, the Holy Ghost, Thursday Blessings, to all the flock, tore the veil, wisdom
Acts 20:28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed (shepherd) the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
And then it was Thursday… and I don’t know what to write about. Hn, hn! It doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, it both amuses and concerns me.
Sometimes I have to wait a while for the Lord to show up and guide me, but today I didn’t have to wait at all. I just happened to look, or rather was guided to look at a sheet of paper in front of me with some quotes that I had written down, and there it was!
It’s titled ‘Grasping the Cross!’ And it says: ‘Lord Jesus, Your cross is the focal point of our lives. Hold us tightly as we cling to Your cross and extend Your LOVE to others.’
And you know friends, we couldn’t want for a more stable and solid foundation to cling to than the cross of Jesus, for that’s where it all came to fruition.
Yeh, it’s at the cross that it was all turned around; sin, death and the grave were defeated; salvation, reconciliation and eternal life were ushered in; our sins were paid for and we became adopted sons of God. Oh glory to the Most High!
And this excerpt from ‘At the Cross’ by the Hillsong Group amplifies it all. ‘At the cross I bow my knee Where Your blood was shed for me There’s no greater LOVE than this, no You have overcome the grave Glory fills the highest praise
What can separate me now You tore the veil, You made a way When You said that it is done You tore the veil, You made a way When You said that it is done.’
Jesus certainly did, my fellow believers! No other act in human history has had such a sensational, fruitful and positive impact as Christ’s death on the cross. And it was all for us my people…all for us worthless sinners.
Now do we truly appreciate that monumental sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? And do we pay the appropriate homage that is due to Him by the way we live our lives? I certainly hope so, otherwise we’d be doing Him a most serious injustice.
He died that we could be free…free from sin and shame…free to live forever under His glorious umbrella of eternal life. Have we accepted that fact, and do our lives reflect it? That’s how His body, the church, ought to be portraying His sacrifice.
That brings us to our Bit, the words of Bruh Paul to the elders of the church of Ephesus, whom he called to him at Miletus.
‘Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed (shepherd) the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.’
Unfortunately though friends, in these modern times, I don’t think we are doing a worthwhile job of shepherding God’s body, the church. There are too many divisions, too much dissension and resentment within Christ’s body over miniscule matters. Too much, I an me, instead of we and thou.
I don’t have to specify anything, because we all know of some negative matter affecting the smooth and godly running of our church, something that should not be taking place at all. And sadly, this disunity within the ranks of the church is turning others away in droves, for who wants to be a part of a body that’s cantankerous and quarrelsome eh?
It’s obviously disrupting Jesus’ LOVE Revolution, since LOVE cannot exist under those circumstances. We desperately need to fix the situation my fellow believers, for until there is true peace and sincere fellowship in Christ’s church, we’ll keep going backward instead of forward, and that’s totally unacceptable.
So let’s get serious about Christ’s business nuh, and stop all the petty infighting. Let’s focus on His cross and be as one, the way He desires us to be. That’s the only way we’ll accomplish anything positive.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. With such a great variety of blessings, we ought to be able to fund unity in the church. All together now: ‘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!’
Please put them all into action now, by declaring them over others too. Much LOVE!
…at the cross…at the cross… where I first found Jesus…
21 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian's life, admonishing, alive and kicking, begin to bless, begin to do, beneficial influence, blessed children, blessings, boring, bow down, celebrity status, celebrity worship, Christ's Church, Christian virtues, Commonplace Days, Creator of the universe, daily drain, day-by-day drudgery, DETERMINATION, direction, dissension, disunity, divine inspiration, drudgery, dwell together, enthusiasm, exciting, false impression, family in Jesus, fertile soil, fixed securely, foolish waiting for, forbearing, forgive me, friends, giving thanks to god, glamourless duties, glamourous, glory to God, God's people, godly ambassadors, good morning, grace, halfway home, hymns, in the name of the Lord Jesus, in vogue, in word or deed, indwelling word of Christ, Jehovah, lift up the wualities, living for Jesus, loving, money, mundane, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, One Year Book of Bible promises, peace, peaceful, power, privilege, psalms, purpose, pushing on, quiet me, Ruth Harms Calkin, same old, sense of purpose, spiritual songs, spoon feed, strife, tasks, teaching, thank God, the breath of life, the Most High God, the way life is, the word of Christ, to a glorious future with Jesus, trite, true believers, unique fashion, unity, virtues, Wednesday Wail, whimper, whine, wisdom, work hard, worship
Colossians 3:17. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
And a most enthusiastic ‘Good morning’ to you my friends and family in Jesus Christ!
It is indeed a good morning, meaning that we are alive and kicking, and regardless of our feelings and circumstances, we don’t have to let them control us because we are the blessed children of the Most High God Jehovah, the Creator of the universe and all therein, and He looks after each one of us in His own unique fashion. Glory to God!
And I just had to share this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin because it is so appropriate for most of us. It’s titled ‘Commonplace Days.’
Read with me. ‘Lord of my commonplace days Forgive me for foolishly waiting for “divine inspiration” Before moving in on the tasks Personally assigned to me. Hopefully I am learning To face with greater determination The day-by-day drudgery The trite, mundane tasks The pushing-pulling glamourless duties.
Lord, even when I think I’m getting no place Keep me pushing on and on With purpose and direction. Grab my heart and quiet me When I begin to whine and whimper. Despite the daily drain I think I see it more clearly now: It is only when I begin to do That you begin to bless.’
Ah mih people, it’s all so true! It certainly reflects the lives of most of us; the daily drudgery and same old, same old glamourless tasks by which we make our living. But please don’t allow it get us down, because it’s simply the way life is. Everyday can’t be exciting and glamorous, for too much of that will eventually get boring and mundane too.
So please don’t be fooled by the celebrity worship that’s currently in vogue, because even the true celebrities, not the hangers’ on, have to bow down and work hard at sometime or other if they want to keep their celebrity status intact.
Remember friends, they are people just like us, only with a little more money, power and privilege. And besides, what passes for glamour today is only an outward show, often used to give a false impression.
Now today is Wednesday, so let’s turn to our Wednesday Wail and wail it with sincerity, enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose.
Wailing: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih people, every Wednesday that declaration truly wakes me up! It has me being sincerely thankful for the breath of life that’s flowing through my body, and reminds me of what is truly important; keeping my hands to the plough and looking forward to the wonderful future that Jesus has planned for His followers.
And I sure hope you all feel the same way too, otherwise you’d be missing out on the most wonderful times in your lives which come from living for and with Jesus.
All glory be to our wonderful Lord and Saviour who sacrificed His sinless lives for us! And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
That brings us to our Bit, which is also the Bible Promise for our poem above. ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’
Oh friends, that’s the summation of Bruh Paul’s advice to the Colossians as he talked to them about Christian virtues. And believe me, we couldn’t get any better advice than that for living this earthly life.
And the scholars tell us: ‘3:17. The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (v.16), but it is also to control all areas of a Christian’s life.’
Yeh friends, what’s the purpose of God’s word and Spirit indwelling us, if they don’t control our lives eh? None whatsoever!
And I’m going to spoon feed you all today (smile). Here is verse 16, as mentioned above. ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.’ (Col.3:16)
Ah mih breddren, I only wish that we could truly do that on a much wider scale than is currently been done, for then our world would definitely be a much better place.
And the scholars have this to say about that verse. ‘3:16. When believers are forbearing (v.13), and LOVING (v.14) toward one another, when peace reigns among God’s people (v.15), then the church is fertile soil for the blessings produced by the word of Christ.’
But sadly, the church in its current state is not very fertile soil because we are not as forbearing, LOVING, and as peaceful with each other as we ought to be. There’s just way too much disunity, dissension and strife in the church.
That’s why I’m imploring us today to improve, to lift up the qualities that are needed in us, and consequently Christ’s church, so that we can be the true believers, the godly ambassadors that we’re supposed to be, for that is the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…only when Christians dwell together in true unity…is Christ’s church truly blessed…
04 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th July, at noon, aura of love, be about Christ's business, be prepared, Beelzebub, believers in Jesus Christ, calls us home, Canada Day, Chicago, Christ's Church, Christians, come up higher, complaining, confidence, cry aloud, dangerous, deceitful, dissension, divisions, does anybody care, Does anybody know what time it is, double heart, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enemy, enthusiasm, eternal life, evening, ever-faithful God, evil, evil minions, faith, falsely, fellowship, fervent followers, flattering lips, friends, get our houses in order, God's flock, good neighbourly relations, Granny's advice, honesty, hope, humble servants, in splendour and power, inconsistent mind, inner sanctum, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus returns, joy, joyful band of Christians, last bastion, lies, lollygagging, LOVE, Lucifer, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morning, neighbour, peace, planet earth, pray, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, resting on their laurels, salvation, sense of right and wrong, spiritual armour, stand up strong, steadfast faith, stick together, strife filled, the clock's ticking, the end times, the last days, the Lord shall save me, tragic, Trojan horse, trust, truth, unfair, ungodly world, unkind place, vanity, victory, wary, weary souls, wiles, wisdom
Psalm 12:2. They speak vanity (idly, falsely) every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with double heart (an inconsistent mind) do they speak.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY U. S. OF A!
28 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abhor, affectionate, avenge not, be patient in tribulation, belief, bless, bounce our heads, brotherly LOVE, caring, Christian's conduct, circumstances, cliques, condescend, curse not, dissension, dissimulation, divisions, does not hold back, Dr, epitome, evil for evil, evildoer, expects to win, faith, faithful believers, falls apart, Father of Positive thinking, fervent in spirit, fuss and fume, genuine, good, gossip, headaches, heap coals of fire, heartening, help, honest, hope, hospitality, humble, hypocrisy, I am the beloved of god, instant, life, live peaceably, LOVE, loving, low estate, lustful nature, mind not high things, motivators, necessity, needs, negative attitude, Norman Vincent Peale, overcome, pacifism., patient, persevering, positive manner, power, prayer, reassuring, recompense, rejoice, rejoicing in hope, repay, rest, revenge, rush and push, saints, sense of shame, shame, share His love, sinful, slothful, speak well of, starting point, steadfast in prayer, success, take everything to God in prayer, take it by the tail, the proverbial wall, the service of love, the winner's crown, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unfeigned, unfriendliness, ungodly world, vengeance is mine, weep
Romans 12:12. Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing (steadfastly) instant in prayer.
Welcome to another beautiful day in God’s great realm my people!
Regardless of what our individual circumstances might be, we need to look upon everyday that we’re alive as a beautiful one, that’s the only way we will get through it without too many unnecessary headaches.
Negative stuff will come against us, whatever we do, so there’s no need to add to it with a negative attitude of our own. Life happens to all of us, but it’s the ones who take life by the tail and deals with it in a positive manner that gets the winner’s crown.
And now I want to share an interesting quote from the Father of Positive Thinking, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) on that most wonderful of emotions and attitudes, ‘HOPE.’
Dr. Peale is reputed to have said that, ‘Hope is the great power that can move you to success. Why? Because when a man expects to win, he does not hold anything back, but gives his project all that he’s got. Most people fail not because they lack ability, intelligence or opportunity, but they fail because they don’t give it all they’ve got.’
Now that ‘s packed full of truth my brethren! For hope is one of the most powerful motivators in God’s great world. It’s the starting point of everything we want or plan to do. Without hope, why begin anything eh?
And furthermore, without hope, we can’t even have faith, which is what keeps us going during the hard times. So please, let’s never lose hope, because then it will be so much easier to lose faith, and then everything falls apart.
Now let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with a whole lot of enthusiasm, energy and sincerity. Let’s say it like we truly believe it.
As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now ain’t that something truly wonderful friends? It surely is! For what can be more heartening and reassuring than being beloved by Almighty God, and also being a friend of Jesus, and getting to share His LOVE with a godless world? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
That means there’s nothing for us to worry about. We don’t care what others say about us, we don’t have to rush and push to just barely get by. No my fellow believers, in our strong and steadfast belief and faith in Jesus Christ, all of that is worked out for us.
So let’s not fuss and fume and bounce our heads against the proverbial wall when troubles come against us. Please remember who and whose we are, and just take everything to God in prayer!
Enough sermonizing now though, (smile) let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing (steadfastly) instant in prayer.’
Yes friends, as faithful believers in Jesus, those are some of the things we’re required to do! It’s a part of Bruh Paul’s sermon to the Roman church re the service of LOVE to All.
Earlier on, he sets the stage by saying: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’ (Rom.12:9)
And what does all of that mean? The scholars explain: 12:9. Without dissimulation (lit. “without hypocrisy”). The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional (exercise of will) caring for others, loving faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
Unfortunately though people, we are seeing less and less of that in not only the local churches, but also the church as a whole. That’s why there is so much dissension, which ultimately leads to divisions. Contrary to God’s word and desire, cliques, gossip, unfriendliness and hypocrisy abound in today’s church.
Why is that eh friends, when we’re supposed to be the epitome of true LOVE, caring and compassion? The only reason I can come up with is that we allow the enemy to raise up our sinful, lustful nature, which causes us to think and act like the evil and ungodly world that surrounds us.
But Bruh Paul is advocating the exact opposite. ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another. Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent in spirit; serving the Lord…
Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints (fellow believers); given to hospitality. Bless (speak well of) them which persecute you; bless (speak well of), and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one to another.
Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the humble). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation). Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things).
If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.’ (Rom.12: 9-11,13-20)
Ah friends, it’s all laid out there for us; the basic application of our Christian faith! What more can I say eh? It’s up to us now to put it into action.
And we’ll end with this explanation from the scholars. ’12:19-21. Give place unto wrath: Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 to show that only God has the right to avenge, and He certainly will avenge.
Heap coals of fire on his head (cf. Prov:25:22). This may refer to a sense of shame or remorse engendered when we treat an evildoer kindly. Paul is discussing personal, not national enemies. He is not teaching pacifism.’
So friends, let’s ponder all that we’ve said today nuh, and see how it is reflected in our own lives, and then ask God to help us fix whatever is wrong. He will NEVER turn us down, or away. Always remember that. Much LOVE!
…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom.12:21).
P.S. Excuse the lateness. I don’t understand it. I went to be earlier than usual, but still had a hard time getting up. (smile) Guess the body needs more rest than I’m giving it. Much LOVE!
19 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's life, adversity, almighty god, as the waves of the sea, be of good cheer, bear our earthly burdens, believers, benediction, bone-chilling cold, calamity, calmness of spirit, Canada, changes, climate changes, continuity, courage, Courage to change the things I can, difficult times, disobedience, dissension, earthly paths, Everett M Dirkson, god is still in control, God's goodness, grains of sand, heavenly Father, Holy Redeemer, Isaiah, Israel, keep an open mind, kind, Life is not static, living truth, long-suffering, LOVE, November wind, O if thou had heeded my commandments, obedience, pateint, peace, peace like a river flows, prayer, punishment, righteousness., rope to hang ourselves, sameness, serenity, Serenity Prayer, Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, shiver and shake, stand strong and steadfast, storms of life, testing, that's life, the Holy One of Israel, the promises of Jesus, thy peace had been as a river, tribulation, troubled valleys, unfaithfulness, upheavals, verdant mountain tops, waywardness, winter time, wisdom, wisdom to know the difference, ye might have peace
Isaiah 48:18. O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.
Well a good Wednesday morning Friends and Neighbours! How’s it going eh? Well in my neck of the woods it’s a bit on the rough side with the bone chilling cold still in effect out there. Oh Friends, it’s been a long time since I remember experiencing such a bitterly cold and strong November wind as we had yesterday.
Hn! It was just a howling all day long! The only good thing is that there was no precipitation, but lots of sunlight. Somehow that just doesn’t seem right though; such bright sunlight with such cold weather, and we’re still officially a month away from winter (Dec.21).
But this is Canada and come the wintertime, anything is possible, especially with the unpredictable climate changes and weather patterns that are now in vogue.
Anyway, we believers are required to stand strong and steadfast in whatever weather and personal situations we may encounter, by holding on to the promises of Jesus and allowing Him to lead and guide us through the troubled valleys back to the verdant mountain tops.
That brings us to this quote from Everett M. Dirkson (1896-1969) a Republican American Politician, who reminds us that ‘Life is not static.’
And that’s the living truth my people. For if there’s one thing we can be sure of is constant change in our lives. We might not like it, or them, but be assured our lives will be full of changes.
Sometimes they might be small and slow, and thus barely noticeable; those we can easily handle. But when the big ones come, we shiver and shake and don’t handle those as well, because we all like some kind of continuity and sameness in our lives. We don’t do upheavals, especially the sudden, unexpected ones, very well.
But my brethren we have to realize that that’s all life, what it’s all about, and try and keep an open mind and do our best, believing that our wonderful and omnipotent God is still in control and will see us through those difficult times, as He’s promised.
We often need to invoke the Serenity Prayer too. ‘Oh God, please grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference!’
Yes Friends, it’s Almighty God who gives us the wherewithal to bear our earthly burdens. That’s why prayer, constant prayer to boot, is ever so important in a believer’s life. It’s through that continual communication with our heavenly Father that our earthly paths are made smooth and calm.
And what’s so wonderful about our God is that though He’s testing us with adversity, He still gives us the peace and calmness of spirit during those times. So that though the storms of life are raging all around us, within our souls, His peace and calm reigns.
And it is indeed sad to see that words used to rebuke Israel’s unfaithfulness so long ago, are ever so appropriate to us in these modern times; times of evil, idol worship and exceeding unfaithfulness.
Listen to Isaiah declare God’s words, including our Bit. ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body, loins) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’ (Is. 48:17-19)
Oh my brethren, please look around and see, God’s punishment is being meted out to us for our unfaithfulness. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to figure out why there’s so much calamity and dissension in our technologically advanced world right now.
It’s true that our God is patient, kind and long suffering, but even His patience runs out in the face of continual disobedience and mockery of His way and words. He’s given us lots of rope to hang ourselves, and now He’s simply pulling the noose tight.
And what amazes me is that we have all these wonderful Bible passages that promote peace through association with and obedience to God, which we totally ignore. Let’s hear some of them nuh.
And we can begin with the part of the priestly benediction that deals with peace, with which God told Moses to have Aaron and his sons bless the Israelites. ‘’The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee (look on you with favour), and give thee peace.’ (Num.6:26)
And in psalm 81 – God’s goodness to and Israel’s waywardness – the psalmist Asaph laments: ‘Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should have soon subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.’ Ps. 81:13-14)
Then in that longest of Psalms, 119, the psalmist truthfully declares: ‘Great peace have they which LOVE thy law: and nothing shall offend them (cause them to stumble).’ (Ps.119:165)
Jesus also held forth on the subject of peace, as He told the disciples when the time of His passion was nigh. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
What greater promise than that can we expect eh Friends! None really. However, time and space are against us, so we’ll end here for today. Tomorrow we’ll continue in this same vein.
So until then, the Lord willing, let’s hang on tightly to those promises and go out into the crazy and wicked world that surrounds us, with the everlasting peace of Jesus. That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…when my soul exalts in Jesus Christ…my Lord and Saviour…then peace like a river flows…
24 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, anger, bless the Lord, Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessings, Christians, clean spirits, disagreement, disputes, dissension, earthly family, encouraging, envy, exhortation to praise, exhorting, father in heaven, fellowship with other believers, fellowshipping, fill our coffers, forgiveness, friends, good news of the gospel, great commission, jealousy, lift up your hands, lifting up holy hands, light of jesus, living example, living our faith, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, loving fold, loving god, magnificent and majestic God, mark of respect, mature in Christ, men pray every where, mercies, mercy, obedience, outstretched arms, personal relationship, pure hearts, resentment, salt of the earth, service, spreading God's Word, state of our hearts, strife, Sunday, teaching, the day of the Lord, the joy of brotherhood, this is the day the Lord has made, to dwell in unity, unconditional LOVE, we will rejoice and be glad in it, without wrath, worshipping
Psalm 134:2. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
Well hello there mih lovelies! It’s a new day –Sunday –the day of the Lord, when we gather in His sanctuary to praise, worship, give thanks and glorify His Holy Name!
And all God’s children boldly declared: ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord who hath blessed us with all good things!’
Yes Friends, as usual, today will be filled with a whole new slew of blessings and mercies from our magnificent and majestic God! Thus His people joyfully proclaim: ‘This is the day the Lord has made. We WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
Ah mih breddren, what a wonderful God we serve! Who else would still fill our coffers with mercy and forgiveness in spite of our less than exemplary service and obedience eh? Nobody else Friends, nobody else! That just goes to show how much He LOVES us and desires a personal relationship with each and every one of us.
It’s just like and earthly family, where the parents provide for and look after the children, nourish, protect and LOVE them, but not always unconditionally like our God LOVES us. That’s the big difference! Our God will never turn His back on any of His children. We are the ones who stray, who walk away from Him.
But yuh know what? Whenever we choose to return to His wonderful and LOVING fold, He is always there to welcome us back with open, outstretched arms and wrap us in a big bear hug, gently whispering in our ear how much He missed us and how glad He is that we’ve come back home.
Ah mih people, what a glorious Father we have in heaven! It’s just like the parable of the Prodigal Son that Jesus told.
So now that we’ve established what a great and magnanimous Deity we worship, let’s put on our Sunday-best and get ourselves out to the sanctuary and fellowship with other believers. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a big sprawling fancy church building, or an old wooden shack, because it’s not the building that matters, but the people within it.
And please note that dressing up to go to church is not to incite envy and jealousy from your fellow believers, as so many of us do, (smile) but as a mark of respect and appreciation to Almighty God, though He doesn’t really care so much about our dress, but more the state of our hearts.
Now let’s check out Psalm 134, from which our Bit comes. It’s an exhortation to praise. And according to the scholars it’s ‘apparently antiphonal: the people call on the priests to bless the Lord (vv. 1-2); the priests respond by pronouncing a blessing on the people (v.3).’
So let’s get on with it my people: ‘Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.’ (Ps.134:1-3)
Yes Friends, it’s short, but certainly to the point!
Now hear how Bruh Paul puts it to Timothy: ‘I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) That’s certainly a wonderful idea, my brethren!
And the scholars have this to say about that verse. ‘2:8. I will…that men pray every where (or, “I intend…that men in every locality pray”): The Greek word andres means “males.” Men are to lead audibly in public prayer; women are to pray silently.
This directive remains the same “in every locality,” geography being no factor. The manner in which men are to pray is that of lifting up holy hands, that is, with a pure life, which is without wrath and doubting (disputes).’
And though women now conduct public prayers, the requirement for doing so is still the same; without anger, resentment and disputes. As Bruh David says so wisely in Psalm 133; the joy of brotherhood: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ (Ps.133:1)
Oh my brethren that is gospel truth, and what Jesus desires of His followers here on earth. But unfortunately that unity doesn’t exist in Christ’s earthly body, His church, as strong and prevalent as it ought to. There is still too much dissension, disagreement, resentment, envy and jealousy in the church.
We’re supposed to all come under one umbrella, that of the Lord God Jehovah, with pure and humble hearts and clean spirits, all for the purpose of worshipping, of fellowshipping, of exhorting and encouraging and teaching each other, so that we can stay strong and grow, become mature in Christ and spread the good news of his gospel through the living example of our lives.
But obviously that’s not happening, hence the poor view that so many unbelievers have of Christians and the sad state of our very troubled and strife filled world. Every day I hear about the hypocrisy with which we are viewed. And I dare say Friends, that if we, as Christians had a better testimony amongst the heathen, our world would definitely not be as war torn and strife filled.
Please remember that we are the ones Jesus is depending on to bring the world to Him, to salvation and eternal life. And if we falter on the job, then numerous souls will miss out on the good things that Christ died for them to have, meaning His tragic and very painful death would have all been in vain.
Oh my people, we can’t allow that to happen. So please let’s get our act together nuh, let’s clean up whatever we need to, so that when we go out into the world, others will notice a difference in us; that the light of Jesus is truly shining through us, that we’re truly the salt of the earth, and they will want to become like us, for remember that examples work more forcibly on the human mind than words.
Remember too, Jesus’ last directive to the disciples, the Great Commission, of which we are now the recipients: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
Let’s concentrate and ponder on that today nuh Friends, truthfully considering how we are individually obeying Christ’s directive, and then let’s invoke the Lord’s help to improve our obedience to it. For if we don’t improve, our world will sink even deeper into the evil morass in which it’s now wallowing. Heavenly wisdom is desperately calling for us to respond favourably. Much LOVE!
…it’s all about truly LOVING our God… sincerely LIVING our Faith…and diligently SPREADING His word…
07 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th of July, Africa, appreciation, aura of love, California, Canadian Maritime Provinces, carnal lusts, chosen generation, complaining, confidence, conquerors, darkness, dissension, drought, economic fallout, enthusiasm, Europe, famine, flooding, greed, holy spirit, homage, homelessness, humble servants, Hurricane Arthur, invincible, Jesus Christ, light, LOVE Revolution, lust for power, Manitoba, maturity, Melchizedek, Middle East, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, need of milk, negative influences, newborn babes, North America, poverty, racial religious and ethnic tension, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rich are getting richer, righteousness., royal priesthood, Saskatchewan, sickness, soccer, solid food, sorry state, Southern Ontario, spiritual armour, spiritual immaturity, spirituality, state of our world, steadfast faith, strife, surrender, terrorism, Texas, the body of Christ, the Word of god, things of God, tornados, trust, U.S. Midwest, ungodly world, violent acts, wars, whining, white elephant stadiums, wisdom, World cup
1 Peter 2:2, As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.
Oh Friends, it’s a brand new day – Monday – the first day of the new work week. And for whatever reason, I’ve been guided to take a brief inventory of the state of our world.
And it’s in a real sorry state at the present time – what with a variety of strife, wars, terrorism and other violent acts dominating the landscape of Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, spawned mainly by greed, lust for power, racial, religious and ethnic and economic tension. And in many of those same places where the violence is taking place, there is famine, drought, flooding, sickness and extreme poverty.
Meanwhile, on this side of the pond, in North America, the confrontations are not as violent, though racial, religious and ethnic tensions are also on increase. There is plenty dissension and the continuing economic fallout is causing poverty, homelessness and sickness to be more rampant than ever, especially in such an affluent society. But that’s because the greed and non-social conscience of the rich are causing them to get richer, while the rest are certainly getting poorer.
And besides that we’re simply having floods in the Western Canadian Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, while several violent tornados have recently ripped through the U.S Midwest and Southern Ontario, and this past weekend Hurricane Arthur deluged the U.S North East Coast and the Canadian Maritime Provinces with tons of rain. But then states like Texas and California are enduring extended periods of drought.
But down in South America, where poverty and strife are always present in large amounts, the supposedly ‘beautiful game,’ soccer is having its World Cup expose in Brazil amidst large demonstrations and unhappiness at the amount of money spent to build new, white elephant stadiums to host the games. But the games are being doted on and bet on by billions around the globe.
What’s going to happen after the finals this week eh? The already wealthy clique that controls the game will walk away even wealthier, leaving the poor and downtrodden in Brazil possibly even worse off than before. And before long we’ll certainly hear about some unnecessary violence committed in the name of the football gods.
Ah Lord eh! And that Friends is only a brief overview. So what sort of picture does it paint of our world eh? Certainly not a pretty one! And though there’s serious unrest and tension all over, there’s not much any of us individuals can do, except to try and keep our immediate families and friends as safe and secure as possible, and free of those negative influences.
However as a group, a group of true believers in Jesus Christ, we can do something to lessen those negative influences. And we can begin by being thankful and responsible this Monday morning; by getting up and going to work without whining and complaining, especially after the 4th of July long weekend, for we are living better than three quarters of our world.
So in appreciation of that, and homage to our wonderful God, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great gusto. As one powerful army cum choir of God, let’s sing. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that might suffice for today my people, but what happens tomorrow eh? We have to turn to the wisdom of our Bit: ‘As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.’
We need to grow in the Word of God if we hope to make a positive difference in this world. And you can see from our overview that our world is in bad shape, which means we have to get a move on sooner, rather than later if we want to stop its slide into total destruction. And this section of Scripture from Hebrews, where the author wants to talk about Jesus the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, brings home that point.
‘Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered (explain), seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time (though by this time) ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles (sayings) of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat (solid food)
For every one that useth (partakes of) milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat (solid food) belongeth to them that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use (practice) have their senses exercised (trained) to discern both good and evil.’ (Heb.5:11-14)
Yes Friends spiritual immaturity is holding back the body of Christ. Many of us, who should be teachers by now, are still immature in the faith. We can’t cause a LOVE Revolution through immaturity. We need to be versed in the Word and then put it into practice.
Now listen to how Peter describes us: ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (God’s special people); that ye should show forth (proclaim) the praise of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.’ (1 Pet.2:9)
Yes my brethren, that’s what we’re supposed to be, chosen of God, special! That also means we have to be behave like royalty! So please let’s get with the programme nuh, let’s seriously study the Word and thus not be fooled by the wiles of the enemy. It’s only through maturity we can do that, and also be able to teach others. That’s what Jesus desires of us.
Much LOVE!…it’s high time believers stop allowing the carnal lusts of the world to rule their lives…and turn to the things of the Spirit and of God instead…
26 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affection, animosity, be likeminded, Bruh Paul, Christ's ambassadors, Christ's Church, Christ's representatives, Christians, church unity, come up higher, conceit, consider our individual efforts, consolation, deference, dictates, dissension, disunity, effective action, emotions, encouragement, esteem each other, excellence, father of modern management, fear of God, fellowship of spirit, fulfill my joy, give thanks and praise, goals, harmony, in accord with God's wishes, in the fear of God, in the spirit of reflection, indisputable truth, Jesus Christ, joy, living in harmony, LOVE, lowliness of mind, motives of the world, mutual submission, negative things, of one mind, our best interest, partiality, Peter Drucker, Philippians, ponder, quiet reflection, reflect, relationships, resentment, reverence to God, seek to improve, selfish ambitions, sounding board, strife, submit yourselves to each other, sympathy, the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit, ungodly actions, united in spirit, vainglory, values, willy-nilly, worthy example
Ephesians 5:21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
And then it was Thursday – the day before Friday – the day before the weekend. Wow Friends, the weekend’s almost here! Give thanks and praise! (smile) Yes my people, we ought to always give thanks and praise, not only for stuff like the weekend, but for ALL things, be they good or bad!
As Bruh Paul so wisely advised the Ephesians: ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Eph.5:20) Yes mih breddren, thanks and praise are always in our best interest, no matter the situation!
And the word for today from my almanac (smile) is ‘REFLECT.’ The quote comes from Peter Drucker (1909-2005) He was the Austrian–born, American writer, professor and management consultant who set the management world afire in my days. He’s often referred to as ‘the Father of modern management.’ In my time, you couldn’t study management without reading Drucker. I must still have a book or two by him somewhere here on my shelf.
Anyway, the quote is: ‘From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.’
And that’s indisputable truth my brethren! For when we first sit and reflect on what’s happening in our lives and around us, instead of just jumping in willy-nilly to some situation, we do produce much more effective actions.
And today, I want us to consider our Bit in the spirit of reflection. ‘Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’
Yes my people, let’s ponder its meaning, then consider our individual efforts in doing what it advocates. Are we truly submitting ourselves to each other in reverence to God?
Or as the scholars describe it: ‘There is mutual submission, that is, showing deference to the wishes of one another, as long as that to which the believer submits is in the fear of God, which is to say, in accord with what pleases Him.’
Oh Friends, as true Christians, that’s how we ought to be living our lives. But unfortunately I don’t think we are doing that to any great extent. Instead we are allowing the dictates, emotions, ungodly actions and motives of the world to permeate our relationships. That’s why there is so much animosity, resentment, and all the other negative things to be found today in the body of Christ; His supposedly august church.
And that unity of effort is one thing Bruh Paul harps on, knowing its great importance. To the Philippians, he writes: ‘If there be therefore any consolation (encouragement) in Christ, if any comfort (consolation) of LOVE, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels (affection) and mercies (sympathy),
Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.’ (Phil.1:1-4)
Yes that’s a mouthful, but here are some explanations from the scholars: ‘2:2-4. Fulfill ye my joy (or, “Make my joy complete”). Paul rejoiced over the Philippians (1:3), but his happiness was incomplete, owing to some disunity and lack of total harmony among them.
The Greek equates what, to Paul, constitutes “complete joy” with the readers being like-minded. This means “living in harmony” with one another. That is, the Philippians can “fulfill” the writer’s “joy” by living in harmony among themselves. But what does such harmonious living entail?
Beginning in verse 2 and continuing through verse 4, six participles spell out and clearly define what it means to “live in harmony”: (1) having the same LOVE toward one believer as shown toward another, without partiality; (2) being of one accord; that is, they are to be united in spirit; (3) of one mind; that is, the whole church is to have the same values and goals;
(4) let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; for selfish ambitions or conceit; (5) let each esteem other better than themselves; that is, each is to regard his fellow Christian as more important than himself; and (6) look…every man also on the things of others; that is, each is to be just as concerned for the needs and problems of his brother as he is for his own affairs.’
Yes my brethren, though Bruh Paul was generally happy with the Philippians, there was some disunity among them that displeased him. I hate to think what he would feel about the church today, for there is so much disunity and dissension, that it’s feeding on itself and every day creating more of the same.
Oh my fellow believers, Christians were meant to live in harmony, with Jesus Christ as our sounding board, as our most worthy example! Yuh see how the early Christians lived after the Holy Spirit was endowed on all believers! That’s how we ought to live!
Oh I know that we are only human and that the society is bigger and somewhat different, but even so, with the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling within us, we ought, and can definitely come up much higher than we’re currently doing.
Remember Jesus’ motto is ‘Excellence in all things!’ And we’re definitely not being excellent in church unity and harmony.
So today my people, I’m pleading with us to try and do better, to come up higher, not only for our sakes and for those of our children, but more so for Jesus, since we are His representatives, His ambassadors here on earth, and we’re not doing such a great job in His name. Let’s sincerely seek to improve nuh. Much LOVE!
…oh…if there was even a tad more unity in Christ’s church…His LOVE Revolution would be much further along to completion…
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