09 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, all or nothing at all, allegiance, anger, anxiety, at the helm, batting an eyelash, better off, blanketing our world, bless others, blessed, bring us out safely, broken, challenge, consequences, contentment, creativity, curse, day of temptation, disgusted, divine protection, enter into my rest, err, family, favour, foolishness of men, forty years, friends, go astray, God is working for our good, grieved, halfway measures, harden not your heart, health, I was glad, if ye will hear his voice, in my wrath, in the name of Jesus, in the wilderness, Jesus Christ, joy, let us go into the house of the Lord, let us kneel before the Lord, LOVE, negative emotions, negative word, o come let us worship and bow down, our Lord and Saviour, our Maker, our souls, pain, Paradise, peace, promotion, prosper, provocation, rebellion, resentment, saw my work, self-control, self-discipline, stress, succeed, success, supernatural, surrender, the existence of God, the fool hath said in his heart, the Lord's strength, the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand, there is no god, Thursday Blessings, trials, tribulations, trust, unbelievers, wisdom
Psalm 95:6. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
Ah well mih people, it’s another beautiful day in paradise…
And some of you look at me as though I’m crazy. Paradise, you ask? Can this world ever be paradise? Why not eh? It was once before, why can’t it be so again eh?
For our information friends, with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at the helm anywhere can be paradise! In fact wherever He is, it’s paradise! And the mere fact that He dwells within us, makes our souls paradise.
What does paradise mean eh? In this context, simply joy and peace and contentment at a level that keeps away anxiety, stress, resentment, anger and all the many other negative emotions that are currently blanketing our world.
It’s the peace that passes all understanding, the joy that comes from the Lord’s strength, and the ability to go through trials and tribulations without batting an eyelash. (smile)
Oh we do feel the pain and other negative stuff, but it does not affect us the way it does unbelievers. We know that our wonderful God will bring us out safely, and better off too, on the other side.
That’s what we have over unbelievers; the knowledge that our magnificent and magnanimous God is working everything out for out good. And once we surrender our souls to Him, place our sincere trust in Him, we can ride out any storm, for He is always there to lead and guide us.
But therein lies the rub; mankind does not easily trust and surrender, especially to an invisible, non-physical Being. And even some of those who do submit to Almighty God, don’t submit everything, they keep some stuff back for them to control.
But friends, our God does not delight in halfway or partway measures. He wants it ALL or NOTHING at all! And unfortunately too many of us refuse to give it all up to Him. Some have even gone as far as to challenge the existence of God.
As Bruh David claims in Psalms 14 and 53 – The foolishness of men. ‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…’ (Ps.14, 53:1)
But friends, I’m here to tell us an entirely different story. I’m here to invite us to do as our Bit says: ‘O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.’
My brethren, that is one of the best invitations you can ever receive! No wonder Bruh David solemnly declared in Psalm 122: ‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps.122:1)
And why is it so great and important to bow down and worship Almighty God eh? Listen up closely: ‘For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under His care).’ (Ps.95:7a)
What better reason can there be eh friends? The Most High God Jehovah is our Maker, Our God, Our Controller and our Provider. So whom else should we pay allegiance to eh? NO ONE! That is if we are wise.
And the psalmist continues with these words of wisdom. ‘Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion), and as in the day of temptation (trial, testing) in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted (tried) me, proved me, and saw my work.’ (Ps.95:7b-9)
Yeh friends, the Israelites tested and tried the Lord’s patience in the wilderness after He had so graciously and mercifully brought them out of four hundred years of bondage in Egypt.
And as the psalmist continues: ‘Forty years long was I grieved (I was disgusted) with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err (go astray) in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.’ (Ps.95:10-11)
Oh my people there is no better example of rebellion against Almighty God and the consequences that follow than the Israelites journey through the wilderness! Because they refused to obey His commandments they wandered for forty years until all those who had come out of Egypt died. None of them entered the Promised Land except Joshua and Caleb.
So friends, regardless of what mankind says, there is a God, a mighty One too! And if we don’t obey His dictates, we are going to pay some serious consequences, just like the Israelites.
So with those wise words of warning, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. And please remember that a blessing is not a blessing until it has been spoken over someone.
In full voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now if you believe it all, let’s go out and bless others! Much LOVE!
…if Jesus calls today…please answer respectfully…and listen wisely…
05 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a person of excellence, a shield, all the day long, another one bites the dust, as for me and minse, be joyful in thee, believers, bless, bless the righteous, blessed assurance, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, bondage, born of his spirit, cancer, caring, celebrate life, chains of fear, compassion, confidence, delight, ever-faithful, excellence, favour, free from fear, glory divine, God's Word, goodness, heaven, heir of salvation, hope, Jesus' comforting arms, joy, leukemia, looking above, lost in his love, LOVE, loved life, next life, praising my saviour, promises, purchase of God, rapture, rejoice, reluctant to believe, reneges, resting in peace, sacrifice of praise, salvation, scourge of humanity, shout for joy, submission, take it in stride, the righteous, this is my song, this is my story, thou good and faithful servant, trust, trustin God, visions of rapture, waiting, washed in his blood, watching, we will follow the Lord, whose hope is the Lord, wisdom
Jeremiah 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
‘And another one bites the dust!’ Yes my brethren, another friend of mine has been smitten by that unrelenting scourge of humanity, cancer – the leukemia strain. Ah Lord eh! Will it ever end? Perhaps not, so we need to take it in stride. For about two years she courageously battled the disease, but all to no avail. I guess God just had other plans for her.
We celebrated her life yesterday with a most hearty goodbye. Everyone said she would have been most impressed by it, because she LOVED life, and always gave of her best in all aspects. That was the overwhelming sentiment; Lovine was a person of excellence! And I’m sure Jesus held His arms wide open to her, as He joyfully declared: ‘Welcome home, Crescent Lovine Vernon-Micaleff, thou good and faithful servant!’
And though it will be hard on the family and friends who are still here, we all know that she is resting in peace in the comforting arms of Jesus, smiling down at us, telling us not to worry, that eventually we will meet again. And we all know that, so though she may not be here physically with us, her spirit will always remain in our hearts.
And in her honour today, we will open our praise and worship with one of the last songs she asked her family to sing with her before she passed away – the wonderful hymn of praise and trust ‘Blessed Assurance.’
So friends, let’s rock heaven with the sacrifice of praise of our lips as we sing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. (Refrain): This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels, descending, bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. (Refrain): Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. (Refrain) This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.’
Ah mih people, all heaven was touched by our heartfelt rendition! And yuh know what? The only way to be able to truly believe and enjoy those sentiments contained in the hymn is by doing what our Bit advises. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.’
Yeh friends, we can only have that joy and confidence in His LOVE and caring and compassion and meeting Him in heaven in the next life to live forever, when we totally believe, trust and hope in Him and His Word! That’s why I can’t understand why so many people today are running away from God, instead of towards Him, for He is the ONLY ONE who can save us from both ourselves and the evil world around us!
The only thing that can break the chains of fear which keep us in bondage is total trust in the Lord God Almighty, not partial! And until mankind recognizes and acknowledges that, we’ll just keep sinking further down in the mire of evil in which we’re currently immersed. End of sermon! (smile)
Now let’s check out some soul searching scripture that corroborates our Bit. Listen up first to the psalmist from Psalm 125 – God surrounds his people. ‘They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion which cannot be removed (moved), but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about (surround) Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.’ (Ps.125:1-2)
What a marvellous promise my fellow believers! If you don’t want to believe it and then act on it, there’s not much I can say. Now hear this most awesome promise of our most amazing God. Jeremiah speaks on His behalf. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’
Now why would God make such a wonderful promise if He didn’t mean to keep it eh? And we all know that He’s ever-faithful and never reneges on any of His many promises, so why are we so reluctant to believe Him and put our entire trust in Him eh? Only God alone knows yes!
And we’ll close with these wise and wonderful sentiments from Bruh David, taken from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection. ‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that LOVE thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord wilt bless the righteous: with favour wilt thou compass (surround) him as with a shield.’ (Ps.5:11-12)
Oh friends, I don’t know what else to say nuh, except, that as for me and mine, we will follow the Lord. That to me is the wisdom of the ages! Let’s hope that you and yours feel the same way. Much LOVE!
…trusting God…is the only way…to be free from fear… (Uncle Charles – Charles Stanley)
20 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roof over you head, accused, and know my heart, aura of love, Beelzebub, blessed, Canada, choirmaster, Christians, compassionate, confidence, David, dread, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, Family day, fate, favour, fellowship of faith, forgiveness, forgiving, friends, God's kingdom, grace, Granny's advice, heavenly Father, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, if there be any wicked way in me, innocence, integrity, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, judge me, know my anxious thoughts, lead me in the way everlasting, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, merciful, mercy, motives, nice thread to wear, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, scowl, search me O God, should not eat, sincere, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, the truth will set you free, trust, truth, try me, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, work, workers
Psalm 139:23-24. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
And then it was Monday, the day that so many of us workers dread. But technically speaking friends, there’s no need to fear Mondays; that’s if we have used the weekend the right way and gotten enough rest and strength from our weekly fellowship of faith. But if instead we have abused the weekend, then we will be grouchy and miserable and don’t want to get up to go to work.
Some of us in Canada are lucky, or rather blessed, because we don’t have to go to work today, because it’s a Provincial Holiday. Good ole Canada!
But for those of you who have to go work, please look at the situation this way nuh. As Bruh Paul told the Thessalonians. ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess.3:10)
So it’s quite okay if you don’t want to work, but just remember that you won’t be eating either, and eventually you won’t have a roof over your head either… or nice threads to wear… (smile) So what’s your choice eh?
Hopefully that lights a fire under us this Monday morning and gets us moaning and groaning out of the bed and up and about. And to further encourage us, we have this antidote for the Monday morning blues, it’s called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, so let’s sing it out with much verve and enthusiasm and thus raise our adrenaline level.
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!’
Oh friends, that wasn’t too bad, our choirmaster, Jesus didn’t scowl…but neither did He smile, because He knew that the loudest and most raucous voices were coming from the Canadians who did not have to work today.
And we Canadians, please, please, as we celebrate Family Day, or whatever it’s called in your Province, remember Granny’s advice: Drunk or sober, please mind yuh business. And don’t give Beelzebub a chance to get a toehold in your affairs, since it’s always so much trouble to get rid of him, and he can do an awful lot of damage in a short space of time.
But one of the ways to get rid of him is to do as Bruh David does in our Bit, cry out to our God in all sincerity: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’
Yes my fellow believers, the easiest way to handle any problems at all in our lives, regardless of what they might be, is to go to our heavenly Father with them. But we have to be sincere, for remember He doesn’t just listen to our words, but digs deep into our hearts to discover our real motives. And if they are sincere, He will NEVER turn us away, but tenderly lead and guide us to where He wants us to go. That’s the beauty of our wonderful Father – ever LOVING, kind, compassionate, forgiving and merciful!
No wonder Bruh David kept going back to Him, time and again, when he found himself in trouble, whether of his own causing or not. Listen to him from Psalm 143 – Teach me to do thy will. He soulfully declares: ‘Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee (take cover) unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken (revive) me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off (put an end to) mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.’ (Ps.143:9-12)
Oh friends, if our heart is right, how can our merciful and graceful God not respond favourably to such an outpouring of anguish eh? Bruh David knew this principle that’s why he successfully received favour from God. Hear him again from Psalm 26 – Examine me, O Lord, and prove me.
This time he cries out: ‘Judge (vindicate) me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide (slip). Examine me, O Lord, and prove (try) me; try my reins (test my mind) and my heart. For thy LOVING-kindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.’ (Ps.26:1-3)
Ah mih people, like Job when he was wrongfully accused by his friends, Bruh David seems to have suffered the same fate, and cried out in innocence to his heavenly Father. No reason why we can’t do likewise, provided it’s the truth. Much LOVE!
…in God’s kingdom…the truth will ALWAYS set you free…
16 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive idea, a strong will, abundance, abuse of authority, admonition, advice, as to the Lord, be obedient to your masters, blessings, broken, burning the candle at both ends, but as thou wilt, Christian, courage, creativity, curse, dr robert h schuller, Ephesians, eyeservice, faith, family, fathers, favour, fear, fell on his face, forbearing threatening, friends, from the heart, glory to God, god moves in mysterious ways, good thing, health, if it be possible, in the mind of a believer, in the name of Jesus, insomnia, judge, let this cup pass from me, LOVE, Master in heaven, men pleasers, mental disposition, most powerful force, My walk, negative word, not as I will, not unto men, number one priority, nurture of the Lord, o my father, obedience, prayed, promotion, prosper, provoke not your children to wrath, recompensed, respect of persons, rest, reverential respect, self-control, self-discipline, servants, sincerity, singleness of your heart, strength, succeed, success, talent, the rough side, Thursday Blessings, trembling, truth, valid point, walking in God's will, without partiality
Matthew 26:39. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Ah mih breddren, the ole fella’s a bit on the rough side this morning. I sincerely tried to get up earlier, but the body rebelled, declaring that it needed more rest. Hn!
And I must say that it had a very valid point, because over the last few days I have indeed been trying to burn the candle at both ends. And the body cannot sustain that for very long, especially with my current state of medication induced insomnia.
Anyway, I’m finally up, (smile) and we’ll begin with this prayer titled ‘My Walk,’ which I know I’ve shared before, and I believe comes from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr, Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. But as always, these prayers are very worthy of being repeated time and time again.
Please pray with me. ‘O God, I’m inspired. For you have just impressed this truth in to my mind: The most powerful force in the world is a positive idea in the mind of a believer who is walking in your will. I now reach forth my life and say, “God, put my life in the centre of your will.” Amen!’
And there’s absolutely no doubt that there’s anything more powerful than a Christian with positive ideas walking in God’s will! Glory to God!
And to tell the truth people, I didn’t even know what the end of the prayer said. I just wanted a prayer to put there, and that was the first one that came to hand. I knew it was good and worthwhile though, otherwise it would not be amongst the others.
Imagine my surprise when I reached the end and saw that it dealt with doing God’s will; the very topic we’re talking about in our Bit. And who says our God does not move in mysterious ways eh! Chuh! They definitely don’t know what they are talking about.
So here’s our Bit. ‘And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’
Yeh friends, in the last few days we’ve been checking out some of Jesus’ statements on doing the will of our heavenly Father. To Him, it was always the number one priority, and should likewise be to us.
Today, I want share some of the words and sentiments of other saints on the subject. We already have Gramps Schuller’s opinion in our prayer above, now listen to Bruh Paul in his admonition to the Ephesians, re advice to children and servants.
‘And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart (sincerity), as unto Christ;
Not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond (slave) or free.
And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing (giving up) threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.’ (Eph.6:4-9)
Oh friends, what a wonderful piece of scripture! Bruh Paul details how we should all work together in pursuing the will of God, because that’s the most important thing in our lives!
Now hear some of the explanations from the scholars. ‘6:4. Fathers can provoke their children to wrath by injustice, loss of temper, undue severity, cruelty, favouritism, suppression, sarcasm, ridicule, and misuse or abuse of authority. Nurture basically means “training,” here denoting spiritual education.
Admonition is instruction that points out one’s responsibilities and duties. Of the Lord is in Greek a subjective genitive. (smile) This indicates that behind the parents rearing and instruction of their children stands the Lord as the chief teacher in child education. Parents do not rear children alone.’
I just wish that more of today’s parents, including the supposedly Christian ones, were aware of these stipulations.
‘6:5. Your masters according to the flesh means “your human masters.” Servants are to carry out their slave duties with fear and trembling, that is, with careful concern to do a good job and with reverential respect for their masters.
Singleness of your heart refers to a mental disposition, an attitude that renders obedience out of sincerity, not hypocrisy. As unto Christ explains why servants should obey masters in the manner prescribed here: obedience rendered to their masters is obedience rendered to Christ.’
‘6:6. “Singleness of heart” or sincere disposition excludes eyeservice, that is duty performed only when the master is watching; but it includes doing the will of God from the heart, that is, enthusiastic service coming from within and not having to be coerced by external pressure.’
‘6:7. Good will means “good intention.” The Christian servant (employee) seeks the best interest of his master (employer).’ Hn! How often does that happen eh?
‘6:8. The basis for the servant’s “good intention” (v.7) toward his master is his being recompensed by the Lord – both in this life and in the one to come – the same good he has performed in his servant duties.’
‘6:9. Earthly masters are to behave in a reciprocal manner toward their slaves (i.e. with respect, sincerity, and careful concern). For earthly masters have a heavenly Master who will judge them without partiality.’
Ah mih people, if only we could put one iota of those things into operation in our current world, what a wonderful world it would be eh! That doesn’t mean we must stop trying, but instead try harder.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings over our blessed lives. And remember a blessing isn’t a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
In loud voice and strong belief: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s share those blessings all over the world, as our Lord and Saviour Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…what were we created for…to do God’s will…
P.S. It’s long and late, but ever so good! (smile) Much LOVE!
05 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bind, ambassadors, better you should not vow, bind his soul with a bond, binding agreement, blemish, defer not to pay it, destroy the work of thine hands, favour, fear thou God, fellowship, forsake me never, futility, glory to God, God be angry at thy voice, God hath no pleasure in fools, God's looking at our hearts, grace, great privilege, he shall not break his word, hearsay, His godly character, his helping hand, I'll lean upon, I'll talk with god, I'll walk with God., let thy mouth cause thy flesh to sin, many words, may the Lord be ever with me, medical problems, mercy, Moses, my faith is strong, my humble pleas, my prayer, pain, pay that which thou hast vowed, pay thee my vows, personal testimony, promised to work everything out for my good, renege on our promise, sacrifices of praise, Selah, Sunday, swear an oath, than vow and not pay, The Israelites, the Lord's time, the multitude of dreams, there is no death, though eyes grow dim, uncertainty, vowest a vow unto God, walking with God, will not fail me, wisdom, worship God in all truth
Ecclesiastes 5:4. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Oh friends, we’ve been granted the great privilege of seeing another of the first and best days of the week- Sunday! Glory to God! So let’s gather in sincere fellowship and worship Him in all truth, as we are supposed to on this special day nuh. And we’ll begin the celebrations, the sacrifices of praise by singing this popular Christian song, ‘I’ll Walk with God.’
Now let’s belt it out like we truly mean and believe it my people, because God is looking at our hearts to see if what comes out of mouths is truly what’s buried there. Now with a great outpouring of LOVE, let’s raise the roof of heaven.
‘I’ll Walk with God from this day on. His helping hand I’ll lean upon. This is my prayer, my humble plea, May the Lord be ever with me. There is no death, tho’ eyes grow dim. There is no fear when I’m near to Him. I’ll lean on Him forever And He’ll forsake me never. He will not fail me As long as my faith is strong, Whatever road I may walk along.
I’ll Walk with God, I’ll take His hand. I’ll talk with God, He’ll understand. I’ll pray to Him, each day to Him And He’ll hear the words that I say. His hand will guide my throne and rod And I’ll never walk alone While I walk with God.’
Oh my fellow believers, that was magnificent! And God heard it in His high heaven and was immensely thrilled!
However, let me remind us of what we just did there: we just made a promise, or rather several promises to Almighty God – to walk and talk with Him and hold His hand. So that means we cannot renege on those promises, for as the Preacher tells us in our Bit from Ecclesiastes. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.’
And we have good authority for that from way back when in Numbers, when Moses gave the Israelites the law concerning vows. ‘If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond (binding himself by some agreement); he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.’ (Num.30:2)
The same applied to women too, unless her father or husband heard her sware the vow and squashed it right then and there. (Num.30:3-8) Meanwhile, the same went of widows and divorcees, unless their vows were made when they were still with their husbands and they said nothing to the contrary. (Num.30.9-15)
So you see friends, vows were taken rather seriously back in those days, and even until recently, with our sudden explosion of irresponsibility and fraudulent behaviour. Therefore it’s not only to God that we shouldn’t make vows and not keep them, but to ALL people. It should be a general way of life amongst believers.
And the keeping of vows was, and still is, so important that the writer of Ecclesiastes solemnly advised us. ‘Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not (do not let) thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel (messenger, priest), that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice (excuse), and destroy the work of thine hands.’ (Eccl.5:5-6)
So friends, that just puts us in a beautiful bind; we just have to keep those promises now, and sincerely walk with the Lord. (smile) Believe me though friends, walking with God is not always easy, but the rewards are worth every ounce of pain and/or disappointment. And I am not talking from hearsay, but from personal testimony.
Ah mih breddren, in the last little while I’ve been going through a whole set of medical problems, and though at times I was tired of the pain and uncertainty, I could always see the Lord’s grace and mercy and favour riding along with me. And even though I’m feeling somewhat better now, the fact is that none of my medical problems have been solved or corrected. But at least we know about them and are in the process of doing something about them.
But even then, making things right will still take time, the Lord’s time, so all I can do is stay faithful and walk with God, because He has promised to work everything out for my eventual good. And I know from past experiences that He is ever faithful to His vows. He NEVER reneges on any of them. How yuh think I can write the Bit every day, despite my unfortunate circumstances eh? So why should I get all worried and anxious eh? That’s not going to solve the problem(s), only make me feel worse.
Now listen to the psalmist talk about vows, as he extols the great works of God in Psalm 66. ‘I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows (promised deeds), which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams: I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.’ (Ps.66:13-15)
Yuh see friends, that is how we must behave as true believers in Jesus Christ our wonderful Lord and Saviour! Anything else will just place a serious blemish on His godly character. Remember we are His ambassadors down here on earth, and all that we do reflects on Him, for either good or bad.
And we’ll close with another pearl of wisdom from the Preacher. ‘For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.’ (Eccl.5:7)
That’s indeed the long and short of the story my people, so let’s pursue it diligently and sincerely nuh. Much LOVE!
…walking with God…is the ONLY path of wisdom in this crazy world…
02 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, abundance, against the wiles of the devil, ambassadors, arrows, arsenal, broken right now, Christian witness, clear direction, courage, creativity, curse, demonic onslaughts, divine protection, evil schemes, faith, favour, fight, formidable foe, fulfillment, having done all, in high places, in the name of Jesus, ministry, negative word, one of those days, patience, President Trump, promotion, put on the armour of god, resisting Satan, self-control, self-discipline, slings, soldiers of Christ, spiritual wickedness, stand up, strong will, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, talent, the devil, the whole armour of God, Thursday Blessings, to stand, to the very end, to withstand in the evil day, withstand, ye may be able to stand
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.
Oh my beautiful fellow believers, please accept my heartfelt apologies, but it was just one of those days!
Ah Lord eh! I had to go into the big city of T.O. for an early doctor’s appointment, and after handling the traffic and waiting for the doctors and waiting for unscheduled blood tests, I did not get back home until minutes to one.
Obviously by then the ole bod was tired and crying out for rest and I did not get up until minutes to five. And it was only after about half an hour that it struck me that I had not yet written the Bit.
The good thing about it all though is that we did make some headway in the medical realm today. At least the major problems have been sorted out under one team, and hopefully no more running from pillar to post.
Enough about my woes though, let’s get straight to our Bit. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’
And I’m chuckling here friends, because I must have had it on today, otherwise I would not have been able to successfully handle the slings and arrows that were thrown against me, especially in the patience realm. (smile)
All praise and thanks be to our great and wonderful God!
Now yesterday we had stopped where Bruh Paul was talking about ‘spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places,’ so let’s continue with his admonishment from there. ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:13)
Now this is a very important verse in the whole scenario, so let’s look at what the scholars have to say about it. ‘6:13. Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry.
The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’
Yes friends, as a beautiful Christian soul the enemy will NOT stop attacking you, and the only way to resist Him is by being dressed in the total armour of God.
Fellow believers, I can’t stress how important this aspect of our Christian walk is, for without God’s protective armour we don’t stand a chance against the enemy, or as they would say, a snowball’s chance in hell!
So please, please, I’m imploring us to take this very seriously, especially with the crazy state of our world, which is apparently getting crazier everyday under the leadership of President Trump.
Ah mih people, I don’t even pay much attention to his antics these days, but we have to be concerned because everything he does seems to just cause more strife, anger, resentment, fear and anxiety around the globe.
As I said a few days ago, the Lord must have put him there to wake us up from our dreadful complacency. That’s why this message about putting on God’s total armour is so important at this particular period in time when the elements of evil are rising even higher than they were before.
I won’t belabour the situation, but I’ll just remind us that we are Christ’s ambassadors down here on earth. He is depending on us to conduct His affairs with righteousness and justice, but we can’t do that until we wake up and get serious about His LOVE Revolution, and stop all the aimless talking and instead take some positive action.
The enemy should never be where he’s at right now, and wouldn’t have been there without our lack of interest and complacency where we allowed him to remove things like prayer and the Ten Commandments from our schools, and put God on the back burner in most other parts of what was once a mostly godly scene.
But it’s not too late to wrestle it all back from him if we COME TOGETHER and seriously start pushing back, let him know that we’ve finally woken up and now mean business. Yes friends, it’s time to start pushing back, if we ever hope to win this earthly battle for Jesus!
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. Yuh see, we have so much good stuff in our arsenal, if we would only use them. The Lord’s already given us everything we need to battle the enemy and win, we only have to take them and put them to full use.
Chuh man! What’s wrong with us eh? We’re letting the good earthly life spoil us. So let’s bless ourselves. And remember that a blessing isn’t a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
What more can we ask than all that eh mih people? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! So let’s go out and bless others now nuh. Much LOVE!
…as true soldiers of Christ…we must first be dressed in battle gear…then stand up and fight bravely…right to the very end…
26 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2017, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, a rejoicing church, a strong will, abiding in, abundance, and again I say rejoice, as in a glass, beholding, blessings, bountiful, challenging, changed, clear direction, cloudy day, courage, covenant, creativity, curse, decisions, divine protection, faith, faithfulness, favour, from glory to glory, fulfillment, generous, glory to God, goals, God is able, God's peace, grace, health, heavenly Father, honest, hope, hypocrisy, Jesus Christ, just, King James version, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, lovely, make all things new, make me clean, make me real, meditate, mercy, miraculously, mirror, negative word, New Year, noble, of good report, omnipotent god, open face, praise, praiseworthy, pray, priorities, productive, promises, promotion, prosper, reflect his glory, reflecting, Rejoice in the Lord always, renovate me, revitalized, Ruth Harms Calkin, self-control, self-discipline, self-righteousness, sham, simplistic, strength, strife filled, succeed, success, talent, the face of Moses, the glory of the Lord, the God of peace, the Most High God jehovah, the New Covenant, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the right activities, the right things, the same image, the SON, the Spirit of God, the spirit of the Lord, the very depth of my being, think, Thursday Blessings, to all and sundry, transform my fears, transformed, true, trust, unveiled, vibrant faith, virtue, whatsoever things, wisdom, work in me
Philippians 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Aye mih people, I don’t know what has happened to the sun nuh, because we haven’t seen it in my area for about two weeks now. Today seems to be another wet, cloudy day. And even when the days weren’t wet, very few, they were still cloudy.
But yuh know what? We’ve seen the SON every single day! Glory Hallelujah!
Rain or shine He shows up right on time to help guide us through another blessed day that His heavenly Father has granted us on this bountiful, though somewhat strife-filled earth! And for that faithfulness we are eternally grateful!
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that seems rather appropriate ‘For This New Year.’
Please pray with me. ‘O Lord God You are able. Able to make me clean Without self-righteousness and sham. Able to make me real Without hypocrisy. You are able To give me wisdom In all my priorities My decisions, my goals. You are able to transform my fears Into vibrant faith And quiet trust.
You are able To make this present year The most challenging The most productive Of all my life. So for this new year I covenant with You, dear God. Please work in me To the very depth of my being. Renovate me Transform me For You are able – miraculously able To make all things new.’
And that He certainly is my brethren! Our omnipotent God can make all and everything new through His miraculous powers!
And in this new year of 2017, that’s already a month old, we all desperately need cleaning up and being revitalized. And that can only happen through the auspices, the grace and mercy and LOVE of the Most High God Jehovah!
So let’s hope and pray that He does an awesome work of revitalization in us this year of 2017. And the promise of scripture for that poem is 2 Cor, 23:18.
The New Living translation boils it down thus: ‘As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.’
I’m sorry though, that translation, in my opinion falls way short of the beauty and majesty of the King James Version. ‘But we all, with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed (being transformed) into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’
Now friends, that speaks to me much more than the first version. That’s what I don’t like about some of these new translations; they just lose the whole ‘wonderment ‘ of the old language, by making it so simplistic. But that’s just me.
And the scholars tell us this about that verse. ‘3:18. Beholding as in a glass: The term ‘beholding’ can have the sense of “reflecting.” The believer himself “reflects” the glory of the Lord just as the face of Moses reflected the glory of the Lord.
For Moses the glory eventually faded away, but under the New Covenant the believer is changed into the same image. This transformation takes place by the abiding presence of the Spirit of God.’
Now I certainly like that: the longer we live, the more we become like Christ! Glory to God!
And I do hope that we have enough space and time for our Bit, which is enhanced everyday by the promises of the Lord’s Word. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’
Yes my fellow believers, a rejoicing church is what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ wants to see. That’s why He sacrificed His sinless life for us, and if we don’t show our sincere appreciation by being glad and joyful, then all He did was just a waste of time.
Now let’s continue Bruh Paul’s speech to the Philippians, from where we left off yesterday. ‘Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things.
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil4:8-9).
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘4:8-9. Finally could be rendered “in this connection,” since verses 6-9 are related: verses 6 and 7 tell how to obtain God’s peace; verses 8 and 9 tell how to keep it. In order to keep God’s peace, the readers must occupy their minds with the right things (v.8) and busy themselves with the right activities (v.9).’
It couldn’t be put any simpler friends, though it’s not always easy to do in this negative, evil and selfish world. However with the untold blessings and promises and help available from our awesome God, we can do it.
Now let’s begin doing it by declaring our Thursday Blessings with much verve, enthusiasm and belief. Remember a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
As one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And having blessed ourselves, let’s go out now and bless the many others in this world of great ‘sufferation’ who desperately need it. Much LOVE!
…Christians must not withhold blessings…but be like Christ…be generous to all and sundry…
22 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a performance, a trumpet player, abundance, action, adore, bits of news, blessed, blessed arth thou among women, blessed is she that believed, blessed is the fruit of thy womb, blessings, blocked toilet, born to proclaim, brethren, broken, Christ's mother, Christian fashion, christianity, clear direction, compassionate heart, confidence, courage, creativity, curse, discredit, divine protection, down to earth, Elisabeth, exuding Christian feeling, faith, favour, filled with the Holy Ghost, for brethren to dwell in unity, friendly manner, fulfillment, genuine, glory to God, good friends, great family, greeting, happy to serve, Healer, health, hill country, how good and pleasant, in the name of Jesus, in true action, influential people, John the Baptist, jumps for joy, leaped in her womb, light, LOVE, LOVE in action, Mary, negative word, pleasant, positive, positive outlook, praise, promotion, prosper, reluctant to discredit, renewed my confidence, running sinks, salt, salutation, she spake out with a loud voice, shoddy job, strength, succeed, success, talent, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Holy Ghost, the house of Zechariah, the mother of my Lord, Thursday's Blessings, told her of the Lord, travail, upbeat note, walk this earth, wisdom, with haste, worked wonders, workmanship, Zechariah
Luke 1:42. And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Oh friends, oh friends, the ole fella has two good… no not two good, but two of the most wonderful and exciting bits of news to share!
First of all I was told that our bubba Scotty was back at church last Sunday…Glory to God! And he was looking good too…Give the Lord even more glory!
He still is not a hundred percent, but He is much better than he was. So let’s keep on praying that the wonderful healer, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, will soon restore him to full health. Isn’t our God great? He surely is!
And the second excellent piece of news is that I finally saw Christianity in true action. Wow!
The story goes like this: A few days ago, a plumber, a tall white guy, possibly in his forties, came to check out a couple of slow running sinks and a blocked toilet in my house. He fixed the sinks without a problem, but could not unblock the toilet. Finally he called a different department and got them to send someone else the following day.
This guy had to take down the toilet, and after much travail, (smile) finally removed the object that was blocking it. However, to the duchess and I, he did a somewhat shoddy job of putting the toilet back together. So she called and they sent the first plumber back yesterday.
On viewing what we thought was shoddy workmanship, he declared that the fella had actually done his job, but not as well as he could have. And you could see that in good Christian fashion, he was reluctant to discredit the other plumber.
Now, from his first visit, we had established that he was a Christian, also a trumpet player, and we had spoken some about our faith, but not to a great extent. And much to our surprise, he then began to work on improving the job.
Now he didn’t have to do it, and even though he was still on call and getting paid, a lot of others would have just left it and walked away. His manner was also pleasant and friendly and you could feel the Christian feeling exuding from him.
It was actually LOVE in action, not just talk. And I was really moved by his attitude. I saw the proverbial salt and light in his genuine, happy to serve, down to earth behaviour. And it sort of renewed my confidence in our faith.
Ah mih people, I don’t know if I described it properly, but a genuine caring for his job, and the way he did it enthusiastically, worked wonders on the duchess and I. Oh how good it would be to see more of that kind of attitude amongst our Christian brethren!
Anyway, here’s our Bit for today, don’t know if we have space for all I want to say now. (smile) ‘And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.’
Now that was Elisabeth, John the Baptist’s mother talking as Mary, her relative, Christ’s mother came to visit her.
The Good Book describes the scene thus: ‘And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; and entered into the house of Zechariah, and saluted (greeted) Elisabeth.
And it came to pass, that when Elisabeth heard the salutation (greeting) of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.’ (Luke 1:39-41)
That’s when she declared our Bit. And isn’t it amusing, amazing, and mysterious, just like our God, to engineer such a meeting. Mary greets Elisabeth, and John the Baptist jumps for joy in his mother’s womb. He is having his first encounter with the mother of His Lord, whom he will be born to proclaim.
And Elisabeth continues after our Bit. ‘And whence (why) is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.’ (Luke 1:43-44)
Yeh mih people, the Holy Ghost obviously filled in Elisabeth with the enormous task that would befall Mary, and she ends with these powerful and most significant words. ‘And blessed is she that (who) believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ (Luke 1:45)
Elisabeth could only have known those things through the power of the Holy Ghost. What a way our wonderful God, the greatest scriptwriter of all time, tied together the cousins who would bear two of the most important and influential people ever to walk this earth!
How could we not adore, praise and give Him all the glory He deserves eh!
Now let’s go home on a further positive and upbeat note by declaring our Thursday Blessings. Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been proclaimed over someone.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Yes mih people, blessings and more blessings! Now let’s go out and bless others and be salt and light in the world as Jesus expects us to be. Much LOVE!
…behold…how good and pleasant it is…for brethren to dwell together in unity… (Ps.133:1)
17 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a guideline, a true believer, all that fear thee, Anselm, as a burning fire, benefits us, Cheth, Christians, Christmas, commandments, companion, darkest moments, diligent, emotional state, enamoured of the Lord's Word, endure it, faithful, favour, following Jesus Christ, forbearing, gosple, holding back, human reaction, I have not forgotten thy law, I made haste, I will keep thy words, ice, judge not, judgements, keep thy commandments, keep thy precepts, lofty excuses, Love the Lord, loving God's word, loving kindness, meditating, merciful, pilgrimage, precepts, psalm 119, rain, selfish, shut up in my bones, sincere, snow, soup, statutes, teach me thy statutes, tell the truth, testimonies, the longest chapter in the Bible, the shoe falls on the other foot, thou art my portion, thy ways, Tobago, true to our calling, truth, turned my feet, unchristian behaviour, unfair, unfairly judged
Psalm 119:57. Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.
Ah friends, it’s just snow and more snow… and even more snow! Steups! We had more snow again last night and our meteorologists tell us that over the next couple days we are going to have a co-mingling of rain, freezing rain, snow, wet snow and obviously somewhere in there the most dangerous of them all, ice.
Ah Lord eh, if this is the standard for this winter then I’d better hurry up and go to Tobago yes, because I can’t take this everyday snow business nuh. (smile) Especially when Brother Kirby’s nice, hot and spicy, tasty West Indian soup is waiting for me down there. As I said before though, that’s what dreams are made of, and if you don’t dream, you might as well be dead.
Anyway, on this cold, snowy, Saturday morning, a week before Christmas, let’s check out some quotes I received this week from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us with his wise words.
Here’s the first one: ‘If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.’ Now that’s gospel friends, and essentially why liars get into trouble; they can’t remember every lie they’ve told, and to whom.
And the second states: ‘Deal with the faults of others as gently as with your own.’ Now that is very difficult for many of us to do, since we always tend to make lofty excuses for ourselves, but come down heavy on others. I guess it’s just a natural human reaction, selfish and unfair though it may be.
Listen to the third quote: ‘Help me never to judge another until I have walked a mile in his moccasins.’ That’s also a favourite failing of the human animal, even mature Christians. We tend to judge others without knowing a whole lot about them, and it is definitely an unchristian behaviour.
Remember, Jesus told us not to judge, else we too will be judged. But we still do it a lot. However when the shoe falls on the other foot, when we are unfairly judged…Wow! What a stink we create!
And the last one states: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ That’s very true my brethren! And I’m sure we can all testify to it. Just think back to some of your brightest or darkest moments; you won’t remember all that was said or done, but you’ll definitely remember the emotional state in which you ended up.
That brings us to our Bit, taken from the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, which deals predominantly with Lord’s Word. ‘Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.’
Yeh friends, throughout the Psalm, the writer continually talks about the Lord’s statutes, commandments, precepts, testimonies, judgements; how he wants to learn them, so that he can keep them. Are we so enamoured of the Lord’s Word, my fellow believers? We ought to be if we are true to our calling.
And please remember that the Lord’s Word is not for Him, but for us. We are the ones who benefit from it. It’s a guideline for us, so that we don’t mess up our earthly pilgrimage more than is necessary.
Now hear how the psalmist continues after our Bit. ‘I entreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments. The bands (cords) of the wicked have robbed (bound) me: but I have not forgotten thy law.’ (Ps.119:58-51)
Oh friends, is that how we behave toward the Word of God? Is it like Jeremiah says: ‘But his word was in mine heart, as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing (holding back), and I could not stay (endure it).’ (Jer.20:9)
Yes precious people of Christ, are we eager to read God’s Word and have a great desire to speak it and keep it? I certainly hope so, otherwise we won’t be worthy of calling ourselves Christians.
And the psalmist continues thus in this passage under the heading of the Hebrew letter ‘Cheth.’ ‘At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgements. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy (LOVING-kindness): teach me thy statutes.’ (Ps.119:62-64)
Now that’s the picture of a true believer my people! How many of us rise up at all sorts of ungodly hours to give thanks because of God’s righteous judgements eh? Are we faithful companions to and have strong fellowship with others who reverence the Lord’s name and keep His commandments?
All of that is a part of being a true Christian, including enjoying God’s LOVING-kindness which is lavished all over His great earth. And please note the psalmist’s last request: ‘teach me thy statutes.’ That is still his number one wish, for if one doesn’t know the Lord’s statutes, how can one keep them eh?
Ah friends, it’s not easy following Jesus Christ faithfully, but if we are sincere, faithful and diligent in our approach, continually reading and meditating on His commands, statutes and precepts, then we will do a fine job. But it’s oh so essential for all believers to put out the effort to learn the word of God, if we truly want to serve Him at a high level. Much LOVE!
…It is impossible to truly LOVE the Lord…without LOVING His Word…and greatly desiring to know it…and sincerely abide by it…
15 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful garden, a branch, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, abide in Jesus' love, abundance, answered prayer, ask what ye will, be fruitful, bear much fruit, blessings, broken, cast forth, cast into the fire, Christmas Season, consideration, courage, courtesy, creativity, curse, diligence, disciples, energy, exceptional, faith, faithfulness, family, favour, fertilizing friendships, friends, fulfillment, gentleness, glorify the Father, good relationships, goodness, grow, guiding light, he that abideth in me, human strength, I am the vine, in Jesus' name, indisputable truth, it shall be done for you, joy, judgement, judgement seat of Christ, kindness, lines of communication, long-suffering, LOVE, LOVE each other, mature, meekness, morning rush hour, my words abide in you, negative word, overnight, P.S. I Love You, Paul's immortal words, peace, purists, relationship with Jesus, relationships, rewards, self-control, self-discipline, snow, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, takes time, talent, temperance, the agent of Jesus, the Father glorified, the fruit of the spirit, the same bringeth forth much fruit, Thursday's Blessings, truth, unique, vine, weed filled jungle, weeds, white christmas, withered, without me ye can do nothing, ye are the branches
John 15:5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Ah friends, like this snow business seems to be rather serious yes, because it visited us again last night. Chuh! Not as much as over the weekend, but enough to make life somewhat difficult in the early morning rush hour.
Some people might be happy with that, since it might mean that we’ll finally have a traditional white Christmas ten days hence.
Over the last few years, that hasn’t been as regular an occurrence as in days gone by, and some of the purists have been disappointed. But what to do eh? If it’s winter, then there’s a very real probability of snow. (smile)
Now here’s a timely reminder from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which says: ‘Friends are like a beautiful garden. They require regular care.’
And is that ever true my people! Unless we spend time fertilizing those friendships that we treasure, they’ll eventually grow weeds and disintegrate into what resembles a dilapidated and forgotten garden. We need to keep those lines of communication open with our friends, just like we need to keep them open to God.
So, especially at this festive and friendly Christmas season, let’s remember to reach out to our friends and family with whom we haven’t had any recent communication, so the beautiful garden we have blossoming with them, won’t be changed into a weed filled jungle.
Remember, without good relationships an important part of us goes missing and makes us less than whole. And talking about relationships, the most important one in our life is that which we have with Jesus.
Listen to Him explain it in our Bit. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’
And that is indisputable truth my people! For without Jesus as the leading and guiding light of our lives, we are able to do precious little in our own human strength.
Hear Him continue His discourse. ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath LOVED me, so have I LOVED you: continue ye (abide) in my LOVE.’ (John 15:6-9)
Oh friends, what a wonderful promise! If we abide in Jesus and He in us, then we’ll be His disciples, be fruitful and glorify the Father, and the Father will grant us our requests. How awesome is that eh!
But we need to remember that last proviso: to abide in Jesus’ LOVE! Just like the Father LOVED Him, and He LOVED us, we need to continue LOVING Him and each other. Without that LOVE shining forth my fellow believers, all that we claim to do for Jesus is of no account.
Now here are a couple of explanations from the scholars re those verses above. ’15:6. This refers to the judgement of the believers at the judgement seat of Christ (2 Cor.5:10).’
15:7. The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus’ will (cf. 16:23-26). The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God.’
And as we’re talking about bringing forth fruit for Christ, let’s just share Bruh Paul’s immortal words on the subject. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness (courtesy, consideration), temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal.5:22-23)
Yeh mih people that’s what is expected of us in terms of bearing fruit for Christ. And the scholars add. ‘5:22. The word fruit is significant for three reasons. (1) It means the result, the product, outcome, or effect produced by the Spirit in the believer’s life.
(2) Unlike “the gifts of the Spirit” (plural), only some of which are given to a Christian, each believer is expected to have all nine virtues composing “the fruit of the Spirit” (singular). (3) As fruit on a tree takes time to grow and mature, so the Spirit does not cultivate these values in the believer’s life overnight.’
Yeh, I know we’re complaining that that’s a lot of fruit to bear, but as the scholars say, it doesn’t grow overnight, or all at once, but like real fruit takes time, diligence and energy.
And as Jesus promised, if we abide in Him, and He in us, we will have the help of all heaven and earth to produce the fruit He desires of us. So there’s no need to worry; just stay close to Jesus, and all will be well.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
In unison friends: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Wow! It couldn’t get any better than that my brethren! So let’s take it all to heart nuh, and put it into solid action. Much LOVE!
…the bearing of fruit for Jesus…it’s such a wonderful process…and the rewards are so unique and exceptional…
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