18 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenaline, ancient days, anxiety, arm of the Lord, aura of love, awake, beauty of holiness, bondage, chomping at the bit, Christians, christmas day, clothed with majesty, confidence, courage, cut off Rahab, darkness, days of old, eager army, Egypt, engage the enemy, enthusiasm, evil, faith, faithful, fiery attitude, friends, frustration, generations of old, get a move on, glorious kingdom, gusto, he who has ears to hear, humble servants, in concert with God, in your face, inroads, invincible, Isaiah, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, judge the people, let the earth be glad, let the heavens rejoice, lies, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peace, pedestrian intro, put it into action, put on strength, rebelled, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteously, rise up as one, roll out of bed, salvation, show our mettle, snooze you lose, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, stellar efforts, surrender, the enemy's ranks, the forces of light, the heathen, the Lord reigns, the Lord rocks, the sooner the better, trust, truth, ungodly world, unified, well-disciplined, wisdom, words fail me, worship the Lord, wounded the dragon
Isaiah 51:9. Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days (days of old), in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut off Rahab, and wounded the dragon (serpent)?
Ah friends, I don’t know how to begin today’s Bit nuh. Words fail me. (smile) That’s because I want to give you a very snappy and in your face intro as writers are supposed to give their readers. But unfortunately, it seems the ole brain isn’t functioning on that level this morning, so I guess we’ll just have to settle for a somewhat simple and pedestrian intro. (smile)
So it’s Monday morning, time to roll out of bed and get ready to go to work. In fact, next Monday is Christmas Day, which means you have plenty stuff to do between now and then, so let’s get a move on nuh. Neither time, nor the world is waiting on you. Thus, as they say, if you snooze, you lose. And since we definitely don’t want you to lose, we have to stop you snoozing and start you moving. And we’ll begin that process by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with whatever gusto you can muster at this early hour of the day.
So all together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih people, it never ceases to amaze me how those words can perk me up on a cold Monday morning. How they can get my adrenaline running, the fire in my belly flaming brightly and have me just chomping at the bit, rearing to get out into the world and do battle with the iniquity workers on behalf of Jesus! I certainly hope that they bring the same fiery attitude to your soul, so that as one unified, well-disciplined, strong and eager army we can fight the good fight and make Jesus’ LOVE Revolution successful!
In other words friends, we have to do like Isaiah declared when he called the faithful to courage in our Bit. ‘Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days (days of old), in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut off Rahab, and wounded the dragon (serpent)?’
Ah my fellow believers, we are today’s faithful and just like the Israelites back then, we are being called to courage; called to show our mettle, what we are truly made of. It’s our time now to show that we can stand strong and fight valiantly against Lucifer and his evil forces of darkness. Remember we are the forces of light, and light ALWAYS overcomes darkness, but that light must first be shone in the darkness that surrounds it, otherwise it won’t make any difference.
It’s time friends, that we rise up as one and seriously engage the enemy, for right now, with our less than stellar efforts, we’re fighting a losing battle. The Lord fought for the Israelites when they were in slavery in both Egypt (Rahab) and Babylon and brought them out victorious. Now He wants to fight for us, but we have to get in concert with Him, otherwise it won’t work.
Yuh see how after the Lord brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, then they rebelled against Him and thus wandered in the wilderness for forty long, hard years because of it? Well friends, we’ll just keep on spinning our wheels in frustration and anxiety if we don’t right our ship and walk with the Lord, rather than against Him. Remember, He has nothing to lose, but we have so much to gain from walking faithfully with Him. And when He fights for us, we win, because He is the strongest, the most powerful force in the universe.
Hear how the psalmist describes it in Psalm 93 – The Lord is clothed with majesty. ‘The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved (shaken) Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.’ (Ps.93:1-2)
And in Psalm 96 – A call to praise God, the psalmist again declares the Lord’s power. ‘O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him, all the earth. Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad: let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof (all that is in it).’ (Ps.96:9-11)
Yes my people, that is the message we have to get out to the heathen – the Lord rocks! And the sooner we do, the better it will be for us all. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…then put what he’s heard into action…
16 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: able to judge, Apotex, at the end of the tunnel, attract great things, Barry Sherman, be wise, being grateful, believers, believing, blessings, chasing the world's wealth, Christ's return, Christ-like, Christian, curses, discerner, dividing asunder, faith, faster than lightning, feed your mind, feel like quitting, find the positive, foul play, friends, generic drug companies, get better, giving up, handle the truth, his word runneth swiftly, intentions of the heart, Isaiah, joints, learning, light, like a sharp sword, living, LOVE, made my mouth, marrow, material wealth, negative thoughts, no-win situation, pay serious attention, Pharma, piercing, positive thoughts, power, powerful, quick, readiness, ruin, run from the truth, sends forth his commandment, shadow of his hand, sharper than any twoedged sword, spoke everything into existence, sword of the Spirit, the truth will set you free, the Word of god, think why you started, thoughts, today, tomorrow, trying
Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.
Ah Lord friends, we never know how our lives will end nuh, that’s why our faith keeps preaching readiness for Christ, whenever He returns, or you depart this earthly life. This fact was sadly brought home by the death of one of Canada’s wealthiest couples, Honey and Barry Sherman.
They were found dead in the basement of their mansion yesterday, with no outstanding evidence of foul play. The mansion was apparently up for sale, around 7million dollars, and a real-estate agent going to prepare for an open house found them. Steups!
Barry Sherman was the founder of Apotex, one of the largest generic drug companies in the world. So once again, it’s been proven that material wealth and power cannot keep you from joining the ranks of the deceased according to your timetable. Please let that be a lesson to some of us who are foolishly chasing the world’s wealth and power. Our condolences go out to the Sherman family.
Now since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to some interesting quotes from our friend Anselm. And the first one hits you like a bullet: ‘When you feel like quitting think about why you started.’ Now that’s telling it like it is, for in almost everything we undertake, there will come a time when things get so difficult that we will think about giving up.
I’m sure Barry Sherman in bringing Apotex to success felt like giving up many times, what with having to fight the big Pharma companies who didn’t want cheap renditions of their drugs flooding the market.
But I’m sure many times too he invoked the basic ideas of this second quote. ‘Everything will get better. Try to find the positive in every bad situation. There will always be light in the end of the tunnel.’ And as we see, there was indeed light at the end as Apotex eventually became successful.
This next quote also contains great truth. ‘Don’t start your day with negative thoughts from yesterday. It will only destroy your wonderful today and ruin your great tomorrow.’ And so many of us unwisely do that and just spoil our day from the get go. That’s why they say: ‘The more you feed your mind with positive thoughts, the more you can attract great things into your life.’ More truth friends!
And finally: ‘Great things happen to those who don’t stop believing, trying, learning, and being grateful.’ That’s a mantra for our Christian faith right there my fellow believers! We have to keep on believing, keep on trying, learning and being grateful for all of God’s goodness, if we want to grow and mature in a Christ-like manner.
And the first exercise in all of that is acknowledging the awesome power of God and His Word as set forth in our Bit. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’
Yeh friends, when you talk about might and power, there’s ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that beats the word of God. It has to be powerful if it spoke everything into existence. And why so many of us still try to fight it, I really don’t know, because it’s simply a no-win situation.
And if you don’t believe me, remember what Bruh Paul says in Ephesians, re God’s armour: ‘And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ (Eph.6:17) Oh my brethren, there’s no sword or sword player to match the Word of God when it’s in full stride, in full play!
And the prophet Isaiah, in describing Israel as the Lord’s servant declared: ‘And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me…’ (Is. 49:2) Likewise my fellow believers, our mouths are like sharp swords when we speak the Lord’s word, that’s why we have to be careful when we open our mouths, since we can either use them for blessings or curses.
Our words set the tone for our lives and many of those around us. Even people we’ll never know will be affected, either for good or bad by our words. One of the best examples of that is this Blog; a lot of people whom I don’t know read it, and my statements can affect them in so many ways. That’s why I have to be careful in what I say.
But that doesn’t mean I have to run away from the truth because it might affect some people negatively! Not at all! For Jesus said the truth will set you free, and if you can’t handle the truth then that’s your problem! Anyway friends, I know that all of you can handle the truth, so there’s no need to worry. (smile)
And we’ll end with some interesting words from Psalm 147 – Great is our God and of great power. The psalmist declares with strong conviction: ‘He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth swiftly.’ (Ps.147:15)
Yeh mih people, let’s remember that the word of the Lord is all over the earth and it moves faster than lightning, so please, let’s be wise and pay serious attention to it. Much LOVE!
…the word of God rules…no ifs ands or buts about it…
13 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city set on a hill, a glorious future with Jesus, advertise, benefits, cannot be hid, Christian, christianity, christmas day, come to know Jesus, commotion, compromise, contentment, decorations, disunity, divisions, environment, factions, faith, family interacts, fear of man, flavour, gentleness, gives light to all, glorify your father in heaven, glory, glory hallelujah, god the father, godly manner, good for nothing, good works, halfway home, hands on the plough, He was in the house, healthy, Jesus Christ was born, joy, kindness, laughter, laziness, learn of your presence, let your light so shine, light of holiness, looking forward, lost his savour, LOVE, men light a candle, miracle, negative aspects of life, neighbours know it, never a secret, not looking back, on a candlestick, One Year Book of Bible promises, outward atmosphere, praise, prayer, presents, problems, radians, righteous body, righteousness, Ruth Harms Calkin, sinful men, sinful world, sloth, Spirit of Christ, spiritual accent, strangers, strife-filled environment, thanks, the breath of life, the Great First, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, thrown out, trod underfoot, under a bushel, unified, way of life, Wednesday Wail, You cannot be hid, you live in a home
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Oh friends, the time is drawing ever nearer to that most significant day – Christmas Day – when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born! Glory Hallelujah! Give God the Father all thanks, praise and glory for the awesome miracle that He wrought in the lives of, and on behalf of sinful men that day some two thousand years ago!
And even more importantly, please, we need to see that thanks and glory reflected in our homes as the poem ‘You Cannot Be Hid,’ from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin so avidly describes.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I’ve discovered it’s never a secret When You live in a home For You simply cannot be hid. The neighbours soon know You are there Even strangers learn of Your presence. When You are the Great First in a home
There is a radiance that speaks of joy There is gentleness, kindness Laughter and LOVE. There is commotion mixed with contentment There are problems mixed with prayer. Lord, Your own word says it so vividly: “It was known that He was in the house.”
Yes my people, anytime the Lord God Almighty is the ‘Great First’ in our homes, that most excellent and welcome fact cannot be hid, because it shows in the way the family interacts with each other and with those who come around them!
Wow! What a joyful home that becomes! That doesn’t mean that problems and other negative aspects of life don’t exist in the homes where God is FIRST. It just means that they are dealt with in a healthy, godly manner, and a continual strife-filled environment doesn’t exist there.
Oh how I wish many many more of our homes, especially the Christian ones, were truly like that. Yeh friends, we all know that a lot of homes that seem Christian on the outside don’t really behave in good Christian fashion on the inside.
So please, for this Christmas season, in these ongoing strife-filled and negative times, let’s try and bring a true Christian feeling, a true Christian environment to our homes nuh. Let our neighbours and the stranger just passing through see it written loud and clear in the way we interact, so that they can appreciate our way of life and come to know Jesus too.
Remember, it’s not just the presents, the food, decorations and outward atmosphere that are important at Christmas time, but also the internal, the spiritual accent, for they bring the true Spirit of Christ to the situation. And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit, the well-known words of Jesus to His disciples and also to us. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’
Oh my people, that is exactly what Jesus expects from us; to be a blazing light of holiness and righteousness to the evil and sinful world that surrounds us! Then He continues with an addendum: ‘Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt.5:15)
Yeh friends, Jesus expects us to show our Christianity to the whole world, so that they can see and believe the awesome benefits inherent in becoming His follower.
And furthermore, in the verse before our Bit, He declares another truth that He expects from His followers: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot by men.’ (Matt.5:13)
Oh friends, yuh better believe that Christians, as a unified and righteous body have lost their salt and their light is not shining as brightly as it ought to! Who knows exactly why?
But there are some reasons that definitely contribute to the unfortunate situation; reasons like fear of what man can do to us, disunity between Christians, too many factions and divisions of Christians, unnecessary compromise with the world, and simple sloth and laziness, with the avowed intention to just enjoy the things of the world and the things of God be put on the back burner.
But friends, our avowed intention ought to be what Jesus demanded of us: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16) That’s the crux of the matter right there my believing brethren! We simply need to come up higher in our Christian living.
And this Christmas season is the best time to do it. So please, let’s all promise our God, and ourselves, that this Christmas, Christ will truly be in our houses and our lives, and be clearly visible to all and sundry. And having made that promise, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in Christ.
In truth and sincerity now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And what a truly glorious future that will be my people! And it all began with Christ’s birth at Christmas! Much LOVE!
…if Christians don’t advertise their wonderful faith…then who will eh…
12 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Antoine de St. Expury, avocations, beloved of God, born to be free, breastplate of righteousness, cast off the works of darkness, christianity, darkness, demanding, dictating, dominating, dr robert h schuller, examples, faith, figuratively, fleeting sense of pleasure, flesh and blood, friend of Jesus, gadgets, girdle of truth, gospel of peace, helmet, helmet of salvation, Hour of Power Devotional, human beings, human passage, human realtionships, in high places, Jesus, leading the way, literally, LOVE Revolution, main focus, married to a mortgage, material stuff, materialism, money, overboard, powers, prayer, precepts, principalities, push back, put into action, put on, reason for the season, rulers, salvation, secular, selfish times, share His love, shield of faith, shovelling, slaves, snowfall, spiritual armour, spiritual wickedness, stand, stranglehold, supplication, sword of the Spirit, the armour of light, the day is at hand, the evil day, the light of Jesus, the night is far spent, trudging, true believers, truth, Tuesday Mantra, tyrannical, tyranny of things, unsullied, working for things, wrestle, write with one's life
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Oh friends of mine, it’s a beautiful white Tuesday morning in my area. Hn! Yes, we’ve finally registered our first significant snowfall of the season! It’s not too big a snowfall, and as always, it looks beautiful when unsullied by human passage through it. But trudging through it is something else…and so is shovelling it. Good thing I won’t be doing either of those activities today! (smile)
Anyway, there’s lot’s of stuff I want to share this morning, so let’s get right to it nuh. And the first one is something called ‘The Tyranny of Things,’ from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. I don’t remember if I’ve ever shared this before, but it’s ever so appropriate for these secular and selfish times, especially this time of year.
Please read with me: ‘Materialism does not satisfy because it is tyrannical, and the human being was born to be free! We all know about the tyranny of things. We find that we don’t own a house – the house owns us. We are married to a mortgage. We become slaves to gadgets and garments.
After we have all our “things” purchased, delivered, and installed, and have enjoyed a fleeting sense of pleasure, we find that they are still dominating, dictating, and demanding. “Press me, polish me, patch me, paint me, prune me, plaster me, repair me,” they shout.
So we spend the best years of our lives and the bulk of our money working for the “things,” until, discouraged and depressed, we discover that we have no time left to pursue life’s really enjoyable avocations: visiting friends, having fun, and, yes, even going to church regularly. Thus mastered by materialism, tyrannized by things, we have no time left to do the deeds, or see the places, or visit the people, that would really give us great inner joy.’
And isn’t all of that the living truth friends? It certainly is! In this materialistic, highly commercialized society, it’s all about things and stuff, especially at this season of Christmas. And in a couple weeks time, we’ve forgotten about all the stuff we bought – on credit; even get annoyed when we see some of the stuff, as we struggle to pay for them. Hn! Hn!
So please, let’s take this advice to heart this Christmas season nuh, and not go overboard with the material stuff. Instead, let’s focus on the human relationships and spiritual processes that truly are the reason for the season, with Jesus being the main focus.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’ More words of truth and wisdom, my brethren, whether you take them literally or figuratively!
Time is flying by, and none of us knows how much we have left, so we need to use each second economically, purposefully and usefully, both in the human and spiritual realms. Darkness and evil have taken a stranglehold on our world, and as true believers in Christ, we can’t afford to let that happen. We need to push back…and push back hard too, if we want to make a difference in this crucial fight.
And we have a quote ascribed to Antoine de St. Expury (1900-1944) the French author, poet and aviator. It says: ‘In these times one must write with one’s life. This is the challenge to all of us.’
And is that ever so true friends, especially for us Christians! We need to show the dark, evil and cruel world what true Christianity is like through the way we live our lives, rather than the way we talk. For one doesn’t always reflect the other. As the saying goes; ‘examples work more forcibly than precepts.’
So please let’s concentrate on living our lives as good examples of Christ’s LOVE Revolution nuh, so that the unbeliever will see our sincerity and want to follow Jesus too. That’s the whole point for our being here yes friends.
Now let us take a quick look at the second part of our Bit; putting on ‘the armour of light.’ And all we have time for is Bruh Paul’s notable warning and brief description of God’s spiritual armour to the Ephesians. ‘Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities (rulers), against powers (authorities), against the rulers of darkness of this world (world rulers), against spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings) in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up, put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:10-13)
Yeh friends, only when we’re dressed in God’s armour, can we stand strong and resist the evil one, for He will attack again and again. That means we have to be continually ensconced in our ‘girdle of truth, and breastplate of righteousness, shod with the gospel of peace, bearing the shield of faith, having on our heads the helmet of salvation, and waving the sword of the Spirit in our right hand, with prayer and supplication’ driving us ever onward and forward! That’s our spiritual armour, and how we defeat the enemy.
Now let’s go home declaring as we do on Tuesdays, our Tuesday Mantra, singing out loud and clear to the evil world who and whose we are. In full voice and sincere heart 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!’
Mama Mia! How blessed we are eh! Now let’s go out and put it all into action; share the LOVE of Jesus! Much LOVE!
…dark and evil times…call for Christians…showing their light…the light of Jesus…and leading the way…out of the darkness…
11 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bad name, a new creature, adrenaline, agreement, all things are new, any man be in Christ, at hand, aura of love, bad habits, Belial, brand new day, cast off, celebrate, Christians, Christmas Season, chummy, confidence, contaminate, Corinthians, courageous, creation, darkness of unbelievers, diligently rise and shine, draw them to Christ, drive our engine, ebb of our spirits, enthusiasm, evil, evil times, faith, far spent, fellowship, fires us up, friends, generous help, glorious kingdom, greet the day, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, hypocrites, improvement, in common, infidel, insight, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy in our hearts, lawlessness, lies, light, light of Jesus followers, LOVE, make preparations, massive explosion, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, old things, overpower, passed away, peace, people of Christ, punctuality, put on, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., room for improvement, salvation, Satan, sincerity, sinful ways, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strong, the armour of light, the Birth of Christ, the church of Christ, the day, the LOVE of God, the nature of Christ, the night, the temple of God, the works of darkness, trust, truth, unbelievers, unequally yoked, ungodly world, unrighteousness, wisdom, work, work our fannies off
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Arise friends, arise and greet this brand new day, filled with both mercy and work. The Lord is granting us new mercy so that we can be strong and courageous and go out and diligently do His work this Monday morning. So let’s rise and shine and greet the day with joy in our hearts and the LOVE of God in our souls!
Remember it’s the Christmas season, one of the most important times of the year, when we celebrate the miraculous birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! That alone should be enough to drive our engine this morning. But just in case it isn’t we have our favourite stand by, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which fires us up, even when we are at the ebb of our spirits. So without further ado, let’s sing it out with some enthusiasm and sincerity.
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!’
Yuh see friends, when we put some zest in it, it just raises our spirits, gets our adrenaline flowing and make us just want to get out there and work our fannies off for Jesus. (smile) So having said all of that, let’s get a move on nuh, for as our Bit so rightly says: ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
And just for this moment we’re going to take our Bit at face value; the night is almost done and day is dawning, so we desperately need to get up and make preparations for going to work, and getting there on time too, for punctuality is one of the strong points of the followers of Jesus.
Turning now to the philosophical side of our Bit, let’s see if we can get some more serious insight into what Bruh Paul is talking about. Now yesterday we saw it basically meant to give up the sinful ways in which we knowingly are involved; ways that don’t suit a follower of Christ. For as Bruh Paul tells the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor.5:17)
Yes my people, when we become people of Christ, we are to shuck the old sinful habits we had, and pick up the new ones which reflect the nature of Christ. But a lot of us are still doing the old stuff and it’s giving both Christ and us a bad name. The unbelievers keep shouting ‘Hypocrites!’ And more often than not they are right.
As Bruh Paul puts it later on to the Corinthians: ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness (in common) with unrighteousness (lawlessness)? and what communion (fellowship) hath light with darkness? And what concord (accord) hath Christ with Belial (Satan)? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel (unbeliever). And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’ (2 Cor.6:14-16)
Yes friends, individually and collectively we are the temple of God, the church of Christ, and as such we need to live a life that reflects the nature of Christ, and obviously the unbeliever’s life doesn’t reflect that, so we shouldn’t be too chummy chummy with them and pick up their bad habits.
Now that doesn’t mean we can’t associate or work with them, because how else would we show and teach them about Jesus eh? However we have to make sure that their unbelief doesn’t contaminate us, and that our belief is the more powerful nature of the relationship so that we can eventually draw them to Christ.
But seriously though my believing brethren, in these troubled and evil times, we desperately need to come up higher. There is way too much strife and evil happening in our world, not enough LOVE, joy peace and goodwill, and if it continues in the current vein, it will only lead to a massive explosion, which I’m sure none of us want. So please, please, in Jesus’ name, I implore us, let’s do better nuh, for all of us have room for improvement. If not for our sakes, then for our children’s. Much LOVE!
…the light of Jesus’ followers…ought ALWAYS to overpower…the darkness of the unbelievers…
10 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Advent, advice, ambassadors, begotten, behold him, Bethlehem, cast aspersions, cast off, chambering, choirs of angels, Christ the Lord, Christ's birth, Christians, Christmas, citizens of heaven, cloak of darkness, cradle, day is at hand, demean His reputation, disciples, drunkenness, envying, eternal life, faith, faithful, far spent, fellowship, flocks, future, glory to God, goodwill, hope, hypocrisy, improprieties, in flesh appearing, joy, joyful lips, king of angels, lewdness, licentiousness, light, light eternal, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, makes manifest, manifest works, mantle of light, O come all ye faithful, O come let us adore Him, peace, put on, raise the roof, reflected in us, revelry, sacrificial praise, salvation, sanctuary, secular society, shepherds, sin nature, sing in exultation, sinners awe, Son of the Father, strife, the armour of light, the new life in Christ, the night, the virgin's womb, the workers of iniquity, the works of darkness, triumphant, true God, unfruitful works of darkness, walk honestly, wantonness, word of the Father, worship, wrongdoings
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
And as the days of Advent, the preparatory period before Christ’s birth advances, and the Christmas season intensifies, LOVE and joy, peace and goodwill fill the air! Wow! And I naively wonder, why can’t it be like that all year round eh? But I guess that’s just asking too much of our sinful secular society. A few days, once a year is all they seem to be able to spare. But we’ll take it and just keep working to get more.
And as we gather in the sanctuary this Sunday, to worship and fellowship and give thanks, let’s burst out with a most worthy song, one of the all-time favourites of the Christmas season, ‘O come all ye faithful.’ In true Christmas spirit, let’s raise the roof of our sanctuary and that of heaven too with harmonious sacrificial praise from our joyful lips and hearts.
‘O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, Come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels; ( Chorus: O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.) True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal, Lo, he shuns not the Virgin’s womb; Son of the Father, begotten, not created; (Chorus) Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest; (Chorus)
See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle, Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze; We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps; (Chorus) Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger, We would embrace Thee, with love and awe; Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly? (Chorus) Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing. O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.’
Ah friends, what a beautiful and grateful way to praise our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for all that’s He’s done, is still doing and will do for us in the future. Praise His Holy Name. He is the reason why we have hope for the future, faith in salvation and joy in the promise of eternal life! All the more reason to LOVE and adore Him! Not to despise and cast aspersions and try to remove Him from our society.
But I guess there will always be doubters and evildoers, so it’s up to us believers to raise His profile and make His LOVE Revolution a success. For we are His ears, arms, mouths, legs, and hands in the world, His ambassadors, His disciples, and as we go, so will His movement, His church. Some parts of it are thriving, who knows why, but most are finding it difficult to survive, and many are even closing.
That’s not a very good vibe my people, and means that we’re not doing as good a job as we should. Christ is not being reflected in us as fully as He should be. That’s why we need to take the wise advice in our Bit, from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
Yeh friends, it’s almost dawn, Jesus will soon be coming back, and right now our efforts are sadly lacking, so we need to improve dramatically. As Bruh Paul continues to the Roman church: ‘Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day; not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (lewdness), not in strife and envying.’ (Rom.13:13)
And it’s no secret friends that too many of us so-called Christians are deeply involved in too much of those worldly improprieties. We need to stop the hypocrisy; narrow the gulf between the Christian stuff we mouth, and the worldly trail we walk. As Bruh Paul warns: ‘But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.’ (Rom.13:14)
And the scholars offer this explanation re that verse. ‘13:14. Make not provision for the flesh: One should not seek opportunities to satisfy deep-seated desires of the sin nature, but should seek occasion to manifest works that are consistent with the new life in Christ.’
And that’s all Christ is asking of us yes friends: if you claim to believe in Him, then please live the way He desires you to live. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because we don’t have the capacity for that, but He does expect us to be excellent and diligent in doing His work, like He was excellent and diligent in doing the Father’s work here on earth. When we don’t walk our talk, we just cause others to bad-mouth our Saviour and further demean His reputation, thus playing into the hands of the workers of iniquity.
Therefore my faithful brethren, let’s do like Bruh Paul suggests to the Ephesians nuh. ‘And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them). For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.’ (Eph.5:11-14)
Oh friends, if we sincerely want to help the cause of Jesus, then we have to stop indulging in those sins that we know are ‘unfruitful works of darkness,’ sins of the unsaved, and instead expose them, bring them into the light, show them for the wrongdoings that they are. It’s time friends, time for less talk and more action, time to throw off the cloak of darkness and put on the mantle of light that Jesus offers. That’s the ONLY way our world will ever improve. Much LOVE!
…Christians…oh Christians…where is your light that’s supposed to shine in the darkness…to light up the world…
08 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man of God, Antarctica, Arctic, beneficial to us, California, Christian, christian heritage, comforting, don't speak, ears, eat drink and be merry, enjoy my weekend, Equator, evil, eye-protection, fair manner, faith, fellowship, fire me, Friday chant, fun, glory hallelujah, God's will, hypocrite, idols, in Jesus' name, intense, Jesus, judgement on the proud, living truth, makes countless thousands mourn, man's inhumanity to man, mouths, no warmth, of their own hands, pound of flesh, pray on it, provision of deductions, refreshed, refuse to work overtime, relaxation, renewed, Republican Party, rest, righteousness, secular soicety, seeking God, slave master, sunshiny morning, Tax Bill, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the day of the Lord, the light of the Son, the light of the Sun, the weekend, the work of man's hands, the workingman's song, their land is full of idols, trappings of the world, trust thou in the Lord, unkind, warm, wealth, week of slavery, week of work, which their fingers have made, wildfires, wiser minds prevail, words of wisdom, worship, worship the work, worshipping idols
Isaiah 2:8. Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their fingers have made.
And behold friends, it’s a bright and sunshiny morning in my neighbourhood! But it’s cold! And that’s the big difference between the light of the Sun and the light of the Son.
The light of the sun can be so intense, you can’t even look at it without eye protection, but at the same time, depending on what part of the world you are, in certain seasons, there is no warmth in its brilliance.
The light of the Son though is an entirely different story: His light is ALWAYS warm and comforting, regardless of where you are in this great big world! It could be in the mind-numbing cold of the Arctic or Antarctica, or the excessive heat of the Equator; Jesus is, and will forever be a warm, shining light that you can look at without eye protection.
And all of God’s people declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yeh, so even though the workingman has bright sunshine in which to declare his anthem today, he still has to be bundled up to do so.
And it doesn’t stop him, as he vociferously declares: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and another week of slavery done! And I don’t understand it nuh; the slave master could be so evil and unkind, even as he claims to be a man of God. He want to fire me because I refuse to work overtime on the weekend. Steups!
But what he expect eh? The weekend is the one li’l time I have off to do my business, and he expect me to give it up for the few lousy cents he want to pay me. Chuh pool! But not to worry, I going to enjoy my weekend, eat drink and be merry, and some way, get my pound of flesh from that ole crook, who call himself a Christian! Hn! That’s why I have to say thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
And right there we have one of the problems that exist in our Christian faith; supposed Christians behaving in an un-Christian-like manner. Now we don’t have to give in to all the requests of our employees, but we do have to treat them in a fair and Christian manner, otherwise that’s the conception they develop of us; an hypocritical one, and rightly so.
And talking about being unfair and unkind, listen to this scenario. You all know the Republican Party in the U.S is trying to pass a very bad Tax Bill, very much weighted in favour of the already rich, but one element of that Bill is supposedly removing the provision of deductions for loss of property from things like wildfires and earthquakes. Hn!
Can you imagine the devastating effect that will have on those people in California who have already been through wildfires earlier on in the year, and those who are currently undergoing the tremendous calamity of the now raging, out of control fires in that State?
No wonder we say that man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn. In this case though, it will be more like countless millions. Let’s hope wiser minds prevail, and that Tax Bill, or at least that provision does not get passed. Let’s pray on it please friends.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant, which is a tad more spiritual than the workingman’s song. (smile) All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh mih people, that’s more in tune with our Christian heritage; seeking God’s will rather than ours. That brings us to a rather appropriate Bit, where Isaiah talks about the day of the Lord, His judgement on the proud. ‘Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their fingers have made.’
And isn’t that the living truth friends? In this sinful and secular society today, we worship the things we have made, running behind the wealth and other foolish trappings of the world, instead of seeking God and His awesome righteousness. In fact we’re trying our hardest to remove God completely from our society.
How foolish is that eh? How can you remove the One who created you? And how can you worship something that you have made with your own hands eh; something that has no life or power?
As the psalmist so wisely and rightly puts it in Psalm 115 – Trust in God, not in idols. ‘Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.’ (Ps.115:4-8)
That says it all friends! Why worship the inanimate objects that you yourself have made eh? That makes absolutely no sense. What makes sense is to do as the psalmist says afterwards. ‘O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.’ (Ps.115:9)
And with those words of awesome wisdom, we’ll close today. Please, my brethren, let’s take them to heart and follow them nuh, for they will be exceedingly beneficial to us. Much LOVE!
…what’s the use of worshipping idols…if they have no power to do anything for you…
07 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accolade, be gracious to me, believe god's Word, bread was buttered, burden, Christmas Season, come unto me, compassionate heart, confidence in princes, courage, curse, devastation, difficult situations, disbelief, distress, faith, find rest, foolishness, fragile, friend, gentle, get on our knees, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God of my righteousness, grace, have mercy on me, hear my prayer, heartbreaking pictures, heavy laden. give you rest, humble, I am meek, I called upon the Lord, in distress, labour, learn from me, loss of life, LOVE, lowly in heart, man after his own heart, mar the joy, mercy, momentary, my burden light, my yoke is easy, negative word, number one, offer prayers, prayer, prosper, self-control, self-discipline, set me in a large place, Southern California, succeed, take my yoke, talent, the great invitation, the greatest power on earth, the Lord answered me, the Lord God Jehovah, Thursday Blessings, time of need, trust, trust in man, trust in the Lord, wildfires, wisdom, yoke
Psalm 118:5. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.
Oh my people, what else is going to mar the joy of this 2017 Christmas season eh? I’m talking about the rampant wildfires that are currently raging through Southern California with a renewed vengeance. As the old people would, say, when it’s not one thing, it’s another. And that’s the truth.
The heartbreaking pictures of the sprawling devastation show us just how fragile and momentary our lives are. Can you imagine the terrible Christmas those people affected by those fires will spend? Ah Lord eh! Thankfully though, the loss of life doesn’t seem to be a major problem, for which we are very grateful.
Friends, please, let’s do what we can to physically help them, but most importantly, let’s get on our knees and sincerely offer prayers on their behalf, as prayer is the greatest power on earth.
And you know I wasn’t planning on using the Bit from the past few days today, but after writing that stuff above, I found that it was just so appropriate, that I had no choice. ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.’
That’s the best, in fact it’s the first thing those people should do; call on the Lord God Jehovah seeking His grace, LOVE and mercy in their devastating time of need. It’s first thing WE ALL should do when we find ourselves facing difficult situations, but oftimes it’s the last thing we do. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to turn to the Lord first nuh; if it’s a matter of trust or simple disbelief, but that’s what His word says.
Listen to His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, who else has offered such a magnificent and welcoming invitation eh? NO ONE ELSE! But yet we have problems in accepting it, and I really can’t understand why. All I can surmise is that we don’t truly believe God’s word, our faith isn’t strong enough, and we prefer to first put our trust in man, and leave God as a last resort.
But that’s utter foolishness my brethren! For as the psalmist so strenuously warns and reminds us in Psalm 118, a few verses after our Bit: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
How much clearer can that be eh friends? Not much. But what’s our usual first response when trouble comes? We run to the phone or text a friend, or google the problem on the Internet. And if none of that works, then we cry out to God for help and expect it to come immediately. But unfortunately friends, our great God doesn’t work like that.
He expects to be FIRST and FOREMOST in our lives, at ALL times, and in ALL situations! Anything other than that is unacceptable! Our first reaction should ALWAYS be to call on God, like Bruh David did in the opening of Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God.
‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress: have mercy on me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.’ (Ps.4:1)
Oh my fellow believers, as I keep reminding us, despite all his sinfulness and troubles, Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered, thus he continually called on the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And please note how he opens his prayer by acknowledging the righteousness of God, and then remembering all the times that the Lord had previously helped him, and then on those bases, pleading for help in his current calamitous situation.
We should be doing likewise in our time of adversity, but all too conveniently and foolishly we forget the times when the Lord helped us, and get angry when His help is not immediately forthcoming.
Friends, we can’t want a better example than Bruh David in terms of prayer and praise. He was a man just like us with a sinful nature, but he kept crying out to God in ALL situations, and wonder of wonders, the Lord called him a friend and a man after His own heart.
If we sincerely trust and rely on the Lord God Jehovah in ALL that we do, we too can look forward to being called a friend of God, and a man or woman after His own heart. To me, that is the greatest accolade we can ever receive in this life, and is something I’m trying to work toward.
But in the meantime I’m also going to enjoy the blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us, as listed in our Thursday Blessings. And since there is power in our words, let’s declare them with much enthusiasm, sincerity and truth nuh.
Loud and proud 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 friends, what a magnanimous and magnificent God we serve! Give Him the thanks and praise He so rightly deserves, and follow His desires, as we go out and share those wonderful blessings with others today. Much LOVE!
…who is Number ONE in our lives…and who are we going to call on FIRST…the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…
15 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a garment, a glorious future with Jesus, a powerful tool, a seriouswarning, abundance, accoutrements, anger, asaph, be not envious, betrayed, bitterness, blameless, Christiannegative, corrupt, desire to be with evil men, desires of our hearts, destruction, direct his way, do god's work, draw you away from God, envious of evil men, envy, eternity, evil men, evil way of living, expectations perish, faith, faithful, fatness, fear, fixed straight ahead, focus on fear, forgive, glory hallelujah, grace, halfway home, harbour hate, hate, heartache reign, hope, hopeless, humble child, ignored, in an excellent manner, June Hunte, life looks hopeless, live with your hope, LOVE, lust, mire of despair, mischief, move forward with faith, naughtiness, necklace, netherworld, not looking back, occult, on the upswing, oppression, peace, poignant, pray with your heart, pride, prosperity of the wicked, redundant, rejected, rejection, righteousness, scorned, securely on the plough, selling their souls, stumbled, the breath of life, the dark, transgressors, trouble, unproductive, upliftment, violence, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Proverbs 24:1. Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them.
Well a fine Wednesday morning or afternoon to all you my faithful Scrip-Bit readers! Here is hoping that the Lord is blessing and keeping you safe and sound and giving you the necessary accoutrements to do His work in an excellent manner….
Oh that last statement is redundant, because the Lord ALWAYS gives us the wherewithal to do His work in an excellent manner. (smile)
Anyway, today I want to share an interesting poem titled ‘Rejection,’ written by a lady named June Hunte. And is it ever so poignant and applicable to all believers! Some of you might know it, but it’s one of those pieces that never get old or stale.
Please pray with me. ‘My Lord Jesus, I will live with your hope, even when life looks hopeless. I will not harbour hate, even when I’m ignored. I will live with your peace, even when I’m rejected. I will live with your LOVE, even when I’m scorned.
I will pray with your heart, even for those who hurt me. I will forgive with your grace, even when I’m betrayed. I won’t focus on fear, for I know You are faithful. I won’t let heartache reign, I will move forward with faith. I pray this as your humble child.’
Yes friends, that’s our Christian faith explained right there! But how many of us are living up to it eh? Definitely not as many as should! We allow the enemy to fill our spirits with too much negative and unproductive stuff when we don’t get the desires of our hearts. But that does no good my people. It only drags us even further down in to the mire of despair, bitterness, fear and hate, when what we desperately need is upliftment and strong faith.
That brings us to our Bit, which is also a serious drag on our faith. ‘Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them.’ Why? ‘For their heart studieth destruction (devises violence), and their lips talk of mischief (trouble) (Prov.24:2)
Oh my brethren, is that ever a serious warning from Cousin Sol! And it’s probably even more necessary in these ridiculously evil times than when he first wrote it. The times are so evil that people are selling their souls for next to nothing.
The dark, the occult, the netherworld are all on the upswing now, but the worse thing we can ever do is to be envious of evil men, and then allow that envy to lead us into their evil way of living. And believe you me, the evil in the world is a powerful tool that draws you away from God without you even really realizing it.
Even the psalmist Asaph almost fell for it, way back when. Hear him from Psalm 73 – The mystery of prosperous wickedness: ‘But as for me, my feet were almost gone (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.
For there are no bands (pangs or pain) in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain (serves as a necklace); violence covers them as a garment.
Their eyes stand out with fatness (bulge with abundance): they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt (scoff), and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily (proudly). They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.’ (Ps.73:2-9)
Ah friends, nothing has changed since the days of Asaph so long ago, except that the wicked has gotten even more wicked and more prosperous, and their lure even more desirous and deceitful. It’s not easy to see them prospering and turn away from their evil deeds, but as Christians we should, and can do it with the Lord’s help.
And remember what Cousin Sol says earlier on in Proverbs 11: ‘The righteousness of the perfect (blameless) shall direct his way (make his way smooth or straight): but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness (lust).
When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead (trouble comes to the wicked instead).’ (Prov.11:5-8)
Yuh see people, the wicked might have the upper hand in this world in regards to power and worldly wealth, but it will profit them nothing in the long run, because they, and all that they have will be destroyed, for there is nothing that the Lord God Almighty despises like evil and evil doers.
So let’s try and we wise nuh, and not be numbered amongst that lot. And we can begin by declaring our Wednesday Wail, which describes our position in the realm of God. ‘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!’
Now let’s stand steadfast and strong in that belief, for it’s wisdom at it’s zenith! Much LOVE!
…wickedness may prosper for a season…but righteousness will prosper for eternity…
13 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joyful feeling, a roof over our heads, antidote, ask, aura of love, branches, Christians, confidence, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, feeling up to scratch, forgiveness, full of glory, glorious kingdom, grace, gusto, holy spirit, humble servants, in my name, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, mercy, merry-go-round, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative emotion, pitifully, rejoice, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, ride the rails, righteousness., salvation, salvation of your souls, spiritual armour, spunk, steadfast faith, stirs up, strength, the blues, the end of your faith, the gravy train, the joy of the Lord, trust, ungodly world, vine, wisdom, workweek, ye shall receive, you have asked nothing, your joy may be full
John 16:24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
Welcome once again friends, to the merry go round that’s our workweek. We’ve got get back on that train, the gravy train, (smile) and ride the rails again, because it’s Monday; the day that stirs up so much negative emotion in us. So if we want to eat, and have a roof over our heads, then it’s simple, we have to work, and it makes much more sense working with a joyful feeling than with a miserable, unhappy one.
But just in case this morning you are not feeling up to scratch, we have the perfect antidote for whatever is ailing you. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! Yeh friends, it drives away the blues and gets our spirits up and running in fine form. So let’s just sit back, relax and sing it out with as much spunk and gusto as we can muster nuh.
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!’
Ah mih people, I hear you sigh, like a breath of fresh air wafted over you and raised you up from your misery. (smile) I told you, our Battle Hymn will fix whatever is wrong. Consequently, it’s time for us to get out on the road and run our race with excellence, diligence, humility, forgiveness, grace, mercy and LOVE as our Lord and Saviour, our fearless Leader, Jesus Christ expects of us.
Remember, it’s all about Him friends, about His LOVE Revolution, not about us. We’re just His servants, His friends, His brethren, His saints, His warriors, here to do His awesome bidding. And according to our Bit, He wants us to do His bidding with joy. ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’
Oh my people, contrary to a popular opinion, Jesus did not come to earth to be sad and miserable and make sad, miserable followers out of us. We all know His famous pronouncement: ‘The thief cometh not, but (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
What part of that says that Christians ought to walk around as though they were suffering so much and on their last breath eh? None of it! So why do so many of us supposed Christians go around like a bunch of ‘poe (poor) me ones’, like we’re struggling so much, with no real joy in our souls. Chuh man! That’s not why Jesus died. Hear what He told the disciples when talking about the vine and the branches. ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:11)
Yeh mih breddren, Jesus had joy in His soul, and wherever he went others felt and experienced it. And John in his second set of writings, his epistles, penned the same message to the believers. ‘And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.’ (1 John 1:4)
And the scholars tell us: ‘1:4. The major purpose of 1 John is stated in 5:13 (tell of salvation and eternal life), 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 and purpose that knowing Christ and walking with Him brings.’
Why then are so many of us believers joyless eh? If we are to be truly His followers, we must cultivate a reasonable amount of joy in our souls too. Remember what they say in Nehemiah: ‘for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10b) That means, if you don’t have any joy, then you won’t have any strength either.
And Peter, talking about Christ declares: ‘Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:8-9)
Oh fellow Christians, if we are saved and believe the promise of salvation and eternal life, then that’s the biggest reason to be joyful! And we’ll end with this prayer request of Jesus to His heavenly Father on behalf of the disciples, and consequently to us. ‘And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.’ (John 17:13)
What more can we ask eh friends? Jesus even prayed to the Father that we might be filled with His joy. So let’s get ourselves together and stop behaving so pitifully, like we’re orphans or something nuh, with no one to LOVE us. We have Jesus…and that’s more than enough! Much LOVE!
…Christians…should be the most joy-filled and joyful people…on God’s good earth…
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 