14 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good weekend, a lot of leeway, agape love, an interesting word, be your best, boundaries, cards, cash registers ring, charles stanley, chocolates, compassionate feelings, consumerism, do your best, downtrodden, enrich the coffers, enthused, enthusiasm, fellowship, flowers, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, Happy Valentine's Day, have it more abundantly, have our wits about us, I am come, in Jesus' name, Joyce Meyer, joyful feelings, lavished, learning my limitations, like to overdo it, look your best, LOVE, making good memories, offering gifts, ordinary workingman, poor-me-one, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, represnt Jesus, rest, rule the roost, sacrifice His sinless self, Satan, simple joy, sinful nature, take the wife out, tender, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the author of love, the thief comes to steal, they might have life, to destroy, treating people better
John 10:10. The thief (Satan) cometh not but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Happy Valentine’s Day, my Scrip-Bit friends and family! It’s the Day of LOVE, or LOVE Day as celebrated by the world for consumerism purposes, to further enrich the coffers of the already wealthy! And yes, we know that a lot of it is not true LOVE, but once it has to do with treating people better, offering gifts and tender, compassionate feelings, then we ought to embrace it, especially since this is the ONLY day in the year truly dedicated to showing LOVING feelings. (smile)
The flowers and the cards and the chocolates and other gifts will be rushing out of the stores today – I’ve got mine already – and the smiles on the owners faces will be huge as they hear those cash registers ring and ring – chhhring …chhhring…! But although it’s so commercialized, we still have to hold on to it, because it is a form of spreading LOVE…God’s most important character trait!
And what better day for it to fall on than a Friday, when people are normally overjoyed to see their work week wind down and their time become their own for a couple of days. And no one is as enthused as the ordinary workingman, so let’s hear what he has to say nuh. And we can always depend on him for an interesting word, as he declares (yeah!):
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! The week wasn’t too bad, as I’m learning my limitations, and not stressing out mihself on the work like before. Yeah! And is also Valentine’s Day to boot. A good weekend that! Going to get a baby-sitter for the children and take the wife out to dinner and a movie! I’ve already lavished her with flowers and chocolates!
Valentine’s Day is one of our special times because that’s the day we had our first kiss, oh so long ago, behind the barn on her father’s farm out in the country! I could remember it like it was yesterday…one of the most tender moments we’ve ever shared. And I know she’s looking forward to this weekend, just like I am! Brother! We going to make some more good memories to add to those we already have! Mama Yo! Thank God for Fridays, weekends and Valentine’s Day yes!’
Now don’t you just adore the workingman’s simple joy and enthusiasm? I certainly do! Perhaps that’s because I’m merely a simple workingman my self. (smile) But that’s what life is about friends, making good, godly memories with those we LOVE and care for.
Remember Jesus’ immortal words regarding the sheep of His pasture, His followers: ‘The thief (Satan) cometh not but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ Glory be mih people!
That means that Jesus didn’t come to earth to die, to sacrifice his sinless self so that we could live, miserable, unhappy lives. No way Jose! He came that we could enjoy life while doing His bidding! What’s the point of Him atoning for our sins and giving us His righteousness, and reconciling us to the Father and making us One with Him, if we had to be miserable and downtrodden doing it eh? We were already doing that before He came, so why come for us to do the same thing eh?
And as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) says, that’s why she calls her television programme ‘Enjoying Everyday Life,’ because that’s why Christ came to earth, so that He could release us from the bondage of sin and have down here on earth, a good, healthy and happy relationship with each other and ultimately the Father!
Yuh see how all yuh get me carried away there! (smile) That’s because I hate to see miserable, slobbering, poe (poor) me one, like they on their last breath, no belly and backbone people calling themselves Christians! We have ALL the best blessings of God, like we declared in our Thursday Blessings yesterday, so why should we go around tired looking, fearful and miserable eh?
We’re supposed to be the happiest, most joyful and most powerful people on the planet, because our heavenly father is the Creator of the Universe and the most important and powerful person therein! So please my fellow believers, let’s cut out this struggling appearance that we portray to the world nuh. Tell me, if Jesus had come to you with our poor me one attitude and a life of constant struggle and poverty, would you have embraced it and or Him? Definitely not!
Likewise if we bring that kind of attitude to our fellow man as that which Jesus desires of His followers, you expect them to accept it? Not on yuh life! So it’s time we not only stand up strong in Christ, but also LOOK STRONG, for remember the world judges so much on outward appearance and we won’t ever entice them to have a look at Jesus if we look poor and downtrodden. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley ) likes to say: When you go out to represent Jesus, you must look your best, be your best and do your best! It couldn’t be any clearer or wiser than that friends! (smile)
And no, I haven’t forgotten our Friday Chant, it’s just that you all threw me a curved ball about our less than appropriate way of living everyday life that led me into the unavoidable spiel… (smile) But that’s okay. I guess it needed to be said, to remind us of the privileged people we are, and that we ought to show it in our lifestyle.
So all together now, let’s chant: ‘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!’
Yeh friends, we need to have our wits about us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves, once we stay within certain boundaries as outlined by Jesus. And contrary to popular opinion, there’s a lot of leeway in His rules and regulations, (smile) we just like to overdo it. We’re not happy unless we’re overdoing it. I guess that’s our natural sinful nature showing up there. Anyway, please have a Happy Valentine’s Day, spread the LOVE, the true LOVE, AGAPE LOVE, like Jesus wants and all will be fine! Much LOVE!
…what’s a day of LOVE…without joyful feelings ruling the roost…and the author of LOVE being celebrated…
07 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, call upon him in truth, confidence, encouraged, enemy's ranks, enthused, enthusiasm, feeling good, fight for Jesus, foot dragging, for his hope, fulfill the desire, full of vim and vigour, further your glorious kingdom, gospel truth, great is our Lord, happy is he, hath the God of Jacob, hearsay, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new week of work, of them that fear Him, personal experience, praise him, preserves all who love Him, protective spiritual armour, rejuvenation of spirit, saints in glory, serve a useful purpose, sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving, taunts, the Lord is nigh, the wicked will he destroy, unto all that call upon Him, wiles
Psalm 145:18. The Lord is nigh (near) unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Aw, come on nuh friends, no lagging and foot dragging this morning nuh! Is Monday, and we should be full of vim and vigour, eager to get out into the world and fight the Lord’s battles! What’s this yuh tired and not up top scratch nonsense eh? That means you didn’t go to church yesterday and worship and praise God with other believers, else you’d be up bright and early just dying to get out and fight for Jesus.
But regardless of your situation, we’re not here to condemn you, but to help you. So please don’t feel too badly, just join us in sending up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we ask the Lord to strengthen and inspire us to go out and do His work. Altogether now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts:
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days.
It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And here’s what I like about that particular prayer…before you even finish saying it, you start feeling good; enthused, encouraged, confident and well able to go out and fight a good fight in Christ’s name! Glory be my people! So let’s go out now and do just that nuh. And as we do, let’s remember Bruh David’s fateful and famous words from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is nigh (near) unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.’
Yeh mih breddren, that’s why we can sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in humble sincerity and know that He will hear and also answer us! As Bruh David continues: ‘He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy.’ (Ps.145:19-20)
Gospel truth that friends! And we know that Bruh David is talking from personal experience there, not merely hearsay. And many of us have also had the wonderful experience of experiencing God’s mercy and LOVING- kindness, so we too know first hand that those words are absolutely true! So there is no need to fret or worry about whatever comes against us.
As the psalmist so rightly and wisely says in support of those words: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:5) And that elicits a li’l smile and chuckle from me, as I was somewhat late in getting up and was worried that I wouldn’t finish the Bit in time for me to do some other things that need my attention this morning.
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! He never leaves us in the lurch, nor fails to reassure and encourage us! Wow! So how can we not LOVE Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds eh? We’d be real foolish not to! For listen to the psalmist again: ‘Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (innumerable, without count). The Lord lifteth up the meek (humble): he casteth the wicked down to the ground.’ (Ps.147:5-6)
And please note people, it’s not the same psalmist who is saying all those wonderful things about our God, but different ones, so there must be some truth in their assertions. And if that’s so, then we ought to respond thus: ‘Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy (LOVING-kindness). Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.’ (Ps.147:7-12)
Yes my people, the Lord is indeed worthy to be praised! There’s absolutely no doubt about it! So on this chilly autumn morn, as we go out to do His bidding, let’s praise Him nuh! Let’s glorify Him, let’s extol His wonderful attributes and exalt His mighty name, for there’s nothing our God likes better than hearing His praises being sung! Much LOVE!
…praise Him…praise Him…all you His saints in glory…praise Him with loud voice…
20 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a holy calling, Abide in me, abide in my love, according to our works, ashamed of, ask what ye will, be a partaker, be my disiciples, be salty, bear much fruit, before men, beloved of God, beyond measure, born, bounden duty, brilliant, cowering in fear, darkness, enlightened, enthused, evil world, excellent standards, fabulous, feel insecure, friend of Jesus, friends, friendship of Jesus, frightens us, from fear, gives light, glorify your Father, glory to God, gorgeous, grace, heathen, hold back our lights, hurry, in god's eyes, in heaven, inadequate, insecure, let our light shine, let your light shine, liberated, liberates others, light, light a candle, LOVE, love you, loved me, make manifest, my words abide in you, negative disposition, Our Deepest Fear, playing small, power, powerful, purpose, raise up the world, relevant, Scrip-Bit family, see your good works, Sermon on the Mount, serve the world, set on a hill, share jesus' love, shrinking, sound mind, talented, the afflictions, the glory of God, the gospel, the light of the world, the spirit of fear, the testimony of Jesus, the world began, truth, Tuesday Mantra, under a bushel, wisdom, worry
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Awright mih friends and Scrip-Bit family, it’s a brand new day in the life, so please give the Lord some thanks for allowing us to open our eyes to it and enabling us to do His work down here on earth!
And some of you must be wondering how come the Bit’s so early? Well it’s a simple answer. I went to bed early last night, slept through most of the night, then my back wouldn’t allow me to lie down any longer. It’s not that I was so enthused, that I just had to get up and write the Bit. (smile)
Anyway, here’s a poem I recently saw hanging on the wall of my young daughter’s room. I don’t know it’s author or true title, but I’ll call it ‘Our Deepest Fear,’ and it’s ever so relevant to us in these trying times.
Please read with me: ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone, and as we let our light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.’
Mama Mia! What words of truth and wisdom my believing brethren! Too many of us shy away from being all that we really are for fear of making others feel less than their true selves. But the truth is, we have to shine so that others can see it’s okay to shine too. If all of us hold back our lights, hide them under a bushel, then the great light of Jesus that’s hidden within all of us won’t be fully exposed to this heathen and evil world.
And that’s not what Jesus wants. That’s why He so forcefully declared in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt.5:14-15)
Oh friends, that’s what Jesus is expecting of us; being cities set on hills and shining our bright lights forth into all the world! Why do you think He made us all brilliant and fabulous, and gorgeous and all those other wonderful things eh? It’s not for us to cover them up, but to share it with the world, and by so doing, raise up the world to His excellent standards.
And thus He continues with this admonishment of our Bit: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ Matter fix, my people! Our job down here on earth is to shine and be salty and everything else that will glorify our wonderful Father in heaven! Glory to God!
Just like Jesus came to earth and glorified Him, we are to do likewise. But we can’t do that if we’re cowering in fear, or insecure, or any other negative disposition. That’s what the enemy wants us to do, but please remember these most potent verses from Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but be thou partaker of (share with me) the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world (time) began.’ (2 Tim.1:7-9)
Yes my fellow believers, we are not to be ashamed of Christ’s gospel, like so many of us are, but to take up our holy calling and spread it in whatever way the Lord proscribed for us, manfully bearing whatever afflictions might ensue from our actions. Remember, the Lord doesn’t ask us to do what we can’t do, and then He always assists us in doing it.
And please note what Jesus said to the disciples later on. ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath LOVED me, so have I LOVED you: continue (abide) ye in my LOVE.’ (John 15:7-9)
Ah friends, it all boils down to one word, LOVE: LOVE the Father, LOVE Jesus, and LOVE each other! And if we do those simple things, all will be well with our world and us. Now it’s time to go home declaring – (Chuh! Spelled it wrong again!) – our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are.
In loud and proud voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 corollary, as always, is to now go out and share that LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others! Much LOVE!
…as followers of Jesus…it’s our bounden duty…to show our light and power…to a dark and dismal world…
19 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new day, a new week, a plan, a tight rrelationship, a well, an unborn infant, aroma, cake, cheer, Christians, Christmas, Christmas tree, comes down from heaven, constant communication, dr robert h schuller, drink of this water, embryonic ideas, encourged, enthused, eternal life, everlasting life, evil, face the sunlight, feast, follow Jesus, fountain, fountain of life., friend jesus, gives life, god, good things, goodwill, heart, heavenly Father, holy spirit, hopeful, Hour of Power Devotional, hunger, hurry, in thy light, insights, light, living water, LOVE, manna, Moses, nourishment, out of his belly, peace, prayer, prayerful attitude, pulls everything together successfully, renew your strength, rivers of living water, share, solve my problems, spiritual life, the beloved of God, the bread of God, the fountain of life, the power, the Samaritan woman, the source of all life, the umbilical cord, thirst, Tuesday Mantra, undiscovered possibilities, ungodly world, wait on the Lord, water, we shall see light, worry
Psalm 36:9. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
And then it was six… and counting! Yeh friends, six more days to the big one of Christmas! And I do hope that the celebrations are being ramped up, and all the preparations are falling nicely into place at your homes.
It’s not looking too bad at my place. The outside lights are the best in the neighbourhood. (smile) So I’m somewhat biased, but they do look good. And I came home last night to find the Christmas tree being decorated. That looks good too…as always…!
And brother, was I thrilled when I opened the door and was greeted, or rather assaulted, by a wonderful smell of baking Christmas cake in the air. And for a while the aroma just wafted through the house, adding to the air of Christmas cheer and peace and goodwill that existed.
But all of that though friends should be secondary to the overwhelming presence of the Spirit of Jesus in our homes. For He, His miraculous birth, is the entire reason for all this celebration! And we need to keep that uppermost in our minds.
And talking about birth, today I want to share a passage from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled ‘Nourishment from Above.’ And he says: ‘Wait on the Lord, and He will renew your strength! Prayer is the umbilical cord that allows you – with your embryonic ideas – to draw nourishment from a source that you, like an unborn infant, can neither see nor fully know or comprehend – God our heavenly Father!
Prayer is the power that pulls everything together successfully. With this prayerful attitude tackle your problem today. Turn it over to God. Take out a sheet of paper. Pick up a pencil. And get ready for the ideas that he will drop into your mind.’
(And as you do that, you can pray something like this:) ‘Father, I have a strong sensation that you brought me to this moment of prayer because you have a plan to share with me insights to solve my problems. So I will go out and face the sunlight of a new day and a new week crammed with undiscovered possibilities. I am encouraged! I am enthused! I am more hopeful than I have been in a long time! Amen.’
Oh friends, do we Christians ever need to be more enthused, encouraged and hopeful than ever before because of the evil and ungodly world in which we’re living. And that uplifting will ONLY come when we establish a tight relationship, keep in constant communication with our heavenly Father through prayer, for He is indeed the source of all life and all good things.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.’ Oh my people, our God is indeed the fountain of life: it’s through Him that we were granted physical life, and it’s ONLY through Him is eternal spiritual life available! Jesus made this fact clear so often that I don’t see how we can ever forget or neglect it.
Listen to Him talking to the Samaritan woman at the well. ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14) What an inspiring and encouraging scripture friends!
Now hear Jesus after His listeners told Him about the Lord giving their forefathers bread (manna) from heaven in the wilderness. ‘Verily, verily I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:32-35)
Glory to God my brethren! For how can we ever beat that promise eh? Jesus IS the bread that gives life; all kinds, although there He is referring in particular to spiritual and eternal life.
And if you still have doubts and misgivings about the true source of life, then listen to Jesus one more time. ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast (feast of tabernacles), Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:37-38)
Oh precious people, Jesus is indeed the fountain of life, the bread of life, the giver of living water (the indwelling Holy Spirit), the giver of physical life, spiritual life, eternal life – whatever kind of good life you’re looking for, the source, the head spring, is to be found in Jesus! Please remember that and act accordingly.
Now let’s go home declaring loudly and proudly to this evil and ungodly world, who and whose we are in our Tuesday Mantra. ‘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 now, in this Christmas season, the time of Christ’s birth, let’s go out and truly share that wonderful LOVE of our awesome friend Jesus! It’s ever so appropriate. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will follow Jesus…the fountain of ALL life…
12 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a servant, a song of praise, above every name, adoration, All hail, angels, assurance, believers, blessings, chosen race, confession, confidence, crown him Lord of all, death of the cross, desire, enthused, enthusiastic fashion, equal with God, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, exalt, excited, extol, gall, gathering of faithful believers, given him a name, glorify, God hath highly exalted him, God incarnate, harmonious living, humbled himself, humbly, in the form of God, in the mood, injustice, Israel's might, Jesse's rod, Jesus christ is Lord, LOVE, lyre, man divine, martyrs, morning stars, no reputation, obedient, only human, penitently, Philippians, praise, prostrate fall, ransomed, reverence, robbery, royal diadem, sacrifice of praise, saves by grace, seraphs, stimulating openings, strength, Sunday, the likeness of men, the Lord's sanctuary, the name of Jesus, the power of Jesus name, this mind be in you, to the glory of God the Father, tongue, tribe, trophies, ultimate purpose, universal song, universal submission, unto death, where two or three are gathered, wormwood, worship
Philippians 2:19. Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.
Aye friends, I try, but you have to bear with the ole fella, because I’m only human. (smile) I try to have different, interesting and stimulating openings each day, but there are only so many words and phrases, etc. in the language that you can’t always conjure up new ones every day. So sometimes we just have to settle for the same old ones. In other words, I’m trying to say that I don’t know how to begin this Sunday morning’s Bit in an enthusiastic fashion that I haven’t already done. (smile)
But we do know that since it’s Sunday, it means a gathering of faithful believers in the Lord’s sanctuary, or wherever two or three may be gathered, to worship and give Him praise, glorify and exalt His holy name and receive His blessings, confidence, strength and assurance to face the upcoming week. And, as always, we like to begin with a song of praise, to get us excited, enthused and in the mood to worship our heavenly Father.
And if this late 18th century one by Edward Perronet, ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ Name,’ doesn’t move you, then I don’t know what will. So let’s raise our voices in the sacrifice of praise, as we belt out, in harmony and heart-felt sincerity. ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre, and as they tune it, fall Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all. Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all. Crown Him, ye morning stars of light, who fixed this floating ball; Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all. Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all. Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God, who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all. Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all. Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race, ye ransomed from the fall, Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all. Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all. Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line, whom David Lord did call, The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all, The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all.
Sinners, whose LOVE can ne’er forget the wormwood and the gall, Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all. Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all. Let every tribe and every tongue before Him prostrate fall And shout in universal song the crowned Lord of all. And shout in universal song the crowned Lord of all.’
Yeh friends, Jesus has been crowned by the Father as Lord of ALL! And why is that eh? Hear Bruh Paul as he waxes philosophical to the Philippians. (smile) ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; (constant harmonious living – vs. 2-4). Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:5-8)
Oh my people, what a wonderful, faithful humble and obedient Son, our Jesus was! That’s why our Bit so gloriously proclaims: ‘ Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.’ What an honour! A well deserved one too! And is not no joke honour that the Father bestowed on Jesus nuh, but the biggest one available.
Listen to how Bruh Paul describes it. ‘That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:10-11)
Fellow believers, oh fellow believers, that’s the kind of rewarder our heavenly Father is! You do His will, humbly and obediently, and He will reward you in a just and appropriate manner. For Jesus sacrifice in vs.6-8, the Lord paid Him the highest compliment possible; a name above every other name – that’s JESUS!
And the scholars tell us: ‘There are three purposes for Jesus’ exaltation. (1) That every being in the universe might someday submit to Him. (2) That, in addition to the future universal submission (v.10), there might also be a universal confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. On earth Jesus is recognized by many to be no more than man (v.8), yet in the future ALL will acknowledge Him to be Lord, that is, God. The ultimate purpose for Jesus’ glorification is (3) to the glory of God the Father (v.11) for His honour.’
Yes, Christian saints, that’s the kind of stuff that ought to get us all choked up and filled with true and sincere LOVE, adoration, reverence and praise for our wonderful God! And if you’re not filled with all those things RIGHT NOW, then something is dreadfully and drastically wrong. So please go humbly and penitently to the Lord and ask Him to fix whatever is wrong, so that you can truly delight in Him. Otherwise you are doing yourself an immense injustice. Much LOVE!
…to LOVE…LOVE…LOVE Him…is the believer’s utmost desire for Jesus…
05 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful heart, a wasted life, accountable, another week of work, balance, be strong, circumspection, daughter of Zion, defense, each step I take, enthused, exalted, fear not, feasting, fellowship, free time, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, giddy, glorify God, Glory be, God will come with vengeance, God will save you, goodness, heartaches, humble, irresponisbility, just, lawgiver, LOVE, loving kindness, lowly, Palm Sunday, partying, pay a price, recompense, refeshed in soul, reinvigorated, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, responsibility, rested, riding upon an ass, righteous, righteousness, rode triumphantly, sacrifice, salvation, same old, slavery, sorrows, strength, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord is our judge, the Messiah, the person we become, the weekend, thy king cometh, total control, vengeance, weary, what a mighty God we serve
Isaiah 35:4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.
And then it was Friday, the favourite day of the working class! Thus the ringing out of declarations such as this, all over the world.
‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! At last that wonderful day is here! The start of the weekend and all the wonderful things we going to do during that time; like feasting, like partying hard…and whatever else comes to mind! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends oui; for this short escape from the new-fangled slavery! At last it’s Friday! Glory Be!’
Ah mih people, the weekend is the only li’l free time we have nowadays, so we obviously tend to, or try to pack so many different things into those couple of days off.
Consequently, we end up giddy and/or weary at the end of it, instead of rested, enthused and rejuvenated for another week of same old, same old. That’s why there has to be balance and circumspection in our weekend actions.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective on how to use our weekly free time. Chanting: ‘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 friends, it’s that fine balance of rest, fellowship and partying that we need to make the weekend truly a time of renewal. So let’s just pay better attention to our weekend activities nuh, and make sure we’re getting the essential things we need to glorify God in the new workweek.
Now here’s an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU! Poster.’ It says, ‘We can’t do much about our appearance, but we have total control over the kind of person we become.’
Now once upon a time the first part of that quote was oh so true, but now with the advances in plastic surgery and otherwise, it is possible for us to change our appearance if we desperately want to. However, the second part of the quote still holds true; we can totally control the kind of person we become.
The problem here though, is do we want to accept responsibility for the kind of person we are or have become? In this age of irresponsibility, we just like to blame others for everything that happens to us, while accepting little or no responsibility for our own actions.
But friends, this is not the way our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ operates in His kingdom. In Jesus’ world, everyone is held responsible and accountable for their own behaviour and actions. So if you’re a believer, you had better smarten up and begin taking responsibility, otherwise you’re liable to pay a substantial price for that irresponsibility.
Anyway, it’s time to turn to our Bit, that most encouraging and reassuring scripture. ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.’
And that’s no lie my brethren! Our God has sincerely and faithfully promised to save us and to recompense us for our heartaches and sorrows. What a mighty and wonderful God we serve my fellow believers!
Now let’s hear some scripture that emphasize that promise. First up is this wonderful passage from Zechariah: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech.9:9)
Oh friends, we all know that wonderful promise was fulfilled when Jesus rode triumphantly through the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey, an animal of peace, on Palm Sunday!
And all God’s people loudly and gratefully declared: ‘All praise and honour and glory be to our great and awesome God for faithfully keeping His promise of the Messiah’s coming!’
Now hear Isaiah at the end of the chapter describing salvation for those who trust in God. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is.33:22)
And for sure he will do that my people! In fact he has already done it by sending Jesus to sacrifice His sinless and holy life to pay for our disgusting sins! Oh glory to God for His goodness and LOVING-kindness to the children of men!
And we’ll go home to these wondrous and reassuring words of the psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to Bruh David.
‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps.89:15-18)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, please, let’s never forget all of that, for our lives are based on it! Now let’s go forth and rejoice today, knowing that we are made strong and free through the righteousness and sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t know Jesus…then your life is being wasted…it’s definitely not being fulfilled as it should be…
23 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fruitful vine, almighty god, as for me and mine, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, built up in body and spirit, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, Christians, commandments, confidence, delights in His commandments, eat the labour of thine hands, edified, enthused, excited, faith, fellowship, friends, give thanks, glorify God, God is faithful, happenstance, his delight is in the law of the Lord, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, like olive plants, make thy way prosperous, meditates on god's law day and night, no good thing will he withhold, offspring, praise, Praise ye the Lord, rest, reverencing God, reverential awe, rewards of faithfulness, riches, righteousness., shout Hallelujah, sits in the seat of the scornful, stands in the way of sinners, Sunday, the BIBLE, the Good Book, the Sabbath Day, truth, walks not in the council of the ungodly, we will follow the Lord, wealth, whatsoever he does shall prosper, worship
Psalm 112:1. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly in his commandments.
Ah Friends, once again it’s Sunday, the day on which most Christians celebrate the Sabbath; a day of rest, fellowship and worship. Now I recently heard an interesting point from a pastor, re the Sabbath day. According to the Good Book, God made man, Adam on the sixth day (Gen.1:26-28), then He rested on the seventh day. (Gen.2:2-3) The pastor’s point was that Adam’s first full day on earth was the Sabbath, a day of rest.
Hn! I never really thought of it like that before, and I guess many others haven’t either. But it does seem somewhat prophetic, as it ties in so nicely with our day of rest on Sundays.
Now did the Lord do that on purpose, or was it simply happenstance. I doubt it was the latter, since our God doesn’t do anything without a very good reason. I guess He meant to tell us that before we work, we should rest and have fellowship with Him so that we can be edified, built up both in body and spirit, which will enable us to do a better job.
Therefore Friends, let’s ‘hie thee hither’ to the chapel, the sanctuary today, and there praise and worship, give thanks, fellowship and glorify our magnificent God as He desires of us. So that our spirits and bodies will be filled with confidence and faith to overflowing, thus enabling us to have a strong and confident beginning to our work week. For remember, generally speaking, as our Sundays go, so do our Mondays. End of sermon. (smile)
Now let’s turn to our Bit, a most wise and sensible piece of scripture. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly in his commandments.’
That’s indisputable truth my fellow believers! Those who hold Almighty God in reverential awe, and delight in walking in obedience to His commandments will be truly blessed. For as the psalmist continues: ‘His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endures (stands) for ever.’ (Ps.112:2-3)
Yes Friends, no good thing will the Lord withhold from those who sincerely worship and adore Him. And to make things even better, our offspring will do great things in the land and continue to be blessed!
Wow! Doesn’t that make you feel all excited and enthused? Well knowing that my children will be strong and blessed if I walk in reverence and obedience to God, surely does make me excited and enthused!
And Psalm 128 ups the ante by telling us more about the rewards of faithfulness to our heavenly Father. ‘Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house (fruitful in progeny and labour): thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.’ (Ps.128:1-4)
Ah mih people, it couldn’t get any better than that nuh! And we all know that God is faithful in keeping His promises, so you know that if you are reverential and obedient, you and your family will be blessed.
And to reinforce that, listen to the start of the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. ‘Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.’ (Ps.119:1-3) More words of heavenly wisdom, my brethren!
And if all of that doesn’t have you all enthused and excited this Sunday morning, then listen to these immortal words of wisdom and truth from Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law does he meditate (ponder) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)
Oh Friends, if those words still leave you unmoved, then I don’t know what else to say… (smile) except to now tell you about what God said to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8)
Yes my brethren, those are the words of Almighty God; the Creator and Controller of this universe, so I don’t see how we can doubt or ignore them if we desire to be prosperous and successful. But just for good measure, I am also going to throw in some meaningful words from Jesus on the subject. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
There you have it Friends, the words of the Father and of the Son, and I’m sure the Holy Spirit which dwells in all believers is telling us the same thing. So there are really no excuses for not reverencing God and being obedient to His commandments. However, in stubborn and foolish pride, that is exactly what we are now doing, no wonder our world is going to the dogs, to hell in a hand basket.
So please my brethren, let’s get wise nuh and return to following the Lord, so that we can be blessed, prosperous and successful. For that truly is the wisdom of all wisdom! Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will definitely follow the Lord…no if’s, and’s, and but’s about it…
12 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adoration, always pray, amazing, anger, armour of god, author of all truth and wisdom, awesome, baby Jesus, battle dress, be obedient, Beelzebub, belt of truth, best action, breastplate of righteousness, bundle of joy, Christmas, chuckling, consciousness, curiousity, definitive statement, devious schemes, dine, disgusting truth, doubts, enthused, Ephesians, evil things of the world, excited, excitement of Jesus, faithfulness, fear, fight a good fight, foolish, friends, guidance, helmet of salvation, help, Holy will, I stand at the door, immediate action, in Jesus' name, incomparable God, indisputable truth, infused with strength, inquisitiveness, invitation, Jesus Christ, Joseph, joy, knock, lifeblood of our souls, look up, Lord and Saviour, lose heart, LOVE, loving kindness, lusts of the flesh, Mary, medicine, military overtones, most excellent, my heart, my voice, negativity, not faint, on the right foot, open the door, parable, positive start, Praise the Lord, prayer, proclamation, resist the enemy, Revelation, reverence, Salvation Army, sandals of peace, self-pity, sense of urgency, serve, shield of faith, spiritual armour, sword of the Spirit, tactics, testimonial, the Holy Spirit, tied up in knots, ungodly, unwise, wiles of the devil, wily, wise man, wonder, Word of God, worship
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, what an awesome, amazing and incomparable God we serve and worship!
And recognizing the indisputable truth of that statement, all God’s people at once responded with a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord God Jehovah! For He is truly mighty, and indeed worthy of our reverence and worship!’
And I know that because of the fastness, the curiosity, your natural inquisitiveness, (smile) you’re wondering what brought on that beautiful burst of adoration. Well nothing more than His LOVING-kindness and faithfulness!
A short while ago, as I was getting ready to write the Bit and pondering what to put in the preamble, I opened a desk drawer looking for paper, and lo and behold, I came upon this Christmas tract put out by Sally Anne (the Salvation Army), and right at the end was this short but beautiful poem that touched me, and I immediately knew that I had to share it with you.
A title isn’t listed, but the author’s name is Christina G Rosetti. The poem is printed above what looks like a charcoal drawing or dark picture on a white background, of a new born babe peacefully lying in a bassinet made of reeds or some other fibrous material that can be plaited together, with the mother sitting on the left side, while the father kneels on the right, both tenderly and LOVINGLY gazing down at their new bundle of joy, much like how Mary and Joseph must have gazed down at baby Jesus with wonder and LOVE. (smile)
And having set the scene, this is what the poem says: ‘What can I give Him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would give Him a lamb; If I were a wise man, I would do my part. But what can I give Him – I give Him my heart.’
Oh mih people, there’s no better gift that we can give to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, than our hearts; the very lifeblood of our souls! In fact, that’s all he ever asks of us. As He so generously offers in Revelation. ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ (Rev.3:20)
What an invitation, Friends! It’s the door to our hearts that Jesus is knocking on! How can we ever refuse to open it eh? For it’s the BEST INVITATION THERE IS!
Sadly though, millions of people around the globe are indeed refusing it every day. How unwise and foolish of them! Instead they are accepting Lucifer’s deceitful invite to sample the evil things of the world and the ungodly lusts of the flesh. But that’s a story for another day, so let me leave it alone, before I get carried away. (smile)
Let’s belatedly turn to our Bit; a glowing proclamation and testimonial of Bruh David, from his prayer for protection. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
Again my people, once we’ve given our hearts to Jesus, that is the BEST ACTION we can take at the beginning of each and every day!
Why? Because it gets our day off on the right foot, gives us a positive start. We get infused with strength and guidance from the Holy Spirit right from the get go, before the wily Beelzebub can get into our consciousness with his negativity and have us all tied up in knots, with doubts, fear, anger and self-pity.
That is why my people, it’s ever so important that the first set of clothes we put on every day is our battle dress, our suit of spiritual armour. As Bruh Paul told the Ephesians. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (devious schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph.6:11)
And the scholars define that verse thus: ‘6:11. Put on (Greek ingressive aorist imperative) denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”): Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’
And is that ever the disgusting truth my brethren! And for those of you who don’t know or are too lazy to read it, the description of the spiritual suit of armour is found in Ephesians 6:13-18.
But I spoil you all so much, (smile) that I’m going to give you a brief description of what they are: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith, and the mighty sword of the Spirit, the omnipotent Word of God.
Oh Friends, I’m so excited and enthused and chuckling as I write this Bit, that I’m not sure if I’m on course or not. And the truth is, I really don’t care, because I know that it will turn out all right… no, not just all right, but most excellent, through the Lord’s guidance and help. So how can I not praise and serve and worship and LOVE Him eh?
Ah Friends, that is what happens when you get caught up in the excitement of Jesus!
But yuh know what mih breddren? I think we’ve run out of space and time for today. (smile) But we’ll close with the definitive statement on prayer that totally supports our Bit.
And as we like to do whenever possible, it’s from none other than our Master, Jesus. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1)
Immortal words of awesome truth and wisdom Friends, straight from the author of all truth and wisdom! We certainly can’t do any better than that. So please, from henceforth, let’s begin each day with prayer nuh.
And it doesn’t have to be anything lengthy, just acknowledging that the Lord is the strength and joy of our life and that during the ensuing day, we’ll try to walk and talk and be obedient to His holy will, be worthy of being called His child. By so doing, right from the outset, we’ll be filled with strength, truth and wisdom, spiritually enabled to fight a good fight in Jesus’ name, each and every day.
Oh my fellow believers, that’s such tremendous wisdom, that I don’t even know how to categorize it! (smile) It’s surely been a smiley day, but that’s a great medicine for anything that ails us, and besides it’s also the cheapest. Much LOVE!
…there’s no greater power in this world…than sincere prayer…
19 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a part of the world, actions, almighty god, Amen, ask for, behold the sun, best interest, blessings, calamitous days, cautionary note, comparison, condemned, consciousness, constancy in prayer, constancy of weather, corrupt, cursed, day of judgement, days of darkness, deceitful world, decision, desired reults, divine guidance, doing godly stuff, embracing ungodly activities, encouraged, enemy, engulfed, enjoyment of life, enlist, enthused, evening, every work, evil, evil stuff, evil world, eyes, faithful, feeding connection, friends, futile life, futility, give account, gladness, good, good fruit, heavenly Father, hold out our hands, hopeful, Hour of Power, idle word, immortal words, insights, Jesus Christ, Jesus' desires, joy of the lord, joyful fellowship, joys, judged, judgement, judgement day, justified, lead us away, lifeblood, light, light is sweet, live for Jesus, living truth, LOVE, machinations, mistakes, moment of prayer, morning, mysterious ways, new day, new week, omnipotent god, pleasant thing, possibilities, prayer, prosper, puzzling, receive, rejoice, righteous, robert h schuller, sap our strength, secret thing, share, sink deeply, solve problems, sow seed, sown, stand the test, strong sensation, succeed, sunlight, sure of success, testing flames, the help of God, things of God, thwart, treasure of the heart, true believers, trust God, umbilical cord, upright in heart, vanity, wicked designs, wisdom, word of warning, workings, wrested
Ecclesiastes 12:14. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Oh Friends, wonder of wonders! It’s supposed to go up to 4 degrees above freezing with sunshine in my area today! Bubba! From minus temps during the last few days to plus temps today, then back to minus tonight. That’s going to cause much icing up, then freezing rain and possibly snow on the weekend.
What a mish mash of weather conditions! There’s just no constancy to it these days. But my people, there is constancy in prayer; the lifeblood of the faithful, of the true believers in Jesus Christ!
And here is a prayer I’ve been trying to include since the day we spoke of prayer being the umbilical cord, our feeding connection to Almighty God. It comes from Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional, and says.
‘Father, I have a strong sensation that you brought me to this moment of prayer because you plan to share with me insights to solve my problems. So I will go out and face the sunlight of a new day and a new week crammed with undiscovered possibilities. I am encouraged! I am enthused! I am more hopeful than I have been in a long time! Amen.’
Yes Friends, I do hope that encouraged us some this morning, because in this cursed and evil world, we desperately need to build hope, encouragement and enthusiasm, if we’re going to live sincerely for Jesus. The world tries to sap our strength, energy and enthusiasm and lead us away from the things of God.
But we need to enlist the help of our God through prayer to thwart the evil stuff that comes against us. And right now, too many of us are still being a part of the world, involved in, and embracing its ungodly activities, instead of just being in it, doing godly stuff, as Jesus desires. And that is definitely not in our best interest. Why?
Because as our Bit so plainly states: ‘For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’
Yes my brethren, all our work will be judged by the Almighty at some stage, and it won’t go down well with the judge if our works were evil, were too tied up with the ungodly machinations of this ungodly world. So what are we to do then?
The Preacher wisely declares: ‘In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper (which will succeed), either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.’ (Eccl.11:6-7)
Yes Friends, since we don’t understand the mysterious ways and workings of our omnipotent God, and are never totally sure of success, we need to get involved in the good and godly things that life has to offer, and trust God to produce the desired results.
However, the preacher includes a word of warning here. ‘But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity (futility).’ (Eccl.11:8)
And isn’t that the living truth! Now here some notes from the scholars. ‘The comparison with light (v.7) speaks of the enjoyment of life (cf. Ps. 97:11).’
Ah mih people, I’m going to spoil us here by quoting that referenced scripture, since I know that very few of us will take the time to look it up. (smile) “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” (Ps.97:11)
Now getting back to the scholars’ notes. ‘Verse 8 adds a cautionary note to enjoyment that may be summarized in two ideas: (1) There will be many days of darkness, calamitous days. (2) All that cometh is vanity: That is, joys will not come easily, they must be wrested from a puzzling and futile life.’
And don’t we all know that my fellow believers! Real joy in this unstable and deceitful world is hard to come by, unless we are tied by that umbilical cord of prayer to our heavenly Father, and ask for and receive His divine guidance and blessings.
That’s why the Good Book so staunchly advises us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh.8:10) For only when we have a joyful fellowship with the Creator and Controller of the universe, can we really be strong and thus resist the wicked designs of the enemy.
Oh Friends, I wish I could impart the true importance of all that we do on this pilgrimage down here on earth, because it’s going to make a substantial difference in our after-lives. And if you don’t believe me, listen to Jesus, as He talks about good and corrupt fruit.
‘A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt.12:35-37)
Now those aren’t my words Friends, but the Master’s, the Son of God, our Lord and Saviour, so it is certainly reasonable to expect that He knows what He’s speaking about.
Oh my people, we can’t do much about what’s already passed, but we surely can do something about the days to come. Therefore my fellow believers, from today, RIGHT NOW, let’s try to get those immortal words of Jesus to sink deeply into our consciousness nuh, so that we can more closely watch our words and actions, thereby cutting down the mistakes we make, and consequently the judgement we’ll face, come that judgement day.
That’s wisdom at it’s highest and very best my brethren! Much LOVE!
…on that fateful day…our words and actions…will either stand the test…or they will be engulfed by the testing flames…the decision is ours to make…NOW…
SCRIP-BITS 