16 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: avowed purpose, awe, Bible, business dealings, central theme, Christendom, Christian programmes, come to destroy, compassionate, defiling, dwell richly in our souls, exalt, faith, faith comes by hearing, fellowship, fire and brimstone, glorify, glory hallelujah, go in faith, go in love, god will go with you, God will guide you, God's children, good morning, grace, grateful, great importance, healthy, hear the Word, Jerusalem, Jesus, kernel statement, like persuasion, little ones, lost, lost sheep, LOVE, meditate on, never be afraid, one lost sinner, parting blessing, peace, perish, Pharisees, physician, ponder, power of God unto salvation, praise, presence, publican, reach out to others, rebuked, rejoices, repentance, reverence, righteous, sacrifice of praise, salvation, Samaria, Samaritans, save, save sinners, scribes, searching, searching Herdsman, self-righteous, shepherd context, show you believe, sick, sinners, steadfast, strong, Sunday, tax collector, teach, testify, thanksgiving, the Lord's Day, the Lord's goodness, the Son of man, the will of the Father, the Word of god, to seek, true, undeserving sinners, where two or three are gathered, worship, write indelibly in our hearts
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Well a good Sunday morning to all you Friends and fellow believers out there in Christendom! It is the Lord’s Day, so please let’s treat it as such; with reverence and awe, with praise and thanksgiving, with worship and fellowship.
Let’s get out and fellowship with those of like persuasion… and even with those of a different persuasion, for once Jesus is the focus of our attention, we simply cannot go wrong. Remember He specifically said that wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, that He would certainly grace us with His wonderful presence. (Matt.18:20)
And if by chance, or design, you can’t get out to fellowship with other believers and hear the Word, then turn on your television set and tune in to one of the many Christian programmes where the Word is boldly preached and listen to it attentively. Because to know the Word, you must hear it, and how can you hear it without a preacher? (Rom.10:14-15) For as Bruh Paul proudly proclaims: ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom.10:17)
And just supposing you don’t have a T.V… Well then get out your Bible and read it aloud to yourself, for there’s plenty of power in the spoken Word. Note that God SPOKE the world and all therein into existence. It wasn’t any abracadabra, simi-dimi stuff. The important thing though my brethren, is that the Word of God comes into contact with your very soul, on this, His day.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’
And all God’s children gave out a loud and joyous shout of “Glory Hallelujah! All praise to the Lord for His goodness to us undeserving sinners.’ And well we should all be grateful and offer the sacrifice of praise my brethren, for without Jesus coming to search for and save us, we’d still be lost.
And I like how the scholars explain it. ’19:10. The words, seek, save, and lost all appear elsewhere in Scripture in a shepherd context. This verse may be taken as a kernel statement of the central theme of Luke. Jesus is the compassionate, searching Herdsman who seeks to save those who can by no means save themselves.’
We surely can’t my brethren! Now today I want to share some scriptures where Jesus states His avowed purpose in coming to earth. And He does it several times, in several different ways.
Let’s begin with when He talks about lost sheep. ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) Then He goes on to explain about a shepherd having an hundred sheep, but one gets lost and he leaves the ninety-nine and goes searching long and hard for the ONE LOST SHEEP, and rejoices greatly when he finds it. (Matt.18:12-13) ‘Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.’ (Matt.18:14)
Oh Friends, yuh see the great importance the Lord attaches to even ONE LOST SINNER! Consequently, if there had only been one single sinner in the entire world, the Father would still have sent Jesus to save him.
Now let’s turn to a time after Jesus had eaten with a publican (tax collector) called Levi. (Luke 5:27-29) The scribes and Pharisees are questioning Jesus as to: ‘Why do ye eat and drink with publicans (tax collectors) and sinners? (Luke 5:30) That’s because the Pharisees thought it was beneath them, defiling to have business dealings with tax collectors like Levi, much less to eat with them.
‘And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole (healthy) need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’ (Luke 5:31-32)
As the scholars explain: ‘5:32. Jesus is of course not dealing with the question of whether there are in fact righteous people who need no repentance. By ‘righteous’ He refers to the Pharisees, who thought they were righteous, and thus felt they had no need to repent. They were truly self-righteous.’
In any case, if you came to save sinners, then you obviously need to hang out with them, otherwise how would you teach and testify and bring them to repentance eh?
And we’ll close with this instance where Jesus is headed for Jerusalem, but while passing through Samaria is rejected by the people there. At this perceived slight, James and John want to call down fire and brimstone on the heads of the Samaritans. (Luke 9:51-54)
‘But he (Jesus) turned and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.’ (Luke 9:55-56)
Ah mih breddren, that’s enough stuff for us to ponder today, to meditate on and write indelibly in our hearts. Please, let’s allow the Word of God to dwell richly in our souls, for ‘it is the power of God unto salvation.’ (Rom.1:16)
And here’s a parting blessing I got from my church in Tobago. ‘Go now in Peace – Never be Afraid. God will go with you each hour of every day. Go now in faith steadfast and strong and true. Know He will guide you in all you do. Go now in LOVE, and show you believe. Reach out to others, so all the world can see. God will be there watching from above. Go now in Peace, in Faith and in LOVE.’ Much LOVE, my fellow believers!
…once you know Jesus…you can’t help but LOVE and glorify and exalt Him…
15 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: blessed, blessings, cesspool of evil, christianity, compassion, compassionate heart, confession, eternal life, faith, faithful, fellow believers, folly, glory hallelujah, God's great earth, gratitude, guilty of wrongdoing, harmonious relationship, Jesus Christ, lord jesus christ, lost, LOVE, loving, repentance, repentant, revere, salvation, Saturday, seek and save, sin, sinners, son of Abraham, thanks and praise, the Lamb that was slain, trust, ungodliness, ungodly world, win win, wisdom, Zaccheus
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
And then it was Saturday! Yes Friends, another blessed day on God’s great earth, another day of blessed pilgrimage, of doing His great work! Wow! We truly are blessed my people! Please give our God much thanks and praise for helping and encouraging us in whatever plan He has drawn up for our earthly lives.
And remember to thank Him too for promising never to leave or forsake us. That’s a major building block of our faith, something that keeps us steadfastly anchored in our Christian beliefs.
And never forget that He is ALWAYS FAITHFUL, thus we also need to be faithful, if we’re to live and work with Him in a harmonious, win-win relationship. Ah mih people, there’s so much we have to thank our wonderful God for, that I could go on and on forever. (smile)
But the most important things we can ever thank Him for are the gifts of salvation and eternal life!
We all know the story of Zaccheus, the corrupt tax collector climbing a tree to see Jesus because of his challenged stature, (smile) but Jesus calling him down and going to his house for lunch, at which all the supposed righteous turned up their noses, since it was considered beneath their dignity to eat with such gross sinners. (Luke 19:1-7)
But my fellow believers, please note the repentant effect Jesus had on Zaccheus. ‘And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.’ (Luke 19:8)
The scholars explain that verse thus: ’19:8. Zaccheus’s confession reveals a penitent heart. If does not suggest doubt that he is guilty of wrong doing; the only question is to what extent. Leviticus 6:1-5 stipulated that gained money had to be returned, plus one-fifth. A fourfold return was legislated where livestock were concerned. (Ex.22:1; 2 Sam.12:6).’
Now hear Jesus’ answer to Zaccheus’s repentance. ‘This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’
Yes Friends, as Jesus declares in our Bit, He came to seek and save those which were lost, and Zaccheus being one of the lost, was sought out by Jesus and saved after he repented of his wrongdoing.
How valuable and caring is that eh? Very! So valuable that we couldn’t put a price on it, since we were all so lost in a wilderness of sin, drowning in a cesspool of evil and ungodliness, and if something wasn’t done to help us, then we’d all end up in some undesirable place, separated from our Maker for eternity.
And that was just too much for the LOVING and compassionate heart of our Maker to bear. So through that great LOVE for His creation, He eventually sent His Only Son to find and save us.
Ah my fellow believers, what a remarkable time that was! Jesus describes it this way: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
Oh Friends, those are two of the most beautiful and heart-warming scriptures in the Good Book, for they are truly touching in their magnanimity, as well as their LOVE and compassion!
Just imagine what would happen to us, where we’d be, if the heart of our God wasn’t so LOVING and compassionate nuh. As the old people would say – crapaud smoke we pipe. And that’s the undeniable truth, for there would have been hell to pay, quite literally come judgement day, for the majority of mankind.
That’s why I don’t understand, can’t comprehend why so many people who hear about Jesus, simply refuse to accept Him, to come to Him and make Him their Lord and Saviour. Bruh Paul says it best when he talks about the results of justification in his writing to the church at Rome.
‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom.5:8-11)
Oh Friends, what selflessness on Jesus’ part, for while we were yet sinners, He died for us! And all God’s people declared a mighty shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! Blessed is the Lamb that was slain for us!’
And Jesus also declared these faithful and true words. ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:13-14)
And that my fellow believers was not just idle talk, but He also walked His talk, by sacrificing His life on the cross at Calvary so our sin debt could be paid in full. So how then can we reject Him eh? It certainly boggles my mortal imagination.
But then again, I guess that’s why our Creator gave us the power to make choices. However, just like our first father Adam, made a poor choice by eating the forbidden fruit, likewise many of his descendants are making the same foolhardy mistake, being disobedient to God’s will, not accepting His wonderful, free offer of salvation and eternal life that He set up so we could be reconciled to Him, become His children, and dwell with Him in heaven forever.
Oh Friends, it is the height of stupidity, the grossest folly, the total absence of wisdom and common sense to reject Jesus, the Son of the Living God, who sacrificed His sinless life to pay for our abominable sins.
And all who reject Him, do so at their eternal peril. Please don’t be numbered amongst that lot. Much LOVE!
…to truly know and revere Jesus…is to have a heart full of LOVE and gratitude…
13 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: above the earth, above the heavens, afflictions, all-knowing God, awake early, awake my glory, believers ought to operate, bemoaning his unfortunate fate, blessed be God, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, comfort others, comforted of God, Comforter, comforts us in tribulation, concentrating on troubles, Creator, digged a pit, disease, do it twice, dreaming, epitome of a true believer, essence of the situation, ever-LOVING God, evil, exaltation, exaltation of god, exalted, faith, focus thoughts and energy on god, Galilee, Gentiles, glory, god of all comfort, God's greatest invention, great unto the heavens, Guide, Healer, healing, healing power of christ, hell and high water, human mind, innocent of any wrongdoing, Israel's king, keep our attention and focus on God, LOVE, magnificence of the mind, mercy, my heart is fixed on god, my soul is bowed down, negative circumstances, O God, omnipotent, omniscient, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, prepared a net for me, promotion, provider, Saul, see and do life like God desires, Selah, serious turmoil, sickness, sincere faith, sing and give praise, sitting at the right hand of the Father, so nice, steadfast, teaching, testing, the business of healing, the Corinthians, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, time of need, trust, truth, ungodly earth, wisdom, workings of the mind
Psalm 57:5. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
Oh Friends, the human mind is a most wonderful bit of machinery yes! Possibly our God’s greatest invention, for so far man can replicate most of what happens in the human body, but he’s still completely baffled by the exquisite and exotic workings of the mind.
And I bring this up because during the night I got up a couple of times, looked at the clock and decided it was too early to get up, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. However, at some stage after the last roll over, I discovered that I had gotten up and was putting on my day clothes.
Then something struck me as being not right. I realized that I was really dreaming about getting up and putting on my clothes. Hn, Hn! But yuh know what’s so significant about that dream?
I was dreaming about putting on the very same clothes that I had actually put out to put on whenever I got up. Now does that tell us something about the magnificence of the mind or what!
The same way Friends, when we keep our attention and focus on God, we see and do life the way He desires. Like Bruh David holed up in the cave, hiding from Saul, instead of bemoaning his unfortunate fate, for he was innocent of any wrongdoing against Saul, he instead declares our Bit. ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.’
And that’s how ALL believers ought to operate, my people!
Now yesterday we ended by saying that our God was and is the greatest Comforter and Healer in the universe. Today, I want to share a couple scriptures to drive home those most important points. Listen to Bruh Paul as he talks to the Corinthians re his personal afflictions.
‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor.1:3-4)
Yes my brethren, our great and wonderful God comforts us in our time of need, so that we can also comfort others in need of comforting. (smile) And re the healing power of Christ, hear what Matthew says about our Lord and Saviour when He walked this evil, ungodly earth.
‘And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of (every) sickness and all manner of (every) disease among the people.’ (Matt.4:23)
Yes Friends and neighbours, Jesus went about healing all sorts of diseases and sickness when He walked this earth. And the beauty of it all is, now that He’s sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven, entreating on our behalf, He’s still in the business of healing; healing souls, bodies and minds!
So whenever we’re in need of comfort and healing, the first place to turn to is heaven and Jesus, like Bruh David did in that solitary cave in the wilderness. Remember too, that though Bruh David was anointed to be Israel’s next king at a young age, he went through a lot of hell and high water, plenty testing, before it became a reality.
The Lord tested him in many ways before He actually promoted him. And this is one of those times. Listen to his beautiful words of trust, faith and exaltation though his life was in serious turmoil.
After declaring our Bit, he continues: ‘They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah. My heart is fixed (steadfast), O God, my heart is fixed (steadfast): I will sing and give praise.
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery (lute) and harp: I myself will awake early (awaken the dawn). I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations (Gentiles). For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.’ (Ps.57:6-11)
Oh my fellow believers, that’s how ALL believers should feel, believe, talk and act! For those words portray the epitome of a true believer.
So today, if we’re being plagued, being beset by troubles that we can’t quite get a handle on, please release them all to our omnipotent, wonderful and ever-LOVING God! Let Him deal with them, for He’s promised to do just that if we come to Him in sincere faith.
The essence of the situation is therefore, instead of concentrating on our troubles, our negative circumstances, let’s do like Bruh David did in his time of need; let’s focus our thoughts and energy instead on our omnipotent, omniscient, all-knowing God; our Creator, Comforter, Guide, Healer and Provider.
That’s wisdom at its highest level, at its very zenith. Much LOVE!
…Bruh David found his exaltation of God so nice…that he had to say it twice… (vs.5,11) (smile)
10 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all day long, anxious, apathetic, aura of love, babe in swaddling bands, be prepared, being destroyed, bounden duty, bow down, buffeted and bombarded, cause people to err, Christendom, church at Laodicea, cold winds, concentrate solely on Jesus, concerned about the opinions of others, confidante, confidence, conquerors, cool sea breezes, crooked, dark and threatening, deprive, desolation, destroyed, destruction, earthly choir, enthusiasm, eventually prevail, evil, evil and corrupt schemes, evil earth, evil minions, evil ungodly world, excitement, exude confidence, faith, fatherless, fearful, flee for help, further your glorious kingdom, get ready right now, gratitude, harmony, his anger is not turned away, his hand is streteched out still in justice, holy, holy spirit, humble servants, humbly ask, interest, invincible, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, justice from on high, keep that fire burning brightly in our souls, keeping lives and families together, lead and guide, Leaders, leads to heaven, leave your glory, level of excitement, lies, listless, living with and working for Jesus, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lucifer, lukewarm, maority of the planet, meet the enemy in battle, memory, misfortune, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mortal man, mounds of snow, omnipotent god, physical circumstances, power and majesty of Jesus, prey, prisoners, promised, punishment, refereshing, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sally forth, Second Coming of Christ, Second Coming of Jesus, selfish schemers, selflessly sacrificed, sin debt, sincere feeling, sinless life, spiritual armour, spunk, steadfast faith, straight and narrow path, suffering, surrender, tepid, the enemy's wicked taunts, the Lord's stand, the needy of justice, the slain, travesty of injustice, true friend of Jesus, unjust world, unrighteous decrees, visitation, warrior king, weary souls, widows, wiles, wisdom, Wonderful, workweek, worthwhile inroads
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.
And now Friends, it’s another Monday morning, but one quite different to what I experienced and enjoyed last week. There is no open balcony, no more lush greenery overlooking a neatly coffered golf course, with cool sea breezes washing over me. Instead, it’s a closed basement, surrounded by mounds of snow, and cold winds blowing the down the avenue and the chimney.
Ah Lord eh! What a bam, bam! And though my physical circumstances have changed for the worse, my spirit has to pick up the slack and keep me moving on, keep me excited about living with and working for Jesus. Yes my brethren, that’s a big problem in Christendom, for its members are not as excited as they should be to have Jesus in their lives. Most of us are tepid, lukewarm, like Jesus said of the church at Laodicea. (Rev.3:15-16)
But after all the wonderful things He’s done, and is still doing for us, we can certainly show a little more enthusiasm than we’re currently doing. We’re too listless and apathetic, fearful and anxious, and more concerned about what others will say and do if we show too much excitement and interest in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the one who selflessly sacrificed His holy, sinless life to pay our large and abominable sin debt.
But Friends, when Jesus comes into our lives, excited is exactly how we ought to live, so that others can see, feel, and then greatly desire to catch the excitement we generate through Him. That’s the only way they will be convinced of His great importance in their lives. So this Monday morning, as the work week looms dark and threatening, let’s forget about that and concentrate solely on Jesus.
Let’s ratchet up the gratitude in our souls, and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a whole lot of spunk, harmony and sincere feeling. As one big, tuneful, earthly choir, let’s sing: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Bravo, mih breddren, Bravo! That was great! And it ought to raise our level of excitement for Jesus. So let’s endeavour to keep that fire burning brightly in our souls all day long nuh, so that we can exude confidence and also show others how refreshing and wonderful it feels to be a true friend and confidante of Jesus, for truly, there’s nothing else in the world like it.
It’s completely different to what our Bit so sadly offers. ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err: and they that are led of them are destroyed.’
Oh my brethren, Jesus doesn’t lead people astray and cause them to be destroyed. But right now that statement is very, very true about our leaders, and it’s our bounden duty to help it become much less so. Our current leaders seem to be just a bunch of crooked, selfish schemers, and under their evil and corrupt schemes the majority of the planet is suffering and slowly being destroyed. That includes both human beings and nature.
But my fellow believers, hear the Lord’s stand on the situation, as He makes it known through Isaiah. ‘Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness (misfortune) which they have prescribed. To turn aside (deprive) the needy from judgement (justice), and to take away the right (what is right) from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!’ (Is.10:1-2)
Oh Friends, we all see the great travesty of injustice and oppression being played out every day in our evil, unjust world! But rest assured it will not continue for ever, for the Lord has promised its destruction.
‘And what will ye do in the day of visitation (punishment), and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? Without me they shall bow down under (among) the prisoners, and they shall fall under (among) the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still (in judgement).’ (Is.10:3-4)
Ah mih people, have no fear, for justice from on high will eventually prevail. Our omnipotent God is not going to let Lucifer and his evil minions run roughshod over His beautiful creation for very long. So please be prepared. Get ready today, right now, for we know not when that justice will be delivered. But delivered it will be, through the Second Coming of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And this time it won’t be as a babe in swaddling bands, but as a full grown, fierce and powerful warrior king, coming to claim what is rightfully His. But until He returns, we His followers need to keep His faith and memory strong by living the way He desires, and causing others to want to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour too.
So let’s get to it this Monday morning nuh! Let’s show the world the power and majesty of Jesus, by allowing His Holy Spirit that dwells within us, to lead and guide us along the straight and narrow path that leads directly to heaven. That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…to truly live for Jesus…is the most exciting thing a mortal man can do on this evil earth…
06 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: absence, afflictions, after one time is two, atheist, believed, Blessed be the God and Father, blessings, cares, Christ's blood, Christ's work, Christian, deposit, down payment, Ephesians, faith, friend, friends, Gentiles, glory, God Almighty, God's little Acre, gospel, guarantee of our salvation, Health System in T&T, hearts, heavenly places, holy spirit, hopes, hoping and praying, human existence, inheritance, Israel, Jesus Christ, Jewish Christians, level of service, lord jesus christ, Lowlands, memories, mind, negative things, our Lord Jesus Christ, Paradise, physical ailments, praise, praise and glory, prayer power, prayers, priceless, promise, purchased possession, redemption, sadly lacking in professionalism, salvation, saviour, sealed, snowy North Country, sojourn, souls, spirit, spiritual blessings, standards, stimulate, Sugar Mills Suites, swansong, sweet Tobago, thank you, the God and Father, the Lord's will, the party's over, time to call it a day, trust, vocabulary, word of truth, world-wide phenomenon
Ephesians 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Well… ‘The party’s over my Friends. It’s time to call it a day…’
Chuhhh! How sad, that I will no longer be writing to you from the balcony of my little bungalow in the Sugar Mill Suites of Lowlands, overlooking the lush greenery, and the well kept golf course on God’s Little Acre.
Yes my people, the ole fella’s rather short sojourn in Paradise will end today. Steups! Ah Lord eh! The next time you hear from me, God willing, will most likely be from the cold, snowy North Country. And I just heard that there’s been a big, beautiful snowfall, just in time for my return. All praise and glory be to God Almighty! Well what else can a good Christian person say eh? (smile)
But Friends, please note that my absence from Paradise will only be for a short period of time, obviously providing it’s the Lord’s will. And since we all know that where there’s life, there’s always hope, and since I still have some life left in me, I won’t give up, I won’t stop hoping and praying that I can return to sweet Tobago some time soon.
And if this just happens to be my swansong, then it was a great one. Mama Mia!
And as regards memories… Oh my people, I made a couple of dandy ones yesterday! Around lunch time, I visited one of my mother’s oldest and dearest friends living in Scarborough, Diana Plante. And was I ever surprised to see how frail and weak she has become, for unfortunately she’s now sick with spinal problems and can’t get around much on her own.
She’s now a shadow of the tall, beautiful, buxom woman I once knew, who along with Mols, my mother, at one stage, were the hottest numbers in Scarborough. But as they so rightly say; after one time is certainly two. Now Mols has gone over to the other side, to the great palace in the sky, leaving Di here to suffer the painful afflictions of human existence.
But thankfully, despite the physical ailments, Di’s mind, spirit and faith are all still strong, and that’s a wonderful thing! But nonetheless Friends, please, let’s remember her in our prayers. Let’s pray for her to be comforted in her time of need, for we never truly know what others are going through just from their outward demeanour and behaviour.
And there’s absolutely nothing in this world as powerful as prayer power!
I made one other good and significant memory yesterday; in the late afternoon, meeting, for the first time ever, one of my nieces, a doctor here on the island. And though we had a long and excellent visit, I was appalled by some of the negative things she recounted about the Health System in T&T in general, and in Tobago, in particular. Although Health Care is basically free, it seems that the level of service and professionalism is sadly lacking.
Ah mih people, what to say eh? Not much, because it’s a world-wide phenomenon; the standards in ALL areas of life have fallen to such low levels that it boggles the imagination. And the sad fact is that they are continuing to fall. Hopefully though, we staunch, strong and steadfast believers in Jesus Christ will soon wake up and begin correcting it, for no one else will do it.
And those are the most memorable memories I made yesterday… Oh, oh, I almost forgot. I also had my last constitutional at Store Bay, which, despite its total commercialism, is still my favourite beach! Amen!
And now, here’s our Bit. ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’
Oh my brethren, have you noticed how, over the last few days, the Lord has adroitly manoeuvred me to this most appropriate Bit, one dealing with blessings? I guess He’s just making sure that I am fully cognisant of the many blessings He’s showered down on me over the last three weeks. It truly wasn’t necessary though, for the blessings have been so plentiful, that even an atheist would have been forced to say ‘Thanks!’ (smile)
And I’m saying that now Lord: ‘Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!’ I know it’s insufficient, but that’s the very best our inferior mortal vocabulary allows.
And now Friends and fellow believers, let’s continue with Bruh Paul’s explanation to the Ephesians, re the spiritual blessings received through Christ, from verse 13.
‘In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of (down payment or deposit on) our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.’ (Eph.1:13-14)
Oh Friends, what beautiful, sweet sounding terms – trust, truth, gospel, salvation, believed, sealed, holy spirit, promise – all in one sentence! Wow! Then you have down payment, deposit, inheritance, redemption, purchase, praise and glory in the next. How priceless!
Now let’s hear the scholars’ take on those scriptures. ‘1:13. In whom ye also (or, “by whom also you”): The first person plural (we, us) in verses 3-12 refers to Jewish Christians. The second person plural (you) refers to Gentile Christians. This seems evident from 2:11-12 where the second person is explicitly applied to non-Jews. “Ye being in time past Gentiles… ye were… aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.” Compare 3:1, where Paul calls his readers, “you Gentiles.”
The apostle’s point in this “we-you” distinction is that all those spiritual blessings God has bestowed upon “us” Jewish Christians, He has also granted “you” Gentile brethren. There is no difference.
In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise may be read, “By whom also, when you believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” The Christian receives the Spirit, not “after,” but when He believes in Christ as Saviour. The sealer is Jesus; the seal is the Holy Spirit. In biblical times a seal denoted both identification and ownership and protection provided by the owner.’
And re ‘1:14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance means “who is the guarantee of our salvation.” The Holy Spirit is here called “the earnest of our inheritance.” The word ‘earnest’ means “down payment”; as such the gift of the Spirit is viewed as an installment or as part of our salvation. God therefore assures the Christian that the realization of the rest of His salvation is forthcoming.
How long is the believer assured of his salvation? Until the redemption of the purchased possession may be read, “until God glorifies and perfects the believer (the purchased possession) whom He has bought by Christ’s blood.”
And that’s it for today, and for that message! Please Friends let’s, as always, ponder the words we’ve read, then let them stimulate our hearts, minds and souls as we go out today to do Christ’s work.
And now I’m going out on to my balcony and watch the sun rise up above the Eastern horizon for the last time. (smile) Much LOVE!
…oh what a friend…and saviour…we have in Jesus…our hopes and cares to bear…
27 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors, apathy, ascension, aura of love, benefits, birth, blessed, blessed be the Lord, blessings, brand new day, breath, cast out, children of God, Christ, christianity, church of Jesus, circle the wagons, confidence, conquerors, darkness, death, dim, disaster prone, disciples, displeases Jesus, do good, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil powers, faith, fear, flavour, flavourless life, forgiveness, frail and mortal bodies, frogiveness, get our act back together, glorious kingdom, God of our salvation, God's Word, good for noting, good news, grace, great commission, heal wounds, heavens and the earth, hidden, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, humbly ask, illuminate the darkness, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice, jobs, lies, light, LOVE, lust, make Jesus proud, makes a mockery of, mercy, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, praise, preservative, proud and faithful, put God first, quality of life, Red Letter Day, regroup, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renaisance, renewed vitality, resurrection, revival, rise up victoriously, salt, salvation, selfless sacrifice, shining examples, sit up and take notice, spiritual armour, spread the gospel, steadfast faith, straight and narrow path, strength and guidance, sufficiently, surrender our all, thanksgiving, the day the Lord has made, things of the world, trodden underfoot, troubled world, true meaning, turn around, undesirable situation, ungodly world, walk obediently, we shall rejoice and be glad, well enough, while there's life there's hope, wiles
Psalm 68:19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Aye mih people, it’s Monday, a brand new day! And like every day that there’s breath in our frail, mortal bodies, it deserves the same opening sentence of praise and thanksgiving, namely: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we SHALL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Psalm 118:24)
So as proud and faithful children of God, let’s rise up this Monday morning, the first day of the new work week, with supreme faith and confidence in our great, most wonderful and faithful God, asking for His strength and guidance to go out today and face the evil, ungodly world in which we live. And we’ll do that by boisterously, but also harmoniously singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
All together now, let’s make both the heavens and the earth sit up and take notice. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh Friends, that was an awesome rendition! We got a standing ‘O’ from the angels in heaven. Jesus beamed with delight, and the Father was seen to be tapping His toes and keeping time to the riddim with His right hand on the arm of His throne. Mama Mia!
So let’s take this excitement and enthusiasm out into the imperfect world today and do good, like Jesus did, when He walked this earth two millennia ago, for that’s what He desires of us. As He said, we’re to be His disciples, His ambassadors here on earth, the salt and light, shining examples of His grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness. (Matt.5:13-16)
And these troubled times certainly call for us to exhibit those heavenly and godly qualities more than ever before. Our salt has recently been losing its flavour, and our light has indeed been dim, because we have been hiding it under a bushel, a basket. But my fellow believers in Christ, what’s the purpose of having flavourless salt and hiding our light eh?
None whatsoever! The salt is supposed to add flavour to our food, act as a preservative, melt coldness and heal wounds. And when it stops doing those things, then it’s of no use, like Jesus said, ‘good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.’ (Matt.5:13b)
The same goes for the light, which is supposed to illuminate the darkness. However, when it’s hidden it cannot do so. That’s why the darkness of the world has recently become so expansive and powerful; the supposed children of God have not been effectively lighting and showing the way on that straight and narrow path that leads to heaven.
And we know that displeases both the Son and the Father. Why you ask? Because then it only makes a mockery of the Father engineering the Son’s sacrifice to pay for our abominable sins, and thus enable us to be reconciled to Him.
So at about twenty to six this morning, as I sit on the balcony of my little bungalow in Lowlands, trying to wear off the effects of an unusual headache which caused me to go to bed early last night and also rise up early, I’m pleading with us, my fellow believers, to regain the flavour and all the other wonderful properties of our salt, and remove the covering from around our brightly burning lights, so that we may show the unbelieving world the true meaning of Christ and Christianity.
Remember Friends, that’s the great commission that Jesus entrusted to each and every one of His followers. To go out into all the world and spread the gospel, the good – no great news of His Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension, the selfless sacrifice He made so that mankind could have salvation and eternal life. (Matt.28:19-20)
Now isn’t that a most worthy cause to give our all to? Absolutely! But unfortunately we haven’t been doing it sufficiently, or well enough, that’s why the darkness has enveloped, has taken over so much of our beautiful world.
My Friends, it’s high time we circle the wagons, regroup and seriously and sincerely get our act back together, cause that’s the only way the church of Jesus here on earth will ever rise up victoriously against the evil powers of this troubled and disaster prone world.
Now it’s not too late to turn this thing around, for remember while there is life, there’s always hope. And we still have lots of life left, which means that there’s also lots of hope that we can turn this undesirable situation around, thereby improving the quality of life for ourselves, this young generation and those to come.
I’m sure we’ll all prefer our legacy to be one of successfully building Christ’s church, like our forefathers did, rather than one of destroying it, as our current, fear, apathy and lust for the things of the world are doing. So please, let’s make this Monday morning at the end of January, in the year of our Lord 2014, a RED LETTER DAY nuh!
A day on which we can truly look back and say that it was the end of our dim and flavourless life, but enthusiastically and ecstatically, the beginning of our revival, our renaissance, when we truly put God first in our lives and began doing what we ought to. My Fellow believers, that is the ONLY WAY that Christ’s church will ever stand strong and grow.
And likewise, the only way we will ever be able to truly repeat the words of our Bit. ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.’
Now let’s go out and make Jesus proud of us. Much LOVE!
…the Lord blesses those…who praise Him… give Him thanks…and walk obediently to His Word…
08 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abhorred, actions, benefits, body fuel, breathe, Bruh Paul, christ jesus, clean air, connected to God, consciousness, Corinthians, Creator, dead with him, delivered from wicked men, deny him, despised, DETERMINATION, diligently try, do, drink, eat, endure, enjoy life, excellent results, exorbitant promises, faith, faithful, faithful saying, faithfulness, faithless, falling standards, forgiven, garbage in- garbage out, godly thoughts, Good Book, good soldier of Christ, hardiness, health, Health Food Mantra, Holy One, indisputable truth, Israel, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, lion, live with him, LOVE, make a way to escape, mercy of Jesus Christ, Messiah, Patricia Bragg, personal lives, pilgrim's route, poor souls, pray, provider, Redeemer of Israel, sacrifice, saving grace, saviour, say, selling ourselves short, servant, serve and worship, sinner, technologically advanced, temptation, tempted, the Lord's faithfulness, think, true, truly believe, wealth, winter, words
Isaiah 49:7. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his (its) Holy One, to him whom man despiseth (the despised of soul), to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose (has chosen) thee.
And the cold spell continues in the North Country, my people. One improvement though, it’s supposed to be a little warmer… Sorry, warmer is the wrong word, for there will be no warmth, it will be simply less cold. (smile)
But the great thing about it all is that unless the weather is truly awful, nothing much shuts down, and everyone and everything is expected to go on as normal. It speaks volumes for the determination and hardiness of the people. Anyway, you still have to dress warm and be very careful if you’re venturing out today.
And you people now enjoying brilliant sunshine and warm temps, do enjoy it, but remember to pray for us poor souls up here in the cold, that we’ll successfully make it through this winter that’s wanting to prove what a ferocious lion it is. (smile)
Now here’s an interesting note I found among my papers today. I believe it comes from a lady called Patricia Bragg. It says that ‘Your health is your wealth.’ Now that’s certainly true, because without good health, we can’t enjoy life!
Then there is what’s called the Health Food Mantra. Some of you might have heard it before, but it proclaims that ‘You are what you eat, drink, breathe, think, say and do.’
I believe that what you eat and drink is considered the body’s fuel. So whatever food we put in will determine how it runs; like a purring engine or a clanking, stuttering one.
The same goes for what we breathe. If we breathe in clean, highly oxygenated air, then the body will function at an optimum level. However, these days that kind of air is very difficult to find, especially in the big, industrialized towns and cities.
Then what we think is likened to a computer, and the saying, garbage in, garbage out. So if we don’t think healthy, godly thoughts, then all that will be processed and then come out of our minds is the same garbage we’ve put in, and that will show up through the words we speak and the actions we take.
And with the standards in all those areas sadly falling, as we supposedly get more intelligent and technologically advanced, we have to pay even more attention than before to what we eat, drink, think, say and do.
And the best way to do that my Friends, is by being totally connected to our God, our Creator and our Provider! Wow! What a saving grace for us! For unlike the man-controlled companies, that make us a lot of exorbitant promises, then don’t live up to them, our God, unfailingly lives up to everyone He makes, which proves that He’s ever-faithful, ever-true!
And the biggest promise He’s ever made is forever recorded in our Bit. ‘Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his (its) Holy One, to him whom man despiseth (the despised of soul), to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose (has chosen) thee.’
Yes Friends, the Lord promised a Saviour, a Redeemer, a Messiah, and faithfully delivered on it through His Son Jesus Christ! So why are we still so sceptical and reluctant to fully embrace Him and live a life that honours Him eh?
It makes no sense my brethren. We’re just selling ourselves short on the wonderful benefits that accrue to those who truly believe and diligently try to serve and worship Him. And it’s not like we can’t read in the Good Book and see in many personal lives around us the excellent results that come from accepting His promises and His faithfulness.
Listen to these scriptures that detail the Lord’s faithfulness. They all come from Bruh Paul’s writings. The first one is to the Corinthians.
‘There hath no temptation taken (befallen, overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is FAITHFUL, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor.10:13)
Now that doesn’t mean we’ll escape temptation, but more that He will find a way for us to endure it and come out safely on the other side.
Meanwhile, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, Bruh Paul writes: ‘And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is FAITHFUL, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).’ (2 Thess.3:2-3)
Yes Friends, we all know about the unfaithfulness of men, that’s why it’s so important to hold on to the faithfulness of Jehovah God.
Then in his first letter to Timothy, Bruh Paul declares: ‘And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with FAITH and LOVE which is in Christ Jesus. This is a FAITHFUL saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.’ (1 Tim.1:14-15)
Bruh Paul considers himself the biggest sinner, and well he might have been in his early days, when he diligently persecuted the church. But through the abundant grace and mercy of Jesus Christ he was forgiven.
Oh Friends, today the same thing is available and possible to anyone who trusts Jesus as their Lord and Saviour! So why don’t you take advantage of it eh, RIGHT NOW?
And we’ll end with some moving verses from Bruh Paul’s second letter to Timothy, re being a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
‘It is a FAITHFUL saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer (endure), we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not (are faithless), yet he abideth FAITHFUL: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim.2:11-13)
Oh my people, those are words of fact, of indisputable truth! So please, let’s write them fast and deep in our consciousness nuh, and then faithfully abide by them as we journey along our pilgrim’s route on this troubled earth. That is the mark of true wisdom! Much LOVE!
…God has proven His faithfulness a million times over…but none as far reaching as sacrificing His only Son Jesus Christ…so that we could be reconciled to Him…what outstanding, all encompassing LOVE and FAITHFULNESS…
07 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, amusing story, believers in Jesus, big chill, big freeze, blessed, blowing snow, come to repentance, confession, Cousin Sol, covenant, deliverer, despised of soul, disintegrate, dress warmly, ever-LOVING God, faith, faithful, faithful God, faithful is He that calls you, faithfulness, faithfulness to God, families, father in heaven, fellowship, forgiving, gospel truth, grin and bear it, hallmark of God, harassed, hope, howling winds, immortal truth, in Jesus' name, inclement weather, Isaiah, Israel, Jesus Christ, judgement, kings shall see, land, litmus test, long-suffering, LOVE, merciful, North America, North country, perish, persecuted, princes shall worship, proclamation, promise, prophesied, proud, query, record freezing temps, Redeemer of Israel, relationship, righteous, servants of rulers, slackness, societies, stand in true faithfulness, steadfast and strong, stranglehold, talk, testimonies, thank you, the Boss, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord, two way street, upright, walk, wasps, win-win situation, winter, wisdom for all time
Isaiah 49:7. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his (its) Holy One, to him whom man despiseth (the despised of soul), to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose (has chosen) thee.
Oh Friends, welcome to the Big Freeze, the Big Chill, for the winter weather seems to have most of North America in a stranglehold! What with record freezing temps, howling winds, creating blowing snow, whiteouts, accidents, more ice storms and what else have you!
The high in my area today is supposed to be minus 15 Celsius. Hn! And that’s good, some other places will be worse than that. But it’s winter, and we’re in the North Country, so we just have to grin and bear it. (smile) However, if you’re going out today, please dress as warmly as you can; coat, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, etc. etc.
But here’s an interesting and amusing story I’ve been meaning to tell along, but keep forgetting. During the summer a wasp (jack spaniard) nest appeared on a branch on a maple tree outside my kitchen window, it hung very close to the sidewalk, so there was some consternation from passersby.
My wife was delegated to look after it, because she’s the horticulturist in the family. I never heard anything more about the situation, so I forgot about it. But lo and behold, a few days ago, I looked out the window and there was said jack spaniard nest still hanging quite comfortably on the end of a tree branch half the width of a noodle.
I had to laugh, because during all the snow, wind and ice storms, it remained steadfast and strong. Other bigger and supposedly stronger branches than that broke off the tree, but not the one with the nest. It’s still standing there, dark grey and proud.
I wondered if the wasps were still in it. But my wife told me that the nest had been sprayed. So why didn’t they take down the nest then, I asked? It was suppose to disintegrate, was the answer I received. Disintegrate my eye! I checked it out just now, and as I said before, it’s still standing out there, with some snow at the top, but otherwise, dark grey and proud!
And Friends, though we be harassed and persecuted, that’s how we believers in Jesus Christ ought to be standing; strong, steadfast, faithful and proud! And talking about faithful, here’s a little prayer I found in my Mother’s Bible, which is very appropriate for this Bit and this time.
It says: ‘Father in heaven, we thank You for Your faithfulness during the past year. Help us to remember that Your faithfulness will go with us into the New Year. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!’
Oh my brethren, that’s something we desperately need to remember! But let’s not forget either, that our faithfulness to God, also needs to run into the New Year, because it’s a two-way street, a covenant relationship. We know that the Lord’s always faithful, since He can’t be anything else but.
However, when we are faithful too, it becomes a win-win situation, the best kind of relationship that there could ever be. So please let’s seriously concentrate on our faithfulness to our wonderful, merciful, forgiving and ever-LOVING God, as this New Year opens nuh.
And having said all of that, let me go and see if I can find an appropriate Bit. (smile)
Aye Friends, it took me a little longer than I expected, because I had to make sure that the Duchess was properly attired for the weather, and got off to work safely. (smile) I feel sorry for her, having to go out in this inclement weather, but them’s the breaks. She left earlier than usual, so she should be okay with our faithful God watching over her for me.
Now let’s get right to our Bit from Isaiah, concerning the Lord’s servant, Israel. ‘Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his (its) Holy One, to him whom man despiseth (the despised of soul), to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose (has chosen) thee.’
Oh my people, remember how many centuries before Christ, our Messiah came, that Isaiah prophesied the Lord’s promise of a deliverer, of a Holy One? I believe it’s like four hundred years before. But despite the length of time it took, it was still faithfully fulfilled!
And that’s the hallmark of our great God; faithfulness! Remember too, that He is the undisputed BOSS and He runs the show, everything runs according to His plan and timing. Plus His timeline, and the nature of His heart, are completely different to ours.
For as Peter says: ‘But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet.3:8-9)
Yes Friends, our God views time and promises in a much more mature and faithful way than mankind does. So let’s get in a few more scriptures on His faithfulness before we close nuh, beginning with words of immortal truth from that great Psalm, 119.
‘Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgements. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.’ (Ps.110:137-138) We certainly can’t query that!
And moving right along, listen to Bruh Paul from his first missive to the church at Corinth. ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:9) No room for queries there either!
Now hear how he puts it to the Thessalonians. ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.’ (1 Thess.5:24) Gospel truth my brethren, gospel truth!
And we’ll end with this bold, true and very moving proclamation from Hebrews, which we all know and LOVE, but which we don’t practice as faithfully as we should.
‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering: (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb.10:24) Now my people, that says it all! It’s the litmus test of our faith.
So please, let’s all go out today, and everyday hence, and walk, talk, and stand in true faithfulness to Almighty God, to ensure that our land, our families and our societies can be blessed. Cousin Sol would surely call that the wisdom for all time! Much LOVE!
…the Lord doesn’t need to prove His faithfulness to us…because He’s already done so…but we need to prove our faithfulness to Him…
02 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2014, anger, anger of the Lord, backfire, blessed, bow down, calamity, chosen people, Christmas Season, climb over, come up higher for Jesus, conscious actions, consequences, Controller, Creator, cry out, delivered, depravity, descend to the level, disaster, disgust, dislike, disobedience, displease God, distress, don't quit, emotional, enemies, evil, eyes of faith, faced with a mountain, faith, faith at work, find a pass through, foolish sheep, forgiveness, forgotten Jesus' promise, forsook the Lord, friends, god, gold mine, gone astray, Good Book, hatred, hearts, heavenly Father, high time, humiliate, idolatry, idols, in the sight of, Isaiah, Israel, Israelites, jealous god, Jesus Christ, joyous time, keep on striving, kindness, LOVE, manifested, manmade idols, material things, mercy, minds, negative emotions, obnoxious, of the universe, oppress, pagan gods, peace, Philistines, pleading, ponder, Possibiity Thinker's Creed, Possibility Thinking, propitiation, prosperous year, punished, resentment, rich and fertile soil, righteousness., sacrifice, sake of our children, seek first, serious effort, serious note, sinful attitudes, sinned against, sins, souls, sowing seeds, spiritual, the kingdom of God, tribulation, tunnel underneath, turned His back, vexatious policies, with God's help, work of our own hands, worship
Isaiah 2:8. Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.
Oh Friends, can you believe it’s already the 2nd of January 2014? (smile) And I’ve made one mistake already. I put 2013 in the big heading above instead of 2014. But the ole fella’s only human, and that kind of error is usual until the new year really gets into our systems.
But my people, on a more serious note, the Christmas season is coming to an end, and I’m pleading with us, please, please, let’s not allow the kindness, mercy, peace, forgiveness and LOVE that we’ve shown throughout this joyous time to die. Let’s not allow it to turn back to the evil, the anger, the hatred, resentment and other negative emotions that we had, and exhibited before Christmas began.
It’s obvious that we can’t LOVE everybody, every minute of every day, but we definitely don’t have to descend back to the level of dislike, disgust and depravity that we were at in 2013. It’s high time we come up higher for Jesus’ sake!
And here’s a word, a reminder, re coming up higher, from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller). He calls it the Possibility Thinker’s Creed. And Possibility Thinking my Friends, is just faith at work, because as believers, we need to see the world through the eyes of faith.
So let’s remember and truly believe that: ‘When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine – with God’s help.’
Yes Friends, let’s start this blessed and prosperous year of 2014, by sowing those seeds of possibility thinking, of faith, deep into the rich and fertile soil of our hearts, souls and minds!
Now let’s turn to our very first Bit of this new year. And it’s a very serious Bit my people. ‘Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.’
Oh my brethren, Isaiah could surely have been writing about us, instead of the Israelites of old! Why? Because we too have such a multiplicity of idols in our lives these days, that it’s not funny. Remember too, the definition of an idol; anything we place before God in our lives.
And that covers a multitude of things Friends, because we seem to place all the material things of the world, as well as all its evil, obnoxious and vexatious policies before the Creator and Controller of the universe. I don’t know how many times we must be reminded that our God is a very jealous deity and wants us to bow down to no other supposed deity but Him. And surely not those that we’ve made with our own hands!
It also seems that we’ve completely and conveniently forgotten Jesus’ promise, that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that all the stuff we need, material, spiritual, emotional and whatever else, will be provided to us by our Heavenly Father! (Matt.5:24-34)
Please read that again my fellow believers, so that it can sink into our minds and spirits, and thus be manifested in our conscious actions. It’s the only way we’ll ever remove the idolatry from our lives.
And just to show how all this idolatry could backfire on us, we’ll recall one occasion from the Good Book, where the Lord turned His back on His chosen people, Israel.
‘And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth (Baals and Ashtoreths), and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served him not.
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.’ (Judg.10:6-7)
Yes Friends, the Lord allowed their enemies to humiliate them.
‘And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry (out) unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation (distress). (Judg.10:10-14)
What more is there to say my brethren? Not much. The children of Israel knowingly and wilfully abandoned, turned away from the God of their fathers to worship pagan gods and man-made idols. And the Lord, as promised, punished them severely.
Now tell me, why do you think that our individual societies, and our world in general are in such a mess eh?
It’s simple Friends; we too have turned away in droves from worshipping the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, who created us, who LOVED us so much, that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be a propitiation, a human sacrifice for our sins.
And now, like foolish sheep, we have all gone astray, forgotten Him, and instead turned to idols of our own making. So what else can we expect but disaster and calamity eh?
Please ponder on these things today, my fellow believers, and then let’s make a strong and serious effort to overcome those sinful attitudes that we know displease our God. If we don’t want to do it for our sake, then please do it for the sake of our children and those who come after us.
Let us not allow it to be said, that our generation caused it all to fall apart. It’s not too late… if we begin RIGHT NOW! Much LOVE!
…when will we ever learn…that disobedience to God’s will…will ALWAYS bring serious consequences…
26 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive and kicking, almighty god, Amen, beatiful soul, believe in God, believers, birth, Boxing Day, business owners, caring, celebrate God's Love, Christmas, Christmas tree, cold, colt, Creator, cross, dark, daughter, depressing news, disatrous situations, earthly pilgrimage, Easter, Emergency, eternal life, evergreen, exalted position, faith, faithfully fulfilled, forgiveness, G.T.A, God will stop at nothing, God-given ability, grace, guide and leader, hands that reach to touch, hanging on a tree, hearts that hurt, help, Holy Name, holy spirit, humble, inspiring and encouraging words, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, judge, just, king, lack of access, lack of power, lawgiver, life-giving, lift us up, Lord, lose one's mind, LOVE, lowly, manger, merchants, mercy, Ms. Wynne, negative, omnipotent force, outstrecthed arms, Palm Sunday, physical damage, pointing, praying, Premier, province wide, pushing on, quiet rest, reaching, rejoice, riding an ass, righteous, road-weary, rough time, sacrificial work, sales, salvation, saviour, Scarborough area, scriptures, setbacks, sharing, shoppers, significant difference, solid, sparkling, strong rooted in god's love, sturdy, suffering, The Christmas season, thoughts of God, three days, to save my soul, travel-worn, treasures, tree branches, trust, twinkling Christmas tree, two thousand years, wayfarers, whole world, young man, Zechariah, Zion
Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he shall save us.
And then it was Boxing Day! Yes Friends, most of the Christmas hoopla has died down now. Thank the Lord! The Christmas season itself is wonderful, but all the unnecessary fuss can get to be a bit much.
Unfortunately though, some 60-70 thousand people, primarily in the Scarborough area of the G.T.A, are still without power, and many trees and other impediments are still to be removed from the roads to provide access.
It’s certainly been a very rough time for those people, and though some are still complaining about the refusal to declare a state of Emergency, the Premier of the Province, Ms. Wynne, says that isn’t necessary because all the people who would have been called in province wide, are already here helping out.
But that’s cold comfort for those who still don’t have power. I spoke to a friend last night, she and her husband, both in their 70’s were without power for almost 72 hours over the weekend. At one point she thought she was about to lose her mind. Imagine two people in their 70’s in a cold, dark house for almost three days nuh!
Ah mih people, it’s truly been a harrowing Christmas for many people in the province. And sadly, on top of the ice, there’s been some snowfall over the last couple days, not a great deal, but enough to make matters worse. Please continue praying for us and helping in whatever way you can.
And another group that has certainly suffered is the business owners and merchants, since many of them couldn’t open because of lack of power and possibly physical damage to their properties. And even for those who were able to open, the number of shoppers must have been seriously curtailed due to the latter’s disastrous situations.
To spoil their Christmas even further, today, Boxing Day, usually Canada’s biggest sales and shopping day, has seen its importance steadily eroded as we try to compete with the U.S. Thanksgiving Black Friday sales pitch. So the merchants are seriously suffering, any which way you take it.
However my brethren, here’s something to lift us up after all that negative and depressing news. It’s a Christmas Prayer, from the Robert H. Schuller Hour of Power Devotional. I only read it after I wrote the Bit yesterday, otherwise I would have included it. But it’s still the Christmas season, so it’s still very appropriate.
And again I have to wonder how this prayer seems so new and unfamiliar to me, although I’ve been reading this devotional for a number of years.
Anyway, it inspirationally says: ‘You lead me, Jesus Christ, to thoughts of God. I see you in a manger carved from a tree. I see you as a young man with hands that reach to touch hearts that hurt. Your caring reaches out like the strong and kind branches of a gentle tree reach out to invite road-weary and travel-worn wayfarers to quiet rest.
I see you again hanging on a tree with outstretched arms taking in the whole world. From your cross, you show me that God will stop at nothing to save my soul. So, I celebrate God’s LOVE today as I celebrate your birth around a twinkling Christmas tree.
I pray my life, like yours, O Lord, may be tall and upright as a pine tree pointing, reaching, sharing, sparkling, life-giving; solid, sturdy, strong-rooted in God’s LOVE, a beautiful soul, evergreen forever: Amen.’
What inspiring and encouraging words my people! Though I had to chuckle at the end, because a lot of pines and other trees around the Province, certainly aren’t standing tall and sturdy today.
But the significant difference is that we believers, despite any setbacks, still have the God-given ability to stand sturdy, strong and deeply rooted in God’s amazing LOVE, becoming truly beautiful souls.
And we find that possible because of scriptures like our Bit. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he shall save us.’
Yes my brethren, since Almighty God, the Creator and most omnipotent force in the universe is our guide and leader, we can stand strong in the power of His Holy Name, through the current working of His Holy Spirit, and the sacrificial work His Son, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, did for us two thousand years ago!
That just goes to show how strong and powerful is our God! Two thousand years later, He’s still alive and kicking, and pushing on as strong as ever. Wow!
In fact He’s becoming stronger every day, as more and more people come to recognize His tremendous power, LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, and thus believe in Him, put their trust and faith in Him, for help in their earthly pilgrimage.
Ah Friends, it’s time to close. I had envisioned getting to the ‘lawgiver’ aspect of our Bit, but that obviously wasn’t meant to be today. However, I’ll leave us with a wonderful scripture on the ‘king and saving’ aspect that I could not include yesterday.
Listen to these beautiful and encouraging words from the prophet Zechariah, as he prophesies about Zion’s future king. ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech. 9:9)
And we all know that scripture was faithfully fulfilled on Palm Sunday!
So fellow believers, we’ve celebrated, sorry, we’re still celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, but we indeed have the next big occasion to look forward to, Easter, when He truly did His saving work and definitely earned His exalted position as our Lord and King. Much LOVE!
…to whom do we owe the treasures of salvation and eternal life…JESUS CHRIST…what a wonderful SAVIOUR…!
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