27 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grain of mustard seed, a pension, all things, ask, ask for in prayer, aura of love, boredom, Christians, confidence, decisions, do nothing, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fasting, fig tree, flesh is weak, friends, glorious kingdom, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, in control of wealth, inactivity, it shall be given to you, it shall be opened, Jesus Christ, joy, knock, lesser mortals, lies, lifestyles, LOVE, mercy, merry-go-round, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, mover and shaker, nothing shall be impossible to you, power, prayer, put out to pasture, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, remove hence, renewed vitality, rest, retirement, righteousness., rougher, salvation, seek, serious business, spirit is willing, spiritual armour, standard of living, steadfast faith, tongue in cheek, tougher, trust, truth, unbelief, ungodly world, waning years, wisdom, ye shall find, ye shall receive
Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
So the whole new workweek rigmarole begins again today eh friends! I know it gets rather tedious and frustrating sometimes, doing the same thing every week, like you’re on a merry-go-round that never stops. But that’s just the way of life in our Western Society.
And then, after numerous years of merry-go-rounding, you’re put out to pasture, nicely termed retirement, when you are allowed, or expected to sit at home and do nothing, and consequently so many of us just waste away and die of boredom and inactivity. Something’s wrong with that picture, isn’t it?
But I guess that those in control of wealth and power in our society don’t care too much about us lesser mortals, so they work us like slaves when we’re young, then when our bodies can’t handle the slave labour any longer, they just cast us on the scrap heap with a few measly dollars, nicely termed a pension, on which we’re seldom ever able to maintain our accustomed standard of living. But again, that’s Western Society for you!
And if you want to be able to collect the measly few pension dollars somewhere down the line, you’d better get up and get yourself out to labour this Monday morning, because the end amount depends on your consistency now.
Ah friends, I’m chuckling as I write this tongue in cheek, but it’s serious business. The decisions we make today will affect our lives and lifestyles in our waning years. So please, let’s do the wise and sensible thing nuh; hie thee hither to labour. (smile)
And if your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak, then join us in trilling our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which is a sure antidote for anything that ails you on this first day of the new workweek. Altogether now, with whatever enthusiasm you can muster.
‘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!’
Yes my people! I know we’re all beginning to breathe easier and more positively, because the Holy Spirit is working its blessedness in us. So take heart, for once the Holy Spirit refills our spirits with God’s grace and mercy, we WILL go out and do an excellent job in Jesus’ name!
And why is that? Because Jesus assured us of it in our Bit: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ And we just asked for it in prayer above. Why pray, if you don’t believe that your prayers will be answered eh?
The disciples were amazed at the simple words Jesus said to a fig tree that had no fruit. ‘Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever,’ (Matt.21:19) and it just dried up and withered in a day’s time. Then Jesus solemnly informed them: ‘Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto the mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.’ (Matt.21:21)
Faith, friends, is the great mover and shaker in a believer’s life. If you have it, you can move mountains, but if you don’t then times will be even rougher and tougher for you in this abysmal world in which we currently live. And remember when the disciples could not remove a demon from a child and they asked Jesus why?
He said to them: ‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt.17:20-21)
And remember also, these applicable words of Jesus earlier on. ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8)
Ah friends, yuh see the same basic things are important in each believer’s life; praying, fasting, asking, seeking, knocking and believing. And I guess the saying that faith moves mountains is derived from the words of Jesus on the subject. So let’s try and build up our faith, today and everyday we’re alive nuh. It will provide enormous and outstanding benefits. Much LOVE!
…without faith…it is impossible to go to God…
14 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of the devil, a fiery burst of love, a time of joy, Abel, actions, angry, Ash Wednesday, at the hands of, bacchanal, backbone, be like Jesus, beggars can't be choosers, belly, brighten up the gloom, brighter and brighter, Cain, Carnival, celebration, cleansing of our spirits, come to Christ, commercialism, conflicting allegiances, contemplation, display of love, empty our spirits, everlasting proportions, eyes fixed straight ahead, fasting, forty days of temptation, get closer to God, giving love, glory hallelujah, grow in christ-likeness, halfway home, hands on the plough, hanging with Jesus, hate-filled, in a quandary, in deed and truth, in tandem with God, in tongue, insincerity, introspection, joy, lack love, lasting, Lent, little children, looking to the future, LOVE, love not in word, LOVE one another, loveless world, Lucifer, making a mockery of Christ, meditating on god's word, not turning back, outwardly manifest, prayer, resentful society, righteous, rigours of ministry, season of Lent, seep into our hearts, sincere, studying God's Word, sunshine, temptation, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the Lord's way, the wicked one, the wilderness, truth, tuning out the world, unconditional LOVE, Valentine's day, walk with god, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, works were evil
1 John 3:18. My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Oh boy, it’s another bright, sunshiny day in the neighbourhood! Thank You Lord! If we have to put up with the snow and cold, then we should at least have some sunshine to brighten up the gloom those things produce in our spirits. (smile)
And I’m in a quandary here; don’t know what to write on; Ash Wednesday or Valentine’s Day, as both of them fall on the same day. Hn! The former begins the season of Lent for believers; a serious time of introspection, fasting and prayer.
On the other hand, the latter is a time of joy and celebration and the time of the biggest display of LOVE in our hate-filled, angry and resentful society. And even though it smacks of a lot of insincerity and commercialism, how can you write off any kind of LOVE at all eh, when we so badly need it?
I guess in one sense you can say that the bacchanal of Carnival is over now, and we begin the season of Lent with a fiery burst of LOVE! Oh how wonderful that would be if the LOVE went a li’l deeper and was more sincere and lasting! But beggars can’t be choosers, so if we get even a small amount of LOVE in this LOVELESS world we have to be grateful and say, ‘Thank You Lord!!
Meanwhile, on the Lenten side of the ledger, we need to get serious about our walk with God and delve into what it truly means to be walking in sincere tandem with Him. We need to empty our spirits, as Jesus did when He was led into the wilderness to suffer forty days of temptation at the hands of the evil Lucifer.
He spent His days in prayer and contemplation with fasting, a way of building His belly and backbone to withstand the rigours of His upcoming ministry. He knew that His ministry would not be easy, and that was the Lord’s way of strengthening Him.
And in this season of Lent we ought to try and be strengthened in like manner my faithful and believing brethren. If we want to be like Jesus, to grow in Christ-likeness, then we have to do some of the things He did, follow in His footsteps as much as possible. And tuning out more of the world than usual, in these next forty days, is something we can do, and ought to embark on.
I guess you can call it the yearly cleansing of our spirits. But however we do it, the important thing is to get closer to God, by putting aside some of the worldly things that usually occupy our time, and giving Him more of our time, studying His word more closely and meditating on it, so we can discover its true meaning for our lives.
And yuh know what friends? As we spend more time in serious reflection, we will understand God better, and His most wonderful attribute, that of LOVE, will seep into our hearts and souls even more. Wow! How amazing that would be if we could get the majority of the world to reflect on God’s Word and discover His awesome and unconditional LOVE!
And on this Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, I believe the most appropriate Bit for today, is the same one we had yesterday. ‘My little children, let us not LOVE in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.’
Yeh mih people, please, please, I implore us to bring out true LOVE in our daily lives, show it to our fellow man in living colour, in sincere actions, because that’s the only way we will truly make this world a better place. Not to mention that it’s only true, sincere actions of LOVE, that anyone will truly want to come to Christ. If we keep preaching that Christ is LOVE, and don’t show true LOVE, then we’re making a mockery of Christ and all that He stands for.
As John says earlier on: ‘For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should LOVE one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew (murdered) his brother (Abel). And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.’ (1 John 3:11-12)
Now listen to the scholars’ explanation of that last verse. ‘3:12. See Genesis 4:8. Of that wicked one refers to a child of the Devil (v.10). Cain killed Abel because their conflicting allegiances (Cain’s to Satan, Abel’s to God) were plain to see by their respective actions.
John seems to be saying: “If even wicked Cain could see that a man’s character is revealed ultimately, not in what he says he believes, but in what he does, should not Christians be able to see this as well?”
Of course we should my brethren! As we said yesterday, LOVE is an action word, and only through our actions can we outwardly manifest it. But sadly, so many of us lack LOVE in our souls, that we obviously can’t show it. We can’t give what we don’t have.
However, if we’re serious about giving LOVE, then all we have to do is go to God and sincerely ask Him to fill us with it. But then that means spending time with Him, something that so many of us unfortunately shy away from.
Anyway friends, this Ash Wednesday/Valentine’s Day is the right time for us to come to the trough and drink of God’s grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness. Remember, it did not just happen by chance, but God programmed it that way, to accomplish His purpose.
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our blessed position in Christ. All together 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!’
Now that’s truth and wisdom of everlasting proportions! Much LOVE!
…if one is consistently hanging with Jesus…then one’s future can only get brighter and brighter…
30 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and he strengthened me, appearance of a man, aura of love, Babylon, being foolish, child-like faith, confidence, demons, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, exuberance, faith, fasting, fled in terror, friends, Guide, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Israel's future, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, labour, lead, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mourning, one like the appearance of a man, our benefit, promises, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, satanic opposition, similitude, speechless, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, tarnish the image of Jesus, taunts, the author of salvation, the latter days, the likeness, the sons of men, the Tigris River, the vision, then there came again and touched me, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, work diligently
Daniel 10:18. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me.
Ah mih breddren, Monday morning has rolled around again, and it’s time to go out and labour once more. As they say, no rest for the wicked. (smile) But we’re not wicked; we’re saints, followers of the one and only Lord Jesus Christ, the author of salvation and eternal life!
But if we want to eat, then we have to work – and work diligently and sincerely too, so that we do not tarnish the wonderful and holy name of Jesus. And to help jump start our cold engines this chilly morning, let’s declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much exuberance and child-like faith.
As one earthly 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!’
Oh friends, that was a good rendition, and Jesus was pleased, as the smile on His handsome face showed. And if that didn’t get our adrenaline running, I don’t know what will!
But as we always try to do, especially on a Monday morning, here is our Bit, which encourages, reassures and strengthens our resolve. ‘Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me.’
I know many of us won’t know that wonderful scripture, but it’s a seminal scripture, and one that we all should know, especially when added to the verse after it. To summarize, the story begins when Daniel is given a vision by the great river ‘Hiddekel’ (the Tigris) in Babylon.
Daniel declares in verse 2. ‘In those days I Daniel was mourning (fasting) three full weeks.’ Then on the 24th day, while by the river, he saw this angel dressed like a man. His acquaintances, though they didn’t see the man, fled in terror and hid themselves. And Daniel was left alone with the man. Obviously he too was afraid, but he stuck it out.
The angel told him how he was greatly beloved and encouraged him. He also explained about how he was twenty days late because of problems with certain demons. This can all be fleshed out by reading Daniel 10:1-13.
However, this explanation of verse 2 by the scholars shows the basic purpose of it all. ‘10:2. The entirety of chapter 10 is concerned with Daniel’s preparation to receive the vision. The emphasis of the chapter is the strengthening of Daniel and the satanic opposition that he and God’s angels encountered.’
Yes friends, even angels can be held up by demons. And yuh see Daniel needed to fast so he could be spiritually strengthened before receiving the vision, that’s how important fasting can sometimes be in our faith.
Then we come to verse 14, where the Lord showed him what would happen in the roughly two hundred years of Israel’s future. ‘Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days (a long time in the future).’ (Dan.10:14)
But when Daniel heard those words, he fell to the ground and became speechless. ‘And, behold, one like the similitude (having the likeness) of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by (because of) the vision my sorrows are turned (have come) upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me
Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.’ (Dan.10: 16-19)
Oh my fellow believers, it’s the same thing that our God is saying to us this morning, and every morning that He keeps us alive. And it’s certainly a promise that has buoyed me since I discovered it a few years ago. Let’s hope that it will speak to some of you like it did to me. Much LOVE!
…the promises of God…are given for our benefit…not to accept them…and hold on to them… is being rather foolish…
29 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burning desire, a god of compassion, a sign, and not your garments, apprecaition, attitude, babes, be ashamed, be in league with, beaten, blessing, brothers and sisters, comforted me, compassion, courage, delivered my soul, discouraged, faith, fasting, feel good to be alive, forgiveness, generous, glorify thy name, gracious, great is thy mercy, heartfelt thanks, hell, helped me, I lift up my soul, Joel, long-suffering, LOVE, loving kindness, make a positive difference, members of, mercies, mercy, mighty wings, mobs, mourning, no way Jose, of great kindness, our Lord and Saviour, outward show, privilege, rebelled against God, rebellion, rebellious followers, rejoice the soul of thy servant, rend your heart, repentance, repenteth him of evil, sense of purpose, share His love, share the Love of Jesus, shining in our hearts, slow to anger, strong and secure, the beloved of God, the church of Jesus Christ, the Father, the good news of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, the light of Jesus, the SON, this is the day the Lord has made, to do the Lord's will, to the Lord our God, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, turn ye to me, walk the straight and narrow path, we serve and worship, we will rejoice and be glad in it, weeping, what a wonderful God, with all your heart
Daniel 9:9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.
Oh friends, doesn’t it feel good to be alive on this Tuesday morning? It certainly does, especially when we are members of that glorious body, the church of Jesus Christ!
Wow! What a privilege and a blessing to be numbered amongst the brothers and sisters of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Consequently, our attitude should be one of great appreciation and a burning desire to do the Lord’s will. In keeping with all that, then let us sincerely declare, as the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day the Lord has made. We WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
Yes my brethren, though the day may look dark and bleak, we know for a fact that the light of Jesus is shining in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, and therefore we have the wherewithal to go out into the evil world and make a positive difference on His behalf.
And to boost, to bolster our faith and courage, to reaffirm our sense of purpose, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra, with certainty and passion. As one 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!’
Ah mih people, as I said earlier on, it’s sure good to be in league with Jesus and the heavenly father. How can we be beaten or discouraged when we are God’s beloved and the friend of Jesus eh? No way Jose!
But we also need to remember that we have a part to play in the relationship; and our part is to share the LOVE of Jesus with others, so that they too can come to know Him, to receive His awesome offer of salvation and eternal life!
And all God’s people declared a loud, sincere and appreciative: ‘All praise and glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for taking us under their mighty wings and keeping us safe and warm, like babes in their mother’s arms!’
And in so doing friends, the Holy Trinity takes the interest of each believer and deals with them personally, helping them to walk the straight and narrow path that leads to God, while they spread the good news of Jesus’ wonderful gospel.
Nothing could be better than that my brethren! And when we consider the glorious words of our Bit, we become even more appreciative of God’s LOVE for us, His greatest creation. ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him.’
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my fellow believers! No other Deity is willing to offer mercy and forgiveness to rebellious followers. That means the Lord must be strong and secure in His own Spirit. For only a very powerful and secure Being could afford to be so generous. And for that generosity, we offer a most heartfelt thanks!
Now let’s continue looking at some scriptures that uphold the argument of our Bit. And we’ll begin with words from the prophet Joel, as he calls Israel to repentance and fasting.
‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
And rend (tear) your heart and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness (LOVING-kindness), and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).’ (Joel 2:12-13)
And the scholars have an interesting commentary on those verses. ‘2:12-13. The customary way a Jew showed his grief was to tear his outer garment. This external sign could be meaningless. The tearing of the outer garment is useless, unless the heart is broken in repentance and contrition.’
And that still holds true up to these ungodly times my people. Outward show does not move God’s heart. That’s why He seeks our true motives by examining the state of our own hearts before answering our prayers.
Now listen to the words of Bruh David from Psalm 86 – Teach me thy way, O Lord. ‘Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:4-5)
And nobody knew God’s forgiveness and mercy better than Bruh David. Now let’s end with some more of his awesome words from Psalm 86. ‘I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest (the depths of) hell.
O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men (mobs) have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. But thou, O Lord, art a God of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. Show me a token (a sign) for good: that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.’ (Ps.86:12-17)
Oh friends, definitely a great prayer on which to begin our day! Now let’s go out there feeling helped and comforted by our God and do His wondrous will for our lives. Much LOVE!
…with our wonderful God…mercy and forgiveness are possible…even though rebellion fills our hearts…
09 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grain of mustard seed, Anselm, be not afraid, be of good comfort, become more, belief, believe only, believing in God, bless, build our faith, captured by the enemy, Creator, daily challenges, do more, don't stop believing, dream, dwell in heaven, empowerment, encourage each other, epileptic, faith, faithful, fasting, fear not, focus, forgiveness, fuel, fuel that will keep us going, further the gospel of Christ, glory, go in peace, good, good news, grace, grief, Hades, healed, holy spirit, honour, impossible, in Jesus' name, inspire others, issue of blood, Jairus, lack of belief, Leaders, learn more, lost, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, nothing shall be impossible, obedient, on the spur of the moment, only begotten Son, others, ourselves, praise, prayer, provider, rebuked the devil, relevant elements of our faith, remove, revere, ruler, sacrifice, saved, she shall be made whole, synagogue, thanks, thy faith hath made thee whole, to rest on God, touch His garments, truth, unbelief, worthless sinners
Luke 8:50. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
‘Oh Lord we give you praise and thanks, honour and glory, because through your LOVE, your grace and mercy, you sacrificed your only begotten Son, so that we worthless sinners could be saved, every single one. Thank you Lord for your forgiveness.
From the very bottom of our hearts, we sincerely thank you for Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, and we bless and revere your holy name. We promise to be always faithful and obedient to your word, so that one day we can dwell securely and joyfully with you in heaven. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!’
Oh friends that’s just a li’l ditty I concocted on the spur of the moment to begin our daily meditations. It’s not spectacular, but it does contain all the important and relevant elements of our faith and hopefully it will bring our focus to rest on Almighty God, our Creator and Provider as we try to build our faith, encourage each other and further the good news, the wonderful gospel of Christ.
And to help us do that, check out these two quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. And the first quote provocatively proclaims: ‘DON’T stop believing… Every day we get up, we will have something to deal with. But we must not let these things stop us from believing in God, ourselves and others. Our belief (or faith) in good is the fuel that will keep us going. In spite of the daily challenges, there is still so much good to believe in, to experience and to tell.’
And isn’t that the indisputable truth my people? It certainly is! A couple things we believers cannot stop doing is believing in good, in God, and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for if we do, we’ll be completely lost and most likely captured by the evil enemy Lucifer and end up in Hades with him. And believe me, that won’t be a very pleasant situation.
And the second quote says: ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ Those are more words of truth my brethren!
Now technically speaking we all can’t lead, since leading inherently supposes followers, but all Christians ought to have some leadership tendencies in them. As Anselm says, we ought to have actions that inspire others to dream, to learn, to stand strong and faithful, to rise up to the level God has planned for them. That’s what our faith is all about!
And to back up our contentions, let’s turn to our rather appropriate Bit. ‘But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.’
That’s what Jesus said to Jairus, a ruler in the synagogue, whose daughter He was on the way to heal, but then Jairus’ servants brought news of her death and the father slumped in grief. Yes friends, two simple but powerful and overwhelming statements: ‘be not afraid, only believe.’ That’s how Mark records it. (Mark 6:36)
And they are not very easy to do when negative circumstances come against us, like in Jairus’ position, but we need to just keep on believing my people, for its ‘a mark of our Christian maturity when we can do it successfully. Remember the words ‘give up,’ do not exist in our vocabulary.
And note too, that while Jesus was on His way to Jairus’ house, a woman with an issue of blood for twelve years, made her way through the enormous crowd believing that if she could just touch His garments she would be healed. And she was too. So much so that Jesus looked around and declared: ‘Who touched me?’
The disciples were amazed that within the throng of people Jesus would ask such a question. ‘And Jesus said, somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue (power) is gone out of me.’ (Luke 8:46)
Finally the woman came to Jesus and acknowledged that she was the one who had purposely touched Him and was immediately healed. ‘And he said unto her, Daughter be of good comfort (cheer): thy faith hath made the whole (well) go in peace.’ (Luke 8:48)
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘8:48. The woman likely had superstitious notions about how she had been healed, but Jesus clarifies what took place.’ It was all because of her strong belief, her unshakeable faith! So friends, a lot of what happens to us also depends on our faith and the strength of our belief in Jesus Christ.
Now let’s look at another scenario where Jesus again invokes the power of belief. This time a father brought his epileptic son to the disciples, but they were unable to heal him.
‘Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless (unbelieving) and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer (bear with) you? bring him hither. And Jesus rebuked the devil (demon); and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart (privately), and said, Why could we not cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible to you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt:17:17-21)
So friends, although Jesus rebuked His disciples for their lack of belief, of not strong enough faith, He eventually acknowledges that prayer and fasting are important elements in faith works.
And we’ll end with a quick explanation from the scholars. ‘17:15-23. As a grain of mustard seed: This seemingly impossible obstacle or difficulty stands in the way. Since Christ alone is the glorified Saviour, the disciples’ ability to work depends totally upon His empowerment.’
That means we also need His empowerment my believing brethren; the only difference is that we now have His Holy Spirit dwelling with us and back then they had Jesus in person. Ah mih people, yuh see the power that is possible when we believe. We shouldn’t have to be told to believe, but some of us still need it. So please believe! (smile) Much LOVE!
…only believe…only believe…all things are possible…if you’ll only believe…
08 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, allergies, angelic beings, attitude, beguile, blessings, boasts, Christ's image, Christ-like fashion, courage, deception, defraud, devastation, doing wrong, false humility, fasting, fellowship, fir for the kingdom of God, glory hallelujah, god is still on his throne, gospel truth, humility, Jesus answered, keep pressing on, looking back, Lot, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, magnetizes his condition, mature, meditating, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, negative attitude, obits, optimistic, outlook, passion, paying homage, pillar of salt, positive, positive attitude, prayer, prevail, reading, revelations, rough shape, running things, see another day, self-reliant, sincerity, Sodom and Gomorrah, spiritual armour, spiritual blessings, stand strong, steadfast, strengthens us, take heed that no man deceive you, the assurance of success, the breath of life, the creative powers of the universe, the wherewithal to do His will, through Jesus we can do anything, visions, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wits, words of wisdom, worshipping angels
Matthew 24:4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Oh my people, the ole fella’s in somewhat rough shape this morning. Yesterday was pretty busy and then my allergies really acted up on me for the first time this year. Yes my young D, despite all my boasts to the contrary, they finally got to me. (smile)
However, our good God is still on His heavenly throne running things, so I don’t have to worry, He will bring me around eventually.
But in the meanwhile, listen to these words of wisdom from the wall of wisdom in my study. I have several quotes and poems etc. stuck to it, but the truth is I hardly ever notice them, though I pass them everyday.
Anyway, here’s one I shared a long time back, and now seems to be a good time to share it again. And it simply says: ‘A man who is self-reliant, positive, optimistic, and undertakes his work with the assurance of success, magnetizes his condition. He draws to himself the creative powers of the universe.’
And that my friends is gospel truth! Whatever attitude we adopt, or outlook we embrace, that is what is going to prevail in our lives. So if we adopt a negative, unsure, can’t do attitude, generally speaking that will be the prevailing condition in our lives.
However, when we embrace a strong, positive, optimistic outlook, then that is what usually prevails. And since we’re true believers in Christ, there’s only one outlook that’s possible for us; the positive, optimistic one, because that is what’s found, what prevails in Jesus.
And remember, through Him, we can do anything, because He is the one who strengthens us, gives us the courage, the wherewithal to do His will. (Phil.4:13)
Now let’s continue embracing that positive, optimistic outlook by declaring our Wednesday Wail with complete sincerity and plenty passion. All together 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!’
Ah mih breddren how good it is to wake and see another day; not see your name and/or picture in the obits! We need to be ever so thankful for God’s breath of life that keeps on flowing through us, day by day, because it means He still has important things for us to do down here on planet Earth.
But we need to keep our hands to the plough and look straight ahead to the wonderful future Jesus has in store for us. Remember Jesus’ words: ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9:62)
Therefore my fellow believers, once we’ve put our hands to the plough in the service of Jesus, we cannot afford to look back. Remember when Lot and his people, while fleeing from the devastation of Sodom and Gomorrah were told not to look back, but his wife disobeyed and she was turned into a pillar of salt? (Gen.19:26) We definitely don’t want that kind of negative thing happening to us.
Now it’s time to turn to our Bit, the wise warning of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.’
Oh friends, unfortunately there is a lot of deception in our world today, and if we don’t constantly have our wits about us, we can be deceived very easily and very often. The amount of false hood and false teachers in our world today is truly amazing, but we believers, if we stand strong in Christ and together in fellowship as Christ’s body, the church, we will be able to defeat all falsehood that comes against us.
Listen to Bruh Paul’s other warning to the Colossians. ‘Let no man beguile (defraud) you of your reward in a voluntary humility (by delighting in false humility) and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.’ (Col.2:18)
Yeh friends, people come along everyday preaching all sorts of stuff, that’s why we need to be very careful in what or whom we allow into our lives. Hear some explanations from the scholars on that verse.
‘2:18. Beguile you of your reward (or, “rob you of your prize”). The heretics, if their doctrine were accepted would rob the Colossians of their spiritual blessings. These false teachers displayed false humility and advocated a gospel of worshipping of angels, that is paying homage to angelic beings. Intruding into those things which he hath not seen: The heretics claimed to have witnessed numerous revelations and visions.’
Oh my people, contrary to what some of us might think, the enemy is very busy trying to break through our spiritual armour and lead us astray. But we need to be ever so strong and steadfast in Jesus in these very trying times, so that we don’t lose our spiritual blessings.
We need to continue building ourselves up in Christ-like fashion, becoming more mature in His image everyday, through prayer, fasting, reading and meditating on His Word and being in strong fellowship with other believers, while constantly wearing our spiritual armour.
Yes precious people, in these end times, as Jesus warned, the enemy is all around us, desperately trying to defraud and deceive us into doing wrong.
Please, let’s stand strong and steadfast in Jesus name and keep on building His LOVE Revolution, despite the enemy’s best efforts to lead us astray. That is indeed wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…believers need to keep pressing on in Jesus…using all the tools He’s provided…
20 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, blessings, educate, encourage, eternal separation from Almighty God, eternity, fasting, followers of Jesus christ, forgiveness, friends, furthering God's kingdom, Galilee, glorify the Father, God's will, God's Word, gospel truth, Guide, handmaid of the Lord, help, I can do all things through Christ, is anything too hard for the Lord, Jesus Christ, Lent, Mary, mercies, Nazareth, one truth from the Bible, piligrimage, reflection, Sarah, Scrip-Bit, steadfast faith, the angel Gabriel, the mother of Jesus, the word of the Lord, Thursday, time of prayer, true believers, wisdom, with god nothing shall be impossible, worth more than all the wisdom of man
Luke 1:37. For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Well a good Thursday morning to all you beautiful followers of Jesus Christ, and avid readers of the Scrip-Bit; a sure help in time of need, a catalyst to help us stay focused on the Word of God, especially in this time of prayer, fasting and reflection called Lent! Yeh Friends, the Bit is here just to help, to encourage, educate, and guide us some, re the Word of the Lord on this earthly pilgrimage. You still have to read and study the Word for yourself. And while we’re on the subject of God’s Word, let me remind us of two invaluable things that we should all know and remember. The first one is ‘The Bible is God’s Word to us, still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages.’ And the second very invaluable thing is that ‘One truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man.’
Oh Friends, those are two indisputable facts, and if we keep them at the forefront of our lives, they will serve us with the utmost faithfulness and fill us with a strong sense of purpose!
So on this second day of Lent of 2015, let’s promise ourselves to read and study God’s Word more than we‘ve been doing thus far, and also believing its many truths, so that we can attain to greater wisdom in God’s kingdom. And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
Yes my people, thanking and praising our mighty, magnificent, majestic and magnanimous God are constant lifetime actions and activities of a true believer! Every day we ought to thank Him for the breath of life He’s allowed us to have, the new mercies, blessings and forgiveness He’s prepared to shower down on us to enable us to do His will.
And remember He has a plan, a good one, (Jer.29:11) for each and every life that He has created, and once you awaken to a new day, it means that He still has a purpose for you to pursue, otherwise you wouldn’t be alive and kicking. That means we have to be constantly aware of what God is doing and wants to do in our lives, or we’ll miss the glory train bound for heaven. (smile)
And that would be the saddest thing, for it will mean eternal separation from Almighty God. Oh Friends, right now I can’t even bear thinking about being separated from my heavenly Father for all eternity!
So as true followers and believers in Jesus Christ, let’s be wise nuh, let’s step up to the plate, to the wicket, put our best foot forward and do the things we know that will please Him and simultaneously glorify the Father, furthering His wonderful kingdom. That’s all He’s asking us to do yes. And is that so difficult to do? NO! Not if we read God’s Word and wisely follow it.
As our Bit says: ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ And we all know that, or at least claim to know it. So if we are diligent in reading, studying and obediently putting God’s Word into action in our lives, we will be well able to do whatever is necessary.
And that’s faithfully borne out by the true and famous words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) That’s gospel truth Friends, and should be wrapped around our hearts with unshakeable belief and steadfast faith!
The words of our Bit were spoken by the angel Gabriel to Mary, the mother of Jesus, when he came to tell her of the impending incarnate birth of her son. And Mary’s faith always amazes me! Now hear how this betrothed teenaged virgin, from a backwater town in Galilee called Nazareth, answered the angel Gabriel after a few minutes of conversation.
‘And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:38)
Wow! Oh Friends, how many of us today, even in these supposedly enlightened times, would respond so calmly if we were faced with such a situation eh? Not too many, even though we claim to have the highest faith and believe that nothing is impossible to God! And all that shows is that we are not as truly mature and strong in the faith as we claim.
We saw that happen with Sarah when the angel of the Lord visited her and Abraham and promised they’d have a son of their own loins despite their rather advanced ages (between 80 and 100). Sarah laughed within herself, God obviously heard and was displeased.
So much so that He asked: ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ (Gen.18:14) And it came to pass; only much longer than Abraham and Sarah expected.
But please remember my brethren, that our God is ALWAYS faithful to His promises. They may not happen when and how we desire them, but in God’s own way and time ALL of His promises will be fulfilled!
And we shall end today with a solid reminder of that from the prophet Habakkuk. ‘For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ (Hab.2:3)
Yes Friends, whatever God has promised us, WILL come to pass, please let us wait patiently, with true and expectant faith for it, and we will NOT be disappointed. That’s the wisdom of God! Much LOVE!
…how patiently and expectantly we wait on God’s time and ways…shows the true extent of our faith…
18 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: adversaries, all glory be ot God, Ash Wednesday, ashes, bacchanal, Carnival, cleansing, communication with Almighty God, deliverance, doing it like a boss, drawing closer to God, enabled, energized, eyes of faith, fasting, forty days of prayer, friends, guidance, I give myself unto prayer, introspection, Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, Lent, Lenten season, Lucifer, Machel Montano, not what goes into a man defiles him, prayer, punishment, spritual strength, stray from God, temptations, that which comes out of a man defiles him, the Lord didn't disappoint me, the Lord never gives us more than we can bear, ungodly stuff, wilderness
Matthew 15:11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Ah Friends, it’s Wednesday – Ash Wednesday – and all the bacchanal done! Yes Carnival is over for another year, and we now move into the season of Lent; forty days of prayer, fasting, cleansing, getting and keeping in close touch with God.
A time when we remember and seriously consider Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Lucifer, where He fasted for forty days, to build up His faith, His resistance to Lucifer and acknowledge in deed through prayer, His heavenly Father’s caring and provision for Him.
And He successfully accomplished His mission there, chasing the devil by quoting the Word. (Matt.4:4, 7, 10) And when Lucifer saw that he couldn’t get anywhere with Jesus, he left Him alone. As the Good Book describes it: ‘Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.’ (Matt.4:11)
Yes Friends, it’s the same way that the Lord will send His angels to minister to us when we go through strong temptation but hold up strong. And plenty of the masqueraders who were yesterday worshipping at the altar of the idol Bacchus, with his over the top, extremely sinful behaviour, have today gone, or will go to church to receive ashes and repent for their numerous sins of yesterday.
And I guess that’s how it ought to be. Unfortunately I didn’t get to church this morning, as it was scheduled for six o’clock. I was up too early, then went back to bed, and didn’t get up until it was too late. Deep down though, I guess I never really wanted to go and conveniently laid there till it was too late.
But our wonderful God understood my human frailty and has forgiven me. That’s the beauty of our God; though He might not like or approve of our behaviour, He understands, and He forgives… But please remember too, that He also disciplines, so we can’t get away with the same nonsense all the time.
Now this Ash Wednesday morning began as a cool, cloudy, blustery day, with leaves and trees just blowing around. Finally a shower of rain came down. One that actually provided enough water to wet the boards of the deck and make the ground a bit soft. And since then it’s been drizzling off and on. I even got caught in one of the drizzles when I went for my walk along the shoreline of the property. The sun is still fighting to break through the clouds at minutes to nine.
Anyway, yesterday in the afternoon, I went down to the big city of Scarborough (smile) to see some mas. I braved the hot sun and the walk – about a quarter mile from the parking lot to the stands where I’d been the night before, with the duchess boasting when I asked if she could handle the walk, that it was me, not her who had problems walking.
But my people, as always, the Lord didn’t disappoint me. He energized and enabled me to walk without any problems, and later on, when I was too tired to move, He picked me up like a little child and carried me on His strong, caring shoulders. Much thanks and all glory be to our wonderful God, who never gives us or puts us through more than we can handle!
The mas was just starting when we got there shortly after two, and it was decent enough by Tobago standards. There were some relatively intricate and beautiful costumes. But if I ever hear Machel Montano’s song ‘Doing it like a Boss’ again, I’m going to strangle the D.J. or mash up the radio! Brother, that was about the only song they played when the bands paraded in front of the judges, right beside me.
Steups! And it had to be so loud too. At one stage I saw about three youngsters sitting next to me block their ears from the noise. And that foolishness only causes hearing problems for all and sundry. And wonder of wonders, the duchess’ I-phone refused to take pictures. And I don’t know what devil got into me, but I got out my old, cheap phone and began taking pictures.
Hn! I had to laugh, because I’ve never taken more than a couple pictures with it, but I learned how to do it as I went along. And we were lucky too, for after about half an hour in the blazing sun in the stands, the wife went across the street to an establishment to get a drink, but it was closed. However they had a nice wide overhang protecting their verandah, with seats, so we sat there for the rest of the time.
We left about six thirty, somewhat disappointed that I hadn’t seen the much talked about ‘mud mas.’ We bought some Chinese food and ice cream on the walk back to the car, not even bothering to stop at the Pan on D Road that was again taking place at the junction, because it still sounded tired and uninspiring. We got home without incident, ate, watched a little t.v. then went to bed. And that was the sum total of my Carnival Tuesday activities! (smile)
Today though my people, is a day for introspection. We’ve been physically looking outside all through the Carnival season, but now that Lent is here, it’s time to turn our eyes of faith inside and see what’s really in there, and try to clean it up. For remember what Jesus said in our Bit: ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.’
Words of absolute truth my brethren! That means we have to look very closely at what ungodly stuff is simmering within us, and with God’s help get rid of it. And that can only be done through prayer, and sometimes in conjunction with fasting. As Jesus told His disciples when they couldn’t cast out a demon from a young boy. ‘This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting.’ (Mark 9:29)
Yes Friends, some things can only be cleansed from our souls by diligent prayer and consistent fasting, but the important thing is to pray for guidance and deliverance! And if necessary, for this Lenten season, give up certain things that are weighing you down and causing you to stray from God, or not get close to Him.
We need to say like Bruh David in Psalm 109 – A prayer for punishment of the wicked. ‘For (in return) for my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ (Ps.109:4)
Oh Friends, without prayer, sincere prayer, we’re lost, for it’s our best method of communication with Almighty God, the Creator, and Controller of ALL things and ALL lives! And although we don’t have the spiritual strength of Jesus, we do have enough to resist most temptations, especially when co-joined with His strength. goes
So this Lenten season, let’s make a very special effort to clean up our act, through prayer, fasting, giving up stuff, and whatever else it takes to cleanse our souls and brings us closer to God. That’s true wisdom! Much LOVE!
…Lent…a time for serious cleansing of our heart, minds, bodies and souls…and drawing closer to God…
25 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grand Saturday, a voice of triumph, affliction, all is well with the world, All praise honour and glory to Jesus, Artaxerxes, Babylon, belief and trust in Jesus Christ, bring presents unto god, can't have faith without hope, clap your hands, commandments, covenant, covenant relationship, distraught, eternal flame, everlasting fire, faith, fasting, Glory Halleujah, God is king of all the earth, God is on His heavenly throne, Gramps Schuller, hope, hope brings us back to life, hope is a phenomenon, hope leads to faith, hope makes faith in Jesus possible, hope renews our spirit, hoyl, I can do all things through Christ, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, living truth, LOVE, merciful, mercy, Nehemiah, omnipotent, our Lord and Saviour, our mortal beings, prayer, reproach, righteous, shout unto God, sing praises to God, thanksgiving, the birth of hope, the breath of life, the Lord is a benevolent monarch, the Lord is a great king over all the earth, the Lord most high is awesome, the Spirit of God, toral renewal, understanding, what a joy it is to have hope, while there's life there's hope, wisdom, with hope anything is possible
Psalm 47:1-2. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible (awesome); he is a great King over all the earth.
Aye Friends, what a grand old Saturday it is! God’s on His heavenly throne, and all is well with the world! (smile)
But yuh know what mih people, though the world might not be such a great place to be these days, because of the breath of life, the Spirit of our holy and righteous God that’s flowing through our mortal beings, we have that eternal flame, that everlasting fire called HOPE to sustain us!
Yes Friends, as they say, while there is life, there is HOPE; and taken to the limit, while there is HOPE, anything is possible!
And Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) in His Hour of Power Devotional declares that ‘HOPE is a phenomenon! We don’t know what triggers the birth of HOPE, or where it comes from. But when a person finds HOPE, there is total renewal.’
And that’s the living truth, my brethren! For HOPE just brings us back to life, renews our spirit and makes us truly feel that anything is possible! Therefore, what a joy it is to have HOPE in our lives! And HOPE leads to faith.
Remember too, that we can’t have faith without HOPE, for it is that deep down feeling of HOPE that makes faith, or belief in anything at all possible.
So the long and short of the story is, that because we have life, we therefore have HOPE, and HOPE makes faith in Jesus Christ possible, and with faith in Jesus Christ comes the certainty that with Him involved in our lives, ANY and EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
And all God’s children declared in a loud and lusty voice: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise, and honour, and glory be to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour!’
And that leads us nicely into our Bit: ‘O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible (awesome); he is a great King over all the earth.’
Yes Friends, our God is a great ruler over all the earth; a most LOVING and benevolent monarch to boot! Therefore we should indeed clap our hands and triumphantly shout for joy over His goodness and LOVING-kindness towards us, since not many earthly monarchs are thus disposed to their subjects as God is to true believers!
Now let’s look at some scripture passages which describe our mighty and wonderful God as such. We’ll start with Nehemiah, cup-bearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, while the Jews were in captivity in Babylon, after he found out the terrible state that Jerusalem was in; ‘in great affliction (distress) and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.’ (Neh.1:3)
That made Nehemiah so distraught that he set about fasting and praying to God for direction. ‘And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible (awesome) God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that LOVE him (you) and observe (keep) his (your) commandments:’ (Neh.1:5)
Yes my people, Nehemiah knew of God’s awesome power, as well as His strong faithfulness to His covenants. And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘1:5. That keepeth covenant and mercy is a refrain from Deuteronomy 7:9 and is related to Exodus 20:6 and 34:6-7. God keeps His “covenant-LOVE” with those who LOVE Him, those in a covenant relationship with Him.’
Please check out those scripture references Friends, they are certainly interesting, and will also definitely add to your scriptural knowledge. And remember that we too are in a covenant relationship with Almighty God because of our belief and trust in Jesus Christ.
So we too can come to Him in earnest prayer and be assured that He will hear us, and answer in whatever form and fashion He deems necessary and/or adequate. For that reason, we can confidently clap out hands and shout triumphantly about our omnipotent and merciful God!
Meanwhile, in Psalm 76 – Asaph ends his song to the victorious God thus: ‘Vow and pay unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of princes; he is terrible (awesome) to the kings of the earth.’ (Ps.76:11-12)
And we’ll close today with these outstanding and encouraging verses of indisputable truth from Psalm 47, from which our Bit is taken. ‘God is gone up (ascended) with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.’ (Ps.47:5-7)
Oh my people, there is no greater wisdom than that in all the universe, in all of heaven and earth! So please, let’s be wise and put it into practice today nuh, knowing that with HOPE and FAITH in Jesus Christ, through prayer and thanksgiving ALL things are indeed possible! Much LOVE!
…I can do ALL things through Christ…who strengthens me… (Phil.4:13)
P.S. My oh my, what a short Bit this is today! Can’t remember when last I’ve written such a short one. There obviously can be no complaints today about its length! (smile) Much LOVE!
14 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affliction, all things are possible to him that believes, ambassadors for Christ, an issue of blood, answer my prayers, beautiful, before God honesty is a wise course, belief in Jesus, betrayed, bow down, celebrations, compassion, confess to Jesus, disciples, dr robert h schuller, duty, embrace a faith, faith, faithless generation, fasting, festivities, go about the Lord's business, go in peace, gospel truth, have compassion, help, help thou mine unbelief, help us, honesty, Hour of Power Devotional, hurt, I believe, I believe in god, if thou canst believe, inner turmoil, Jairus, Jewish law, long and late, LOVE, mark, motives of our hearts, of the utmost importance, outward actions, plague, power, power of faith, prayer, rejected, reservoir of spiritual power, restoration, seizures, smile, spirit, spiritual power, stand strong in belief in Jesus, strong and courageous, strong faith and belief, Thanksgiving Day, thanskgiving must be ongoing, the fountain of her blood dried up, thy faith hath made thee whole, to be right with Jesus, touched His garment, trust, unclean, virtue, who touched my clothes, words and actions
Mark 9:23. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Well well my Canadian Friends and Neighbours, the party done now! Thanksgiving Day is over now, although the practice of thanksgiving must be an ongoing movement. I hope we all had a good time, we didn’t over do it, and the Lord was pleased with our devotions.
I didn’t do much myself, just had a quiet day, since we had our small family festivities on Sunday. And furthermore, the weather in my area didn’t lend itself to any raucous celebrations –cloudy and unfriendly – although I know that didn’t stop a whole lot of others from being raucous and rambunctious. (smile)
I surely hope that we didn’t give Lucifer and his evil compadres any space for advancement in our souls, but most importantly, for those of you who sang our Monday Morning battle Hymn so boisterously yesterday morning, knowing that you did not have to go to work, I certainly hope that you all have the wherewithal to go out and labour this Tuesday morning after the festivities. (smile) Yuh know it always catches up to us.
Now let’s take a gander at our Bit. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’
It deals with faith and belief, and today we’re going to look at situations of faith, of people coming to Jesus for help through some kind of inbred faith, some of which astonished even Jesus.
But before we get into the scriptures, let’s hear a word on the subject from Gramps Schuller – Dr. Robert H. Schuller – from his Hour of Power Devotional.
It’s titled ‘FAITH’ and it says: ‘Lord, I believe in the sun, even when it is behind the clouds; in the seed, even when it lies unsprouted under the ground; in faith, even when I have been betrayed; in LOVE, even when I have been rejected; in hope, even when I have been hurt; in God, even when you do not answer my prayers. Amen.’
Yes Friends, that’s what it means to have faith! Even when things aren’t going your way, you still stand strong in your belief in Jesus.
Now let’s look at the particular situation which occasioned our Bit from Jesus. A sorrowful father had brought his young son to the disciples for healing. The lad was infected by a dumb (mute) spirit, which caused him to have crazy, dangerous seizures, but the disciples couldn’t heal him. (Mark 9:17-18)
Jesus’ response was: ‘O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer (bear with) you? Bring him unto me.’ (Mark 9:19)
And as the Lord would have it, the youngster had a seizure as soon as they brought him before Jesus. ‘And he (Jesus) asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child (from childhood). And oftimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us and help us.’ (Mark 9:21-22)
That’s when Jesus repeated the words of our Bit: ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.’ (Mark 9:23-24)
Yes my people, in some form and fashion, deep down the father believed, that’s why he brought his son to the disciples in the first place.
The scholars; describe it thus: ‘9:24. He had a certain faith; but it was confession of his undeniable inner turmoil and doubt that marked his faltering faith as truly authentic, if imperfect, trust. Before God honesty is a wise course.’
That last sentence is gospel truth my brethren! If we are anything less than totally honest with God, we’re simply wasting our time, for remember He reads the motives of our hearts, not our outward actions.
Jesus healed the lad right there and then. He had no choice, since the father had backed Him into a corner with his declaration of apparently sincere though confused and troubled faith.
But later on, in private, when the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast out the spirit, He answered them: ‘This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.’ (Mark 9:29)
And the scholars have an interesting comment on that verse: ‘9:29. While some manuscripts omit fasting, it seems crucial to the context. Jesus does not seem to have resorted to prayer in the course of this healing. Perhaps he refers to a life-style of prevailing prayer that yields a reservoir of spiritual power for just such a crisis as this.’
Who knows Friends? But to influence spiritual power, prayer and fasting, in a serious and sincere manner, are of the utmost importance!
And I believe we have time for one more example of strong faith and belief. Jesus was on His way to raise the daughter of a Jewish ruler Jairus, when this situation occurred.
‘And a certain woman, which had an issue (a flow) of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered (no better), but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press (crowd) behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.’
(Scholars note: Popular belief had it that a person’s dignity and power extend to what he wears.) ‘And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague (affliction). And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue (power) had gone out of him, turned him about in the press (crowd), and said, Who touched my clothes?
And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (affliction).’ (Mark 5: 25-34)
Oh my people, what a great story! But back in those times it was a very dangerous game that the woman played.
Listen to the scholars explain: ‘5:33. The woman would be fearful of a rebuke, since her bleeding rendered her “unclean” according to Jewish law. She ought not to have been mixing in the crowd, nor reaching out purposely to touch a man. That she owned up openly indicates that her interest lay not only in physical health: she wanted to be right with Jesus Himself. Her faith, not the grasp of her hand, brought restoration to her.’
Yes Friends, that’s the power of faith! So today, while we go about the Lord’s business, please let us embrace a faith as strong and as courageous as the folks we’ve read about, and let’s allow it come out, to show in all our words and actions, because that’s our duty as ambassadors for Christ. Much LOVE!
…like the woman with the issue of blood…let’s bow down and confess to Jesus…so that we can be made right with Him…
P.S. Oh Friends, it’s long and late, but it’s beautiful! (smile) Much LOVE!
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