08 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great hig priest, antidote, ask for help, aura of love, call upon me, come boldly, communication, confidently, conquerors, depressed, encouraging, enlightening, exalt, faith, find me, fruitful life, further your glorious kingdom, good for the spleen, guiding light, hard work, hold fast our profession, humble servants, in time of need, Jesus, jobs, lead by example, LOVE, maintain mine own ways, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my fortress, my rock, no hypocrite, praise, pray unto me, prayer, rejoice in thy mercy, renewed vitality, search for me, seek me, serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, the living God, the Lord's Word, the throne of grace, Though he slay me, tired, trust in thee, with all your heart, worship
Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefor come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
And all the early July Independence parties done now! Time to get back to some hard work that’s good for the spleen and the soul. (smile) As they say, a li’l hard work never kill anybody. And that’s the gospel truth! Just wish most of this current society would acknowledge that and put it into practice. Our world would be so much more productive and conducive to better and richer living in Jesus’ name. But as believers, we can only talk and lead by example.
So having said that, let’s get up and get ourselves together this Monday morning nuh, and get out there and do our best for Jesus, because He is our Guiding Light! And because we’re only human, some of us will obviously not be up to scratch, possibly tired, depressed, troubled, or just blooming lazy! (smile) But whatever it is that ails us this morning, we have the right antidote for it; prayer, in the form of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s come humbly, but confidently to the throne of grace to ask for help in our time of need nuh.
As one strong voice: ‘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!’
Glory to God my people! Feel the Holy Spirit moving in our souls nuh, enlightening and encouraging and strengthening us as we asked! What would we do without prayer eh? Hn! We’d be lost like the Israelites were in the wilderness for forty long, dragged out and troublesome years. But our wise and great God instituted prayer as a means of communication between Him and us. A way that we can both praise, worship and exalt Him, as well as pour out the most personal and troubling details of our souls, hearts, bodies and minds, trusting Him to help us.
And on top of all that, He has sincerely promised to answer our prayer if we live obedient to His will. Listen to His encouraging word. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13)
Yeh friends, calling on the Living God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is of the utmost importance, if we want to enjoy a joyful and fruitful life down here on earth amongst all the natural troubles and tribulations that are so rampant in these trying times. And Jeremiah, in his Lamentations, said it this way: ‘The Lord is my portion saith my soul: therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:24-26) And if he could say that after suffering a whole lot of problems bringing the Lord’s Word to his people Israel, then there must be some truth to it.
Meanwhile Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 31. ‘For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily (secretly) for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. I have hated them that regard lying vanities (vain idols): but I trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities (troubles); and hast not shut me up into the hand of (given me over to) the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room (wide space).’ (Ps.31:3-8)
Oh friends, what better witness declaring (yeah!) God’s mercy and LOVING-kindness can we get than from those two men who suffered so much in doing the Lord’s bidding, yet still pledged their undying LOVE and devotion to Him? Job was another righteous man who suffered much unfair and unjustified tribulation, but he also unequivocally pledged his loyalty to the God of his forefathers when he made these bold statements:
‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain mine own ways (defend my ways) before him. He also shall be my salvation: for a hypocrite shall not come before him.’ (Job 13:15-16) Fighting words those, my brethren! But that’s what happens when we have supreme faith in our God despite our troubled circumstances here on earth.
And we’ll end with these wonderful, inspiring and reassuring words of the author of Hebrews, re The sympathetic Christ. ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (faith). For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathetic) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ (Heb.4:14-5)
Oh my people, Jesus knows all about temptation in this evil world, because He suffered it just like we are doing, but He was without sin. So He understands what we’re going through. That’s why the author ends this passage with these encouraging words. ‘Let us therefor come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’
And that’s exactly what we did when we prayed our Monday Morning Battle Hymn…And yuh saw the positive results. So please, let’s just keep trusting and stay strong and steadfast in the Lord. It’s the best option available to us! Much LOVE!
…to pray…to pray…and yet to keep on praying…that’s the Christian way…
04 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to His will, answered prayer, assurance of salvation, assurance of the believer, be not ashamed of christ, believe on the name of the Son of God, Christ is in our hearts, Christ who strengthens us, clear direction, compassionate heart, confess before my Father, confess me before men, confidence in petition, curse, deny before my Father, deny me before men, difficult circumstances, drunk or sober mind your business, faith, favour, glory to the Lamb, Granny's warning, Happy 4th of July, he hears us, I can do all things, I have written unto you, in salvation, negative word, not based on feeling, principles of God's word, prosper, sealed by the Holy spirit, self-control, self-disicipline, share, sonny boy, success, that ye may know, the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, the keeping power of God, the less fortunate, the witness of the word of God, these things, Thursday Blessings, understanding of the Scriptures, until the day of salvation, we keep His commandments, we love the brethren, who was slain for us, ye have eternal life
1 John 5:13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY U.S. OF A!
Yes while we are working today, the U.S is celebrating their Independence Day! And those who can swing it might be able to make it a four-day weekend! Just think on that nuh! (smile) But I’ll tell our U.S friends and family members the same thing I told the Canadian section last Monday, when we celebrated our Independence Day; be careful, remember Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny Boy, drunk or sober, please mind your business,’ because if you don’t, the devil will mind it for you. That’s for certain sure. So please be aware while you’re celebrating.
Now earlier on in the week we talked about the secondary message in John’s first epistle; that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5) Today I want to delve into the primary message of the epistle: ‘These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.’
Ah mih people, what a blessed message! We have eternal life because we believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God! Glory to the Lamb who was slain for us! The sad part is that not all of us are assured of the fact that we are saved and heading for heaven. And the scholars offer this exhaustive explanation about assurance that I think I should share.
‘5:13. The scriptures clearly teach that it is possible to know whether you are saved or unsaved. The assurance of the believer is not based on feeling, (though the Christian may “feel” saved), but on the principles of God’s Word. We can know we are saved because Christ is in our hearts (Col.1:27; 1 John 5:12), because of the witness of the Word of God (vs.10-11), because of answered prayer (John 14:14; 1 John 5:14-15), because of our understanding of the Scriptures (vs.20), because we keep His commandments (2 Cor.5:17; 1 John 5:18), because we LOVE the brethren (3:14), and because we have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit (Rom.8:16).
Illustration: Paul claimed to have this inner confidence and was fully persuaded concerning the keeping power of God in salvation (2 Tim.1:12). Application: Because of this assurance, the believer need not be ashamed of Christ, even when He finds himself in difficult circumstances (2 Tim.1:12). First Ref. Gen.15:13; Primary Ref. 1 John 5; cf. John 10:28).’
Oh my fellow believers that’s sure a lot of Scriptures to look up! But if we are in any doubt at all about our deliverance, about our saved state, then we should look them up. And even if we’re sure about it, we should still check them out, because in this evil day and age, we all need as much reassurance as we can get. And just for your info, I took a few minutes to look up those scriptures my brethren, and are they ever interesting and most reassuring! (smile)
I can’t share them all here, but check out these two that follow our Bit. ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us; And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of Him.’ (1 John 5:14-15) And the scholars tell us: ‘5:14-15. Assurance of salvation (vs.13) leads to confidence in petition. Effectual prayer is according to his will.’
Yeh friends, please remember that: we can ask for anything we want, but our prayers are most effective when they are in line with God’s will! And I want to share one more scripture here dealing with something that’s ever so pervasive in our Christian society today; that’s being ashamed of Christ, being afraid to acknowledge Him in public.
Ah friends too many of us today are in actual fact ashamed of Christ, but you can’t be saved and/or go to heaven if you refuse to acknowledge His presence in your life. Remember Jesus said it plainly: ‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.10:32-33)
Yeh friends, you can’t be a Christian in secret, at least not in our free religious society. So please stop being ashamed of Christ! Stop letting the enemy make us afraid of possible negative consequences or otherwise. We keep saying that anything and everything is possible with God, and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us…Well let’s show that in public nuh, let’s stop being wishy-washy and fearful!
Let’s say and do like Bruh Paul, who, in writing to Timothy admonished: ‘Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.’ (2 Tim.1:12)
Yes my people, Christ is indeed able to keep us assured until the judgement day! But we have to first believe it and then work at it! It doesn’t just happen by osmosis! So with that point made and our assurance of salvation being reassured, (smile) let’s go home declaring (yeh!) our Thursday Blessings; those wonderful promises that the Lord has showered down on us to enable us to do His work.
In strong voice and full belief now: ‘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!’
Oh how blessed we are my fellow saints in Christ! But please remember that those blessings are not for us to selfishly hoard, but to share with the less fortunate! Much LOVE!
…no need to worry…true believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit…until the day of Salvation…
01 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, almighty god, aura of love, blessings, boost our spirits, Christians, confidence, croak, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, eyewitness statement, faith, fellowship, forgiveness, Friday chant, friends, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, grace, Happy Birthday Canada, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jeeves, Jesus Christ, joy, knowing christ, laugh hoarsely, lies, lighten our load, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morality, peace, put food on the table, regain our balance, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, right and wrong, righteousness., sense of balance, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, talking with Him, that your joy may be full, the message, them's the breaks, these things, trust, ungodly world, walking, wisdom, write we unto you, your day will come
1 John 1:4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!
And was it ever a beautiful day yesterday…a perfect representation of what a typical summer day should be – bright, warm sun, blue skies, birds singing merrily, and a cool breeze to keep it all refreshing! And this Canada Day Monday is supposed to be an exact replica of yesterday. So there should be nothing like rain to rain on our parade, (smile) and celebrations all over this beautiful country should go off without a hitch, this one hundred and fifty second year of our blessed existence!
But let’s remember right off the bat to heed Granny’s wise warning: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, for heaven’s sake, please mind yuh business!’ And yes, I know yuh tired hearing it, but is only for your good, because when we celebrating too heartily, we tend to lose our sense of balance, both literally and figuratively, (smile) and morality, as well as right and wrong just go flying through the window, and in comes the enemy to make us do stuff we’ll seriously regret when we regain our balance.
So do celebrate, but as Jeeves would say, with a modicum of circumspection, please keep one eye open all the time! And I feel for those of you who have to go out and labour this loverly Monday morn, but them’s just the breaks, you need to put food on the table. Doh worry, your day will come, and then you can laugh and croak hoarsely as we declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to boost our spirits, chase away the evil one and lighten our load.
So altogether 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!’
And as always, those who don’t have to go to work today, and most likely have been partying all weekend were the loudest and most raucous. But it did lift our spirits and get us enthused enough to go out and do Jesus’ work with a healthy and wholesome attitude!
And to boost us even more, listen, as I do like John in his first epistle. ‘And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.’ Oh mih breddren, how wonderful is that eh? The ole fella writing you so that you could be full of joy! (smile)
And the scholars explain our Bit thus: ‘1:4. The major purpose of 1 John is stated in 5:13, but another purpose is stated here: for the recipients, and no doubt John as well, to enjoy and share in the deep sense of satisfaction that knowing Christ and walking with Him brings.’
Yes friends, knowing Christ, and walking with Him does bring a great sense of satisfaction and purpose! And who would know that better than John eh, as he walked personally with Jesus here on earth, and reminds us that his is an eyewitness account, (vs.1-3) not hearsay like so many others. Anyway, here is John’s secondary purpose in writing his first epistle.
‘This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not do (practice) the truth; But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ (1 John 1:5-7)
And all Christ’s followers cried out with a loud voice: ‘Praise His Holy Name! For He is indeed worthy of praise!’ And without a doubt our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is indeed worthy of our praise my people! Now let’s see what the scholars have to say about all of that nuh.
‘1:5. Again John implies his eyewitness status, having heard of him, that is, Jesus: John passes on to the church teaching he first received from Jesus. Light and darkness here have ethical overtones. John is saying that God is perfect and good: there is thus no or evil in Him. This will have implications for followers of this God in the following verses.’
‘1:6.Walk in darkness means walking in sin. John may have had in mind people who claimed to be enjoying a close relationship with God, but whose lives were clearly characterized by sin. Such a state of affairs, John says boldly, is impossible; such persons are lying.’ And unfortunately, we do have too many of those hanging out in the church these days. But we just have to leave them to God…and their consciences, if they have any left.
‘1:7. “God is light” (vs.5): To walk in this light, which is to live free from bondage to sin (cf.Rom.6:18), is to make true communion between believers possible. Jesus’ violent death on the cross, which is what blood signifies, is the initial antidote for and ultimate defense against sin’s presence and power.’
And that’s the gospel truth, for it is by the shedding of Jesus’ blood that we were set free from sin! His sacrificial blood paid the overwhelming price, the gargantuan debt for our sin. And that’s why it’s ever so important for His followers to recognize the exceeding great value of blood in our freedom and thus work sincerely and diligently to make it worth Jesus’ while by living good with each other and spreading the good news of His gospel! Much LOVE!
…if blood doesn’t flow…sin can’t be forgiven…
24 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grain of mustard seed, according to your faith, ask in my name, aura of love, be it unto you, by fasting and prayer, Christians, confidence, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fellowship, friends, have faith in God, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, impossible to please God, Jesus answering, Jesus Christ, Jesus is waiting, joy, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nothing shall be impossible, o ye of little fiath, on the front lines, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rise and shine, rise to the occasion, said unto them, salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Son glorify the Father, thy faith hath made thee whole, to join the battle, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, warriors in Christ's army, wisdom, withouth faith
Mark 11:22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Rise and shine fellow warriors in Christ’s army! The trump has sounded! It’s time to gird ourselves in our protective armour and head for the frontlines, where our General, Jesus, the most highly named and exalted Commander in the universe is already there waiting for us. And like His snow-white steed that’s pawing the ground in great anticipation, He’s also eager to join the battle this good-looking summer morn, which just happens to be Monday, the first day of the new workweek (smile).
And yes, sometimes it’s hard to get back on the merry go round of work after a couple days off, especially with summer in the air and weekend trips to the cottage up north getting into full gear. But work we must if we want to survive, so we have this fail-safe pick-me-up we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Let’s declare (yeh!) it all together now nuh, so that we can rise to the occasion.
‘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!’
And brother, yuh see how quickly we start feeling better; our eyes light up with a new gleam, our souls suddenly feel refreshed and we feel like we could fight an army or move a mountain single handedly! Wow! That’s because the Holy Spirit is working in us to give the Lord’s answer to our humble, sincere, but ever-confident prayer! And why yuh think that is eh?
That’s because Jesus says that whenever we pray, whatever we pray for, if we believe, we will get it. ‘Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ (Mark 11:24) And He also says that if we ask for anything in His name, He will do it. ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:13-14)
What great promises friends! But we also know that there are certain provisos to those promises, they all depend on them being in the Father’s will, timing and purpose for our lives and coming from sincere motives of the heart; they just can’t be wishy-washy, selfish, self-aggrandizing prayers.
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘14:13-14. In my name means “as My agent.” The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus’ will (cf.16:23-26). It is also linked here especially in the accomplishment of the “greater works.” (vs.12) The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God.’
But what is Jesus really talking about here eh? It’s basically about faith; the level of our faith in Him and the Father. In the passage in Mark above, He had just cursed the fruitless fig tree and caused it to suddenly wither up. That gave Him ‘the occasion to expound concerning faith, prayer and forgiveness.’ And He began thus: ‘Have faith in God.’ And that’s the whole sermon right there in a nutshell my people!
Remember He also said these things on the subject: ‘According to your faith be it unto you,’ when He touched the two blind men’s eyes. (Matt.9:29) And when the disciples couldn’t heal an epileptic child, and wanted to know why, He admonished them: ‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt.17:20-21)
Some important points to notice there; even a li’l faith is a powerful thing, and some jobs call for not faith alone, but also for fasting and intense prayer. And please note that in almost every occasion on which He healed someone, Jesus made it a point to invoke his or her faith into the healing.
Note the occasion when the Roman centurion approached Him for his servant’s healing, then said that Jesus did not need to come to his house to do it, He had the power to do it right there. Jesus replied in astonishment: ‘Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ Matt.8:10) Yes friends, a heathen Roman centurion showed more faith in Jesus’ awesome power than any of His own people!
And what a wonderful example of great faith is the woman with the twelve year issue of blood who fought through the throng believing if she only touched the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed. And when she did, she was healed instantly. But Jesus also noticed that something was wrong, because He felt some of His power go out of Him, and asked: ‘Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?’ (Mark 5:25-33).
But Jesus persisted in looking around to find the culprit, (smile) and eventually the woman fell down before Him and admitted the truth. ‘And he (Jesus) said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (affliction).’ (Mark 5:34) And there are many more instances of Jesus calling on people to show faith, which we have no time or space to get into today. But I’ll leave us with one of Jesus favourite jibes to those who reused to belief Him. ‘O ye of li’l faith.’
And sadly, in these ungodly and evil times, He’s saying that about a lot of us supposed Christians. Please friends and fellow believers, let’s rise up today and begin giving Him serious occasion to change it nuh to ‘How great is thy faith!’ That would surely warm the cockles of His holy and oh so LOVING heart! It’s about time we did something to cause that, don’t you think? Much LOVE!
…without faith…it is impossible to please God… (Heb.11:6)
P.S. Sorry that the Bit’s somewhat late…and somewhat long, but good, (smile) but I had some pressing problems that I had to deal with first. Much LOVE!
19 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a happy tomorrow, a prayer for today, added unto you, all my needs, all sufficency, borrowing from future years, courage to resist, do not worry about tomorrow, do the tasks, faith, gald to be alive, God is able, God will supply, his riches in glory, I shall not want, in all things, is the evil thereof, let us rejoice and be glad in it, looking forward, LOVE, magnanimous god, not looking back, one day at a time, peace of mind, rat-race, real strength of soul, reassuring scriptures, righteousness, say the word, seek ye first, Sermon on the Mount, shall take thought for itself, Silent Unity, stand strong and steadfast, strength, sufficent unto the day, take no thought for the morrow, the breath of life, the kingdom of God, The Lord is my shepherd, the morrow, the urge to worry, think the thought, this is the day the Lord has made, to a glorious future with Jesus, to make all grace abound, trouble, Wednesday Wail, Winnifred Brand
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.
Well we’re up to, or down to Wednesday, the middle of the week – anyway you want to put it, and we’re finally into the groove of the weekly rat race. It’s strange how we go to work almost every week, but yet it still takes us a couple of days to get back into the swing of things. Oh, the strange make up of the human animal! It doesn’t take us long to get into the swing of things we like though. (smile)
And I’m chuckling here because today I want to share a prayer posted on the door of my office which I pass several times a day, and did not even know it was there…in fact I happened to read several prayers up there a few days ago, and was I ever surprised to see them there. And I know they’ve been up there for some time, because they all sound very strange and new to me. (smile)
And you might ask, what’s the purpose of putting them up there then if you don’t see them? Now that’s a good question, to which I can’t give a good answer. Now interesting and encouraging stuff is stuck up all around the office, but the truth is, I come in and out of the office everyday and don’t see most of them. And I daresay that many of us face a similar problem, too busy and otherwise preoccupied to notice what’s in front of us.
Anyway, let’s get on with this prayer, titled ‘A Prayer for Today,’ written by one Winifred Brand that I apparently got sometime ago from a Silent Unity Publication. So please pray with me. ‘Lord, give me strength just for today, to do the tasks that come my way, to say the word, to think the thought with which real strength of soul is wrought.
Lord, give me courage to resist the urge to worry or persist in borrowing from future years, trouble unknown or futile tears. Just for today Lord, let me find true strength and faith and peace of mind, and I will tomorrow pray, when it becomes a new today.’
And does that ever make a whole lotta sense my people! All we need is the wherewithal to make it through each and everyday. As the saying goes, ‘take it one day at a time.’ And to tell the truth, you can’t take it any more than that nuh, because we’re only gifted with one day at a time. Thus too the sweet song: ‘One day at a time, sweet Jesus, One day at a time, that’s all I’m asking of You.’
And neither will He give us more than that. And Jesus made that quite clear after telling His listeners in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added to you. 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.’ (Matt.6:33-34)
Ah mih people, right in those two verses we have two most invaluable lessons; the first is that we must seek God’s kingdom first, and the second is not to worry about tomorrow, look after today, because tomorrow will look after itself. Just live one day at a time; today. As the prayer above so wisely says: ‘and I will tomorrow pray, when it becomes the new today.’ And that’s quite right, because in reality, what we call tomorrow never really comes, it’s always becomes today!
So friends, let’s learn to live for today nuh. It doesn’t mean we don’t think about or consider or put aside for tomorrow, but let’s focus most of our concentration and concern on the things of today, because if we don’t do what we need to do today, we might not have a hearty, healthy and happy tomorrow! (smile)
And we really don’t have any need to worry about what happens today, tomorrow or even next week, next month or next year because we have so many wonderful and glorious promises from our magnificent and magnanimous God, re our provisions in this earthly existence.
Listen to a few nuh, beginning with Bruh Paul’s encouragement to the church at Philippi. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:19) Yes my brethren, if we seek God sincerely, and help others, even when we too are in need, then God will gloriously supply all that we need through His unlimited resources through His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Now hear this other reassuring scripture from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. As it is written, He hath dispersed (distributed) abroad; He hath given to the poor: His righteousness remaineth for ever.’ (2 Cor.9:8-9) In verse 9 there, Bruh Paul is quoting from Psalm 112:9.
And in talking about God’s assurance in scripture for His faithful followers, there is no passage as immortal and as widely known as those uplifting words of Bruh David in the opening of the 23rd Psalm: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’
Mama Mia! What an impactful and insightful statement! Please note, Bruh David did not see it fit to list any provisos or conditions for his declaration. There are no ifs, ands or buts. It was a simple statement of fact based on his life experience of faithfully following the God of his forefathers, and the same applies to us, if we follow in his august footsteps.
So having all that reassurance, faith and whatever other good and godly thing there is exciting our souls and spirits, let’s go home proudly declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! As one, in sincere sense of purpose: ‘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 will that future ever be so glorious my people, so glorious that we can’t even imagine what it will be truly like. So please stand strong and steadfast in the Lord if you want to enjoy it nuh. Much LOVE!
…this is the day the Lord has made…let us rejoice and be glad in it…it’s the only thing that makes sense…
03 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light in our eyes, a spiritual body, a spring in our step, admonishment, an enjoyable weekend, another one bites the dust, aura of love, be a burden, be your best, cancer, carefree, communicate to, condolences, confidence, conforms to God's Word, departed this world, do your best, eat any man's bread, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith, for nought, free of charge, friends, from every brother, getting motivated, glory hallelujah, going hungry, grace, holy spirit, humble servants, if any would not work, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, keep ploughing through, lies, look your best, LOVE, make good memories, make ourselves an example, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mourn, neither should he eat, night and day, our heavenly Father, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, scourge of mankind, spiritual armour, that walks disorderly, the rough minefield that's life, this we commanded you, toiled, true believers, trust, truth, ungodly world, university chums, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, when we were with you, wisdom, withdraw yourselves, wrought with labour, young
2 Thessalonians 3:10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
‘Another one’s down! Another one’s gone! Yes, another one bites the dust!’ Ah friends, one more of my university chums has departed this world for the next. And are they ever departing at a fairly speedy rate. Chuh! I don’t even want to count how many have departed in the last three or four years because it will get too depressing.
But suffice it to say that Dr. Michael Dash Ph.D. language professor extraordinaire; (smile) has now given up his earthly body for just a spiritual one. I am not cognizant of all the facts, but I believe he was laid low by the current deadly scourge of mankind, cancer. Apparently the cancer had ravaged his body so much, that he ended up in a coma and never regained consciousness.
Ah Michael mih brother, I haven’t seen you in many a year, but we certainly had some good times way back then on the University of the West Indies Campus in Mona, Jamaica, when we were young and carefree. So regardless of what has happened in between, those memories can never be erased. And that’s why we make memories; to remind us of what life was like in earlier times. The only problem is that we must endeavour to make good memories, because who wants to remember bad memories eh?
Anyway, rest in peace Michael, and my sincere condolences go out to your family as they mourn and grieve your passing. The big problem with death though friends, is that the ones left behind have to go on, have to keep ploughing through the rough minefield that’s life as though nothing has happened. That means most of us still have to go out and labour on this Monday morning, which we’d still rather not do. (smile)
That brings us to some very interesting and important words of advice, as well as of admonishment from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians re general behaviour. ‘Now we command you brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought (free of charge); but wrought with labour (worked) and travail (toil) night and day, that we might not be chargeable (be a burden) to any of you. Not because we have not power (authority), but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess.3: 6-10)
Now that’s a very strong and serious admonition! Something that still holds true today. We ought to disassociate ourselves from those who refuse to walk a style of life that conforms to God’s Word. And we all ought to work as best we can to make a living. And it’s not like Bruh Paul had to work – he was a tent maker – but he wanted to set a good example for the Thessalonians. Likewise, we ought to think seriously about setting good examples for those around us.
And what a bam- bam it would be eh, if we ever introduced that rule about if you don’t work you don’t eat! (smile) Even more people would go hungry than are already going hungry for one reason or another. But since we’re true believers in Christ, that’s not in our souls and spirits at all! (smile) Some of us just have a few problems getting motivated to go out each and every Monday morning after an enjoyable weekend.
But not to worry, we have the right antidote for all those Monday blues, something called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; sincere words of prayer, that we communicate to our heavenly Father, asking for His awesome help to get us moving. So let’s do that together now nuh, since when we agree in prayer, it makes our prayer more powerful.
As one 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!’
And our God is so wonderful my brethren, that before the words could even quite reach up to heaven, the Father had already instructed the angels to grant our wishes! Wow! That’s why now we all feel so refreshed and energized, with a spring in our step, a new light in our eyes and a desire to get out into the evil world and just work diligently and excellently for Jesus!
So let’s go now and do just that nuh, so we can bring a smile to Jesus’ face and warm the cockles of His warm and oh so LOVING heart! Much LOVE!
…if you truly LOVE Jesus…and want to sincerely follow Him…then you need to…look your best…do your best…and be your best… (Uncle Charles –Charles Stanley)
01 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant life, Anselm, as a man thinks, aspires to inspire us, be patient, become foolish, believing, Book of the Law, breath of life, day and night, den of iniquity, difficulties, dr robert h schuller, faith, free will, friends, full of pride, gospel truth, grow in our christian faith, guidebook for living, have good success, he who has ears to hear, hopelessness, House of prayer, in concert with Jesus, in partenership with Christ, in the low time, in the wintertime, in your worst mood, Jesus Christ, let him hear, life's circumstance, Lord, make thy way prosperous, make your most important decisions, meditate on it, mire of disaster, negative emotions, negative stress, never cut down a tree, never make a negative decision, offended, opportunities, our own benefit, out of thy mouth, positive results, positive thinking, positive thoughts, power over your happiness, replace negative thoughts, Saturday, saviour, shall not depart, sinless life, so is he, spring will come, stress, stressed, talk the faith, the mind of Jesus, the right attitude, the storm will pass, to get angry, walk the faith
Joshua 1:8. 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.
And then it was Saturday, the first of June; somewhat sunny, but still a tad chilly. And the first order of business is to ask us to continue praying for our Scrip-Bit family member Alyssa. She came through the surgery successfully…Glory to God! And she thanks us all for our prayers, but she is having a difficult time with the pain, so it would be nice if we ask the Lord to help her in that respect; either reduce it, or give her the strength to handle it.
And believe you me, I know what it is to be in pain after surgery, I’ve had enough of it to last me a lifetime! But the fact is that’s the only way we grow in our Christian faith; through difficult times, which teaches us to hold on tightly to the Lord and the awesome promises found in His Word.
The problem with most of us believers is that we talk the faith very well, but don’t do it as well when the time calls for it. Anyway, let’s just pray for Alyssa and by faith, know and believe that He will help her. Remember, believing is the most important part of prayer. End of sermon! (smile)
Now since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And he sent us a whole slew this week, and some long ones as well! Hear this first one: ‘Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.’
Now that’s ever so obvious! You can’t have positive results with negative thoughts. And Positive Thinking is the way to go in this life, because Cousin Sol says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. (Prov.23:7) And that’s gospel truth friends! However we think, that’s the way we will behave, that’s the direction in which we’ll go.
And remember, the greatest positive thinker of all time was our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. How else would He imagine that He could come to earth, die for our sins, then expect us to lead others to Him eh? Only positive thinking at it’s highest pinnacle could cause Him to believe such an extraordinary thing. And since we’re supposed to have the mind of Jesus, then our thinking ought to be along positive lines too.
That’s why this next quote is also true. ‘Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.’ Oh friends, this life is all about attitudes, our attitudes to life’s circumstances! If we have the right attitude, then we’ll be able to handle whatever comes against us, especially if we’re in concert with Jesus!
And all of that segues quite nicely into this other quote: ‘Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you’re doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you.’
Mama Yo! Yuh ever see Jesus allow the li’l things to bother Him? No way! Is only when big things like the supposed people of God using His Father’s house of prayer as a den of iniquity, that He allows His anger to burst forth! (Matt.21:13) And talking about attitudes, hear this quote: ‘You’re going to go through tough times – that’s life. But I say, ‘Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.’ See the positive in negative events.’
Yes my brethren, the only smart and sensible way to see life is through rose coloured glasses. (smile) We have to consider our difficulties as opportunities to grow, or we’ll just stay and wallow in the mire of disaster and hopelessness all our earthly lives…And that’s definitely not what Jesus died for us to do!
He gave His sinless life so that we could have a good, rich and abundant life, beginning right here on earth! But as always, in partnership with Christ, we have a part to do. And yes, our part is not always easy to do, but with Jesus by our side it is eminently doable. And He expects us to do it!
That brings us to this last quote: ‘Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.’
And I vividly remember that advice from one of Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) messages in his Hour of Power Devotional. He tells how one winter his father saw a tree that seemed dead and cut it down for firewood, but come the springtime, the remnants of that tree blossomed again, and his father gave him that same very sound advice.
Oh friends, this world is so contrary and ungodly and evil, and brings so many negative things against us that it is difficult to do all that we need to do. That’s why we have to stay in constant contact with God, read, meditate and inwardly digest His amazing Word, which contains promises for every area of our earthly walk. It’s our Guidebook for LIVING; both here on earth and also in heaven for eternity, for it tells us what we’ll be doing then too!
And it all comes right back to the Lord’s own unbeatable advice to Joshua long, long ago: ‘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.’
Ah mih breddren, that’s not new news! And we’re not prosperous and don’t have good success because we don’t practice what the Lord tells us! He is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, and if He tells us we need to do such and so to be successful in the life He’s planned and ordained for us, then why would we do otherwise eh?
Because with our free will, we’ve become foolish and full of too much pride, and feel we know better than the One who created us and blew His breath of life into our feeble lungs! But as Jesus so simply and eloquently puts it: He that hath ears to hear…let him hear! Matter fix mih people!
So let’s sit down today and do some serious and wise hearing nuh! It’s all for our own benefit! Much LOVE!
…mixed up moods and attitudes…only bring a mixed up and unsuccessful life…
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