27 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an inheritance, at heart, awesome words, be anxious, be strong, close communication, dread, encouragement, faithful, fear, fear not, fellowshipping, for our benefit, forgiven, frail, fret, go adrift from God's will, God is faithful, He will not fail, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, in all your ways acknowledge Him, Israelites, Joshua, joyfully declare, lean not unto thine own understanding, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms, lift the spirit, meditation, Moses, moving, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, neither forsake thee, nor be afraid, of a good courage, our best interests, possession, powerful, praise, prayer, promises, reading God's Word, reneges, rough times, sins, soulful anthem, stand up and be counted, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the eternal God is our refuge, the everlasting arms, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the Lord thy God goes before you, the middle of the workweek, to a glorious future with Jesus, to stand before thee, trials, tribulations, trust in the Lord, very courageous, Wednesday Wail, words of strength, worry, worship
Deuteronomy 31:6. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
And then it was Wednesday; the middle of the workweek, when we get our second wind and then just hustle to the weekend!
Yes mih people, the universe is progressing as it should, under the plan and control of our heavenly Father, the Creator of all therein! We therefore need to understand how He works so that we don’t go adrift from His will.
And that can only be accomplished by reading His word, fellowshipping with other believers and staying in close communication with Him through prayer, meditation and worship.
Now here is a soulful anthem I heard the Hour of Power choir singing last night. It touched me so much that I had to write it down to share it with you. It’s an amalgamation of different important and interesting scriptures. Please sing it with me.
‘Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid. For the Lord your God will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. The eternal God is our refuge. And underneath are the everlasting arms. (Chorus) Be strong and of good courage, fear not nor be afraid…
Trust in the Lord with all your might. And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him. And he will direct your paths. (Chorus)
What have I to dread, what have I to fear? Leaning on the everlasting arms. I have blessed peace with my Lord so near. Leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning…leaning, Safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning…leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Be strong and of a good courage…Fear not!’
Ah friends, those words of praise and worship just lift the spirit and give us encouragement to carry on!
So we’ve had worship, now let’s have prayer. (smile) And since this is Wednesday, it’s only right that we should declare our Wednesday Wail with much sincerity, enthusiasm and truth. So let’s wail!
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih people, every week we declare that, it just touches something deep in me. I am awed and amazed at the breath of life that courses through my body. Though it sometimes seems frail, it is in fact powerful and very moving.
And when I stop looking back at the past and instead look to the glorious future that Jesus has promised those who believe in Him, the Holy Spirit just rises up in me and causes me to joyfully declare a loud and sincere ‘Thank You Lord!’
But unfortunately, not all of us react that way. Many of us are still locked in the past, in the trials and tribulations that we’ve endured, and it scares us to think about the future, because there may be more of those negative problems involved.
But friends, once we’ve trusted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, there’s no need to look back, because all our sins have been forgiven, and the Lord has promised to be with us, even through the trials and tribulations that come our way. That’s why I figured those powerful and encouraging words of Moses to the Israelites should be our Bit today.
Just listen to these awesome words nuh, my brethren.‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’
Oh friends, oh friends, what awesome promises! And if you’re a believer, then one thing you’re positive of is that our God is not only great and powerful, but He’s also faithful, faithful to a fault! He NEVER reneges on a promise. So if He promises to go with us and never leave nor forsake us, then that’s exactly what He will do.
That means we don’t have to worry and fret and be anxious about anything, for even the rough times He will eventually turn to our benefit. Another great promise of His!
So my people, this Wednesday at the end of July 2016, I’m asking us all to take courage, to be strong in the might and power of our God! Remember it’s He who created the universe and all therein, so He is not exactly a weakling.
And I know that it’s not always easy to be strong and courageous in this dangerous and disgusting world, but we have to stand up and be counted if we want to survive and succeed.
Oh my fellow believers, all throughout the Good Book our magnificent God has planted words of strength and encouragement, so that we can take heart and continue undeterred under His banner. And there is none more encouraging than God’s words to Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.
Listen up: ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance (you shall give as a possession) the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:5-6, 7a, 9)
Oh friends, in four verses, the Lord commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous three times! In like manner He is commanding us to do the same today, because He knows what tests and trials will beset us in this life, but He also knows that He WILL have our best interests at heart and eventually work it all out for out good!
So please be strong and very courageous today my people! It will work miracles in our lives! Much LOVE!
…the wonderful promises of God…imbue and inspire His people with strength and courage…
18 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, adrenalin, almighty god, aura of love, blessings, bombarded, bonds, buffeted, Caesar, Christian workers, Christians, circumstances, complaining, confidence, conquerors, cruel, crying, dreams, enlist God's help, enthusiasm, fear, glorious endeavour, godly, gospel, have life in abundance, holy spirit, humble servants, imagination, imprisonment, improvement, in chains, influential audience, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lackadaisical, lies, LOVE, maturity, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, motors firing on all cylinders, oppressive, power to dream, Praise the Lord, preach the gospel, purpose of living, righteous, robert h schuller, Roman, sacrilege, salvation, sin, sovereignty, spiritual armour, spiritual strength, steadfast faith, strife filled, stuff dreams are made of, surrender, taunts, TGIM! Thank God it's Monday!, the furtherance of the gospel, trust, truth, understand, ungodly world, want you to know, war-torn, wiles, win souls for Christ, wisdom, without fear, work world
Philippians 1:12. But I would ye should understand, (want you to know) brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out (turned out) rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.
‘TGIM! TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday!’ the Christian workers joyfully declared. ‘Thank God it’s Monday and we get to go back out into the cruel and oppressive work world and win souls for Christ! What a glorious endeavour!’
Oh friends, that’s the stuff dreams are made of! And please note that our wise and wonderful Creator would not have given us the gift of imagination, the power to dream, if He hadn’t wanted us to use it.
And we must not dream too small either. I read just recently, I believe it’s in one of Gramps Schuller’s devotions (Robert H. Schuller), where he said that if you could accomplish your dream on your own, then it was too small. Our dreams have to be big enough so that we need to enlist God’s help with them.
And that’s gospel truth my people! Dreams by definition are supposed to be bigger than us. And can you believe what monumental improvement, thinking like we opened with, would make to our war-torn and strife filled world! Mama Mia!
But sadly I don’t see that change, that upliftment in Christian thinking happening any time soon. Thankfully though, there are no limits, no restrictions on dreaming. (smile) Now let’s keep that dream alive by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with the same enthusiasm and pizazz that we began with.
So in sweet harmony and strong, melodious voice, let’s sing. ‘‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that was beautiful my people! You could see the fire in Jesus’ eyes and the energy in His spirit as He vigorously swung His conductor’s baton, guiding us in song.
Wow! What a wonderful beginning to this Monday morning! And with our motors firing on all cylinders, and the adrenalin coursing mightily through our bodies, let’s go out into the sinful and disgusting world and do what we need to do to truly win souls for Christ!
And all God’s people gave a purposeful shout of ‘Praise the Lord, for He is indeed worthy of our praise!’
Oh friends, the ole fella’s certainly on a roll this morning! (smile) But what’s the purpose of living, if we can’t be in high spirits more often that we’re in low ones eh? What did Jesus say about His coming to earth? He came that we, the sheep of His marvellous flock could have life in abundance. (John 10:10)
And it would be a sacrilege, a sin, to live an abundant life in a lackadaisical, doh care manner. Life was meant to be lived my brethren, so let’s live it nuh! And that doesn’t mean in lustful and worldly fashion, but in a godly and righteous manner.
Now I want to introduce our Bit here that shows how our God works in mysterious though sometimes difficult ways for His followers. We’ll continue today, from where we left off yesterday, that is with the missive that Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians while in jail in Rome.
‘But I would ye should understand, (want you to know) brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out (turned out) rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.’ Now that’s a very interesting scripture my people. But let’s keep reading, before we try to dissect it.
‘So that my bonds (chains) in (for) Christ are manifest (well known) in all the palace (by the palace guard), and in all other places (the rest of places). And many (most) of the brethren in the Lord, waxing (becoming) confident by my bonds (chains), are much more bold to speak the word without fear.’ (Phil.113-14)
Ah friends, what a strange, but rather efficient way to spread the gospel. But our God is full of works that we can’t understand. Now the listen to the scholars: 1:12. Things… have fallen out means “have occurred.” Paul tells the readers that his imprisonment has occurred for the purpose of furthering or spreading the gospel.
The word rather suggests that the Philippians were anticipating bad news as a result of Paul’s captivity. He informs them rather to the contrary. In His wisdom and sovereignty God has deliberately designed His servant’s present circumstances, as undesirable as they may be, for the gospel’s benefit.
Two positive results of Paul’s imprisonment are given in verses 13,14. (1) Caesar’s palace learned the gospel from him (v.13); and (2) many Roman Christians were stirred to preach the gospel during his bondage (v.14).’
And who says our God doesn’t move in mysterious ways eh? The Lord caused Paul to be imprisoned so he could have the close attention of the palace guards. If he had been preaching out on the street corner, he would never have had the undivided attention of such a large and influential audience.
And even better yet, because of Bruh Paul’s captivity, the brethren outside got confident, found confidence in the Lord and began preaching the gospel too without fear. Now friends, those last two words -without fear – are very important, because they show the level of maturity and spiritual strength that Roman Christians got from the whole situation.
Likewise my fellow believers, many of us might be in tight or tough circumstances and wondering why, but the Lord has obviously put us there for a purpose. So please, instead of crying and complaining, consider Bruh Paul’s attitude and look around and see if there be any you can minister to, for God might just have put you there for that very purpose.
And most important of all; please, let’s all preach the gospel of Christ WITHOUT FEAR, for in the gospel itself, we have oodles of protection. Much LOVE!
…in whatever circumstances a Christian finds him or herself…they are expected to share the good news of Christ…
05 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th of July, Absalom, asps, battle to the death, binds man to man, bitterness, Canada Day, Christian feelings, come up higher, common grind, confidence, counteracting, courageous, cursing, daily task, death, deceit, defeat the enemy, destroy religion, destruction, did eat my bread, diligent, double heart, drive the dark of doubt away, encouraging, falsehood, fear, fill us with the light of day, flattering lips, flattery, giver of immortal gladness, God of glory, gospel truth, grave, havoc, hearts unfold, hell, Henry J. van Dyke, hope, hurry, hymns, I am the beloved of god, I trusted, I will not be afraid, inconsistent mind, Jesus Christ, Jesus has defeated, joy, joyful joyful, lackadaisical, lifted up his heel, like flowers before thee, Lord of love, loss, LOVE, mine own familiar friend, misery, must not suffer loss, no fear of God, ode to joy, open sepulchre, opening to the sun above, our Lord and Saviour, overthrow the kingdom of heaven, overwhelming our world, peace, petitions, poison, reassuring, rejoice, revolution, Romans, royal banner, salvation, set themselves against me, set up banners, share His love, shed blood, soldiers of the cross, song of life, stand up for Jesus, steadfast, stronghold, teach us, the joy of living, the name of our God, the thought of the age, the triumph, the way of peace, tongues, traitor, trust, trust my friend Jesus, truth of science, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly activity, vanity, warriors for Christ, we adore thee, wishy-washy, worry
Psalm 12:2. They speak vanity (idly, falsely) every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with double heart (an inconsistent mind) do they speak.
Well friends, the celebrations finally over! Canada Day and 4th of July done for another year! It’s time to get back to the common grind and daily task. And we’ll begin that by singing this favourite ode to Joy.
In harmony now: ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love; Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!
All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays, Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed, Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest! Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in LOVE are Thine; Teach us how to LOVE each other, lift us to the joy divine.
Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began; Father LOVE is reigning o’er us, brother LOVE binds man to man. Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife, Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.‘
Good show friends, good show! Hope that joy stays with us all day as we focus on doing Christ’s work.
Oh, and here’s a little story about that hymn. Apparently one Henry J. van Dyke wrote it in 1907. He wrote it while staying at the home of Harry A. Garfield at Williams College, Massachusetts. It was first published in the Presbyterian Hymnal in 1911. It also appeared in the Poems of Henry van Dyke, 1911.
Van Dyke wrote: “These verses are simple expressions of common Christian feelings and desires in this present time—hymns of today that may be sung together by people who know the thought of the age, and are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy religion, or any revolution on earth overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Therefore this is a hymn of trust and joy and hope.’
And it surely is my people! So let’s continue to hold on securely to that trust and joy and hope we find in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, because it’s what keeps us truly grounded in this earthly life. It is our sure foundation.
And to further build on that sure foundation, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra like we truly believe it. As one voice 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!’
Oh glory to God my believing brethren! More solid and indisputable truth about the goodness and LOVING-kindness of our wonderful God! How reassuring and encouraging to know that we are His beloved children, and also the friend of Jesus! Nothing can be better than those two things!
Now it’s our duty to go out and share the LOVE of our Lord and friend with the remainder of this our lost and quickly sinking world. But we can’t do it unless we’re very serious and diligent about counteracting the words and actions of our Bit. ‘They speak vanity (idly, falsely) every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with double heart (an inconsistent mind) do they speak.’
Yes precious people, that kind of ungodly activity is currently overwhelming our world, and obviously making it a place of hate and evil instead of one of peace and LOVE like our God and Saviour desire. These days one can hardly trust the words and actions of friends, much less strangers.
Falsehood and flattery seem to be the name of the today’s game and they’re causing such havoc in the lives of so many people who are unfortunately coming under their spell. Bruh David declares in Psalm 41 –Abuse and assurance: ‘Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me (acted as a traitor against me). (Ps.41:9)
No doubt a lot of us can attest to such traitorous treatment. That’s why we have to be ever so careful as to whom we let into our confidence. Meanwhile, in Bruh Paul’s epistle to the Romans, he quotes various scripture passages to prove the presence and extent of the problem back then.
‘Their throat is an open sepulchre (grave); with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ (Rom.3:13-18)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! The enemy right now is the driver’s seat, but it is our job to dislodge him and replace him with Jesus. But again, as I said earlier on, we need to be very serious and diligent about that duty if we want to be successful.
We can’t afford to be lackadaisical and wishy-washy in our words and actions. We need to come up higher than the enemy if we want to defeat him. We need to be able to sincerely declare like Bruh David when he fled from his son Absalom’s rebellion. ‘I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps.3:6)
Yes my fellow warriors for Christ, until we can utter true words like those, until we can cast out our fear of the enemy, we won’t be able to break his stronghold on us and on the world. Remember, Jesus has already defeated hell, death and the grave, which means the enemy has no power over us unless we allow him to.
So let us go out today, and everyday, with words such as these pouring out of our mouths and hearts. ‘We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfill all thy petitions.’ (Ps.20:5)
Yes friends, we need to stand up very strong, steadfast and courageous in Jesus’ name, and battle to the death, if we truly want to defeat the enemy. There’s no other way. Much LOVE!
…Stand up stand up for Jesus…Ye soldiers of the cross…Lift high His royal banner…It must not suffer loss…
30 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, a prayer away, a strong will, abundance, advantage, almighty god, backbone, believe in what you cannot see, belly, blessed, boost our spirits, brethren, broken, Calvary's cross, challenge, Christian, circumstances, cleansed, comforting, confidence, confronted, courage, creativity, curse, death, direction, divine protection, embrace, endless, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith, family, favour, fear, fears, friend, friends, fulfillment, give thanks, Glory be, glory hallelujah, grow, guiding light, health, holy spirit, hurt, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, life, Long may He reign, Lord and Saviour, Lord of Lords, mystery, negative experiences, negative word, overtake me, overwhelming, pain, panic, peace, penalyt for sin, pity, play it twice, power, prince of peace, problems, promotion, prosper, reconciliation, Redeemer, rejuvenating, resolved, Robert Nathan, run away, sacrificed, self-control, self-discipline, selfless sacrifice, set free, sins, sorrow, spoken over me, strength, succeed, success, talent, teaches, the bread of life, the Lamb that was slain, the Life, the Light, the Son is shining, the straight and narrow path, the sun is shining, the Truth, the veil, the Way, Thursday Blessings, unbelievers, ungodly world, we face nothing alone, weather, welcome, when it's nice, wine roses and song, wisdom
John 6:48. I am that bread of life.
Well a hearty welcome to you this Thursday morning mih lovelies! The sun is shining in my neck of the woods, and I do hope it’s shining in yours too. But just in case it isn’t, please remember that the Son is ALWAYS shining even in the worst of physical weather and circumstances!
That’s the wonderful advantage we have over the unbelievers; we know that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is there for us ALL the time! He is just a prayer away…
And all God’s children heartily and sincerely exclaimed: ‘Glory be to the Lamb that was slain, that was sacrificed on Calvary’s cross for our sins! Long may He reign in our hearts and souls! Amen!’
Yeh friends, there’s none other like our wonderful Redeemer Jesus Christ! Couldn’t be, for the world only has room for ONE Prince of Peace, ONE Lord of Lords and ONE King of Kings… and that’s our Jesus, our friend and guiding light! Glory Hallelujah!
Now I want to share an interesting and very relevant quote from my One More Day Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness. I believe I’ve shared it before, but as we say, when it’s nice, you can play it twice, or even thrice! (smile)
The quote is attributed to one Robert Nathan, but there are so many people out there with that name that I wasn’t able to identify the exact one.
However, the quote says: ‘Give thanks for sorrow that teaches you pity; for pain that teaches you courage – and give exceeding thanks for the mystery which remains a mystery still – the veil that hides you from the infinite, which makes it possible for you to believe in what you cannot see.’
Yes friends, that’s what we call FAITH! And although we don’t like or want to have those negative experiences that cause us hurt and pain, we ought to embrace them because it’s only through experiencing them that we grow in courage and strength, and yes FAITH!
If everyday was strictly wine, roses and song, we’d have no belly and backbone – we already have precious little of that.
As the text says: ‘We cannot run away from problems. Tremendous problems must be confronted and resolved. Fears can be overwhelming. Tasks seem endless, and the challenge seems too great. It is comforting to realize we face nothing alone.’
And is that ever so true my Christian brethren! We’re never alone! The Holy Spirit of Christ, which indwells EVERY believer, is ALWAYS there to lead and guide us, to strengthen and comfort us in our every need!
So Christians ought always to be positive people since we have the greatest power in the universe dwelling within us. Unfortunately that’s not the case with a lot of us. Too many believers are scared and fearful to face the days, the troubles and problems that seem to be always confronting them.
But listen to the energizer at the end of the devotion. ‘I will not allow fear and panic to overtake me today. Courage will open the door to wisdom and peace.’
Yes my precious people, we need to believe that as we step out into the crazy, dangerous and ungodly world that currently surrounds us. And to help boost our spirits, and keep us on the straight and narrow path that leads to Almighty God, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings with premium confidence and glorious enthusiasm.
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!’
Well said my people, well said! Now let’s act it out in real life nuh. And that shouldn’t be a problem, because as our Bit so confidently states, we follow the person, Jesus Christ, who so truthfully declared two thousand years ago: ‘I am that bread of life.’
And indeed He is friends! He gave His physical life for us, so that we could have eternal life, rejuvenating reconciliation with the Father. That’s what He came down from heaven to do.
Without His selfless sacrifice, we’d have no opportunity for life, because the scripture plainly states that the penalty for sin is death, and we were certainly embroiled in sin until His death cleansed us and set us free.
Furthermore, NOBODY can get to the Father but through Him! And a lot of people refuse to belief that. But my faithful brethren, Jesus is truly the LIGHT, the LIFE, the TRUTH, and the WAY!
Let’s never forget that, and keep embracing Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, for that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…there is power…absolute power…in the holy name of Jesus…
26 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lying tongue, a proud look, a sun, abominations to God, actions, all other ground, an honest wage, angry, aspirations, be wise, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed is that man, blood, built on nothing less, character, Christ-like, Christians, conduct, conversion, covenant, darkness veils, falsehood, faultless, fear, foundation, glory, God is not a man, gospel truth, grace, habits, haughty, heartfelt praise, homage, immovable, indisputable truth, Jesus Christ, Jesus' blood, judges, kindled, kiss the son, lean on Jesus' name, lie not, lies, LOVE, maketh the Lord his trust, Moses, my anchor holds, my hope, my stay, nature, no good thing, oath, on Christ, Our Daily Bread, pay himself, pay the workers, perish, praise, proud, Proverbs, put off the old man, respects not the prous, righteousness, serve the Lord, shed innocent blood, shield, sinking sand, stand before the throne, stormy gale, Sunday, support me, the flood, the forces of man, the heathen, the Lord's Day, the new man, the rock that's Christ, the solid rock, the Son of man, the sons of Korah, the sweetest frame, thoughts, Trini Quote, trumpet sound, trust, truth, turn aside to lies, unchanging grace, values, walk uprightly, wisdom, withhold, within the veil, words, worship, wrath
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Well my beautiful fellow believers in Jesus Christ, it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, a day that’s supposed to be filled with even more praise and worship than usual! So let’s begin the proceedings by exuding praise in the form of the hymn we all know and LOVE: ‘My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.’
Let’s raise our loud and harmonious voices to heaven with sincere, heartfelt praise: ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. (Refrain: On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.)
When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain] His oath, his covenant, his blood, support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]
When he shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in him be found, dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain] On Christ, the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.’
And that my people is the gospel truth of all gospel truths! (smile) But seriously though, if you’re not standing on the solid rock that’s our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, then sadly and unfortunately you’re standing on sinking sand; sand that will sink and or wash away at the slightest rain or earth tremor!
The only thing that can withstand the forces of man and nature is the rock that’s Christ! So please friends, let’s err on the side of caution and wisdom and make sure that we’re all standing on that solid rock that’s Christ nuh, so our foundation will be immovable.
Now let’s check out this ‘Trini Quote of De Day,’ from mih Trini friend. ‘If yuh don’t pay de worker, he will pay himself.’ A wise caution to someone who has hired/planning to hire a worker/s to pay an honest wage; if not, the worker/s may take their just payment or even more. Have a great day, Watch your thoughts: They become words Watch your words: They become actions Watch your actions: They become habits Watch your habits: They become character.’
Yes mih breddren, more wisdom and indisputable truth! And don’t get too comfortable, thinking that you’ve heard all the wisdom and truth for the day, because you haven’t. (smile) Listen to our Bit and learn. ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’
Wow mih people, can you handle so much truth and wisdom in one sitting? Of course you can, because you’re Christians, true believers in Jesus Christ, and with Him supporting us, we can handle anything!
And for those of you who read ‘Our Daily Bread Devotional,’ you’ll realize that yesterday’s devotion sparked today’s Bit; the same psalm they read from, and the same hymn they noted. But the Bit’s different, as you can see. (smile) And to further prove it, let’s delve into some other scriptures that corroborate our Bit.
Hear these words of wisdom and warning from Psalm 2 – Why do the heathen rage. ‘Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son (an act of homage and submission), lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.’ (Ps.2:10-12)
Oh friends, what more can I say to that eh? Nothing really, except to add that the writing of that Psalm is attributed to Bruh David in Acts 4:25. Now you know. (smile)
And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to the sons of Korah from Psalm 84 – Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12)
Ah mih people, we’ve been mostly concerning ourselves with the part of the Bit that talks about trusting God, but there are also two other parts, not respecting the proud and haughty and arrogant, as well as one who indulges in lies.
Cousin Sol puts it nicely in Proverbs, as three of the seven things that are abominations to our God: ‘A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.’ (Prov.6:17) And that’s no lie! (smile)
And to shed more light on God’s character, here’s what Moses says in the Book of Numbers. ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good.’ (Num.23:17) Yes friends, God is truth, therefore He cannot lie! But with mankind it’s certainly a different story.
Now listen to Bruh Paul’s advice on the subject to the Colossians. ‘Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.’ (Col.3:9-10)
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘3:9. Seeing means “since.” The old man is all that a person was prior to salvation: his worldly thinking and sinful acts. Since all this was renounced at conversion, one should lie not. Falsehood ill becomes a person claiming to be a disciple of Him who said, “I am the…truth.”
‘3:10. The new man is the person one becomes after conversion: he possesses a new nature, values, aspirations, and a new life-style. This “new man” is constantly being renewed or developed until he attains a mature knowledge of the God who (re) created him. The more a believer knows and understands of God, the more he will be like God in character and conduct.’
And what better way to end than on that note my people. So please, until we meet again, God willing, please ponder all that we’ve said to day, and go safely to LOVE and serve the Lord! Much LOVE!
…one can’t become Christ-like…unless one knows about Christ…and then acts Christ-like…
12 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: agape, be brave, charity, Christ has made us free, conflict, Corinthians, courage, crown, danger, dearly beloved, death is gain, Dudley Atkins Tyng, duty, fear, George Duffield, gospel armour, joy, Joyce Meyer, liberty, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, mysterious hand of God, prayer, quit you like men, reign eternally, rout, royal banner, saving souls, serve the Lord, shame, slavery, soldiers of the cross, stand fast in faith, stand up for Jesus, suffer loss, the foe, the god of battles, the king of glory, the mighty hand of God, the trumpet call obey, the yoke of bondage, victory, watch, wisdom, worship, YMCA, zenith
1 Corinthians 16:13. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you (be brave) like men; be strong.
Oh friends, let’s begin this Sunday morning’s proceedings with a most appropriate moment of worship, as we sing the old standard, ‘Stand up for Jesus.’
Please sing with me: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory His army shall He lead, Till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the solemn watchword hear; If while ye sleep He suffers, away with shame and fear; Where’er ye meet with evil, within you or without, Charge for the God of battles, and put the foe to rout.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day. Ye that are brave now serve Him against unnumbered foes; Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone; The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own. Put on the Gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer; Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, each soldier to his post, Close up the broken column, and shout through all the host: Make good the loss so heavy, in those that still remain, And prove to all around you that death itself is gain.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song. To those who vanquish evil a crown of life shall be; They with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.’
And my fellow believers do we ever need to stand up for Jesus and all that He stands for in these very trying and difficult times! We’re not only meant to sing these words in church, but even more importantly to put them into action in our daily lives! That’s the only way Jesus’ LOVE Revolution will be victorious!
And to show how supposed believers are strange and unpredictable, I heard Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) say the other day that one of the many books she’s written is one titled, ‘The LOVE Revolution,’ and would you believe it’s the worst selling of all her books. Hn!
Why? Not because it was a bad book, because it isn’t, but because believers nowadays just don’t seem to be interested in ‘agape’ LOVE; the kind of LOVE that Jesus espouses, that has us caring about others, even when we are going through rough times. Ah Lord eh my brethren, when we going to wake up, to grow up and learn what real Christianity is eh?
Anyhow, as I went looking for the lyrics to ‘Stand up for Jesus,’ I discovered some worthwhile information on how it came about. Apparently, the writer, a Presbyterian minister, George Duffield Jr. in 1858 was an associate of the Rev. Dudley Atkins Tyng, who had recently been thrown out of his Episcopalian community for speaking against slavery.
In March of that year, Tyng preached one of the most successful sermons of modern times to the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) in the large space known as Jaynes’ Hall. Of the five thousand men that were there at least one thousand, became ‘the slain of the Lord,’ were converted. His sermon was apparently based on Exodus 10:11 “Go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord.” Pharaoh’s admonishment to Moses.
The following Wednesday, leaving his study for a moment, he went to the barn floor, where a mule was at work on a horse-power, shelling corn. Patting him on the neck, the sleeve of his silk study gown caught in the cogs of the wheel, and his arm was torn out the roots!
He died not long after that, but it’s reputed that before he moved on to the other side, he told his father “Tell my brethren of the ministry, wherever you meet them, to stand up for Jesus.”
At a memorial service for Tyng, Duffield preached a message based on Ephesians 6:14. “Stand firm, wearing the whole armour of God”, and supposedly the hymn was written simply as a concluding exhortation. However, the superintendent of the Christian school printed the hymn on leaflets for the children and one of those copies ended up in a Baptist newspaper…and the rest is history. Stand up for Jesus is now known and LOVED around the world!
Yuh see mih people how the mysterious hand of our great God works! Tyng gets tossed from his congregation for preaching against the inhumane system of slavery, but ends up saving many souls at the Y. But then through an unfortunate accident, he soon dies, but he’s already spread the seed he was meant to; stand up for Jesus, and his buddy Duffield, writes those verses more or less as a memorial, but the school superintendent prints it on some leaflets for the children, and a Baptist newspaper gets hold of one and publishes it. Only the mighty hand of God could have fashioned such an unlikely story!
And finally we come to our most appropriate Bit. ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you (be brave) like men; be strong.’ That’s Bruh Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians in his first missive. And to sweeten it, he adds: ‘Let all your things be done with charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor.16:14)
Ah friends, so much of great importance has been said in those few words of those two verses, that if we follow them, we can never go wrong. And we’ll end with a couple more verses where Bruh Paul is encouraging his readers to stand fast.
To the Galatians, he declares: ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’ (Gal.5:1) Wonderful advice my brethren!
And to the Philippians he solemnly advises: ‘Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.’ (Phil.4:1)
Oh friends, please let’s go out and do likewise today and everyday nuh, for that is wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…and having done all…stand…now, more than ever…Christians need to stand up steadfastly for what they claim to believe in…
11 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a man's wisdom, a miracle, a springboard, a wise man, an ornament of grace, angelic smile, bitter than death, bring thee to honour, chains, chores, Christ-like, Christian faith, desire, exalt her, faith, faithful believers, far from me, fear, fetters, fleshly lusts, friends, God's promised, God's will, gospel truth, grace, guidance, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, improvement, leading, looking steadfastly, LOVE, LOVE Walk, lusts, makes his face to shine, mature, nets, prayers, reverential awe, righteousness, robert h schuller, snares, Stephen, sternness, straight and narrow path, the beginning of knowledge, the boldness, the face of an angel, the interpretation of a thing, the principal thing, Top o' the morn, understanding, walk with Christ, weekend getaway, whoso pleaseth god, wisdom, wisdom of God, wisdom of the world
Ecclesiastes 8:1. Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness (sternness) of his face shall be changed.
Top o’ the morn, friends and faithful believers! And what does this Saturday have in for store for us eh? Most likely its home bound chores, grocery shopping, just taking it easy around the house, or having a little weekend getaway.
But whatever it is, please remember to always have Jesus with you, in the form of His Holy Spirit, and preferably bow to His holy and wise leading and guidance, rather than your own fleshly lusts.
The latter will only lead us eventually to sin and confusion, while the former will keep us on the straight and narrow path and enhance our righteousness, which is what we are called upon to do, and hopefully also desire in our hearts.
The long and short of the story though, is that we all need to heed the leading and guidance from the Holy Spirit that indwells each of us, so that we can become more Christ-like, more mature in our Christian faith. And that means we all need to improve, to move further along the continuum that’s our faith.
And to help us do that, here’s a little prayer from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from His Hour of Power Devotional. The title says it loud and clear: ‘I Want to Improve.’ So let’s pray for some improvement in our lives, in our LOVE Walk nuh friends.
‘O God, how thankful I am that you have come into my life through the Holy Spirit. I’m willing to say: “I’m not perfect, Lord! I want to improve. Show me where I can.” So father, I sense that a miracle is happening in my life right now. You are doing something beautiful in my heart this very moment. I thank and praise you! Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers, simple, straight to the point prayers are usually the best, and I’m sure that many of us who sincerely prayed that prayer, will notice improvement in our lives sometime soon, because our God has promised to grant us whatsoever we ask for in prayer, once it coincides with His will. And improvement in our walk with Christ must surely be a part of His will.
And here is our rather interesting Bit for today, wise words from Cousin Sol, posing as the Preacher. ‘Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness (sternness) of his face shall be changed.’
And is that ever so true friends! Wisdom is a helluva thing! Hear how Cousin Sol characterizes it in Proverbs nuh. ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov.4:7-9)
Ah mih people, in this life wisdom is certainly a necessity, but unfortunately too many of us lack it. And why do we? I guess it’s because we don’t sincerely seek it, or what we seek is not true wisdom in the sense of God’s word. Remember, the wisdom of the world is not the wisdom of God!
To be able to seek and find true wisdom, one must be deeply involved with God and His word. The good thing about true wisdom is that when you find it, it gives you a perfect springboard from which to launch everything else. But does man ever get perfect wisdom? I doubt it. Listen to how the scholars put it, and please note that I will intersperse the verses they quote between their commentary
‘7:23-8:1. Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived, but even his wisdom was insufficient to understand life fully. (7:23) “All this have I proved (tested) by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.”
In his search for wisdom Solomon found many sinful people (7:26) “And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets and her hands as bands (fetters or chains): whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.”
But Cousin Sol found few righteous. (7:28) “Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one (wise) man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.” In spite of the failures of wisdom, it is still the most attractive virtue since it helps bring inner happiness (8:1).’
Yes my believing brethren, God’s wisdom is certainly a thing we must all strive to acquire, if we want to live truly godly lives. And why is that? Hear Cousin Sol explain it in Proverbs. ‘A wise man will hear, and will increase learning: and a man of understanding shall attain unto (acquire) wise counsels.’ (Prov.1:5)
Oh friends, without that elusive thing called wisdom, we are truly lost in this mish-mash world. Listen to Cousin Sol again, with this warning from Proverbs. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
Gospel truth that my people! The beginning of wisdom starts with recognizing the awe-inspiring God we serve. But fools have no interest in that, so how can they get true wisdom eh? It’s impossible to be truly wise, unless one has a good relationship with Almighty God. End of story!
And we’ll close on this interesting note, re ‘a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine.’ Listen to how the Good Book describes Stephen when he was arrested, framed, railroaded, and brought before the council. ‘And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.’ (Acts.6:15)
Oh friends, may we all go out today and have others see the true wisdom in our faces, wisdom that makes us seem like angels! Wow! Now wouldn’t that be something mih brethren! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom brings an angelic smile to the believer’s face…softening his stern look…
09 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burning tempest, a righteous God, a vision, abundance, all one body, almighty god, anthems, arrows, backbone, battle, belly, bend their bow, blessed, brimstone, burning coals, Christ's promise, church of Jesus, church's health, clear direction, compassionate heart, conquer, courage, creativity, crowns, curse, darkness, defences, faith, family, favour, fear, fire, flee as a bird, friends, God's will, going on before, health, hell's foundations quiver, immune, In the Lord I put my trust, kingdoms, lift your voices, marching as to war, military procedure, negative word, not divided, Onward Christian soldiers, praise, prosper, push back, righteousness, rise, security, self-control, self-discipline, shoot, snares, soul, spirit, spiritual armour, stand up and fight, stand up for Jesus, strength, succeed, success, talent, the church of God, the foolish foe, the foundations, the prince of darkness, the righteous, the shout of praise, the upright in heart, the wicked, threat of the wicked, thrones, Thursday's Blessings, triumph, trust, victory, violence, wane, wickedness, will, wisdom, with the cross of Jesus, worship
Psalm 11:1. In the Lord I put my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
Oh friends, let’s fittingly begin this glorious Thursday’s proceedings with some praise and worship nuh. Please sing with me this old, but still ever-important standard from our hymnal.
‘Onward Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before. Christ, the royal Master, Leads against the foe; Forward into battle, See, His banners go! Onward, Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus, Going on before.
At the name of Jesus Satan’s host doth flee; On then, Christian soldiers, On to victory! Hell’s foundations quiver At the shout of praise: Brothers, lift your voices, Loud your anthems raise! Like a mighty army Moves the Church of God:
Brothers, we are treading Where the saints have trod; We are not divided, All one Body we— One in faith and Spirit, One eternally. Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane; But the Church of Jesus Constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never ’Gainst the Church prevail; We have Christ’s own promise, Which can never fail. Onward, then, ye people! Join our happy throng; Blend with ours your voices In the triumph song. Glory, laud and honor Unto Christ, the King; This through countless ages Men and angels sing.’
Oh my people, what a wonderful hymn! Remember when we used to sing such military songs like this and ‘Stand up for Jesus?’ They are still very important to our movement, because we are still in a raging battle with the enemy, the prince of darkness, therefore we need military procedure to fight it properly.
We also need to be well dressed everyday with our spiritual armour, backed up by sincere prayer, otherwise the enemy will have no trouble infiltrating our defences.
Now let’s move forward on the offensive by declaring our Thursday Blessings that will keep us rolling on to victory. With true sincerity, trust and confidence in Jesus Christ, let’s passionately speak blessings over our lives 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!’
Oh my brethren, what a powerful declaration of blessings over our lives! Wow! Remember a blessing is not truly a blessing until it’s spoken over someone, so please let’s continue to speak since blessings over our LOVED ones and ourselves! That’s the only way they will truly take hold.
And that brings us to what I think is a most appropriate Bit for all of what we’ve spoken about so far. ‘In the Lord I put my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?’
Yes friends, if we put our strong and steadfast trust in Almighty God, why need we to flee anywhere eh? No reason whatsoever! Our God is the mightiest Being that exists, so there’s need to run from anything at all!
And Bruh David continues the psalm: ‘For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily (secretly) shoot at the upright in heart.’ (Ps.11:2) But the reality of that situation my fellow believers, is if we’re wearing our spiritual armour, no arrow of the wicked can penetrate it to harm us.
And all God’s people boldly and gratefully declare: ‘All glory be to our great and wonderful God! Let His holy name be praised now and forever more!’
Then Bruh David further asks: ‘If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ (And answers) ‘The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try (test) the children of men. The Lord trieth (tests) the righteous: but the wicked and him that LOVETH violence his soul hateth.
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares (burning coals), fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest (a burning wind): this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord LOVETH righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.’ (Ps.113-7)
Yes my faithful brethren, our God is a righteous God and thus despises wickedness. So once we are walking in His will, protected by His sure armour, we have nothing to fear from the wicked, for in the Lord’s time, He shall rain fire and brimstone, burning coals and a burning wind up them. So there’s no need for a true and sincere Christian to be afraid of anything or anybody!
As the scholars explain: ‘Psalm 11. A vision of the Lord on His throne (v.4) is all the righteous need for security in the face of the threat of the wicked (v.2).’
Oh my people, please, please, let’s stop being fearful nuh. Instead let’s stand up and fight the foolish foe, who thinks he can push God’s people around! Let’s push back! Let’s stop the wicked from trying to take Almighty God completely out of our society!
Let’s strengthen our belly and backbone and truly fight for what we believe in! It’s the only way we will ever accomplish much for Jesus; ever win the LOVE Revolution!
So let’s end today’s proceedings the way we began nuh, with a powerful verse of military might. ‘Onward Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before. Christ, the royal Master, Leads against the foe; Forward into battle, See, His banners go! Onward, Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus, Going on before.’ Much LOVE!
…soldiers are not immune from fear…but they let their courage conquer their fear…
31 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cry of anguish, a friend of Jesus, a song of praise, abhorred, afflicted, an army rising up, awesome, awesome power, beliefs, break every chain, breath of life, Christian, comfortable, coming to Christ, contented, descendants, despised, disrepair, do better, earthly heaven, evil, fear, fear the Lord, fight tooth and nail, friend, glorify your Father, Glory be, glory hallelujah, good works, grateful, gratefulness, gratitude, hid his face, hurry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, in Christ's army, Jesus Christ, joyful song, kick in the tail, let your light shine, LOVE Revolution, Lucifer, malaise, minions, my friend Jesus, power, power in the name of Jesus, praise, pressure, reverence, scared, seed of jacob, share His love, soldiers, song, Tasha Cobbs, tendencies, thankful, thanks, the beloved of God, the things of the world, trust, Tuesday Mantra, uplifted in spirit, walking away, what people say about me, worry
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Oh friends, oh friends, it’s another beautiful Tuesday on God’s earthly heaven! Glory be to our heavenly Father! It means we’ve been granted another day with God’s breath of life still flowing rich and strong through our physical bodies!
And for that we ought to be most thankful, be ever grateful for all that He’s done for us in the past, is doing for us right now, and has faithfully promised to fulfill in the future. Now that also ought to lead us to offering some sincere thanks and praise to His most holy and honourable name.
And the best way to give thanks and praise, to offer sincere gratitude and gratefulness is in joyful song. So let’s sing praises and give thanks to our Creator and Provider! Let’s shout out this powerful gospel song that I recently heard. Heard it a few times on different radio stations too.
The singer is blessed with the name Tasha Cobbs, and I believe she was in Toronto last weekend for a live concert. The song is appropriately titled, ‘Power in the name of Jesus.’
Please sing it with me. ‘There is power in the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus. Yes there is power in the name of Jesus…. To break every chain… Break every chain…Break every chain.
There’s an army rising up. There’s and army rising up. There’s an army rising up…To break every chain…Break every chain…Break every chain.
There is power in the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus. Oh there is power in the name of Jesus…To break every chain…Break every chain…Break every chain…’
Now friends, I’m doing this from memory, but I’m pretty sure that’s how the song goes. In any case, that’s our version. (smile)
And oh yes my fellow believers, there is indeed power…and awesome power at that, in the holy and majestic name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! A power so absolute and strong that it’s able to break any chain that binds us, any chain that holds us captive to the evil tendencies of this evil world! Glory Hallelujah!
So please, let’s never forget that remarkable power and use it to break whatever is binding us to the things of this world. And now, since it’s Tuesday, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with much sincerity and sense of purpose.
All together 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.’
Oh my people, whenever we declare that mantra, I just feel real uplifted in my spirit. Why? I’m not sure. But I guess it’s because it defines me in the best way possible: the beloved of God and a friend of Jesus!
Now there could never be a better definition of who we are than that…And better still, NO ONE can take it from us! Oh glory to our great God my believing brethren!
That brings us to our Bit; the avid desire and command of our Leader, Jesus Christ. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
Unfortunately though my people, that is one command we don’t seem to be following too well because instead of coming to Christ, people are walking away from Him in droves. That’s definitely not good my fellow believers, because it means we’re not doing our part to assure the success of Christ’s LOVE Revolution.
Through fear and pressure from the evil world, we are allowing our spirits to fall into a sad state of disrepair; a malaise of enormous proportions seems to have taken over the Christian brotherhood, where we don’t fight as much and as hard as we used to do for our beliefs.
That’s not right my brethren. We are supposed to be soldiers in Christ’s army, and soldiers are supposed to fight; to fight tooth and nail for what they believe in!
What’s happening with us eh? Don’t we believe anymore? Or are we just comfortable and contented and want to enjoy the things of the world? Or are we simply so scared of Lucifer and His evil minions that we refuse to fight for what we say we believe in?
I don’t have the answers nuh friends. But I do know that we’re definitely not letting our light shine sufficiently before our fellow men, they’re not seeing enough of our good works, and thus are not glorifying our heavenly Father the way that He desires.
And we’ll end with an appropriate call from Bruh David from Psalm 22 – A cry of anguish and song of praise. ‘Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed (descendants) of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him (hold Him in awesome reverence), all ye the seed of Israel.
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.’ (Ps.22:23-24)
Ah mih people, let’s try and do better than we doing nuh! Let’s look deep inside and see where we are falling down, then with all sincerity and truth call upon the Lord to help us. As Bruh David says, He will hear and help us. Much LOVE!
…Christ’s earthly army needs a boost…probably a good, swift kick in the tail…to get us going like we ought…
29 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive difference, Amen, an empty church, and glorify your Father in heaven, bounden duty, carried to the fountain, christian conduct, embrace, esteem, evildoers, exalt, faith, faithful service, fear, fellowship with God, fellowshipping, Fill Me, fleshly lusts, foolsih men, glorify, God's children, God's LOVE, God's sanctuary, good works, honour, Hour of Power Devotional, I come O God, intimacy with god, invoke the Spirit of Christ, Jesus' Love Revolution, led by, let your light shine, light of the world, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, lusts, more room for God, movers and shakers, my soul will be filled, personal testimonies, praise, put to silence, rejuvenating our spirits, reverence, Robert H Sculler, salt of the earth, spheres of influence, spread the good news, Sunday, teach all nations, thank you, the day of visitation, the empty pitcher, the gospel, the Great Commission, the growing flower, the Holy Spirit, the ignorance, the living Christ, the Lord's Day, the mountain spring, the satisfying sun, the thirsty deer, this time of prayer, truth, turns hungrily, wherever two or three are gathered, worship, worshipping praising
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Well my people, a new week has begun! Yes it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the day for worshipping and praising and fellowshipping and rejuvenating our spirits at God’s sanctuary, or wherever two or three of God’s children choose to gather!
That’s the beauty of our faith; we don’t have to meet in a physical building, although that’s nice, but we can meet anywhere at all, under any conditions, and still invoke the Spirit of Christ to lead us in praise and worship.
Neither do we have to always meet in great numbers, although that too would be desirable, but we can have church with only two or three believers. I remember doing that some years ago. On a particularly cold winter’s morn, just the priest, Rev. Anne, the lay reader and I showed up for the 8.30 service. So they called me up to the altar, and we had church.
And you know there’s something about having church with only a few people that I like. I don’t know if it’s because there seems to be more intimacy with God and with each other. As the saying goes, there’s more room for God in an empty church. (smile)
Anyway, enough of my rambling, let’s move along, because we have plenty stuff to share this last Sunday morning in May of 2016. And we are going to begin with this prayerful poem of Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. It’s called ‘Fill Me!’ And it was so fine, I had to play it one more time. (smile)
Please pray with me. ‘O Lord, like the thirsty deer which goes to drink from the mountain spring; like the growing flower which turns hungrily to the satisfying sun; like the empty pitcher which is carried to the fountain to be filled; so I come, O God, knowing that in this time of prayer my soul will be filled with your LOVE and your truth. Thank you! Amen.’
Yes Friends, we definitely need our souls to be filled with God’s LOVE and truth so that we can sincerely and successfully perform what Jesus asks of us in our Bit. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
Remember yesterday we spoke about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world; our condition and our mission? Well that salt and light ought to morph into good works which will glorify, exalt, and raise the esteem of our heavenly Father. The unbeliever will see our faithful service and thus come to embrace the living Christ as their Lord and Saviour too.
Now Jesus, as is His wont, is putting it nicely to us here my fellow believers, but He didn’t have to, because that’s our bounden duty, it’s our main purpose here on earth, why we were created in the first place; to have fellowship with God, to glorify and exalt Him with our truly Christian conduct and consequently lead others to Him.
And I hope that we sincerely pondered our individual situations on the subject as I asked, and then prayed to God for help to rectify and/or improve our personal testimonies of being salt and light in a dark, bland and evil world.
Oh my people, it’s ever so important that we let our lights shine brilliantly wherever we are so that Jesus’ LOVE Revolution can grow, and we can spread the good news of His gospel to the entire world as He commanded in the Great Commission.
‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
Yes friends, all of that is included in being salt and light on God’s great earth!
Now hear how Peter puts it when he talks about living as servants of God. ‘Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
Having your conversation (conduct) honest (honourable) among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Submit yourselves to every ordinance (institution) of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors; as unto them sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
For so is the will of God that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness (evil), but as the servants of God. Honour all men, LOVE the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.’ (1 Pet.2:11-17)
Yes my brethren, that’s basically how we as Christians, followers of Christ, ought to live! Submit to authority, have a kind heart to everyone, especially to fellow believers, and above all, honour, reverence, fear, glorify and exalt Almighty God, our Creator and Provider!
Now, as we all know, it’s not easy living sincerely and successfully for Christ in this evil world, filled with numerous lusts and temptations, but if we walk and talk and be led by the Holy Spirit of God that dwells within us, we can make a positive difference in the world.
And yuh know friends, that’s all Jesus really desires of us; to make a positive difference in our earthly sojourn, no matter how small and seemingly negligible it might be. We can’t all be worldly movers and shakers, but we can ALL be effective believers and doers of the Word in our small spheres of influence. So let’s do it nuh. Much LOVE!
…even the smallest good deed in Christ’s name…will be well rewarded by our heavenly Father…
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