09 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hard week, a man should rejoice, advantage, all are of dust, another week of work, another wet morning, beat we too, boundaryless partying, bring him to see, carnal behaviour, destiny, do as we please, downward, drink, drive we plenty, drizzles, eat, effervescence, encourages the enemy, enjoy this good life, enthusiasm, eternity, faithfully serve God, feast on our souls, fellowship, flooded out, followers of Jesus christ, Friday chant, fun, further God's kingdom, generous help, God's LOVE, goodness, heritage, I perceive, in heaven, in his own works, in Jesus name, in soul body and mind, learn sense, let the waters flow, like beasts, like no tomorrow, like oxen, limitless, LOVE, massa, new times, nonsense, of the sons of men, one breath, party, people that fight, pittance, pouring rain, pre-eminence, refreshed, relaxation, Remembrance Day, renewed, rest, return to dust, sacrifice, safely through, selfless, slave driver, so does the other, spirit, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thanks and praise, that is his portion, the British Isles, the estate, the one dies, the spirit of man, the workingman, there's nothing better, to heaven, to the earth, Triune God, upward, we time, weekend, what shall be after him, yoke we up
Ecclesiastes 3:22. Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion (heritage): for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Can you believe it people…another wet morning! Chuh! I’ve lost count now. But thankfully, it has been mostly drizzles and not pouring rain, else we would have certainly been flooded out by now. I thought it was only in the British Isles that you had that kind of weather! (smile) And despite the cold, rainy weather this Friday morning, like the post office delivers be it rain, sleet, or snow, the workingman is out there singing his song.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! This week’s been a hard one; the massa really drive we plenty! Steups! He must be think we is oxen or something; the way he want to yoke we up and drive we. Chuh man! Ah sure he would beat we too, if he could get away with it. And all for the li’l pittance he pay we when the week done!
But these is new times, we learn sense, and we don’t put up with that kinda nonsense no more! But enough about the slave driver oui! This is we time to do as we please, to eat and drink and party like if there was no tomorrow…for who knows if we’ll see another day eh?
So let the food…and the waters flow…and remember this is Remembrance Day weekend…so we have to remember all them good people that fight so that we could enjoy this good life. So lift them up…and doh forget to treat the ones that still alive right eh! So leh we thank God for Friday’s, weekends and Remembrance Day, that we not warring no more, and we still around to remember!’
Yeh friends, the workingman was really worked up this morning! (smile) But as usual, he got most of it right, except the limitless, boundary less partying, which only encourages the enemy to feast on our souls.
That’s why as believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ, we institute limitations on our natural, animalistic, carnal behaviour. And that’s why our Friday Chant is different to the workingman’s song.
So please chant it now with me, bringing the same enthusiasm and effervescence that he brought to his praise offering. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers, we also have the right to enjoy life, because that’s one of the things Jesus came and died for; that we might have life, and even have it more abundantly, till it overflows. (John 10:10) We only have to be careful we don’t go overboard and keep Jesus first in all that we do.
And there’s no better scripture for our Bit today than Cousin Sol’s immortal words on man’s destiny and heritage. As the richest and wisest man ever, in his search for fulfillment – and he had plenty time, money and opportunity to do so – he finally came to the conclusion: ‘I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest (test) them, and that they might see that they themselves are (like) beasts.
For that which befalleth (happens to) the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence (advantage) above a beast: for all is vanity (futility).
All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth (knows if) the spirit of man that goeth (goes) upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth (goes) downward to the earth?
Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion (heritage): for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?’
Wise words indeed my brethren! As we saw above that’s one of the reasons Jesus came to earth; enjoying earthly life while we worked towards heavenly eternity. And He also answered one question of Cousin Sol’s; that regarding whether man’s spirit goes upward or not?
And we can say with a joyful shout that the spirit of ALL true and sincere believers go UPWARD, to enjoy a rich and glorious life with the Triune God in heaven until time eternal! Glory to God my people! Give Him much thanks and praise for His wonderful goodness to us, for He undoubtedly deserves it!
What would we be without God’s LOVE and the selfless sacrifice of Jesus eh? Absolutely nothing but dust and hell bound spirits! Thankfully now though, we’re still dust, but heaven bound spirits! Glory Hallelujah! So please friends, let’s remember all that we’ve spoken about today and work it into our earthly lives, so that we can enjoy eternity with God, for that’s our destiny! Much LOVE!
…a glorious heaven… patiently awaits…those who sincerely LOVE God…and who diligently and faithfully serve Him…down here on earth…
07 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spoiled child, abundant life, atonement, be my Helper, blood, burning passion, captivating love, challenging, deprivation, disobedient, eternity, exaltation, eyes fixed straight ahead, foolish fears, for our benefit, forgive, full of adventure, glad to be alive, God's blessings, good things, gospel truth, guide me, halfway home, hand in the pie, hands on the plough, heavenly-minded, hold me, I resisted, I struggled, into a song, joy, just deserts, like the eagle's, Lord, magnanimous god, moth rust destroy, mount up with wings as eagles, my Friend, my light in the darkness, my vain grasping, not be weary, not faint, not looking back, obeying God, on a good foot, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sins, overwhelm me, praise, renew their strength, reverence, rewards, rich, run, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfies thy mouth, seize me, shattered, shenanigans, spoiled brats, staggered, steady me, thanks, the breath of life, the dungeons of hell, there is your heart, thieves steal, thread my tears, thy youth is renenwed, to a glorious future with Jesus, torn with grief, transitory change, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, unconditional LOVE, undeserving child, wait upon the Lord, walk, Wednesday Wail, where your treasure is, willful pride, with your wisdom, you love to say yes, your counsel
Psalm 103:5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Now please don’t blame me for this early Bit, blame my mechanic. (smile) He gave me an early appointment to come and get my chariot fixed, which means I have to get out there and face the early morning traffic shenanigans. But what to do eh? I’ve been waiting to get this particular repair done since before I went away, so I can’t put it off again.
And to get us all off on a good foot, this cold but dry Wednesday morning, here is this wonderful poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled, ‘Lord, You LOVE to Say Yes.’ And does He ever!
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I asked You for abundant life Rich, challenging, full of adventure And You said yes. I asked You for an undisturbable joy Independent of transitory change And You said yes. I asked You to thread my tears into a song When I was shattered and torn with grief And You said yes. I asked You to steady me when I staggered – To hold me when I struggled To seize me when I resisted And You said yes.
I asked You to forgive my vain grasping My foolish fears, my willful pride And You said yes. I asked You to be my Helper, my Friend My light in the darkness And you said yes. I asked You to guide me all my life With Your wisdom, Your counsel Your captivating LOVE And You said yes. Sometimes Lord I feel like a spoiled child who gets whatever he asks for. You overwhelm me with joy For You just LOVE to say Yes!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren? We have such an awesome generous, and magnanimous God, that we sometimes indeed feel like spoiled brats. And the great thing about it is that He has no real reason to treat us as generously as He does, because we’re such disobedient and undeserving child, but that amazing, unconditional LOVE that fills His heart towards us, just makes it impossible for Him to give us our just deserts.
Please give Him plenty praise and thanks and reverence and exaltation, because He is such a wonderful God! There’s NONE OTHER LIKE HIM! Glory Hallelujah! Now enough with the praise, because if you give me a chance, I can sing His praises all day long! (smile)
And the Bible Promise for that poem is also our Bit; thankful words of Bruh David as he offers thanksgiving for God’s mercy: ‘Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ Ah friends, sometimes when I sit down and think about all the goodness that the Lord has bestowed on me, tears come to my eyes.
And we have a perfect example of that in my recent vacation to Jamaica. Wow! Was it ever good…and did people ever LOVE on me…! Chuh! It was just amazing the way everything came together. His hand must have been in the pie; otherwise it could not have been so tasty! (smile)
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who enjoys God’s blessings, so I don’t understand why we’re so reluctant to LOVE and obey Him, giving so much of our time and space instead to the evil ruler of this evil world. My fellow believers, Jehovah God LOVES us with a burning LOVE, a passion that knows no end! That we can never dispute after He so sacrificially gave His sinless Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be the blood atonement for our sins!
And all He’s asking in return is that we obey His laws and exalt His name…Is that too much to ask? Certainly not! But here is the kicker: All He asks us to do is not for His benefit, but for ours. So if we refuse to live according to His will, we are the ones who will suffer, both here on earth and in the dungeons of hell later on.
Please remember these significant words of Jesus. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break in and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:19-21)
And that’s indisputable truth friends! Wherever our treasure is stored, there will our hearts be. And the sad fact of the matter is that too many of us are concentrating on storing up treasure here in the world, where it begins to decay from the moment you get it, and everybody wants to take it away from you. So please, let’s be more heavenly-minded nuh. Remember it’s up there we will spend eternity, and we can’t carry anything from down here with us.
And to lift us back up again, after all that admonishment, (smile) listen to this well-known and much quoted verse from Isaiah. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:31) More indisputable, gospel truth my brethren! Give God the glory!
Now let’s go home declaring (Steups! Spelled it wrong again!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all the world know our current position in Jesus. As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And do I ever look forward to that glorious future! Hope you do too. Much LOVE!
…the rewards of obeying God…both earthly and heavenly…more than outweigh the deprivation we might suffer doing so…
10 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, a God of confusion, a summer's day, anticipate as you wait, calamity, cast thy burden upon the Lord, Christ-like, chutzpah, discern, encourages us, eternity, evil world, eyes fixed straight ahead, face conflicts, finite, full age, get stronger, Gideon, God is never late, God never breaks His promise, God sends only silence, God will never disappoint, good and evil, gospel truth, great joy, grow in knowledge, gumption, hands on the plough, he shall never suffer, he shall sustain thee, Hebrews, hemmed and hawed, hope, I asked for a sign, incurably hopeful, kept the Lord first place, make a positive difference, milk, more mature, no sudden hailstorm, no writing in the sky, not looking back, omnipotent god, One Year Book of Bible promises, ought to be teachers, presumptuous, relctant to act on His word, sincere trust and faith, solid food, spoon feeding, stand steadfast in hope, strong meat, the breath of life, the crisis is real, the hope He implants, the Lord never changes, the oracles of God, the righteous to be moved, the wet fleece, the word of righteousness, to do His will, to hope in a promise, trust His Word, unskillful, urgent decisions, walk in lockstep with Christ, walk with god, Wednesday Wail, you can't see ahead, you don't stand alone
Psalm 55:22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).
Another, warm, bright and sunshiny day! Glory to God! Yes friends, yesterday was a beautiful summer’s day, with temps in the twenties, and today promises to be another of the same. How wonderful it is to have two such days in mid October eh!
And yuh know the trees have hardly shed any leaves as yet, many of them are still even as green as the months of spring. But we know that won’t last for much longer, so we’ll enjoy it as much as possible.
And saying that, I couldn’t pass up sharing this wonderful bit of encouragement with you. It’s called ‘I Asked for a Sign,’ and comes from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
Please pray with me. ‘Even as I answer your letter, you are perhaps still waiting while God sends only silence. There is no sudden hailstorm, no writing in the sky. The crisis is real, and you don’t want to be presumptuous.
Like Gideon in Judges 6, you want to feel the wet fleece. Or the dry fleece – you don’t care which one. You just want to know! You don’t stand alone! All of us who walk with God face conflicts that involve urgent decisions.
God is not a God of confusion. We can know His will. When our faith is very new, He may send a sign to fortify us. However, I am convinced that God’s highest intention is to free us from unnecessary “props.”
He wants to buttress us, not baby us. Above all, He wants us to trust His Word, not the wool! When He encourages us to hope in a promise, that hope may be our only evidence. At this moment you can’t see ahead.
However, you can still be incorrigibly (incurably) hopeful! You can anticipate as you wait, knowing that God will never disappoint the hope He Himself implants. He is never late. Remember. Not the wool but His Word!’
Ah mih people, yuh see why I had to share it. Too many of us believers need a sign to do God’s will. When God called Gideon to lead his people out to battle, he hemmed and hawed and desired a sign about the wet fleece. And even when he got it, he asked for the fleece to come up dry. And only after the Lord granted him the sign did he get the chutzpah to get up and go.
But the Lord doesn’t want to be continually spoon-feeding us with signs and wonders before we have the necessary gumption to do His will. He’s given us his Word, in which lies all the hope we need. I’m sure that if asked, we’d all say that God never breaks His promise, so why are we so reluctant to act on His Word eh, when it is filled with so many promises that will never be broken?
My brethren, we have to get stronger and more mature if we ever hope to make a positive difference in this evil world. Let’s stop looking for signs, instead, let’s be buttressed by the omnipotent Word of our omnipotent God!
The problem here though is that we don’t read, understand and accept His Word as much as we ought to. So obviously if you don’t have the Word as a strong foundation in your soul, you won’t be able to stand strong and steadfast on the wonderful hope that it contains.
You’ll always be like a baby, needing to be spoon fed, needing milk, not able to eat solid food. Like the author of Hebrews wrote to his audience. ‘For when the time (by this time) ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles (sayings) of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat (solid food).
For every one that useth (partakes of) milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat (solid food) belongeth to them that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use (practice) have their sense exercised (trained) to discern both good and evil.’ (Heb.5:12-14)
Yes my people, only as we grow in knowledge of God’s Word and put it into practice, stand steadfast in hope in His promises, will we ever mature and become as Christ-like as possible. And remember that’s God’s overall purpose and desire for us all: to become like His Son!
And the Bible Promise for the poem above, which is also our Bit, says it in spades: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’
Oh friends, that’s the gospel truth! Bruh David said it in his cry against deceitful friends, and it’s only because he kept the Lord first place in his heart that he was able to successfully undergo all the calamity that came against him in his lifetime.
And since the Lord never changes, and His promises are always faithful, He will do the same for us, but we have to put our sincere trust and faith in Him. Now let’s go home declaring (spelled it right) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our great faith and trust in Almighty God!
In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh my brethren, what a great joy it is to walk in lockstep with Christ! There’s nothing else that can compare to it! So please be wise and take His safe and LOVING hand…NOW! Much LOVE!
…if walking with Christ on earth is so great…can you imagine what it will be like in eternity…NO…our minds are too finite and puny…(smile)
06 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new creation, a short visit, a Spirit filled life, accept Christ, all things become new, an earthly decision, Anselm, be in christ, build a new model, carnal lusts of the flesh, Christ-like ways, come calling, comfort zone, Communist revolution, contented, cruel, cry, damnation, different people, dilemma, don't hurry, don't worry, drag us down, easier than change, eternal separation, eternal youth, eternity, fighting the existing reality, friend, get better, gives life, hate change, heavenly bliss, hell fire, household chores, human nature, human warmth, in heaven, in love with life, indwelling of the holy spirit, inhumane, insight, key to, know christ, Lord and Saviour, manifested on the outside, metamorphosis, mosey along, negative emotions, obsolete, old before our time, old things passed away, putt off for tomorrow, resentment, returns to dust, significant other, sinful ways of the world, sleeping in, smell the coffee, smell the flowers, smile a lot, snuggle up, sparkling, the butterfly, the French Revolution, the grim reaper, the spirit quickeneth, things to remain the same, Triune God, what you can do today, worst fate possible, young
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (new creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Ah, a rainy Saturday morning, just right for sleeping in! Yeh, woke up to find showers, or rather drizzles of blessings watering the land. And I know that many of you are going to take this opportunity to sleep in this morning, as the mind is saying: ‘Chuh! Forget all the household chores yes! Forget the groceries yes! There’s enough stuff in the fridge for another day!
Snuggle up next to your significant other and enjoy their human warmth, which is like no other warmth in the universe! Just pamper yourself today; rest and relax and smell the coffee gurgling away in the coffee-maker downstairs.’
And that ties in quite nicely to our first quote from our friend Anselm, whose quotes we review each Saturday, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. He says: ‘You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.’
Yeh friends, that’s absolutely true! Earthly life is very short in comparison to eternity, so we don’t need to get all uptight and worried, just mosey along confidently and enjoy all the stuff the Lord has placed down here for us to enjoy.
And that leads us to this next interesting quote: ‘I think being in LOVE with life is a key to eternal youth.’ No doubt about that my brethren! When we LOVE life, it keeps us young and sparkling! We smile a lot, are contented a lot and have much less resentment than those who struggle with life. For it’s really the negative emotions we harbour and display that really drag us down and make us old before our time. (smile)
Now listen to this quote: ‘You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.’ I don’t necessarily agree with that, because the changes needed are sometimes small and very doable within the existing model. And just look at our current situation, where everyday we have a new model of something; oftimes they are no better than the old one, but inevitably they make the old ones obsolete.
And look at the amount of different models we have of human societies! People are trying to change them from both inside and outside, but they’re not getting any better. Some of the old models worked much better than the new ones. Look at the French Revolution, and the Communist Revolution in Russia. Neither made life any better. In fact both were more cruel and inhumane than the previous models.
And there’s much truth in this next quote: ‘People can cry much easier than they can change.’ For sure, for sure! Crying comes much easier than changing because ‘Our dilemma is that we hate change and LOVE it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.’ What insight into our human nature!
We all want things to change for the better, but we hate to go through the tough changes that change always brings. As the quote says, we want it to get better while staying the same. That’s because change takes us out of our comfort zone, into one we don’t know, and might not like. But friends, change, whether for good or bad, always means changing something in our lives.
Look at the butterfly nuh, look at its metamorphosis; how it creeps along like a snail for a while, then sheds its reptile-like skin and suddenly transforms itself into a beautiful butterfly! I’m sure it’s no easy task to shed that skin, but it knows the rewards that will come from making such a painstaking change.
And so it is with us friends, we all are changed, go through our own metamorphosis, when we come to know, LOVE, and work for Christ. As Bruh Paul says to the Corinthians in our Bit: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (new creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ And that’s gospel truth my people!
When we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour we just become entirely different people! We stop living by the carnal lusts of the flesh, by the evil and sinful ways of the world. We are first changed on the inside by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, then others gradually see those changes manifested on the outside as the Holy Spirit begins to work Christ-like ways in us. We embrace a totally new way of life; a Spirit filled life.
As Jesus told the disciples once when they were murmuring about His teaching: ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ (John 6:63)
Yes friends, the flesh is basically worthless, because it eventually dies and returns to the dust from which it was made. However, the spirit lives on forever; either in hell fire and damnation, or in heaven with our Triune God.
But that distinction can only be made by an earthly decision to accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Believe me people, it’s the wisest decision you can ever make in this earthly life, because failure to do so, will bring the worst fate possible to a human soul; eternal separation from Almighty God for ALL of eternity!
And believe me, that’s a long, long, long…exceedingly long time! So please make that oh so wise decision today nuh; right now, because the Grim Reaper can come calling at any time. And once He comes, it’s too late! Much LOVE!
…don’t put off for tomorrow…what you can do today…it can mean hell fire…instead of heavenly bliss…
28 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future, a hope, a little too far, alive and kicking, an expected end, appreciation, at hand, back-breaking week, be glad in it, believers, broad is the way, calamity, chant up a storm, circumspection, damnation, eat and drink, enjoy, enthusiastic, enticement of the enemy, eternal life, eternity, everlasting life, evil minions, exuberant, fellowship, few find it, forgive us, forgiveness, fraught with difficulty, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous, generous help, get a foothold, good for a man, have mercy, hell fire, human souls, in Jesus' name, in soul body and mind, leadeth to destruction, leadeth unto life, loving thoughts, Lucifer, magnanimous, mama yo, mislead agenda, muddy the waters, narrow is the way, never regret it, not evil, not to tread, obedience, obeisance, only one way, opens wide the door, our best interest, pay the price, praise, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, salvation, seek to enter in, sincere repentance, slave-like labour, Solomon, strait is the gate, strive to enter, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, thanks, the celebrating thing, the error of our ways, the fruits of his labour, the Life, the limb of freedom, the Most High, the Truth, the Way, the weekend, the wisest man ever, the workingman, this is the day the Lord has made, thoughts of peace, through Jesus, time to celebrate life, to tread, Triune God, truth, two short days off, victory, we will rejoice, week of work, wide is the gate, wiggle room, wisest decision
Matthew 7:14. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Awright friends, it’s bright and sunshiny out there, so let’s get with the thanks and praise, as we all joyfully declare: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
And we’d be very foolish and ungrateful not to do so my brethren, because that’s why the Lord made the beautiful day – so that His precious people could enjoy it. Glory to our Most High God, whose kind, gracious and LOVING thoughts are always upon us, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
Yes my dear brethren in Christ, our God only has our best interest at heart, but we foolishly screw it up when we don’t pay Him His much-deserved obeisance and obedience. Anyway, He’s also overflowing with forgiveness, so when we realize the error of our ways and come to Him in sincere repentance, He WILL have mercy on our poor human souls, and forgive us. That’s just how magnanimous and generous He is!
And that’s why the workingman, even in his somewhat mislead agenda, can cry out in thanks and appreciation this Friday morning to the Most High: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! MamaYo! The weekend is at hand; the time to celebrate life is upon us. So what we waiting for eh? Let’s celebrate life!
We alive and kicking, and the wisest man ever, Solomon, said that it was good for a man to eat drink and enjoy the fruits of his labour! So leh we do that nuh, celebrate the end of another back breaking week of slave-like labour, as we give thanks for Fridays and weekends!’
Ah friends, as always, I have no complaints re the workingman’s song, except that he takes the celebrating thing a little too far, so that he opens wide the door for Lucifer and his evil minions to get a foothold in his soul. And that’s why, as believers, our Friday Chant is somewhat different; still exuberant and enthusiastic, but with tighter boundaries and a li’l more circumspection. So let’s chant up a storm now nuh, as we declare our thanks for the weekend to Almighty God.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes people, we have to be careful to not go too far out on the limb of freedom, so that we don’t allow the enemy to muddy our clean, clear waters. And remember too, that not because a wide door or path has been opened to us, that we have to go through or take it, for oftimes, it is the enticement of the enemy.
That’s why Jesus warned us: ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
And that’s the God awesome truth friends! Living and working for Jesus, does take away some of our wiggle room. (smile) Meanwhile, Luke puts it thus: ‘Strive to enter in at the strait (narrow) gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.’ (Luke 13:24) Yes my brethren, the way to eternal life is narrow and fraught with difficulty, and only those who sincerely seek it and are willing to pay the price will find it.
And it’s not only narrow, but there’s only ONE WAY, that through Jesus, as He succinctly informed doubting Thomas. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Right there you have that narrow, one-way street to eternal life my people! Jesus didn’t mince words; He told it exactly like it is: ONLY through Him can one get to the Father and bypass eternal damnation with Lucifer in the lake of fire!
So what’s it going to be eh: eternal salvation in the amazing company of our Triune God, or hell fire and damnation with the fallen angels? It’s a decision each individual has to make for themself; nobody else can make it for you. They can suggest it, or even lead you to that narrow path, but it’s always going to be your decision to tread or not to tread it.
Let’s hope today my people, that we all make the wise decision; that to follow Jesus on the narrow but difficult and self-sacrificing path to victory and everlasting life. It’s the best and wisest decision we can ever make in this lifetime! And we will never regret it, all the way through eternity! Much LOVE!
…if Christ…who cannot lie…says He is the ONLY way to the Father…then it must be true…
27 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lazy, a man to rejoice, a time for every thing, an invitation, an open invitation, anything that frightens us, blessed, check the Good Book, Christ-like, courage, creativity, curse, Daily Bread Devotional, delicious, divine protection, do good in his life, eat and drink, Ecclesiastes, embrace sin, endeavour, endure suffering, enjoy the good, eternity, faith, faithfulness, father in heaven, favour, find out God's work, finite limitations, foolish, frustrated, fulsomeness, glory to God, God anointed Jesus, God is ever-faithful, God was with him, good doings, have it more abudantly, have joyful lives, hazy fall day, I am come, in his time, in the name of Jesus, in their heart, knowing and trusting you, made every thing beautiful, man's quest, mundane, natural desire, negative word, no good in them, nothing better, of all his labour, our well-being, perpetuity, promotion, prosper, routine, run to our father, security, set the world, sheen, succeed, success, talent, task, testing, the fruit of our labour, the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, the Preacher, the sons of men, they might have life, Thursday Blessings, to be occupied, to build our faith, to find the strength, travail, use the amenities, waxing philosophical, went about doing good, when in doubt, wisdom dictates, wonderful communication, words of wisdom
Ecclesiastes 3:12. I know that there is no good in them (nothing better for them), but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
Whoever said that yesterday was going to be a ‘riney’ day eh? What a joke! By mid-morning the sun had come out, not in all its glory, but strong enough to make it a sunny day, all day. Luckily too, or rather blessedly, before going for those tests yesterday, I realized that I had done something which would have negated them, so I had to cancel them, and just spent a lazy, hazy fall day at home. (smile)
Wow! Aren’t those types of days delicious? They surely are. But like everything else in life, we can’t have them too often else the sheen, the ‘delicioso’ will wear off and they’ll become routine and mundane. What words of wisdom my brethren! The ole fella’s waxing philosophical this morning. Hn!
And here is an interesting li’l prayer I recently got from a Daily Bread Devotional. ‘Please pray with me: ‘Father in heaven, please help us to remember that anything that frightens us comes with an invitation to find the strength of knowing and trusting you.’ Now that’s a most important fact to remember friends! Whenever we’re afraid, we have an open invitation to run to our Father and cling to Him and thereby receive the strength and trust inherent in His awesome power! Glory to God!
It’s just like when a young child is walking with his or her parents and anything along the way frightens them, they quickly run and grab on to one of their parents because they know that there is strength and security to be found in them. Our situation with our heavenly Father is no different. And we’d be extremely foolish not to use the amenities He’s provided for our well-being.
So having said all of that, what’s next eh? I really don’t know. (smile) But as always, wisdom dictates; when in doubt, check the Good Book. Give me a minute to do that and see where the Lord leads us…
And talk about faithfulness! Our God is truly ever-faithful! I randomly opened the Good Book a minute ago, and lo and behold it opened unto Ecclesiastes 3, the famous chapter where Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher, talks about a time for everything.
And there I saw this most inspiring and reassuring declaration. ‘I have seen the travail (task or endeavour) which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it (with which to be occupied). He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world (eternity) in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh (does) from the beginning to the end.’ (Eccl.3:10-11)
And the scholars explain that last verse thus: ‘3:11: The world is better translated “eternity.” God has given man a desire for eternity and perpetuity; therefore man cannot be satisfied with what is merely temporal. Man’s quest for the eternal, however, is frustrated by his finite limitations.’
And that might very well be so my brethren, but nonetheless, as Cousin Sol acknowledges in our Bit: ‘I know that there is no good in them (nothing better for them), but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.’
Yes friends, our God made us to enjoy the beauty and fulsomeness of his universe, not to suffer incessantly in an evil world. We do have to endure some suffering and some testing to build our faith, but overall the Lord wants His people to have joyful lives and earnest and wonderful communication with Him, else why would He make all that beautiful stuff in the universe eh?
And Cousin Sol continues: ‘And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.’ (Eccl.3:13) And indeed enjoying the fruit of our labour is God’s gift to us. Note though, he said, ‘our labour,’ not someone else’s! (smile)
That reminds us of Jesus statement that ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) Yes my brethren, throughout the Good Book we see that the Lord fully intended for us to enjoy His universe, it’s just that our natural desire to embrace sin and its evil ways that has derailed us.
And I want to point out an important point in our Bit; we are not only called to rejoice, but even more importantly to do good! It’s all a part of enjoying the fruit of our labour, and generally speaking, our labour won’t bear much good fruit if we don’t sprinkle it with good doings.
Listen to this heartwarming story the apostles tell about Jesus. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ (Acts 10:38)
Yes my faithful followers of Christ, God is also with us: we have His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, and also the power that Christ had, thus to be truly Christ-like, we also have to go out and do good. And why do you think we’ve been as extremely blessed as we are eh? It’s so that we can do good by sharing them. Now let’s go home declaring (spelled it right, glory to God!) our Thursday Blessings, showing the world what can also be theirs if they embrace Jesus.
All together in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
What a blessed life we live my brethren! Now let’s go out and share it with the less fortunate, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…half the joy in having blessings…lies in sharing them…
09 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian, advanced society, always catches up to you, Anselm, ashamed of Christ, at your fingertips, backbone, be glad, belly, beloved, beneficial to you, benefits, blasphemed, blessed, can't change the past, Christ's glory is revealed, Christ's sufferings, culled, dismiss their concern, dwell in the past, each concern, eternity, faithful brethren, faking, fresh strawberries, friend, from glory to glory, good and faithful servant, groceries, heaven, house of god, household chores, insulted, Jesus, judge each situation, judgement, judgement day, keep the good ones, knickers tied in a knot, lessons learned from the past, like your sin, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, make ends meet, mental pain, move on in life, necessary assets, obey not the gospel, on its own merit, out of hand, overwhelm you, partakers, physical anguish, pill to swallow, puttering around, rejoice, reproached, self-centred, selfish, sleep in, some strange thing happened, spiritual guide, suffer, the faint of heart, the fiery trial, the name of Christ, the Spirit of God, the wisest path, the workweek, think it not strange, throw away the bad ones, to try you, unhappy with you, valid reason, wasting time and energy, welcome, with exceeding joy, work in your favour, working harder, working more
1 Peter 4:12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
Well, well, well! If it isn’t Saturday; the sleep in day! No, I did not sleep in. I was just puttering around doing a few necessary things around the house before coming down to write. (smile)
And do you really realize friends, that out of seven days, we only have one in which we can do some sleeping in; five days most of us work, and on Sunday we go to church, and most church services are fairly early. But even then, some unfortunate ones also have to get up early on Saturday to do household chores and groceries and other things that could not be done during the workweek.
So where are all those supposed benefits from our so advanced society eh? We seem to be working more, and harder too, simply to make ends meet, and also seeing fewer benefits.
But don’t worry my faithful brethren, if you have Jesus as your spiritual guide, Lord and Saviour, then you have all the necessary assets at your fingertips to make this life work in your favour. More on that later.
And since it’s Saturday, we ought to take a look at the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. The first quote is certainly interesting. It advises: ‘Whatever you do, wherever you go, there will always be someone who will be unhappy with you. They might have a valid reason for it or might not, but it’s not something that you should care about.’
The first part is definitely true. Wherever you go, someone will always be unhappy with you over something. However, I don’t know if you should always dismiss their concerns out of hand, because some of those concerns might actually be beneficial to you. Neither should you allow each concern to overly trouble or overwhelm you.
The wisest path seems to be to look at each situation as it arises, and judge each one on its own merit. Just note though, that nowadays people are so selfish and self-centred that they get their knickers all tied up in a knot very easily over simple nonsense. (smile)
And the next quote says: ‘Faking is something that causes a lot of mental pain, so avoid it as much as you can.’ And I’m here to tell you that faking causes not only mental pain but can cause great physical anguish too. And it always catches up to you. It’s like your sin; it will always find you out. So please avoid it at all costs.
Now here is the last quote, some true words of wisdom. ‘No matter how hard you try, you can’t change the past. So its better to move on in life with the lessons learned from the past instead of wasting time and energy on past.’
Ah friends unfortunately too many of us still dwell in the past. We let what happened before consume our lives and thus prevent us from moving on successfully to new things and people.
However, the past, like someone once said, should be culled like a box of fresh strawberries; keep the good ones and throw away the bad ones. In other words the past is best used to enjoy the good memories and learn life lessons from the bad ones.
And that brings us to our Bit, some rather tough, but true words from the apostle Peter. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.’
Yes my people, I know that is a rather difficult pill to swallow, but as true believers in Jesus Christ, we are expected to grin and bear the fiery trial, handle it with all the belly and backbone that Jesus displayed in His fiery time. And we’ll just let Peter explain why that should be so.
‘But rejoice, inasmuch (to the extent that) as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody (meddler) in other men’s affairs. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (matter). For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?’ (1 Pet.4:13-17)
And that’s a very pertinent question friends! Judgement Day is a must, and it includes those of us who have suffered for Christ’s sake in faithfulness to His word. Now can you imagine what will be the faith of those who have refuted Him and His gospel?
Ah mih people, being a true believer is not for the faint of heart, but as we persevere, we become stronger and stronger, we grow from glory to glory. So please don’t get all upset and scared and quit as you read Peter’s words.
The Lord has promised to give us the wherewithal to bear every trial, and if we do so in good faith, not being ashamed of Him and His word, then we will be welcomed into heaven by none other than the Father Himself, with words like these: ‘Welcome thou good and faithful servant!’ And believe me friends, heaven is the place to spend eternity! Much LOVE!
…if you suffer with and for Christ on earth…you will surely rejoice with Him in heaven…
05 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a blueprint, a new day, a short time, absurdities, accounting procedure, achieve your ends, agonized over, all these things, Amen, angel food, Anselm, attitudes, be added unto you, blunders, bring to each day, caterwaul, consistent living, consult the past, don't hurry, don't worry, don't worry about tomorrow, encumbered, enthusiasm, eternity, finish each day, followers of Jesus, fresh level, God's people, heaven, high a spirit, his righteousness, hurricane force wind, inner circle, Israelites, keep it righteous, kicked up its heels, lie, LOVE, manna, matter finish, neck of the woods, new insights, old nonsense, on your plate, ordinances, perspective, pilgrims, plans, quail, rest in peace, saved the best for last, seek ye first, smell the flowers, statutes, successful, sufficient unto the day, surround yourself, take no thought, the BIBLE, the east wind, the evil thereof, the kingdom of God, the morrow, tomorrow will worry about itself, trouble, unfaithful, unnecessary stuff, windstorm, wooden fence
Matthew 6:34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.
Oh friends, it’s a glorious Saturday in my neck of the woods! And I have to chuckle as I say that because yesterday was somewhat of a nightmare. Early in the afternoon the weather cleared up, but a wicked windstorm then kicked up its heels, lasting until early evening. I believe that a hurricane force wind is around 110 – 120 km per hour… well this one was at least around 90 km per hour.
I lay in my bed listening to it caterwaul through the neighbourhood, and it brought to mind the east wind that the Lord stirred up when He gave the Israelites quail because they were tired of angel food; manna. (smile) At some stages I thought it might blow away my roof, so much noise it was making up there. But thankfully, the only damage I’ve seen so far is a piece of my wooden fence blown down into the neighbour’s backyard. Thank You Lord!
And since it’s Saturday, let’s take a look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his sincere efforts to inspire us for a better tomorrow. First up is this insightful quote. ‘Surround yourself with people who get you.’
And is that ever important my breddren! The only way to succeed is to have people around you who know what you are about, and are willing to work with you to achieve your ends. We can’t succeed by ourselves, neither with people working against us. That’s why it’s essential to build your inner circle ever so carefully.
And the second quote says: ‘You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.’ That’s true too. It reminds me of our Tuesday Mantra. Technically speaking, earth is not our home, we’re only here for a short time, pilgrims passing through.
Heaven is our real home, where we’ll spend eternity, so that’s where we ought to concentrate a fair amount of our efforts. And besides, how much control do we have over earthly things anyway? Not a whole lot. So why worry and hurry eh?
And as usual, we’ve saved the best for last. ‘Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.’ And all God’s people said a loud and positive ‘Amen!’
Hn, hn! But we still bring forward the crappy stuff we did yesterday, as though it’s an accounting procedure. No friends, to a certain extent we ought to let yesterday rest in peace. It’s come and gone, and there is nothing we can do about it. So only the very important, ongoing stuff should ever be opened on a new day, as we bring a new and fresh level of enthusiasm and perspective to it.
Jesus warned us: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ What wise words from our Lord and Saviour!
In the same manner, we should not worry about what went on yesterday. Everyday will have enough problems of its own for us to handle, so why add unnecessary stuff eh? That doesn’t mean we should not to be concerned about important, life changing or rearranging things, but generally speaking we upset ourselves with way too much unimportant stuff.
If we sit down and truly analyze a day’s proceedings, I’m sure we’ll find that half of what we agonized over when it was happening, did not deserve that level of concern. The best way to consistent living is to try and live in the here and now as much as possible. Deal with what’s currently on your plate.
Have plans, but plans can change like…like…the weather. You know what I really wanted to say, but don’t need the hassle from my female associates. (smile). Consult the past, but mostly to learn from it, not to live in it. Treat each new day, like exactly what it is; a NEW DAY! That way, you’ll bring new insights and attitudes to it.
Oh friends, earthly living is not easy, but as believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ, we have been given a blessed blueprint to make it as successful as possible; it’s called the Word of the Lord, the BIBLE! If we sincerely follow its statutes and ordinances, we will be successful. If we don’t, we won’t be successful. It’s as simple as that.
And there’s no better paraphrase to all of that, than these wise words of Jesus. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yes my brethren, Jesus has no cause to lie or be unfaithful in His promises, so if He says the best way to live this earthly life is by first seeking God and his righteousness, then you know that’s so. Matter finish! Much LOVE!
…bring to each day…just what is necessary to keep it righteous…
11 Apr 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, adversity, African Proverb, appreciative, be glad in the Lord, benefits, bless the Lord, blessings, boogey along, breathtaking, compass him about, connection to Christ, declare God's work, diligence, disunity, drive them away, earthly lot, enemies be scattered, eternal life, eternity, exalt, exceedingly rejoice, excellence, extol, flee before God, focus straight ahead, glad to be alive, glorious future, go alone, go far, go quickly, go with friends, God's omnipotence, God's unrelenting power, halfway home, hands on the plough, hindrances, in the name of Jesus, in unity, Jah, joyfully, let God arise, let the righteous be glad, mind-blowing, negatively based lives, not looking back, obits, poor-me-one, positively, priase God, problems, rejoice before God, rides upon the heavens, right blend, righteous, salvation, sing unto God, smoke is driven away, sorrows, sufferation, suffering, surround, the breath of life, the heart of the matter, the presence of God, the wicked, the wicked perish, upright in heart, wax melts, Wednesday Wail, welcome, woe is me
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Welcome, welcome, one and all, to another brand new day on God’s great earth! Bless the Lord, praise His holy name! If you are reading this, then you can be assured that your name and/or picture has not shown up in today’s obits. (smile)
That means that our heavenly Father has more work for each of us to do down here on earth. Our time for going to heaven just hasn’t arrived as yet. So whatever the Lord has planned for us today, please, let’s go out and do it with diligence and excellence nuh, because that’s the attitude our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ desires from His followers. Glory to God!
Now here is a li’l African Proverb to tease our minds. It says: ‘If you want to go quickly – go alone. If you want to go far – go with friends.’ And it does sound logical, since by yourself you can just boogey along to wherever you want to go, with no hindrances.
However, the distance you can travel, if you have others along to help and carry you when you get tired is greater than trying to do it alone. So let’s ponder that this morning nuh, and try to find the right blend of how quickly we want to go with how far we want to go. (smile)
And while we are pondering that, let us also consider these wise and wonderful words of Bruh David from Psalm 68 – God has gone before his people – which includes our Bit.
‘Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.’
Ah friends, wise words that strike right to the heart of the matter; God’s omnipotence! And if the wicked shall perish before His unrelenting power, then the righteous, His followers, should rejoice and be exceedingly glad, because they will enjoy all His benefits and blessings.
And that’s the state we Christians ought to be living in today and everyday; one of rejoicing in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Unfortunately though, there are too many supposed Christians who are not living that kind of life. Too many of us are living this ‘poor-me-one,’ ‘woe is me’ lifestyle, unwisely believing that ‘sufferation’ is our earthly lot. But my people that’s the furthest thing from the truth, since Jesus died that we may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have problems and go through adversity, but suffering is not to be our main lot! If it were so, then Jesus would have died in vain, because we were already suffering and looking forward to a disastrous life in Hades before He came.
And since Jesus came to give us another and much better option for our lives, then we ought to be extremely glad and rejoice for salvation and the promise of eternal life in heaven with Him at some stage of the game.
So please, let’s get rid of this ‘sufferation’ complex so many of us have and just be glad in the Lord nuh my brethren. It’s why Jesus came and sacrificed His life for us.
Instead, as Bruh David continues, we ought to: ‘Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol (exalt, praise) him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH (Lord), and rejoice before him.’ (Ps.68:4)
Mama Mia! What wonderful advice! Now if only believers could cotton to that and do it eh! What a wonderful world this would be!
Oh fellow believers in Christ, I’m imploring us today to stop living the negatively based lives that so many of us are wrongly living. Let’s get rid of all the disunity and negative stuff that’s spoiling our lives and our church community and instead live the way Jesus died for us to live; positively and joyfully, in unity with each other.
As Bruh David says in Psalm 64 – Plot and punishment: ‘And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.’ (Ps.64:9-10)
Remember friends, we are supposed to be righteous and upright in heart! That means we ought to glory in our great and wonderful God, not simply plod along like suffering pilgrims!
Now listen to these two verses from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness – as Bruh David reiterates his wise advice. ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him).
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps.32:10 –11) And if Bruh David said it should be so, then let’s make it so nuh! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all the world know of our wonderful connection to, and with Jesus Christ. All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And I can’t help remarking that spending eternity with Jesus will indeed be glorious, mind-blowing and breathtaking! Much LOVE!
…for all the good and wonderful things that Jesus stands for…Christians ought to be much more appreciative and joyful…
25 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abaraham, adorned for her husband, as a bride, at rest, builder was God, by water and the word, charter of salvation, cherish, coming down from God, confidence, consummation of peace, defend, enthusiasm, eternity, exalting god, face the upcoming week, faith, fellowship, final judgement, foundations, give thanks, God's will, God-given fix, Guide, Hall of faith, heaven is our home, heresies, holy bride, indisputable fact, isms, Jesus Christ, Jesus is alive, listen to God's Word, LOVE, lowly, meek, morn of song, new creation, New Jerusalem, no crying, no more death, no more pain, no sorrow, one faith, one hope, ONE Lord, passed away, passion for Jesus, pilgrims, praise, receive encouragement, rent asunder, Rudyard Kipling, sacrificial praise, saints, Samuel John Stone, schisms, son of god, stoked in our hearts, strangers, sustain, the Apostles Creed, the church, the church's one foundation, the former things, the holy city, the Lord's Day, the medium of song, the Millennium, the tabernacle of God, tumult of war, victorious, walk in obedience, weeping, wipe away all tears, worship
Revelation 21:2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
It’s praise and worship and fellowship time once again friends! The Lord’s Day is upon us, so we need to have the proper response, that’s going en masse to His sanctuary to give thanks, praise His holy name, listen to His awesome word and receive encouragement, confidence and enthusiasm to face the upcoming week. Yeh mih breddren, it’s time for our weekly God-given fix. (smile)
And as always, we’ll open the proceedings with praise and worship, exalting our heavenly Father through the medium of song. Today’s hymn is another old favourite, ‘The Church’s One Foundation.’ It’s a Christian hymn written in the 1860s by British Pastor, Samuel John Stone.
According to Wikipedia, ‘The song was written as a direct response to the schism within the Church of South Africa caused by John William Colenso, first Bishop of Natal, who denounced much of the Bible as fictitious. This topic is alluded to within the fourth verse of the text “Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed.”
When Bishop Colenso was deposed for his teachings, he appealed to the higher ecclesiastical authorities in England. It was then that Samuel Stone became involved in the debate. It inspired him to write a set of hymns based on the Apostles’ Creed in 1866. He titled it, Lyra Fidelium; Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostles’ Creed.
“The Church’s One Foundation” is based on the ninth article, The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints.’ The song also served as inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s 1896 poem, Hymn Before Action. It is typically set to the tune “Aurelia” by Samuel Seba.’
Yuh see friends, the rich history of today’s hymn, born of isms and schisms as it was. Anyway, in strong voice and rich harmony, let’s offer it up with the sacrificial praise of our lips, to glorify the solid rock of our immortal faith, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘The church’s one Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is His new creation, by water and the Word; from heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
Elect from ev’ry nation, yet one o’er all the earth, her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth; one holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses, with ev’ry grace endued. Tho’ with a scornful wonder, men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?” And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.
The church shall never perish! Her dear Lord, to defend, to guide, sustain, and cherish, is with her to the end; tho’ there be those that hate her and false sons in her pale, against the foe or traitor she ever shall prevail. ‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war, she waits the consummation of peace for evermore; till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest, and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One, and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won. O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we, like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with Thee.’
Yeh friends, the church of Christ will NEVER die, regardless of all the trials and tribulations it may go through, because it is built on the greatest foundation that the universe has to offer, The ONE and ONLY SON of GOD: JESUS CHRIST! Bless His holy name my people!
As the hymn says, she is His creation, through water and His word, the very purpose for which He came down from heaven. Then He bought her with His blood, paid for her life with His own. So how could it ever die eh? As long as Jesus is alive His church will exist. That’s an indisputable fact. It might not be going as strong and unified as it ought to, because of the current presence of all the same nonsense, the dissension and disunity that caused the hymn to be written a couple centuries ago, but it’s definitely going to be around until Jesus comes back for his bride.
Glory be my brethren! No wonder John the Revelator was shown the vision of how things would be after the Millennium and the final judgement. He saw a new heaven and a new earth, birthed, as beautiful as ever, the everlasting state, where there would be no sin. ‘And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.’ Yes friends, that would be Jesus’ eternal kingdom.
And John continues: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev.21:3-4)
Ah mih people, that’s what we have to look forward to in eternity! Isn’t it a wonderful picture? It surely is! And if we want to be around to see it, then we have to keep the passion for Jesus well stoked in our hearts and lives from now; for who knows how much time we have until Jesus returns. We need our faith to stay strong and walk in obedience to God’s will. That’s why it’s so important for us to go to church, to gather and fellowship with each other and encourage each other.
As the Good Book points out about Abraham in the Hall of Faith: ‘By faith he sojourned in the land of promise…For he looked (was waiting) for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God.’ (Heb.11:9a:10) And if we’re wise, my fellow believers, that’s how we’ll be, constantly on the lookout for the New Jerusalem in this our earthly journey. Much LOVE!
…this earth is not our home…we are strangers and pilgrims down here…heaven is our home…
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