30 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a banner year for peace and love, a God of hope, a wonderful experience, adhere to Jesus, all should come to repentance, an acolyte of Satan, as a thief in the night, be caught up in the clouds, be not ignorant of this one thing, Bible, cast into the lake of fire, christianity, comfort one another with these words, compassion, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, deepen my breath, descend from heaven with a shout, encouragement, eternal death, eternal life, every one that doeth evil hateth the light, evil deeds, faith, free will, guided like a moth, he that doeth the truth comes to the light, hide from the light, his deeds may be made manifest, holy spirit, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you, intimacy with god, Jesus Christ, Jesus wins, kindness, know you all the more, laziness, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lest his deeds be reproved, live for Christ, longsuffering, LOVE, loyalty, men loved darkness rather than light, mercy, neither comes to the light, not willing that any should perish, obedience, one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, repentance, salvation, Satan, shall rise first, sincerity, sinful pleasures, slow my thoughts, so shall we ever be with the Lord, stay strong, tenderness, the amazing presence of God, the day of the Lord, the dead in christ, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the fallen angel Lucifer, the Great tribulation, the heavens shall pass away, the judgement, the light is come into the world, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the Rapture of Christ's church, the trump of God, the voice of he archangel, their deeds are evil, to meet the Lord in the air, to the flame of Jesus, truth, warms the cockles of God's heart, we which are alive, wrought in God
John 3:20. For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds shall be reproved (exposed).
Yes friends, on this last day of November, our lazy-day Saturday has arrived, windy and cold, but with more sunshine than cloud, and we’ll take it however it comes, for we can laze around in any kind of weather. (smile) And I did manage to get in some early morning laziness, so I’m not feeling too envious of those of you who can afford to spend the whole day doing nothing. But enough laziness, let’s get to the Lord’s business, and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And it’s always a wonderful experience to come into the amazing presence of our great God; to get into deeper intimacy with Him, for that’s His greatest desire. So let’s never forget that He made us to have deep intimacy with Him, to LOVE Him as He LOVES us! The Lord needed a creation to LOVE, to show His great kindness and compassion to, in return for obedience and loyalty. And there’s nothing that warms the cockles of His heart like His creation seeking deeper intimacy with Him.
It’s unfortunate though, that with the free will He also gave us, not many of His creation are using it to choose Him, but rather to choose the sinful pleasures and evil deeds of the world controlled by the fallen angel Lucifer. It obviously breaks His heart to see so many of us falling under the evil spell of the great deceiver, but thankfully our God is the God of hope, hoping that many more, if not all of us, will one day receive His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Listen, as Peter spells it out in his second epistle. ‘But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 3:8-10)
Oh my people, the Lord in His everlasting kindness is giving us a long time to come to repentance and thus obtain salvation, for He will prefer that none of His most marvellous creation suffers hellfire and damnation. However, He will not wait forever, and after the many warnings He’s given us, one day, Jesus will simply appear unexpectedly, like a thief in the night, bringing with the Him the final judgement of man. And if you’re still an acolyte of Satan, then you will suffer the same punishment as him, being cast into the lake of fire, with eternal separation from Almighty God.
Now that is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul, which means you need to repent and receive salvation as soon as possible, in fact RIGHT NOW, for who knows if Jesus will return to Rapture us sometime today, and if you’re not ready, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe! You’ll have to go through the Great Tribulation which will be nothing like the earth has ever seen before, and after that, the judgement!
So, wouldn’t it be much better to be amongst this lot as Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (trumpet) of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess. 4:16-18)
Oh my fellow believers, those are indeed comforting words! How can they not be? Knowing that when Christ returns to rapture His church that those of us who held on to Him till the very end, both dead and alive will rise to meet Him in the skies certainly gives one comfort and encouragement to stay strong and live for Christ despite the many trials and tribulations we will face in this evil and ungodly world.
And I like this brief commentary on the Rapture: ‘When Christ enters the cloud, he brings us with him, not just the first disciples. As he took on our humanity and took it to the cross, so he brings us into the presence and glory of God. As he pours grace upon us, he makes us sharers in the Divine Presence.’ Now what could be better than that eh? Absolutely nothing!
And yuh know the whole thing is not rocket science nuh, but simple common sense, for if the sinful pleasures of this world are short-lived, and Satan has nothing to eventually offer but hellfire and damnation, why take up with him eh? Why subjugate yourselves to his awful lies, deceits and half-truths of which he is a master. On the other hand, if you adhere to Jesus then you will probably enjoy a tough but decent life down here on earth, then a marvellous one with Him in heaven for all eternity. There’s absolutely no comparison! Jesus wins hands down every time!
But, for whatever reason, many of us seem enamoured with the keeper of the darkness and live for him. I guess it’s like Jesus said: ‘And this is the condemnation, that (the) light is come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds shall be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:19-21)
Oh, my fellow saints, that’s a marvellous note for us to end on today! So please, let’s spend some of our lazy-day Saturday time pondering the truth of those words as they apply to us nuh. Are our deeds evil, thus we hide from the light…or are our deeds filled with truth, and thus we are guided like a moth to the flame of Christ? It’s time to take serious account of our spiritual condition! Much LOVE!
…we were granted wisdom and free will…that we could choose…eternal life with Christ…not eternal death with Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a false witness, a heart that devises wicked schemes, a lying tongue, a proud look, a warning from God, abominations in the Lord's sight, Bible, christianity, deepen my breath, disaster-prone earth, dying at the cross of Calvary, eterna separation, eternal death, eternal life, faith, fearful times, forgiveness of sins, getting back into God's good graces, god, godly light, hands that shed innocent blood, hardhearted creatures, haughty eyes, he that sows discord amongst brethren, I am the way the truth and the life, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you today, intimacy with god, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, no man comes to the Father but by me, nothing to lose in turning back to God, obedience, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seven are an abomination unto him, share love, sincerely seek Christ, sinful, sinful bondage, sinful darkness, sinners set free, six things the Lord hates, slow my thoughts, struggling, sweet swift to run to mischief, tenderness, Thanksgiving Saturday, the gift of God is eternal life, the One True God, the wages of sin is death, truth, ungodly, waiting with wide open arms, welcome us back to His fold, wisdom, your unceasing nearness
Proverbs 6:16. These six things doth the Lord hate: yea seven are an abomination unto him (his soul).
Oh, it’s a beautiful lazy-day Thanksgiving Saturday in my neighbourhood; bright and sunshiny, though somewhat windy and cool. But it’s the middle of October in the northern climes, so what do we expect eh? We’re blessed that it’s not colder at this time of year, and temps are still getting up into the teens.
But be that as it may, I certainly enjoyed the largesse of our lazy-day Saturday, by lolling around in bed quite late. That was only made possible though by my going to bed at a rather late hour this morning, consequently, the Bit is even later than usual. But it’s a lazy-day Saturday…and what’s a lazy-day Saturday for if not to loll around and do very little …or even nothing? (smile)
Anyhow, enough of my excuses, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And, oh, how our lives and our world would benefit enormously if many more of us would turn to God and sincerely seek greater intimacy with Him! Remember, that’s one of the major reasons for which He created us; to have strong communion with Him, and share LOVE back and forth! But sadly, our world and many in our Christian faith don’t seem to see it that way, thus, comparatively speaking, there’s a big void, very little intimacy between our Creator and the millions of His creation who walk this ungodly and disaster-prone earth.
And that could never be a good or pleasant situation my fellow believers. How could it be when we have little true and sincere communication between ourselves and the One who created us and still controls our lives eh? And it doesn’t make any sense when we’re down here struggling in these fearful times, having tried all of man’s solutions without success, that we simply refuse to turn to God, which is the best option there is.
The one good thing about the Israelites of old is that when they strayed from God and He punished them for it, they had the good sense to run back to Him as quickly as possible in repentance and soul searching. But we, we have grown so big for our britches, so sinful and ungodly, with all our wonderful technology and modern inventions, that we don’t even give turning back to God a thought, a possible solution, when our world is falling apart around us. Hn! What foolish, arrogant, stubborn and hardhearted creatures we’ve become.
Please my people, let’s remember these wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘These six things doth the Lord hate: yea seven are an abomination unto him (his soul). A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans), feet that are swift in running to mischief (evil), A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren.’ (Prov. 6:16-19) And unless you’re living on some other planet, you will know that all those things that are abominations in the Lord’s sight are the very things that are currently very prevalent on this planet Earth!
Now, if the Lord so strongly dislikes those practices, it’s obvious that He will also dislike and reject the people who practice them. And right there we have ample reason to contemplate the sad state of our world and all the disasters that are suddenly befalling it with greater frequency than usual. I don’t know why, but with every new disaster, natural or man-made, I keep thinking that this is a warning from God.
And even if I am wrong, what do we have to lose by sincerely turning back to God, giving up our evil ways, renewing our communion with Him, and thus getting back into His good graces. It’s foolish to be wanting to stay in Satan’s good graces when he can do nothing but negative stuff for us, when the One True God, Jehovah who created the word and all therein, is waiting with wide open arms to welcome us back to His magnificent fold.
That’s the wise position we ought to pursue, but unfortunately Satan has so many of us so wrapped up in his evil doings, so caught in sinful bondage, while keeping us in total darkness, that it’s become rather difficult for us to break through the darkness and the bondage of sin.
But friends, if we truly desire to do that, all we have to do is call on the name of Jesus and He will come and save us from both the bondage of sin and the oppressing darkness that Satan has us wrapped up in. He will break those bonds of sin and take us into the bright and powerful light that He represents, while offering forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life, instead of the eternal death and separation from God that followers of the enemy will suffer.
As the Bible so wisely and truly tells us: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23) And the very important thing to notice there my brethren is the last phrase; ‘through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ Yes, eternal life or any serious communication with God can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ, for, as the Son of God during His short tenure here on earth He outrightly declared (chuh!!!) ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! If you want to see or associate with the Father, you have to go through the Son Jesus! Why? Because the Father has promoted Him to the highest name ever for His obedience and LOVE in taking the sins of the world on His sinless shoulders and dying on the cross at Calvary so that we sad and sorrowful sinners could be set free.
So please, on this Thanksgiving Saturday, let’s contemplate all that we’ve said, and make a wise decision to sincerely seek Christ with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, for it’s what He truly desires! Much LOVE!
…man was made to live in godly light…not sinful darkness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: cast their crowns before the throne, eternal death, eternal life, faith, find our true selves, god, God is worthy because of What he is, God is worthy because of Who He is, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, He is worthy to be praised, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, his greatness is unsearchable, his tender mercies are over all his works, I will extol thee, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is valuable, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, mercy, of great mercy, one generation shall praise thy works to another, Praise the Lord, psalms, sincerity and truth, slow my thoughts, the glorious splendour of thy majesty, the Lord is good to all, The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, the most valuable thing life has to offer, the straight and narrow path that leads to heaven, the wide and destructive path that leads to hell, thou art worthy to receive honour and glory, thou hast created all things, tickles his fancy, warms the cockles of God's heart, when we give glory to the living God, wisdom, worship, worship worthless idols, your unceasing nearness
Psalm 145:3. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Ah friends, it’s a beautiful lazy-day Saturday in my neighborhood! And yuh better believe I made the most of it…not so much because I was lazily inclined, (smile) but because the ole body was crying out for more rest, since, even by my standards, I went to bed at a fairly late hour this morning. And it was certainly worth it, for I’m now feeling much refreshed in soul, body and mind, ready to face whatever the day and the cray, ungodly world has to offer. So let’s get the ball rolling by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Oh my people, of all of our Scrip-Bit Prayers, I think that’s certainly my favourite, because we’re not asking God for anything material, which can sometimes feel sort of selfish, but asking for His personal presence deeper and richer in our lives. And we all know He never fails to answer that kind of prayer because it just tickles His fancy and warms the cockles of His heart when we ask for Him to be a major figure in our broken earthly existence.
So, by now, if our requests were sincere, we should all be feeling lighter and more refreshed in mind, body and soul as the Lord enlivens us with His awesome presence. And all God’s children said: ‘Praise the Lord! For He is indeed worthy to be praised!’ Now that’s an interesting angle, God’s worthiness to be praised, for us to pursue this morning…or almost early afternoon (smile)
And Bruh David’s words In Psalm 145 – God’s Unsearchable Greatness – says a lot about it. He proclaims his awesome wonder and gratitude thus: ‘I will extol (praise) thee, My God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.’ (Ps. 145:1-9)
Oh my fellow believers, Bruh David surely sings God’s praises, and a lot of it is from personal experience with His heavenly Father. But some of us still cannot fathom God’s greatness and continue asking, why is worthy of our praise? This commentary breaks it down for us quite handily. ‘He is worthy because of WHO He is: (1) He is God; (2) He is our Maker; (3) He is our Shepherd. He is worthy because of WHAT He is: (1) He is good; (2) He is merciful; (3) He is truthful.’ And as Bruh David says in the psalm: ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.’ (Ps. 145:8)
Yes friends, just for those last four attributes alone our God deserves very much praise and thanksgiving, for if He wasn’t those things, we would not be alive to tell the tale, as our sinful souls don’t truly deserve anything that He’s done, is doing or will do for us. It all stems from Hs great LOVE and compassion for His most marvellous and magnificent creation – mankind! And we’d better believe it, appreciate it, and give Him the thanks, praise and glory He so richly deserves!
And some also ask, why is Jesus worthy to be praised? This other commentary gives us a simple but oh so true answer. ‘Jesus is valuable. We worship Jesus because we have discovered Him to be the most valuable thing that life has to offer. He ransomed us from sin. He restored us to the Father. He satisfies every longing of our hearts.’ Oh my people, do we need more reason than that to worship and praise the holy name of our Lord and Saviour?
Absolutely not! For without Him we’d right now be trodding the wide and destructive path that leads directly to hellfire and damnation. But with His timely intervention, we’ve been redeemed, reconciled, justified, sanctified, and so many other things, that now we’re heaven bound on the straight and narrow path that leads there, and which not many people find and/or follow. For my money that’s more than enough for me to LOVE, praise and worship Jesus Christ!
However, throughout the Bible there are numerous passages and reasons for worshipping God and giving Him glory. Let’s check out a couple more. This one from 1 Chronicles which says in no uncertain terms: ‘For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens.’ (1 Chr. 16:25-26)
But you know what friends, we should also be physically scared of the Lord and the awesome power He has over us, His creation. As Jesus so wisely says: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) And that my friends is God Almighty! So we’d better wise up and look to ourselves, if we truly desire to see eternal life in heaven and not eternal death in hell.
Then there’s this wonderful picture of praise in heaven found in the Book of Revelation. It says: ‘The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat upon the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist).’ (Rev. 4:10-11)
What more is there to say eh my fellow believers? Just these wise and wonderful words of this commentary: ‘So, why give God our praise and worship? Because we only find our true selves when we give glory to the living and true God—the one who has revealed the fullness of his glory in his Son, Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:13). Now, please take a moment on this lazy-day Saturday and read that verse for yourselves and wisely acknowledge that all our praise and worship belongs to NO ONE ELSE but Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…why worship worthless idols…when there’s a worthwhile God
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Oct 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a whole new flock, allow the devil to tempt us, backsliders, be diligent in prayer, Bible Study, bodily exercise profiteth little, but refuse profane and old wives' tales, Christian service, counter-productive, embrace your love and compassion, entitled society, eternal death, exercise thyself rather unto godliness, fellowshipping with other believers, Friday chant, glitter like gold, godliness doesn't come automatically, godliness is profitable unto all things, Jesus came that we might have life, life eternal, LOVE, obedience, omnipotent help, pandemic, running down the things of the world, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, simmering unrest, soap operas, spend less time in the gym and more in church, spending time with god, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the promise of life now and forever, the thief comes only to steal and destroy, trusting faith, unexpected storm, ungodly world, viruses, wise guidance
1 Timothy 4:7. But refuse (reject) profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
Finally, at long last, it’s Friday, the day we all look forward to, because it means the end of our work week and all the frustrations and problems making a living in this crazy, strife-filled world tend to cause. That’s why this shout is heard all around the world on a Friday. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is finally at hand. No more labour for two whole big days. Wow!’
And we all note the sarcasm in the last sentence. What an entitled and ungrateful society we’ve become, lacking work ethic and responsibility. We want to live a good life, with all the amenities available but don’t want work or do what’s necessary to provide them. It’s like the saying goes; we want what others have but don’t want to do what they did to get it. And the sad part is that Jesus told us so clearly that running down the things of the world is counter-productive, because the same basic things are available through belief in Him and His heavenly Father, plus with them, you’ll also gain life eternal, while with Satan it’s eternal death.
What don’t we understand about: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) If you trust and rely on God, He will provide you with all the basic necessities of life, just like He does for the birds, the bees, the flowers and all His other creations. You are His most wonderful and adored creation, so if He provides all the lesser creations need to survive and thrive, why will He refuse to do the same for his most prized creation eh? No reason whatsoever!
But we foolishly allow the devil to tempt us into running down the things of the world, because they seem glamorous and glitter like gold, allowing him to sow doubt in our minds about the goodness and grace of God. But as a true believer, that is one thing you should never doubt because if you’ve spent any time at all under His umbrella, you’ll have certainly seen several instances of His grace and mercy. However, unfortunately, it’s only with experience, length of time you spend with someone, that you truly get to know them.
And that’s how it is also with our great and generous God; the more time you spend with Him, the better you get to know Him, and thus come to appreciate all his many marvellous attributes. Then you will see the lack of wisdom involved in following the deceitful, and treacherous devil, who only comes to steal and destroy, while Jesus came to save us, to give us life in abundance, so much so that it will overflow. (John 10:10)
That’s why Bruh Paul in his first letter to Timothy, his young preacher associate, so seriously warned him against the things of the world. ‘But refuse (reject) profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and that which is to come.’ (1 Tim. 4:7-8)
And that certainly is good advice! For as the scholars tell us: ‘We may read the verse (7), “But avoid profane and fabricated myths, and exercise yourself to be godly.” These false doctrines called “myths” are described as “profane” because they promote ungodliness, and “fabricated” because they – like modern day soap operas – are silly and flighty in character. Not only must Timothy avoid false teaching, he must spare himself no pain and effort to be pious. Godliness does not come automatically. To attain holiness he must be diligent in prayer, Bible study, obedience, fellowshipping with other believers, and Christian service.’
And my fellow believers nothing has changed in that department. We still need to be diligent in our obedience, duty, fellowshipping, prayer, and Bible study time, for that’s the only way we can ever truly know the heart, desires and will of our majestic and LOVING God. And I’m sure the scholars’ belittling of soap operas won’t sit well with some of you soap opera diehards, but it’s the truth. They don’t promote anything but resentment, deceit and a flighty, worldly lifestyle.
That brings us to the scholars comment on verse 8 above. They say: ‘The verse may be paraphrased, “For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness the result of spiritual exercise, has unlimited values, since it brings blessings for both now and eternity.’ Oh my people, what a way our world would be wonderfully improved if some of us would spend just a li’l less time on bodily exercise and use that saved time instead in spiritual improvement.
The thiefing gyms and exercise palaces are full to overflowing every day, meanwhile the churches sit empty. What does that say about us eh? Simply that we regard and appreciate our frail, fragile earthly bodies more than we do our omnipotent Creator. And that obviously doesn’t bode well for our society in the long term, because without godly vision and practices, a society flounders and eventually fails. And unfortunately, we’re currently seeing and experiencing that tell-tale floundering in our mish-mash, ungodly world.
However, it’s not too late to make a change, a change for the better, but it all begins with sincere prayer. So, if you’re sincere about trying to improve the world for our descendants, then please join me in offering up our Friday Chant to a waiting heaven. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the several viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the viruses and the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land that’s threatening to boil over, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, my fellow believers, let’s get busy with all the things we need to do if we’re going to improve our world, as soon as possible. Much LOVE!
…worldly pleasures last but for a moment…but godliness gives grace for eternity…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
08 Mar 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all compassion, at liberty, casting of the crowns, end of faith, eternal death, every trembling heart, faithful mercies, fire and brimstone, freely, from glory to glory, glory and honour, Godhead, him who thirsts, Holy Trinity, I am Alpha and Omega, idolaters, inherit, interact with fellow believers, it is done, lake of fire, lifestyle of sin, lost in wonder, LOVE, love divine all loves excelling, loving spirit, new creation, perfect love, persevering faith, personal touch, praise, provision, rebellion against God, sanctification, second death, service on television, set our hearts, sinners, son of god, source of all life, Sunday, sustenance, the beginning and the end, the fountain of the water of life, the great invitation, the Lord's Day, the love of sinning, the New Covenant, the same image, the Spirit of God, the Word of god, thou art worthy, transformation, troubled breast, whoremongers
Revelation 21:6. It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst (who thirsts) of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Well it will be good to darken the church doors once again today, after a two week hiatus. Watching service on the tube is fine, but definitely not the same as actually being there in body and soul. The former lacks the personal touch where fellowship is concerned. And since I am an 18th century man, the technological aspect with television worship doesn’t thrill me as much as the personal interaction in a physical sanctuary. (smile) But be that as it may, it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and we all ought to find our way to His sanctuary sometime today to personally interact with fellow believers to praise and sing and worship Him and receive the awesome power of His Word in return.
What a moving time that can be in a believer’s life, bringing him ever closer in His relationship to His Lord and His God! So let’s begin the proceedings as usual with a song of praise and worship. And today’s sacrifice of praise is an old but highly favoured one by the master of hymn writers, Charles Wesley, titled ‘LOVE Divine All LOVES Excelling.’ We all know it so let’s get serious and soulful, and in strong, harmonious and melodious voice (smile) offer up our song of praise.
‘LOVE divine, all LOVES excelling, joy of heav’n, to earth come down, fix in us Thy humble dwelling; all Thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, Thou art all compassion; pure, unbounded LOVE Thou art; visit us with Thy salvation; enter ev’ry trembling heart. Breathe, O breathe Thy LOVING Spirit into ev’ry troubled breast! Let us all in Thee inherit; let us find the promised rest. Take away the LOVE of sinning; Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.
Come, Almighty, to deliver; let us all Thy life receive; suddenly return and never, nevermore Thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, serve Thee as Thy hosts above, pray and praise Thee without ceasing, glory in Thy perfect LOVE. Finish then Thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation perfectly restored in Thee. Changed from glory into glory, till in heav’n we take our place, till we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, LOVE, and praise.’
Oh friends, that was indeed a great rendition and heaven received it with great joy. Jesus, as always, blushes when we sing His praise, the Father smiles, and the Holy Spirit is the One working so astutely in us to get us singing with the right motives. And the song itself is like a compendium of Biblical quotes and attributes to our Three in One Godhead. Let’s see if we can pick out a few of each. It opens with Jesus being referred to as the ‘expression of divine LOVE.’ Then it talks about His compassion, His salvation, and the urgent need for His Second Coming so that our change to a new creation can be completed, and at last be sinless and finding the promised rest in Him.
That possibly alludes to Jesus Great Invitation in Matt. 11:28. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ The new creation obviously refers to Bruh Paul’s words to the Corinthians. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17) Yes friends, when we come to Christ we have to become new, changed, and give up some of the old things in our lives which don’t fit into Christ’s will.
Then the Holy Spirit is cast as ‘the agent of sanctification,’ in the second verse. And the Father, the ‘source of life’ in the third verse. Meanwhile the casting of the crowns before God’s throne comes from Revelation 4:10-11 ‘The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns down before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created (for your will and pleasure they exist.’ And isn’t that the living truth! The Lord created the universe and all therein for His pleasure and purpose!
So then we are gradually changed from glory to glory: ‘But we all, with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 3:18) ‘The believer himself “reflects” the glory of the Lord, just as the face of Moses reflected the glory of the Lord. For Moses the glory eventually faded away, but under the New Covenant the believer is changed into the same image. This transformation takes place by the abiding presence of the Spirit of God.’
And then we come to Alpha and Omega. As Christ says to John in Revelation: ‘It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst (who thirsts) of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful (cowardly), and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers (sexually immoral), and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.’ (Rev. 21:6-8)
And the scholars offer some interesting explanations. ‘21: 6-8) It is done: The eternal purpose of God to gather a holy, devoted people for Himself has now been accomplished. Alpha and Omega: (see 1:8; 22:13. Beginning: God is the origin and source of all things (cf. Is. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12). End: He is also the goal or aim of all things. (cf. Rom.10:4).The water of life represents eternal sustenance and provision (cf. 22:1; Ps. 36:9; Is. 55:1; Jer. 2:13; John 4:14), available freely by faith (22:17).
He that overcometh is the one who has genuine, saving, persevering faith (cf. 2:11; 3:5; 1 John 5:4-5). He will inherit all that belongs to him as a son of God (cf. John 1:12; Rom. 8:16-17; Gal. 3:29; 4:7). But sinners, who have shown their rebellion against God by their lifestyle of sin, have already been cast into the lake of fire (20:12; cf. 22:15). The second death is eternal death (cf. 20:14).’
Brother was that ever hard to copy, but I did not want to deprive you of the references which can be an important part of understanding the scriptures. And now that we’ve all got it straight, it’s time to put it into serious operation, so that we’re not cast in the lake of fire to eternal death, obviously with the Lord’s help. Much LOVE!
…The Holy Trinity was there long before us…and will be there long after us…
01 Mar 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dip in the salt, a group of believers fellowshipping, any pleasure, At the cross, be set free, blessed, by faith, can ne'er repay, come unto the knowledge of truth, drops of grief, eternal death, exotic cocktails, eyesight, forgiveness, free will, give thanks, glory in his riches, glory in his wisdom, grace unknown, gratitude, groaned upon the tree, happen to a human soul, I am happy all the day, I first saw the light, I received my sight, in the death of him that dieth, jerk pork, Jesus Christ, Jesus' selfless sacrifice, judgement, justice, justification, knowledge of God, life eternal, LOVE, loving kindness, man's glory, new era in man's story, no pleasure, on the outside looking in, pity, praise, redemption, right standing with God, righteousness., sanctification, sinful lives, Sunday morning, thanksgiving, that the wicked should die, the breath of life, the Lord's Day, the only true God, the worst thing, turn yourselves and live, understand and know God, will have all men to be saved
1 Timothy 2:4. Who will have (desires) all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of truth.
Well a fine Sunday morning to you my friends and neighbours! I do hope the Lord has blessed you mightily….and you better believe He has if you are reading this missive! (smile) He has indeed blessed us with the wonderful breath of life and clear eyesight to see the words I write. So for just that we ought to be eternally grateful. And if you add all the other blessings, then I don’t think we have the capacity for enough gratitude, (smile) but we’ll certainly try.
And one of the ways we’ll do it is by gathering today, on His special day, in His holy sanctuary, or wherever we can, to praise and give thanks and hear His mighty Word. Oh my people, there’s nothing more moving and momentous that a group of believers fellowshipping with sincere praise and thanksgiving!
So as always, let’s begin our proceedings with this old favourite by Isaac Watts, titled ‘At the Cross.’ And was that ever a turning point in the annals of man! So let’s convince heaven of our heartfelt thanks for Jesus’ death on the cross, and all that it accomplished in our sinful lives.
As one, in strong, soulful and harmonious voice: ‘Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sov’reign die? Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I? (Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!) Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
(Refrain) Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin. (Refrain) Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears. (Refrain) But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe: Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do.
(Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day! At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!’
Oh my people, my people, the wonder of the cross…words cannot truly describe it. Because it was there that the whole world was turned upside down and a new era in mankind’s story began! The story of salvation, of reconciliation, of total forgiveness, of redemption, justification, sanctification…and all the other good things that flowed…and are still flowing from Jesus’ selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary!
And as the song so rightly says: ‘Drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe.’ And is that ever the gospel truth friends! No amount of tears, of heartfelt eyes water can ever repay the debt of LOVE that we owe our heavenly Father. I’m sure our puny and finite minds can’t even begin to understand the heartbreak He felt in having to crucify His one and only, so amazing Son, so that a bunch of stubborn, hard-hearted sinners could have the option to be set free.
But such was His LOVE for us, that He took the one holy, just and righteous avenue open to Him. And it wasn’t by chance He did that either nuh, but by conscious design. Why yuh think? Listen to Bruh Paul in his first letter to Timothy, as he exhorts him to constant prayer. ‘For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have (desires) all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of truth.’ (1 Tim. 2:3-4)
Yes friends, that has been the Lord’s desire ever since the day He kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden. He doesn’t want to lose even one single soul of His most precious creation to the evil fool Satan. That’s why He went to such awesome lengths to get us back into right standing with Him. And He’s been saying it all the time.
Listen to Him speak through the prophet Ezekiel: ‘Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways, and live?… For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.’ (Ezek. 18:23; 32)
Yes my breddren, our magnanimous and magnificent God doesn’t want even those who want eternal death to die! How much more does He have to so to convince us to change from our wicked ways and live eh? I really don’t know if there’s any more He can do, except strip us of our free will and make us come to Him automatically. But He’s not going to do that, because He promised us free will and He doesn’t renege on His promises.
And yuh know the second part of our Bit which talks about coming to the knowledge of the truth? Well here is what the Lord said through Jeremiah on the subject. ‘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 exercises LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice) and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 9:23-24)
For sure, my fellow believers, the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS MAN’S GLORY! And until we know that, accept it, and live it we’ll keep on being lost! And it’s only fitting to close with the words of Jesus on the topic. He said this when He prayed for His own. ‘And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.’ (John 17:3)
Yeh friends, knowing the ONE true God, through His Son Jesus Christ, is the ONLY WAY to eternal life! So let’s get smart and get to know Him nuh, so that come the last day, we will not find ourselves on the outside looking in, for that’s the worst thing that can happen to a human soul. Much LOVE!
…to know God…is to know the glorious truth…and be set free…
P.S. Didn’t do anything yesterday because of the stormy weather. They wouldn’t even allow to me get a dip in the salt since it was so rough. I did get a burger and some jerk pork over at the beach hut though, and washed it down with two nameless exotic pink cocktails. (smile) Today is sunny, so let’s see what the Lord will bring to pass in my life. Much LOVE!
25 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a horse of a different colour, all ye that labour, believe on me, bread form heaven, casting all your care upon him, come out fighting for Jesus, come to our senses, come unto me, complaining, damnation, die on the cross, eternal death, evil enemy, focusing on, foolishness, for he careth for you, gentle in heart, going to hell, gospel truth, halfway home, hardhearted, having a better life with Christ, heavy laden, humble yourselves therefore, I am meek, I am the bread of life, I will give you rest, in a handbasket, in due time, in the desert, intrude in our affairs, Israelites, learn of me, life is a problem, manna, may exalt you, Moses, my burden is light, my hands are fixed, my yoke is easy, not looking back, ole hypocrites, problems, sacrifice, saints of Christ, securely on the plough, shall never hunger, shall never thirst, stubborn, stupidity, take my yoke upon you, the breath of life, the great invitation, the greatest offer, the trash heap, to pay for our sins, under the mighty hand of god, unto your souls, wake up, Wednesday Wail, ye shall find rest
John 11:28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Well hello there you beautiful saints of Christ! How goes it this Wednesday morning eh? Hope it all goes well. (smile) Yeh, I know some of you are steupsing and complaining because something, or someone is causing problems in your lives. But what yuh going to do eh? It’s just life! Life in itself is oftimes a problem.
No one said it would be easy or not be problem filled, but as believers in Christ Jesus, we do have the greatest problem solver the world has ever seen! Bless His holy name my people! And He’s invited us to bring ALL our problems to Him, lay them at His feet and He will resolve them, in His own time.
Listen to Him nuh, listen to this Great Invitation, that NO ONE else has ever deigned to offer, or can ever deign to offer because no one else has the parts to do those things, NONE but Jesus Christ! ‘Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my brethren, what’s there not to understand eh? That’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest offer ever made to mankind! But we’re so stubborn and hardhearted, we either don’t believe or are reluctant to let our problems go to some invisible spiritual Being. Peter said it best. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7)
Oh friends, that’s gospel truth! How could you ever doubt that Jesus cares for you when He made such a sacrifice on your behalf eh? Why else would He come down from heaven and die on the cross to pay for your sins and mine if He didn’t care? None of us would do anything like that unless we cared for somebody or something! So refusing to take Him up on His most wonderful offer is just pure foolishness and stupidly on our part.
We’re allowing the sinful and evil enemy to intrude in our affairs and keep us from having a better life with Christ. That’s not wisdom is it? I very much doubt it! Listen to Jesus again as He pleads with us to come to Him. I wonder why He’s pleading so much with us, if He doesn’t sincerely care eh? The foolish Israelites refused to believe Him despite all the signs and wonders that He did, and the truth He spoke.
Hear them nuh: ‘Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ (John 6:31) And the sad part is that their forefathers didn’t even appreciate the manna, but complained about it because it was plain tasting and didn’t taste like their food back in Egypt. The ole hypocrites and them!
‘Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven: but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then they said unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.’ (John 6:32-34)
Yuh see friends, like so many of us today, they weren’t interested in the spiritual side of life, but merely wanted the material aspects, like real bread to eat. But Jesus didn’t come to just give them belly-filling victuals for ever, but spiritual food for their souls. ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)
Yes friends, Jesus is the giver of life! As the scholars explain: ‘6:35. I am the bread of life means the bread that gives life. The life of which He speaks is spiritual and eternal.’ The fact of the matter is that Jesus also gives and takes physical life! So anyhow you shake it He is the one who controls ALL life!
So why are we so reluctant to accept and follow Him eh? I really don’t know. But we quick to follow the foolish Satan, who gives nothing but eternal death and damnation! We LOVE the glitzy, glamourous things he flashes in front of us, but they have no substance and are soon thrown in the trash heap. Oh my people, let’s wake up nuh, let’s come to our senses and see that Jesus is the ONLY wise and sensible way to go!
Just look at how our world is going to hell in a handbasket under the evil rule of the enemy nuh. Is that what we want for our children and grand-children? Certainly not! So please, please, let’s wake up and come out fighting for Jesus, for our children’s sake! That’s the ONLY way we will ever improve our world and defeat the enemy!
Now for those of us who have indeed received the message and taken it to heart, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our unchangeable position in Christ Jesus. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 you truly believe, then you will know that that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…to refuse Satan’s invitation is one thing…to refuse Jesus’…that’s a horse of an entirely different colour…
20 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sinful nature, all bets off the table, an integral part of our lives, as for me and mine, brother, do the work of Jesus, dreary winter mornings, eternal death, everlasting life, evil deeds, follow Jesus, for God so loved the world, friend, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God in His wisdom, Hades, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he that believes is not condemned, he that does not believe is condemned, Jesus Christ, Jesus' Second Coming, light, Lord, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Lucifer, men loved darkness, momentous decision, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back at the past, not turning back, one of those days, provider, rebellious nature, Redeemer, rest, saviour, should not perish, spending time, strong and steadfast, the breath of life, the good shepherd, the individual's responsibility, the light is come into the world, the only begotten Son of God, to a glorious future with Jesus, to condemn the world, to save the world, truth, uplift the spirits, we will serve the Lord, Wednesday Wail, whosoever believeth on Jesus, wrought in God
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.
Oh Friends, oh friends, it’s just one of those days! Hn! I got up at a much earlier hour, but found that it was too early, so I went back to bed. Unfortunately, it was two hours later that I finally arose. I guess the body was crying out for more rest, and the Lord in His wisdom obliged. At least that’s my take on the subject. (smile)
And even though it was minutes to nine when I got up, outside still looked damp and bleak, no sunshine or nothing to uplift the spirits. What a good thing it is that we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the bright sunshine of our spiritual lives to look forward to yes! Otherwise facing these cold and dreary winter mornings and days would be even harder to bear.
And all God’s people said a thankful ‘Glory to God!’
Yes my people He definitely deserves all the honour and glory! So let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with much sincerity, enthusiasm and gratitude nuh.
As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih breddren, how good it is to be alive, despite the gloomy weather and all the other negatives in our lives! And is it ever so wonderful that we can look forward to a glorious future with our Friend, Brother, Lord, Saviour, Provider and Redeemer Jesus Christ! What a magnificent Being He is, playing so many different parts in our lives!
But please remember that we have to do our part too to make that wonderful future come true; we have to stay strong and steadfast, with our hands fixed securely on the plough, looking straight ahead, not backward, so that we can plough straight furrows, and thus do the work that Jesus desires of us.
And here is the most wonderful news of all, as stated by 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.’
What a blessed day that was my people! And it’s so sad that so many people don’t know about Him, or His purpose for coming. And even sadder, that so many who do know about Jesus, don’t seriously consider Him or make Him an integral part of their lives.
That’s not wisdom at all friends, especially when this is what God’s plan and purpose states. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
Oh what a most remarkable plan and purpose my brethren! But are we making use of that wonderful opportunity so graciously and mercifully laid out for us? No! Definitely not as much as we ought to!
And why not eh? Possibly because of our natural rebellious and sinful nature, plus the hold that the lust for the things of the world has on us.
And it’s such an easy method to accept Christ. The Good Book tells us: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18)
And the scholars have an interesting take on this verse. ‘3:18. This verse answers the question, “Why do people go to hell?” It is because they do not believe in Jesus.’
Ah mih people, it’s so simple, plain and straightforward; believe in Jesus and you’ll be saved, spend eternity with Him. The other side of the coin is if you don’t believe, you’ll die an eternal death, spending time with Lucifer in Hades.
Now which is the better choice eh? From all I’ve seen, read and heard, the first option appears to be the much better one, and that is why like Joshua, I’m proud to say, that as for me and mine, we will serve the Lord God Jehovah! Glory Hallelujah my people!
There is absolutely no better purpose on this great earth that our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God has created! All I can do though is present the facts as they are, each individual then has the responsibility as to whom or what they will follow.
But please, please don’t wait too long to make that momentous decision, because Jesus has promised to come back at some time, any time in the future, and when He does, all bets will be off the table.
So please grab a whole of Him and His purpose as soon as possible, preferably RIGHT NOW, since one never knows, He can even return today or tomorrow.
And we’ll end with these self-explanatory verses from the Bible. ‘And this is the condemnation, that (the) light is come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:19-21)
Oh friends, I implore us to seriously and sincerely ponder those verses and make the wise decision to follow Jesus TODAY!
Much LOVE!…I will follow Jesus…wherever He may lead…for He is indeed the Good Shepherd…
24 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable transgressions, abounding in the work of god, appreciation, Beelzebub, believers in Jesus Christ, blessings, bounden duty, Calvary's cross, Christ defeated death and the grave, Christ triumphantly rose from the dead, cold spring wind, confident in the glory and victory of Jesus, damnation, death, death is swallowed up in victory, Easter Season, eternal death, eternal life, ever-faithul, ever-Loving, everlasting victory, faithful, first Easter Sunday, forgiveness, furthering God's glorious kingdom, futile, give thanks and praise, give you much thanks and praise, glorifying God's name, glory hallelujah, grace, grateful, Hades, heavenly Father, holy character of Jesus, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, joy, lord jesus christ, LOVE, loving, Lucifer, magnify Your Holy Name, mercy, o death where is thy sting, o grave where is thy victory, oodles of optimism, optimism, our labour is not in vain, pardon sin, praise, prince of darkness, reconciliation, repay, right standing, righteous God, sacrifice, saviour jesus, set us free, sincerely worship and adore you, sinful undeserving children, sinless soul, sins, Son Jesus, song of praise, spring has sprung, stark naked, steadfast, thankful Lord and Saviour, thanks, Thanks be to God, the birds are singing praises to God, the blood of Jesus, the gift of God is eternal life, the Good Book, the LOVE of God, the price of sin, the shedding of blood, the sinless One, the sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law, the wages of sin is death, trials and tribulations, unconditional LOVE, unmovable, victory, wallowing in the misery of our sins, we truly Love you, wonderful news of Easter
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh Friends, it seems like spring has finally decided to stay sprung! Glory Hallelujah!
And I say that because there’s finally some green colour appearing in the previously dead looking brown grass, the temps are staying fairly standard between 7 and 12 degrees Celsius, and when I got up just now I heard some birds singing their early morning praises to their Maker!
How wonderful eh! It’s so refreshing and revitalizing to hear the birds singing praises, because they are ever so faithful in it. Sometimes I think the Lord should have made us like the birds, without a mind of our own, for then we would have been much more faithful than we currently are.
Unfortunately though, the trees don’t seem to be buying into this optimism that spring is finally getting serious about coming, for there is not one single green bud on any of them. They all still dancing stark naked in the oftimes brisk and cold spring wind.
We believer in Jesus Christ however, are filled with oodles of optimism, through, and for the LOVE of God! We are so filled with it that it’s overflowing, and consequently filling others with the wonderful news of this Easter Season, where Christ so triumphantly rose from the dead – Mama Mia! – and in the process defeated the twin evils of death and the grave, and therefore the ruler of Hades, Lucifer.
Oh Friends, this Easter Thursday morning, let’s put a big smile on our faces, and release the immense joy that’s in our hearts and souls with a song of praise to our Maker nuh!
Like the birds, let’s show Him our great appreciation for designing, putting into action and successfully carrying out His incredible plan of reconciliation, which so LOVINGLY brought us back into right standing with Him.
Please pray with me now: ‘Dear heavenly Father, You are so wonderful to Your sinful, undeserving children! We continually make You sad and mad at our misdoings, but You just keep on LOVING us! You keep on granting us Your awesome forgiveness, mercy and grace, blessing us with stuff we definitely don’t deserve.
Oh Father, this morning we’re here to tell You that we truly LOVE You! We sincerely worship and adore You! We do magnify Your Holy Name and give You much thanks and praise!
Oh gracious Father in heaven, we are especially grateful and thankful for Your most wonderful Son Jesus, who became our Lord and Saviour on that first Easter Sunday two millennia ago, by sacrificing His holy life to pay for our abominable transgressions.
Oh Father, we are truly sorry that You had to put such trials and tribulations on Jesus for our sakes, but we know that You are a just and righteous God and cannot just pardon sin; a price, including death and the shedding of blood must be paid for it.
And You LOVED us so much, considered us so worthy, that You gave Your Only son, Jesus Christ, the ONLY sinless soul beside Yourself, to pay for our sins!
Oh heavenly Father, You know that we can NEVER repay You for that awesome, unconditional LOVE, but we will try our best to live lives down here on earth that will magnify You. Lives that will continue to grow in the holy character of our Saviour Jesus, thus glorifying Your great Name and furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this on the blood of Jesus that was shed for us on Calvary’s cross. Amen!’
Oh mih people, mih people! What the Holy Spirit can do in your soul eh! I have to chuckle here, because I never intended to even have a prayer, much less such a long one. But as usual, the Holy Spirit guided me there. In any case, it is right, and also our bounden duty to pray and give thanks and praise to our heavenly Father, especially at this Easter season, when He so faithfully caused us to be reconciled to Him!
And believe me Friends, that is no small undertaking or unimportant event! In fact it’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to mankind! If our wonderful, ever-faithful and ever-LOVING Creator didn’t care so much for us, we’d still be wallowing in the misery of our dreadful sins, headed for eternal death and damnation in the foul and vile company of the prince of darkness, Beelzebub.
For remember, as the Good Book so pointedly states: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23)
But then Bruh Paul further clarifies the situation to the Corinthians, and consequently us: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave (Hades), where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 15:54b-57)
Yes my fellow believers, don’t ever forget those memorable, momentous and most important words of our Bit! Let’s plant them deep, deep, deep in the inner recesses of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, because that is indeed why we are able to laugh, sing and shout ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ this Thursday morning two thousand years after Jesus gave us that everlasting victory!
Wow! What a mighty God we serve and worship my brethren!
So as we prayed above, and Bruh Paul so timely reminds us: ‘Therefore my BELOVED brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor.15:58)
Absolutely not my fellow believers! So please, let’s stand steadfast and strong this morning, and all the remaining days of our lives, confident in the glory and victory of Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…oh how could we not LOVE Jesus…the sinless One…who made our sins His own…and LOVINGLY set us free…to some day dwell with Him in heaven…and always faithful be…
30 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham Mazlow, abundant sins, Adam and Eve, Advocate, all have sinned, almighty god, beautiful, Beelzebub, believers, box office draw, Bruh Paul, buck up, carried away captive, Christians, Christians should not sin, come short of God's glory, come to their senses, confess sins, dealt wickedly, death, despicable, destroy the natural process, disobedient, divine authority, does good, done amiss, escape serious injury, eternal death, eternal life, exercising our own wills, face to face with death, faith, fellowship, fellowship with God, forbidden fruit, forgive, Garden of Eden, God's house, God's purpose, gospel truth, grim reaper, hideous results, impulse to live, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, land of their captivity, life is wonderful, life threatening accident, LOVE, mortal lives, mortality, negatives in our world, not a just man on earth, overwhelmed, pray, precious, promise ourselves, rampant, relationship with god, repent, righteous, Sabbath, sacred, Scrip-Bit family, share our faith, sin, sin of commission, sin of omission, sinful nature, sins not, sown in our souls, standing steadfast and strong, start enjoying life, stupidity, supplications, technological society, the seeds of sin, trespassing, ultimate in wisdom, virtually impossible, wandering sheep, wily deceiver
Ecclesiastes 7:20. For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
So how is the Scrip-Bit family this Sunday morning eh? I hope we’re all standing strong and steadfast in faith, and giving God all the glory, as we should.
And as always, we expect those who celebrate the Sabbath on a Sunday are going to get to God’s house, at sometime today, to fellowship with other believers. That’s one of the best ways to share our faith and keep it strong.
Now I want to share an interesting quote from one Abraham Mazlow (1908-1970), an American psychologist, considered the Father of Modern Management Psychology. He states: ‘This confrontation with death… makes everything look so precious, so sacred, so beautiful, that I felt more strongly than ever the impulse to live it, and to let myself be overwhelmed by it.’
Wow! How true that is my Friends! For I’m sure you’ve noticed that whenever we become really sick, unto possible death, or have been in a life threatening accident, or narrowly escape serious injury from whatever circumstances, how we suddenly become very concerned about our lives?
And it doesn’t even have to be us who has the close call with the grim reaper, but just someone we know, and it forces us to consider our own mortality. Then we suddenly wake up and realize how wonderful life is, and begin to, or promise ourselves to enjoy it more fully.
Ah mih people, why wait till we come face to face with death before we truly appreciate life eh? Life is indeed beautiful, and despite the many negatives in our world, none of us really want to go over to the other side just yet. (smile)
So regardless of our circumstances, let us buck up and start enjoying this mortal life today nuh! This life that Almighty God has so generously breathed into our bodies. That was His original purpose for doing so yuh know. And if we don’t enjoy and appreciate it, means we’re being disobedient to His wish.
Now here is another interesting proposition, namely our Bit: ‘For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.’
And that, most of us realize is indeed gospel truth! Our sinful nature began when our forefathers Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, against God’s very specific command not to do so. Hn!
And since then, that sinful nature has just become more sinful and despicable with each passing day. Until now, in this wealthy, modern technological society, sin is the number one box office draw, being totally rampant in its many forms and fashions.
And though some of us might try to do good, try to be righteous, unfortunately the seeds of sin have been so deeply sown in our souls, and have sprouted up in so many different ways to make that virtually impossible. No wonder Bruh Paul could write to the Romans: ‘For all have sinned, and come (fall) short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23)
And to help us understand that, here are some thoughts from the scholars. ‘3:23. A personal sin may be one of commission (doing something that is prohibited) or a sin of omission (failing to do what is required of us). It may also express itself in either an act or attitude.
Illustration: Sin is portrayed in Scripture as falling short of God’s glory (v.23), going astray like a wandering sheep (Is.53:6), transgressing or overstepping the law (Ps.51:1; Luke 15:29), and trespassing, which means exercising our own wills in the realm of divine authority (Eph.2:10).
Sin brings hideous results, affecting not only our relationship with God, but also our relationship with others. If not checked, sin will destroy the natural process of every person.
Application: Christians should not sin, but if they do, they should remember their Advocate (Jesus Christ), and confess their sins in order to restore fellowship with God (1 John 1:9-2:2). (First Ref. Gen.3:6; Primary Ref. Rom 3; cf. Ps. 51:5).’
Yes Friends, I surely hope that gives us a better appreciation of what sin is, and what it can do. Please check out those reference verses too. If we’re not careful, sin can, and will totally destroy us, as well as those associated with us.
That’s why we keep stressing not to let the ole crook, the wily deceiver Beelzebub to get even a fingernail hold in our lives. We have enough sinful nature already, no need to encourage him and make it even worse.
And we’ll close with some verses from Cousin Sol’s prayer when he dedicated the temple. ‘If they, (Israel) sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near;
Yet if they bethink themselves (come to their senses) in the land whither they are carried away captive, and turn and pray unto thee (repent) in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly;
If they return to thee with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:
Then hear thou them from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee.’ (2 Chr. 6:36-39) That speech can also be found in 1 Kings 8:46-50, with a few variations.
However my people, in this oh so sinful world of ours, what we desperately need to do is what Cousin Sol advised; sincerely repent and turn back to Jehovah God so that He can forgive us of our abundant sins. That Friends, is the ultimate in wisdom! Much LOVE!
…so what’s it going to be eh…forgiveness and eternal life…or stupidity and eternal death…
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