03 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a powerful opponent., a waste of time, admonishment, anxiety, carnality, Christians, contradicts our faith, dance, doubts, Ephesians, evil hordes, evil schemes, faith, fellowship, fight for Jesus, Friday chant, friends, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, gospel, holy character, in Jesus' name, like no tomorrow, LOVE, Lucifer, moral conduct, party, peace, pounce on, put on the whole armour of God, quench the fiery darts, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, Roman soldier, Satan, sincerity, sing, song of freedom, spiritual armour, stand, stand against the wiles of the devil, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the hope of salvation, the preparation of the gospel of peace, the prince of darkness, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the weekend, the wicked one, the Word of god, the working people, truth, week of work, your feet shod, your loins girt about, your waisted girded
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Well friends, it’s Friday! That means another weekend is upon us, and the working people are delighted and shouting out their song of freedom: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the wonderful weekend is here. No punching a time clock!
Wow! It’s time to sing and dance and party like there’s no tomorrow…for who knows if we’ll ever see tomorrow eh? But this day we’ll always remember…or maybe not! Hn! Thank God though for Fridays and the weekend!’
Ah mih people, nothing’s wrong with the general idea of enjoying oneself during our days off, but as usual it’s the extreme length to which the world desires to carry it that contradicts our faith. So let’s hear what our faith says to counter that extreme position.
Let’s chant our Friday Chant with truth and sincerity. ‘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, that sounds like a much more sensible way of handling our short time off, so please let’s follow it, and not overdo the partying, the carnality aspect of the situation.
Now without further ado, let’s get to our Bit. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’
Ah mih breddren, those words are ever so important in these very evil times! We’ve just got to be always prepared, for as we saw yesterday, the prince of darkness is always on the look out for Christians he can pounce upon.
Now, hitherto, we’ve been talking about the armour of God and what it does, today, let’s look at what it actually is. So let’s continue with Bruh Paul’s admonishment to the Ephesians.
‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:’ (Eph.6:14-17)
There you have it my people, the basic breakdown of God’s powerful and protective spiritual armour! And the scholars have some good explanations of what they are and what they mean.
‘6:14-17. The whole armour of God consists of six pieces. (1) Truth (v.14a) is a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word (cf.4:21). The ancient soldier’s loins (“waist”) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place.
Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by his spiritual “belt” or his knowledge of the “truth” of Scripture.
(2) The breastplate of righteousness (v.14b) may be read “the breastplate which is righteousness.” It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (“righteousness”).
(3) Preparation of the gospel of peace (v.15) means “eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.” That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called ‘caligae’ on his feet, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the Devil and take the fight to him.
Such eagerness to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent.
(4) The shield of [which is] faith (v.16) means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan.
(5) The helmet of salvation (v.17a): Since the readers are already Christians (2:8), they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as “the hope of salvation” that is, the certainty (assurance) of salvation.
(6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v.17b): The Greek term rendered “word” is not ‘logos’, referring to the whole Word of God, but ‘rhema’, referring to certain portions or selected verses of Scripture.’
There it is friends, the basic explanations concerning the ‘whole armour of God.’ I do hope it helps us to better understand the Word. Those are the things with which we need to be equipped, if we want to fight a serious and victorious battle against Lucifer and his evil hordes.
Like any good soldier, we cannot go into battle unprepared, and the first thing we need is physical protection. But since our battle is spiritual, we need spiritual protection, which our God gives us totally. It is now up to us to accept it and put it to good use.
Please my fellow believers, let’s ramp up our fight for Jesus nuh, otherwise our talk and our supposed faith are all a waste of time! Much LOVE!
…a Christian…who isn’t fighting a serious battle for Jesus…is no Christian at all…
31 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future, a hope, a man of his word, according to the power, all that we ask or think, an expected end, be strengthened, by faith, by his Spirit, calamity, change, Christ like attitude, Christ may dwell in your hearts, Christian, come what may, comprehend, Congratulations, corruption, crime, divinely enabled, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, easy going, Ephesians, ever-faithful God, fall from God's grace, fun and laughter character, glory hallelujah, glory in the church, glory to God, God's grace, gospel truth, Granny's warning, Happy Birthday, heartfelt, I am halfway home, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I'm not looking back, inner growth, Jawaharlal Nehru, LOVE, made its mark, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, not evil, on the world stage, open the eyes of the people, positive, prayer, prosperous country, repent of their sinfulness, revolutionary, rooted and grounded in love, sincere, stand strong and steadfast in faith, thank God, that worketh in us, the breath of life, the error of their ways, the evil one, the inner man, the Love of Christ, the power, thoughts of peace, to a glorious future with Jesus, to do exceedingly abundantly, tremendous pace of change, Trini vibe, Trinidad and Tobago Independence, Wednesday Wail
Ephesians 3:20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
Happy Birthday T&T! Wow! Congratulations! You’ve made it to a big 54 years old!
Yes friends, today is the 54th birthday of Trinidad and Tobago. It received Independence from Britain on August 31 1962, and has certainly made its mark on the world stage in several different areas.
Now obviously things have changed over those 54 years, some for good, others for worse, and although right now it’s allegedly steeped in crime and corruption, it hasn’t lost its essential Trini vibe; one of an easy going, come what may, fun and laughter character.
And you can imagine the partying that will be taking place today! But please, I implore us to remember Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny Boy, please, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ For it’s in those times of great celebration that the evil one does his best work.
And I sincerely pray that the Lord will open the eyes of the people of T&T and show them the error of their ways and encourage them to repent of their sinfulness and return to the God who once made them the most prosperous country in the West Indies.
I don’t know if any other small country had as many churches, and well attended ones too, in its heyday. And like so many other countries, these days that’s changing, God is also being pushed out of the society.
That brings to mind the quote of the first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) that says: ‘The basic fact of today is the tremendous pace of change in human life.’ Hn!
And if Nehru thought that life was changing fast in his time, he wouldn’t like to experience it now, for at no other time in man’s history has change been as quick and revolutionary in all aspects, as today.
Now some change is good, but others not good. Unfortunately though, our world seems to be accepting more readily the changes that are not so good, thus our continuing fall from God’s grace.
But yuh know what my people? We’re not going to complain about all that’s wrong with our world nuh, instead we’re going to do our very best to fix it, while enjoying the good things. And that all begins with a positive, Christ like attitude which is found in our Wednesday Wail.
So, as one strong, positive enthusiastic, energetic Christian body, let’s wail it nuh! ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we’re true Christians, that should be gospel truth my brethren! We should be excited about being alive, of securely holding the plough and moving forward with Jesus to what ever wonderful opportunities He has planned for us!
Remember His promise in Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
And our ever faithful God is truly a man of His word. So if He says that He has a good future in mind for us, then there is an excellent plan laid out for each of our lives. I don’t know about anybody else nuh, but I believe my best years are still ahead of me…Glory to God!
Now let’s check out our Bit. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’
Steups! As usual, I’ve left too little time and space for our Bit. But we’ll soldier on and do our best. (smile)
Now yesterday we saw that Bruh Paul was praying for the inner growth of the Ephesians, and by extension us too. Today, we’ll look at the actual prayer, the three verses before our Bit.
‘That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in LOVE,
May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph.3:16-19)
Oh friends, in these desperate times, we also desperately need that prayer over our lives. We need to understand, be strengthened, rooted and grounded in Christ’s LOVE, so that we can courageously and faithfully go about His business here on earth.
Now here is some info from the scholars. ‘3:16-19. In these verses Paul makes three prayer requests for the addressees: (1) That they would be strengthened with might by his Spirit (v.16), that is, that they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life.
(2) That the readers be able to comprehend…the LOVE of Christ, that is, to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’
Yes my faithful brethren, we need to have all of that worked into our lives too. So let’s end like Bruh Paul did; sending those prayers up to the One who could successfully answer them.
‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph.3:20-21)
And may the Lord answer our sincere, heartfelt prayer my people, as we stay strong and steadfast in faith! Much LOVE!
…only when our lives are built on the strong foundation that’s Jesus…can we truly enjoy our earthly life…
30 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a path of righteousness, above all we ask or think, acknowledge God, beloved of God, bow my knees, edification, el numero uno, Ephesians, exceeding abundantly, faint not, family in heaven, focus on Jesus Christ, friends in Jesus, glory, Glory be, glory to God, God's Word, guidance, He wanted us first, honour, inner growth, Jesus living in us, joy, Knowing God Intimately, leading and guiding, lose heart, LOVE, mover and shaker, number one, One Year Book of Bible promises, perfection, planted in us, pleasure, pride, protection, rooted and grounded, Ruth Harms Calkin, saturate our hearts, selfishness club, spiritual desire, spiritually benefit, the Holy Spirit, the instigator, the Me first club, the power that works in us, tribulations, Tuesday Mantra, umbrella of love, unto him that is able
Ephesians 3:20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
Well my faithful brethren, it’s another wonderful sunny morning in my neighbourhood! Glory be!
However, we could certainly use some rain. The ground is hard and dry and plants are suffering some. But we know that our God is still in control of His universe and His thoughts and ways are much higher than ours, so we just have to use our faith to bear up under whatever He decides is best for us at this time.
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that caught my interest and made me want to share it. It’s titled ‘Knowing God Intimately.’
Please read with me. ‘How do we learn to know God so intimately that all of life takes on a new freshness? We acknowledge that God is the instigator. We would not be wanting Him if He did not first want us. Even a glimmer of spiritual desire is His desire planted in us.
We resign from our self-appointed office as president of the “Me First Club,” which gives God the privilege of saying, “Good! Now I’ll promote you.”
We focus on Jesus Christ, God’s Son. It is never a matter of how conspicuous we are. It only matters that He is conspicuous in us. We make no promise of perfection. All the perfection we’ll ever have is the perfection of Jesus living in us.
We let God’s Word saturate our hearts. Five or ten minutes each day is far more helpful than three hours once a week. We trust God to do within us what we cannot do, knowing that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.’
Oh faithful friends in Jesus, what a beautiful and most useful description of how to get to know our wonderful God intimately!
We first lay down our post of head of our selfishness club, so that God can use and promote us, because He cannot, or rather won’t do anything if we hold on to pride of first place in our own lives. Yes my people, above all else, we need to recognize God as El Numero Uno; Number ONE!
And isn’t it strange that we can’t want Him until He first plants a seed of wanting in us? And having given God first place in our lives, we then focus on Jesus Christ His wonderful Son who selflessly gave up His holy and sinless life to save us. Oh glory to God!
And yet again, what truly matters is how Jesus is perceived in us, not we in Him. And our perfection is found in Him, the ONLY perfect being, through His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, leading and guiding us on a path of righteousness.
And to help bring all of that to pass, we need to read and study and meditate on the Word of God, let it flourish in our lives, so that we can be fully rooted and grounded in all that He has promised, since He can do way way more than our finite minds can even imagine. Wow!
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’
Ah mih people, what a joy and pleasure it is to know that there is someone more powerful than us, under whose umbrella of LOVE we can safely lay our lives, our burdens and all our earthly cares!
And how does all of that affect us? Well here Bruh Paul is praying for the inner growth of the Ephesians, and by extension us too.
He tells them: ‘Wherefore I desire (ask) that ye faint not (not lose heart) at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.’ (Eph.3:13-15) Oh friends, we are a part of that family! How wonderful!
Now here are some explanations of those verses from the scholars. ‘3:13. Which is your glory: God will use Paul’s tribulation and sufferings in the ministry to spiritually benefit his recipients. Such edification will then bring about glory on their part in that they praise and honour God.’
‘3:14. For this cause: This expression resumes the apostle’s prayer begun in verse 1 but delayed by the discussion of verses 2:13.’ Now why doesn’t that surprise me eh? Bruh Paul was so intense, had so much godly desire for those under his spiritual care, that at times his message could be complicated and long winded. I can certainly appreciate that. (smile)
’3:15. Is named means “is derived.” The whole Christian family, including those saints now departed and in heaven, and those saints still living on earth – all of them “derive” their spiritual life from God.’
So friends, our Maker becomes the undeniable Mover and Shaker in our lives when we wisely offer to live under His protection and guidance. More on all of this tomorrow, God in favour. Now let’s go home proudly and sincerely declaring our Tuesday Mantra …thought I’d forgotten nuh. (smile)
‘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 if we were sincere in that declaration, then we need now to go out and put it all into action, for that’s what Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…beloved children of God…and friends of Jesus…are expected to joyfully share His LOVE and His Word…
17 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gold mine, be filled with the Spirit, being glad in God, bless the Lord, bounden duty, Christian, climb over, dissipation, encouraging, Ephesians, evil, exalt His name, exceedingly rejoice, excess, exhortation, face a mountain, fellowship, find a pass, forgiveness, Friday chant, fun, generous help, giving thanks always, glorious kingdom, grateful, holy spirit, hymns, in the fear of God, in the service of God, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful, keep on striving, let the righteous be glad, LOVE, magnify the Lord, making melody, Mountain Mover's Prayer, partying, patience, perception, pray without ceasing, psalms, quit, refreshed, rejoice, rejoice before God, rejoice evermore, relaxation, render evil for evil, renewed, rest, righteous, robert h schuller, singing, slave labour, spiritual songs, steadfast, strong, summer fun, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thankful, the weekend, the will of God, tunnel underneath, ungodly world, uplifting, wisdom
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Well mih people, I believe it’s what many consider the big day, Friday. But please don’t quote me on that, since I’m not so hot on what day it is. (smile)
However, if you’re going along and you hear lots of people declaring ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and a wonderful weekend is on the horizon. We taking a break from the slave labour, and instead is lot’s of partying and summer fun! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Then you can really believe it’s Friday. (smile) So since I am hearing all the hullabaloo over Friday, then I guess it must be okay for us to chant our Friday Chant and get a better perspective on how to spend the weekend.
So as one 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 a balanced weekend or else we won’t be able to rise to the occasion when Monday comes along. Now here’s a li’l reminder from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) re Mountain Moving Faith to help us stand steadfast and strong in Jesus’ name.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, when I face a mountain, do not let me quit! Give me the strength to keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, or tunnel underneath. And if my best efforts fail, give me the patience to stay and the perception to see the possibilities of turning my mountain into a gold mine with your help. Amen.’
Yes mih breddren, that’s what we believers need today in this age of rampant ungodliness and fleshly lusts; a real mountain moving kind of faith that will keep us strong in the Lord, keep us focused on His will, not ours or the world’s.
And I believe that if we follow the wonderful advice of our Bit, we will stay close to and strong in the Father. ‘But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.’
Ah friends, rejoicing and being glad in our God is one of the many great benefits we enjoy as Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ! We’d be very foolish not to avail ourselves of such an uplifting and encouraging situation.
Now let’s check out some more of those scriptures that exhort us to be joyful and thankful in the service of our great and wonderful God. And we’ll begin with these inspiring words of Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous.
‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:1-3)
Oh mih people, mih people, that couldn’t be said any better! Magnifying and glorifying and exalting God’s name is our bounden duty down here on earth!
So much so that Bruh Paul exhorted the Ephesians: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
What a powerful and moving bit of scripture my brethren!
Now here is some info from the scholars on those verses: ‘5:19-21. There are four results of being Spirit-filled (v.18). (1) believers speak to one another with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; that is, they exhort and instruct each other; (2) there is singing and the making of melody, of individual song and praise for the Lord;
(3) there is giving thanks always – the Spirit enables the Christian to be grateful for all things divinely allowed to enter his life since they will be used for good; and (4) there is mutual submission, that is, showing deference to the wishes of one another, as long as that to which the believer submits is in the fear of God, which is to say, in accord with what pleases Him.’
Yes friends, it’s our duty and also a great enabler for us to be singing and giving thanks and praises to our God, to be exhorting each other and putting each other’s wishes before ours, for that’s the way of Jesus!
Now hear some more words of Bruh David on the subject, first from Psalm 9 – Praise for God’s justice. ‘I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (tell of) all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High.’ (Ps.9:1-2)
And then from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness: ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps.32:10-11)
What wonderful advice precious people!
And we’ll close this set of messages with these enlightening words of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. ‘See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:15-18)
No better words than those to live by my people! So let’s get with the programme nuh and start living a more joyful life, for that’s wisdom at its highest! Much LOVE!
…oh, what joy and peace comes from being a follower of Jesus Christ…
03 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rose by any other name, all saints, altar of sin, answered prayer, bounden duty, care, children of God, Christian, Coincidences, Comforter, compassion, conviction, depressed, Ecclesiastes, embrace, Ephesians, eternal life, evil, fear God, fear the Lord, fellow believers, forgiveness, glory hallelujah, grace, hypocrite, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, in a nutshell, in the nick of time, in the Spirit, inadequacy, Jesus Christ, judgement, keep the commandments, light of jesus, LOVE, lustful things, Maker, mercy, muffin batter, obedient to God's Word, on the other side of the flood, one and only true God, our Lord and Saviour, perseverance, Pharisees, prayer, praying always, provider, put away the gods, render unto Caesar, render unto God, reverence, reverencing God, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrifice His only son, salvation, secret thing, serve him, serve ye the Lord, share His love with the world, sin, sincerity, skeptic, spring's in the air, supplication, the breath of God, the darkness, the Euphrates river, the evil one, the light of Jesus, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the other side of the coin, the Preacher, the prince of darkness, the whole duty of man, theological discussion, tossing salads, truth, Tuesday Mantra, vocabulary, wallowing, wisdom, workings of God
Joshua 24:14. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
Well a good Tuesday morning to all you fellow believers in Jesus Christ! It’s bright and sunny in my neighbourhood, though a tad chilly! But spring’s in the air! Glory Hallelujah! Hope it is encouraging in your area too.
But just in case it isn’t, please remember that the bright and beautiful, positive and reassuring light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is ALWAYS shining in and through us, and that helps us to handle the dark and dreary physically challenged days. (smile) That means there’s no need to be down and depressed because of the weather.
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that I thought was rather appropriate to share, especially in these difficult times of ministry. It’s simply titled ‘Coincidences.’
And it says: ‘Lord, I was intrigued With the brilliant vocabulary Of the patient sitting next to me In the reception room. I don’t remember The start of our conversation But suddenly we were discussing prayer. I shared rather freely Your pertinent answers To my day-by-day requests.
Labelling himself a skeptic He smiled and said courteously “What you consider answered prayer I choose to call coincidence.”
You know how it is with me, Lord – I’m always slightly at ease In the Big Middle Of a theological discussion. I’m much more at home in my kitchen Mixing muffin batter Or tossing green salads. Frankly I was relieved When the dentist called my name.
But one thing I do know, Lord When I pray, “coincidences” happen. When I don’t pray they stop… So thank You again and again For ten thousand “coincidences” Always in the nick of time When I pray.’
Oh friends what a rather common situation that is amongst believers. We all at times feel rather inadequate to explain our faith and why we pray, and are indeed much happier and more comfortable discussing other topics.
But despite our inadequacy in explaining that faith, we are convinced that answers to our prayers are certainly not coincidences, but the actual workings of God in our lives. And we’ll go to our graves believing that.
But if someone else wants to label them ‘coincidences,’ then we’ll very gladly receive them. Like a rose by any other name is just as sweet, so is answered prayer by any other name just as reassuring and encouraging. (smile)
And the Bible Promise for that poem is Bruh Paul’s admonishment to the Ephesians; one that we all know very well, whether we keep it though is another story. ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:18) Remember my precious people, prayer is indispensable in a Christian’s life.
Now, since it’s Tuesday, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with lots of spunk and plenty conviction. Altogether 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.’
All praise and glory and might and power to our wonderful God, who LOVED us so much to sacrifice His only Son Jesus Christ on our behalf! So let’s remember, every minute of every day, who and whose we are; beloved children of Almighty God!
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood (The Euphrates River), and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.’
And that’s the other side of the coin my fellow Christians! If we consider ourselves children of God, then we must adhere to His Will and Word with sincerity and truth, and consequently revere ONLY Him as our Maker, Provider and Comforter.
As Jesus told the ole hypocrite Pharisees, when they tried to tempt and confuse Him: ‘Render (pay) therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things which are God’s.’ (Matt.22:21)
Yes friends, as true believers, that’s how we ought to behave! And things like reverence, supplication, LOVE, care, compassion, wisdom, forgiveness, mercy and grace, ALL belong to the ONE and ONLY TRUE LIVING God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
So let’s give Him His rightful due nuh my brethren, and stop worshiping at the altar of sin and the lustful things of the world, which belong to the evil one, the prince of darkness. Let’s stop wallowing in the darkness of evil, and instead fully, gratefully and graciously embrace the LIGHT and LOVE that’s Jesus, and which offer us so much more, especially salvation and eternal life!
And we’ll end with these wonderful and true words of the Preacher, Cousin Sol, from Ecclesiastes. ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl.12:13-14)
Ah mih breddren, as true believers, that’s our bounden duty right there in a nutshell! Please, let’s wisely follow it as long as there is the breath of God in our bodies nuh. Much LOVE!
…true wisdom is simply…faithfully reverencing God and being obedient to His Word and Will…
11 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: another week of work, antagonistic, Christ's Church, christianity, Christians, compacted, confidence, conquered, disharmony, disunity, divided, divinely ordained, don't have a care, easy target, enthusiasm, Ephesians, favour, fellowship, fitly joined together, foolish pride, Friday chant, friends, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, Glory be, godly manner, grace, grow in grace, harmonious, harmony, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, joins believers together, joint, joy, joyful noise, junk mail, leggo-beast, libertine living, licentious living, logic, lost sheep, LOVE, loving kindness, manifestations, ministries, now and for ever, our Lord and Saviour, packing, party down, pride, relationship, relaxation, selfishness, showers of grace, spiritual gifts, spiritual growth, supporting ligament, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the common good, the enemy's work, the good of the body, the knowledge of god, the weekend, to him be glory, truth, unites, unity, unpacking, wandering aimlessly, wisdom, working people
2 Peter 3:18. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Wow people! Friday has certainly come around quickly! No wonder the joyful noise in the streets and workplaces.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday once again yes! And the good ole weekend is here! Glory be! How we going to party down the place like leggo beast and don’t have a care these next couple days! Friday, oh Friday! How we LOVE you! That’s why we shout: TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui!’
Ah friends, I guess we cannot control the joy and enthusiasm that a Friday brings to working people. However, we can guide the response in a much better way than just libertine living. So let’s chant our Friday Chant, which shows us the better way to use the weekend.
As one harmonious chanter 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, that’s a much more sensible way to use the couple days off we get every week. Simple licentious living doesn’t add any glory to God, just to Beelzebub. And I know that is definitely not what we intend to, or want to do. So please let’s use these vital days in a much more godly manner nuh.
Oh brother, am I ever tired. I don’t know which one is worse, packing to go away, or unpacking when you come back. I suspect though that it’s the latter, because I haven’t finished unpacking, and there’s still a lot of stuff to catch up on, plus a million and one letters to check out. Hopefully though, most of them will be junk, thus needing only a perfunctory glance.
Boy, does stuff ever pile up quickly when you go away. And then yesterday I had to go running around in the constant drizzle to get stuff that we needed. But all in all it was a good day. Thank You Lord!
And per our Bit, I did grow a little in grace yesterday. ‘But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.’
Ah friends, that word ‘grace’ is something else yes! The dictionary has 14, yes 14, definitions for it. But the one we’re most concerned here with is: ‘Favour, benignant (kind, kindly) regard, or its manifestation, on part of superior.’
That brings into play the grace, the favour, the manifestation of our wonderful, magnificent and magnanimous God, who showers us with His grace and favour every single day! Oh glory to God my people for that constant shower of grace! Without it, we would be truly like lost sheep, wandering aimlessly in the wilderness; a perfect and easy target for the enemy.
And yuh know what? We grow in grace and favour with God, when we grow in knowledge of His will, power and LOVING-kindness. The one, brings on the other.
And I want to share here some explanations of the scholars, re the verse from Ephesians that we looked at a couple days ago; the one that talks about the whole body fitly joined together and compacted (knit together).
‘4:16. Fitly joined together and compacted: As He unites Christians with Himself, Christ also brings them into a harmonious relationship with one another. This harmonious relationship is accomplished by that which every joint supplieth or, “by every supporting ligament.”
The spiritual gifts mentioned in verses 7-15 are figuratively likened to the various “ligaments” of a body. Removing this figure, Christ joins believers together and unites them by the divinely ordained ministries of Christians who possess diverse spiritual gifts, which are exercised and used among believers for the common good.
The church’s spiritual growth, then, comes from Christ through the believer’s ministry to one another as they employ their spiritual gifts.’
Oh friends, please note that the whole theme of whatever Christ does is always unity and harmony, especially amongst the body of believers called ‘His church.’
But in actual fact, His supposed church is not becoming more united and harmonious. In fact it is breaking up, with more divisions happening every day, and more fighting and disharmony even amongst those divisions. So how then do we expect the church to do the job it was created to do, if there is more disharmony than harmony within it eh?
We all have diverse gifts which we are supposed to use for the common good. But are we doing that? Obviously not, otherwise the church would not be as divided and antagonistic as it is. Our selfishness seems to be paramount in relationship to the good of the body.
Ah friends, I don’t know what else to say to get us to think in terms of unity, rather than disunity nuh. But until, and unless we put our selfish and foolish pride aside, and begin truly seeking what’s good for us all, then Christ’s church will always be divided and easily conquered by the enemy. That’s simple logic. Much LOVE!
…when we work against each other…then we’re dong the enemy’s work…not Christ’s…
23 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a relationship with God, advice, any man should boast, beloved followers, better understanding of God, blessings, by grace you are saved through faith, care, Christ's atonement, compassion, created in Christ, divine grace, easy yoke, Ephesians, faith, foolish pride, for God so loved the world, for good works, forgiveness, free choice, glory hallelujah, God's goodness, God's purpose, going his own way, grace, grow in Christ, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, Jesus, lead and guide, leftovers, life-changing words, light burden, logic, loving kindness, maturity, meat and potatoes, menu, mercies, not of works, read and spell, recreated by Christ Jesus, rocket science, running back for more, salvation, sample God's wares, sinful nature, spiritual birth, surrender your life to God, the cross at Calvary, the gift of God, the greatest gift ever given to man, the kindness of God, the long and short of the story, understanding God's Word, unmerited favour, whoever believeth in him should not perish, workmanship
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And the people sang: ‘Saturday, oh Saturday, what do you have in store for us today?’
And the Lord replied likewise in song: ‘For my beloved followers, today I have brand new blessings, brand new mercies, etched with forgiveness, grace, care, compassion and LOVING-kindness. That’s my constant menu, except they are freshly prepared each and every day. I don’t do leftovers for those I sincerely care about.
And I have the best server in the world, My Holy Spirit. He will lead and guide you through the entire day, giving you good advice as to what to do and say.
So if you like what I’m offering, come on down and sample my wares. I guarantee that once you’ve sampled them, you’ll never go away; you’ll just keep running back for more. So see you soon. All my LOVE! Your heavenly Father.’
And that’s exactly how it is friends! Our magnificent God prepares His menu of delights afresh for us every day. As he says, He doesn’t do leftovers. But the only way you can truly sample His wares is by surrendering your life and soul to Him, so that He can set up His Holy Spirit in your soul.
The Holy Spirit is the server, so if you don’t surrender and allow Him in, then you won’t be able to sample the menu. No rocket science my brethren, just simple logic!
And all of that is borne out in the marvelous words of our Bit. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Oh precious people, how can we doubt or disbelieve those life-changing words eh? It’s been historically proven that Jesus did die on the cross at Calvary, and if He was indeed whom He claimed to be, and there’s no reason to doubt it, then that’s the greatest gift that has ever been given to mankind! Glory Hallelujah!
We should all be shouting and praising and thanking God for His wonderful gift of salvation through Christ, and be ever so willing to live under His easy yoke and light burden.
But mankind is a different animal, possessing free choice, foolish pride and a sinful nature, so he doesn’t always make the wisest decisions. And even when you read and spell for him, like I’m trying to do here, he still insists on going his own way.
However, let’s turn to the scriptures for more facts on the subject. Yesterday we were looking at Bruh Paul’s message to the Ephesians, concerning faith and grace and how they work in a believer’s life. We ended up where he declared that God’s purpose was to demonstrate His goodness to them through Jesus Christ so they could have a better understanding of Him. (2:7)
Today, we’ll continue from there. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and not that of yourselves: 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)
Now friends, those are three of the most important verses concerning our faith! The first thing we need to realize is that we are saved by God’s grace, His unmerited favour, and nothing that we have done ourselves.
The scholars explain that verse thus. ‘2:8. For gives the reason for this future demonstration of divine grace. It is because man owes his salvation to this grace or undeserved divine favour.’ Then they go into all sorts of explanations about the different tenses and genders of the Greek words which I will leave out.
The long and short of the story though is: ‘This means that no part of salvation is “of yourselves” or due to what we do – the whole of salvation is the gift of God. Man is saved “by grace” that is, by the kindness of God in having Jesus die for our sins. But this grace is appropriated through faith, that is, man believes what God has done for him and relies upon Christ’s atonement to blot out his sins and bring him into a proper relationship with God.’
In other words, NONE of our good works can get us into heaven. We can ONLY get there by accepting God’s LOVING-kindness and having faith, believing In Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Unfortunately though, a lot of people still misguidedly believe that good works will get them into heaven. I sincerely hope that they smarten up before it’s too late.
As for ‘2:9. The reason in part, that salvation is not achieved by good works is to prevent men from bragging of having earned a place in heaven by themselves.’
Yuh think the Lord stupid? He made man, and He knows what we are capable of. Can you imagine the bragging and boasting that would have gone on if we could get to heaven through good works!
‘2:10. For verifies the assertion of man’s good works having no part in obtaining salvation. Workmanship refers not to our original or physical birth, but to our spiritual birth: what we are spiritually in the good sense is due to God, not ourselves. Created in Christ Jesus unto good works means “having been (morally) recreated by Christ Jesus for good works;” that is, Jesus remade our spiritual lives so that we could then do good works.
The apostle’s thinking is this: since the Christian has been given spiritual life for the purpose of doing good works, there could have been no good works by him prior to conversion that would merit salvation. Good works follow – do not precede – salvation.’
There you have it friends, Bruh Paul’s treatise on grace and faith. I know I’ve shared most of this stuff before, but it’s such an important part of our belief system that we can never hear it enough.
So today let’s spend some time pondering on the meat and potatoes set before us nuh. It’s time we stop drinking milk and eating baby food and gain some maturity, moving on to a higher understanding of God’s Word (smile). Much LOVE!
…we can only grow in Christ…by gaining a deeper understanding of His Word…
22 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a soft spot in my heart, a word of warning, an intimate relationship with God, backbreaking work, be in vain, by grace ye are saved, caring, christ jesus, Christian, compassionate, Creator, dead in sins, divine response, energy, enthusiasm, Ephesians, eternity, faith, fellowship, for God so loved the world, Friday chant, fun, generous, generous help, glory to God, God hath quickened us, God's goodness, grace, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, in heavenly places, LOVE, magnanimous god, massa, morally dead in sins, motivating factors, nefarious purposes, new life, party, raised us up, relaxation, rest, sacrificed, sin, sit together, spending time with god, spiritual life, surrender, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that whosoever believes in him, the best use of our time, the weekend, to the ends of the earth, ultimate purpose, undeserving children of men, week of work, will not perish
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And as the world turns my people, it has finally turned to Friday…
And that simple remark brings forth all kinds of joyful shouting: ‘Oh TGIF! Thank the Lord it’s Friday! The weekend’s here! Mama Yo! The good times are here at last! Party fuh so mih breddren! Thank You yes Lord that Friday has rolled around at last! No more of the evil massa and his backbreaking work for a couple days. Thank You again Lord!’
Yes Friends, it’s certainly interesting what comments a Friday can elicit from the work force. And some of them are truly genuine, though many still use it as an excuse to just party.
But we know that’s not the main reason for the brief respite from labour, so let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective on the situation.
In unison and harmony 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.’
Yeh mih people, the weekend is also a time for rest and relaxation and fellowship with other believers, so that we can go back out revitalized and do God’s work with energy and enthusiasm. In this sinful and godless world though, we sadly use it for all sorts of other nefarious purposes.
But a word of warning friends; please remember that the Lord is watching, and in due course, He will do whatever He thinks is necessary to correct the situation.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, that most awesome, auspicious and momentous piece of scripture which shows how much our magnificent God truly cared, and still cares for us, despite our lacklustre approach to Him.
‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Oh my brethren, after hearing such caring and compassionate words, how can we not have a soft spot in our heart for our wonderful Creator eh? I really don’t know nuh. I guess it depends on whether you believe them or not.
But as for me and mine, we will believe them and follow the Lord to the ends of the earth! Such a magnanimous and generous God deserves to be followed any and everywhere!
Now listen to this scripture that enhances that picture. It comes from Bruh Paul’s missive to the Ephesians and it deals with two huge motivating factors in the Christian’s life; grace and faith.
‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:’ (Eph.2:4-6)
Oh Friends, what a wonderful Deity we serve and worship! Which other supposed deity has ever sacrificed their only Son on behalf of their followers eh? NONE, my people, NONE whatsoever!
And not only that, in our sinfulness He has also raised us up to sit in heavenly places with Him and His resurrected Son. Oh glory to God for His undeserved goodness to the undeserving children of men!
And here are some useful explanations from the scholars. ‘2:4-6. But begins to disclose God’s response to man’s sin of verses 1-3. This divine response is expressed in three main verbs:
(1) God…hath quickened us. Because they were morally dead in sins, the Lord gave them spiritual life;
(2) and hath raised us up together, that is God has not allowed those Christians to remain in the grave of their old life with its sinful ways and habits, but He brought them into a new life and demonstration of it; and
(3) God made us sit together in heavenly places, that is, He has brought us into His presence and into an intimate relationship with Himself.’
And if that isn’t stuff to sing and shout about, to be everlastingly thankful and grateful for, then I don’t know what is nuh mih breddren!
And why you ask, did God do all of that for a bunch of ungrateful sinners? The Good Book answers that question. ‘That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through (in) Christ Jesus.’ (Eph.2:7) Wow! What a truly magnanimous Deity!
The scholars explain that verse thus: ‘2:7. That …he might show (or, demonstrate): This denotes the ultimate purpose for all that God did for the Ephesians in verses 4-6. It is that throughout eternity He might make us understand more and more His goodness to us.’
And friends, if he did it for the Ephesians, He also wants to do it for us. However, we have to surrender ourselves to Him, so that He can work in our lives. We can’t fight against Him, otherwise His efforts will all be in vain.
So please, let’s be wise and spend some time today pondering our relationship with our Maker nuh. There can be no wiser use of our time than that. Much LOVE!
…spending time with God…is the BEST use of our time…
10 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sovereign God, cease not to give thanks, celebrating, Christ-like maturity, church, church bells, condescending, conversion, daily living, divine strength, enlightened, Ephesians, everlasting love, exceeding greatness of God's power, faith in the Lord Jesus, faithful believers, feel smug, feverish activity, glorify the Lord, God's goodness, God's infinite wisdom, God's limitless power, Good News Gospel, growth in Christ, heavenly destiny, his inheritance in the saints, illuminated Christian, in heavenly places, in sincerity and truth, in the hands, inheritance in the saints, invitation to worship, Jesus Christ, knowledge of God, lift the name of Jesus, LOVE, majestic God, mercy, my times, my ultimate good, One Year Book of Bible promises, powerless, praise, prescription for earthly living, priceless treasure, purpose in our hearts, reserve, resolutions, Revelation, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, set him at his right hand, surprise, thanksgiving, the eyes of your understanding, the Father of glory, the hope of his calling, the Lord's sanctuary, the mind's understanding, the New Year, the riches of glory, the riches of his glory, the spirit of wisdom, Togetherness, trick. disillusion, uplifting scriptures, walk in step with Christ
Ephesians 1:18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
Well a good Sunday morning to all, as the church bells peal a beautiful and blessed invitation to us to come to the Lord’s sanctuary and worship and glorify Him in sincerity and truth!
Yeh mih people, it’s a day of togetherness, of praise and thanksgiving amongst the faithful believers in Jesus Christ. So please honour it by darkening the door of your church and celebrating God’s goodness and mercy with others of the same ilk.
That’s the Lord’s wish for us this second Sunday in the New Year. And if, as we purpose in our hearts and resolutions to lift the name of Jesus and His Good News Gospel this year, we cannot afford to start backsliding so early in the month. (smile)
Now here is a rather appropriate excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled, ‘The New Year.’
And it says: ‘Mysterious New Year So wrapped in reserve and surprise You have no reason to feel smug Or even condescending. After all, the majestic God Has full knowledge of you Just as He has of me.
There is not an issue you can evade. Furthermore, you are powerless To do anything to me That God does not permit. All He allows in His infinite wisdom Is for my ultimate good And His greatest glory.
Consequently, New Year You cannot trick or disillusion me By your baffling unexplainables Or your feverish activity. My times are in the hands of my sovereign God Whose power is limitless And whose LOVE for me is everlasting.’
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Let’s never forget that God’s LOVE for each and every one of us, is everlasting!
And the scripture promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.’
But before we get into our Bit, let’s hear what comes before it, so that we can understand in what context it was used. Bruh Paul is here praying for God’s knowledge and understanding for the Ephesians.
And he begins this section thus: ‘Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and LOVE unto all the saints. Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set (seated) him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.’ (Eph.1:15-20)
Oh friends, what powerful and uplifting scriptures!
Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘1:17. The spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him means “a disposition consisting of wisdom and revelation in knowing Him.”
And we all still need that up to this day my brethren, despite our much better knowledge of God, in comparison to the Ephesians!
‘1:18-19. When the figurative terms are removed from the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, the clause means that “your mind’s understanding may be fully enlightened.” The clause further explains verse 17.
That ye may know signifies that the believer comes to know three things upon being enlightened: (1) what is the hope of his calling; that is, he realizes how sure and certain is his heavenly destiny;
(2) what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; that is, the illuminated Christian recognizes more and more both the priceless value of his salvation, and what a priceless treasure he is to God;
And (3) what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe: perceiving how God’s power has changed him since conversion, he experiences to a greater extent this divine strength in daily living.’
Oh friends, I do hope we understand all of that, because it is so important in our growth, our maturity in Christ. We do need it all; the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God, so that we can better understand what He is all about, and are thus enlightened about the certainty and security of our heavenly destiny.
And my people, my people, that we may truly understand the richness, the ‘invaluableness’ of God’s salvation, and how important we are to Him. As well as understanding His awesome power and how it has changed us since we’ve become new creatures in Christ Jesus.
Yes my brethren all of that stuff we need to help us in living our daily lives, for without it we’d simply be lost and confused, even more than we are now. (smile)
Anyway, we’re going to end for today, because I need to go and get myself ready for church – the bells are pealing beautifully in my neighbourhood too – and there is also a lot for us to ponder in the Bit.
So until tomorrow, the Lord in favour, please, let’s all walk in step with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, securely dwelling under the wide wings of His everlasting LOVE, for that is indeed the wisdom of heaven!
Much LOVE!…walking daily with Christ…is the only true prescription for earthly living…
01 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the power that worketh in us, benefits, Christ may dwell in your hearts, compromise, confusion, Creator, Daylight Savings Time, depression, disappointment, do not lose heart, drawbacks, edification, Enormous Rewards, Ephesians, fear, filled with all the fullness of God, forgiveness, freedom, friendship, fulfillment, glory to God, God the Good, godless world, guilt, Halloween, holy spirit, I bow my knees, inner growth, joy, lead and guide us, live the Christian life, lose an hour's sleep, One Year Book of Bible promises, penance, provider, purpose, rewards, rooted and grounded in love, Ruth Harms Calkin, saints, satisfaction, sordidness, spiritual life, strengthened with might, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the inner man, the moneyed class, the riches of his glory, the serfs, the whole family is named, to do all that we ask or think, to know the Love of Christ, tribulations, unto him that is able, walking obediently with Christ, ye faint not
Ephesians 3:20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
Well Friends, it’s Sunday the 1st of November! That means Halloween is over, October is done and Daylight Savings Time is also over. Now on that last one, the benefits or drawbacks are still being argued over.
What we do know is that some people lose an hour’s sleep while others gain an hour, and now some people will be going to work in the dark and also coming home in the dark.
No wonder there is so much depression and its cohorts come the winter time where people don’t see the sun enough. But that’s the decision of the ruling, the moneyed class, so we poor serfs just have to grin and bear it. (smile) But I’m here to tell us my fellow believers that all of that doesn’t truly matter once we are walking obediently with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And having read this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises yesterday, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, it struck such a powerful chord in my thinking, that I just had to share it. It’s titled ‘Enormous Rewards.’
And it says: ‘O dear God Thank You for teaching me The enormous rewards Of walking obediently with You. There is joy without guilt Freedom without fear Satisfaction without sordidness Purpose without confusion Friendship without compromise Forgiveness without penance Fulfillment without disappointment.’
Yes my brethren, that is indeed the description of what a true believer enjoys when He walks in close relationship with Almighty God, his Creator and Provider! And consequently, he does not have to worry about all the nonsense that is happening in our wicked, godless world. Oh glory to God!
How wonderful it is to be able to ignore so much of the world’s foolishness because of a strong faith and eternal trust in Jesus! There is no need to worry, hurry or fear anything, because our Saviour has faithfully promised that He will be always with us through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, which will lead and guide us successfully through this hellish world.
And our Bit today comes from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’
But before we delve into it, I think it’s best that we know what comes before, so we can better understand the context of what he’s talking about. But that puts me in a bit of a quandary, because almost every verse has some useful information from the scholars, and I’m not sure whether I should do the explanation after each verse, or lump them all together. I’m not sure which method will bring easier and greater understanding. But let’s mosey along (smile) and see where the Holy Spirit leads us.
Now in this section of his letter, Bruh Paul is offering a prayer for the inner growth of the Ephesians. And he tells them: ‘Wherefore I desire (ask) that ye faint not (not lose heart) at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.’ (Eph.3:13-15)
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘3:13. Which is your glory: God will use Paul’s tribulations and sufferings in the ministry to spiritually benefit his recipients. Such edification will then bring about glory on their part in that they praise and honour God.’
‘3:14. For this cause: This expression resumes the apostle’s prayer begun in verse 1 but delayed by the discussion of verses 2-13.’
‘3:15. Is named means “is derived.” The whole Christian family, including those saints now departed and in heaven, and those saints still living on earth – all of them “derive” their spiritual life from God.’
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all the saints what is the breadth (width), and length , and depth, and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph.3:16-9)
And yuh know what my people? That prayer is still completely viable to our situation today, for we are suffering the same doubt, frustration and lack of confidence that the Ephesians suffered back then, and we need desperately to grow in Christ if we intend to make a positive and meaningful difference in this strife filled world.
And the scholars’ offer these explanations. ‘3:16-19. In these verses Paul makes three prayer requests for the addressees: (1) That they would be strengthened with might by his Spirit (v.16), that is, that they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life.
(2) That the readers be able to comprehend …the LOVE of Christ, that is, to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’
And finally, we’ll turn to the scholars’ explanation of our Bit. ‘3:20. In making the three above petitions (vv.16-19), Paul has not asked for too much. For he prays unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that he can ask or think.’
And that’s it in a nutshell my people! Our God is so great, so powerful, so omnipotent, that He can do way way more than our finite minds can even begin to think, imagine, ask for, or comprehend. That’s why He is GOD! And I do hope that the way I structured the verses and explanations enabled you to better understand the Word.
Now remember today is Sunday and we need to go to the sanctuary and fellowship with other believers; to sing, pray, give thanks and glorify our heavenly Father and receive His strength, confidence, mercy, compassion and forgiveness, so that we can truly live the Christian life. Much LOVE!
…there is only ONE Power…and ONE Presence here…God the Good…God the Omnipotent…
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