11 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a changing of perception, a flamboyant lifestyle, a good foundation, a good name is to be chosen above riches, a good reputation, a good reputation is more valuable than wealth, be rich in good works, Bible, cahracter, charge them that are rich, christianity, digging dirt on opponents, do good, dreadful consequences, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fame, get in step, god, greed, halfway home, hands on the plough, he addeth no sorrow with it, he that steals my good name robs me, he who steals my purse steals trash, immediate satisfaction, integrity, it is the Lord that gives you power to get wealth, jealousy, Jesus Christ, lay hold on eternal life, laying up in store for themselves, lead us down wrong paths, LOVE, loving favour rather than silver or gold, makes me poor indeed, mercy, naked we came, naked we will go back, not looking back, power, ready to distribute, ready to give, social media, thank God, the arena of plotice, the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, the breath of life, the prevalence of destroying eputations, the reality of the situation, they be not highminded, to a glorious future with Jesus, trust in the living God, trust not in uncertain riches, truth, wealth, Wednesday Wail, willing to share, wisdom
Proverbs 22:1. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and LOVING favour rather than silver or gold.
And then it was Wednesday… and somebody said ‘Already!’ Yes sir, the week is moving along like nobody’s business, and if you don’t get in step with it, then it will simply leave you behind. (smile) Many of us believe that the days, and thus the weeks and months are moving faster than ever, as one person recently told me, before the weeks’ start they are finished, and that certainly seems true. However, the days and other elements of time are still moving ahead at the same pace the Lord assigned them many eons ago, what’s changing is our perception of them.
Our world is now so busy and technologically advanced, with almost everything readily at hand, that we get the impression that things are moving quicker than usual. And believe me, that attribute of perception, the ability to notice and understand things that are not obvious to other people, can and have led us down some wrong paths with dreadful consequences. That’s why we have to be very careful of what we think or believe we perceive. Like thinking that the things of the world, it’s wealth, power and fame and the flamboyant lifestyle that those who have them live are so great that we ought to kill ourselves trying to get them.
But unfortunately that is definitely not the reality of the situation. For those things in and of themselves don’t bring true happiness, which only come from matters like peace, LOVE, joy and rightness with God. Oftentimes, they bring the exact opposite and those who have them then regret they ever acquired them. One of the reasons for that is the greed and jealousy of man. We see what others have and don’t know how they acquired it, but we want it too, so we decide to do whatever it takes to get it.
But here’s the wisdom, obviously from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, that should be our guide on this the Lord’s great earth. ‘A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and LOVING favour rather than silver or gold.’ (Prov. 22:1) Oh my fellow believers, a good reputation is much more important than wealth.
And it’s rather interesting that William Shakespeare in his play Othello, puts these words of absolute truth into the mouth of his character Iago, a lying, immoral man. ‘Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls: Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ‘Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands: But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed.’
It’s no joke friends, the loss of our good name, our reputation, the tarnishing of our character is ever much more important our material wealth and fame, for when you lose that, it’s almost impossible to regain it. As this commentary explains. ‘Iago compares a good reputation to a precious jewel that, unlike money, has true and lasting value for its owner, yet is worthless to anyone who would try to steal it.’ And sadly in this modern age of social media and all the other technological developments, it’s very easy to slander and destroy someone’s reputation by simply posting lies and untruths that are greedily picked up and spread like wildfire by those who read or see them.
And it’s oh so sad that even the big newscasters nowadays no longer seem to check the facts, as they use to, before rushing to publish stuff they see on the social media platforms because the big thing is to be the first to bring it to public attention. But in their haste to be the first they are ofttimes making themselves look real foolish by publishing incorrect news. But that’s our modern world; everything is about speed and immediate satisfaction, the real truth doesn’t matter half as much as it should. And where the killing of someone’s reputation and character is most prevalent is in the arena of politics.
Now, no one campaigns on the strength of their own personality or what they have to bring to the table, but the first thing is always to look for dirt on one’s opponents and base your campaign on those things. And politicians are not above lying and making up untrue situations which the naïve and unschooled sheep known as the voters quickly believe, because our society is now built on defamation of character. And nowhere is that more visible than in the current U.S. Presidential Election campaign.
However, getting back to our topic of putting material wealth and fame and power at the top of our list, before God, there is one scripture we ought to pay particular attention to, that’s this one which Moses speaks to the Israelites, reminding them of where all their prosperity comes from. ‘And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:17-18)
Yes friends, it’s Almighty God who gives to each of us the power to gain wealth. For as Jesus says, without him we can do nothing. (John 15:5) Let’s remember that God is the Creator and Controller of this world and nothing happens in it unless He originates it or allows it to happen. And again we turn to not only the wisest but also the richest man ever, that’s Cousin Sol for this other gem of wisdom on the subject. ‘The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’ (Prov. 10:22) And if anybody should know about wealth that’s Cousin Sol because the Lord made him the wealthiest man ever because instead of asking for long life and riches, he asked for wisdom to lead God’s people.
And although there’s no shame in being wealthy in worldly goods, we ought to note this scripture from Bruh Paul to Timothy very closely. ‘Charge (command) them that are rich in this world (present age), that they be not highminded (haughty), nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute (give), willing to communicate (share); Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.’ (1 Tim. 6:17-19)
Oh my fellow believers, when the Lord allows us to gain earthly wealth it’s not for us to hoard and admire, but to share with the less fortunate of our society. Please, let’s remember that and promise ourselves to improve our generosity, because I’m sure all of us can do a li’l better than we’re currently doing in a world that’s desperate for brotherly help and LOVE. Now, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it’s been further promised that if we endure with Jesus right to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious then we can ask or imagine. So, hoping to see you there at the very end! Much LOVE!
…naked we came…and naked we will go…except for what’s inside us…our character and integrity…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fall, a glorious future with Jesus, a haughty spirit, a proud look, abides forever, accede, arrogance, as the eagle, be of a humble spirit, bombastic ego, breath of life, bring me down, clefts of the rock, continue praying, deceived thee, destruction, divide the spoil, does the will of God, dream, drunkards, exalt thyself, faith, fame, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, God hates pride, gospel truth, halfway home, hate evil, haughtiness, haughty eyes, Hawaiian volcano, high habitation, hope, inner joy of dreaming, love not the world, lust, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, make the man of God, midway point, not turning back, of the world, our faith, panting, passes away, personal desires, perverse mouth, physical desires, plod on to the end, pomp, power, pride, pride goes before destruction, pride of life, pride of thine heart, riches, self-interests, serenity, spring weather, stumbling, the crown of pride, the fear of the Lord, the LOVE of God, the love of the Father, the proud, things of the flesh, trampled, Wednesday Wail, what is what, wine and roses, your amigo, your ego
Proverbs 16:18. Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (stumbling).
And then it was Wednesday; the midway point of the workweek, but yet another glorious day seems to be in the offing in my area! This spring weather is really outdoing itself yes! (smile)
But unfortunately not all around is wine and roses and glorious weather, because the Hawaiian people are still being plagued by their convulsive volcano, and those things can be so temperamental that you never know what they’ll do or when. So please, let’s continue praying for them and helping however we can.
And this morning I’m going to give us a few reminders about what is what in our faith. (smile) First off, please remember that ‘Faith gives us that inner joy of dreaming again.’ Yeh friends, it’s the presence of faith, catapulted by hope that enables us to dream. Without them dreaming wouldn’t happen.
And remember too, that there’s ‘Serenity in the LOVE of God.’ In fact that’s the dwelling place of Serenity, so if you don’t have the LOVE of God within you, then you won’t be able to achieve Serenity. And lastly, this one is ever so important, remember that ‘Your ego is not your amigo.’
Definitely not mih breddren! Our ego more often than not lines up as our enemy, because it’s pride based and has us panting for the things of the flesh and behaving in a fleshly manner. So when it begins to cozy up to you, please check it very carefully before you accede to its desires.
I guess that can only lead to a lesson on pride and egotistic stuff. (smile) Thus our Bit: ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (stumbling).’ And we all know that to be gospel truth!
Unnecessary pride and haughtiness and a rather bombastic ego never last long. How could they eh, when the Lord declares amongst the seven things He thoroughly dislikes is ‘a proud look (haughty eyes).’ (Prov.6:17a)
And Cousin Sol continues later on in Proverbs: ‘The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward (perverse) mouth, do I hate.’ (Prov.8:13)
Meanwhile Isaiah declares in his condemnation of Ephraim: ‘Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim…The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden (trampled) under feet:’ (Is.28:1,3) Yeh friends, those that are full of pride shall eventually be brought low. That’s why Cousin Sol advises after our Bit: ‘Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil (plunder) with the proud.’ (Prov.16:19)
And the big thing nowadays is to be in the upper echelon of society, to walk with the rich and famous. We boast about whom we know and associate with in the corridors of power. But friends, that show doesn’t get us any place really, for what happens when our supposed rich and famous associates are no longer rich and famous eh?
And it something that happens everyday. Being rich and famous isn’t guaranteed for a lifetime, especially if you flaunt your worldly assets in people’s faces. You know the ones who put you up there will bring you down even faster than they put you up, and take even more joy in doing so.
Remember the scripture we recently quoted from the prophet Obadiah re the destruction of Edom. ‘The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as (high as) the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.’ (Obad.3-4)
Yes my brethren, pride and power and pomp and glory and fame and riches do not make the man that God desires. I think John says it best in his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
That’s the word of the Lord my people. And if we believe that it’s true, then if we are wise, we will pay serious attention to it, and try to follow it as best we can. What more can I say eh? We all have to make these personal decisions for ourselves.
Now let’s go home joyfully declaring our position with and in Jesus through our Wednesday Wail. In strong and sincere voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And for those of us who wisely plod on to the end, will that future ever be glorious! Much LOVE!
…if the Lord hates it…then it doesn’t make sense to have it…and He surely hates pride…
16 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glowing example, abundantly, afflictions, Beelzebub, body soul mind, bondage of work, cause trouble, choose Jesus, christ jesus, Christians, circumspect, come up higher, common sense, confirm, conscious, damnation, destroy, devour, dominion, each step I take, eternal life, eternal separation, faith dictates, fame, fellowship, fleeting, for me and mine, forgiveness, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, glory, grace, have life, have our wits about us, hell fire, in Jesus name, in stride, intent, James brown, jesus army, jig, keep Jesus first place, kill, let our hair down, let the good times roll, LOVE, Lucifer, make you perfect, mercy, mortal life, no contenst, on the lookout, power, purpose, refreshed, relaxation, resist, rest, salvation, seeking whom he may devour, sense of purpose, settle you, sober, soldiers, spirit, spiritual foe, stand strong, stay on the good foot, steadfast, steal, strengthen, suffered, taunts, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the devil, the thief, the workingman's song, trust, victorious, vigilant, walks about, wealth, week of work, weekends, wiles, wisdom, wise provision, with God's help, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Well, well, well, if it isn’t Friday, that much looked forward to day! And a grateful sigh can be heard all over the land. Hn, hn! How we do look forward to our couple of days off eh. And no one gets more excited about it than the ordinary workingman, as he sings his song and does his li’l jig.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The last day of work for this wretched week! The massa and foreman were both in nasty frame of minds, so they come down on us especially hard this week. Hn! But yuh know what? Is my time, we time now! Nobody to give us orders and talk to us rough and ready, like we foolish.
For two whole long big days, we going to do exactly as we want. So as the man says…let the good times roll! Roll on good times…roll on! And thank God for Fridays and weekends, that give us a much needed break from the bondage of work!’
Yeh friends, some weeks of work are definitely harder than others, but as Christians, with God’s help, we are expected to take them all in stride. Our Lord and Saviour expects much more from us than the ordinary workingman. We have to be a glowing example to them of grace, and mercy, of LOVE and forgiveness.
That means we have to come up higher, which isn’t always easy. Consequently, our Friday Chant is so much different to the workingman’s song. We can’t let our hair down completely as he can. We need to be more circumspect and conscious of the world around us.
So let’s chant up a storm now nuh. In unison, with a strong sense of purpose: ‘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.’
Ah mih breddren, our faith dictates, that we, as Brother James Brown said so long ago, ‘stay on the good foot!’ (smile) Yes, we need to be on the lookout for anything that will try to turn us away from Jesus. And believe you me, there are indeed lots of things and people in this evil world that will be only too glad to do so.
But please remember, we are soldiers in the army of Jesus, fighting against the evil spiritual foe, and every soldier is always temperate and cautious, on the lookout for the enemy, especially in the least expected places. That means we can’t go about this life in a willy-nilly fashion, but need to have our wits about us all the time, because the enemy is at work ALL THE TIME!
Thus the call to remember Peter’s serious warning in our Bit: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’
Yeh mih people, the ole crook Beelzebub is always on the lookout for even the smallest way to cause trouble in our lives and steal our joy. And as Jesus said: ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…’ (John 10:10a) And that’s Lucifer’s whole purpose and intent, when he tries to get into our lives.
However, Jesus continues: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) So whom are you going to trust eh; someone who is only out to cause havoc, or someone who comes bringing joy and abundant life? Wisdom and common sense shout ‘Choose Jesus!’
Unfortunately though, a large portion of our world are listening to the evil voices that keep tantalizingly whispering in their ear; ‘Choose Lucifer…and get all the wealth, fame and power in the world!’ But yuh know what friends, those things are fleeting, just like the world is, and they will not last, nor bring you salvation or eternal life.
So what happens to your spirit, when your body departs this mortal life and returns to the dust from whence it came eh? The ONLY thing possible then will be eternal separation from Almighty God and living in hell fire and damnation with Lucifer, whom you chose above Jesus.
Let me remind us friends, that our mortal bodies will soon shrivel up and die, but our spirits will live forever. That means we need to make wise provision for eternal living. That’s all I can say. And we’ll end with the continued warning from Peter.
‘Whom (the devil) resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5:9-11)
Yes my fellow believers, we will ALL suffer some in this world, but if we are serious about Jesus, through His grace we will be able to withstand the evil wiles and taunts of the enemy, and come out victorious. So please, let’s hang in there nuh, don’t lose faith, stand strong and steadfast, and keep Jesus first place in our lives. Much LOVE!
…so whom will you choose…as for me and mine….there’s no contest…we choose JESUS…
19 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all is not lost, all power, almighty god, amassing their own fortune, baptizing them, blowing the horn of repentance, calamity, cancer, Caribbean islands, devastating circumstances, Dominica, drink at the trough, east coast of North America, evil, faith, fame, friend of Jesus, go ye therefore, God's chosen people, God's Word, God's wrath, godless way, greedy desires, greetings, happenstance, height of evolution, hurricane Maria, idol worshippers, in the name of the Father, infinite power of God, Jesus riding shotgun, Jose, lobbyists, loving fold, make disciples, medical knowledge, meditation, most intelligent generation, natural disasters, obedience to God's word, of all nations, out of our socierty, pagans, pick up the slack, power, power brokers, prayer, prolong our lives, re-elected, religious leaders, repentance, repented, righteous believers, salutations, share His love, sinful, smartened up, spread the good news of Jesus, sufferation, summer's day, surging seas, teach, the beloved of God, the bounden duty, the Holy Ghost, The Israelites, the puny power of man, the righteous, the SON, tooting their own horns, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly doings, untested chemicals, wealth, wicked land, worship our Creator, writing on the wall
Matthew 28:19. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of ) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Greetings and salutations my faithful brethren, on what appears to be another beautiful summer’s day in my area!
I feel bad to say it when hurricane Maria has just mashed up the lovely island of Dominica, and is preparing to cut a devastating swath through a number of the smaller beautiful Caribbean islands.
And I guess we can be thankful that Jose seems to be staying off the land as it cruises up the east coast of North America, bringing rain and surging seas to the coastal areas.
I don’t know how else to put it nuh friends, but it surely seems that God is warning us, what with all the natural disasters we’re suffering concurrently, as well as consecutively. It couldn’t all be just happenstance; it’s just too devastating and on too large a scale.
But yuh think anybody is noticing that, meaning the powerful people in our society, like our leaders and the rich and famous amongst us? Yuh think they are calling out for times of prayer and meditation on God’s word and the sincere and diligent doing of it.
Obviously not, because their power and fame and wealth is all tied up in evil and ungodly doings. They are all part of the movement to drive Almighty God completely out of our society and thus out of our lives.
They still foolishly believe in putting their faith in the puny power of man. But when has man ever triumphed over the infinite power of God eh? NEVER!
On the other hand friends, this is the time for the righteous, especially the religious leaders, to start loudly blowing the horn of repentance throughout this sinful and wicked land.
But unfortunately too many of our so-called religious leaders are too busy tooting their own horns and amassing their own fortune to see, or be bothered about the current devastating circumstances.
I can’t help recalling the numerous times that God’s Chosen People, the Israelites turned away from Him and became pagans and idol worshippers, but when the full force of His wrath hit them, they smartened up, repented and returned to His LOVING fold.
What’s wrong with us, eh? Why can’t we see the clear writing on the wall? God is simply tired with the evil and godless way in which we’re living. We’re supposed to be the most intelligent generation of humans ever, but we’re certainly not showing it when and where it counts; in these dismal times of widespread calamity and enormous ‘sufferation.’
We’re trying to prolong our lives through our own efforts, reach other worlds, and do all sorts of nonsensical stuff, but refuse to do the basic thing needed; worship our Creator and live the way He wants us to.
Just look at this simple example; our society is at the height of its evolution, we have so much medical knowledge and otherwise, yet more and more people are dying of cancer today than ever before.
And we’re putting more and more money into its research, which is a farce, because the solution lies in removing the many untested chemicals and other compounds from the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink.
Every day thousands of new untested chemicals are coming on board and making the situation worse, but creating more wealth and power for their creators. Our governments no longer run the country, but the power brokers behind the scenes, fronted by the ever-growing number of crooks, nicely termed lobbyists.
And the supposed leaders have to bow to their evil and greedy desires if they want to get re-elected and keep drinking at the trough of wealth and power. What a crazy and evil-filled world we live in my brethren!
But yuh know what friends,, all is not lost. All is NEVER lost when we have Jesus riding shotgun by our sides. And it is the bounden duty of the minority of the righteous believers to pick up the slack and sincerely and diligently spread the good news of Jesus far and wide as He instructed the disciples in our Bit.
But let’s hear the whole context. ‘And Jesus came and spake unto them (the 11 disciples), saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
Oh friends, that is exactly what we need to do, especially in our own society, in these troubled and unfortunate times. Now let’s go home, declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In all sincerity and truth now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if that’s the true state of our hearts and our lives, then let’s go out and joyfully share it with the rest of the world nuh, as Jesus so earnestly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…a society truly prospers…in direct proportion …to its obedience to God’s word…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit. I just slept in. (smile) Much LOVE!
21 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a belt of truth, able to stand, accepted Christ, against the wiles of the devil, armour, bull's eye, christianity, Christians, depressing winter, discombobulate us, earthly race, endurance, evil cohorts, evil schemes, fall by the wayside, fame, fiery darts, giving no ground, glorious future with Jesus, glory to God, gospel of peace, grow in faith, halfway home, health, helmet of salvation, holy character, hot, humid days, internal parts, knowledge of the word of God, loins girded with truth, Lucifer, mano a mano, moral conduct, our Lord and Saviour, patience, peace, perseverance, praying, protective armour of God, run the race, saints, shield of faith, short attention spans, sitting ducks, spiritual warfare, stand, struggle, suffering, summer, supplication, sword of the Spirit, take up the whole armour of God, the breastplate of righteousness, the breath of life, the strength of the Lord, the Word of god, truth, wealth, Wednesday, Wednesday Wail
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Lo and behold friends, it’s already Wednesday, the middle of the workweek! These days sure are passing by quickly, and in another couple, summer should officially be upon us.
That ought to make us happy up here in the colder climes. What a way we look forward to the hot and humid days of summer eh, after months of cold, depressing winter. But then we also complain that the summer’s too hot and humid! (smile) How to please us eh?
Apparently we can’t be truly pleased. We are like our nowadays children, who, despite their abundance of toys, nonetheless get bored with them very quickly, and keep wanting something new to hold their short attention spans.
That’s why some of us supposed Christians never grow in faith. We look upon Christianity as a toy, or something that will automatically bring us health, wealth and fame. But nothing is further from the truth friends.
Of course you can become, healthy, wealthy and famous as a Christian, but that is not the reason for it all. And Christianity desires lots of perseverance, endurance, patience and oftimes much suffering and struggle.
It’s not an easy row to hoe, especially when confronted by the many wiles and evil schemes of the devious enemy, who have set out to purposely discombobulate us.
Consequently, many Christians fall by the wayside, because they don’t have the internal parts to run the hard race that’s set before them. But my people, if we are to be successful in the running of this earthly race, then we have to make certain preparations and hold on tightly to certain things.
Now over the last couple of days we’ve been talking about the spiritual warfare in which we automatically enter in when we become followers of Jesus Christ. The enemy targets us, puts a big bull’s eye on our backs, once we’ve accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
And yesterday, as we saw from our Bit, one of the necessities for fighting this war is having on the protective armour of God at all times. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’
Yes my fellow believers, without God’s armour in our possession, we’re like sitting ducks for Lucifer and his evil cohorts. But with it on, and the strength of the Lord flowing through us…oh my people, we can battle like you won’t believe. Glory to God!
And since some of you might be wondering what this glorious armour consists of, let’s listen to Bruh Paul as he explains it to the Ephesians after our Bit. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your loins) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18)
Yes friends, those are the things we call the armour of God, with which we can fight the devil mano-a-mano, giving no ground whatsoever!
Now let’s get a brief synopsis of all that. Having our loins girded with truth is basically having on a belt of truth, which is knowledge of the word of God.
The scholars tell us: ‘The ancient soldier’s loins (“waist”) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place. Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by his spiritual “belt” or his knowledge of the truth of Scripture.’
There we have it precious people of God! The first and most important piece of armour is knowing the truth of God’s word! We can’t put up any resistance until we have God’s truth firmly entrenched in our souls, since that is the basic reason for our war; the truth of God, versus the lies of the enemy.
Then we need to put on ‘The breastplate of righteousness,’ which the scholars say ‘may be read “the breastplate which is righteousness.” It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (“righteousness”).’
Now there is much more stuff to talk about re God’s armour, but unfortunately we’ve run out of time and space. But tune in tomorrow and we’ll continue it. In the meanwhile, please ponder on what we’ve already talked about; the first priority of knowing the truth of God’s word, and then putting it into action with a godly, moral lifestyle.
Now let’s go home declaring the truth that’s in our hearts via our Wednesday Wail. Wailing all: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih people, what bliss it is to be in league with Jesus! Now let’s go out and share that joy with those who unfortunately don’t know Him. Much LOVE!
…a soldier of Christ…desperately needs God’s armour…to successfully fight his Christian war…
03 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, aesthetic, artistic pleasure, aura of love, bacchanal, Bacchus, blessed, brass, calamitous, Carnival Monday, catclysmic, confidence, Cousin Sol, Creator of the universe, disastrous, evil emotion, experiment, fame, fellowship, fight the good fight, fool's wisdom, great works, he who loves pleasure shall be poor, holy spirit, honour, humble servants, in search of enduring fulfillment, invincible, jealousy, Jesus Christ, jobs, lasting satisfaction, lord god almighty, LOVE, mas, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pain, pan, party hearty, pleasure, point of excess, power, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, suitable for believers, sure conquerors, time, to receive glory, trust, useful purpose, valus of earthly pleasure, wealth, wine, wisdom, word of warning, worthwhile inroads, worthy
Proverbs 21:17. He that LOVETH pleasure shall be a poor man: he that LOVETH wine and oil shall not be rich.
And then it was Monday, Friends… Carnival Monday! And at 4.a.m on a warm summer’s morn, the party-goers are starting to pour out into the streets from the all-night fetes, impatiently waiting for the steelbands to get organized and start jamming some pan to get J’ouvert, the first session of the big road party underway. Mama Yo! Fete fuh so!
Yes mih people, that’s what’s happening in T&T and various places around the world right now, in preparation for two days of pan and brass and mas out on the streets; two days of letting go, two days of uninhibited pleasure dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and partying, before settling down to a strict Lenten Season.
Meanwhile, I’m out here in the cold, on the outside sadly looking in. Steups! But not to worry Friends, I don’t mind missing the mas itself because in my opinion it’s not half as good as it used to be. What I miss is the heat of the sun.
Anyway mih bredden, one word of warning, please go easy on the pleasure, not too much bacchanal or ‘Luciferous’ type of pleasure, (smile) for as Cousin Sol so wisely advises in our Bit: ‘He that LOVETH pleasure shall be a poor man: he that LOVETH wine and oil shall not be rich.’
And there are absolutely no words to describe the truth of that statement my people!
Now generally speaking, there’s nothing wrong with pleasure, for as the Good Book tells us: ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (by your will they exist.’ (Rev.5:11)
That shows our God is not averse to pleasure, that’s why He made nice things; first for Himself, then for us to enjoy. However, when the earthly pleasure reaches a point of excess, it’s no longer suitable for believers.
And there’s plenty of evidence, much research from way back, done by Cousin Sol on the topic. He had great wealth, much wisdom and plenty time, so he decided to conduct a practical and personal experiment on the subject; to try and prove the value of much earthly pleasure.
Listen to him in Ecclesiastes: ‘I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove (test) thee with mirth (gladness), therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity (futility).’ (Eccl..2:1)
Yes Friends, Cousin Sol found that too much earthly pleasure, or just living to enjoy earthly pleasure is vain and futile! You can read the rest of his documentation on the experiment in Eccl.2:2-11)
The scholars also have some good info on those verses. ‘2:1-11. Solomon pursued fulfillment through pleasure (vv. 1-2), wine (v.3), great works (vv. 4-6), wealth (vs.-8), aesthetic and artistic pleasures (v.8), and fame (v.9).
All of these failed to bring lasting satisfaction to the wisest man of all time, yet people three thousand years later are still trying them in search of enduring fulfillment. Musical instruments (v.8) translates an uncertain Hebrew word and possibly refers to a harem or group of concubines.’
So yuh see mih people, Cousin Sol tried it all, but found that embarking on a life of earthly pleasure is nothing but a fool’s wisdom! Hn, hn! That phrase seems to be popping up quite often these days.
But unfortunately so many of the things that are popular today, like the scholars say, belong to that category, and that’s a major reason why our world is so disastrous, calamitous and cataclysmic.
And no, I haven’t forgotten that not all of us can go out on the streets and party today, most of us still have to go out and slave for Massa. So to help us do that, as well as keep the evil emotion of jealousy out of our hearts and souls (smile) let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great gusto.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And on that note, we’ll close for today. Now with the adrenalin running, let’s go out and fight a good fight in Jesus’ Name, make Him ever so proud of us. Much LOVE!
…oftimes…too much pleasure…sadly turns into plenty pain…so party hearty…but remember to mind yuh business…
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