27 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: autumn, Beelzebub, blessed, Bruh David, capture our minds, control our behaviour, cursed, cut down like the grass, destroyed, destruction to the workers of iniquity, do good, eternal life, evil, fat of lambs, focus, Fret not thyself over evildoers, friends, God's will, God's work, Holy God, hot sun, I lay down my life for the sheep, inherit the earth, iniquity, Joyce Meyer, North country, obedience, one fold, one shepherd, physical wealth, power, priority, pruning our thoughts, purveyors of wickedness, renounce evil, righteous man, salvation, saving souls, strength to the upright, summer-like weather, sumptuous fare, the arms of the wicked shall be broken, the good shepherd, the Lord be praised, the Lord upholds the righteous, the mind makes the man, the way of the Lord, the wicked shall perish, Tobago, trust in the Lord, truth, walking uprightly, watch your actions, watch your character, watch your habits, watch your thoughts, watch your words, where your treasure is there is your heart, wisdom, workers of iniquity, your destiny
Proverbs 10:29. The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
Oh Friends, it looks like it’s going to be another Tobago day in the North Country, the fourth one in a row! (smile) That’s how my brother has been referring to the unseasonal warm, bare-back temperatures we’ve been recently having, with bright sunshine, no clouds obscuring God’s vast, beautiful, blue heaven, and a cool, gentle breeze as a most suitable topping to the sumptuous fare.
All of this after a less than stellar summer – I seem to be one of the few who liked it – and some fairly chilly weather before autumn had even begun. Now, in early autumn, which began on September 23, we’re having summer-like weather that was sadly lacking during the real summer months. But Friends, there’s not much we can do about that now nuh, just say the Lord be praised, and enjoy it for as long as it lasts.
I think sometimes we spend too much time talking about the weather, when our focus, our priority should be on God’s work; saving souls, or rather causing souls to come to Him, so that they can receive the most wonderful gifts available in the universe, namely, salvation and eternal life.
And as a prelude to our Bit, here is something that I think blends in nicely with it. I have shared it before, but like so much other stuff, it’s definitely worth sharing again; a refresher course if you like. (smile) I believe I got it from a Joyce Meyer magazine. The author appears to be anonymous, but his or her words do tell the gospel truth.
It wisely advises us to: ‘Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.’ Those are certainly words of wisdom and utmost truth, my brethren!
And I guess you can see how it ties in with our Bit. ‘The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.’ More gospel truth Friends! But then that’s all we deal with here at the Bit. (smile)
Anyhow, when we begin by pruning our thoughts, keeping them as godly as possible, then the process as explained above, leads us to habits that align with God’s Will. That means we walk uprightly, in obedience to His dictates, and thus enjoy His enormous strength and wonderful blessings. Yes my people, everything begins in the mind, with our thoughts, for the mind makes the man, directs his actions.
That’s why the ole crook Beelzebub always seeks to capture our minds, because then he can control our behaviour. And that’s also why Jesus said: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:21)
Wherever the things you delight in lie, then that’s where your heart, your focus will be. So to walk sincerely in God’s Will we MUST start out with godly thoughts, and the same goes for walking in disobedience, where ungodly thoughts will prosper.
Now let’s check out a couple scripture passages that lend credence to our Bit. Listen to Bruh David from Psalm 37 – the true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness)…
A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs (splendour of the meadows): they shall consume (vanish): into smoke shall they consume (vanish) away. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again (does not repay): but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth (the land); and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off (destroyed). (Ps.37:1-3, 16-22)
Oh Friends, Bruh David hit the nail on the head in that psalm! Wickedness might last for a season and amass much physical wealth and power, but eventually the purveyors of wickedness will be destroyed by our Holy God, who dislikes evil. So as Bruh David so wisely tells us, don’t fret when we see evil doers prospering, because they will soon be cut down and wither like grass in the hot sun.
Stay upright and obedient to God’s Will and you will be well rewarded. For as Jesus declares: ‘The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (John 10:13-16)
Oh my people, what a mighty promise! If you can’t take encouragement from that and live for Jesus, then I don’t know what else to say. So please, let’s listen to the voice of the Master, and walk upright in His Name, for doing so means we have attained to heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…our God detests evil so much…that He sacrificed His only Son…to get us to renounce it…
17 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Advocate, belief, believed, Bruh Paul prophet Joel, compatible truths, contradictory., courage, deliverance, disciples, divine sovereignty, drama, embodiment of the Word, Emmanuel, encouraging scripture, eternal life, fallen world, focusing on Jesus, furthering of the gospel, glad tidings, good news of Jesus' gospel, good things, heard, high priest, holy spirit, how beautiful are the feet, indwell all believers, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, knowledge, live our lives in faith, Love our God, make disciples of all nations, mount Zion, Nobody comes to the Father but through Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, paradoxical, Pentecost day, Peter, poignant, powerful, preacher, prince of peace, principles, radio, Redeemer, responsibility, salvation, salvation is of the Lord, shall be saved, Spread God's Word, standing strong in faith, technological age, television, the gospel of peace, the Great Commission, the Life, the one and only superstar, the Truth, the Way, those who preach, truth, universal proclamation of the gospel, whoever shall call upon the Lord, wireless communication
Romans 10:13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Halfway home Friends, yes we halfway home this Wednesday morning! So please, just hang in there by standing strong in faith and steadfastly focusing on our Lord and Saviour, the Prince of Peace, our Emmanuel, our Advocate, our High Priest and Great Redeemer!
And we all know that to be Jesus Christ – the ONE and ONLY SUPERSTAR in this great universe; the ONE who looks after all our needs!
So let’s take courage and continue to sincerely LOVE our God; faithfully LIVE our lives as He desires, and SPREAD His true and holy Word, so that others can hear it and also come to salvation and eternal life.
And my brethren, just in case you’ve forgotten, or are simply taking it for granted, please remember that Jesus is the magnificent embodiment of the Word, the Way, the Truth and the Life! NOBODY comes to the Father but THROUGH HIM!
Now having set the stage, let’s get on with the drama, (smile) our Bit: ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Ah Friends, what a very poignant, powerful and encouraging scripture!
There, Bruh Paul is quoting the prophet Joel, just as Peter does in his most moving sermon on the day of Pentecost, (Acts 2:21) when the Holy Spirit came to earth to indwell ALL believers from that time henceforth.
Joel says it thus: ‘And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered (saved): for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance (salvation), as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. (Joel 2:32)
Now here’s a note the scholars’ have posted, re our Bit. ’10:13. Whosoever: As chapter 9 stressed divine sovereignty in salvation, this passage stresses the human responsibility. Scripture does not view these two principles as paradoxical or contradictory, but as mutually compatible truths.’
And why should they be incompatible eh, since salvation is of, or comes from the Lord, while accessing it is a human responsibility?
Anyway my fellow believers, though it’s all well and good to have people call upon God’s name and be saved, there are also a few equally important questions, as Bruh Paul so rightly points out: ‘How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’ (Rom.10:14-15)
My sentiments exactly! (smile) Yes Friends, people can only call on the name of the Lord to save them after they have heard the good news of Jesus’ gospel preached. And that entails a preacher explaining it to them, which therefore means that we need preachers to go out to those who have not heard the Word and deliver it to them.
For remember, that is the Great Commission that Jesus gave to the disciples, and consequently us, before He left this earth and ascended back to heaven.
‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
So my brethren, it’s our bounden duty to teach those around us the Word, and send out others to all nations to broadcast the good news of Jesus, because that’s the only way they will ever hear it, and thus have the most wonderful option of salvation and eternal life.
Fortunately for us, in this technological age, it doesn’t depend entirely on sending out preachers, but we can transmit the Word all over the world by means of radio, television, and all the new-fangled do-dads of wireless communication. The world has never been ripe like it is right now for us to get the Word out my people.
And we’ll close with some important info from the scholars re verses 14-15 above. ‘10:14-15. In presenting the universal proclamation of the gospel, Paul presents the reasons why a universal proclamation is necessary: First, because the call must be preceded by faith; second, because faith must be preceded by hearing.
This shows that knowledge is essential to belief. Faith must have a valid content; third, because hearing requires a preacher; fourth because preaching requires being sent. The One who sends is God. Salvation is completely from God.’
Words of indisputable truth my people! So today let’s contemplate what part each of us has to play in the furthering of the gospel, whether it be close to home or far away, whether it be through personal appearances or by technological means.
But remember, we are all supposed to be, and even more importantly, act as disciples of Christ, which means being involved in spreading the good news of Jesus, wherever, and to whomever we have the opportunity.
So let’s get with it nuh, for Jesus is depending on us to spread His Word, so that not even ONE soul will be lost, and that ALL will come to salvation and eternal life. Much LOVE!
…in this fallen world…there’s no greater…or more important news that needs to be universally proclaimed…than the gospel of Jesus Christ…
16 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all praise and thanks to God, allergies, awesome, better late than never, blessings, boggles my imagination, born again, born of water and the Spirit, brought men to christ, Bruh Paul's conversion, by faith in christ Jesus, Calvary, children of God, christ jesus, church at Corinth, comforting, compliance with God's word, condemn the sinner, conversion, covenant, curse of the law, Damascus, declared righteous, divinely intended purpose, endowed us with physical life, enter into the kingdom of god, eternal life, ever so faithful and kind, ever-Loving, evil, externalism, faith, Galatians, generous, glorious, Glory Halleujah, God's Spirit, good, good measure, gung ho, healing, helping, holy, holy spirit, internalism, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, just, justified, keeping our focus on God, Law of Moses, learning, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, magnanimous, manifestations, medication, mercies, minister of the New Testament, miracles, Mosaic covenant, Nicodemus, our sufficency is of God, precious blood of Jesus christ, reconciled, redeemed, righteousness., runny nose, schoolmaster, sleep inducing, spiritual blessings, Stephen, sufficient of ourselves, teaching, that which is born of the flesh, that which is born of the spirit, the flesh profits nothing, the Holy Spirit, the letter kills, the spirit gives life, Triune God, true believer, truth, ultimate wisdom, understanding of the scripture, wisdom, words of jesus, worker bee
John 6:63. It is the spirit that quickneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Aye Friends, the ole fella’s in a bit of a rough shape this Tuesday morning. Last night my allergies, or the cold, or some similar malady had me sneezing and sniffling with a runny nose thrown in for good measure. (smile)
So I took some relief medication, which though it eased up the nasal situation, it was also sleep inducing, which therefore made it somewhat difficult to get up at an early hour. But as they say, better late than never! (smile)
And the ole fella’s up now, gung ho and ready to go; not a hundred percent fit, but feeling much better than when I went to bed last night, or rather early this morning. (smile) All praise and thanks to our ever-Loving, healing and comforting God!
Ah my people, when I consider all the blessings and mercies that our magnanimous and generous God daily bestows on us, it just boggles my imagination and fills my heart, body, soul and mind with the urge to greatly praise Him! He is ever so faithful and kind…
But I don’t really need to tell you all that eh, because if you’re a true believer, you will already have discovered that by the way He operates in your own life.
And all God’s children gave out a loud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise be to Jehovah God, who has redeemed us from sin, and reconciled us to Himself, through the precious blood of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that was shed on Calvary’s hill for our benefit!’
And isn’t that a most glorious and awesome truth my brethren? It surely is!
Now let’s have a look at some more wise and truthful words, words of Jesus, in our Bit. ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’
And we saw yesterday where it was God’s Spirit that actually endowed us with physical life. (Gen.2:7) And that Bruh Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, as well as Stephen’s wisdom and miracles were figurative manifestations of the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives.
I guess we can compare the Holy Spirit to the worker bee in a hive; He is the one who carries out the actual work or deeds in our Triune God.
Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the church at Corinth: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able (sufficient as) ministers of the new testament (covenant)’ not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.’ (2 Cor.3:5-6)
Words of absolute truth my brethren!
And the scholars explain that last verse thus: ‘3:6. The new testament (lit. New Covenant) is both new in time (not being inaugurated until Christ – Matt.26:28; Luke 22:7-23; 1 Cor.11:25; Heb.8:8) and new in quality (providing better spiritual blessings than did the old Mosaic covenant).
Letter, but of the spirit: This expression corresponds to the thought of verse 3 contrasting “ink” with the “Spirit.” The contrast is between the externalism inherent in the Old Covenant and the internalism inherent in the New Covenant.
The letter killeth: Since certain Jews in the assembly at Corinth were concerned with Paul’s defection from Moses’ law, Paul here explains his position. The best the law could do was condemn the sinner.
It is not here implied that the law of Moses was evil. On the contrary, it is holy, just, and good (Rom.7:12). This can be asserted because it brought men to the end of themselves to Christ (Gal.3:24).’
Oh my people, I sincerely hope that gives us a better understanding of the scripture, because that’s what we’re all about with the Bit; learning, teaching, helping to understand God’s Word and keeping our focus on Him.
And please check out the scriptures mentioned in the scholars’ explanation, because they offer a wealth of information. I just did, and consequently was inspired to quote the last scripture reference, that from Galatians.
‘Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified (declared righteous) by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a school-master (tutor), For ye are all the children (sons) of God by faith in Christ Jesus.’ (Gal.3:24-26)
Yes Friends, as the scholars say: ‘3:25. After one’s conversion to Christ, he is no longer under the curse of the law, as it has fulfilled its divinely intended purpose.’ That is, bringing us to the point where we become children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Oh, I know I digressed there for a moment, but I just thought it necessary to interject those verses so that we could come to a better understanding of Bruh Paul’s words. And we’ll close with some more awesome words from Jesus, re the second part of our Bit: ‘the flesh profiteth nothing.’
Listen to Him expound to Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes); and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:5-8)
More truth of the awesome, indisputable variety my people!
Now let’s take a few moments to ponder all that we have spoken about today, then try, with the help of God obviously, to make our lives better and brighter by bringing them into compliance with God’s Word and the wonderful plan He has for each human life He has created. That is the ultimate wisdom of the universe! Much LOVE!
…oh what a magnificent blessing it is…to have the Holy Spirit of God dwell within us…to have Him continually lead and guide us in righteousness…to have Him strengthen us with true faith and trust in Almighty God…then finally bring us to eternal life with our wonderful Lord and Saviour…Jesus Christ…
15 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a living soul, adrenalin, aura of love, awesome power of the Holy Spirit, breathed into his nostrils, Bruh Paul, children of God, complaing, confidence, conspiracy, do the work of Jesus, eternal life, fear, feeling vulnerable, fellowship, further God's glorious kingdom, Glory Halleujah, God formed man of dust, god moves in mysterious ways, hard for thee to kick against the pricks, heirs of God, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, lead and guide, lord god almighty, LOVE, miserable, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, quaking in our boots, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, Saul, shackles of the flesh, sons of God, spirit of adoption, spirit of bondage, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, the apostle Stephen, the breath of life, the Creation Story, the flesh profits nothing, the highest calling, the spirit gives life, uncertainty, ungodly world, wonders and miracles
John 6:63. It is the spirit that quickneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Awright Friends, it’s mighty Monday! The day that constantly has us quaking in our boots, feeling vulnerable, miserable, whiny, complaining and disgusted with the working life. But you know what? We have a power that’s mightier, much much mightier than Monday; the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells each of us. ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ And when we allow that Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, we can overcome anything that comes against us.
As Bruh Paul says so eloquently to the church at Rome: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, the heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.’ (Rom.8:14-17)
So my fellow believers, let’s throw off the shackles of the flesh that only bring fear and uncertainty, and instead, as children and heirs of God, allow the Spirit of God to rule in us this chilly mid-September morn. And if we had planned properly yesterday, that wouldn’t be too hard to do today. (smile) But since so many of us did not do so, to help us get up to speed this morning, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto, in total harmony.
All together 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!’
That was beautiful Friends! So beautiful that it brought tears of joy to Jesus’ eyes. Wow!
Now let’s keep the adrenalin from the power of the Holy Spirit going full blast, and get ourselves out into the work-day world and diligently do the work that Jesus has assigned us to do. For as Jesus says in our Bit: ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’
Yes my brethren, it is the Spirit of God that promotes life, both literally and figuratively. And we have the best literal example in the Creation Story, where the Good Book declares: ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen.2:7)
Oh what a mighty force is the Spirit of our God my people! For it is by His Spirit that we were first imbued with physical life. That brings us to a couple of figurative examples of the Spirit’s power. In Acts, when the apostle Stephen was doing all sorts of wonders and miracles, the Jews couldn’t keep up with him. ‘And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.’ (Acts 6:10)
So they did the age old thing; set up a conspiracy against him with false witnesses and eventually had him stoned to death, with the consent of Bruh Paul, who was then known and feared as Saul, the destroyer and persecutor of Christians.
And how wonderful and marvellous is our God, whose sense of humour and drama are unmatchable, for it is the same Holy Spirit that worked on Saul to turn him from a destroyer of Christians to the greatest evangelist of all time. Hn! How ironic eh.
We all know the story of how on his way to Damascus to seek out and persecute more Christians, “suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (goads). And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.’ (Acts 9:3-6)
And Bruh Paul got up from the ground blind, and had to be led to Damascus by his men. ‘And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.’ (Acts 6:9)
Yes Friends, our God does move in mysterious ways through the power of His Holy Spirit, His works to perform!
And remember that same Spirit that was in Bruh Paul is also in us. And we know what wonderful and powerful work the Spirit led him to do. So in like manner, let’s allow the Holy Spirit of God that dwells within us to lead and guide us to do great works in Jesus’ name today nuh, for that is the highest calling to which we can attain. Much LOVE!
…we never know to what heights we may attain…when God’s Spirit is leading the way…
25 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A for effort, aura of love, bah humbug, blessings, confidence, disgruntled tone, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, falsehood, fellowship, friends, give ear to my words, God's day, heavenly wisdom, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, LOVE, LOVE to hate, Lucifer's world, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, opportunities, our heart overflows with love for Jesus, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, reverential awe, righteousness., spiritual armour, steadfast faith, TGIM! Thank God it's Monday!, thankful mentality, true believers in Jesus, unfaithful, ungodly world, ungrateful flunkies, wisdom, workers of iniquity
Psalm 119:147. I prevented (rose before the dawning) of the morning, and cried (cried out for help): I hoped in thy word.
Oh Friends, it’s that wonderful day, Monday…the day so many of us LOVE to hate!
But yuh know what, instead of moaning and groaning and treating Monday like an irritation to our souls, a drawback to our sedentary aspirations, (smile) like a bah humbug day, we ought to rejoice and be glad in it. Yes my people, we should be shouting, ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday!’
No, I haven’t gone crazy, at least not yet. (smile). And why should we do such an unheard of thing, you ask?
First of all, because it means we have been granted the wonderful blessing of seeing another day on God’s great earth. Secondly, and even more importantly, we would be acting like true believers in Jesus Christ; being grateful for our many blessings and opportunities, standing strong despite our many problems, and not behaving like the unfaithful, ungrateful flunkies of Lucifer’s world.
And I’m having the faith for all of us, that one day, in the not too distant future, we’ll all begin preparing for Monday on God’s Day, Sunday, getting peaceful in our souls from then, and also acquiring the thankful mentality we spoke of above.
And all the workers of iniquity gave out a loud unappreciative sigh and declared in a disgruntled tone: ‘Chuh… stupidness!’
Anyway Friends, till that time comes, let’s continue singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with as much moxie as we can muster.
As one magnificent choir now, 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!’
Good singing Friends! Heaven was clapping and singing along with us. And what we just sang there reminded me of our Bit… or is it the other way around?
This morning in church, while thumbing through the Psalms, waiting for the service to begin, my eye fell on that verse, and I had a small Eureka moment, saying to myself, that sounds like a good Bit for our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. And please note that wasn’t simply my doing, but was a gentle nudge, a bit of guidance from the Holy Spirit.
The psalmist unashamedly declares: ‘I prevented (rose before) the dawning of the morning, and cried (cried out for help): I hoped in thy word.’
Yes Friends, that’s something like what we’ve just done. We’ve gotten up early, possibly not as early as the psalmist, and we’ve cried out for help to the Lord, to lead and guide and strengthen us so that we can handle this day in a manner worthy of His Holy Name.
And since we are true and faithful believers, we are indeed hoping and believing that He will do as He’s promised in His Word, and lead us safely through this thoroughly bizarre and crazy world. And that’s as it ought to be my people. Every day that we open our eyes to greet a new day, we ought to send much thanks and praise up to heaven.
Now hear how Bruh David appeals with heartfelt emotion in Psalm 5, a prayer for protection. ‘Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my meditation (groaning). Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell (sojourn) with thee. The foolish (boastful) shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing (falsehood): the Lord will abhor the bloody (bloodthirsty) and deceitful man. But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear (reverential awe) will I worship toward thy holy temple.’ (Ps.5:1-7)
Yes Friends, thankful, grateful, faithful and reverential words like those ought to escape from our lips each and every morning when we awake. That’s heavenly wisdom!
Now my brethren, in light of all that’s gone before, let’s go out and walk worthy of Jesus today in the evil and ungodly world that surrounds us. Let’s go out and at least earn an ‘A’ for effort. That’s all He asks of us. Much LOVE!
…when we truly know Jesus…our heart just overflows with LOVE for Him…and we try very hard not to let Him down…
21 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a prayer for solutions, action, apply thine heart to understanding, commandments, commitment, communing with God, commute, confident in god, Cousin Sol, cry after knowledge, cut costs, destiny, devious ways, discerment, discretion, do our part, don't ever give up, downsizing, dr robert h schuller, emotionally, equitable pay, equity, eternal life, exercise the faith, expectation of bosses, faith, fear of the Lord, fearful for jobs, forgiveness, god is good fair and just, God's never-ending faithfulness, God-given plans, grace, have a blessed day, incline thine ear unto wisdom, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, joy, judgements, knowledge, knowledge is plesant unto thy soul, knowledge of God, leadership of my life, life isn't easy, lift up thy voice for understanding, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, make right decisions, meeting of the minds, mentally, mercy, parent's instructions, paths of justice, paths of uprightness, persevere right to the end, perverse things, perversity, physically, poor economic situation, preserves the way of saints, prospector, raise profit margins, refreshing, rejoice to do evil, rejuvenating, reverential awe, right conduct, righteous, righteousness., salvation, shield, silver, solve the problems, stand strong, stress, stressors, summer, take command over my destiny, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the way of the evil man, Thursday, tired Thursday, traffic jams, treasures, understanding, unforgiving world, ungodly world, walk uprightly, ways of darkness, weary, wisdom
Proverbs 2:5. Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
And then it was Thursday – tired Thursday – and a misty one in my area this morning. In fact it’s been misty since I was sitting out on my front porch around 1 a.m. this morning, enjoying the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, communing quietly with my Maker.
And I can’t begin to tell you my people, how nice and refreshing and rejuvenating that is. Consequently, I don’t get to my bed very early these days, and thus can’t get up very early either. (smile)
Please don’t begrudge the ole fella that particular joy; because it will soon be over, as the summer floats away and the cold days become the norm. (smile)
However, getting back to the tired Thursday theme. I call it that because by the fourth day of the workweek we’re all weary, physically, emotionally and mentally, from the many stressors of modern workday life. Stressors like getting up early to get the children ready for day care and/or school, when that begins in the next couple of weeks.
Then get ourselves off to work, which necessitates a long, arduous commute for so many, standing idly by in huge traffic jams, morning and evening, and finally having arrived at work tired, needing to put up with the high expectation of bosses, of much work for not always equitable pay.
And then with the strain of the poor economic situation, many of us are fearful of losing our jobs, in a time when everybody’s downsizing, ostensibly to cut costs, but more than likely to raise their profit margin.
Anyway my fellow believers, in spite of all the stress and strain to which we’re currently exposed, followers of Jesus are expected to persevere right to the end; to pursue their God-given plans without fail, for our wonderful God has promised to bring us safely through all that comes against us, though we will also have to do our part and stand strong.
And if there’s one thing we’re ever so confident in our great God for, is His never-ending faithfulness! Whatever he promises, He fulfills. So please hang in there, for life wasn’t meant to be easy, but our God is good and fair and just, and in His own time, He will bring us to a successful meeting of the minds with Him. (smile)
Above all, DON’T EVER GIVE UP! For giving up is not numbered amongst the things believers do. Now here’s an appropriate prayer from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H Schuller), from his Hour of Power daily devotional, which is appropriately titled; ‘A Prayer for Solutions.’
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, thanks for assuring me that you’ll solve the problems if I’ll exercise the faith and make the right decisions! Forgive me for waiting for all difficulties, real or fanciful, to be resolved before deciding to make my commitment.
I confess I have too often allowed problems instead of possibilities to take over the leadership of my life – to make my decisions – and take command over my destiny. I know, now, what faith is, Lord! It’s making the right decisions before I see solutions to all the problems! Increase my faith! Amen.’
And now that we’ve prayed those faith raising and releasing words, my brethren let’s go out and faithfully put them into action nuh, for words without action are generally worthless.
And as the passage before our Bit, in the wise words of Cousin Sol tells us, re the reward of heeding wisdom: ‘My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide (treasure) my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge (discernment), and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.’ (Prov.2:1-5)
Yes Friends, in these very crucial and critical times, wisdom and understanding are a MUST, if we’re to navigate this evil, ungodly world successfully. And true wisdom and understanding comes ONLY from Jehovah God my people!
As Cousin Sol continues: ‘For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up (stores up) sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler (shield) to them that walk uprightly.
He keepeth the paths of judgement (guards the paths of justice), and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgement (justice), and equity; yea, every good path.’ (Prov.2:6-9)
Yes my people, without true wisdom and understanding which emanate from our magnificent God, we’d be entirely lost in this unforgiving world of ours.
Now hear some comments from the scholars. 2:1-22. The conditions for obtaining wisdom are given first: one must earnestly seek it, as a prospector would search for gold (vv.1-4). It is not an undirected search, however, since the parent’s instruction is the basis. The consequences of obtaining wisdom are then listed (vv.5-22): knowledge of God (vv.5-8) and right conduct (vv.9-22).’
And we’ll end with a few of those verses on right conduct. ‘When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul: Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward (perverse) things;
Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness: Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness (perversity) of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, and they froward (are devious) in their paths.’ (Prov.2: 10-15)
There we have it Friends, some benefits of seeking after wisdom and understanding through the ONLY avenue through which they are really obtained and granted; i.e. through the Most High God Jehovah!
Now let’s have a blessed day as we walk in lockstep with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in wisdom and understanding! Much LOVE!
…oh, our world would be such a much better place…if the inhabitants would only turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…for wisdom and understanding…which would bring them oodles of peace, LOVE, joy, mercy, grace, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life…oh what blessings…
18 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, aura of love, blessed to see another day, Christ-like character, Christians, come to know Jesus, confidence, earth shattering, enthusiasm, eternal life, fellow believers, fellowship, friends, further God's glorious kingdom, further Jesus' cause, generous help, give thanks and praise, guidance, heathen, heavy load, holy spirit, honest man, humble servants, hypocrites, I am come to fulfill, I am not come to destroy, indisputable fact, infidel, invincible, Jesus Christ, Law of Moses, legalism, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, man-made laws, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, neighbours, New Testament, Oh Lord God Almighty, Old Testament, one body in Jesus, one harmonious body, outward show, Pharisees, rejuvenation of spirit, religion, religiosity, reveille, righteous, righteousness., roof of heaven, rules and regulations, scribes, show boaters, small mercies, smile, spiritual armour, spiritual intention of the law, spiritual principles, splendiferous, steadfast faith, superficial religious behaviour, superiority of Jesus' message, the Beatitudes, the clock is ticking, the kingdom of heaven, trust, truth, ungodly world, walk obediently, wisdom
Matthew 5:20. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case (by no means) enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Arise oh Friends… arise oh Neighbours… arise oh Fellow Believers… the clock is ticking… Hear ye, hear ye, the bugler’s blowing reveille! That means it’s time to rise and greet this beautiful Monday morn! And remember, before rolling out of bed to give a li’l individual thanks and praise for being blessed to see another day, and ask for guidance to walk obediently on your way.
Now before the whining and complaining begin, (smile) let’s raise the roof of heaven with a miraculous and highly motivated rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. In full voice, as one harmonious body:
‘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!’
Splendiferous my brethren! Splendiferous! That rendition was certainly earth shattering, and so powerful that it also raised heaven’s roof, like a hurricane attacking those of our earthly houses. The angels had to be quite quick too and grab it before it blew away. (smile) Yes my brethren, that’s what’s possible when believers get together and act as one true body in Jesus.
Now let’s take all that adrenalin and enthusiasm and energy and get out there and actively use it to further Jesus’ cause; His LOVE Revolution, so that the heathen, the infidel, may see and experience our Christ-like character and desire to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour too.
And our Bit today certainly amplifies that directive: ‘For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case (by no means) enter into the kingdom of heaven.’
And that’s an indisputable fact Friends! That’s Jesus, during His commenting on the Law of Moses, where he first explained: ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.’ (Matt.5:17)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘5:17. Having laid the foundation of the message in the summary statements of the Beatitudes, Jesus now proceeds to show the superiority of His message to that of the law of Moses. He makes it clear that He had not …come to destroy the law. That is, the New Testament gospel is not contradictory to the Old Testament Law; rather it is the ultimate fulfillment of the spiritual intention of the law.
Where the law had degenerated into legalism among the Pharisees, Jesus now takes the law beyond mere outward observance to the inner spiritual intention of God.’
Oh Friends, unfortunately the same situation still exists today. Religion has built a set of rules and regulations that’s impossible for any human being to follow to the letter. And there are way too many of us making a big outward show of our supposed religiosity, like the Pharisees of old, when inside we’re big time hypocrites.
We don’t do half of what we say or pretend to do. Our actions are based more on superficial religious behaviour than true godly spiritual principles. Too many of us Christians are religious show boaters!
Oh Friends, there’s much more to be said on this topic, but we will leave that for another day, since I don’t want to weary us with too heavy a load today. (smile) But please, in the meantime, let’s ponder all that we’ve said, and try to figure out where we’re at individually, then wisely ask the Lord for His generous help to improve, to become more Christ-like. That’s one request He will NEVER refuse! Much LOVE!
…just like an honest man doesn’t need barriers…fences and doors…to stop him from stealing…likewise, the heart of a righteous man…doesn’t need numerous man-made laws to keep him righteous…
P.S. Does it ever seem short today! (smile) I had to check it twice to see if that was really all. But that’s really all! So please be thankful for small mercies. Much LOVE!
17 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, ambassadors, and not unto men, as to the Lord, ask for the old paths, celebrate, come unto me, comforted, do it heartily, economic situation, energy, enthusiasm. witnesses, eternal life, evil, Father Abraham, giving thanks, gladden our hearts, go off like a dream, godly ways of our forefathers, good news of Jesus, great invitation, Hades, hate, heathen, heavy laden, I am meek, I will give you rest, injustice, Jesus, joy, labour, Lazarus, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, lowly in heart, Lucifer, Moses, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, parable of the rich man and beggar, peace, prosperity. the ways of God, refuse to walk with God, rejuvenate our spirits, repent, resurrection, reward. inheritance, search the scriptures, singing, stand in the ways and see, standard of living, strife, Sunday, take my yoke upon you, that ye might have life, the Lord's Day, the ways of death, tormented, ungodly world, where is the good way, wisdom, worshipping, you shall find rest for your souls
Jeremiah 16:6. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Oh Friends, neighbours and fellow believers, it’s the best day of the week – Sunday, the Lord’s Day! So let’s celebrate appropriately by going to His sanctuary and worshipping, singing praises and giving thanks with other believers!
Wow! What a blessed day! And if you are too sick or frail to get out, then turn on the tube or the radio and celebrate with others that way. And if by chance you can’t do any of those things, then simply get your Bible out and read it and sing whatever hymns you know and worship with the Holy Spirit and Jesus as your companions.
The important thing is to get some celebratory face time with the Father on this restful day. (smile) But please don’t let the joy and singing and pleasure disappear when you come out of the sanctuary or turn off the TV and radio, because that is when our real work for Christ ought to begin.
Going to the sanctuary, in fact worshipping is also a means to rejuvenate our spirits, gladden our hearts, so that we can spread the joy and good news of Jesus to others. That’s where we’re supposed to get the energy, enthusiasm and whatever else we need to be good witnesses, good ambassadors for Christ.
And as we’ve been saying, it’s also the best way to prepare for that awesome first day of the workweek, Monday. Once you do right, make good preparations on Sunday, Monday will go off like a dream. (smile) And if you don’t believe me, then just try it nuh.
Now let’s continue with our Bit of the last couple days: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’
Ah Friends, that is such an important scripture that we do ourselves a great injustice by not paying proper attention to it. History is littered with nations and individuals who refused to pay it the attention it deserved. Please don’t let us and our society be numbered amongst that unfortunate lot nuh.
We all know that when Western society truly had God at the forefront of their lives, it prospered like never before. But now that we’ve foolishly removed God from so many parts of Western life, everything is now on the downslide.
There’s very little peace and LOVE, but lots of hate and strife, while the economic situation is terrible and the standard of living is continually falling. But yet we refuse to return to the godly ways of our forefathers.
Oh my brethren, in the ways of God there’s peace and prosperity, and rest for your souls. Listen to Jesus’ great invitation: ‘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 (gentle) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, how could we ever turn down such a wonderful invitation eh? It’s the epitome of foolishness! But unfortunately, there is a very large number of fools in this evil, ungodly world who refuse to walk with God and accept Jesus’ most awesome invitation. I’m sorry for them, but they’ve made their choice.
This brings us to a scripture in Luke 16, where Jesus is telling the parable of the rich man and the poor beggar Lazarus covered with sores that the dogs licked as he sat at the rich man’s gate, eating the crumbs from the rich man’s table, where a sumptuous meal was laid out every day.
But as the Lord would have it, the rich man died and went to sojourn with Lucifer in Hades, while Lazarus was transported to heaven where he enjoyed Abraham’s company in a messianic feast. We all know the story, where the rich man in severe torment, lifts up his eyes to heaven, sees Lazarus hanging with Abraham.
‘And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.’ (Luke 16:24-31)
Ah mih people, yuh see how life turns around on the other side, and how those in the nether parts of the world are suffering severe torment? That alone should be enough to make us serious believers. But sadly it doesn’t. As Abraham says, if we won’t listen to Moses and the prophets and Jesus, as I’ll show you in a moment, why would we listen to one coming from the dead eh?
In fact Jesus came from the dead and told us both before and after His resurrection, yet we didn’t believe and refused to walk in the godly paths. Now hear Jesus while talking about His relationship with the Father. ‘Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And (but) ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.’ (John 5:39-40)
Ah mih people, two thousand years later, mankind is still stupidly refusing to come to Jesus so that they might have life! But we believers are still expected to work at bringing the heathen to our wonderful Lord and Saviour, so let’s not get weary and tired, though the task seems difficult:
‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col.3:23-24)
That’s wisdom of the highest order my brethren! So please let’s practice it nuh. Much LOVE!
…there is a way which seemeth right unto a man…but the end thereof are the ways of death… (Prov.14:12)
14 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: act wisely, actions speak louder than words, ask for the old paths, be strong and of a good courage, bones crying out, break free from a limited mindset, bring me out better on the other side, caring, characteristics of Jesus, Christ-like actions, Christian brethren, conquerors, created me to be uncontainable, Creator of the universe, death and destruction, destined to be a barrier breaker, disobedience, do according to all the law, doing good, eternal life, evil and ungodly times, example of our everyday lives, experience god's favour, fellow believers, find rest for your souls, friends, frightful times, glory hallelujah, God's children, God's promise, God's purpose for my life, God's Word, good news, I won't bear more than I can handle, inheritance, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, Joel Osteen, keep keeping on, living God, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, meditate on God's Word, Moses, my destiny, never to leave or forsake me, obedience, one of those days, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, persecuted, potential, Praise the Lord, problems, prosperity, salvation, seeds of greatness in me, sharing, sight of faith, significant lesson, stand in the ways and see, success, successful living, suffering, talent, thanks and praise, the gospel in action, the head and not the tail, Today is my day, trampled in the dust, victors not victimes, way ahead of the game, where is the good way, wisdom, with God's help
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Oh Friends, neighbours and fellow believers, it’s just one of those days… I went to bed late, got up early, feeling foggy, with all the ole arthritic bones crying out!
And to make matters worse, a tooth in my lower right jaw has suddenly begun acting up, which might necessitate a trip to the friendly dentist. (smile) Oh, my dentist is truly friendly. I’ve been going to him for over thirty years.
And what’s my response? A great ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes Friends, I’m giving thanks and praise, because if those are my biggest worries, then I’m way ahead of the game! Those are minor problems compared to those so many others are suffering, especially our unjustly persecuted Christian brethren in other parts of the world. Hope you are continually praying for them.
And my problems most likely won’t do me in, so I’m just going to keep on keeping on, in the holy name of our magnificent Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has faithfully promised never to leave or forsake me.
Now He never promised that I wouldn’t have problems, in fact He assured us that we would by simply believing in Him, but promised that He would not allow me to bear more than I can handle, and even then to help me go through them and bring me out better on the other side.
Wow! That’s why I can confidently say, like my Bubba Joel, (Joel Osteen): ‘TODAY IS MY DAY!
Yes my brethren, today is our day, so please affirm with me: ‘God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me.
Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision. Today, God is taking me places that I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today, I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’
And all of God’s children gave out a mighty shout of, ‘Praise the Lord!’
And now that we’ve affirmed all that, let’s go out and through sight of faith, make it happen…with God’s help obviously. Because through our great and wonderful God, we’re all conquerors, victors and not victims, the head and not the tail!
So please let’s behave in a suitable manner, one that embodies all those fine characteristics of Jesus; also doing good, caring and sharing, both emotionally and physically, like He wants us to do.
Oh my fellow believers, the best way to speak of Jesus is through the example of our everyday lives! For remember that actions speak much louder than words, and others are liable to come to Jesus much more through our Christ-like actions, than our good news words.
As they say, the gospel in action is a most remarkable tool, and so very hard to ignore. And that’s my little spiel for today! (smile).
Now let’s see what our Bit has to offer. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’
Oh Friends, that is such a powerful and meaningful scripture, especially in these rather evil and ungodly times! It was very apropos in Jeremiah’s time, and even more so in ours now. I heard Uncle John (John Hagee) preach on it last night, and though we’ve used it as a Bit before, it’s so relevant to our frightful times, that I was guided to use it again.
Ah mih people, those old ways and paths of our forefathers were so blessed by obedience to God’s Word that prosperity was a given!
My brethren, let’s listen to this most potent passage of scripture, and as we do so, let’s also embed it deep in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, for it’s the quintessential, the purest and most perfect direction for success and successful living.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance (you shall give as a possession) the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success, act wisely) whithersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein in day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:5-8)
Oh Friends, that says it all! The numerous new-fangled books on prosperity and success are totally unnecessary since we have God’s own direction for successful living.
Those are the old paths and way that we ought to tread and embrace if we want to be truly successful and prosperous! They have been proven over and over by numerous societies, who rose to greatness by following them.
But by the same token, when they have turned away from, forsaken the Lord God Jehovah, like we are currently doing, then their success and prosperity have been sadly trampled in the dust.
Please my fellow believers, I plead with us to learn that significant lesson today, and to put it into practice, for it is the wisdom of Almighty God Himself! And if we foolishly continue to not adhere to His commands, disobey His imperial dictates, then eventually, possibly sooner than later, our society will also crumble into dust and ashes.
Is that what we want to happen? I very much doubt it. Well then, let’s wake up and smell the awful stench of our disobedience nuh! Much LOVE!
…when new ways and new paths lead to death and destruction…the wise turn back to the old ways and paths…those of the living God…which lead to success and prosperity…salvation and eternal life…
11 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a smiley kind of day, arduous task, aura of love, blessings, Bruh Paul, bugler's call, christ jesus, common sense, Corinthians, Creator of the universe, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, fun, get with the programme, give thanks, glorious kingdom, goodness of god, grace, heavenly hosts, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, irony, Jesus Christ, joy, justified, laughter, lord jesus christ, LOVE, military training, miserable, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, peace, Philippians, pray without ceasing, rejoice, rejoice evermore, rejoice in hope, Rejoice in the Lord, Rejoice in the Lord always, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, reveille, righteousness., rise and shine, Romans, salvation, smile, sour, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, summer, the glory of God, the vine and the branches, the will of God, times of sorrow, truth, wisdom, your joy might be full
Philippians 3:1. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. to write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous (tedious), but for you it is safe.
‘Spah na na na na na na nah!’ Hey Friends… ‘Spah na na na na na na nah!’ It’s the bugler’s call to reveille! That means it’s time for all able bodied persons to rise and shine and get with the program on this glorious Monday morning, in the final days of the wonderful summer of 2014! (smile)
Yes Friends, I believe that if we all had some military training early on in our lives, waking up on a Monday morning would not be such an arduous task. But as we said yesterday, the time and place to begin preparations for Monday is Sunday, fellowshipping with other believers. And if you don’t believe me, then just try it. I dare you. (smile)
Anyway, let’s get our usual adrenalin rush from our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; loud and clear and harmonious my people.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That was wonderful my brethren! So wonderful, that the heavenly hosts felt the magnetic pull of the riddim and sang along with us. Yuh see how powerful we can be when we put our minds to it! (smile)
Now let’s turn to our Bit, from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, re continual pressing towards the mark. ‘Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous (tedious), but for you it is safe.’
And I just had to chuckle as I realized the irony of the similarity of the situation; meaning that writing to you my fellow believers is not tedious for me, while it is safe and sensible for you. (smile)
And the scholars’ note on this verse is very educational. ‘3:1. Finally is a transitional word that might be rendered “as for the rest” or “in addition to.” It turns from the old subject just discussed in 2:19-30 (i.e. the coming visits of Timothy and Epaphroditus) to a new subject in 3:1-4:1 (i.e. the readers’ religious enemies).
To write the same things refers to matters that Paul touches on again and again, namely the call to rejoice found throughout the epistle, and the repeated warnings about their adversaries (1:28-30; 3:1-4:1).’
And today I just want to reiterate to us Bruh Paul’s advice re rejoicing in God. Ah mih people, that is such an important part of a believer’s life that we can never overestimate its importance. Without a sense and purpose of rejoicing in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, we’d be like…like… I can’t even find the words to describe it.
We’d be so serious and inhibited that there’d be little or no laughter, fun or joy in our lives. And unfortunately that’s how some believers live their lives, always sour and miserable, unwisely believing that to have a pleasant and laughing personality goes against the dictates of Jesus. But that’s ever so wrong my brethren.
Remember Jesus’ words to the disciples when talking about the vine and the branches? ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:11) Now you can’t be full of joy and be sour and miserable.
Now let’s look at some scriptures where Bruh Paul advises us to rejoice. And we’ll begin with the most famous one to these same Philippians. “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’ (Phil.4:4)
Oh Friends, there are so many things in our lives to rejoice about that we should indeed be continually rejoicing in our wonderful and merciful God!
Then to the Corinthians, when summarizing his ministry, he declares: ‘As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” (2 Cor. 6:10)
So even in his times of sorrow, he rejoiced because he knew and experienced the miraculous grace of God, which is to this day still available to all who sincerely believe.
Hear what he told the Romans: ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.’ (Rom.5:1-2)
Oh my brethren, if we have faith in Jesus Christ, then peace, joy, grace and all the other goodness of God is open to us! Now if those aren’t overwhelming reasons to rejoice always, then I don’t know what is!
And we’ll end with some of Bruh Paul’s simple but mighty and memorable words to the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:16-18)
Oh Friends, those three simple statements cover God’s entire will for us! So let’s do them nuh. I won’t even go as far as calling it wisdom, because it’s only common sense… that is if you consider yourself a believer. Much LOVE!
…regardless of our earthly trials…when you have faith, peace, joy, LOVE, forgiveness, mercy, grace and faithful promises of salvation and eternal life from a mighty and magnanimous God…rejoicing ought not to be a problem…but should come automatically…
P.S. It’s certainly been a smiley smiley kind of day! (smile) But you can’t help but smile when you’re rejoicing! Much LOVE!
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