25 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 3 Canal, all things are possible with christ, Anselm, as much as lieth in you, aspires to inspire us, awesome hope, can't move forward, clean house, depends on you, disgraceful characters in the Bible, don't be ashamed of your story, done thee no wrong, find a business, follow peace, for a better tomorrow, groceries, high flying ideas, holiness, humongous house, if it be possible, inspire others, it's Saturday, Jesus, keep up with the Joneses, laundry, live peaceably with all men, look after children, looking back at our life, meddle in affairs, meddles with strife, no man shall see God, not belonging to him, not let it foment, not trying is failure, our leader, prince of peace, raises the negativity, risk failure, sleep in, stop minding other people's business, strife, strife makers, strive not with a man, take it prayerfully to Jesus, takes a dog by the ears, takes two to cause strife, there's something good in every day, two be four apartment, we're alive, with all men, without cause, working for Jesus, yeast
Romans 12:18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.
‘Awright, awright…it’s Saturday and you want to sleep in…so who’s stopping you eh?’ the husband angrily declares from his perch on the couch. The wife shakes her head and looks at him in amazement. ‘Yuh really bold face enough to ask that question?’ she finally shouts. ‘Yes, ah bold face enough to ask it, so why don’t you answer it eh?’ he retorts.
‘Well lemme tell yuh why ah can’t sleep in on a Saturday morning: first of all it have laundry to do; then there’s groceries to be made. You want to chock your tail full of food, but you’d never say let me face the store and buy some. Then there’s the children to look after…and this humongous house to clean…’
‘Whoa, whoa there mih lovely…’ the husband cuts in. ‘Doh tell me nothing about humongous house nuh! Remember I was quite comfortable in the li’l two be four apartment. But it was you an yuh high flying ideas, who wanted the big house, who wanted to keep up with the Joneses. So don’t tell me no nonsense about house too big to clean now nuh…’
Ah friends, it sounds humorous when you read it, but it certainly isn’t. Steups! In how many houses are those kinds of arguments repeated each week eh? Way too many! And after a while they only cause strife and resentment between the partners and allows the enemy to creep in and spoil the show. That’s definitely not what we need my brethren.
Remember one of the acclamations I included in the recent list was one that says: ‘I WILL NOT tolerate strife in my life!’ It’s oh so important that we don’t, and somehow or the other we have to find ways to not let it foment in our households and lives. The only serious way to handle it is to take it prayerfully and humbly to Jesus! But remember you still have to do your part to avoid or lessen it, because it takes two to cause strife.
Anyhow, later for this strife business. It’s Saturday, so let’s look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. First up is this: ‘If you try, you risk failure. If you don’t, you ensure it.’ There is some truth to that friends, for it’s only when you try something that you can fail. And if you don’t try, then you still fail, because you haven’t tried. (smile) Not trying is considered failure.
And the next quote tells us: ‘You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep rereading the last one.’ That should be obvious. If we keep looking back at our past life, we’ll never be able to move ahead with the bigger, brighter and more beautiful one that Jesus has planned for us.
That brings us to ‘Don’t be ashamed of your story it will inspire others.’ And that’s no lie my brethren! Just look at the shady, deceitful and disgraceful characters the Lord used in the Bible to do His great works? Check out Jacob, the swindler; Matthew the tax collector; Bruh David the murderer and adulterer; and Bruh Paul the murderer! Their stories have all been told to inspire us in one way or another. And so will ours be to others.
And the final quote says: ‘Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.’ And that’s the gospel truth friends! There’s no day that’s completely bad! There’s always something good in it to redeem it, even if it’s just the fact that we’re alive. That means we have the awesome hope, that living and working for Jesus will make tomorrow a better day. So brighten up, remember ALL things are possible with and through Jesus!
That brings us back to the matter of strife in our lives and our Bit, the wise words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.‘If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.’ That includes women too! (smile)
Ah mih breddren, just look at our world nuh; it’s just strife filled all over. It’s so much easier to pinpoint the areas where there’s little or no strife than the ones with a whole lot. And if the world is strife-filled, then it’s only logical to assume that a lot of our homes and individual lives will also be strife-filled. But that’s not the life that the Lord planned for any of us.
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs. ‘Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no wrong.’ (Prov.3:30) But there’s so much strife that’s’ flying around that has no real basis for it? Too much!
And Cousin Sol also gives us this bit of wisdom in Proverbs on the subject. ‘He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.’ And oh, so many of us meddle in affairs that don’t concern us! We have an opinion on everything and everyone, although we don’t know the half of the story.
But friends, like 3 Canal said so long ago in their song: ‘If you don’t have no business, then get some business, and stop minding other people’s business nuh!’ Words to live by mih bredden!
And we’ll end with these wise words from Hebrews: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb.12:14) Ah friends, with those wise words in mind, let’s begin today to rid our lives of strife and live as peacefully as we can with everybody. Our Leader Jesus, is known as the Prince of Peace, so how can we, His followers be strife makers eh? Much LOVE!
…strife in our lives…is like yeast in bread…it causes the negativity to rise up…
14 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a term of reproach, accept His invitation, another person's perspective, Anselm, aspires to inspire, be brave, bitter rivals, bounden duty, burden is light, capacity to run, come unto me, compassion, cynical, empathy, excitement, experience, figurative, followers of Jesus, for a better tomorrow, fulfilling the commandment, Gentile ancestry, gentle, great is thy faithfulness, grow in Christ, heavy laden, his compassions fail not, hot summer's day, humble, I am meek and lowly in heart, I will give you rest, individual prisms, insult, joy, judgemental, labour, learn from me, life is short, live on the safe side, LOVE, love thy neighbour, material, new every morning, not consumed, nothing can substitute experience, objective experience, old fogies, pampered, parable, per Jesus' example, provocative, reality, repulsive, selfish people, shone a poor light, step out of our comfort zone, suffering mankind, take my yoke, take risks, the ability, the Good Samaritan, the great invitation, the Lord's mercies, time's not waiting on us, to fully experience life, turn to Jesus, ultimate truth, understanding life, use the time, wealth, wisdom, wisest decision
Lamentations 3:22-23. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Ah mih Scrip-Bit breddren another hot summer’s day is in the offing… But what do we expect eh? It’s summer! It’s supposed to be hot! We’re just a bunch of pampered, selfish people, who only want it to be the way we want it! It’s a good thing though that our God thinks differently. (smile)
Anyway, it’s Saturday, so let’s get going with some really interesting quotes this week from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.’ And that’s no lie friends, for all the material wealth in the world cannot be compared to the figurative wealth, talking about wisdom and experience and simple joy that one gets from living a full and productive life.
That brings us to this next quote that’s tied up with the first. ‘Life is short and the older you get, the more you feel it. Indeed, the shorter it is. People lose their capacity to walk, run, travel, think, and experience life. I realize how important it is to use the time I have.’
And is that ever so true! When we’re young, energetic and supple, we feel like time is there waiting on us, like we have oodles of it. But the older we get, the more restricted our bodies become and we realize that time’s not waiting on us, and we need to use whatever we have left in a big way. The old fogies like me, will recognize the ultimate truth in that statement. (smile)
Therefore, one has to ‘Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.’ That also relates back to our first quote, because we all know that a life lived on the safe side does not produce any real joy and excitement, just a bland, so-so existence, and that’s not the kind of life that Jesus died for us to have.
We were put down here to experience life, not merely go through the motions. That means we need to step out of our comfort zone and take some risks every so often; for that’s the only way we will ever grow, both in Christ and in the living world.
And the last quote is rather eye opening: ‘Empathy begins with understanding life from another person’s perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It’s all through our own individual prisms.’
Yes friends, if we could only see life through another’s eyes, we would not be as judgemental and cynical and repulsive and repugnant as we are. And only when we try to understand another’s position or circumstance can we have that wonderful trait called empathy, which is just another name for compassion.
That brings us right to our Bit. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’
h mih people, it’s the Lord’s empathy towards us that has us breathing and experiencing another day in His world! That’s what Jesus had for us, that’s why he came and died to pay for our sins, and it’s the same thing we need to have for others, even though they may be different in many or all respects from us. And I want to finish the scriptures on compassion today, so let’s get right to it.
And the first scripture comes from a parable of Jesus, one we all know and talk about but don’t practice nearly as much as we ought to, else life would not be as bad as it is. (smile) That’s the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Levite and the priest, supposedly good and religious people, passed by the wounded man on the ground with nothing but a mere glance.
Regardless of what excuses they might have had for their behaviour, in Jesus’ eyes, they were heartless, unsympathetic people. ‘But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.’ (Matt.10:33) And we all know the story of how he looked after him, took him to an inn and paid for his recovery.
And the scholars offer a good explanation of the situation surrounding the parable. ‘10:33. Jews and Samaritans were bitter rivals (John 4:9). The Samaritans were despised for having at least partially Gentile ancestry (due to Assyria’s conquest of Samaria in 721 (B.C) and for having a different worship centre (Mount Gerizim; John 4:20).
Thus Jesus’ parable was highly provocative. Samaritan was to Jesus’ hearers automatically a term of reproach. To portray a Samaritan as fulfilling the commandment (see v.27) (LOVE thy neighbour as thyself), but Jews as circumventing it, would be a supreme insult to the listening lawyer (v.25) and to the rest of the audience.’
Unfortunately though my brethren, that’s exactly how a lot of us supposed believers behave, while unbelievers offer more empathy, sympathy and compassion to their fallen brethren. And just like it shone a poor light on the priest and the Levite, it likewise shines a poor light on us. So let’s try and be more supportive of others nuh, regardless of their race, creed or class, because that’s what Jesus asks of, and expects of His followers.
And we’ll end this series of messages on compassion with the most important scriptures of them all on the subject; Jesus’ Great Invitation to a suffering mankind. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, my people, what a magnificent offer! No one else has ever offered such an invitation besides Jesus, because NO ONE else had, or has the ability to keep it! So please, I implore us, in these crazy times, let’s turn to Jesus and accept His invitation nuh, it’s the wisest decision we can ever make. And furthermore, let’s also try and get others to do the same, for it’s our bounden duty as followers of Christ! Much LOVE!
…the Christian life is all about…compassion…compassion…compassion…as per Jesus’ example…
29 Apr 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doer of the work, a forgetful hearer, a word to the wise, alive and kicking, be wise, blessed are they that keep my ways, consequences, disdain the rules, Emergency situation, feel sorry for myself, finds life, finds me, focusing your life, for a better tomorrow, future, hear instruction, hearken unto me, hitch your wagon, I'm going to press on, inspire us, Jesus, LOVE, love death, make progress, o ye children, on making a buck, operation was a success, perfect law of liberty, poverty of ambition, prayers, quotes from Anselm, refurbishment, rewards, riches, Saturday, shall be blessd, sin against God, sufficient, the Lord willing, the value of life, those who press on, time to complain, to something larger than yourself, tumour, value of wisdom, walking down the right path, wastes one hour of time, watching at my gates, wealth, willing to keep walking, wisdom, wonderful god, wrongs his own soul
Proverbs 8:32. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Well hello there mih loverlies! This is the ole fellow reporting from St. Mike’s alive and kicking, thanks to our great and wonderful God! Praise His Holy Name! Yes friends, I guess with all the prayers you all sent up to heaven on my behalf, the Lord had no option but to leave me down here. His very words were; ‘If you all want him down there so badly, you all might as well keep him. I can wait for him a li’l longer. (smile)
The operation appears to have been a success, except that it seemed to take a little longer than expected, because the tumour was tied up in some of the other organs, but you know I knew nothing about that, because I was out for the count. I am feeling not too bad now late in the evening, so I decided to write the Bit.
And as we know today is Saturday, so we have to look at some of the quotes from our friend Anselm, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And I think this first one refers perfectly to my current situation. ‘The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.’ And that is exactly what I intend to do; press on regardless, especially as the Lord has at last begun my refurbishment. (smile)
Then there is this one: ‘A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.’ That’s so true my brethren, life is short, so why waste any of it eh? This one is also true: ‘If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.’ But note, it needs the right path, and you’re supposed to keep on walking, not stop sometime when you get tired.
And as usual we’ve left the best for last: ‘Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.’ And friends that wagon you need to hitch yourself to, the one that is so much larger and better than you is simply Jesus!
There is nothing better nor larger than Him. And I know that all of you who are reading this know that’s true, that’s why you’ve hitched your wagon to His bright and everlasting star. That’s why Cousin Sol gives us this talk on the everlasting value of wisdom, starting with our Bit. ‘Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.’
And regardless of what wagon you hitch your star to, you will have to follow its rules and regulations, if you want to get ahead in its programme. And that goes for Jesus even more. As Cousin Sol continues: ‘Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not (do not disdain it).’ (Prov.8:33) But sadly a lot of us disdain the rules of Jesus and thus suffer the consequences, for there are always consequences to every action, good or bad.
However, Cousin Sol tells us that ‘Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For who findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me LOVE death.’(Prov.8:34-36) Yeh mih people, if we don’t like wisdom, then death is our friend, and that’s truly a sad reflection on us.
Because the Good Book has given us so many promises when we follow the Lord seriously. Hear the Psalmist. ‘Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth (lasts) for ever.’ (Ps.112:1-3)
What more can we ask eh good people of God? Nothing really, for God gives us all that we need when we stand strong with him. And we’ll close with some more wise words from James on the subject. ‘But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (what he does).’ (James 2:25)
Oh friends, we must keep on hearing and doing the word if we want to be truly blessed. That’s wisdom at its highest! Thanks for all your prayers. You can see that the Lord answered them. (smile) And as I write this there’s an emergency situation in the bed to my right. Hope the gentleman makes it. Talk to you tomorrow, the Lord willing. Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise…is usually sufficient….
P.S. The gentleman next door did make it. Thanks to God and good and quick medical help. Much LOVE!
03 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adulteries, anchor us, anger, Anselm, ask the Lord for help, bamboozled, be at peace, beauty comes from the inside out, blasphemies, Christians, comes from the heart, defiles a man, do great things, eat with unwashed hands, evil thoughts, fall for anything, false witness, flooding, for a better tomorrow, fornications, give account for our words, goes into the belly, harvest you reap, hatred, high winds, hypocritcal things, in a great way, in Jesus' name, inspire us, is emptied in the draught, judge each day, light, lose heart, LOVE your neighbour, love yourself, murders, negative emotions, Pharisees, power, pray for them, rain, reap a good harvest, resentment, scribes, sincere efforts, small things, snow, sow good seeds, stands for nothing, stay positive, that which comes out of the mouth, that which goes in the mouth, the blind leading the blind, the seeds you plant, the state of our hearts, thefts, time of distress, violence, winter storm, wonder of wonders
Matthew 15:11. Not that which goeth into the mouth that defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Ah Lord eh friends, that winter storm that we talked about yesterday did hit the U.S. North East and Midwest with a vengeance! Rain and snow, high winds and flooding wreaked havoc in several states, including, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
Thankfully though, now it has passed on, leaving the unfortunate victims to pull themselves together as best they can, many without light and power. Please, let’s pray for them in their time of distress and do whatever we can to alleviate their situation, for one day we might find ourselves in the same situation, needing the help of others.
And strangely, we got nothing in my area, but the li’l snow that fell overnight, and wonder of wonders, by mid- afternoon, all traces of snow had disappeared. Thank the Lord! Anyway, it’s Saturday, which means turning our attention to some of the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his sincere effort to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first quote says: ‘A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.’ We all know that. We always need something to believe in, something to anchor us, be it good or bad, right or wrong, otherwise we’ll be easily bamboozled by anything. (smile)
The second one wisely advises: ‘Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.’ And is that ever so true my people! The seeds we plant are always more important than the harvest we reap. That’s because we will only reap what we sow.
As they say, we can’t sow peas and expect to reap corn. Therefore, if you want to reap a good harvest, then it is a necessity to first sow good seeds. Please, let’s all concentrate on sowing good seeds in Jesus name, and leave the harvest to Him.
Now hear this quote: ‘If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.’ Glory be my fellow believers! Comparatively speaking, very few of us will ever be able to do great things in this world, but ALL of us can do small things in a good and great manner.
Remember, the small things do matter, and when you add up the small things, then you get the big ones. So let’s not lose heart if today we’re not embarked on some project that will become great and also make us great, but sincerely concentrate on the small ones we have going and make them as good as we can. The Lord appreciates ALL sincere efforts, and you don’t have to do something great for Him to be pleased with you, just do His will.
And as always, I’ve left the best for last: ‘LOVE yourself. It is important to stay positive because beauty comes from the inside out.’ Words of immense wisdom and common sense my brethren! Remember one of Jesus’ commands, in fact the second great commandment was to LOVE your neighbour as you LOVED yourself. (Matt.22:39)
That means you have to be at peace with yourself and like yourself, if you are going to have similar emotions for someone else. But unfortunately too many of us, Christians included, don’t seem to like ourselves. Why? I really can’t say nuh. But that’s one of the reasons why there’s so much anger, hatred, violence, resentment and all the other negative emotions floating around in our world today.
If we liked ourselves more than we seem to do, there would be a lot less of that stuff doing the rounds, because we would have more beauty, more good stuff to share. That brings us to our Bit; momentous words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth that defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.’
Yeh friends, it’s what comes out of our mouths that defiles us, makes us nasty and angry and otherwise negative, not what goes in. As Jesus later on expatiates to the His disciples, when they didn’t understand His parable, re the blind leading the blind (Matt.15:13) ‘Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out (eliminated) into the draught?
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man.’ (Matt.15:16-20)
Yes my people, the scribes and Pharisees had complained earlier on about the disciples eating with unwashed hands, which was a big thing in Jewish society back then. But Jesus put them in their place by telling them about all the hypocritical things that they did, that came from within them, that were much worse than eating with unwashed hands. (Matt.15:1-11)
So friends, let’s spend some time this weekend pondering the state of our own hearts nuh, to see what’s in there that will tend to defile us when we open our mouths. And whatever we find, please, let’s ask the Lord to help us eradicate it, so that when we speak, only good stuff will come forth. Much LOVE!
…every man…will eventually give account…for every word he has ever spoken…
03 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Anselm, aspire, be afraid, for a better tomorrow, friends, God said, Let there be light, living for Jesus, nothing is impossible, positive, Saturday, shake it rough, there was light, think big, to inpsire
Genesis 1:3. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.
And then it was Saturday, your day to do as you please… Hn! Some sniff. Do as I please eh? You don’t see the amount of clothes waiting to be washed; the children to be cleaned and fed; the groceries that need to be made…?
Yeh mih people, for some of us the weekend is just as busy as the weekday, the work is at home though, doing the things we don’t have time to do during the week. But that’s just a product of our ever so busy society and the contrary lives we’re forced to live.
But friends, if we’re living for Jesus, then we won’t shake it so rough, because He will lend a hand in all our doings, if we allow Him to. He just wants to get involved in whatever we do. That’s just the kind of guy He is. So hopefully, you’ll let Jesus into your life this morning and allow Him to help you with your chores. That’s wisdom at it’s best.
And since today is Saturday, let’s see what other words of wisdom our friend Anselm provided for us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first quote is one of enormous wisdom: ‘Begin each day with a grateful heart.’ Oh friends, oh friends, there’s no better advice than that, especially as Christians! Christ has done so much for us, and still wants to do more, that we’d be foolish not to begin each day showing our gratefulness.
Then the next one states: ‘Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being positive about what could go right.’ That’s more excellent advice my people. The Good Book tells us on numerous occasions, not to fear or be afraid. In other words, think positively, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Why think negatively when the Creator and Controller of the universe is in your corner eh?
And ‘As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.’ You might as well. What’s the purpose of thinking small, when you can think big? Our God is a big and expansive God, and He has big plans for each of us, so we’ll be wasting His assets and attributes if we keep thinking puny thoughts.
And that quote segues nicely to this last one. ‘Nothing is impossible, the word it self says I’m possible.’ And that’s the awesome truth! Glory to God my fellow believers!
Oh my brethren, the word of God is the most powerful tool in the universe! And it has to be if God spoke the world into existence as our Bit declares. ‘And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.’
That’s why we are cautioned to be very careful with our words, because they not only have tremendous power, but we will also pay for any wrong ones later on. So God spoke the day and night into existence on the first day.
Then on the second, He said: ‘Let there be a firmament (an expanse) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’(Gen.1:6) So He made the heavens and the seas.
Then on the third day, He proclaimed: ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.’ (Gen.1:9)
And on the fourth day, ‘God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.’ (Gen.1:14-15)
Then on the fifth day, ‘God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, (abound with an abundance of living creatures), and fowl that they may fly (and let birds fly) above the earth in the open firmament of heaven (across the face of the expanse of heaven). (Gen.1:20) So God made fish in the sea and birds in the air.
Then on the sixth day, He made animals on earth and mankind after His own image. (Gen:1:24-31) The only thing God did not directly speak into existence was man. Instead He took the dirt of the earth and formed Him from it, possibly to remind us of where we came from and to what we will return. But everything else God simply spoke them into existence. And if that doesn’t prove how mighty the word of the Lord is, then I don’t know what will.
That’s why the old saying that sticks and stones may hurt us but words never will is rubbish. Words have the power to hurt us more than sticks and stones. We usually recover from physical hurts with the passage of time, but emotional hurts don’t necessarily heal as time goes by. Consequently, we have to be very careful of the words we speak to each other.
And that’s why the world is in such an unholy uproar these days; people are talking too much and using too many inflammatory words. Negative and hateful talk is so rampant in our world, that those who talk of LOVE and positive situations are usually drowned out by the negativity.
But friends, that is what we as believers in Christ are called to do; speak positive words of LOVE and caring, so that God’s kingdom can take root here on earth. Please let’s do that, and thus warm the cockles of Jesus’ heart nuh. Much LOVE!
…the word…the word…all power is in the word…
04 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A game, a great day, a positive approach, a positive light, a very present help, agile, allow more than we can bear, almighty god, annoyed, Anselm, atone for our sins, attitude, available help, bad, begotten Son, believers, Christ's gospel, Christians, create a problem, David, deadly turmoil, desperate, dwelling within you, fear, fear God, for a better tomorrow, glory hallelujah, god, God is our refuge and strength, good, good news, helpless, highest Being, holy spirit, hope, in God's world, inspire us, Jesus Christ, Job, Joseph, little things, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, mindset, miserable, negative circumstances, omnipotent force, over think, Paul, personal testimony, problem free, prominent in our thoughts, rattle us, refuge, rejection, resources, right places, roar, Saturday, sleeping in, spreading love, strength, supple, surrender, test, the earth be removed, the Good Book, the heart of the sea, the mountains, think too much, this too shall pass, trouble, trust, understanding, walking with, wisdom, wrong choices
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present (abundantly available) help in trouble.
Saturday, oh Saturday; what a great day! Oh, let me take that back…no embellish it. Saturday is a great day -good for sleeping in, like I just did – (smile), but the real truth is that EVERY day is a great day in God’s world!
How could they not be when you have the Holy Spirit of your Creator constantly walking with and dwelling within you eh? Oh, we ought to know that just because we call ourselves Christians and have Jesus beside us all the time, that all our days will not be worry and problem free.
Unfortunately many of us supposed believers seem to think so, but if you look through the Good Book you’ll notice that some of the men and women of greatest faith and holiness, like Bruh Joseph, Bruh David, Uncle Job and Bruh Paul had more problems than some of their lesser peers, with the most important being our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And what makes every day a great day is basically our mindset and attitude. A positive approach to life is the best. Obviously there will be some negative circumstances, but the trick is to try and consider them in a positive light; like the Lord is testing us, and this too shall pass, and He won’t allow more than we can bear.
Our God must always be prominent in our thoughts whether we are experiencing good or bad circumstances. As Job said when his whole life crumbled in mere moments, we can’t always expect good and not some bad. That’s just how life is in our fallen and sinful world.
And I have personal testimony to that this morning. And before giving it, I have to exhale a ‘Steups!’ and an ‘Ah Lord eh!’ Why? Because I just came down to my office to write the Bit, and lo and behold I saw that one of the panels in the ceiling of the office had come apart.
Obviously I was annoyed, and further annoyed when I tried to put it back together and found that I couldn’t do it by myself. I couldn’t raise my hands above my head and hold all the stuff together at the same time. Some years ago I could have done it, although it has always been a finicky job; as you fix one side, the other tends to drop out etc.
And believe me, I can’t see any reason why that particular panel fell out, except to test my resources. (smile) But am I going to let it spoil my day? Obviously not! It’s relatively a small, unimportant thing, which can stay as it is until I can get someone to help me put it back together again.
Yeh friends, too many of us allow little things to rattle us and get us off of our ‘A game’ and spoil the rest of our day. That brings us to the quotes from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. I only got two from him this week, don’t know what happened.
But anyway, this first one segues in quite nicely to what we’ve been talking about. ‘Don’t think too much…. you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.’ And that’s quite possible.
When problems befall us we tend to over think them, wondering why, what, when, wherefore and all the other questions, which only makes the current problem bigger than it ought to be.
I could have done that with the fallen bit of ceiling, but it wouldn’t have gotten me anywhere, except miserable. And it at least brought home the knowledge that I’m not as agile and supple as I used to be. (smile)
And the next quote says: ‘Sometimes the wrong choices bring us to the right places.’ I really don’t know how to view that nuh, except to think that when we make wrong choices we can end up in places so desperate and helpless, that we are forced to turn to God for help to extricate us.
And that’s why our Bit tells it like it is. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present (abundantly available) help in trouble.’
And all God’s people shouted a loud and grateful ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ because they know that that statement is the ultimate in truth. Yeh friends, when you belong to the most omnipotent force, the highest Being in the universe, you have no reason to fear what man can do to you.
And as the sons of Korah continue to sing their song of praise and tribute: ‘Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps.46:2-3)
Yeh mih people, though the earth and all therein erupt in deadly turmoil, yet we who believe in Almighty God will not be afraid. Glory to God! So total is our surrender, so strong is our faith, hope and trust in Him, that nothing will move us, except His rejection.
And we know that will NEVER happen! Not after He showed His undying LOVE and sacrificed His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to atone for our abominable sins.
So let us go forward this Saturday morning, filled with the strength, wisdom and understanding granted us through His Holy Spirit and make it a great day, spreading LOVE and the good news of Christ’s gospel to all and sundry. That’s the way our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, desires it. Much LOVE!
…don’t fear man…but certainly fear God…
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