04 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: absolute truth, active, affliction, ambassadors, assorted obstacles, beautiful earth, believers in Christ, bow to God's will, breathing, bumps, children of the living God, christianity, confidently declares, daily pilgrimage, dead, deity, disobedience, disquiet, distraught, doubt, empowering, eternity, everlasting king, faith, faults and frailties, fear, glorious day, God of Abraham, God's presence, greetings, hearts and souls, holy spirit, hope in God, idols, immobile, inanimate, indignation, intense longing, intense longing for God, Isaac and Jacob, Jehovah, joy of the Holy Ghost, joyfully receiving the faith, living, living truth, long and winding road, LOVE, Love the Lord, magnify God's Holy Name, meaningless, one true God, pagan gods, persecution, pilgrim feast, potholes, pour out my soul, praise God, psalm 42, relationship with god, religion, resounded, salutations, saviour jesus christ, son jesus christ, sons of Korah, souls thirsty for God, strengths and weaknesses, tears, thank God, the earth shall tremble, the living God, theology, troubled souls, true purpose, voice of joy and praise, where is God, wisdom, worship, worthwhile messengers, wrath
Psalm 42:2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Greetings and salutations my fellow believers in Christ! Our daily pilgrimage has begun, so let’s take a few moments and thank our wonderful God for so ably providing and equipping us with all we need to successfully traverse the long, dusty and winding road that we face today.
Please pray with me. ‘Oh Lord, we thank You for so graciously allowing us to see another glorious day on this beautiful earth. We know that there will be bumps, potholes and an assortment of obstacles along the way, but we’re not worried, for You’ve promised to safely lead and guide all who bow to Your will and accept Your Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
We ask You now to fulfill that promise through the Holy Spirit working in our lives, so that we can be worthwhile messengers and ambassadors of Your Word. We LOVE You Lord, and will do our best to magnify Your Holy Name. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.’
Yeh mih people, without the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob involved in our affairs, our lives would be completely meaningless and without true purpose. No wonder in this Maschil, this contemplation of the sons of Korah, Psalm 42, a longing for, or rather an intense longing for God is prevalent in their hearts and souls.
Our Bit says it nicely: ‘My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’
And as we said yesterday Friends, that’s a very good question, one I guess that each believer has to work through and answer for him or herself, according to their individual relationship with Almighty God.
The psalmist is so distraught over his situation that he sadly continues: ‘My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast) (Ps.42:3-4)
Oh Friends, are we undergoing such soul-troubled problems today? Are we like the psalmist asking: ‘Why art thou cast (bowed) down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me?’ (Ps.42:5a)
Now if we are, then we can assuredly answer that question with the psalmist’s response. ‘Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps.42:5b)
And that my brethren is the living truth, because we’re dealing with a LIVING God, who knows all, sees all, and can do all! He knows our strengths and weaknesses, our faults and frailties even better than we do. That’s why it pays to worship Him, and not some pagan god or idol created by man’s hands, supposed gods, but which are all dead and immobile; can’t hear, can’t talk, or even move.
Meanwhile, the ONE TRUE GOD, JEHOVAH, is living and breathing, active and empowering in the lives of His believers, and will continue to do so until eternity!
Now let’s check out some scriptures that prove our point. Listen to Jeremiah as he weighs in on the subject of God and idols.
‘But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.’ (Jer.10:10-11)
Absolute truth Friends, absolute truth!
Meanwhile, in speaking to the Roman church, re the Jew and the Gospel, Bruh Paul confidently declares: ‘And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children (sons) of the living God.’ (Rom.9:26)
There Bruh Paul is quoting the Old Testament prophet Hosea 1:10. Yes Friends, even way back then, all the true signs pointed directly towards the ONE and ONLY LIVING GOD!
Now hear bruh Paul in his greeting and commendation to the Thessalonians. ‘And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: so that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything.
For they themselves show of us (declare) what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.’ (1 Thess.1:6-10)
Yes my brethren, the Thessalonians accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour despite persecution, and they found it so true and meaningful that their faith rang out loudly, resounded everywhere! They were worthwhile examples of joyfully receiving the faith in spite of persecution, then sharing their faith with others.
Oh that we could be such great examples my people!
But what more do we need to keep us sincerely following Almighty God eh? It is very clear from His Word, that since day one, He was the only real Deity in the universe, and he had only the best interest of His people, His children, His creation at heart. For despite our constant disobedience, He’s always made and/or shown us a way to come to Him when we’re serious and ready.
So why don’t we get truly serious and ready to day eh, right now, mih breddren! Let’s cast aside all doubt, fear and disquiet, and instead be confident and positive like the psalmist, and loudly declare: ‘Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health (help, lit. salvation) of my countenance, and my God.’ (Ps.42:11b)
That’s indisputable wisdom Friends, since there is no other living God to turn to! Much LOVE!
…it’s so foolish and illogical to worship and pray to dead, inanimate objects…when a truly living, omnipotent and ever-LOVING Deity exists…
28 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an adventure, assurances, attributes, awesome promise, backbone, be of good courage, believers in Jesus, belly, bountiful promises, choices, chronic illnesses, common sense, complaining, courage, covenant, daily devotions, definite promise of Almighty God, depressing, differing days, don't be afraid, don't be dismayed, enthusiasm, ever-faithful, ever-LOVING God, evil world, faith, faithful God, generous, God has faithfully promised, God will not fail you, God will not forsake you, God's Law, godly answer, good courage, good success, groaning, Hallelujah, have success, Herculean task, ingredients of a day, Israelites, Joshua, joy, life, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, LOVE, meditate on God's law, mix and match, moaning, Moses, naysayers, negative day, never ending cycle, optimism, ordeal, patiently, personal example, positive energy, positive expectation, positive spin, praise, praise his holy name, problems, Promised Land, prosper, psalm 27, redemption, River Jordan, sacrificial act, sad, sincere communion with Jesus Christ, sincerity, sins, stand strong in the Lord, standing on God's promises, strength, strengthen your heart, survival, the cross at Calvary, the Lord, to the Lord in prayer, truth, unbelievers, ungodly world, wait in faith, wait on the Lord, walk in obedience to His will, we can do all things with Christ's help, wisdom
Psalm 27:14. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.
And here we stand once again Friends, in cold amongst the ingredients that it takes to make another day! Ingredients that according to their quantity, their mixing and matching, have the ability to produce anything along a continuum; from a very sad, depressing and negative day at one end, to one that’s full of joy, enthusiasm and positive energy at the other.
And the results we obtain, all depend on the amounts of each ingredient we use, and how we mix and match them. That’s why all of us have differing kinds of days.
Now here’s some sound advice on the subject, taken from the footnote of an old devotional, One More Day, Daily Devotions for People with Chronic Illnesses. And the advice is: ‘Life is an adventure of choices to be lived, not an ordeal to be survived. I choose optimism and joy.’
Yes my people, that’s the way it should be! Life was meant to be lived, not merely survived! So whatsoever ingredients we’re dealt today, let’s adjust the mix to bring us positive energy and joy in our spirits nuh. That’s only simple common sense.
Regardless of how difficult or hopeless things might seem, or even actually be, there’s always a way for us to put a positive spin on them. And that’s especially true for believers in Jesus Christ, seeing that we have all those beautiful and bountiful promises and assurances from our generous, ever-faithful and ever-LOVING God!
And when we add the greatest sacrificial act ever done in the history of this world, Christ’s redemption of our abominable sins by His death on the cross at Calvary, how can we not be joyful and full of positive energy eh?
And all God’s people gave out a deafening roar of ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name!’
Yes Friends, that’s the kind of response we need! So please, let’s not go about moaning and groaning and complaining today, though our entire world might seem to be crumbling around us. Let’s stand strong in the Lord, as He’s asked us to do.
Let’s show the unbelievers and naysayers, by personal example, why we’re true believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Today, and everyday, we need to do as Bruh David so wisely advises in our Bit: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’
Yes my brethren, after taking our problems to the Lord in prayer, we need to remain in patient and positive expectation for His godly answer. And I know that it oftimes takes a lot of courage, belly and backbone to do that sort of thing. But then again, as believers, we must remember that we can do all things through Christ’s help.
Yeh, it often feels like an ongoing, never ending cycle. We need courage and strength to deal with our problems. But that courage and strength can only come from close and sincere communion with Jesus Christ. And when we’re finally granted those attributes, we need to apply them to our problems. But having done that, the cycle begins again.
Ah Lord eh mih people! It might be rough, but there’s no need to be afraid, for our God has faithfully promised to look after us, once we walk obedient to His will. Now listen to this awesome promise God gave to the children of Israel, through Moses, when he anointed Joshua as his successor.
‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them (your enemies): for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6)
Oh Friends, what an amazing promise! And while the Israelites walked sincerely with God, that promise was never broken. But here, to my mind, is one of God’s greatest promise moments in all of the Good Book. It was when He personally anointed Joshua.
Now listen to our heavenly Father, as He reassures and energizes Joshua, to whom He’s given the unenviable and Herculean task of taking the Israelites over the River Jordan into the Promised Land.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance (you shall give as a possession) the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success) withersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:5-9)
And all God’s people declared in loud voice: ‘Wow! What a mighty and faithful God we serve and worship!’
Indeed we do Friends, because God kept His Word as long as Joshua held up his half of the bargain. The same applies to us today my people. Those very words have been spoken over us by Jesus Christ, which means we’re in covenant with Him, and once we do our part, He will definitely do His. But it all depends on us, being strong and courageous and keeping His laws.
So let’s get ourselves together nuh, let’s seriously meditate on His Word, be strong and take heart from it, so that we can be prosperous and successful in this evil, ungodly world. That’s not a remote possibility Friends, but a sure and definite promise of Almighty God to all who serve and worship Him in truth and sincerity.
Now my people, that’s what is termed awesome wisdom! Let’s grab hold of it and hang on tightly nuh! Much LOVE!
…standing…standing…standing on the promises of God my Saviour…standing…standing…I’m standing on the promises of God…
27 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acquired attributes, actively seek God's face, all knees shall bow, all tongues confess, Amen, attuned to Almighty God, barren, be of good courage, be strong and courageous, believer in Jesus, calmness, challenges of life, charles stanley, confidence building words, covered on all fronts, diligence, do it afraid, enabling strength, encouragement, eveidence of things not seen, ever-faithful, evil world, expectation, faith, fear of contradiction, fearful, fearlessness, fertile, firmness, focused, fruit of the land, good courage, gospel truth, hebrews 11, heritage of god's servants, holy spirit, illuminating psalm, internal strength, internally strong, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, Joyce Meyer, last trump, lord is my light and my salvation, LOVE, meet danger, my light and my salvation, no weapon formed against us will prosper, omnipotent god, opposition, oppressed, our prayer, patient faith, perseverance, Praise the Lord, psalm 27, purposeful anticipation, quality of mind or spirit, rational, recantation, righteousness., son jesus christ, stay calm, strengthen thy heart, strong faith, struggles, substance of things hoped for, take us home, the Promised Land, ungodly world, wait in faith, wait on the Lord, weakness, wicked prospering, wicked world, wishy-washy
Psalm 27:14. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.
Aye mih Friends, these days are going by so quickly, it’s hard to keep up, to stay level with them! Look, just yesterday was Monday, now it’s already Tuesday today! (smile)
The days truly seem to be hurtling by faster and faster. But don’t worry my people, because if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, you have it covered on all fronts: we have the Holy Spirit here on earth to lead and guide us aright, and when the final trump sounds, Jesus will come and take us home with Him.
Wow! What a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship! And all God’s people gave a mighty and joyful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Praise His Son, Jesus Christ, to whom all knees shall bow, and all tongues shall gratefully confess and acknowledge that He is Lord of all!’
But unfortunately, despite all the coverage, I know that many believers are still struggling, are still oppressed and fearful, especially when we see the wicked prospering. However my brethren, though it’s hard, we cannot afford to look too closely at what others are doing to progress in this evil, ungodly world. We have to stay fully attuned to Almighty God and His dictates.
That’s why Bruh David in this explosive and illuminating psalm, superscripted, ‘the Lord is my light and my salvation, ends it with the wise, encouraging and confidence building words of Today’s Bit: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’
Please note Friends, Bruh David tells us to do two things, and a third will result. First we have to wait on the Lord, and that means waiting with strong, solid faith, not a wishy-washy kind of waiting, but a conscious and purposeful anticipation and expectation.
For as Hebrews 11 tells us: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Hebrews 11:1) For if we can see something, there’s no reason to yet hope for or have faith or expect it to come to pass.
And then he tells us to be of good courage. Hn! Now what does that much used and maligned word mean eh? Here’s a definition from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) which some of you might have seen on His programme In Touch some weeks ago. He defines COURAGE as: ‘The quality of mind or spirit enabling us to meet danger, opposition or the challenges of life with fearlessness, firmness and calmness.’
And that’s as good a definition as we’ll ever get my brethren! Courage is truly the ability to stand strong when everything seems to be falling down around us. It helps us stay calm, rational and focused.
Now that doesn’t mean we won’t be afraid, but like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, ‘Do it afraid.’ And that’s possible because the faith in God that Bruh David talks about will strengthen and enable us to stand up to whatever difficult or fearful situation that comes against us.
And my brethren, in times of fear and trouble, please remember this awesome promise of our omnipotent and ever-faithful God: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17)
And that’s gospel truth Friends! It’s a promise we can stand upon without fear of contradiction or recantation!
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, our God has been encouraging His people to be strong and courageous ever since time began. Listen to what Moses told the twelve spies that were sent into the Promised Land to reconnoitre it.
‘And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean (fertile or barren), whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.’ (Num.13:20)
Yeh mih breddren, whatever we do, we need to do with faith and courage, for this wicked world doesn’t take kindly to weakness. Yuh see how it takes unnecessary advantage of the poor, the sick and needy? It has no mercy whatsoever on those who are not at least internally strong.
And the only way to get that internal strength is through faith in Almighty God! Yes Friends, that strength and courage we need are acquired attributes. We have to consciously go after them with much diligence and perseverance.
And having said all of that this Tuesday morning, now let’s actively seek the face of our great and wonderful God, before we go out to face the enemy hordes, asking Him for that enabling strength and courage that comes to all who wait in patient faith on Him. That’s our prayer for this morning my brethren.
And all God’s people declared a loud, faithful and purposeful, ‘Praise the Lord! Praise His Holy Name! Amen!’ and again we say, ‘Amen!’
Much much LOVE my fellow believers in Christ Jesus!
…only as believers stand and wait on the Lord…in patient faith…shall He strengthen them…
P.S. Even though the Bit’s a tad late, there’s no reason to complain about its length today. It’s pretty short. Even I was amazed. (smile) Much LOVE!
26 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abomination, adrenalin pumping, almighty god, aura of love, battle hymn, bombarded, buffeted, chant, Christian soldiers, christianity, confidence, confidence soaring, conquerors, Creator of the universe, cut down like the green grass, destroyed, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil and ungodly world, evildoers, exalted Being, faith, fight to the death, final reward, fret not, further your glorious kingdom, futile nature, fuzzy smile, God's eternal staying power, heavenly places, humble servants, iniquity workers, invincible, jeopardize our eternal destiny, jobs, joyful and godly mood, lies, Monday Morning, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, prosperous wickedness, Psalm 37, radiant countenance, rejuvenation of spirit, religion, renewed vitality, sacrificial death, salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strength, stumbled, TGIM, Thank God it's Monday, the enemy's ranks, the enemy's wicked taunts, the front lines, the Holy Spirit, the righteous struggle and suffer, the true state of the wicked, the victory is ours, the wicked prospering, theology, truth, unfamiliar strain, useful purpose, warm smile, weary souls, wiles, windows of heaven, wisdom, wither as the green herb, worthwhile inroads, Yahweh
Psalm 37:1: Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Oh Friends, as Jesus opened the windows of heaven this morning, before He could even look out, an unfamiliar strain from earth reached His ears. It sounded like a chant, but one that He’d never heard before. So He leaned out the window to try and hear it better. Lo and behold my people, a warm, fuzzy smile broke out over His radiant countenance as He heard these words rising up to heaven.
‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday! Time to be up and about Jesus’ business! The battle will soon be joined, for Jesus is already at the front lines! Up and at them Christian soldiers! For the victory is ours, through Jesus! Amen!’
Ah Friends, what a blessed day that will be eh, when we begin the workweek in such a joyful and godly mood and state of mind! But don’t worry, we’re working on it. It will become reality in God’s good time. But until then, let’s lustily sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one sweet, sounding harmonious choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih breddren, that was good! Jesus was pleased. So with the adrenalin pumping, the faith, strength and confidence soaring, let’s go out now and engage Lucifer and his evil buddies in a fight to the death!
And our Bit ties in quite nicely with all of that my people. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.’
Oh Friends, I know that is often very difficult to do in this evil and ungodly world, when it seems that the wicked is forever prospering, while the righteous struggle and suffer. But please remember my fellow believers, that even the psalmist and man of great faith, Asaph, also had that problem, as he tells us in Psalm 73, the mystery of prosperous wickedness.
‘But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps.73:2-3)
But Bruh David then tells us why we should not be jealous of the prosperous evildoers. ‘For they shall soon be cut down like the green grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps.37:2)
Now that’s the true state of the wicked my brethren! And I’m sure we don’t want to be a member of any group that’s eventually going to be destroyed by Almighty God.
Note too, that Moses in his only psalm, ‘From everlasting to everlasting thou art God,’ acknowledges God’s eternal staying power and man’s short, flimsy and futile nature. ‘For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down and withereth.’ (Ps.90. 4-6)
Meanwhile Friends, the author of Psalm 92, in his praises for the Lord’s goodness, puts it thus: ‘Oh Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring (sprout, spring up) as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.’ (Ps.92:5-8)
And that’s undeniable, unalterable, indisputable gospel truth my brethren, for our God is the Creator and Controller of this universe and all therein! Please let’s not forget that very significant and salient point, because in doing so, we jeopardize our eternal destiny.
Yes Friends, with His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, there’s NOTHING or NO ONE greater than Yahweh, the Most High God Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
It thus behoves us to pay serious attention to His Word, His commands, His statutes and His dictates, if we want to live a long, prosperous and righteous life, encompassed by salvation through the sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, with eternal life in heavenly places as our final reward.
And that, my fellow believers, is true wisdom, wisdom of the everlasting kind! Much LOVE!
…wickedness will never prosper for very long…because in the eyes of our righteous and just God…it is an abomination to His exalted Being…and therefore must be destroyed…
15 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, action, busyness, colour, confrontation, Controller of the universe, creed, day of reckoning, divine God, divine means, dressing in women's clothing, eternity, exaltation, explosive truth, faith, for our children's sake, general behaviour, get a move on, gross stupidity, gruesome scene, homophobia, homophobic soicety, homosexuality, infatuation, insulting behaviour, Isaac, Jacob, jehovah god, life threatening situations, lord is my strength and song, lost souls, Lucifer, man of war, media platforms, mire of quicksand, Moses, Most High God Jehovah, Much LOVE, my god, my salvation, my song, Oprah Winfrey, perpetrators, power, powerful statement, powers of evil, powers that be, private lives, psalm 118, race, racism, reverence, right now, sad situation, silence is golden, social media, social medium, social skills, song of praise, sorry state of our world, the customer is always right, The Lord is my strength, the things of this evil world, the Word of the Creator, troubled times, true believers, used and abused, worship
Psalm 118:14. The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
Oh Friends, this Thursday morning the ole fella’s a bit tired. I’ve had a busy week and all that busyness has played havoc with my sleep. But like the mail, the Bit has to go out come sunshine, rain or snow. (smile)
Now today I want to touch on three incidents that happened in the past couple weeks, and together give us some insight into the sorry state of our world.
The first is a reported incident last week in Jamaica, where a 16 year old gay youth dressed up in women’s clothing and went out to a party in public. Now what was he thinking eh? He was sixteen years old, not six. He must have known that Jamaica is one of the most homophobic societies in the world. Therefore his actions were really akin to gross stupidity.
Knowing that there are even laws on the books against homosexuality, should make you keep your mouth shut and your actions closely guarded. The upshot of the story though, is that he was badly beaten and left by the roadside to die. How sad eh!
The next incident is one in Florida, where a man supposedly killed his wife, then posted the gruesome scene on Facebook or some such social medium, with a confession, then went and turned himself into the police.
Ah Friends, the damage that these social media forms are causing is daily increasing. And I don’t care about their sometimes usefulness, because they are doing more harm than good to our society, especially our children, since that’s all they know.
The nonsense that we’re putting out there, plus too much of our private lives, is being used and abused by criminals, ordinary people like ourselves, and also the powers that be. Everyday you hear about somebody getting in trouble because of something they said or did on one of the many social media platforms.
But the powers that be adore it, because it not only brings them more money, but also helps them keep closer tabs on us. When will we ever learn that more often than not, and especially in these troubled times, that silence is truly golden eh?
And the third incident is that between a lowly sales clerk and the mighty Oprah Winfrey. Hn! I believe the confrontation took place in Switzerland, but definitely in Europe. The story goes that Oprah went into this store, I guess it was one of those upscale ones, she sees a bag on a high shelf that catches her interest and asks the clerk to take it down so that she can have a closer look at it.
Obviously the lady doesn’t recognize Oprah, one of the world’s wealthiest women, or rather persons. I believe her programs don’t air in that particular country. But that’s certainly no excuse for the sales clerk refusing to take down the bag and insisting that she looks at some less expensive stuff. Oprah wisely doesn’t make a scene, but simply walks out of the store.
Now I don’t believe in the adage that the customer is always right, because clerks are human too and should be treated as such, and some consumers can be really rude and nasty to the lowly clerks. But then again, where does this sales clerk get off telling, or intimating to somebody she doesn’t know from Adam, what they can afford? And to make the matter even more volatile, it’s a white woman intimating to a black woman. Ah Lord eh!
The annoying part is that when the story breaks the clerk tries to fight back by wondering why a powerful woman like Oprah should be picking on a poor sales clerk like her. Why? Because she’s a fool and a disgrace to store clerks all over the world! She was either too lazy to climb up and get the bag, and/or engaging in an act of racism, thinking that because Oprah was black, she couldn’t afford the thirty something thousand dollars the bag apparently cost.
Whatever her feelings, they were totally wrong and uncalled for. She was being paid to assist whatever customer came in the store, regardless of colour creed or race. Oprah should have gone out and bought the blooming store then fired her for her insulting behaviour.
What is the world coming to eh, when sales clerks determine what a customer can or cannot afford eh? It reminds me of the story where this old ‘trampish-looking’ white man enters a car dealership and enquires about one of the expensive cars in the showroom.
The sales clerk, this time a man, and white on white, behaves very rudely and snobbishly towards the old man, again intimating by the man’s looks that he cannot afford the car. The old man simply walks out, comes back later with a garbage bag full of money and buys the car cash. I only hope he didn’t buy it through that foolish, demeaning salesman.
And that’s my ranting for the day Friends! (smile) Please ponder those incidents and see what you think of them. I do hope that they will make some impression that will help us all to improve our social skills and general behaviour.
Let’s turn to our Bit now. ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.’ Wow! What explosive truth there is in that simple, but powerful statement Friends!
And it follows that if all three perpetrators of the incidents above had had the Lord as their strength, song and salvation, they would never have found themselves in the uncomfortable, dangerous and life threatening situations in which they did. But obviously they were infatuated with the things of this evil, ungodly world, rather than those of the divine God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And, keeping in mind the length of the Bit, and our busy day, (smile) we’ll end today with some rather instructive words of Moses from his song of praise. ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation (praise Him); my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.’ (Ex.15:2-3)
Oh my people, until our world learns that lesson, and conducts itself accordingly, in true reverence and worship to Jehovah God, it will continue drifting and sinking in the mire of quicksand that’s slowly engulfing it, as it becomes more evil, as it departs from the Word of the Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein.
Oh Friends, for our children’s sake, please, let’s make haste to get some serious action going to reverse our sad situation nuh, because it is only us, true believers, who have the power, the faith and the divine means to do so.
And who knows when the day of reckoning will come upon us? But just supposing it is tomorrow, or even today… What then eh? Too many souls would be lost to Lucifer for eternity. So let’s get a move on RIGHT NOW nuh! Much LOVE!
…only as the world truly embraces the Most High God Jehovah…will the powers of evil be destroyed…
14 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2 corinthians 1, adoration, adversity, attributes of God, awesome truth, blessed be God, bounden duty, comfort, comforted of God, compassion, countenance, deliverance from the world, disciples, don't quit, eternal life, ever-LOVING God, evil, faith, faithfulness, foolishness, forgiveness, foundation of the world, generous, god, god of all comfort, God's LOVE endures forever, good hands, gospel truth, grace, guidance of the Holy spirit, hand to hold, heavenly places, hold our heads up high, holy, hope, jehovah god, live a life that magnifies Jesus, lord jesus christ, lost souls, LOVE, LOVE for one another, loving, made right, made whole, magnanimoud God, mediocrity, mercy, New Testament, peace, praise, promises, reconciled to God, religion, respect, reverence, sacrifice for sins, salvation, Satan, saving, sin, sincere adoration, spiritual blessings, stand strong in Jesus' Name, standing strong for Jesus, surrender your will, the Father of mercies, the God of All Comfort, the Lord of all creation, theology, tribulation, true believers, true wisdom, trust, unjust ungodly world, wallowing in the mire of unbelief, without blame, wonderful gifts, worship
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.
Aye mih Friends, is Wednesday, the middle of the week! How we doing eh? We still standing strong for Jesus? I surely hope so, because that is the only true wisdom that exists in this world. Anything else is foolishness.
So please let’s keep standing strong in and for Jesus, since He is the ONLY ONE who has all the parts to see us happily and joyfully through this evil, unjust, ungodly world.
And it all stems from the hope, trust, and faith that we find when we come to Jesus in sincere adoration and worship. But unfortunately too many of us don’t use the power that we have, we keep on wallowing in the mire of unbelief and mediocrity.
But what’s the purpose of having all that power which emanates from Jesus; all those wonderful promises, all the faithfulness, compassion, mercy, grace and LOVE, if we don’t use them productively? None whatsoever!
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’
And isn’t that the God-awesome truth my brethren? It surely is!
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘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.1:4)
Yes Friends, God comforts us in our trials and tribulation so that we can comfort others going through their own periods of adversity.
Now here’s what the scholars say about those two verses. ‘Blessed (Gr. eulogetos), “well spoken of”) is used in the New Testament of God, (e.g. Eph.1:3). It is a term of adoration and praise.
The Father of mercies: The mercies in view here include everything from deliverance from the world, sin, and Satan, to participation in sonship, light and life. But the force is even more than this. The stress is that the Father is characterized by mercy (cf. Ps.86:5; Dan.9:9; Mic.7:18)’
Oh Friends, please take a moment to read those scriptures because they give us a very good picture of the wonderful God that we serve and of His attribute termed mercy.
Let’s remember though that His main attribute is LOVE, and that everything else springs from that LOVE; a LOVE that is shown to us through His mercy, grace and forgiveness, and above all the sending of His Son, Jesus to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we could be reconciled to Him, receive salvation and eternal life.
Wow! What an awesome God we worship my people! There’s no other supposed God who offers His subjects, no not subjects, but His children such wonderful gifts. That’s why His LOVE still endures, and will endure forever!
Oh my brethren, in this crazy, troubled and wrong-directioned world, there’s no better hand to hold on to than that of Jehovah God! If you think All State has good hands, that’s a joke compared to what the Lord of All Creation has.
So, as expected of true believers, let’s hold our heads up high nuh and live a life that magnifies Jesus, and glorifies God the Father, through the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, by bringing lost souls to Him for saving and LOVING.
And this is admirably borne out by Bruh Paul’s greeting to the Ephesians: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in LOVE.’ (Eph.1:3-4)
Ah Friends, I’ll say it again: What a mighty and magnanimous God we serve and worship!
The sad part though is you’ll never know it unless you surrender your will and all else to Him. And I’m talking here from personal experience, because everyday I experience His LOVE and faithfulness in some manner or other, just like all those who sincerely believe and trust and live for Him.
And in closing, I want to remind us, just in case we forgot (smile) that in Christ Jesus there’s no quitting, regardless of how hard life gets. There’s just no quitting because that word is not found in the dictionary of a true believer. That means if you don’t have the word, then you can’t do the action.
So let’s just stand strong together in Jesus’ Name and bring the world to His feet in proper reverence and respect, as is our bounden duty. What did Jesus say about that? ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:35)
So fellow believers, may our great, wonderful, generous and ever-LOVING God, bless and keep us safe from all harm. And may He also shine His awesome countenance on us, so that we can be filled with the overflowing LOVE and Peace that flows from His majestic and magnanimous grace.
This we pray, in the holy name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by the shedding of whose blood, we have been cleansed, made whole and right with the Father. Amen. Much, much LOVE my people!
…no one comes to the Father…but through the Son, Jesus Christ…and that’s the gospel truth…
13 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anniversary of my mother's death, benefits, blessings, bygone days, cheerfulness, Christ-like life, comes from the heart, courage, crying, crying shame, cup of salvation, dealt bountifully, death, deliver my soul, delivered my soul, distress, evil world, faith, faults, forgetfulness, forgiveness, frailties, good name, gospel truth, gravestone, greed, guilt, holier than thou, lack of commitment, land of the living, laughing, laziness, life of honour, live for God, live our faith, LOVE, Love our God, loving kindness, magnificent God, mea culpa, mercies, my deliverer, my fortress, my salvation, my stronghold, passion, passionate words, pay my vows, persecution, Praise the Lord, prayer of St. Francis, promises, psalm 116, righteousness., rought times, selfishness, shame, sorrows of death, spread His Word, supplications, take advantage, The Lord is my rock, the Lord's gracious, trust, urging of the Spirit, wisdom, zeal
Psalm 116:1. I LOVE the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella shame! Why? Because the end of this month marks the second anniversary of my mother Molly’s death, and yesterday was the first time I went to look for her in her new resting place.
And though I have lots of excuses – like the weather, the distance, the traffic, work, and general busyness, I believe the most prominent reasons were truly laziness, forgetfulness and a lack of sufficient commitment.
What a crying shame! Yes, I certainly agree. But yesterday with the urging of the Spirit, I decided it was definitely the day I would do my long postponed sonly duty. And as the Lord would have it, everything worked out perfectly. I had a couple of errands to run in Toronto, and since I was finished by midday, I just headed north on the Don Valley and on to the 404.
And strangely enough, in death, as well as in life, the only real guilt I feel over my mother is not visiting her as often as I believe I should have. But not to worry Friends, though the ole girl obviously wasn’t thrilled by my long absence, she understood that the son she bore so long ago was merely human and thus liable to possess many faults and frailties, and she readily forgave me. Praise the Lord!
But that’s the kind of person she was. And in my opinion, sometimes too willing to forgive, as we’ve had arguments over the years, when people close to her did her wrong, and she didn’t make a big fuss over it.
Anyway, we had a good visit, as I stood over her gravestone in the cool of the cloudy afternoon, surrounded by the well-manicured lawns of the cemetery.
And on an aside, the difference between cemeteries here and those in the West Indies have always fascinated me. In the West Indies you wouldn’t be caught dead (smile) in a graveyard just chatting or admiring the scenery, because we have a certain amount of fear or dread attached to it back there and they’re not as well kept.
But here the cemeteries are some of the most beautiful and well kept places on God’s earth, and it’s very easy and comfortable to even just walk through them.
But getting back to my visit. Mols and I chatted about the current happenings in my family’s life, and we also reminisced about bygone days, when it was just the two of us against the world. And believe me, there were some rough times.
And as luck would have it, I met a lady at the Calypso show last weekend who remembered me from one of those tough times, when we lived downstairs of her aunt out in Bacolet. But the wonderful thing about Mols is that I never heard her complain. It was always my well-being that drove her wagon train.
Yuh know, I thought I’d cry when I went to visit her, but funnily enough, the opposite happened, we did a lot of laughing. That should not have surprised me though, because from my earliest recollections she was always a cheerful person.
We visited for somewhere between twenty minutes and half an hour, during which time we prayed the prayer of St. Francis, as we always did when she was alive. Then she blessed me, and I sincerely promised not to let so much time go by before I visited her again.
I also promised to try and walk in such a way as to not besmirch her good name, basically fulfilling the words engraved on her tombstone. ‘To truly follow Christ, One must walk, talk, live and LOVE good – as she did.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Though she was not one of those holier than thou persons, she did live as Christ-like a life as most of us will ever do.
So okay Mols baby, Sonny boy has done his mea culpa’s, and his conscience has been assuaged, cleansed, (smile) time to turn to our Bit now. ‘I LOVE the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.’
And that my brethren is the usual and normal reaction of most human beings; to LOVE and cherish those who help them. But sadly in this evil world, there are many whose selfishness and greed propel them to take advantage of those who treat them good. Steups! That just reminds me of one such situation my mother encountered when we lived out in Bacolet.
Anyway, the psalmist continues: ‘Because he hath inclined his ear unto (listened to) me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed (surrounded) me, and the pains (distress) of hell gat hold upon (took hold of) me. I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped (saved) me. Return unto thy rest; O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps.116:2-9)
Yes my people, that is indeed the nature of our magnificent God! The souls of those who continually seek Him and call upon His most worthy name will be delivered from persecution and even from death.
Bruh David recognized that fact from young and made it his habit to live for the Lord. Thus he was later able to declare in Psalm 18: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’ (Ps.18:1-2)
Oh Friends, those are extremely strong and passionate words! But if you are a believer, then they ought to be also true of you! And just supposing they are, meaning that you have received mercies and blessing from Almighty God, how can we thank and honour Him for those oftimes undeserving benefits eh?
As the psalmist confidently declares: ‘What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.’ (Ps.116:12-14)
Yes Friends, the only proper way to thank our wonderful God is to live a life that honours Him, and spread His Word and His LOVING-kindness to all we meet. And if at all possible, shout your LOVE for Him from the rooftops, so that the whole world can hear you! (smile)
Now that’s not only wisdom, but courage, faith and trust! Much LOVE!
…the challenge of our earthly existence…to truly LOVE our God…sincerely LIVE our Faith…and zealously SPREAD His Word…
P.S. It’s a bit long and a bit late, but the important thing is that it comes from the heart. Much LOVE!
12 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, afflictions, aura of love, backbone, battle hymn, believer in Jesus Christ, belly, bombarded, buffeted, cast down, chains, confidence, conflict, covenant, despair, destroyed, distressed, divine grace, dying of Jesus, earthen vessels, enthusiasm, exhortation, faith, fateful words, finish the course, forsaken, fortitude, furtherance of the gospel, glorious heights, glorious kingdom, God's sake, godless world, good news of Christ, great things, hard knocks, high standard, holy living, holy spirit, human genius, humanity, humble heart, humble servants, imprisonment, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lacklustre endeavours, lies, living by faith, lord god almighty, manna, maturity in Jesus, Monday, mortal flesh, passion, perplexed, persecuted, petty excuses, rejuvenation of spirit, religion, renewed vitality, salvation, sincere prayer, sincere reverence, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, steadfastness, suffer for Christ's sake, suffering, sure conquerors, testify, the gospel, the grace of God, theological basis, theology, treasure, trials, troubled, true believer, true Christian, ungodly world, unspeakable truth, useful purpose, weakness, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, without fear, zeal
Acts 9:16. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday! Yes, it’s time to get ready to go out and labour! And I don’t want to hear any nonsense about yuh tired or blue, or any such selfish, petty excuse. If you’re a true Christian, a true believer in Jesus Christ, then you have the necessary parts to conquer whatever is holding you back.
So let’s be humble and cast our cares on Jesus, as He’s repeatedly told us to do, and ask for our daily bread, our share of divine grace to handle today. And like the Lord gave the Israelites manna, food sufficient for each day, for forty years in the wilderness, He’ll do the same for us if we come before Him and ask with a humble heart and sincere reverence.
So without further ado, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn as though we really mean it, because I want to finish this Bit on Bruh Paul today, and there’s still a lot to talk about.
With one, loud, harmonious voice then, 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!’
That was excellent singing Friends! Now let’s go out into this godless world and put it all into practice, like Bruh Paul did. And as we do, let’s remember to thank the Lord that we don’t have to bear the extremely hard knocks that Bruh Paul bore in spreading the good news of Christ. For the Lord certainly lived up to His promise to Ananias in our Bit. ‘For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’
Now living for Christ means facing some adversity, but whatever they are, let’s hope we face them with the faith, trust and confidence that Bruh Paul did. Listen as we continue with his feelings and sentiments to the trials he experienced. This passage comes from 2 Corinthians. It’s one many of us know and use conveniently. Here, Bruh Paul is talking about living by faith.
‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled (hard pressed) on every side, yet not distressed (crushed); we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast (struck) down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.’ (2 Cor.4:7-11)
Ah mih people, that level of growth and maturity in Jesus that Bruh Paul exhibits there is not easy to obtain. But it is possible in conjunction with Christ, and as a believer, it’s expected that we’ll all seriously try to reach those glorious heights. And here’s some useful info from the scholars on verse 7 above.
‘Earthen vessels: In the wilderness under the old covenant, God’s presence dwelt in a tent, (the ark). Today He dwells in the believer’s heart. This is unspeakable truth and forms a theological basis for holy living (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19-20) But the stress here is on ‘earthen.’ An earthenware jar is brittle. It depicts humanity in its weakness. The gospel is not a product of human genius or clever intellect (humanity in its strength). Yet it resides in men of clay, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.’
Now let’s turn to Philippians, where Bruh Paul tells them: ‘But I would ye should understand (want you to know), brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen (turned) out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. So that my bonds in Christ (chains are for Christ) are manifest (well known) in all the palace (by all the palace guard), and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing (becoming) confident by my bonds (chains), are much more bold to speak the word without fear.’ (Phil.1:12-14)
Yes Friends, lots of people in and around the palace knew of Bruh Paul’s imprisonment for Christ’s sake and thus heard about the gospel, which pleased him immensely. And it even made some of the other believers confident enough to publicly promote the gospel. So in Bruh Paul’s mind, instead of it being a disappointment, his imprisonment actually spread the gospel more than if he’d been free.
Then at the end of that chapter, in exhorting them to steadfastness, he tells them: ‘For unto you it (salvation) is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.’ (Phil. 1:29-30)
Oh Friends, that means that salvation from God came to us and the Philippians because of Jesus’ suffering, so that if we want it, we’ll have to suffer some, like Jesus to get it. As well, some of the Philippians were then facing persecution like they saw Bruh Paul do some ten years before in Philippi, when he was beaten and imprisoned, and was again undergoing in the Roman prison, from which he wrote.
And we’ll end this series of messages on Bruh Paul with these fateful words to the Ephesian elders whom he called to Miletus to meet with him. ‘And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save (except) that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds (chains) and afflictions abide (await) me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.’ (Acts 20:22-24)
Oh Friends, in closing, my fervent wish and sincere prayer is that all believers will eventually come to a truly high standard of belief and faith in Christ Jesus, like Bruh Paul, and spread the Word as selflessly and unafraid as he did. Then and only then will God’s glorious kingdom be truly furthered with the zeal and passion that’s absent from our current lacklustre endeavours. Much LOVE!
…to move this wicked, ungodly world towards Christ…believers need to have…enormous amounts of faith, fortitude, belly and backbone…
10 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: action, adversity, beaten with rods, believers in Jesus Christ, boasts, burn with indignation, Christ's gospel, Christian faith, Christians, cold, Damascus, deep concern, don't quit, dreary life, faith, false brethren, fastings, fear, fires of adversity, fortitude, going through tough times, good news, great things, holy spirit, hunger and thirst, infirmities, journeys, labours, laid it on the line, magnaimous God, mature in Christ, nakedness, never give up, passion, perils, planet earth, preaching Christ crucified, prisons, protective umbrella of Christ, religion, robbers, rough situations, same old, saviour jesus christ, seed of Abraham, shame, shipwreck, sleeplessness, small deed for Christ, stagnant riddim, steadfast and true, steadfast faith, stoned, stripes, stumble, suffer in my name, synopsis, tests, theology, times of trial, toil, victorious, weariness, when the going gets tough, wilderness, world's standard
Acts 9:16. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s another day in the same old, same old dreary life on planet earth. Yes, for many of us life just moves along in the same old stagnant riddim that’s become the world’s standard.
But my people, here’s the good news! As believers in Jesus Christ, we Christians have the ability to rise above the daily drudgery and mediocrity and make each day something special!
And why is that? Because we have the Holy Spirit of our great and wonderful God dwelling right inside of us. Wow! And to make things even better, if we sincerely follow His lead and guidance, very seldom will two days be the same, for everyday will be an interestingly different one!
Now note I didn’t say easy or necessarily pleasant, but I can personally vouch that every day spent under the protective umbrella of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is different and also interesting. And since the Lord wants us to be come more like Jesus with every passing day, that means there will be tests and trials of various types and intensities, because like gold and silver, we can only be refined by passing through the fires of adversity.
But also remember that the Lord has promised to safely bring us out of whatever He allows us to go through. And the fact of the matter is that when we go through those times of trial, we usually come out of them much stronger than before. So there’s no need for fear, shame or bewailing our rough and tough situations.
Just remember it’s all a test, and if we stand up strong, steadfast and true, the Lord will eventually reward us. And we all know that there’s no bigger or more generous rewarder than our magnanimous God, just look at Job.
Now all of that just leads us up to our Bit: ‘For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’
Yeh mih breddren, we talk about going through tough times, but how many of us, if any, have faced, or will ever face the adversity that Bruh Paul went through to spread the Christian faith eh? Yet we make such a big fuss if we’re asked to put ourselves out of the way to do some small deed for Christ.
Now it certainly seems like everywhere Bruh Paul went he stirred up trouble by preaching Christ crucified. After he got out of prison in Philippi, He went to Thessalonica, Berea and Athens, where they had to spirit him out of each town because the townspeople took exception to his zealous, confident preaching. (Acts 17)
Anyway, we don’t have time to go through all the things Bruh Paul suffered in Christ’s name, so we’ll just give a synopsis in his own words. In writing to the Corinthians, he didn’t want to boast, but some false teachers were doing just that, so to show that he had the parts and had been through the fire, he laid it on the line for them.
‘Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save (less) one.
Thrice I was beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness (toil), in watchings (sleeplessness) often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Beside those (other) things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of (deep concern for) all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended (made to stumble, and I burn not (do not burn with indignation)? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities (my weaknesses).
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: and through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.’ (2 Cor.11:22-33)
Ah mih people, very few of us, if any, would have survived, lived to tell the tale of even a quarter of what Bruh Paul went through in his passion and action to spread the good news of Christ’s gospel. But please remember that it was the power of God’s Spirit working in him that allowed him to come out victorious.
Likewise Friends, in our current lives, whatever we come up against that needs fortitude and steadfast faith, it’s God’s Spirit that will enable us to bear up under the strain. So let’s not be too quick to give up when adversity strikes… In fact we can never give up, never quit, since those terms don’t exist in the believers’ vocabulary.
So please remember the adage; when the going gets tough, the tough, that’s we believers get going. Therefore please stand strong in Jesus my people! Much LOVE!
…where there’s no adversity…a believer will not grow and mature in Christ…
09 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mere pittance, baptism, barely survive, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, captains of industry, chasing demons, christianity, compassionless, controlled by circumstances, courage, deliverance, divine intervention, do thyself no harm, earthquake, faith, fellow believers, feudal times, fortune telling, foundations, Friday, Friday chant, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glory hallelujah, god, God's purposes, good fortune, great things, greedy, human-rights, jesus name, loosed chains, LOVE, loving kindness, marvellous God, merry chase, mighty works, Paul, Philippi, pittance, positive results, Praise the Lord, prayer, prison episode, prisoners, profit, refreshed in body and soul, rejoicing, relaxation, religion, renewed, rest, reverence, right perspective, Silas, singing of hymns, stripes, suffer for my name's sake, testimony, Thank God it's Friday, Thank the Lord, the weekend, time to party, what must I do to be saved, wicked, wisdom, woe is me
Acts 9:16. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
And then it was suddenly Friday! And on realizing this, all the working population got up, danced and sang with great joy: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Thank God is Friday! This week’s been a rough one. But now the weekend is at hand. Time to get out and party!’
Not so fast mih people! The weekend isn’t only for partying. We also have other duties to fulfill. So before we get too carried away with this being Friday, let’s chant our Friday Chant that will give us the right perspective on how to use these upcoming very valuable two days off.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes mih breddren, that’s how we should use the weekend; as a combination of fun, fellowship and relaxation, not all out partying. And be thankful that we at least get a couple days off every week to rest and recuperate, because a lot of people around the world still have to labour seven days a week for a mere pittance, on which they can barely survive.
So let’s thank the Lord for our good fortune and pray for those who are still oppressed and have no rights or freedom to express their unfortunate and evil oppression. And don’t laugh either, for if the captains of industry have their way, we’d all be pushed right back to feudal times, so greedy, wicked and compassionless are they.
Neither did Bruh Paul often have the luxury to do as he pleased, because the Lord certainly led him on a merry chase, as He declares in our Bit. ‘For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’
And yesterday we saw some of the suffering Bruh Paul experienced in Philippi after chasing a demon from a young girl’s soul. Silas and him were dragged before the courts by the girl’s masters, for Bruh Paul’s actions had cause them to lose the ability to profit from the girl’s fortune telling. They successfully stirred up the crowd against the brethren, had them beaten and thrown into the innermost part of the prison. (Acts 16:16-24)
But Friends, our God is such a great Deity, and works in such mysterious and wondrous ways, doing just as He promised, to turn all situations to good for those who sincerely LOVE and revere Him.
Now listen as the Good Book tells the story: ‘And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises (were praying and singing hymns) unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was an earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands (chains) were loosed.
And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
Then he called for a light, and sprang (ran) in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (household).
And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat (food) before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.’ (Acts 16:25-34)
Oh my fellow believers what a marvellous God we serve and worship! And all God’s children said ‘Wow! Praise the Lord for His mighty works!’ That’s for sure! Just look at the lengths he went to save the jailer and his family.
Now here is the scholars take on that situation. ‘Verse 25 is the key to the prison episode, since the earthquake was not intended to deliver Paul but to convert the jailer. God knew that Paul would be released the next day; therefore the earthquake was not merely for Paul and Silas’s benefit. The earthquake would have been meaningless had not the jailer and prisoners heard Paul’s testimony in prayer and song.
Their singing brought about the divine intervention in the earthquake, and all would understand its significance. Hence the jailer would run to Paul asking how he could be saved. God’s purposes of Peter’s deliverance of chapter 12, and Paul’s of chapter 16, are apparent. The purpose of Peter’s imprisonment was his execution; for Paul, the intention was only to threaten him.
Surprisingly Peter sleeps whereas Paul prays and sings. Neither is controlled by his circumstances. In Peter’s case God puts the guards to sleep and delivers Peter by means of a silent angel. The guards are executed. In Paul’s case God awakens the sleeping jailer with an earthquake. The jailer is saved; Paul chooses to remain in jail.’
Oh Friends, yuh see the unique way in which the Lord used Bruh Paul to bring unbelievers to Jesus!
And even today, He’s still in the business of bringing unbelievers to Christ through our efforts. So please, whenever we find ourselves in difficult situations, let’s not simply hold our heads and bawl, ‘woe is me,’ but instead let’s take a serious look at what’s happening and consider how we can use it to influence others in Christ’s name, through prayers and singing of hymns, for that’s what Bruh Paul did, and we can all see the positive results.
And we can begin doing that right away by considering our current situations and instead of complaining, seeing how we can use them to further God’s glorious kingdom. Now that’s wisdom, faith and courage of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…Jesus expects ALL His followers to spread His Word…to manifest His LOVING-kindness…in whatever situation they find themselves…
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