14 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a state of confusion, actions speak louder than words, amazing salvation, beautiful light of Jesus, brawtha, cast not away your confidence, Christians, confidence, endurance, epitome, fervent charity, friend of Jesus, gifts, God be glorified through Jesus Christ, God's unmerited favour, godly folks, godly grandmotherly woman, gossipy, great recompense of reward, helpful, hurry, icing on the cake, in all things, in god's eyes, lagniappe, LOVE, love covers a multitude of sins, loving kindness, Mavis harvey, need of patience, pandemic, perseverance, petty cliques, physical weather, proportion of faith, rango tango, resentful, reward, share His love with the world, sincere hearts, stand tough, strife, the beloved of God, the grace of God, the measure of faith, the only solution: Jesus Christ, tough people, tough times, Tuesday Mantra, tumultuous times, understanding, unified, what people say about me, worry
Hebrews 10:35. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.
And then it was a cloudy and uncertain Tuesday morning, just like the cloudy and uncertain Monday we had yesterday! But it’s oh so refreshing and wonderful when you don’t have to depend on the physical weather to get your sunshine; when you have the bright, amazing and beautiful light of Jesus and His everlasting salvation shining in your souls! Mama Mia! Yeh friends, you can tell that the ole fella is definitely glad to be alive to see another glorious day, be it physically rain or shine! It’s the only way to live this life! It also means that once we’re still here the Lord has big plans for us! Glory be!
One person who’s no longer here with us though enjoying our earthly friendship is our ever-faithful church sister Mavis Harvey. Mavis died last week, thankfully with her family by her side, after being in poor health for a long time. But you would never have known it from her staunch and positive behaviour. She was the epitome of the sweet, quiet, godly, grandmotherly woman. Didn’t say much, but whatever she said had value. She was one of the few people who religiously attended our Wednesday morning service.
And talk about stubborn! In the days before the church was shut down, Mavis, who lived a few blocks away and had some ambulatory problems, most always refused a ride to or from church unless the weather was real bad. She had her walker and that gave her exercise. She will always be remembered for her LOVING-kindness; baking stuff for the church, as well as knitting blankets and other baby stuff. It was good that our pastor, Father Jeff, was able to spend some time with her before she went home to glory. Our sincere condolences and prayers go out to her family. May your wonderful soul rest in peace Mavis, my sister.
Ah friends, for more saints like Mavis in our church families, instead of the rango- tango, gossipy, resentful, petty cliques and divisions that seem to currently proliferate. Sometimes it makes one belief that the world is more inside the church body than outside, the way we behave so much like it. And especially in these tumultuous times when unity is so badly needed, it’s sad and sorrowful that we have such a divided and fractured church.
But I firmly believe that these tumultuous times are instances that our great and mysterious God has allowed to come upon us partly for the purpose of bringing us together and showing the world that His people, Christ’s church are actually whom they claim to be; kind, LOVING, understanding, unified, helpful and godly folks, by actually doing Christ-like work amongst the poor, sick and needy. Yes, I know it’s a rather convoluted sentence, but full of truth, what I like to call a Bruh Paulian sentence. (smile)
That’s why precious people of God, I’m here to encourage us, to exhort us to take a true and sincere stand in these uncertain and trying times to be salt of the earth and lights of the world like Jesus desires of us, so that we can rebuild, renovate, fix, make right, whatever is currently wrong with His church. Remember, actions speak much louder than words, and if ever there was a time that plenty action was needed from the church it’s right now! So let’s not faint and give up during this time of pandemic and strife nuh.
Instead, let’s write this scripture indelibly in our hearts and action it with much vim and vigour. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance, perseverance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36) Yes friends, remember giving up is not in Christ’s vocabulary. And whosoever will endure to the end will receive a crown of glory. And even then, it’s not so much about the eventual reward nuh, but the fact that we LOVE and admire Jesus and all that He’s sacrificed for us and we just want to do His will as best we can. The eventual reward is just lagniappe, brawtha, icing on the cake. It’s not what should really move us.
And I think this scripture from Peter is very useful for us in these non-understandable times. ‘But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling). As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles (utterances) of God; if any man minister. Let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 4:7-11)
Oh friends, please remember that whatever we have, be it earthly wealth and power, or spiritual gifts they still belong to God, and we are only stewards down here on earth to ensure that they are well used and distributed. And please allow these words of Bruh Paul to sink deeply into our consciousness and truly live by them. ‘For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.’ (Rom. 12:3-6)
Ah mih people, the long and short of the story is that through the grace, the generosity, the undeserved favour of God, we have all been given certain gifts in different areas, and we must use them diligently, without grumbling or greed, to effectively promote Christ’s church. That’s it in a nutshell! (smile) And there’s truly no better time for us to come together and do our thing (stir up the gift of God) than right now when the world is in such a state of confusion and we are the ONLY ones with the ONLY solution: Jesus Christ!
Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong 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 do we ever need to share Jesus’ LOVE and friendship with this sad and sorrowful world! Much LOVE!
…in tough times…tough people…namely Christians…stand tough…
21 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, almighty god, antidote, aura of love, begun a good work, calamity, call upon me, calm after the storm, captive to babylon, confidence, confident of this very thing, crawl out of your hole, dangerous streets, delights, disobedience, eat and drink, enthusiasm, epitome, eternal life, eternity, evil, faith, For I know the thoughts, friends, from under your rock, get with the programme, glorious kingdom, grace, have a roof over your head, heavenly Father, higher in Jesus, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not of evil, obedience, our Lord and Saviour, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, shall find me, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that I think toward you, the aftermath, thoughts of peace, to give you an expected end, truth, ungodly world, until the day of Jesus Christ, warm cocoon, will perform it, wisdom, with all your heart
Jeremiah 29:11. 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).
And then there’s the calm after the storm… But sometimes the aftermath of the storm is more dangerous than the storm itself, especially when it’s a Monday morning and you’ve got to crawl out of your hole, or from under your protective rock and make your way to work in cold, icy minus plenty degrees weather. Steups!
After being in your warm cocoon all weekend, it’s no joke to get out and face the frozen, dangerous streets. But that’s our lot. If you want to eat and drink and have a roof over your head, you have to find the wherewithal to get with the programme. (smile) And there’s no better way to do that than with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Bless His Holy Name my people!
Oh friends, He’s done so much for us, is still doing, and has promised to continue doing, even until eternity! There’s never been – or will ever be a more wonderful person than Him! Please give Him lots of thanks, for He deserves every ounce of it…and even more!
And since not all of us possess the necessary parts to handle the day successfully, let’s turn to our Maker and heavenly Father in prayer, the most powerful force in His universe, and cry out to Him in all sincerity, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, the antidote for all that affects us this January Monday. In unison now, with whatever enthusiasm we can raise:
‘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!’
Oh my people, I don’t even remember how that prayer came about nuh, but it was obviously through the munificence, the most generous and bountiful grace of the Lord, because every time I pray it, it surely lifts my spirits. And I do hope it does the same to yours…
And I can see it does, because your eyes are now bright and shiny, instead of the old dull, hurting look they previously had; your shoulders are lifted up and strong, and your smile is as beautiful as ever, and above all, you’re prepared to do battle with the wicked and ungodly enemy in Jesus’ name!
Ah friends, like the ole fella’s on a roll this morning. I hope some of the enthusiasm and LOVE rubs off on you all and lifts you higher in Jesus, because that’s the whole purpose of this exercise! Enough of me though, let’s see if we can find some scripture to reassure and build our needy souls. Soon come…
I’m back, a minute later, with some wonderful news and promises! Hear the Lord our God, through the voice of Jeremiah, the prophet: ‘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).’
Oh friends, that’s a promised scripture that we all know and claim to LOVE, but we don’t really hold on to it as strongly as we should, even though we know that ALL God’s promises are faithful and will be fulfilled. Just like we hear Bruh Paul telling the church at Philippi: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:6)
But we don’t take it as seriously as we should. But our God doesn’t begin things and not finish them. So if He’s poured out His grace in you and saved you, then why would He not keep you safe and strong until His Son returns eh? No reason whatsoever my believing brethren!
Now let’s continue the reassuring words of Jeremiah to the Israelites who would soon be taken captive to Babylon because of their continued disobedience. ‘Then ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13)
Ah friends, obedience is ever so necessary if we want to truly serve the Lord, but even then, we still have to seek Him, with all our hearts, if we want to find Him. Our God doesn’t like halfway measures.
When we come to Him, we must come with all that we have! So let’s ponder on all that we’ve talked about today nuh, and please, please, HOLD ON to all those wonderful promises that our God has made us. We’ll be so much better of when we do, for that’s the epitome of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…faith in God’s promises…leads to both earthly and heavenly delights…
15 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a day for reflection, a performance, Anselm, aspiration, be open to learn, being happy, believing in God, blessed, Christ dwelling in us, Christian, cliches, contented, Controller, Creator, desires, distrust, dreams, dumb, Elisabeth, epitome, family, family relationships, focus on the positive, friend, fulfillment, Gabriel, gems of wisdom, greeting, have life, help one another, hodgepodge, I am the way the truth and the life, immaculate conception, in sync, inspire us, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, jumped for joy, live life to the fullest, Lord and Saviour, Mary, more abundantly, mysterious ways, never give up, no man comes to the Father, our daily walk with the Lord, our shoulders to the wheel, play, positive vibes, prophetic words, proviso, put out minds to it, resentment, rest, salutation, Saturday, she who believed, spring air, standing strong, stay focused, sub-par, the end of the day, the fruit of thy womb, the Holy Ghost, the support system, those things, told her from the Lord, tools, true to yourself, who we are, work, work hard, Zechariah
Luke 1:45. And blessed is she that (who) believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.
And so we’ve finally arrived at Saturday; a day unlike any other, where we can work, play or simply rest…or even do all three if we so desire! I guess you can call Saturday a day of different things to different people, filled with a hodgepodge of situations and choices.
But it is a good day also for reflection on our past week; what we’ve done, what we haven’t done, what we liked, what we didn’t like, and most importantly, if we’ve walked with the Lord on a satisfactory level. Let’s hope we will all reflect and discover that we’ve made good progress in our daily walk with the Lord. Praise His holy name!
Now since it’s Saturday, let’s see what gems of wisdom our friend Anselm sent us this past week in his noble aspiration to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one tells us: ‘At the end of the day, life is about being happy being who you are, and I feel like we are so blessed to have the support system and the best family to really just support each other no matter what we’re going through.’
Now that is surely the epitome of family relationships! But unfortunately too many of those relationships nowadays are clothed in distrust and resentment, turning against each other, instead of standing strong for and trying to help one another. Even when we are happy and contented in being who we are, our support systems are usually sub-par. And one can’t build a good life on that!
However, having solid support systems, regardless of our differences is something that ALL families, especially the Christian ones, should purposely aspire to. And with Christ dwelling securely in us, it IS possible, we just have to put our minds to it, and our shoulders to the wheel.
Then the next quote wisely advises: ‘Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. These are not clichés but real tools you need no matter what you do in life to stay focused on your path.’ You can’t beat that wisdom my people!
The only proviso is that our path coincides with that of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for remember He specifically stated a long time ago: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6)
And that hasn’t changed my brethren! Jesus is still the ONLY way to the Father! So unless all our dreams and desires are in sync with His plan for our lives, all our efforts will not produce much success. Yes friends, it all depends on taking the route Jesus maps out for us!
And the last quote simply states: ‘Live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive.’ That’s also gospel truth! Remember Jesus’ immortal words: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) Oh my fellow believers, life was definitely made for living!
That’s why God made us and gave us all the wonderful things we have, and why Jesus came and died to continue that line of thinking. We are not to be filled with a lot of negativity and dark, evil forebodings, but be filled with the positive effects of the light that’s Jesus!
And there again, that’s why I like Mary so much. She understood this principle long before Jesus spoke it. Though a young girl who had not seen much of life yet, she realized her call by God and accepted it without any fuss, regardless of the upheaval she knew it would cause in her life.
Just contrast her behaviour with that of Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, earlier on in Luke 1.11-22. Zechariah was a man about town, so to speak, a priest who had seen much life, but when Gabriel showed up and told him he would have a son, John the Baptist, he doubted, claiming he was too old and all the other nonsense that we conveniently find to obstruct God’s work. Thus he became dumb until John’s birth.
Mary however was like a breath of pure, fresh spring air, positive and constantly moving forward in God’s appointed path. And after the angel Gabriel left her, The Good Book says: ‘And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah: And entered into the house of Zechariah, and saluted (greeted) Elisabeth.
And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation (greeting) of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence (why) is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation (greeting) sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in mine womb for joy.’ (Luke 1:39-44)
Oh friends, oh friends, how great, marvellous and mysterious is our God eh! Elisabeth didn’t know anything about Mary’s predicament, but once she heard her voice, John the Baptist jumped for joy in her womb, because he felt the good and positive vibes that were emanating from Mary, and the Holy Spirit let Elisabeth into the secret, so much so that she could continue their discourse with these prophetic words:
‘And blessed is she that (who) believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ Mama Mia! Does our God ever move in mysterious ways! Elisabeth’s eyes were opened in a second, and she knew that it would all end the way it was stated. And so it did, with the Immaculate Conception and magnificent birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!
Ah my fellow believers, how great is our God eh! Hope you enjoyed that heartwarming story as much as I did! (smile) Much LOVE!
…it all begins…and ends…with sincerely believing in Almighty God…the undisputed Creator and Controller of the universe…
03 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a living example, a persecutor of the church, action plan, aura of love, back to where we were, bad judgement, birthright, brave souls, Christ-like stuff, confidence, consider one another, decent wages, discipline, drunk or sober mind your business, employers, enthusiasm, epitome, evil, faithful is he who calls you, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God's faithfulness, good works, gospel truth, guidance, half a chance, He is faithful that promised, his compassions fail not, hold fast, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, in spades, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, judged the book by the cover, keep you from evil, keeps faith lifted, Labour Day, lies, LOVE, make known God's faithfulness, man's inhumanity to man, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mysterious ways, new every morning, no souls, oppressor, paid vacations, peace, Pinkertons, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, sing of the Lord's mercies, sit on your fannies, spiritual armour, stand up strong, steadfast faith, stir up LOVE, testify to, the error of my ways, the Lord's mercies, the profession of faith, things of the world, to all generations, trust, truth, ungodly world, Unions, winning rights, wisdom, with my mouth, without wavering, working conditions
1 Thessalonians 5:24. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
Ah friends, our God does move in mysterious ways yes! He proved it to me one more time this evening, as my path happened to cross with a Scrip-Bit family acquaintance. Now, recently I’ve been wondering how many people that receive the Bit really read it every day, or even most days. And strangely enough, she was one of those, who, as a young, good looking lady, I figured was too taken up with the things of the world to bother with such Christ-like stuff.
But was I ever wrong, because she excitedly informed me that she reads the Bit every day, enjoys it, it inspires her, keeps her faith lifted. I had to laugh friends, because this just happened out of the blue. Our paths cross every so often, but she never said anything before, and I’ve sometimes wondered if I’m wasting her time and mine by sending her the Bit.
But yuh see mih people, one more instance where I judged the book by the proverbial cover and totally made a bad judgement. (smile) It took the Lord in His wisdom and mysterious way to enlighten me and show me the error of my ways. So please learn from my mistake; stop judging others by how they look on the outside. Find out what’s inside first. Thank You Lord for the lesson! Thank you Tammy for the unexpected encouragement!
Now let’s move on. Today is Monday, Labour Day Monday to boot, which for many of us is a holiday. But friends we do need to understand and appreciate what those who went before us in the workforce did, standing up strong against the powerful oppressor and winning the rights we do have today. Many of them even gave their lives to do it, because the holders of wealth and power wanted to keep workers in semi-slavery forever, if they could.
Think about the Pinkertons; that brutal private police force that was used to enforce the employer’s wishes. But those brave souls fought and died and eventually through unions won the fairly decent wages and working conditions we now have; things like weekends off and paid vacations.
So please don’t take them for granted, or as your birthright, and simply sit on your fannies, you also have to stand up strong , because employers are now trying to move us back to where we once were. And given half a chance, they will too, because they have no souls and are the epitome of man’s inhumanity to man!
However, some of us have to go and labour so that our 24/7 society can function properly. So let’s join together and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and give those unfortunate ones some encouragement nuh. With as much enthusiasm as we can muster: ‘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 as always those who are staying home are the loudest. But please remember in all the celebrations, that drunk or sober, to mind yuh business. Is Granny who say so. Now all I want to do today is remind us of God’s faithfulness by sharing some scriptures on the subject.
Ah friends, if it’s one thing I can testify to it’s the Lord’s faithfulness. Just look at how long I’ve been writing the Bit, over eleven years now, and I believe I’ve missed one day, early on in the show. And my goal is to not miss any days at all while I continue to write it. But how do you think I’ve been able to keep that discipline eh? It’s not through my power, but by the Lord’s! And do you think I choose the topics every day? No way! Many days I don’t have a clue as to what to write on, but every day I ask for guidance and end up being surprised by His faithfulness.
As Bruh Paul says so simply, but so truthfully in our Bit: ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ I am a living example of that friends! Remember when He first called me, I laughed and said I couldn’t do it. But He persevered…and finally I agreed…and He set about proving His faithfulness to me.
And Bruh Paul knew the Lord’s faithfulness in spades, because look at how He took him from being a persecutor of the church, to one of its staunchest planters and defenders! And he reiterates to the Thessalonians in his second letter. ‘But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil (the evil one). (2 Thess.3:3)
Meanwhile, the author of Hebrews sincerely advises: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering: (for he is faithful that promised). And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works.’ (Heb.10:23-24)
And this scripture we all know: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23) And that’s the gospel truth friends!
That’s why to show our true appreciation for the Lord’s faithfulness, we should be saying and doing like Ethan the Ezrahite says in his psalm. ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’ (Ps.89:1) Let’s make that our action plan nuh mih people, because it’s wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…if believers don’t talk of God’s faithfulness…how will others know about it eh…
07 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a daisy bouquet, awesome embrace, be joyful, be obedient, cascading down from heaven, coincidence, disciples, drought-stricken earth, empty promises, epitome, for our sins, friend of Jesus, God's creation, God's Holy Will, he first loved us, hinges on, hug you more often, hugged me, hugging yourself, hurry, hypocrisy, I love you, lightning, living God, LOVE, love his brother, loves to love, mirrors God's love, mistake, no discernible reason, nourish, One Year Book of Bible promises, practiced my lessons, real love, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, showers of blessings, slow down, soothing to the ears, Thank You Lord, the beloved of God, the centrepiece, the propitiation, thunderstorms, to the soul, too busy, trust Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, ulterior motives, waiting in the wings, we love God, weather reporters, Who Me, wonderful god, worry
1 John 4:19. We LOVE him, because he first LOVED us.
Thank You Lord…thank You, thank You, thank you! And you all must be wondering what I’m thanking the Lord so profusely for eh? Well it’s for finally sending showers of blessings on my area yesterday. After a couple weeks of empty promises from the weather reporters about thunderstorms etc., yesterday afternoon they finally delivered.
And I have to chuckle, as at one stage I went out on my front porch to witness the phenomenon, (smile) and was promptly driven back inside by two brilliant flashes of lightning. Then later in the night we got a couple of good showers, so much so that the ground is still wet this morning.
And yuh know friends there’s no sound as soothing to the ears and the soul as that of showers of blessings cascading down from heaven to nourish the drought-stricken earth. And that didn’t happen by mistake or coincidence, but was planned by our wise and wonderful God. How great and thoughtful is He eh!
And here is another instance of how great and wonderful and caring our God is. Check out this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled, ‘Who Me?’
‘Lord All of a sudden today You picked me up And hugged me And hugged me For no discernible reason. I was puzzled. After all – I hadn’t picked up my toys Or practiced my lessons Or brought You a daisy bouquet – Hesitantly, I asked why. You smiled and said: I LOVE you, that’s all. Then you added: I long to hug you more often. Why don’t You Lord? You are too busy. Too busy, Lord? Too busy hugging yourself.’
And isn’t that the awful truth my brethren? We’re too busy hugging ourselves and going about our business to notice that the Lord is waiting in the wings to just take us up in His awesome embrace and shower us with some of His most wonderful LOVE, so that we can be joyful here on earth and be obedient to His holy will.
And He doesn’t have any ulterior motives. He just LOVES us because we’re his awesome creation! Don’t we all hold dear the things we create? Of course! And so does our living God! Remember what the Good Book says? ‘And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.’ (Gen.1:31)
Yes friends, God admired His handiwork, of which we were the most important aspect, so it’s just natural that He LOVES to LOVE us…if we’d only slow down and allow Him to. And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit for today: ‘We LOVE him, because he first LOVED us.’
Aw my fellow believers, such touching, heartwarming and truthful words! Our Creator LOVED us from the moment He made us, before we were even aware of the emotion. He placed that emotion of LOVE in us as the centerpiece of our very existence.
And John earlier explains the whole scenario in these few choice words of gospel truth. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10) Now that’s what you’d call REAL LOVE!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘4:10. No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’
Yes my brethren, our puny and finite minds cannot understand God’s action, of sending His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to die on our behalf, piling our sins on Him as the great scapegoat, so that we could be reconciled to Him, have fellowship with Him, and once again become righteous in His holy eyes. But nonetheless, it is the standard to which faithful believers and followers of His marvellous Son, Jesus Christ are expected to follow.
As John says: ‘If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God whom he hath not seen?’ (1 John 4:20)
Now that’s a very good question my people. How can we LOVE something or someone we’ve not seen, and hate what or whom we’ve seen? In this context about LOVING God, it’s just impossible! But we do it nevertheless and unfortunately show ourselves to be hypocrites of the highest order.
But here is the final word on the situation as John tells it. ‘And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVE his brother also.’ (1 John 4:21)
And the scholars spell it out in simple language for us: ‘4:19-21. Our LOVE, if it exists and mirrors God’s LOVE at all, is not our own but God’s doing. The epitome of hypocrisy is the claim to LOVE God while withholding LOVE from others. For Jesus Himself commanded that he who LOVES God is to demonstrate this through LOVING others.’
And with that reminder tugging at our heartstrings my precious people, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, proudly letting the world know who and whose we are.
Now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 truly believe that, then we need to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others. Only then will we be His true disciples! Much LOVE!
…in God’s universe…everything hinges on…LOVE and LOVING…
09 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a command, a measly pittance, believers, bleak and cloudy day, boundaries, carnal attitude, Christians, common sense, confidence, depart from evil, direct thy paths, do our own thing, enjoy yourself, epitome, fellowship, finite minds, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glory, glory in God, glory in wisdom, guidelines, health to thy navel, hear attentively, Jeremiah, Jesus authority, justice, knowledge of God, lean not unto, lives of His followers, LOVE, loving-kindness, massa work, might, milk the juice, no sun, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, on fire, party time, physical aspects, refreshed, rejoicing, relaxation, renewed, responsibility, rest, riches, right living, righteousness, shining brightly, sincerity, stale drunk, strength to thy bones, subservient, surroundings, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the ends of the earth, the SON, the weekend, the workingman, this is the day the Lord has made, tired, trust, trust in the Lord, truth, we will rejoice and be glad in it, week of work, wherewithal, wisdom, with all thine heart, worry, your own understanding
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Ah friends, it looks like it’s going to be a bleak and cloudy day in my neighbourhood, with very little, or no sun at all… But thank the Lord, the SON is always on fire, always shining brightly in the lives of His followers, so we don’t have to worry about the physical aspects of our surroundings.
That’s why, like the psalmist of old, we can confidently proclaim: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And not only believers are rejoicing in the day, but also the ordinary workingman, as he sings his Friday song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Wow! The weekend’s here at last, and party time has begun! It’s going to be party time right through until Monday morning…Who cares if we go to massa work tired and stale drunk eh?
Massa doh really care about we, he just wants to milk the juice out of our bodies, in return for a measly pittance, so why should we care about him and his work eh? Look nuh man…just thank God for Fridays and weekends yes, and enjoy yuh blooming self, because nobody else is going to do it for you!’
And my people, there is a whole lot of truth to that last statement. Nobody is going to enjoy yourself for you. That is your responsibility. However, we Christians differ to the workingman in how we enjoy ourselves. They go to the fleshly extreme, but we do not. Under Jesus authority, we have guidelines and boundaries to respect. That’s why when we chant our Friday Chant, it sounds so much different to the workingman’s song.
So let’s sing it now nuh, in all sincerity and truth. ‘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.’
Now it’s obviously more difficult to adhere to that state of affairs than the workingman’s easy, carnal attitude, but with God’s help we can certainly do it. Remember, our wonderful God does not ask us to do anything that He does not give us the wherewithal to do it. So though it might seem difficult, and indeed be difficult, under His auspices we will certainly be able to perform any task that He asks of us.
That’s why our Bit, in the words of Cousin Sol, so strongly advises us to: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.’ And if you are a serious and sincere believer in Jesus Christ, then that is indeed the epitome of wisdom and common sense! No matter what organization you belong to, you must exhibit confidence and trust in your leader, otherwise you’re wasting your time in being a member of that organization.
No wonder the psalmist also tells us in Psalm 37 – God’s works and wisdom: ‘Hear attentively the noise of his voice (thunder), and the sound that goeth out of (the rumbling that comes) out of his mouth. He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning (light) unto the ends of the earth.
After it a voice roareth; He thundereth with the voice of his excellency (his majestic voice); and he will not stay (restrain) them when his voice is heard. God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.’ (Ps.37:2-5)
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! Our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God does numerous things that our puny, finite minds cannot dream to understand. That’s because His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. That’s why He is God and we are mere mortals. Therefore we’re not to get presumptuous and try to do our own thing if we claim to be subservient to Him.
And after our Bit, Cousin Sol continues his wise advice. ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth, straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones. (Prov.3:6-8)
Oh friends, there isn’t a wiser piece of scripture in the entire Bible. If we simply follow those four verses (Prov.3:5-8) we will never go wrong. But let’s end with these words from the prophet Jeremiah as he talks about the knowledge of God being man’s glory.
‘Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 9:23-24)
Ah mih people, words straight from the Lord’s mouth to us. So please, in our wisdom, let’s try and live the way He desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…to live a godly life…LOVING-kindness…justice…and right living…must be essential aspects of our lives…
15 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A to Zee, all things, balance, begrudge, boomerang, building, comes back to you, common sense, cruel, demanding world, destruction, do unto men what you want them to do to you, do unto others, epitome, evil lifestyles, for dear life, Friday chant, friends, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's plan for man, God's Word, greed, harmony, heartless massa, hell on earth, higher than the animals, holding hands, in a line, in Jesus' name, injunction, Jesus Christ, life experience, lower than the angels, Moses, negative emotions, no more work, P.S. I Love You, perpetrate, pilgrimage, pleasure, power, reaping, relaxation, rest, rocket science, rumours of war, self-aggrandizement, selfishness, single file, slaving, sowing, spiritual matters, standing in a circle, stressful, strife, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the golden rule, the law, the lust of the flesh, the prophets, the Ten Commandments, the weekend, topsy turvy world, under the gun, ungodly, unity, vicious cycle, want, wars, wisdom, you reap what you sow
Matthew 7:12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
And then it was Friday…
No wonder the workers united to sing this song of emancipation: ‘TGIF! Thank God it is Friday! No more work, no more slaving for a cruel, heartless massa! The weekend is upon us and we will enjoy all the pleasures it offers – from A to Zee! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah friends, you really can’t begrudge people some pleasure when they’ve been under the gun all week, just working and doing little else in this supposedly modern but very stressful and demanding world.
However, we can’t afford to only seek the lust of the flesh in the next two days either; spiritual matters must also be of great concern, otherwise we’ll lose the something in our souls that makes us higher than the animals and just a little lower than the angels.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective on the matter. As one 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.’
Now that is a much better way to handle the couple days off we have over the weekend; it keeps our soul and spirit in balance, which is something we desperately need to survive and be successful in our current topsy-turvy world.
And here’s an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. I don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but if I haven’t, I ought to have, and if I’ve shared it before, then it’s nice enough for us to do it twice. (smile)
And it says: ‘The people on our planet are not standing in a line single file. Look closely. Everyone is really standing in a circle, holding hands. Whatever you give to the person standing next to you, it eventually comes back to you.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth friends? It certainly is! It’s basically God’s plan for man; whatever you sow, you shall reap. Life is like a boomerang; whatever you throw out to it, it will eventually come right back to you.
So if you throw out bad, that’s what you’ll eventually receive, the same thing goes for good. The trouble is that we don’t think sufficiently along those lines, so we sow whatever our flesh wants, then when we get back something negative in return we wonder why.
But life is not rocket science my people, it’s a simple do unto others as you’d want them doing unto you. And Jesus’ words on that subject is our Bit for today. ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.’
Yes my people, that’s what we call the ‘Golden Rule!’ And it’s really the only sensible way to live, if what we said above, about sowing and reaping, is true.
And the scholars explain it thus: ‘Hence, rather than judging others, we are to treat them as we would like to be treated. Therefore all things…do ye even so to them, is the biblical injunction often called the “Golden Rule.” This is the law and the prophets indicates that the statement made here by Jesus is not intended to be novel, but rather a summarization of the second table of the law.’
Yes friends, it’s not new, it’s just what has been required of us ever since Moses got those Ten Commandments. (smile) Unfortunately though, not enough of us are following it in these crucial and critical times, thus the ungodly and evil lifestyles we’re seeing so prevalent over God’s great world.
But it shouldn’t be like that. If we’d use our common sense and life experience we’d realize it. However we tend to live by the lusts of the flesh and the emotions of greed, selfishness etc. which only tear us down. There’s no building of harmony and unity in those negative emotions my people, just breaking down and destroying.
And that’s exactly what’s happening in our world. I don’t know if we’ve ever gone through a more destructive period in a supposed time of peace. Steups!
Everyday we’re becoming better at destruction, for a lot of our manufacturing consists of finding and building better ways to destroy. It’s taken us sometimes hundreds of years to build the great monuments of our world, but we destroy them in mere seconds!
Hn! And not only that, no longer do we have to be up close to destroy, we can stay thousands of miles away and perpetrate hell on earth to our enemies. And then we wonder why our world is going to hell in a bucket!
Look at all the wars and rumours of wars that are currently causing such woeful strife in our world. Friends, it doesn’t take a fool to realize that if we keep destroying, instead of building, we’ll soon have nothing left to destroy.
Our leaders seem to be more inept and inefficient than ever, corruption has never been so pervasive, far-reaching and blatant. It just seems that all they are interested in is self-aggrandizement and holding on to immense power for dear life.
But what they don’t seem to understand is that the more you have, the more you control, the more you have to lose and the more carefully you have to guard it all, which only leads to more problems, in all areas of life.
Please friends, let’s not be caught up in that vicious cycle of want, of greed and selfishness that is so easy to climb on to, but ever so difficult to get off. Let’s use common sense and God’s Word to direct our earthly pilgrimage nuh. It’s the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…the Golden Rule…do unto others…as you want them to do unto you…is still the most sensible and godly way to live in this mish-mash world…
28 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abhor, affectionate, avenge not, be patient in tribulation, belief, bless, bounce our heads, brotherly LOVE, caring, Christian's conduct, circumstances, cliques, condescend, curse not, dissension, dissimulation, divisions, does not hold back, Dr, epitome, evil for evil, evildoer, expects to win, faith, faithful believers, falls apart, Father of Positive thinking, fervent in spirit, fuss and fume, genuine, good, gossip, headaches, heap coals of fire, heartening, help, honest, hope, hospitality, humble, hypocrisy, I am the beloved of god, instant, life, live peaceably, LOVE, loving, low estate, lustful nature, mind not high things, motivators, necessity, needs, negative attitude, Norman Vincent Peale, overcome, pacifism., patient, persevering, positive manner, power, prayer, reassuring, recompense, rejoice, rejoicing in hope, repay, rest, revenge, rush and push, saints, sense of shame, shame, share His love, sinful, slothful, speak well of, starting point, steadfast in prayer, success, take everything to God in prayer, take it by the tail, the proverbial wall, the service of love, the winner's crown, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unfeigned, unfriendliness, ungodly world, vengeance is mine, weep
Romans 12:12. Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing (steadfastly) instant in prayer.
Welcome to another beautiful day in God’s great realm my people!
Regardless of what our individual circumstances might be, we need to look upon everyday that we’re alive as a beautiful one, that’s the only way we will get through it without too many unnecessary headaches.
Negative stuff will come against us, whatever we do, so there’s no need to add to it with a negative attitude of our own. Life happens to all of us, but it’s the ones who take life by the tail and deals with it in a positive manner that gets the winner’s crown.
And now I want to share an interesting quote from the Father of Positive Thinking, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) on that most wonderful of emotions and attitudes, ‘HOPE.’
Dr. Peale is reputed to have said that, ‘Hope is the great power that can move you to success. Why? Because when a man expects to win, he does not hold anything back, but gives his project all that he’s got. Most people fail not because they lack ability, intelligence or opportunity, but they fail because they don’t give it all they’ve got.’
Now that ‘s packed full of truth my brethren! For hope is one of the most powerful motivators in God’s great world. It’s the starting point of everything we want or plan to do. Without hope, why begin anything eh?
And furthermore, without hope, we can’t even have faith, which is what keeps us going during the hard times. So please, let’s never lose hope, because then it will be so much easier to lose faith, and then everything falls apart.
Now let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with a whole lot of enthusiasm, energy and sincerity. Let’s say it like we truly believe it.
As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now ain’t that something truly wonderful friends? It surely is! For what can be more heartening and reassuring than being beloved by Almighty God, and also being a friend of Jesus, and getting to share His LOVE with a godless world? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
That means there’s nothing for us to worry about. We don’t care what others say about us, we don’t have to rush and push to just barely get by. No my fellow believers, in our strong and steadfast belief and faith in Jesus Christ, all of that is worked out for us.
So let’s not fuss and fume and bounce our heads against the proverbial wall when troubles come against us. Please remember who and whose we are, and just take everything to God in prayer!
Enough sermonizing now though, (smile) let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing (steadfastly) instant in prayer.’
Yes friends, as faithful believers in Jesus, those are some of the things we’re required to do! It’s a part of Bruh Paul’s sermon to the Roman church re the service of LOVE to All.
Earlier on, he sets the stage by saying: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’ (Rom.12:9)
And what does all of that mean? The scholars explain: 12:9. Without dissimulation (lit. “without hypocrisy”). The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional (exercise of will) caring for others, loving faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
Unfortunately though people, we are seeing less and less of that in not only the local churches, but also the church as a whole. That’s why there is so much dissension, which ultimately leads to divisions. Contrary to God’s word and desire, cliques, gossip, unfriendliness and hypocrisy abound in today’s church.
Why is that eh friends, when we’re supposed to be the epitome of true LOVE, caring and compassion? The only reason I can come up with is that we allow the enemy to raise up our sinful, lustful nature, which causes us to think and act like the evil and ungodly world that surrounds us.
But Bruh Paul is advocating the exact opposite. ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another. Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent in spirit; serving the Lord…
Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints (fellow believers); given to hospitality. Bless (speak well of) them which persecute you; bless (speak well of), and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one to another.
Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the humble). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation). Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things).
If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.’ (Rom.12: 9-11,13-20)
Ah friends, it’s all laid out there for us; the basic application of our Christian faith! What more can I say eh? It’s up to us now to put it into action.
And we’ll end with this explanation from the scholars. ’12:19-21. Give place unto wrath: Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 to show that only God has the right to avenge, and He certainly will avenge.
Heap coals of fire on his head (cf. Prov:25:22). This may refer to a sense of shame or remorse engendered when we treat an evildoer kindly. Paul is discussing personal, not national enemies. He is not teaching pacifism.’
So friends, let’s ponder all that we’ve said today nuh, and see how it is reflected in our own lives, and then ask God to help us fix whatever is wrong. He will NEVER turn us down, or away. Always remember that. Much LOVE!
…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom.12:21).
P.S. Excuse the lateness. I don’t understand it. I went to be earlier than usual, but still had a hard time getting up. (smile) Guess the body needs more rest than I’m giving it. Much LOVE!
21 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: aura of love, be not afraid, believe, blessings, Christ's ministry, complaining, confidence, Creator of the universe, denial of Jesus, disappointed, epitome, eternal life, evil, faith, for the works' sake, foundation of the church, further God's glorious kingdom, glorified, grin and bear it, harmony, holy spirit, inescapable, invincible, Israel, Jesus Christ, jobs, let not your heart be troubled, lies, limits of the world, LOVE, meet the enemy in battle, moan and groan, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mysterious, New Testament, Oh Lord God Almighty, only believe, Peter, Poor Jesus, promise of Jesus' return, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, resources, rough copy, saved, serve a useful purpose, simple, spiritual armour, spiritual power, spunk, steadfast faith, straightforward, suck it up, taunts, tested, the only way to the Father, the Trinity, the way the truth and the life, trust, ungodly world, unsaved, value, whining, wiles, wisdom
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
Well Friends, it’s Monday once again! Time to be up and at ‘em! Steups! I was up and at ‘em early enough, but just as I was almost finished, a power black out happened, and though I was saving the stuff, I still lost a fair amount of it.
And the sad and hurtful part is that I usually write a rough copy, but today I didn’t. Yuh see the method to my madness mih young daughter? She always laughs at me for doing a rough copy.
Anyway, my advice to you was to stop complaining and whining and get on with going to work in a fairly pleasant mood. But as the Lord would have it, I was tested before I even got done. Ah Lord eh! I’m laughing now, but believe me, I did moan and groan some back then.
However, as I keep telling us, I just have to suck it up, grin and bear it and start over. Hn! So without further ado, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty spunk and harmony, for I surely need something to boost my spirits. (smile)
‘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!’
That was wonderful Friends! I was moved. Thanks. And I guess by now you’ve realized that I never finished all the scriptures that I wanted to yesterday, (smile) hence our Bit of Jesus’ few, simple, but powerful words again. ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
And the first scripture I want to deal with comes from John 14, where Jesus is telling His disciples that He is the way, the ONLY WAY to the Father. The chapter opens thus: ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.’ (John 14:1)
And the scholars say this about that verse. ’14:1. Let not your heart be troubled refers to Peter, Jesus just having told him of his imminent denial of His Lord (13:38). But the larger reference is to all the apostles, through whom Jesus is going to lay the foundation of the church.
His comfort also includes instruction about His departure, the sending of the Holy Spirit, the promise of spiritual power, of answered prayer, and of peace, but especially the promise of His return.’
But wouldn’t you know it, there is doubt and disbelief in the camp. Thomas questions Jesus about where He is going, and while trying to enlighten Thomas, about Him being the way the truth and the life, and if He had known Him he would also have known the Father, Philip says to Jesus: ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth (will satisfy) us.’ (John 14:8)
Poor Jesus, He must have been so disappointed with them, and goes on to lecture Philip. ‘Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself (my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:9-14)
And we’ll end with some important and interesting explanations on those verses from the scholars. ’14:9. Seen me…seen the Father: There are no attributes of deity that the Son does not possess. This statement is most powerful. Everything that is true of God the Father is also true of the Son. The doctrine of the Trinity in the New Testament may be inscrutable (wholly mysterious), but it is also inescapable.
14:11. Works’ sake: Jesus reiterates what He had said to the Pharisees (10:38), but here His words fall on receptive ears. The works have evidential value to the unsaved (to convince of the truth), and the saved (to assure of the truth).
14:12. Greater works: Greater in quantity, certainly not quality. Christ’s ministry was primarily to Israel. His followers were going to reach the limits of the world.
14:13-14. In my name means “as my agent.” The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus’ will (cf. 16:23-26) It is also linked here especially in the accomplishment of the “greater works.” The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God.’
Oh my people, I do hope that we received and digested all that info from the scholars, because all those promises still stand today for us! Wow! Unlimited resources to do God’s work. Whichever employer ever offers that eh? None!
So let’s get it together this Monday morning nuh, let’s be wise and accept all that Jesus offers, so that we can be a powerful force in His name, in this evil and ungodly world. For that my Friends is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to believe or not to believe…some find it a difficult question…but the answer is simple and straightforward…BELIEVE…
04 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Advocate, angels, anguish, apostle Stephen, atonement, aura of love, backbone, battle, be exceeding glad, believers, belly, betrayers, buffeted, call to account, civil war, confidence, conquerors, contrite, dangerous, difficult, disposition, earthly battles, encore, enemy's ranks, engage the enemy, enthusiasm, epitome, eternal life, evil minions, faith, fervour, fool's wisdom, fortitude, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, heathen lands, heaven, holy spirit, humble servants, impenitent, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jewish Council, jobs, keeping God's law, King of Kings, lead and guide, lies, Lord of Lords, Lucifer, magnificent, maturity, milk, Monday morning attitude, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, murderers, perilous times, persecuted, pilgrims, praise and worship, prince of peace, regret, rejoice, resist the Holy Ghost, rewards, salvation, Saul of Tarsus, shame, solid food, spiritual armour, standing ovation, statue of Jesus, steadfast faith, strong faith, stubborn, Syria, talk the talk, taunts, thankfulness, the Just One, transgressions, unrepentant, useful purpose, vitality, walk the walk, week of work, Western world, wiles, wisdom
Matthew 5:12. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, a good Monday morning to all you beautiful believers in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel – God with us, our Prince of Peace, our heavenly Advocate and so much more!
And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of joy: ‘All praise and power and thanks be to Jesus Christ, the innocent Lamb who was slain as atonement for our transgressions!’ Yeh mih people, what a close Friend and Brother our Saviour is to all!
And just to show how powerful and cohesive a force He is, listen to this story as reported in Sunday’s edition of the Toronto Star Newspaper. The medium sized headlines boldly declare: ‘Amid Syria’s civil war, giant figure of Jesus rises!’ Then in smaller letters: ‘Factions call truce while statue erected on mountain.’ Aye Mama!
The long and short of the story though people, is that in spite of the savage and cruel civil war going on in Syria, all three factions involved, apparently let up so that a 12 metres (approx. 39 ft.) tall statue of Jesus, standing on a base that makes it approximately 32 metres (approx. 105 ft.) high, could be erected on a mountaintop overlooking a pilgrim’s route in olden times, from Constantinople to Jerusalem.
The paper says it took eight years to be completed and was erected on October 14, 2013. And why erect a statue of Jesus in such war-filled times? One church leader was quoted as saying, ‘Because Jesus would have it done.’ And that’s a most appropriate answer. If Jesus wants it done, then it WILL be done!
And that Friends, brings us right back to our Bit: ‘Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’
The Christians in Syria are facing persecution from all sides of the war, yet in their strong faith, they’ve found the time, energy, belly, backbone and fortitude to erect a statue of their Lord and Saviour. That surely deserves shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
Would we have done that our here during such perilous times? I doubt it very much. But that just goes to show the kind of faith we need to acquire before we can truly call ourselves real followers of Christ.
Now that doesn’t mean our efforts aren’t worthwhile, but compared to some of those believers living in heathen lands, we’re merely ‘kindergarters,’ still drinking milk, while they are eating solid food, not simply talking the talk, but walking their walk at a much higher level than us. (Heb.511-14; 1 Pet.2:2)
Oh Friends, that’s a state or stage of maturity which ALL of us in the Western world ought to aspire to! And I hope you have noticed that I’m not haranguing us today about our usual poor Monday morning attitude. (smile)
Anyway, having seen what our fellow believers, are capable of in the midst of war, with Jesus obviously on their side, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with exceptional fervour and thankfulness, so that we too can go out today and engage the enemy in serious battle. And please remember to put on your spiritual armour before you engage Lucifer and his evil minions.
Now let’s raise heaven’s roof with our sweet, melodic voices as we belt out our song of praise and worship. ‘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!’
Oh mih people, mih people, that was magnificent, mucho magnifico! (smile) But with Jesus as our conductor, how else could it be eh? Wow!
The Father even gave us a standing ‘O’ (ovation), while vigorously clapping and shouting out, ‘Encore, encore!’ Unfortunately though, we have to disappoint Him because we have to go out and fight our earthly battles to glorify His precious Name.
And finally, let’s hear the scripture that I couldn’t get in yesterday. It deals with the second half of our Bit: ‘for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’
Listen to the apostle Stephen speak these memorable words at his trial before the Jewish Council, after which he was stoned to death, martyred through the evil machinations of Bruh Paul, in his earlier incarnation as Saul of Tarsus, the feared Christian hunter.
‘Ye stiffnecked (stubborn) and uncircumcised in heart and ears (impenitent), ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before (foretold) of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition (direction) of angels, and have not kept it.’ (Acts 7:51-53)
And sadly Friends, thousands of years later, we’re still stubborn and unrepentant, still killing God’s people, and still not keeping His law. However, in the long run, we shall ALL have to answer for our actions, so please, let’s instead concentrate on being contrite, repentant and following the law of our heavenly Father, so that we don’t have to bow our heads in as much shame, anguish and regret, when He finally calls us to account.
That my people, is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…why jeopardize our salvation and eternal life with Jesus…by letting the evil, deceitful Lucifer into our lives eh…that’s a fool’s wisdom…
SCRIP-BITS 