26 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bit uncomfortable, a greedy selfish and jealous place, a true disciple of Jesus, assistance, attention, bet your bottom dollar, Bible, charitable organizations, Christian brethren, christianity, Christians, Consider This, courage, curse, divine protection, easy to receive, encouraging words, faith, favour, felt lavish, give, give and it shall be given to you, giving is like a boomerang, god, good measure, hard to give, hard to wrap our minds around Jesus' love, hate to give, have the impulse to giver, In Touch Devotional, it shall be returned to you again, Jesus Christ, Jesus' generoisty is extravagant, kindness, LOVE, love to receive, makes us feel treasured, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, money, negative word, over the top, pressed dwon, promotion, prossper, relive that moment of generosity, running over, shaken together, shall men give into your bosom, sharing with others, succeed, success, talent, thankfulness, the gospel truth, the inequity in our world, time, truth, wisdom
Luke 6:38a. Give, and it shall be given unto you;
Well there’s no rain, and the sun’s out this somewhat cool, last Thursday morning in September. Imagine that nuh, we’re about to go into October and we’re still having twenty degree weather. I can certainly handle that! But have no fear, the cool weather will be here, sooner or later, you can bet your bottom dollar on it. (smile)
So let’s enjoy the good weather while it lasts, showing our thankfulness for it by sharing what we have with others in a more generous manner than we’ve done before. And to help us with this extra generosity, let’s check out this section from the September In Touch Devotional titled, ‘Consider This.’
Please read with me. ‘Can you think of a time someone was truly generous towards you, when you were given much more than you needed? When whatever you received – whether it was money, time, assistance, attention, or encouraging words – felt lavish, even over the top? Take a moment to relive that moment of generosity you experienced. A gift like that makes us feel treasured (and maybe a bit uncomfortable).
That’s why it can be hard to wrap our mind around Jesus’ LOVE and care for us. His generosity isn’t logical; it’s extravagant. Do you want to give that feeling to someone else? If so, here’s one way to start. The next time you have the impulse to give, decide what you want to offer. Then double it. Remember: Generosity is, by definition, excessive. It shouldn’t easily fit into your wallet or schedule. But it will make someone feel truly and deeply LOVED.’
Now that’s definitely a beautiful and very interesting proposal! And the part I particularly like about it is that about Jesus’ generosity being extravagant. I’ve never before thought about Jesus’ LOVE and care being extravagant, but it’s a most wonderful expression of His compassion for us. That brings to mind the thought about whether we are extravagant in our generosity?
Oh, I know that most of us aren’t. We give as little as possible, and definitely not more than we can afford, but as the passage says, ‘Generosity is, by definition, excessive.’ Yes. Our giving ought to be somewhat sacrificial, cause us a li’l pain, cause us to look to Jesus’ selfless and extravagant sacrifice for us. And yuh know what friends, our problem today is not so much being extravagant in our generosity, but being generous period! We hate to give…but do we ever LOVE to receive.
But we ought to remember these most significant words of our Lord and Saviour on the subject. ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured to you again.’ (Luke 6:38)
Yes my Christian brethren, that’s a scripture we ought to hold much dearer and closer to our hearts than we currently do. If we did, our world would not be such a greedy, selfish and jealous place! For whatever we give, the same will be given back to us, and if we give with generosity, then even more than we give will be given back to us. Giving is like a boomerang; when we toss it away, it eventually comes back to us.
And the sad part is that in this wealthy and prosperous world, there are so many who desperately need sustenance, who’s lack is so obvious and distressing, that it hurts my heart just to think of it. I’ve known want in my time, but not like so many members of the world’s population currently do. It’s a crying shame that there’s so much wealth and provision available in our world and yet so many are suffering from terrible poverty, literally starving for food, clothing and shelter.
Sadly, the inequity of our world’s goods is completely out of whack. One percent of the population owns 90 percent of it, while the other 99 only own 10 percent. That obviously makes for much poverty and want. And our humanity, our supposed LOVE for Jesus and gratitude for all that He’s done for us, still doesn’t make us want to help our fellow man, wallowing deep in the mire of sickness and poverty.
What kind of Christians are we eh? Granted, many of us don’t have a whole lot ourselves, but we can, and we ought to sacrifice some for the benefit of others, as Jesus did for us. Our world today is filled with charitable organizations like never before. Now that should not be so with all the wealth and provision that’s in the world. But there again, the inequality of wealth causes so many to suffer.
The saying man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, is ever so real in today’s world, when it shouldn’t be because of our overwhelming prosperity. That reminds me of a statement I copied from somewhere or the other, (smile) it says: ‘Kindness is the easiest thing to receive, yet it is hard for some people to give.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people. All of us expect kindness but we feel so hard done by to extend it.
And our world will never improve unless we believers start being more like our Lord and Saviour Jesus; being extravagant in our giving. And we can see that extravagance from our Godhead right in what we call our Thursday Blessings, that He’s poured on us undeserving humans to do His earthly work. That’s a most worthy example for us to set. Now let’s declare those blessings so we can activate them.
As one voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…to give…to give…and yet to give…that’s being a true disciple of Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Feb 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a born-again child of God, a place of learning, adversity, believe in yourself, braver than you think, but what comes out, capable of more than you imagine, drifting aimlessly on the sea of life, encouraging words, fires and storms of life, grow in faith and emotional strength, History is a record of the past, I am the way the truth and the life, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, if God is for us who can be against us, immersed in laziness, lazy fantasies, LOVE, more talented than you know, no man comes to the Father but by me, not a place of residence, not of living, not that which goeth into the mouth that defiles a man, on some rocky shore, our friend Anselm, our tote bag of life, pursue what catches your heart, surrender our lives to Jesus, the past is a place of reference, the pilot of our ship, the truth will set you free, to understand the present, too much lazy time, wash up lifeless, why do we learn history
Romans 8:31. If God be for us, who can be against us?
And thankfully it’s a wet, rainy morning and not a white, snowy one! (smile) Yeh friends, the precipitation out there is unfrozen water, not the cold, flaky stuff, which makes this Saturday morning an even better time and place to enjoy our lazy fantasies. Yes, we all have those fantasies of being able to lie around and do absolutely nothing all day, or do the things that are nearest and dearest to our hearts. And for some of us, Saturday is the only day we can make some of those fantasies come true.
However, because of the pandemic and the lockdown, some of us are actually having too much lazy time, being able to indulge our lazy fantasies too much, and too much of anything is no good. So if you’re one of those in the latter category, please find stuff to keep you at least reasonably busy, because the pandemic will end someday, and then what? You will be so immersed in your laziness that you won’t be able to easily get back in the swing of things. And that’s my word of wisdom for today! (smile)
Now let’s see what interesting quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week. And the first one boldly states: ‘Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.’ And is that ever the God awesome truth! But only if you are a born-again child of God! Yes my people, when you are a child of God, nothing is impossible to you, for nothing is impossible to our heavenly Father. Glory be! And as the Good Book so rightly says: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13)
Wow! So as a true believer in Christ, we don’t have to be afraid of anything in this world, or think that we lack courage and talent, because it’s absolutely not true, since our powerful and ever-generous God has given us the wherewithal to do whatever He desires of us. And furthermore, as the scripture says: ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom. 8:31) Nobody! Not a single dead or living soul! Then we have this other beautiful and encouraging scripture; the memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
Oh my fellow believers, with all those good, God-given, encouraging and faithful words in our tote bag of life, how can we ever doubt ourselves or our omnipotent God eh? Our problem is that we don’t fully believe, our faith isn’t mature enough, and thus we continue to let the unfortunate circumstances of the world scare us. But there is only one way to gain mature faith friends, and that’s by going through adversity, for it’s when the fires and storms of life come against us that we truly grow in faith and emotional strength.
So if you’re going through any adversity now, don’t let it bother you, yes, it is difficult, but you can still find peace in those rough situations by doing the best you can, then putting the rest in God’s hands. Hn, Hn! I’m chuckling here because I never expected that to go on for so long. Couldn’t think of anything to say in the beginning, but look at how much I’ve said in the end. (smile)
And the next quote says: ‘Pursue what catches your heart, not what catches your eyes.’ Now, on the Christian side, that’s a somewhat troubling quote. Why? Because we tend to think that our eyes are what really catches the things of the world and lead us astray. But the truth is, that’s also possible with our hearts. It’s oh so easy for our hearts to be captured and captivated by the sinful, lustful, glamorous and heady lures of the world. And believe me, it’s worse when those things capture our hearts than just our eyes.
For as Jesus puts it. ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man…Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out (eliminated) into the draught. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.’ (Matt. 15:11; 17-20)
So you see my brethren, it’s our hearts and our minds that we must ever be very protective of, for it’s what comes out of them that causes us innumerable problems. And generally speaking, we can see all sorts of different things, but what our hearts and minds concentrate on most, is what we eventually do and become.
And to the last quote: ‘The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence; the past is a place of learning, not a place of living.’ Indeed it is all those things. As the Rasta bredrin that taught me History in High School was wont to say as he scratched his scraggly beard with his feet on the desk: ‘History is a record of the past. And why do we learn History? So we can understand the present.’
And that’s exactly how it ought to be. But unfortunately too many of us in these modern times choose to keep living in the past and thus keep making the same mistakes over and over. We can’t progress if we don’t learn the lessons of the past. That’s what it’s there for, to teach us about the present and help us make good decisions for the future. And if we don’t let go of the past, we end up carrying it around as back breaking and life stifling baggage that doesn’t allow us to do anything new, or move forward in more productive and progressive ways.
Yes, bad and unfortunate things have happened to all of us in the past, but that’s no reason to keep dragging them along with us and let them cause us to fear the future. Oh friends, it’s time for us to let go of the past, of where we’ve come from, and concentrate on where we’re going. And the best way to do that is to surrender our lives to Jesus. Let Him be our guide and pilot of our ship, and He will take us safely through the many storms that we encounter in this earthly life.
Please remember His awesome words of indisputable truth: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) And please remember too, that the truth will set you free; the truth of Jesus that is! Much LOVE!
…until you make Jesus the pilot of your soul…you’ll keep drifting aimlessly on the sea of life… and eventually wash up lifeless…on some rocky shore…
27 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a constant affair, a contrite spirit, a crown of righteousness, a life relationship, cast all your cares on Him, crushed in spirit, darkening the church doors, doing life with God, don't give up, ease the pain, encouraging words, eternity, fear of Covid -19, God is the answer, God why, gospel truth, he saveth such as be of, heavenly rewards, humility of Spirit, Judith Gayle, my mouth shall show forth thy praise, only one place we are safe, open thou my lips, relieved of your burdens, revive the heart of the contrite ones, revive the spirit of the humble, song of praise, Stay with God, the comforting arms of Jehovah God, the great invitation, the heartaches are severe, the Lord is nigh, the Lord's Day, the only sensible way, the road gets rocky, them of a broken heart, thou delightest not in burnt offering, thou desirest not sacrifice, to all life's cares, under the rock
Psalm 34:18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit).
The Lord’s day, the Lord’s Day, it’s here mih bredrin! But sadly, we not breaking down the doors of His sanctuary to gather together in worship, as there are still restrictions and many people are still anxious about darkening the church doors for fear of the Covid-19 virus. But as Bruh Paul said to the church at Rome: ‘nothing can separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:30) And that’s the gospel truth! So though all of us can’t gather to worship as we desire, there are ways for all of us to worship, if we so desire. (smile)
And today in our song of praise, one a friend recently acquainted me with, and from the time I heard it, I knew we had to sing it this Sunday. (smile) Thanks friends, for all the good and useful stuff you all send me through WhatsApp. And today we slowing it down, we going soulful, getting it straight from the heart in a contemporary Christian song by Jamaican gospel singer Judith Gayle, titled ‘Stay with God!’ And if that isn’t the best news in the world, then I don’t know what is nuh! So in strong and soulful voice, with sweet harmony, let’s raise our sacrifice of praise to high heaven, pouring out our hearts in utter sincerity.
‘I know the mountains get so high sometimes I know the valley seems so wide It seems this journey, it will never end, And you keep asking the question: God why? I know the road it gets so rocky at times Ahhh, I know the heartaches are severe Oh, It seems like life will never change its tide But there’s an answer to all of life’s cares. (Chorus: Stay with God In spite of what you see or feel Stay with God In spite of how things may appear Come on, Stay with God It doesn’t matter what may come our way There is only one place we are safe Stay with God.)
I know the way you feel says give up now I know you feel you can’t hold on You’re not the only one who is carrying your load Remember He said to cast all your cares on Him. I know you cry and tell everyone you meet Because you feel that will ease the pain But if you just believe your life is in God’s hands Then today I tell you your mountains have to disappear. (Chorus – twice) Ooh yeah You got life in Him There is hope in Him There’s a bright future Just stay with him yeah just stay with him yeah Oh he’ll never leave you He’ll never never forsake you no
Just cast all your cares upon Him Don’t give up now Don’t give in no Whatever may come your way God is always there, Stay with God In spite of what you see or feel Stay with God In spite of how things may appear Stay with God It doesn’t matter what may come our way There is only one place we are safe Come on, Stay with God Stay with Jesus Stay with Jesus Stay with God Eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God yeah Stay with God…Stay with Jesus…Stay with God…right until the end…Stay with God…’
Oh friends, those are the most truthful and encouraging words you can ever say to another human being! Why? Because there’s only ONE place in this world where you can be sure of safety and comfort and care: in the LOVING and comforting arms of Jehovah God, that’s under the rock that’s higher than we are and thus safer too. The Lord God Almighty is the answer to ALL of life’s cares.
He’s invited you to come to Him and be relieved of your burdens through His Great Invitation. (Matt. 11:28-30) He’s also told you to cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you. (1 Pet. 5:7) He’s also promised ‘never to leave nor forsake you.’ (Heb. 13:5) And when you endure to the end with Him, there’s a bright and glorious future in store for you, with a crown of righteousness and magnificent heavenly rewards.
But friends, to be able to do all of that successfully, you must give your life over to God, surrender your life to Him, and then spend time in prayer, or conversation with Him, while reading and meditating on His holy word with obedience to it a priority. There also needs to be humility of spirit, no false human pride, and a contrite heart.
Isaiah puts it this way. ‘For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’ (Is, 57:15) And Bruh David said it twice. In Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous – he proclaims: ‘The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit).’ (Ps. 34:18)
And then in that powerful psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing – when he finally admits to his sins with Bathsheba, after the prophet Nathan drapes him up, Bruh David declares (awright!): ‘Oh Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51:15-17)
Yes friends, those are some of the basic ways we ‘Stay with God.’ And please remember, it is not a one time, one and done thing, but it has to be a constant affair, for staying with God means you are always around Him, and He is always around you. It’s a life relationship; even till after death. In fact, eternity is the time when it gets real good! (smile) So on this last Sunday in September, of this crazy and tumultuous year of 2020, when the worse possibly hasn’t happened as yet, let’s remember that the best way to face life is to ‘Stay with God!’ Much LOVE!
…doing life with God…that’s the ONLY sensible way to go about it…
16 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new creation, a compassionate heart, a concentrated form of dust, a gift of God, a masterpiece, a purpose to accomplish, be obedient to the Lord's will, blameless, brain or spirit candy, constant upheaval, created in Christ Jesus, creation, curse, encouraging words, eye candy, faith, favour, for good works, forgiven, God hath before ordained, God's workmanship, healed and whole in Jesus, hoard selfishly, holy, in the name of Jesus, lest any man should boast, more than a conqueror, negative word, not of works, physical birth, propserity, puny and finite brain, redeemed, share generously, spiritual renewal, strengthen your faith, success, the Holy Spirit, the human body, the scoop, Thursday Blessings, too big for his britches, we are his workmanship, we should walk in them, what a blessing
Ephesians 2:10. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.
Ah mih people, another alive day in God’s great universe! Wow! What a blessing! That means there’s a purpose for us to accomplish, otherwise the Lord would not have allowed us to see the light of day. So what say we buckle down and seek out that purpose eh, or if we know it, buckle down and do it, be obedient to the Lord’s will, because that’s all He ever asks of us; simple obedience and trust. And right now I want to share an anomaly with you, one of which I’m not overly proud, (smile) and I think it’s a symptom of the busyness of our lives. Good excuse!
And the scoop is that the walls of my office and the door are littered with pictures and articles and handwritten stuff supposedly placed there so when I come into it, I can see them and be encouraged and energized. Hn! But the truth is that I come into the office every day I’m at home, but very seldom, no…don’t ever seem to see them. I just walk in and out, spend time writing the Bit and doing other paperwork, and don’t notice any of the supposed encouraging words and pictures. Now why is that eh?
I really don’t know nuh. Have I just become so accustomed to them as eye candy rather than brain or spirit candy? (smile) And some of the stuff is big and colourful, especially what’s on the door, but I still pass by them every day, sometimes several times, and they still don’t register on my brain cells. This morning though, as I was going back up the stairs to make some caffeine, I was sombrely presented with that realization, most likely by the Lord, because He desired me to share some stuff about Him and us that’s on one of the posters on the door.
Now I put that up there some time ago, but I don’t think I’ve ever read it, since I put it up. What a crying shame! And though it’s stuff we all ought to know, it’s also stuff that we have to keep hearing about and keep remembering because it mightily affects our faith walk with God. So here’s what the poster says, the info God wanted me to share this Thursday morning in mid January of the upheaval year of 2020. (smile)
It says: ‘When God created you…HE CREATED A MASTERPIECE! God created something truly special when He created you. Here are just a few things God says about you: You are holy and blameless, redeemed and forgiven. (Eph. 1:4, 7) You are God’s workmanship. (Eph. 2:10) You are more than a conqueror. (Rom. 8:37) You are healed and whole in Jesus. (Is. 53:5. 1 Pet. 2:24) You are greatly LOVED by God. (John 3:16. Eph. 2:4) You are a brand new creation, alive and made new in Christ Jesus. (2 Cor. 5:17) Your strength, your joy, your provision, your confidence and boldness…it is all found in HIM!’
Yes my people, all that we are stems directly from Almighty God! Please check out those scriptures for yourselves so that they can energize you and strengthen your faith. And when you sit down and analyze it seriously, the human body is a masterpiece! Just look at how all the different parts interlock together. They all have different functions but are synced are primed down to the nth degree. No man made piece of machinery is as perfectly primed and synced as the human body, God’s greatest creation!
And when you add all the other things on top of that; things like the LOVE of God, the saving grace of Jesus, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and faithful promises like salvation and eternal life…Chuh! A Christian must be the masterpiece of the world! The sad fact is that most of us don’t seem to think so. But then too, we ought not to let that most salient fact go to our heads and boast about it, or be exceptionally proud and prideful because of it. (smile)
That’s why Bruh Paul stops us in our tracks from the very get go: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: for it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)
Yeh friends, it’s all God’s handiwork; from our physical birth to our spiritual renewal to the good works we do; it was all a part of God’s plan, because He knew the boastful type of being He was going to make. (smile) But that doesn’t stop us from being boastful and full of ourselves! Why yuh think the world is in the sad and sorry state it’s now experiencing eh? Because mankind has gotten too big for his britches and figures that he runs and controls the universe and all the innovations and otherwise come from his wonderful, puny and finite brain.
He has forgotten that He’s merely dust in a concentrated form, and that to that dust he must eventually return. Neither does he stop to think that he has no control whatsoever over the length of his days on this God-given earth, and that the breath of life he so arrogantly breathes come directly from the Lord God Himself. And friends, until we come to the true and real realization that we are not our own, but God’s, and we ought to bow to His wishes and desires, then our lives will be in a state of constant upheaval.
Now for those of us who sincerely believe and sincerely try to do His will, let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us by our heavenly Father so that we can do the good works He ordained for us. All together now in loud voice and sincere hearts. ‘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 one more thing to remember; Jesus desires us to share those blessings with others, just as generously as He shares them with us. Much LOVE!
…blessings are meant to be generously shared…not selfishly hoarded…
12 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a refuge from the storm, a sense of calm, a strength to the needy, At the cross, at their wit's end, because of trouble, brighten our latter years, brings them out of their distresses, calm, calm waters, Calvary, common sense, Controller, Creator, cry unto the Lord, do business, encouraging words, evil cohorts, exalt him, faith, fear, friend of Jesus, go down to the sea, great waters, he makes the storm a calm, his goodness, hurry, in ships, in the congregation, inhumane climate, Jesus, Lake Ontario, like a drunken man, LOVE, mount up to heaven, O ye of little faith, personal experience, Praise the Lord, prayed, raises the stormy wind, rebuked the winds, redeemed, reel to and fro, ruthless nations, sacrifice, Satan, see the works of the Lord, shake like an earthquake, share His love, share jesus' love, shivering of the timbers, stagger, storm, strong people, terror, the assembly of elders, the Good Book, the storm calmer, the time of storm, the waves are still, the winds and the sea obey him, their desired haven, their soul is melted, they are glad, they be quiet, this universe, to the children of men, to the depths, trust, Tuesday Mantra, unhealthy for old folks, what manner of man is this, wonderful works, wonders in the deep, worry
Psalm 107:29. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
‘When the storms of life rage all around me, I have no cause to fear, because I have Jesus, the storm-calmer walking beside me. And if He chooses not to calm the storms when I desire, He calms my fears, so that I can ride out the storms with a peaceful soul. Praise His Holy name!’
Yes friends, more stormy weather is forecasted for these parts today, but as we said above, that we believers can face any storm because we have the great storm-calmer Jesus Christ, living within us and working for us. So though we may be physically discombobulated, our souls stay calm and free, evermore praising His holy name.
But nonetheless my brethren, this weather see-saw is ridiculous yes. And not only in terms of the weather itself, but more so of my having to put up with all of it. Brother! I promised the Duchess that we’re not spending a whole winter up here again, because the weather is just too crazy, and being locked up inside for long periods of time is definitely unhealthy for us old folks. (smile)
And despite whatever ailments I have or doctor’s appointments, from next year we’ll spend some time out of this inhumane climate, getting the sea, salt, sand and sunshine we need to brighten our latter years. (smile) And since we’ve been talking about storms all morning, we might as well continue on the topic with some encouraging words from the Good Book.
Listen to these wonderful words from Psalm 107 – God’s wonderful works to the children of men. ‘They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; They see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end (all their wisdom is swallowed up). Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.’ (Ps.107:23-30)
Yeh friends, that is exactly how it is! I can tell you from personal experience about riding those stormy waves in a li’l boat out on Lake Ontario many years aback. I can personally attest to the mounting up to heaven on the big waves, then being dashed down in to the deep. I always used to read about the trembling, the shivering of the timbers, well that day I discovered what it really meant.
When the boat dropped from the top of the high wave and landed splat on the bottom, you could feel everything just shake like an earthquake. And on board that day were drunken men, thankfully I wasn’t one of them, but they prayed, possibly like never before in their lives, and the Lord eventually brought us through to calm waters.
So I know what the psalmist is talking about, and so do many of you, that’s why I’m amazed that we don’t do as he recommends: ‘Oh that men would praise (give thanks to) the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.’ (Ps.107:31-32)
That is only common sense my people, if we agree that God is the Creator and Controller of this universe. But we look real foolish when we spout that info, then go against all that the Lord stands for! We ought to be praising and exalting Him, with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, because that is the major reason we were created in the first place! Not to doubt and ridicule and blaspheme His holy name!
Now listen to how Isaiah puts it in the song of praise by the redeemed. ‘Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible (ruthless) nations shall fear thee. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.’ (Is.25:3-4)
Oh my people, we are the redeemed! That means we’re supposed to be strong and glorify the Lord who caused us to be redeemed through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary! So why aren’t we doing better eh? Why are we allowing Satan and his evil cohorts to take over and rule our souls eh, when Jesus paid such a high price for us?
And I guess the answer can only be found in the immortal words of Jesus, when the disciples in their fear and terror during a stormy ship crossing, awoke Jesus sleeping quietly in the back of the boat, ‘saying, Lord, save us, we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt.8:25-27)
And that after being with Jesus for so long and seeing all the miracles He performed! But we’re doing the same thing today, so we can’t really judge them. Anyway friends, for those of us who are trying to be faithful and true, let’s go home today declaring (phew! wrong again) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole wide world know who and whose we are.
In strong voice, with a strong sense of purpose: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the next step is to go out and share that trusting friendship and awesome LOVE with the folks who don’t know or have it. Much LOVE!
…in the time of storm…ONLY Jesus can bring a sense of calm…
03 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better frame of mind, a brutish man, a fool, a rough morning, bear the negative stuff, beauty of fellowship, best laid plans, boost your spirit, bring forth fruit, clothed in majesty, comings, courts of God, crying out for mercy, doddered our way, don't understand, encouraging words, fellowship, finite minds, flourish, give thanks unto the Lord, Glory be, God laughs, goings, grace, grow strong, handshakes, hell death the grave, how great is our God, Hugs, in old age, intimate gathering, it is a good thing, justice, kisses, lamb, like the palm tree, lion, loved on me, man plans, mercy, might, more than conquerors, mortal words, my heart will sing, my rock, mysterious movements of God, no unrighteousness in God, O most High, old bones and joints, on our behalf, plans of mice and men, power, refresher testimony, sacrifice, sing praises, splendour of a king, the believer's life, the cedar of Lebanon, the Godhead, the importance of fellowship, the Lord God Jehovah, the Lord is upright, the name above all names, Three in one, to church, to thy name, Tomlin, truth, undeserving children of men, very deep, wisest decision, worthy of our praise
Psalm 92:1. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:
Sorry friends, but it has just been a rough morning. I even went to bed at a decent hour, feeling all right too, intending to get up early and write the Bit before going to church.
Hn! But as they say, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men oftimes go astray,’ as well as, ‘Man plans, but God laughs.’ Hn! And was He ever chuckling this morning because he had a different plan in mind for me.
In the first place I did not get up as early as intended, and then all the old bones and joints were crying out for mercy. Brother! It boggles the imagination to wake up feeling worse than when you went to bed.
Nevertheless, my ailing and aching chariot and I doddered our way to church. And was it ever the wisest decision, for in the small, intimate gathering that characterizes the early service, everybody LOVED on me! Wow! Glory be my people!
That’s the beauty of fellowship! That’s why fellowship is so important in the believer’s life. You get hugs and kisses, handshakes and physical contact which we all need, as well as encouraging words to boost your spirit.
And though the LOVE I received didn’t take away or ease my aches and pains, it certainly lifted my spirit and helped me to bear the negative stuff in a better frame of mind.
And I guess that was God’s plan: He thought I needed a personal refresher testimony to the importance of fellowship that I keep preaching about. Ah Lord eh! The mysterious movements of our God! Who knows His comings or goings? None but Him! (smile)
So in honour of His name and great glory, let’s do as our Bit declares: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:’ Yes, let’s sing praises for the Lord’s goodness.
And today we’ll sing some new, contemporary music written by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Jesse Reaves, titled ‘How great is our God!’ You can check out You Tube for Chris Tomlin’s version.
Now let’s raise our voices in praise: ‘The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty Let all the earth rejoice All the earth rejoice He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide And trembles at His voice Trembles at His voice (Chorus: How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God)
Age to age He stands And time is in His hands Beginning and the end Beginning and the end The Godhead Three in One Father Spirit Son The Lion and the Lamb The Lion and the Lamb (Chorus) Name above all names Worthy of our praise My heart will sing How great is our God.
Name above all names Worthy of our praise My heart will sing How great is our God. (Chorus: How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God (2).’
And that’s the gospel, indisputable truth my brethren! Our God is indeed great and worthy to be praised! The song does Him full justice, as full as our mortal words and thoughts can do Him justice.
And the psalmist proclaims later on: ‘O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.’ (Ps.92:5-6) But thankfully my people, we’re neither brutish nor fools, so we understand the might and power of the Lord God Jehovah, as much as our finite minds can understand it!
And furthermore, the psalmist declares: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow (strong and tall) like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green); To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps.92:12-15)
Oh friends, oh friends, yuh see what happens when we accept the Lord and hold on to His righteous right hand? We grow strong and tall and even flourish and prosper and bear good fruit in our old age! Glory to the Most High for His grace and mercy to the undeserving children of men!
So why are we foolishly looking to other avenues for righteousness and prosperity eh, when only the Lord in His high heaven can do it with any certainty? We’re just letting the enemy lead us astray. And it’s high time we stop doing that. Remember friends, Lucifer only has power over us when we allow him to, for Jesus has already conquered, hell, death and the grave and nothing can stop us.
As the Good Book says: we’re more than conquerors; like Jesus we’ve conquered life and the enemy through His victory. So let’s live like it’s true nuh, otherwise Jesus just wasted His time and life in sacrifice on our behalf. Much LOVE!
…great is our Lord…and of great power…His understanding is infinite…so sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving…sing praise upon the harp to our God… (Ps.147:5,7)
18 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a no-brainer, affinity for Friday, affirmations, all my fears, another week of work, any good thing, ask a fish, ask and it shall be given to you, ask bread, believers in Christ, blessed is he who trusts in God, blessed is the man, boundaries, Controller, cross at Calvary, decorum, defeat, delivered me, delivers them, each step I take, encouraging words, fear the Lord, Friday chant, friends, frolic, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, generous help, give him a serpent, give him a stone, go our own way, he heard me, heavenly Father, I sought the Lord, in Jesus' name, Jewish brethren, knock and it shall be opened, lack, leggo-beast, li'l pay, menial work, mind-boggling, no want, O taste and see, our benefit, our Creator, pain, praise and worship, Redeemer, refreshed, rejection, renewed, reverence, Sabbath, sacrificed His life, saints, saviour, seek and you shall find, sinful nature, sorrow, soul body and mind, suffer hunger, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the angel of the Lord, the great leveller, The Lord is good, the weekend is here, the young lions, those that fear him, time to party, wisdom
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Oh friends, oh friends, it’s here; Friday, the great leveller! For no matter what your persuasion or position, Friday plays an important part in all our lives.
Whether you’re rich or poor, black, white, or any shade in between, we all have this affinity for Friday because it marks the start of the weekend, and the Jewish brethren consider it the start of their Sabbath. So Fridays are special in some form or the other.
That’s why the workingman, with a couple of days off from work, makes a big to-do about it, crying out to all and sundry: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! That means the weekend is here! Yes mih breddren, the weekend, the weekend!
That is we time to party and do what we want, with no massa constantly watching over we shoulder to see if we doing his hard, dirty, menial work for li’l pay. Party time people! Party time is here at last! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend oui!’
And you really can’t blame the ordinary working person for feeling that way, because life is indeed getting rougher and more impersonal, but that response is definitely overdoing it.
As believers in Christ, we can’t just let go like leggo-beast, although it’s very appealing. (smile) We must observe some sort of decorum, with definite boundaries to our behaviour. That’s why our Friday Chant is a much more fitting declaration for believers.
Please declare it with me now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers, the weekend is indeed a time for some fun and frolic, but it also means resting, renewing and refreshing ourselves, with some praise and worship included, so that we can positively handle the upcoming week.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ Ah mih people, that’s the glory and wisdom of believing in Almighty God! When we truly seek Him, He can do such wonderful and marvellous things in our lives.
Bruh David proudly and positively proclaims in the psalm: ‘The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps.34:7-10)
Oh friends, how good and how pleasant it is to seek the Lord and to trust totally in Him! There is no want or lack or fear to those who sincerely reverence Him! So why aren’t more people seeking and reverencing our Creator, Controller and heavenly Father eh?
It’s certainly mind-boggling to see us all trying to go our own way and do our own thing, following the foolish and unwise wisdom of the world and suffering defeat and rejection, sorrow and pain every time.
That unsuccessful, do-it-yourself, or as the world does attitude and belief is very heart-breaking, especially when we have true and faithful affirmations from God’s Son, our Saviour and Redeemer, who sacrificed His life for us on the cross at Calvary.
Listen to these true and encouraging words from the Master nuh, as He teaches about prayer. ‘And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall opened.
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt.7:7-11)
Ah mih people, since Jesus is incapable of lying, why don’t more people believe and live for Him eh? That’s a billion dollar question which I can’t answer, but I know that me and mine are certainly going to do so.
Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘7:7-10. The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer.
Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
And that’s exactly how it should be with a Deity of such power and magnitude! Yeh friends, as Jesus so powerfully reasons; if we, with our natural sinful nature can give good gifts to our children, why wouldn’t our holy and sinless and magnanimous heavenly Father give us good gifts if we genuinely seek and reverence Him eh? No reason whatsoever!
So let’s ponder it all today nuh, and see the wisdom in Jesus’ words and put them into practice, for it is to OUR great benefit, no one else’s. Much LOVE!
…following Jesus…and sincerely seeking the Father…is a no-brainer for the wise amongst us…
06 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be content, be nor dismayed, be strong, beloved children of Almighty God, caring, challenging weekend, Christians, conduct, covetousness, David, encouraging words, ever-present help of God, faith, faith building, fear not, flying colours, friends, grace, grace and mercy of God, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, Herculean task, hurry, Jesus, magnanimous god, majestic, mercy, Moses, neither forsake thee, of a good courage, praise his holy name, Praise the Lord, promise, share His love, Solomon, the beloved of God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Godhead of the Holy Trinity, the Good Book, the Holy Trinity, the Lord goes before thee, The Lord is my helper, the Lord thy God is with thee, trust, trust my friend, Tuesday Mantra, understanding God, weak, what a privilege, whining, wishy-washy, worry
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Ah friends and neighbours, at last there is some decent heat in the ole homestead! Praise the Lord!
It has indeed been a challenging weekend without proper heat. A couple of heat space savers can never replace a central system. But through the good grace and mercy of our wonderful God we made it through. Praise His Holy Name!
You know you always hear about certain situations and imagine what they feel like, but not until you personally go through them do you really appreciate the good side of the equation. Hn! Now I know what it’s like to be without proper heat for a cold weekend. (smile)
But we’ll simply chalk that up to faith building, because that’s exactly what it was; an exercise to see how we’d react under less than perfect conditions. But again, with the ever-present help of our magnanimous, caring and understanding God we came through it all with flying colours! Please give Him the wonderful praise He so rightfully deserves!
And on this chilly Tuesday morning, to further boost our spirits and our faith, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincere enthusiasm and strong belief, otherwise, we’re simply wasting our time.
In unison now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Yes my people, that’s indeed who we are; beautiful and beloved children of Almighty God! Wow! What a privilege! And to make our situation even better, we are also friends of our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! It certainly couldn’t get any better than that my faithful, believing brethren!
But we’re wrong, it does get better. Listen to our Bit nuh. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Ah mih people, what a majestic and magnanimous God we serve! He had Moses make that statement to Joshua when he assumed leadership of the Israelites many moons ago, but the excellent thing is that that awesome promise still exists today, and still applies to each and every one of us who proclaims true belief and faith in the Godhead of the Holy Trinity.
No other supposed deity makes such a promise…and faithfully keeps it too. That’s why I find it mind-boggling when others say they don’t believe in the ONE true and LIVING God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Now hear the refreshing and encouraging words of Moses to the people of Israel, before he spoke our Bit to Joshua. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6)
Oh friends and faithful believers that ought to resonate deeply within our souls, because it is the gospel truth! And it’s a promise that’s been used, been given several times throughout the Good Book. Let’s look at a few of them, beginning with the Lord’s words to Joshua after Moses died and he took on the Herculean task of leading the Israelites.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh.1:5) And it’s a promise the Lord faithfully kept.
But in the very next verses, the Lord point out Joshua’s responsibility. ‘Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest do all the law which my servant Moses commanded thee… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:6, 7, 9).
Yes precious people of God, three times in four verses the Lord commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous, and it’s the very same message that He’s sending out to each of us today. We need to believe His promises and stand strong and faithful upon them.
Now hear Bruh David’s words to Cousin Sol re the building of the temple. ‘And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’ (1 Chr.28:20)
The same thing applies to us today my brethren: The Lord will be with us all the way in our service to glorify His name. He will not fail nor forsake us, so we have no reason to be afraid and dismayed.
And we’ll end with more encouraging words, this time from Hebrews, re Service well-pleasing to God. ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb.13:5-6)
Ah mih fellow believers, from the beginning of the Good Book, right through to the end, we’ve been admonished to be strong and courageous because our omnipotent God will never fail not forsake us.
Please let’s take it all to heart and go out and fight the good fight nuh, knowing that the Creator of the universe is always with us. It’s the only way to successfully handle this earthly pilgrimage. Much LOVE!
…weak, whining and wishy washy Christians…cannot do God’s work successfully…
16 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a minister, an apostle, anointing, bestowed on me, Christ's mercy, christianity, confidence, converts, counted me faithful, courage, dispensadtion of God, divine assignment, encouraging words, faith, fellowship, filter into my soul, God's goodness, grace, hearing the word, his helping hand, hope, hope of the gospel, I thank Christ Jesus, I'll lean upon, I'll walk with God., least of all the saints, LOVE, make a difference, Mario Lanza, mercy, my humble plea, osmosis, persecuted the church, praise, promises, putting me into ministry, rejoice, sacrifice of praise, sanctified, softened our hearts, spreading Christ's gospel, stewardship, strength, sufferings, thanksgiving, the afflictions of Christ, the Gentiles, the gift of grace, the Holy Ghost, the Lord's Day, the resurrection of Christ, the Sabbath, Timothy, was not in vain, who enabled me, winning souls, worship, zeal
1 Timothy 1:12. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into ministry.
Aye mih people, is fellowship day; the Lord’s Day – the Sabbath, the day of the week that we concentrate on our most wonderful God to a greater extent than other day!
That leads us to gather in His sanctuary to fellowship with each other, to give great shouts of praise, worship and thanksgiving for His goodness during the past week, and to receive strength, faith, courage, confidence and LOVE to face the upcoming seven days.
So, in light of all that, let’s offer up heartfelt praise in preparation for hearing the Word. And believe me friends, there’s nothing I like better than to just sit and hear the Word and feel it filter into my soul, like osmosis. Anyway, enough talk, (smile) let’s get to some sacrifice of praise and worship to Almighty God by singing this old but magnificent spiritual song made popular by Mario Lanza many moons ago, ‘I’ll Walk with God.’
Let’s raise the rafters with our song now: ‘I’ll walk with God From this day on His helping hand I’ll lean upon This is my prayer my humble plea May the Lord be ever with me There is no death though eyes grow dim There is no fear when I’m near to him I’ll lean on him forever And He’ll forsake me never
He will not fail me as long as my faith is strong What ever road I may walk alone I’ll walk with God I’ll take his hand I’ll talk with God He’ll understand I’ll pray to him Each day to him I’ll walk with God from this day on.’
Oh what faith raising and encouraging words my precious people! Remember though, we can’t just leave all those sentiments, those faithful promises behind when we leave church, we need to take them with us and action them in the world during the week.
And having softened our hearts for the Word, let’s hear it nuh, as we lead of with our Bit. ‘And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into ministry.’ Heartfelt words from Bruh Paul the mentor, to young Timothy, the protégé, re his becoming an apostle. And he tells of Christ’s mercy that saved and enabled him, several times in other letters.
Listen to him from 1 Corinthians, as he talks about the resurrection of Christ. ‘And last of all he (Christ) was seen of me also, as one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet (worthy) to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed on me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.’ (1 Cor.15:8-10)
Ah friends, Bruh Paul did labour hard in spreading Christ’s gospel. But as he says, it’s God’s grace that enabled him to do all that work and withstand all those trials. Likewise God’s grace will help each and every one of us to do the work He has entrusted us to do. And I can personally testify to that, through the writing of this Bit. I can only do it because God grant’s me the grace to do it.
Now hear his acknowledgement to the Ephesians, re his mission to the Gentiles. ‘That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. Whereof I was made (became) a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual (effective) working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ.’ (Eph.3:6-8)
And isn’t that the indisputable truth? Bruh Paul would have had no power to preach the Word unless it was given to him by God. Meanwhile to the church at Rome, he writes. ‘Nevertheless brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort (on some points), as putting you in mind (reminding you), because of the grace that is given to me of God.
That I should be the (a) minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. I have therefore whereof I may glory (reason to glory) through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.’ (Rom.15:15-17)
And to the Colossians, he points out: ‘If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled (steadfast) and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind (lacking) of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is in the church. Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation (stewardship) of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God.’ (Col.1:23-25) It’s all grace friends, nothing but grace!
And the scholars offer this explanation: 1:25. The expression according to the dispensation of God might be rendered “because of the divine assignment.” Paul was a minister or servant to the church because of the divine assignment given him. That assignment was to fulfill the word of God, that is, to preach the gospel over a wide geographical area, winning converts to Christianity. The Greek word translated here as “fulfill” is rendered in Romans 15:19 as “fully preached.”
Ah mih breddren, two thousand years later, nothing has really changed, for we as believers have also been given the divine assignment to spread the gospel wherever we can, even to the farthest reaches of the earth. Now we might not all have Bruh Paul’s zeal and miraculous anointing, but in our own small way, we all can make a difference in winning souls for Christ.
So please, let’s get serious and get on with the job of seriously and sincerely promoting Christ’s gospel nuh, because that’s what He expects of each and every follower. Much LOVE!
…every Christian…with no exceptions… has a part to play in furthering the gospel…be it big or small…
25 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, acknowledge God, all creatures great and small, all that glitters is not gold, All things bright and beautiful, all things wise and wonderful, artistry, birds, creatures of nature, deceptions, encouraging words, enticing words, evil doers, evil lifestyle, facade, faith, fear, fellowship, foolishness, fret not, fruits in the garden, glamour, glitter, gloat at our misfortune, glory hallelujah, glowing colours, God made them all, God's gift, in all thy ways, in the power of God, ingenuity, inherit the earth, jehovah god, Jesus, joyful songs, judgement, justice, knowledge of God, lean not unto thine own understanding, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, make smooth thy paths, man's glory, Mother Nature, persuasive, praise and worship, Rest in the Lord, righteousness, schemes., seek ye first the kingdom of God, summer sun, sunset and morning, thanksgiving, the evil one, the noonday sun, to be happy in Jesus, trembling, trust and obey, trust in the Lord, wait patiently, wicked devices, wings, wisdom
Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.
Aye mih breddren, it’s fellowship day! Glory Hallelujah! So here, in the Lord’s sanctuary, (smile) let’s start it off in the most appropriate fashion nuh with some praise and worship, because our awesome God LOVES nothing more than to hear our sincere and joyful songs of praise and thanksgiving.
This morning we’ll offer the sacrifice of praise through our wondrous rendition of the old but favourite hymn, ‘All things bright and beautiful.’ And as we raise our voices in glorious song, let’s picture in our mind’s eye, the objects and creations we’re singing about.
Please sing with me. ‘(Refrain) All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. Each little flow’r that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings: (Refrain)
The purple-headed mountain, The river running by, The sunset and the morning That brighten up the sky: (Refrain) The cold wind in the winter, The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden, He made them ev’ry one: (Refrain)
The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water We gather ev’ry day: All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.’
And that’s the living truth my people! Our great God made everything! And made them so beautiful too, especially the things and creatures of nature! I do hope as you sang about the birds and the mountains, the rivers, trees etc. that you pictured each one in living colour and appreciated their beauty, because the Lord made them for our enjoyment and pleasure.
And those who don’t appreciate nature, its beautiful colours, artistry and ingenuity, will never fully understand or appreciate the wonder that is our magnificent God! That’s because ‘Mother Nature’ is God’s outstanding work of art, His greatest, most impressive canvas!
And having given thanks and praise and admired God’s handiwork, let’s now turn to His word, another aspect of His creation, this one meant for us to follow, to be obedient to, so that we can enjoy everlasting fellowship with Him.
Listen to the awesome advice of our Bit. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’
Just imagine nuh friends, what a wonderful life we can live if we admire God’s artistry as well as put our sincere trust and faith in Him! Mama Yo! Nothing on earth could be better than that!
But I guess our sinful nature, plus the lies and deceptions of the evil one stop us from being able to enjoy all that Jehovah God has in store for us. We are fooled by the glitter and glamour that the world offers, when in reality it’s only a façade, a nice looking front for a decrepit, destructive, evil lifestyle.
Remember friends, all that glitters is not truly gold, and the world cruelly plays on our affection for bright, shiny things and toys. But my people, the wisdom of the world is not wisdom at all, but utter foolishness. True wisdom is God’s gift.
As Bruh Paul warned the Corinthians: ‘And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing (persuasive) words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand (be) in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.’ (1 Cor.2:3-5)
That’s why we need to trust in God and rely on Him for our needs. Jesus said it quite plainly that we should first seek God and His kingdom, then all our necessities would be met. (Matt.6:33)
But man’s wisdom tells us that we should be seeking our needs first. That’s wrong advice my brethren, so if you are currently trying to meet all your needs through your own efforts, then please stop it right now! It’s a fool’s wisdom and only serves to lead us down the garden path where the evil one can gloat at our misfortune.
Listen to Jeremiah as he expatiates on the theme, ‘Knowledge of God is man’s glory.’ ‘Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING –kindness, judgement (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:23-24)
Remember yesterday we spoke about delighting ourselves in the Lord? Well LOVING-kindness, justice and righteousness are the things we ought to delight ourselves in if we are to please the Lord.
Now let’s go home with some mightily encouraging words of Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday sun.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:5-9)
Oh friends, that’s the best advice we can get this Sunday morning! So please let’s take it all to heart as we go out to fellowship with other believers in the Lord’s sanctuary today, for it’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…trust and obey…for there’s no better way…to be happy in Jesus…than to trust and obey…
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