24 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a green olive tree, abundance of riches, adrenaline, antidote, aura of love, Beelzebub, burdened, calamity, Christians, confidence, Corinthians, Egypt, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith, famine, friends, glorious kingdom, God meant it for good, God was with him, grace, he who tarries is lost, humble servants, ignorant of our trouble, invincible, Jesus' work, jobs, keep Jesus first and foremost, keep the family going, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, spiritual armour, spreading His word, tarry, task of kingship, the Good Book, the mercy of God, the sentence of death, the trump's sounding, the wake up call, Though he slay me, thought evil, tribulations, trust, truth, ungodly world, wisdom, work, yet will I trust him
Job 13:15a. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…
Up and at ‘em friends! The trump’s sounding the wake up call, and we can’t afford to tarry, for he who tarries is lost. (smile)
Yeh mih people, unfortunately it’s Monday morning and work calls, got to get out and make some bread to keep the family going, keep them in the fashion to which they’ve become accustomed.
In addition to that, we also need to get out there and do Jesus’ work; important work that He’s depending on us to do – spreading His word to all and sundry so that they can receive salvation and eternal life, for the Father doesn’t want to lose even one of His creation to Beelzebub. So you see it’s of the utmost importance that we get up and get a move on.
And I know some of us find it hard to get going on a Monday morning, for whatever reason, that’s why we have the appropriate antidote for your Monday problems. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and it activates all our faculties, gets the adrenaline flowing so we can function like the true conquerors we are in Jesus.
So let’s shout it out now nuh, in strong voice and much gusto. ‘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!’
Good showing friends, good showing! Our choirmaster Jesus was pleased with that rendition. Now let’s keep the energy and the adrenaline flowing by getting out onto the highways and byways with Jesus first place in our hearts. And let’s profoundly proclaim like Job did in our Bit: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…’
Yeh friends, unconditional trust in Jesus Christ is essential in our faith walk. As Job said, though the Lord put him under, he would still trust him. That takes mucho mucho faith. And unfortunately, it’s only as we go through trials and tribulations that we build faith. That’s why so many righteous people in the Bible went through so much calamity.
Check out Moses, Bruh Joseph, Bruh David and Bruh Paul. They were champions of faith, but they also suffered much tribulation for their belief. But yuh know what fellow believers, throughout all their trials the Lord was with them every moment and every step of the way.
The Good Book tells us that in every rough spot Bruh Joseph found himself, God was with him and made him well-liked. And listen to his words when he finally accosted his scalawag brothers as Prime Minister of Egypt, the second most powerful man in the most powerful country in the world, when they came begging for food in the time of famine. ‘But as for you, ye thought (intended) evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.’ (Gen.50:20)
Likewise friends, a lot of times when disaster strikes us, God is allowing it to make us strong, to prepare us for our destiny. Look at the amount of stuff Bruh David went through after he was anointed by Samuel, but before he actually became king. That was to prepare him for the immense task of kingship. And he turned out to be the best king Israel ever had.
But listen to his words from Psalm 52 – Caution to the prideful wicked – words that are not as popular as some others, but still very meaningful. ‘Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (destruction). But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.’ (Ps.52:7-9)
Wow! What a powerful declaration of trust on Bruh David’s part, despite all the calamity he went through. And don’t talk about Bruh Paul…Hn! His life was just one calamity after the other; shipwreck, beatings, stoning’s, jail, etc. etc. But hear his words to the Corinthians.
‘For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble (tribulation) which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure (burdened), above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.’ (2 Cor.1:8-10)
Now that is what you call great faith, which can only be based on great trust in Almighty God! So friends, I implore us this Monday morning as we get back into work mode, please, let’s keep Jesus first and foremost in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds as He desires of us, so that we can do His work. Let’s trust Him implicitly and thus grow in faith. Much LOVE!
… faith grows…when trust grows…and vice-versa…one cannot grow without the other…
20 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great God, a positive idea, a positive outlook on life, alive and kicking, be joyful, believe in Jesus, Christians, curse, death, divine promotion, dr robert h schuller, eternal life, faith, favour, fear, financial support, generous, generously share, glorify thy name, glory to God, God's largesse, God's Word, great is thy mercy, guidance, hoard, Hour of Power Devotional, hypocrites, in the mind of a believer, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, judgement, justice, kind, leading, loving, loving-kindness, Malachi, matters of the law, mercy, Moses, My walk, negative word, not enough room, open the windows of heaven, outward show, pour out a blessing, praise thee, precepts of God's word, prosper, rejoice, resurrection, reverential awe, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, sincerity, singleness of purpose, succeed, success, teach me thy way, the depths of hell, the law of tithes, the most powerful force, the obits, the Pharisees, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday Blessings, tithe, truth, unite my heart, walk in god's will, walk in thy truth, walking in God's will, we will rejoice and be glad in it, woe unto you, you reap what you sow
Psalm 86:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of purpose) to fear (have reverential awe for) thy name.
Aye mih people, this is an exceedingly good day to rejoice and be joyful! Why you ask? Well I’ll just give you two reasons. The first is that you haven’t seen your name in the obits this morning, (smile) that means you are alive and kicking. Glory to God!
And the second is that we serve a great God who’s so kind and LOVING and generous to us to grant us salvation and eternal life when we believe in His Son, our Lord And Saviour Jesus Christ, and walk in His will. Consequently, we just can’t help but LOVE Him back with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
Now, I think those are two excellent reasons to rejoice. So let’s declare it nuh, in the words of the psalmist: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24)
Ah friends, we Christians are the most joyful people on planet earth! And to help us stay that way, here is some encouragement from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, titled ‘My Walk.’ I believe I’ve shared it before, possibly a year ago, but these prayers never get old or stale and can be shared again and again.
Please declare it with me. ‘O God, I’m inspired. For you have just impressed this truth into my mind. The most powerful force in the world is a positive idea in the mind of a believer who is walking in your will! I now reach forth my life and say; “God, put my life into the centre of your will.” Amen.’
Oh my faithful brethren, there isn’t a wiser move we can ever make in this ungodly and evil world than to put our life in the centre of God’s will! He is the Creator of this universe and all therein, the fountainhead of all power and energy, so with whom else should we align ourselves eh? NOBODY else…if we are wise!
And what I LOVE about our heavenly Father is, not only does He desire us to come to Him in EACH and EVERY circumstance, but He also helps us to do so through the leading and guidance of His word.
As Bruh David puts it in our Bit. ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of purpose) to fear (have reverential awe for) thy name.’ Yeh friends, without the Lord’s help, we cannot draw near to Him the way He desires.
And I like what Bruh David says after our Bit. ‘I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest (the depths of) hell.’ (Ps.86:12-13) And that is certainly the right response to the Lord’s LOVING-kindness and mercy!
Oh supposed saints of God, the Lord has also bestowed great mercy on us, and taken us from the depths of hell by the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, are we grateful and thankful, and praising and glorifying and exalting Him with all of our faculties?
I certainly do hope so, otherwise we’d just be a bunch of ungrateful hypocrites like the overly religious, but heartless Pharisees in Jesus’ time. What did Jesus say to them? In Matthew 23 He thoroughly denounces them, and you can read it for yourselves, but now listen to this one verse
‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted (neglected) the weightier matters of the law, judgement (justice), mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.’ (Matt.23:23)
Ah friends, unfortunately a lot of us Christians do the same things nowadays; conveniently comply with the small matters, which include outward show, but neglect the more important precepts of God’s word and will.
On a point of interest here, most of us don’t even tithe, for sadly it is not preached in many of our churches, but it is a most important aspect of God’s word. That’s why so many churches are going under for lack of financial support. Moses declared the law of the tithes to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 14:22-29. Please take a few minutes and read it sometime soon.
In the meanwhile, listen to what the prophet Malachi declared on God’s behalf: ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ (Mal.3:10)
Oh my brethren, God’s house cannot survive and do His work on stingy offerings. Remember the basic principle of God’s economy is you reap what you sow. So if we only sow a little, we’ll also reap a little.
And I have to chuckle at the unintended direction this Bit has taken. But I guess that’s where the Lord wanted me to go. And now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings in strong voice and heartfelt sincerity.
‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go out and bless others, including God’s church, with the prosperity that He’s bestowed on us. That’s biblical wisdom! Much LOVE!
…God’s largesse isn’t bestowed on us to store or hoard it… but to generously share with others…
P.S. Yes friends, it’s a li’l bit late and a li’l bit long….but still beautiful! (smile) Much LOVE!
17 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed honour, a no-brainer, a viper's sting, adrenaline, antidote, aura of love, brilliant light of the Son, cloudy days, confidence, Creator of the universe, death, deliver the godly, deliver us from evil, enthusiasm, enticing, eternal life, eternal separation, evil, faith, faithfulness, fall victim to temptation, fleshly desire, for ever, free gift, glorious kingdom, glory to God, heavenly places, holy spirit, humble servants, Jesus Christ, lead us not into temptation, leading and guiding, life everlasting, LOVE, lust, Monday blues, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, on Jesus' behalf, punished, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, reserve the unjust, rest, reverberates in our hearts, right wrongs, salvation, sin, sinful nature, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, temptation, tempted of god, the day of judgement, the enemy's ranks, the gift of God, the glory, the hearts of all believers, the power, the wages of sin is death, thine is the kingdom, triumvirate God, trust, truth, ungodly world, unmerited favour, victory in Jesus, wisdom, work diligently
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Well friends, cloudy days are here again, but the hearts of all believers are shining brightly with the brilliant light of the Son! Glory to God!
Yes my believing brethren, the outside weather might be dark and dreary, but there’s absolutely no reason for our hearts to look the same since we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit of our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent triumvirate God living within us, leading and guiding us to victory in Jesus!
Wow! What a blessed honour that is my people! That’s why on this cloudy Monday morning, at least in my area, we need to get ourselves together and get out strong and work diligently on Jesus’ behalf.
And since Mondays are not kind to many of us (smile) let’s belt out our antidote for those Monday Blues, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. With one heart and voice now: ‘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 I know friends, the adrenaline is just running through us now, and we’re rearing to go out and optimize our efforts in this evil and ungodly world and right whatever wrongs we can, all in the name of Jesus our Lord and Blessed Saviour!
And so we should, on the basis of all that He has done for us; selflessly bringing us salvation and eternal life through His woeful death on the cross at Calvary and then His triumphant Resurrection on Easter Sunday!
Now let’s look at our Bit, probably the last day for this one, (smile) who know eh? ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ Meaningful direction from Jesus on how we should pray.
Now yesterday we saw how He prayed sincerely to His heavenly Father for us, and it really touched my heart. Today we’ll look at why He had to pray for us, and why we still need lots of prayer.
Listen to James. ‘Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.’ (James 1:13) Words of absolute truth friends!
God doesn’t tempt us, for He doesn’t want us to do wrong. But He might allow some stuff to come against us to try our faithfulness. So why then do we fall victim to temptation eh?
James further enlightens us. ‘But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust (fleshly desires), and enticed.’ (James 1:14) Yeh mih people, it’s our sinful nature that propels us to temptation.
And what happens when we give into temptation? Hear James again. ‘Then when the lust (fleshly desire) hath conceived, it bringeth forth (gives birth to) sin, when it is finished (full grown), bringeth forth death.’ (James 1:15)
Oh friends, here we need to remember those immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Romans: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is everlasting life through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23)
Yes precious people of God, as the scholars tell us: ‘6:23. Wages: Emphasizes what we deserve. Gift of God: Emphasizes God’s unmerited favour.’
However, we can only receive that unmerited free gift by believing on God’s Son, Jesus Christ. So it’s a decision each human being needs to make. Succumb to temptation and thus death; eternal separation from Almighty God, or accept Jesus and live forever with Him in heavenly places.
And that’s a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned, since eternal separation from God is the WORST thing that can ever happen to a human being.
Now let’s close with an interesting statement from Peter. ‘The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.’ (2 Pet.2:9)
Ah mih people, hopefully that statement reverberates in our hearts today and helps to keep us away from temptation. Much LOVE!
…temptation always seems so enticing…but in reality…it holds a deathly viper’s sting…
07 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all work and no play, almighty god, authority, blessed morn, death, each step I take, enjoyment, eternal life, fellowship, find a balance, folly, forgotten, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, futility, generous God, generous help, grasping for the wind, Hades, heavenly Father, hell, historical experiment, honour, in God's image, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, labour, light excells darkness, like the beasts that perish, Lucifer, madness, makes Jack a dull boy, man that is in honour, material accomplishment, North Americans, our Lord and Saviour, perish, relationship with Jesus, relaxation, remembrance, rest, righteousness, sensible thing, Solomon, storing up, subdued outlook, summer, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanks and praise, the fool, the gifts of God, the lowest beast, the weekend, the wise man, things done under heaven, tricky situation, under the sun, understanding, understands not, vanity, vexation of spirit, walks in darkness, wants and needs, wastrel, wisdom, work, workweek, wrongdoing
Psalm 49:20. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
Well a bright and blessed morn to all you my fine, upstanding, Scrip-Bit friends, families and neighbours! May Almighty God shine down on all our lives this sunny Friday in July and cause us to walk in His righteousness.
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Thanks and praise to our heavenly Father who meets all our earthly wants and needs from His abundant store of grace and mercy through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Yeh friends, we indeed have to be thankful for all that our most generous God has blessed us with, since for whatever reason, He hasn’t done so to lots of others. And this has been a short workweek for North Americans, so they will either go to the cottage to rest, or to rack up the summer partying season that’s just begun.
And the shout all over town will be something like: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! That means the weekend, the long awaited weekend is finally here and we can get into our cups with gay abandon! Wow! What a time we going to have this early summer weekend! Thank God for summer, for Fridays and weekends yes!’
And we’re all truly grateful for the summer weather and weekends, but we just celebrate them differently. The believer has a more subdued outlook, as stated in our Friday Chant, to lessen the possibility of his getting into all sorts of wrongdoing.
Please declare it with me. ‘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.’
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.’
Yes my people, the Lord made us in His image and gave us authority over all the other living things on earth. (Gen.1:26) He also gave us the power to get wisdom and understanding. And when we don’t use that power wisely, and don’t appreciate the gifts of God, we become just like the lowest beast of the field.
Hear how Cousin Sol puts it in his experiment in Ecclesiastes to ‘seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven.’ (Eccl.1:13)
Now remember that Cousin Sol was rich and had the time and wherewithal to conduct such an experiment. He says: ‘And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do after the king? even that which hath been already done. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as the light excelleth darkness.
The wise man’s eyes are in his head: but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event (death) happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity (futility).
For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.’ (Eccl.2:12-16)
Oh friends, as the scholars tell us: ‘2:12-16. Wisdom is better than folly (vs.12-14), but both are useless when one comes to death.’
However friends, I would like to add an addendum to that statement. (smile) In these end times, the wisdom of following Jesus Christ, of having Him as your Lord and Saviour when one comes to death, is clearly superior to the folly of not having a wonderful, life-saving relationship with Him.
For therein lies the path your spirit will take after death; either eternal life with Christ in heaven, or everlasting separation from Almighty God with Lucifer in Hades. And I wouldn’t wish the latter on my worst enemy.
Then Cousin Sol continues: ‘Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity (futility) and vexation of spirit (a grasping for the wind). Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken (toiled) under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity (futility) Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took (toiled) under the sun. (Eccl.2:17-20)
And the scholars explain: ‘2:17-20. Part of the futility of trying to find fulfillment in material accomplishment is the fact that one must leave the fruit of his work to another who may well waste the accrued benefits. I hated life (v.17) is translated correctly and should not be misunderstood as “I hate life.” It is clearly the temporary conclusion about Solomon’s historical experiment.’
Ah friends, it’s a tricky situation: we need to work and store up something for rainy days, but we cannot let that be the end all and be all of our existence, because we won’t have the time to enjoy our own lives, and then might leave our vast wealth to some wastrel who doesn’t appreciate it.
So the sensible thing is to find a balance between work, enjoyment and storing up, and that can only be done properly with the help and guidance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. End of story! Much LOVE!
…all work and no play…makes Jack a dull boy…but all play and no work…sends the fool to hell…
04 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th of July, a time of celebration, addressing problems, better shape, boast, caught up, Christians, coming together, common grind, daily task, destinies, dictatorial attitude, disciples, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, eternal life, everyday life, family gatherings, give to God a ransom, God's goodly purposes, godly people, gospel truth, Granny's warning, individual selves, live righteously, LOVE, multitude of riches, none can redeem his brother, patriotic displays, petty, political parties, ransom, redeem, redemption of their soul, resurrected, seeking worldly wealth, sit and ponder, small-minded, the beloved of God, the friend of Jesus, the good of the country, the ungodly drive for riches, True wealth is what you are, trust in God, trust in wealth, Tuesday Mantra, U.S Independence Day, universal application
Psalm 49:6-7. They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY U.S.A!
So as one North American party winds down, another one ramps up: Canada’s 150th Birthday is now history. We have reluctantly gone back to the daily task and common grind of everyday life.
And I plead with each of us Canadians, please let’s try and live righteously together nuh, so that on our birthday next year, we can look at each other and truly declare that our great country is in better shape that it was a year earlier. And it’s only by coming together and seriously addressing our problems will that ever happen.
In the meanwhile the U.S is celebrating their 4th of July Independence in 1776 from their British colonial masters. It’s one of their biggest days, possibly matched only by Thanksgiving.
It’s a time of great celebration in the nation with lots of patriotic displays and family gatherings, and I don’t think it will be any less so this year, although the country is seriously divided due to the petty, small-minded, dictatorial attitude of its President.
So let’s hope that they too will be able to work through their many serious problems and will also be at a better position this time next year. But then again, that will only come about if they all work together for the good of the country rather than for that of their individual selves or political parties.
And we wish them a day of joyful celebration, with no untoward or negative events. And please remember Granny’s warning today, my U.S brethren: ‘Drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’ It will surely be of great help in this time of intense celebration.
And as we move along, here is a li’l mind enhancing something from my ‘P.S. I LOVE You,’ Poster. It tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘True wealth is what you are, not what you have.’
And I think it will do many of us a lot of good if we sit and ponder that truthful statement for a while, since too many of us are still caught up in the seeking of physical, worldly wealth and possessions, believing that things will make us truly wealthy and/or happy. But that’s just a fantasy my people.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, it is nice and very convenient to have worldly wealth, but that should not define us, it should not make a statement of who we are. When others look at us, the first thing they ought to say is not that we are rich, or wealthy, but that we are godly people, despite our wealth.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.’
And that’s gospel truth my brethren! No amount of wealth or riches can redeem any of us! The scholars tell us that back in the time when the psalm was written, many evil people were boasting about their riches, just like is happening today.
Thus the psalm is a means of enabling ‘God’s people to rise above the ungodly drive for riches. There is first an invitation to listen (vs.1-4): the poet calls on all men because the psalm has a universal application. Second, he demonstrates how woefully inadequate riches are (vs.5-12): on the day of one’s death they cannot redeem (vs.6-7).
Finally, the divergent destinies of the wicked and the righteous are vividly stated (vs.13-20): the wicked man has no hope beyond this life (v.14), but the righteous man will be resurrected to eternal life.’ And so it ought to be!
Now listen to how the psalmist puts it after our Bit, as he encourages us to trust in God and not worldly wealth. ‘(For the redemption of their soul is precious (costly), and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption (the pit, hell).
For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish (senseless) person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not (does not endure): he is like the beasts that perish. This their way is their folly (the way of those who are foolish): yet their (and of their) posterity approve their sayings. Selah.’ (Ps.49:13)
Oh friends, please let’s not be like the rich and wicked and foolish who believe that their way is the right one, because it very clearly isn’t! Man’s wealth might be able to make this life on earth comfortable, but it can do nothing for us in heaven unless we use it for God’s goodly purposes!
And we are not supposed to be known by what we have but who and whose we are. And that is clearly spelt out in our Tuesday Mantra. So please let’s joyfully declare that as we go home with plenty enthusiasm and true sincerity.
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!’
Yes friends, that’s our definition as Christians; the beloved of God and the friend of Jesus! Now let’s go out and show that to the wicked world that surrounds us! Much LOVE!
…when others see the LOVE of Jesus in us…then are we truly His disciples…
02 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 150th Canadian Birthday, a name above every other, a worm, Aboriginal People, animosity, At the cross, beasts, Beelzebub, blessing, by faith, by thy blood, celebrations, Chinese, come together, cruelty, death, elders, enthusiasm, eternal life, eternal separation, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, evil problems, exalted Jesus, fireworks, glory, grace, gratitude, greater toronto area, honour, I am happy all the day, I first saw the light, Japanese, Jesus christ is Lord, living creatures, LOVE, Lucifer, my Saviour bleed, my sovereign die, open the seals, our Lord Jesus Christ, pity, racism, receive power, received my sight, reconciled with god, redeemed us, Revelation, riches, rock God's house, sacrifices of praise and worship, salvation, secrets, sexism, shame, significant, slain, slaves, strength, Thanks be to God, the body of Christ, the Book of Life, the Christian faith, the creature's sin, the cross of Jesus, the Father's will, the Great War, the Lamb of God, the mighty Maked, the sun in darkness hide, thunder storm, to the glory of God the Father, victory, who gives us the victory, wisdom, worthy is the Lamb, zest
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well friends, the 150th Canadian Birthday Party continues unabated. And though it was constrained a little by an afternoon thunder storm, after that, the sun came out brightly and the outside celebrations went on with much zest and enthusiasm, with brilliant fireworks filling the night air in many parts of the Greater Toronto Area.
Now some people felt that all the hoopla was somewhat hypocritical because of the blemishes on our Canadian record, re the very poor treatment of the Aboriginal People up to this day, plus the insensitive handling of Chinese and Japanese immigrants during the Great War, not to mention the racism and sexism that are currently rearing their ugly heads.
And all of those are serious problems for us to address, but if we only focus on our bad side, then no country would ever have cause to celebrate because every one has its own dark and evil problems and secrets. At least, hopefully, if we come together to celebrate a major anniversary, that togetherness will help to dissipate some of the current animosity found in our society.
But even if we’re not together in our country, please, let’s show that we are together in our churches, in the Body of Christ, as we offer sacrifices of praise and worship in His sanctuary this Sunday morning. And today’s hymn is the old stalwart ‘At the Cross.’ So let’s rock God’s house my faithful brethren with powerful song.
‘Alas, and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign 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) 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!’
Oh friends, the cross of Jesus is ever so significant in our Christian faith, for it’s there where Jesus sacrificed His life so that we could be reconciled with God and have the wonderful options of salvation and eternal life. Wow! It is indeed the centrepiece of our faith! It’s where everything begins and ends! Without it, we’d be nothing, still mere slaves to the evil Lucifer, facing death and eternal separation from Almighty God, our Creator.
But thanks to Jesus, hanging in shame and utter cruelty on that tree at Calvary, we’ve been set free from every kind of bondage. Glory to God my people! And as the song says, once we’ve seen the light at the cross, all our burdens are rolled away, and we can be happy each and every day! Mama Mia! Thank the Lord for Jesus yes!
And as Bruh Paul so aptly puts it in our Bit: ‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Now that’s the awesome truth my fellow believers? Without Christ, we’d have no victory whatsoever! That’s why we have to be ever so thankful and show proper gratitude for all of God’s great mercies towards us.
Remember, He didn’t have to do anything for us. But because we were His creation, and so dear to His heart, He couldn’t just sit by and see us all go the way of Beelzebub! And Jesus didn’t have to give of Himself so selflessly and sacrificially either, but He delighted in doing the Father’s will, even though it was outrageously painful and shameful.
That’s why the Father highly exalted Jesus afterwards, ‘and given him a name which is above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11) Oh what a mighty champion is our Lord and Saviour!
And hear how John saw it in his vision in Revelation. As Jesus took up the Book of Life, ‘the four beasts (living creatures) and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and vials (bowls) full of odours (incense), which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book (scroll), and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred (tribe), and tongue, and people, and nation. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts (living creatures) and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands and thousands: Saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.’ (Rev.5:8-12)
And that’s exactly how it should be. So please my fellow believers, let’s praise and honour Jesus, and live for and LOVE Him down here on earth nuh, so that we will be able to praise and worship Him later on in heaven. That’s wisdom of everlasting proportions! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t honour Jesus on earth…you won’t praise Him in heaven…
26 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a position of strenght, adrenaline, antidote, aura of love, Christians, Comforter, complaints, confidence, enthusiasm, eternal life, friends, generous help, glory hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, move mountains, pray the Father, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, separated from God, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, touch God's heart, truth, ungodly world, unity, wisdom
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever.
Okay mih brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s see if we can’t get it right this Monday morning nuh! For once, let’s not complain and be miserable because we have to get up and go to work, even if we had a rather rough weekend.
Let’s put the joy and strength of Jesus that’s supposed to be in our hearts at the forefront of our minds this morning, so that when we awaken and stretch, the words that come out of our mouths are not complaints, but more like: ‘Good Morning Lord. Thanks for allowing me to see another day. I LOVE You and will do my best to follow You all day long. This I pray in Jesus name. Amen!’
Oh friends, that’s guaranteed to touch God’s heart and have the angels open the windows of heaven to pour down blessings upon you. But just in case the Monday Blues unfortunately have you all wrapped and trussed up in sadness and sorrow, then we have the perfect antidote for that as well. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and when we sing it with much vim and vigour and sincere belief, it just gets our adrenaline flowing and our spirits soar and we feel like we can conquer the world in the strength of Jesus! Wow! What an antidote!
So let’s burst out in harmonic song nuh: ‘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 good mih people! Our choirmaster, Jesus had a big smile on His handsome face. And I know you can feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins, because I am feeling it too. So let’s just get ourselves together and take the battle to the enemy this Monday morning as Jesus desires of us.
The best way to fight is from a position of strength and unity, which we have because of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, that leads and guides us in all circumstances, through every situation, good or bad. Jesus promised it in our Bit. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever.’
And we all know that our Lord and Saviour keeps ALL of His promises. Now here is some info from the scholars on that verse. ’14:16. Another (allon) stresses that the Holy Spirit would be “another” like Jesus. A Comforter (Paraclete) is an advocate called alongside for aid in time of trouble.’
Now that Comforter is the Holy Spirit, the third person in our Trinity. Jesus came to do the work of the Father, then the Holy Spirit came to do the leg work, indwelling everybody, that Jesus being in human form could not do. And we all know that the Holy Spirit came to indwell ALL believers at Pentecost and thereafter, when it filled the upper room where the disciples were assembled, because Jesus had told them to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came.
And come it did, in spectacular fashion; like ‘a rush of a mighty wind…appearing unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.’ (Acts1:2-3) What a hard act to follow! And it stirred up the disciples and had them speaking in the languages of the visitors to Jerusalem. Then Peter preached his greatest sermon, and at the end some three thousand people received Christ. Glory to God!
That’s the power of the Holy Spirit my brethren! But we have to allow it to lead and guide us. It won’t do it on its own; it won’t usurp our power of choice that the Lord granted us from day one. So it’s completely up to us whether or not the Comforter will operate in our lives. If you are a believer, it will be in you, but you have to invoke its help.
And it would be a rather foolish thing not to do so my brethren, else you’ll just end up walking the wide and dangerous path that leads to Lucifer and eternal separation from Almighty God. Now that is definitely the worst thing a human being can ever do: be eternally separated from God. So please, let’s use the wisdom that God gave us to engage the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can be led along the straight and narrow path that leads to our heavenly Father. Much LOVE!
…who has the power dwelling in them to move mountains…only Christians…
25 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Amazing grace, blessing, bountifully, bright shining as the sun, Christians, curse, dangers, deceived, despair, eternal life, faith, found, generous in giving, glorify God, God is not mocked, grace, greetings, guidance, harden thine heart, harvest, he that soweth sparingly, homelessness, how sweet the sound, humans, increase, John Newton, joy, lead me home, lend him sufficent, lost, LOVE, made fat, magnanimous god, mortal life, my fears relieved, my hope secures, my shield, noble lives, open thine hand wide, peace, portion, poverty, praise, prosperous, reap bountifully, righteous, safety, salutaitons, salvation, saved a wretch like me, scatter, shall reap sparingly, shut thine hand, sickness, sing God's praise, snares, taught my heart to fear, thank, the hour I first believed, the liberal soul, the light of the world, toils, trust, waters, wisdom, with blessings, within the veil, worship
2 Corinthians 9:6. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.
Well greetings and salutations on this beautiful Summer Sunday morning my fellow believers! May the wonderful grace of God and His awesome peace be with and among us as we meet in His sanctuary to praise, worship, thank and glorify Him. And to get us going, let’s sing those heartfelt words of John Newton written so long ago, when he finally found God, and aptly titled ‘Amazing Grace.’
So with much passion and humble sincerity, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise to Almighty God. ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.’
Oh friends, what a magnanimous God we serve and worship! His undying and undeserving grace and mercy are what keep us going in this evil world. His is the salvation and eternal life to which we look, like a bright shining beacon in the dark, stormy night, offering guidance and safety from the perils on our earthly journey.
No wonder Jesus declared, ’I am the light of the world!’ For without Him, our world would be covered in total darkness, the cover Lucifer needs for his evil deeds. So please let’s be everlastingly grateful for the brilliant and lifesaving light of Jesus nuh, which gives us true hope, faith and trust for the future.
Now let’s turn to our Bit; one of the life principles of our great God. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap bountifully.’ More awesome truth of Scripture my people! Whatever we give out, shall be given back to us; whatever we sow, we shall reap, and sometimes in greater quantity too, whether it be good or evil.
And today we’ll simply peruse some scriptures which agree with our premise. So listen to Cousin Sol as he contrasts the doings of the wise and foolish. ‘There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that witholdeth more than is meet (right), but it tendeth (leads) to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat (prosperous): and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that witholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be on the head of him that selleth it.’ (Prov.11:24-26)
Oh friends, yuh see, when we scatter, or water, or sell, meaning being generous in our giving, it usually leads to prosperity, but being miserly tends to poverty. So if we are interested in having a full and prosperous life, then we must be generous in our giving and helping.
Meanwhile, the psalmist in Psalm 112 – Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord – joyfully declares: ‘A good man showeth favour (is gracious), and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion (justice)… He hath dispersed (distributed abroad), he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn (strength) shall be exalted with honour. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved: he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.’ (Ps.112: 5, 9-10)
Yes precious people of God, as Christians we are called to live righteous and noble lives, giving and helping from humble and sincere hearts as our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did in His earthly sojourn, two thousand years ago.
And Moses warned the Israelites long before that: ‘If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates (towns) in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide (freely) unto him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth.’ (Deut.15:7-8)
You can’t get away from it friends, the Lord has shown us LOVE and mercy and grace, and He expects us to do the same with our fellow humans. Now if some of us would only share some of the much we have with others in desperate need, there wouldn’t be as much poverty, sickness, homelessness and despair in our world today.
But don’t forget, the Lord is watching each of us to see how we use the resources He so generously bestowed on us, and we’ll eventually have to answer for our good or bad stewardship. Now let’s end with a timely word from Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked (fooled, outwitted)” for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ (Gal.6:7) Words of utmost wisdom friends!
So let’s remember that generosity is at the heart of the Lord, and it should also be a major priority in ours, if we sincerely desire to be true disciples of Christ. Much LOVE!
…you can only harvest what you sow…
19 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roof over our heads, a sense of urgency, adrenaline, arrows, aura of love, be strong in the Lord, Beelzebub, bread and butter, cease-fire, cessation, Christians, confidence, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, following Jesus, friends, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, he that keeps Israel, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, labouring, lies, LOVE, Lucifer, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no work no pay, peace, protective covering, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, serve a useful purpose, slings, slumber nor sleep, soldiers of Christ, spiritual armour, spiritual battle, steadfast faith, taunts, the antidote, the power of his might, trust, truth, ungodly world, wisdom
Ephesians 6:10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Well fathers, our special day is over now, hope we all had an enjoyable day. Mine was fairly quiet, but very interesting. However, it’s now time for us to concentrate on, and get back to labouring so that we can keep a roof over our family’s head and bread on our table. It’s nice to be pampered and spoiled, but we certainly can’t forget about our bread and butter, our jobs. (smile)
And I know that for plenty of us fathers, after all the celebrations yesterday, it’s going to be difficult to get up this morning to go and labour, but just think about it this way nuh: no work, no pay. (smile) But as always, we have the antidote for whatever ails you this Monday morning. It’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and when we sing it sincerely and joyfully, it just refreshes and renews us, gets the adrenaline flowing in our bodies.
So let’s belt it out now nuh, with plenty gusto and expectant faith. As one big earthly choir now: ‘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 friends, that was a bit harsh and raucous, but the enthusiasm was great, and Jesus, our choirmaster understood our shortcomings. But now, with that same enthusiasm we just showed, aided by the adrenaline that’s coursing through our veins, let’s go out and face the enemy and battle them mano a mano in Jesus’ name. That’s what He’s expecting of us.
And as Bruh Paul advises in in our Bit: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’
Yes my fellow believers, above everything else, if we want to go and fight the enemy, then we have to be strong in the Lord, because that’s where our strength and our help come from. As the psalmist declares: ‘My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.’ (Ps.121:2-4) And that’s gospel truth my people! Our God will look after us at all times, under whatever circumstances and situations!
Before we go further though, let’s check out some info from the scholars, re our Bit. ‘6:10. Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on” until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no cease fire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities. “From now on” till the end there is all out war. The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “Let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely by His mighty power.”
Ah mih people, how mighty is our God! The mightiest of them all!!! As we’ve said a couple times above, He made the heavens and the earth and all therein, so He must be truly powerful, and He does strengthen us to do His bidding. However, regardless of what strength we have, as warriors, we also need protective covering from the enemy’s slings and arrows, that’s why the verse after our Bit is so important. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph.6:11)
Yes friends, we need to put on our protective spiritual armour, this morning, and every morning, before we go out to fight against the enemy, so that we don’t get hurt. It’s one thing to be strong in the Lord, but it’s another to fight without protective covering.
And the scholars offer us these explanations. ‘6:11. Put on (Greek ingressive aorist imperative) (smile) denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical positon in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”). Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’
So friends, it’s no joke war in which we’re involved, it’s serious business, serious stuff on which our salvation and eternal life depends. So please, let’s take it very seriously nuh, because our enemy, Lucifer, is taking it very seriously. He’s definitely out to trip us up and make us turn away from following Jesus. And that’s definitely not a wise thing to do. Therefore, let’s put on our spiritual armour, and with the strength of our great God flowing through our minds, bodies and spirits, let’s go out and battle Beelzebub – battle him to the finish! Much LOVE!
…soldiers of Christ arise…arise fully armoured and strengthened by Almighty God…
12 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ath the right hand, aura of love, better than sacrifice, Christians, concrete jungles, confidence, despising the shame, endured the cross, enthusiasm, equal with God, eternal life, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, evil, for the joy, forgiveness, form of a servant, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, humbled himself, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, King od Kings, lies, looking unto Jesus, Lord of Lords, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no reputation, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, scandal. sacrificial lamb, shame, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the author and finisher of our faith, the Lamb of God, the Messiah's glory, the road to Emmaus, the Son of God, the throne of God, to obey, trust, ungodly world, wisdom
Hebrews 12:2. Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Awright friends, the trumpet has sounded Monday’s battle cry! That means it’s time for us to be up and at ‘em, for Jesus is waiting at the front lines to lead us into battle. We can’t keep our leader waiting because with each passing moment the enemy is advancing closer and closer and gaining the advantage. So without further ado, let’s put on our spiritual armour and hasten to the battle lines.
And to help raise our awareness and courage, let’s belt out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn like there was no tomorrow. And for many of us there might just be no earthly tomorrow.
So in full voice, let’s sing. ‘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 good friends! It put a smile on Jesus’ face. Now let’s follow Him into battle, as we hit the highways and byways en route to the concrete jungles and brave the frantic attacks of the evil enemy, who doesn’t know that He’s already lost the battle, because Jesus died, was buried and rose from the grave, signifying the death knell of hell, death and the grave.
Our Bit tells the story in one sentence. ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’
Yes my precious people of God, our Lord and Saviour bravely endured the necessary shame and scandal to pay for our sins, by the shedding of His blood, by being the sacrificial Lamb of God on the cross of Calvary. Wow! What a selfless champion we have as our leader!
And where is He now? Sitting at the right hand of God’s throne interceding for us, His adopted family and faithful followers. Now how can anything be better than that eh? No way Jose!
Just imagine it nuh mih breddren: The Son of God, giving His life for us, for which He was then given the awesome title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords and raised to second in command of the universe, like Joseph was with Pharaoh, and is now sitting beside his Father pleading for us to be granted mercy, grace and forgiveness, not for anything we have done or can do, but because of the work He has already done!
And all God’s children joyfully shouted: ‘Glory to Jesus, the Lamb of God who was slain for us! May He reign forever and ever!’
And He will friends, there’s no doubt about that, because the ole fool Lucifer is no match for our Saviour. Yuh don’t see what Lucifer does, walk to and fro about the earth, while Jesus sits in regal splendour at His Father’s side in the high heavens. So who is better off eh?
Now let’s look at a few scriptures which corroborate our Bit: ‘who for the joy that was set before him…’ Now what reward could He have been promised to make Him do what He did eh?
Hear Jesus rebuke the two followers He met on the road to Emmaus. ‘O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?’ (Luke 24:25-26) Then He proceeded to explain all that the prophets had said concerning Him down through the ages.
And the scholars explain. 24:26. Ought (Gr. dei) bespeaks a divine necessity; what the prophets had foretold (see Is.53; Ps.16:22) must and did come to pass. The disciples had been ready to see in Jesus a glorious deliverer, But Jesus’ rebuke (v.25) relates to their unwillingness to take seriously the many Old Testament texts that speak not only of the Messiah’s glory, but also of His suffering.’
So friends, for the glory promised by the Father and just from the great desire to do the Father’s will, Jesus ‘endured the cross, despising the shame…’
And Bruh Paul tells us in the Good Book, that Jesus: ‘Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’(Phil.2:6-8)
Oh friends, there’s nothing our God cherishes as much as obedience to His will. And look at how He rewarded Jesus for His obedience. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Yes precious people of God, that is how generous and magnanimous our heavenly Father can be when we obey His will. So let’s seriously ponder today in what way(s) we are not being obedient. Maybe that’s why our cups are not overflowing. Much LOVE!
…to obey is better than to sacrifice…
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