09 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: balanced lives, children of God, common task, communing with God, Crusoe's Isle, daily grind, devotions, evil, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, friends of Jesus, giants, give thanks, glory hallelujah, glory to God, gospel truth, grace, grow in grace, harmony, holy spirit, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, ingenious God, Jesus Christ, kindness, knowledge of Jesus, LOVE, memorable, memories, mercy, midget, more like Jesus, One Year Book of Bible promises, pollinating, praying, reproduction, Rosie's rock cake, Ruth Harms Calkin, salt air, share His love with the world, sights and sounds of nature, sitting on the patio, spiritual growth, the Lord in favour, the party's over, Tobago, truth, Tuesday Mantra, warmth, wisdom, worth the waiting
2 Peter 3:18. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever Amen.
Well friends, the music has ended, and the D.J is packing up his equipment, that means the party’s over! Steups! So sad, but oh so true.
The simple fact of the matter is that we can’t party for ever, we also have to have periods of work if we want to live balanced lives as the Lord, our Maker intended.
And all of that is just to say that the ole fella’s vacation in paradise, on sweet Tobago is over. Chuh! But them’s the breaks! Sadly, it’s time to get back to the common task and daily grind in the cold North country.
No longer will I be waking up to the sweet singing of the birds, coming out the front door and inhaling the fresh salt air from the sea as the waves rush foam-filled over the reef and crash against the rocky shore. No more sitting out on the patio in the early morning hours communing with the Father, watching the sun rise and feeling it’s heat permeate my very being.
No more watching the birds and insects play amongst the bunch of young date palms on the small tree as they go about their business, God’s business of pollinating the flowers so that life can go on.
And I have to stop and say what a wonderful and ingenious God we serve, the ingenious way He designed for nature’s reproduction. Please give Him all the glory!
Then no more walks along the rocky coastline after devotions… Hn! No more dips in my waterhole either. No more sitting on the patio with the duchess taking in the sights and sounds of nature, as she says, enjoying the ambiance. (smile) And she certainly won’t be able to see, or hear her boats, the ferries speed back and forth along the horizon.
And she won’t be able to have me drive miles down the road to get some of Rosie’s rock cake! Hn! Three times this past week I drove all the way down to this local bakery, in the hot sun to boot, only to discover that she was closed, or she had no drops. I wasn’t very thrilled.
But you know what friends; the vacation might all be over in reality, but the wonderful time we had on Crusoe’s Isle will never be forgotten, will never be erased from our memories. For as Johnny Bristol says in his old song: ‘Memories don’t leave like people do. They always stay with you. Whether they’ve been good or bad, They’re always something that you have.’
And that is gospel truth my people! And believe me, we made many many good memories over the last few weeks. As I sit in my rocking chair during the cold days and nights, I will recall many of them, chuckle and give thanks to the Almighty for having allowed me to make them.
And to all of you in T&T who made our stay so memorable, the duchess and I give you thanks from the very bottom of our hearts. We sincerely appreciated your warmth and kindness, and hope that we can savour some more of it next year, the Lord in favour. Can’t wait to come back! (smile)
Anyway, today is Tuesday, so let’s get on with our Tuesday Mantra nuh. Altogether now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’
Glory to God my people for those true and wonderful sentiments! Please, let’s remember that what the world says or thinks about us is of no importance, once we are sincerely trying to do the Father’s bidding. We are indeed children of God and friends of Jesus! That’s our designation; nothing else!
And today I want to share a rather important message from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s aptly titled, ‘Worth the Waiting.’
Listen closely: ‘Growing spiritually is such a long, slow process! It’s painful too. Every day at the turn of the road I become acquainted with new pitfalls and heartaches. Sometimes the pain backs me into a corner. For example: There is a woman I know who is so sarcastic, so curt and unkind. Am I ever excused? Is forgiveness always a part of my growth?
So often I feel like a spiritual midget while my husband and friends appear to be spiritual giants. I seem to shrink in my own home. Another thing: I confess that I am a coward about pain. Emotional pain. Physical pain. The pain of loneliness, the pain of grief.
Yet, again and again it is true. What I must learn in my pain is that it is leading to something positive, something beyond what I can see in the present darkness. I do want to grow! I want to become more and more like Jesus. Even though it takes so long, surely it is worth the waiting.’
And friends, that is the immutable truth! Becoming more like Jesus, is indeed a long and ofttimes painful process, but believe me, it is worth the wait!
So for all of us who have problems like those above, and we all do at some time or other, the important thing is never to give up, just keep holding on tightly to Jesus, because in due time, in His time, He will bring us through the fire transformed, more like Him.
And the Bible Promise for that passage is also our Bit for today. ‘But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers, the only way to handle the wickedness and the temptations of this evil world is by growing in the grace and knowledge of our great and wonderful God. Without the bulwark that His favour and word provide, we’re easy pickings for the enemy.
And remember God’s basic plan for each of us is that we grow more like the Saviour each and every day, by studying His Word, praying and fellowshipping with other believers. Those things need to be constants in our lives, if we are to mature successfully.
And we have a very relevant scripture to quote from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. As pertaining to the new life in Christ, he tells them. ‘That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight (trickery) of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in LOVE, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted (knit together) by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual (effective) working in the measure of every part (of each part doing its share), maketh increase (causes growth) of the body unto the edifying of itself in LOVE.’ (Eph.4:14-16)
Yes my brethren, the church of Christ is like the human body, to grow successfully, it needs proper food and all the parts working together in harmony. And the best way to do that is to come up over our problems with LOVE; the LOVE of Christ! Much LOVE!
…in all things…the LOVE of Christ suffices…
07 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child is born, a son is given, adrenaline, asaph, ascension, awe, battle lines, birth, born of a virgin, care, christianity, compassion, confidence, copulation, Counselor, Creator of the universe, death, down in the dumps, egg, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fallen humanity, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, furthering God's glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, judgement, justice, keeping lives and families together, lies, LOVE, mercy, Messiah, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, payment for sins, peace, praise your holy nmae, redeemed, redemption, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, resurrection, reverence, righteousness., sacrifice, salvation, serve a useful purpose, sexual relations, sinless, sperm, steadfast faith, taunts, the everlasting Father, the Lord of hosts, the mighty God, the one and only true living God, the Prince of Peace, the sanctuary, the throne of David, thy way O God, trust, truth, unblemished, ungodly world, weary souls, who is so great a God, wiles, wisdom, Wonderful, work, zeal
Psalm 77:13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?
Awright friends, it’s Monday, so let’s be up and at ‘em nuh! Our Field Marshall, Jesus Christ is already at the battle lines waiting patiently for us, and it’s a crime, a sure sin to keep Him waiting too long.
So for those of us who fellowshipped and worshipped yesterday, whose spirit is ready to do battle, let’s wake up those who are down in the dumps, moaning and groaning, tired and finding it difficult to get a move on, with a mighty rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one awesome choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Wonderful friends, simply wonderful! Jesus was just smiling and tapping as He swung His baton in guidance, and the Father too was smiling and tapping, as He listened to us bare our hearts and souls in awe and reverence!
Now with all that adrenaline running through our motors, let’s get us to the battlefield that’s work and show the heathen, the unbelievers, how Jesus’ followers do life here on earth nuh, with LOVE, peace, mercy, forgiveness, care and compassion!
Ah mih breddren, my days on paradise are quickly drawing to a close, but that’s life. It was a rather interesting vacation with all sorts of ups and downs, and one I will remember for as long as I live. All glory be to a great God who looks after His followers with all those wonderful attributes we mentioned above!
That’s why when we are confronted by our Bit: ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’ We can confidently declare in a loud and proud voice: ‘NOBODY is as great as our God!
And that’s the indisputable truth! That’s also why the psalmist Asaph, in the verses after our Bit could loudly, proudly and truthfully proclaim: ‘Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength amongst the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.’ (Ps.77:14-15)
Yes my people, our great and awesome God has indeed done all of that! And since I’m going to make today the last day for this particular Bit – and I hear many voices whispering, ‘Thank God!’ (smile) I’ll get to some real powerful factors in our God’s redemption of His people; namely the birth, death, resurrection and ascension of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Wow! What moments of true might and power from the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING God!
Let’s talk generally about those actions, because we’d be here till next never (smile) if we tried to look at them in detail.
Long before Jesus ever came, the Lord promised His people a Messiah, a Saviour. Isaiah prophesied this when he declared: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is.9:6-7) And perform it did He ever!
Now here is the clincher in the whole scenario: our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born of a virgin named Mary! Upon that lies the entire basis of Christianity. If you don’t believe that, or if it isn’t true, then Christianity is a fake.
But that’s the only way Jesus could have been born a sinless man. If He had had an earthly or human father then He would have been amongst the fallen humanity as we are. But to ensure that He was both man and God, the Father conceived Him spiritually in the womb of a virgin; a woman who had had no sexual relations with any man.
So He had an earthly mother, which made him man, but a heavenly and spiritual Father, which made Him God. That’s why He could have lived amongst us, feel all the pains and anxieties we feel, but still considered sinless.
And He had to be sinless, unblemished like all the sacrifices the Jews made, otherwise He could not have been sacrificed on the cross of Calvary, and thus paid our sin debt in full. Oh glory to God my people!
The Father in His holiness, righteousness and justice needed payment for our sins, if they were to be forgiven, and the only unblemished person beside Himself was His Son Jesus. That made the argument moot, if He intended to redeem His fallen creation.
So friends, let’s end with these two question nuh; is there any other supposed deity who LOVES His followers, more than our great God who sacrificed His Only Son for us?
The answer is obviously a resounding NO!
And lastly, is there any other supposed deity down through the ages, who could have made a human being without some sort of copulation between a male and a female of the species?
The answer is also a resounding NO!
Even in these days of high technology and great advancement in the science of human reproduction, to produce a human being, it still takes the sperm of a male to come into contact with the egg of a female, however that is accomplished. I rest my case. Much LOVE!
…only a most mighty and powerful Deity…could have created this world and all therein…
05 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great King, a psalm of praise, acknowledge, adversity, aggressiveness, Andrew Murray, angrily, another beautiful day, anxiously, behave as God's child, bestow, blessings, bow down, by His will, Caleb, circumstances, clothes wore out, contrite, draw us closer to Him, dry land, dwell on the past, encouragement, evil, fellowship, formula, friends, glory, glory hallelujah, God brought me here, God's appointment, God's great earth, God's Word, great is our God above all gods, guidance, heaven cannot contain God, humble, hurt and pain, In His good time, in time of trouble, Jesus Christ, Joshua, keep me in His love. grace, keeping, kneel, LOVE, majesty, make a joyful noise, mercies, obedient to God's will, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, Our Daily Bread, people of his pasture, petulantly, sanctuaries, shout joyfully, teaching me lessons, thanks and praise, thanksgiving, the earth, the greatness of God, the Lord our Maker, the sanctuary, the sea, the sheep of his hand, this strait place, thy way O God, trail, training, truth, turns over a new page, who is so great a God, why me Lord, wisdom, wise counsel, wonders, worship
Psalm 77:13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?
Ah mih people, welcome to another beautiful and bountiful day on God’s great earth!
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise to our great God who lavishes us with new blessings and mercies each and every day!’
Now that’s a truth from which we cannot escape friends; every day, the Lord turns over a new page in our lives, and asks that we do the same; not forget the past, but not to dwell on it, as so many of us tend to do.
And today I want to share with us, I guess we’ll call it… a formula, for lack of a better word, although I don’t like to talk about formulas when dealing with God’s Word because it makes it sound so contrived.
Anyway, this is a process that was shared in yesterday’s Our Daily Bread Devotional, so those of you who read it, will know what I’m talking about. But for those who don’t, the story goes that way back in 1895, a South African pastor, Andrew Murray, was visiting England when he was felled by excruciating pain from an old back injury.
However, during his time of recuperation, his hostess mentioned a lady who was also experiencing a time of great trouble, and wanted to know if the pastor had any words of advice, of wise counsel to help her. It’s reputed that the pastor told his hostess: ‘Give her this paper which I have been writing for my own (encouragement). It may be that she will find it helpful.
And this is what the pastor wrote. ‘In time of trouble say: First – God brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place. In that I will rest. Next – He will keep me in His LOVE and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child.
Then – He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He intends to bestow. Last – In His good time He can bring me out again – how and when He knows. I am here – by God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, for His time.’
Oh friends, what wonderful words of wisdom! For we are all subject to God’s plan for our lives. There’s no getting away from His mandate; we might run for a spell, but we can never hide.
The best way to handle our adversity is to assume that everything has come from God, even though it might not have originated with Him, there is a reason He has allowed it to upset our lives; for testing, training, learning or to draw us closer to Him.
The right thing is to come to Him in sincerity and ask for His guidance, what to do under the prevailing circumstances. Don’t go anxiously, angrily and petulantly asking, ‘Why Lord, why me, why this calamity at this time eh? You know I’m trying my best to serve you, but still these adversities happening to me. Why Lord, why eh?’
For our questions as to why, we very seldom get an answer, although later on we usually are able to determine the why. It’s best just to go before Him with a humble and contrite heart and pour out all our hurt and pain without any aggressiveness.
For once we let pride make us haughty and aggressive, He will just tune us out. So please let’s take all those points into account, because it will make our lives much easier in times of adversity.
And now to our Bit. ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’
Yes friends it’s the same one, because there is so much scripture to relate, scripture which teaches us about the greatness of our God!
And as I said yesterday, we’ll never be able to truly surrender our lives to Him and truly appreciate His wonderful nature until we fully realize How magnificent, magnanimous and merciful He is.
And we’ll just mention some instances of His great power, beginning with the fact that for all the forty years He allowed His chosen people to wander in the wilderness, until all those who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb died, neither their clothes nor shoes or sandals ever wore out.
Just think about that nuh mih people; forty years with no need for new clothes or shoes. Some of you women would die! (smile) Only a rather powerful Deity could do that.
Now listen to Cousin Sol after he had built the temple. ‘And the house which I build is (will be) great: for great is our God above all Gods. But who is able to build him a house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? Who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?’ (2 Chr.2:5-6)
Yeh friends, who will build our great God a house when the universe cannot contain Him? It’s just like our sanctuaries today. They are merely for our gathering to give Him thanks and praise, a place where we believe He can be more readily found. But in truth, our great God is everywhere, all the time. That’s why we call Him omniscient, omnipotent and omni-present!
Now hear these words of the psalmist from Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God. ‘Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand (possession) are the deep places of the earth: the strength (heights) of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker’ (Ps.95:2-6)
Yes my fellow believers, there’s nothing better for us to do than to bow down and worship our great God, for He is our Maker, and He made us to have fellowship with Him and be obedient to His will.
So today let’s ponder and consider all that we have said nuh, plus all the times when the Lord has worked His wonders in our individual lives, for He certainly has done wonders in all of our lives. Then let’s acknowledge His glory and majesty, and give Him the praise and thanks that He so fittingly deserves. Now that’s true wisdom! Much LOVE!
…For He is our God…and we are the people of His pasture…and the sheep of His hand (under His care)… (Ps.95:7a)
04 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A prayer for change, adhered, another week of work, balance of life, be in thy mouth, body, calamitous, calamity, chiding, children of Israel, circumstances, contention, day and night, depressing, disconsolate, do whatever I want, doubting, dreary, Egypt, evil, exodus, face challenges, faith, fellowship, Friday chant, frivolity, fun, further your glorious kingdom, generous help, glory hallelujah, glowing sunshine, God's Word, guideline, half-truths, holy spirit, hope, image, indulge, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Joshua, joy, lack of water, laughing, LOVE, Massah, meditate, mental dial, Meribah, mind, miracles firsth hand, moment od prayer, moods, morning mist, negative feelings, omnipotent, partying, Pharaoh, prayer, prosperous, relaxation, remove God from our lives, renewed and refreshed, responsible, rest, richly blessed, second hand, self-pity, slave work, soul, sovereign, springtime returns, success, surrender, tempted the Lord, testing, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank You Lord, the book of the law, the prince of darkness, the Rock, the sanctuary, the sun breaks through, the weekend, thy way O God, time to play, traffic jams, travelling, trust, truth, trying times, turning away from God, understand, ungodly world, who is so great a God, wiles, work diligently
Psalm 77:13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?
And the day that the working people LOVE so much, Friday, has finally rolled around again. That’s why there are so many glorious and joyous shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! I couldn’t make it even one more day in this slave work nuh! At last the weekend! My time to play and do whatever I want! Oh thank you ever so much Lord for Fridays! Glory Hallelujah!’
And in these trying times of early waking up and much travelling to get back and forth to work with all the traffic jams and otherwise, you can understand the sentiment of the ordinary working man. And though we are entitled to do whatever we want with the weekend, there is a wise and a foolish way to use it; the latter involving excessive partying and frivolity.
But listen to the better and wiser way to use our weekends as we chant our Friday Chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now doesn’t that make much more sense as to how we use our weekends? It surely does! We get a better balance of life, including the strength and refreshed spirit so that we can work diligently the following week.
And today my fellow believers in Christ, I want to share with you a prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Schuller) Hours of Power Devotional. This one is titled, ‘A Prayer for Change.’ And I know that many of us are in dire need of change (s) in our lives. So please pray with me.
‘O God, when a life has been so richly blessed as mine has been, it’s not right for me not to be laughing! I confess that I am responsible for my moods. I have no right to selfishly indulge in negative feelings of self-pity.
It’s time for me to change my mental dial, Lord. You are helping me. This will be the moment when the sun breaks through the parted clouds, and the springtime returns after winter. Thank you, Lord!
The dreary, depressing, disconsolate mood disappears like the morning mist in the glowing sunshine of your LOVE. And joy moves in! And hope begins to build up within me! And a beautiful feeling of LOVE starts to surround me! Thank you, God, for the great things you are doing within me now in this moment of prayer. Amen.’
Oh friends, oh friends, I do hope that depressing mood has lifted and the hope, joy and LOVE of our heavenly Father has once more captured our lives, because it’s definitely what we need to confidently face the challenges and calamitous circumstances of this dangerous and evil world!
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which shows us that that very change in our moods and thinking are quite possible because of the outstanding, magnificent and omnipotent God we serve and worship. ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’
And I know that some of you are tired hearing about how great our God is, but my brethren, that’s exactly what makes Him our God; His greatness! And until we fully understand just how great and wonderful He is, we will never be fully able to surrender, to give our entire beings into His wonderful care. So just bear with the ole fella nuh, (smile) you know I’ll never lead you astray.
And we’ve seen over the past few days how our God played with Pharaoh until he let the Israelites go, and all the wonders the Lord did during their exodus from Egypt and those in the wilderness too. Now we come to one more marvelous wonder where water was miraculously supplied.
As usual the Israelites were complaining, this time about the lack of water. And as was his wont, Moses cried out to the Lord for guidance and direction. The Lord told him to take his rod and the elders with him and go on before the people.
‘Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shall smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
And he called the name of the place Massah (lit. Tempted), and Meribah (lit. Contention), because of the chiding (contention) of the children of Israel, and because they tempted (tested) the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?’ (Ex.17:6-7)
Oh friends, what a foolish and ignorant people! After all the signs and wonders that the Lord had done in their sight, they still doubted His presence and His power! Chuh!
The truth of the matter though is that we can’t be too harsh on the Israelites, because we are doing the exact same thing right now. We are doubting and turning away from God in droves, aided and abetted by the wiles and deceitful half-truths of the prince of darkness, who rules this current evil world.
The only difference here my people, is that the Israelites saw God’s miracles first hand, but we only have second hand accounts of them. But nonetheless, we have seen our Christian societies grow and prosper when were a truly Christian people.
So what has happened to change our outlook so drastically eh, that we’re now trying our best to take God completely out of our lives? Oh friends, that is indeed a fool’s wisdom!
How many times during the course of history have we seen societies that have grown great while serving and worshipping the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and when they got too big for their britches, the Lord took away His favour and protection and they eventually wasted away, ignominiously fell into the bowels of history?
We tend to overlook, forget, or simply ignore this seminal bit of scripture, the Lord’s advice to Joshua, when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein 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.1:8)
That my friends, has been, and will always be a society’s guideline to success. We see it in the very behaviour of the Israelites; when they adhered to God’s Word, they prospered; when they didn’t, they suffered serious calamity.
May we today understand this principle and do our best to adhere to the Word of our great, mighty, sovereign and omnipotent God, because that is wisdom to the nth degree. Much LOVE!
…it’s ever so foolish to turn away from the ONE who created you…in His…might, power and image…
28 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy calling, afraid, all things work together for good, altar call, Anglican church services, before the world began, blessings, brunch, building block, but to his own purpose, called according to His purpose, capabilities, carpenter, conch souse, dasheen bush soup, eagerness, evangelical outreach, evil, ferry, fiasco, friends, given us in christ, giving thanks, grace, holy spirit, humble, imprint it on your heart, Jesus Christ, jump to it, kudos, LOVE, mighty deeds, missing, not according to our works, praise and worship, predetermined, pride, purpose, Queen's Park Savannah, refresh the mind, renege, Restorers of the Breach, right heart, scripture, sermon, spiritual refreshment, steadfast spirit, testify, the Good Book, the help of God, them that love God, trust, truth, West Indian victuals, who hath saved us, wisdom
2 Timothy 1:9. Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
Aye mih people, it’s certainly been an interesting Sunday! First of all, it seems like there were no Anglican church services in T&T today, because of a big rally they have in the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain, so my regular place of worship was closed.
However, I had not gone to church last week due to the ferry fiasco of the night before. Apparently I was too tired and frustrated to get up in time, that means I would have missed church on two consecutive Sundays, which was obviously not a welcome thought.
Gramps Schuller (Robert H Schuller) declares that we need weekly spiritual refreshment, and if we miss a week, we will feel the difference, but if we miss two, others will tell the difference. And there is some truth to his assertions.
I didn’t want anybody to tell the difference with me, (smile) so I decided to attend the church service of the group whose Bible Study I’ve been going to on a Thursday evening; the Restorers of the Breach, a small but obviously growing church on the island, holding their services in the Calder Hall Community Centre.
And was it ever an eye opening experience. I got there a few minutes to nine and they had already begun their praise and worship session, and for the next hour we stood there singing and praising and giving thanks.
You can imagine the ole fella’s physical state, my back and knees aching, but as always, with the help of our wonderful God I stood tall in the trying situation. Then there was testimony time; another interesting experience.
And finally my new favourite female pastor got up and after promising not to be long winded, preached an extended fiery sermon on ‘Purpose.’ She reminded me of myself, when I try to be short on the Bit, but get carried away by the Holy Spirit. (smile)
Ah friends, it’s a helluva thing when the Holy Spirit has you in grasp. And it obviously had Pastor Josanne in its grasp this morning. Then when she was finally through, there was an altar call, which glory to God, was well received. And then there were announcements and some more praise and worship to end the service. Hn! I didn’t get out of there until minutes to one.
And would you believe they are planning to go and walk about the community at four o’clock in an evangelical outreach? I do wish them the best of luck in their evangelical endeavours. And by the time I got home I had to refresh my physical self, having satiated my spiritual being. (smile)
And brunch consisted of some long not tasted conch souse and some excellent tasting dasheen bush soup of Brother Kirby. No wonder I LOVE my West Indian victuals. And that was followed by the ever necessary nap, to refresh the mind.
So that’s why I’m so late getting to my purpose of writing the Bit, and it’s not that I was slacking or lazing off somewhere. (smile) And having the topic of purpose already embedded in my mind, I decided to stay on that topic, hence our Bit.
‘Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.’
Yes friends, our God had a purpose for Christ and also one for all our lives which He predetermined before He created us. Christ knew His purpose and came and fulfilled it with flying colours. Now it’s time for us to find out God’s purpose for our lives, then with His awesome help fulfill them to the best of our abilities.
But for many of us that’s a big problem, because we either can’t figure out what God wants us to do, or if we have figured it out, it doesn’t sit well with our thinking. It’s either too simple and as a result won’t bring us many kudos from the evil world, or too tough and thus we’re afraid to get into it.
But my brethren, please remember that whatever task God gives us is important in His eyes, and He won’t give us something to do that He knows is outside our capabilities. I can personally testify to that, because some eight or nine years ago when the Lord first brought up my writing of the Bit, I laughed and said I was unable to do it because my knowledge of His Word was not good enough.
But He persisted and I finally gave in…and look at me now nuh. My knowledge of the Good Book is still not exemplary, but it’s much better than it was, and it allows me to write the Bit, with His precious help obviously.
So friends, whatever God has put in your heart as your earthly purpose, be it lowly or prominent in your eyes and/or that of the world, please accept it with pride and eagerness, because it is an important building block in His kingdom.
Not all of us can do mighty deeds, some have to settle for the humble and simple ones. Remember too that Jesus first came as a lowly carpenter, though His next coming will be as a mighty King. And please don’t forget either this seminal scripture of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.
‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28) Yes my fellow believers when we are called to God’s purpose, He works everything out for our good!
Now don’t think that everything will be wine, roses and song, in fact, it’s often the exact opposite, rough times, but our great God has NEVER and will NEVER renege on His promise, so although life doesn’t seem too rosy at times, be assured that once you’re doing His will with a right heart and steadfast spirit, then He WILL look after you.
And that’s no hearsay, I am telling you that from personal experience. Now in closing, please take this heartfelt advice: if you know God’s purpose for your life, then diligently pursue it, the sooner the better.
And if you don’t yet know it, then also diligently pursue it by talking to God and asking him to show you what His earthly plan is for your life. Now He might not show it to you right away, but in His own time He will imprint it on your heart. Then jump to it! Much LOVE!
…until we know God’s purpose for our lives…we will not be fulfilled…something will always seem missing…
27 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aplomb, blessed are the merciful, blessed is he that considers the poor, blessed of my Father, blessed upon the earth, blessings, Christ-like, clothed me, come up high, confidence, cow foot soup, cursed, dasheen bush soup, depart from me, do our best, does good to his own soul, drink.a stranger, dutch pots, everlasting fire, evil, focus, food, fooling ourselves, foolish, friends, funding, goats, God's assistance, God's reality, God's work, grace, grin and bear it, gungo peas, he that is cruel, heavenly truth, helpless, home for abused children, hungry, ignorant, improvement, in prison, in time of trouble, inherit the kingdom, Jesus Christ, keep alive, kind, languishing, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, naked, on his right hand, one of the least, parable of the talents, Paradise, penchant, perplexed, personal appearance, pigeon peas soup, powerless, preserve, problem youths, psyche, reward, saltwater, sheep., sick, sickbed, snowbound vistas, sunshine, talk a good talk, talk Jesus, tardiness, the body's balance, the devil, the foundation of the world, the Lord will deliver him, the merciful man, the will of his enemies, they shall obtain mercy, thirsty, took me in, troubles his own flesh, untidy, visited me, walk the devil's walk, we reap what we sow, well-educated, wisdom
Proverbs 11:17. The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
Oh friends the time is a drawing near for the ole fella to leave paradise! I only have another week left! How am I going to handle it eh? Obviously with grace and aplomb centred in the Lord’s mercy and LOVING-kindness.
No doubt it’s going to be somewhat rough. Chuh! Merely thinking about leaving such wonderful rejuvenating saltwater and sunshine to go to back to cold and dreary snowbound vistas upsets the body’s balance and psyche. (smile) But what to do eh? Nothing but grin and bear it.
I always knew it would have to end, but we all know the human penchant for fooling ourselves. Anyway, as with all things, with God’s assistance, we shall handle it in a manner befitting one of His children. Amen!
Now let me apologize for going away for a few hours to visit a home for abused children. A friend of mine has been trying to get me to see the place for a couple of weeks now.
I’d heard about it and wanted to see if there was any way I could help, and she showed up while I was in the middle of the Bit, saying that was the only time we could get to visit. So I had to leave.
Anyway, I was disappointed in what I saw and heard. The lady who runs the home has a prosthetic leg, and uses crutches to get along more quickly. That obviously doesn’t preclude her from running the home, but her personal appearance didn’t convey any confidence either.
Neither did the glimpse I got of the interior of the house impress me; it looked rather untidy. And though she seems well educated and can talk a good talk, by the end of the conversation I still didn’t know how the place was run.
It doesn’t seem as though there is any concrete funding, and handouts and the generosity of others seems to play too big a part. She also seemed to belong to too many organizations and doing too many other things to be able to properly focus on the problem youths under her care.
But that’s just my humble opinion, and I know she says that she is doing God’s work, however, I believe that God’s work could surely do with some improvement there. For we know that Jesus wants us to do our best, to come up as high as possible. I just don’t know if she is coming up as high as she can.
Then on the way back we stopped for some Tobago pigeon (gungo) peas soup, by my friend’s brother-in-law. Mama yo! It’s the three largest iron (dutch) pots I ever saw! Big like a baby’s bath tub! (smile) I told the duchess I had to take her there next week to check them out.
One held the pigeon peas soup, the other some dasheen bush soup and the last some cow foot soup. And yuh better believe he was doing a brisk trade. It had people sitting down right there eating, while every minute another vehicle pulled up to get their Saturday morning repast.
Then of course when I got home, I had to eat mine too. And did it ever go down well! Just like a good pigeon peas soup ought to. (smile) And after that I needed a nap. So that accounts for my tardiness.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, taken once more from the wisdom of Cousin Sol. ‘The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.’
Oh my fellow believers, we all know that as heavenly truth! And why? Because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ spelled it out in spades in His wonderful and most memorable Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.’ (Matt,5:7)
Plus in God’s divine reality, what we sow is what we reap. It’s His guiding dictum. (smile) So if we’re merciful, then we will receive mercy. But if we’re cruel and do not show mercy to our fellow humans, then cruelty and ‘unmercifulness’ is what we’ll receive at the hands of others. It’s as simple as that my brethren.
Listen to how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 41 – Abuse and assurance. ‘Blessed is he that considereth the poor (helpless or powerless): the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him upon his bed of languishing (sickbed): thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness (restore him in his sickbed).’ (Ps.41:1-3)
Oh friends, that’s how the Lord looks after those that show mercy! Now how can a believer not show mercy to others eh… unless he is downright ignorant and foolish. And if you don’t believe any of that, then listen as Jesus spells it out in black and white in the telling of the parable of the talents.
‘And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered (hungry) and you gave me meat (food):
I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’ (Matt.25:33-36)
Then all those sheep, perplexed, will ask when they did all of that? ‘And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt.25:40)
Yes my people, that’s the reward for showing mercy, for being sheep and for helping the poor and needy!
But to the proud and cruel goats: ‘Then shall he say also unto them on his left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.’ (Matt.25:41)
Oh my brethren, all I can say in conclusion is that we all try our best to be merciful and kind and Christ-like in this earthly life, so that when the time comes, and come it will, we shall be on Jesus’ right hand. Much LOVE!
…you can’t talk Jesus talk…but walk the devil’s walk…and expect to end up in heaven…
25 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day of rest, a faithful saying, a hammer, a jumble of thoughts, a lamp that guides, a mirror, a sword, abides, abominable iniquity, aches, affirm constantly, asaph, asthma, bends before it, Bibly Study, blessings, born again, bounden duty, breathed life, children of God, Christian, citicenship, contentious, cooperate with God, corrupt, cough, deceit, defeats Satan, disobedient, divers lusts, divine workman, donkey's years, empathy, enticed, envious, envy, ethics, evil, faith, fellowship, flu, foolish, friends, funeral, gentle, glory hallelujah, glory to God, god moves in mysterious ways, God's will, good works, gospel of Christ, grace, hating, holy spirit, human nature, illnesses, imbibed, Jesus Christ, joy, judges sin, kindness, living for Christ, LOVE, LOVE of God, loving kindness, Lucifer, make sense of, malice, material possessions, meekness, mercy, Mt. St. George, new life, newborn, Nicodemus, none that doeth good, pains, Paradise, pay the cost, potholes, powers, principalities, profitable, prosperity, regeneration, resist the wave, reveals sin, righteousness., salvation, sell our soul, stand strong and steadfast, stumbled, surrogate daughters, swept away, talk is cheap, temptation, tentacles, the BIBLE, the fool say in his heart, the likeness of Christ, the wicked, the work of god, there is no god, Titus, treachery, trust, truth, West Indian, winding road., wisdom
Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
Oh friends, there is so much I want to say this beautiful Thursday morning, but I simply can’t say anything! Chuh!
Has that ever happened to you? My mind is a jumble of thoughts and whatever else that I can’t seem to make sense of, but I’m not worried because I know that our great and magnanimous God will eventually look down on me with empathy and guide me to what He wants me to say.
I guess that part of my problem is that I have a touch of the flu and cough that’s causing my asthma to act up a bit. And there’s nothing that drives me bonkers like coughing.
Anyway, I went to the funeral of an old schoolmate yesterday afternoon in Mt. St. George – and now I realize why it’s so named, for we had to drive up a steep, winding road littered with potholes to reach the church, then come another steep winding one to get back to the main road.
It’s a good thing the duchess wasn’t my co-pilot, because I don’t know if we would have made it back safely. (smile)
The funeral was well attended, and I saw people whom I hadn’t seen in donkey’s years (smile). The deceased lived in the U.S but was brought back home to her village for burial, exactly what I want to happen to me.
And to show how our God moves in mysterious ways, he took one home but also breathed life in to a newborn son of one of my surrogate daughters down here. Glory to God!
Now a buddy and I was supposed to go touring today, but it seems that he imbibed a tad too much last night, so he is also under the weather, which means that tour will have to be put off indefinitely.
Ah mih people, my time in sweet Tobago is swiftly drawing to a close, and as the duchess said recently, the problem is not how we’re going to face the cold up in the Northern climes, but how we’re going to leave this paradise? It will definitely be hard, although every day we complain how the sun is so hot.
So I guess today will just be a day of rest and later this evening I’ll go to the Bible Study class up the road. I heard they missed me last week when I was in Trinidad. I missed them too, because it was a spirited gathering, West Indian style. And call me biased, but nothing beats anything, West Indian style! (smile)
Now that’s the end of my news, but before we get to our Bit, I want to share these words of wisdom from one Leviticus, whom I assume was an olden Greek philosopher. And he is reputed to have said that: ‘He who attempts to resist the wave is swept away, but he who bends before it abides.’
And I rediscovered that in reality recently on the beach. I tried to fight off a big wave and it sent me crashing into the sand. But another one, instead of trying to fight it, I rode it successfully into the shore.
The same way it is with life my friends, especially when we are getting up in age and can’t fight all the unusual stuff that’s coming against us; all the aches and pains and illnesses. We have to learn to bend with the tide, if we hope to continue living a full and enjoyable life.
That also means we cannot emulate the people in our Bit. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’
Now, though we know better, the prosperity of the wicked can sometimes drive us to want what they have. Listen to the psalmist Asaph, as he discourses in Psalm 73 on the Mystery of Prosperous wickedness.
‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:1-3)
Yes friends, although Asaph knew better, the sinful human nature still enticed him to be envious of the wicked in their earthly prosperity. And unfortunately it still does the same thing to us in these very trying and difficult times.
But we need to see the treachery and deceit of material possession and earthly prosperity for what it really is; ofttimes a temptation of the enemy, and don’t allow it to get us caught up in its wicked tentacles. Because once we sell our soul for those things, it’s not very easy to get out of Lucifer’s contract.
Now hear Bruh Paul to Titus on Christian citizenship and the basis of the Christian ethic. ‘Put them in mind to be subject to principalities (rulers) and powers (authorities), to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers (not contentious), but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.
For we ourselves also were sometime foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and LOVE of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed (poured out) on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. That being justified (declared righteous) by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’ (Titus 3:1-7)
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, it’s only through God’s grace and mercy and LOVING-kindness, poured out on us through Christ that we are able to withstand the wiles and lies of the evil one. That means we have to stand strong and steadfast in faith if we want to resist the enemy.
Now here is some info from the scholars on the term ‘regeneration.’‘3:5. Regeneration refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation experience that produces new life in the believer. To express this concept, Jesus used the expression “born again” in His conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:3-7).
Regeneration is the work of God, through the Holy Spirit, of placing in one who has faith a new nature, capable of doing God’s will. The Holy Spirit is the agent or divine workman of this regeneration. His instrument is the Bible, which is likened to a hammer that judges sin (Jer.23:29), a mirror that reveals sin (James 1:23), a sword that defeats Satan (Heb.4:12), and a lamp that guides the believers (Ps.119:105).
Illustration: People are instantaneously “born again “the moment they trust Christ as Saviour. (1 Pet.1:23). Application: Christians should be careful to cooperate with God in growing as children of God after they are regenerated, or given new life. (First Ref. John 3:3), Primary Ref. Titus 3:5. cf. Eph.1:15.).’
Oh friends, only by cooperating with God and growing in the likeness of Christ, can we ever hope to stave off the foolishness and deceit of the enemy! And it will benefit us all, if we looked up the references the scholars provided. (smile)
Now let’s end with some more words of Bruh Paul to Titus. ‘This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.’ (Titus 3:8)
There’s nothing left to say my brethren, except that we should all go out, each and every day, being careful to do works that enhance the gospel of Christ, so that the heathen can see the true beauty in living for Christ and want to come to Him. It’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…talk is cheap…but good works cost something…Christians should be prepared to pay that cost…
P.S. I know it’s long, but God’s word is worth it. (smile) Much LOVE!
24 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable iniquity, big bang, ceased being wise, Christ is Lord indeed, Christian principles, corrupt, covetousness, deceitful, defeat the enemy, despises not evil, earthly sojourn, every foe is vanquished, evil, faith, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, give thanks, glory hallelujah, greed, he flatters himself, holy spirit, I am halfway home, I'm so glad to be alive, indisputable truth, infiltrated, Jesus Christ, Jesus returns, Jesus' desires, keep up the fight, lies, logistics, LOVE, Lucifer, lusts, lusts of the flesh, mano a mano, material possessions, mercies, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, new every morning, none that doeth good, paramount, power, Praise the Lord, pride, promises, seek after God, soldiers of Christ, stand strong, stand up for Jesus, steadfast love of God, the beauty of nature, the breath of life, the fool has said in his heart, the foolish, the four seasons, the heathen, the obits, there is no god, to a glorious future with Jesus, trust, ungrateful children, way of the world, wicked, wisdom, words of his mouth
Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
So what’s up this glorious Wednesday morning my people? I do hope that the LOVE of God is flowing through all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, as it ought to, because without it, we’re nothing.
And along with that wonderful blessing I do hope that we have given Him thanks for bringing us safely through another dark and fearful night, into the brilliant light of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And all God’s people said a loud and grateful; ‘Praise the Lord! Amen.’
Yes friends, above all else we do need to be thankful for God’s mercies that are new every day, for that’s what keeps us going successfully on this our earthly sojourn. Thanks and praise are an essential part of the believer’s life.
So since today is Wednesday, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with much gusto and sincerity nuh. Remember though that the Lord isn’t just listening to our words, but monitoring our hearts, so though our words might sound sincere, if our hearts aren’t right, He won’t pay any attention to our prayer.
Anyway, wailing now as one: ‘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 that’s how it ought to be my brethren! We are supposed to be thankful for the breath of life we possess; our names are not in the obits this morning. (smile)
We are also to be holding tightly to that plough, looking straight ahead, so that we can plough straight furrows, and glory in the majestic future that Jesus has planned for us. Oh glory to God, for the way He looks after us, His ungrateful children!
And since I don’t have any adventures to share, the past couple of days have been rather mundane and uneventful, let’s get right into our Bit. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’
Ah mih people, it is ever so sad that our world is populated and run by the corrupt and sinful! But friends, just from a logistics point of view, how could there be no God eh?
So who set up the universe and all the things that run by themselves in it; the four seasons, day and night, man’s birth, life and death, the fishes in the sea, the birds in the air, the beauty of nature, all those who don’t have no sense but are well taken care of?
One big bang could not have caused all that stuff to be so precise and continuous. Oh, and I heard one preacher say recently, that if the world was formed by the big bang, then it was God who pushed the button to cause it. Now that does make more sense. (smile)
Ah my precious people, regardless of what you call Him, there IS a greater power than mankind out there, too many unexplainable things happen in our lives and on the earth to preclude that. But the heathen and the foolish think it not so.
Hear how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 10 – A prayer for the overthrow of the wicked. ‘The wicked in his pride doth persecute (hotly pursues) the poor: let them be taken in the devices (plots) that they have imagined (devised).
For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous (greedy), whom the Lord abhorreth (renounces the Lord) The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts (all his thoughts are, There is no God).’(Ps.10:2-4)
And unfortunately that is exactly how a majority of our world now thinks, and consequently behaves! Covetousness, greed, lust for power and material possessions, plus other lusts of the flesh are paramount in our societies these days. Those obviously leave no room for God and His things.
And though Bruh Paul tells the Roman church: ‘For all have sinned and come (fallen) short of the glory of God;’ (Rom.3:28) And that’s indisputable truth!
However, through God’s wonderful LOVE, grace and mercy, we have been justified, sanctified, set apart and cleansed from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross at Calvary, where His death atoned for ALL sin.
And all God’s children shouted loudly and gratefully: ‘Thank You Jesus!’
And what truly amazes me, is that most of Western Society and Civilization were founded on Christian principles, and prospered under those principles, so how can we foolishly move away from them eh, and expect to continue prospering?
Lucifer has clearly infiltrated our souls, hearts, bodies and minds with his deceitful promises and ungrounded lies.
Listen to Bruh David in Psalm 36 – The steadfast LOVE of God, where he again describes the ways of the wicked. ‘The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
The words of his mouth are iniquity (wickedness) and deceit: he had left off to be wise (ceased being wise), and to do good. He deviseth mischief (plots wickedness) upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth (despises) not evil.’ (Ps.36:1-4)
Yes friends, that’s the way of today’s world! Wicked men and their evil thoughts and deeds have invaded the halls of power and are controlling our lives under the auspices of Beelzebub instead of those of God.
But friends, please remember that the battle is not over, will not be over until Jesus returns, and we can still defeat the enemy and his evil intentions and deeds by truly hunkering down with Jesus and fighting them mano a mano like true soldiers of Christ!
Now let’s encourage each other to stand strong and keep up the fight for that is what Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…stand up, stand up for Jesus…ye soldiers of the cross…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
23 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, abominable iniquity, as far as the east is from the west, Christian walk, clean hands, controlling principle, corrupt, country bookies, customer service, despise wisdom, evil, explanations, faithful believers, ferry, fools, forgiveness, friends, glory hallelujah, grow in likeness to Christ, guidance, healthy fear, herd mentality, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, instruction, Jesus Christ, LOVE, none that does good, on a clean page, opportunities, Port of Spain, problems, public relations, pure hearts, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, revealation, rumours, share His love with the world, sins, submission, the fear of the Lord, the fool says in his heart, there is no god, Tobago, travesty, Trinidad, trust, truths, Tuesday Mantra, under the weather, updates, wisdom
Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
And then it was Tuesday… Yes my people, another brand new day on God’s great earth with all His numerous blessings and mercies brand new, just as the day! Glory Hallelujah!
Isn’t it wonderful to begin each new day from scratch? It surely is! All yesterday’s sins and problems will be washed away and forgiven… as far as the east is from the west, they have been thrown away. So let’s begin on a clean page today nuh; no anxieties, fears, concerns or whatever from yesterday.
Let’s get up and greet our God with pure hearts and clean hands; confessing all our known sins and weaknesses and prayerfully asking for forgiveness and wise guidance to handle the day’s problems and opportunities.
And to help us do that, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincerity and strong belief. All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’
Oh friends, I just LOVE that Mantra! Why? Because it reminds me of who I truly am; a child of God and a friend of Jesus! Glory to God! It doesn’t get any better than that my people.
So please, if we remember nothing else, let’s remember those two fundamental and foundational truths; as faithful believers, we are all children of God, redeemed by Jesus’ blood shed on the cross, and thus His friend and brother. You can’t beat that my brethren!
And what do I have to share with you today eh? Not much nuh. I’m a tad under the weather and thus not functioning on all cylinders. (smile)
Oh yes, I now know what I have to share; my interesting and frustrating activities from last Saturday. We checked out of the hotel in Trinidad shortly after 2 p.m., took a taxi to the ferry docks – definitely no more walking in the hot sun with all that luggage. (smile)
On that point of interest, when we mentioned our walk down Wrightson Road with our luggage to our friend from south, she unceremoniously declared: ‘They must have thought that you all were two country bookies come to town – walking down the street with so much luggage!’
And some very well might have thought so, but that’s neither here nor there now, we’ll just chalk it up to ignorance and experience. (smile)
So we’re sitting in the waiting area about three o’clock waiting for the ferry’s four o’clock departure. At that time there was some excitement out on the docks, which turned out to be the arrival of the 7 a.m. ferry from Tobago.
Apparently it had broken down in the middle of the ocean and two tug boats had been sent to tow it into port. Now can you imagine the concern, the anxiety, frustration and anger of those people trapped on it from 7 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon.
Now for the next problem; that was the same ferry that was supposed to take us to Tobago at 4 o’clock. So we all sat there patiently waiting, just hearing rumours of what was going to happen. Four o’clock came and went… and we still heard nothing from the Port Authority people.
At about 4.45, and announcement was made that they were fixing the problem and hopefully it wouldn’t be too long before we left.
Time continued on its own sweet way, and we heard nothing else until at approximately six thirty a couple of workers came and said we’d be boarding shortly, Hn!
And though they said that we’d be boarding by sections, if yuh see how everybody just got up and rushed for the exit door. Ah Lord eh! The herd mentality was surely in evidence there. The policeman amongst the workers had to make a big speech and get everybody to sit back down, then move us section by section.
The whole problem with the situation was that the authorities provided us with no explanations or updates whatsoever. Some people left and went back home, others had paid for hotels in Tobago and their time was burning up for reasons they couldn’t understand. I was looking at having to pay for another night’s stay at the hotel.
It just was very terrible customer relations! But I understand that’s how they do it, and apparently the boats break down fairly often. Ah Lord eh, only in T&T you say.
One more interesting point. The talk had been circulating that if they couldn’t fix the ferry, they would send us back on the one that was due in from Tobago. Now shortly before we boarded, that one appeared on the horizon, but wonder of wonders, it had to stop out in midstream because there was only one dock for the ferries. Apparently both of them could not be in the same port at the same time.
Again, only in T&T you say! So we never left Port of Spain until around seven p.m., only to be told that the trip would take three and a half hours instead of the usual two and a half, because we were only motoring along on three engines. That meant we didn’t dock in Tobago until minutes to eleven, and I didn’t get home until minutes to twelve, tired and miserable.
What a travesty of public relations! So that’s how I spent my Saturday afternoon and evening.
Now finally, let’s see how much we can say about our Bit. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’
And as we noted yesterday, there are certainly many fools in our time too, too many really! That’s why our world is in such a terrible state.
As Cousin Sol warns in Proverbs: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7) And isn’t that the awful truth!
Again, it’s why our societies are so corrupt and inefficient! Our leaders figure they know how to run the universe better than the One who created it. Steups!
Now hear the scholars’ explanation of that verse. ‘1:7. The fear of the Lord means submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here. It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one’s parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner.
The beginning does not mean that “the fear of the Lord” is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but that it is the controlling principle of wisdom.’
And on that solid note of wisdom we’ll end today. And as usual, please let’s ponder all that we’ve said, and with God’s help try to improve our Christian walk. Much LOVE!
…each day…with God’s help…we ought to grow in our likeness to Christ…
22 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable iniquity, abominable sins, affirmation, aura of love, belittles., bring us to our knees, calamity, climate change, confidence, conquerors, corrupt, Creator of the universe, deceitful, decision making, demeans, depressing, disobey God, disturbing, economic decline, Elohim, evil, faith, fallible, fear, filthy, foolish, foreshadow good things, forgives, frail, further your glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's protection, gospel truth, history repeats itself, holy spirit, human nature, humble servants, inroads, invincible, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, knowledge, lead and guide, lies, logical, LOVE, Lucifer, meet the enemy in battle, mercy, mind games, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, natural disasters, poverty, rejuvenation of spirit, remove God, renewed vitality, righteousness., ruminate, saviour jesus christ, scot free, seek God, serve a useful purpose, silly, sinfulness, slave for Massa, spiritual armour, stand strong and steadfast, steadfast faith, strife, strife-filled world, stupid, surrender, taunts, the children of men, the fool say in his heart, there is no god, troublesome times, truth, understand, understanding, ungodliness, ungodly world, weary souls, week of work, wiles, wisdom, wonder of wonders, workers of iniquity, Yahweh
Psalm 53:1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
Alas friends and neighbours, it’s Monday; the day which begins the work week…
And I hear God’s people loudly declare ‘Glory Hallelujah that it’s Monday!’
And I have to shake my head to see if I’m dreaming… God’s people happy to see Monday roll around…? Wow!
A few moments later though, I realized that Lucifer was only playing mind games on me. Chuh!
What the people had actually shouted was: ‘Oh Lord, yuh mean is Monday already! Yuh mean ah got to go back and slave for massa again! When this every week work thing going to finish eh? Steups!’
And that’s a very good question friends. The answer to which is when you retire, get fired, quit the job, or die!
Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn without further ado to boost our spirits as we face another worrisome week of work.
As one harmonious choir now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh my brethren, that wasn’t so great nuh. You could read the displeasure in our choirmaster, Jesus’ serious eyes and face. But being the wonderful Deity that He is, He forgives us, because He knows our frail and fallible human nature. Now let’s go out there with that adrenaline perking in us and do His will despite our shortcomings.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.’
Oh my people, how sad are those statements eh? How can any sensible person even think that eh? Notice it’s in their hearts, the very seat of their decision making that that thought lies, is being generated.
Now some might say it out loud, while others might just think it and then act on that premise, by perverting the truth that God does exist. Consequently, they become corrupt and do abominable sins.
And we only have to look around our strife-filled world to see that that’s ever so true. Abomination and corruption are running rampant throughout our entire world, and that my friends cannot foreshadow good things for us and our descendants.
Now Psalm 53 is a slightly revised version of Psalm 14. According to the scholars: ‘Two major differences are apparent: this psalm substitutes the generic word for God, Elohim, for the personal name of God used in Psalm 14, Yahweh. This was done evidently to give the psalm a wider appeal. Second, verse 5 has been rewritten and has become an encouraging affirmation of God’s protection.’
And are we ever in need of anything that affirms and encourages us re God’s protection in these very trying and troublesome times! But above all my brethren, we are not to fear, because that just demeans and belittles our faith; faith that we need to help us stand strong and steadfast against the enemy and his deceitful declarations.
Now here how Bruh David continues the psalm nuh. ‘God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.’ (Ps.53:2)
And wonder of wonders, what did He discover? ‘Every one of them is gone back (have turned aside): they are altogether become filthy (corrupt); there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’ (Ps.53:3)
Now how do you think God felt when He saw such sinfulness and ungodliness in the world back then eh? And how does He feel now, when He performs the same exercise and gets the same basic answer eh?
Obviously not very pleased or encouraged! No wonder He asks: ‘Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.’ (Ps.53:4)
But why would that surprise Him eh, when we’re still like Jeremiah said on His behalf so long ago. ‘For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish (stupid or silly) children, and they have none (no) understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.’ (Jer.4:22)
And isn’t it amazing, but depressing and disturbing that so many truths from the Old Testament are still true today. Steups! Obviously we have not learned that we cannot continually disobey God and get away with it scot free.
The calamity which befell so many other great societies who disobeyed and turned away from Jehovah God obviously doesn’t mean anything to us. But friends, the saying that history repeats itself is very true, and we are currently in great disobeying mode, and if we continue thus, we will feel the Lord’s hand upon us, and it won’t be very good. I can guarantee us that.
Who knows if we aren’t already feeling it, through the many unusual natural disasters, that are blamed on climate change, plus the economic decline and ever increasing poverty and strife that’s now battering our world.
Hn! I have to sadly chuckle here yes friends, because in all reality the Lord doesn’t have to do anything to bring us to our knees nuh, we are already doing it to ourselves, beginning with our insistence to remove God from the very bowels of our society.
And we’ll stop there for today, because I don’t want to give us too much to ruminate upon. (smile) But please friends, do ruminate on what we have spoken about today, and let each of us see, of course with God’s help, how we can better our lives, and thus our quickly deteriorating world. For that’s wisdom of immense proportions! Much LOVE!
…if God made us and everything else that exists…how can we hope to survive without His help eh…that doesn’t sound logical at all…
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 