15 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a strategy to help us cope, a strong fighting spirit, artificial intelligence, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee, blessing and cursing, cast into the lake of fire, eternally separated from God, for God so loved the world, forgive us and heal our land, free will is good if used wisely, he gave his only begotten son, hear our prayer, humble servants, I have set before you life and death, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, if you don't use it you'll lose it, Jehovah Rapha, living for Jesus, lose the use of our faculties, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no good thing will he withhold, O Lord of hosts, robots, seeking nothing but victory for christ, self-driven vehicles, seriously disobeyed your word, short attention span, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere repentance in our hearts, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, that both thou and thy seed shall live, the Covid 19 pandemic, the God who heals, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, them that walk uprightly, therefore choose life, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, we have all sinned, who ever believes in Jesus will not perish
Psalm 84:12. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Now, since each day unerringly follows the other, like the moon automatically follows the sun, today had to be Monday because yesterday was Sunday, when we gathered in worship and the Lord refreshed and strengthened us to begin the new workweek with a strong fighting spirit, seeking nothing but victory for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and His righteous kingdom!
And yes, I know that’s a long, convoluted sentence, but sometimes those sentences are good, because they get us to stop and think about what they really mean, especially in this age of the short attention span, where we don’t have to use our brains to figure out anything, since it’s laid out right on a silver platter, short and sweet for us. But please remember that old saying, ‘if you don’t use it, you will lose it.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people. If we don’t use our God-given gifts, they will atrophy and eventually become useless.
And sadly, that’s where our world is headed right now, what with things like robots, artificial intelligence and self-driven vehicles becoming more a part of our everyday life. Soon we won’t have to do anything for ourselves and consequently we’ll lose the use of most of our faculties. In fact, a lot of us have already begun losing the use of many of our faculties with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic where we were isolated for a long period of time. That only lead to a higher than normal amount of fear, anxiety, depression, mental illness and domestic abuse.
But since the pandemic doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon, we desperately need to have a strategy in place to help us cope with all the negative stuff that’s currently circulating in our world. Now my brethren, the only avenue I see open and able to deal with our situation is living for Jesus! That’s the long and short of the story! Jesus is the ONLY One who can help us to successfully handle all the negativity that’s coming against us at this present time.
And what grounds do I have for saying so. Listen to these encouraging and uplifting words of the psalmist. He positively proclaims: ‘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)
Wow friends! What a marvellous declaration! That’s why we believe, or rather we know that those who worship the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be able to withstand anything that comes against them. The Lord God Himself has promised it. As Jeremiah declared: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) And we all know that Jehovah God keeps ALL of His promises! He’s not reneged on a single one down through the ages.
However, to command His marvellous benefits, we need to walk uprightly and obediently before Him. And with the free will He’s given us, it’s our choice, our decision to make. Please note though, these most important words of Moses to the Israelites. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) And that charge still stands today my people!
We still have the free will, the opportunity to choose life or death, blessing or cursing. Unfortunately though, many of us seem to be choosing death and cursing over life and blessing by refusing to follow the Lord, to walk uprightly and obediently before Him. That’s a totally unwise decision friends, one that we will pay for in the long run when we are eternally separated from God, and cast into the lake of fire with Satan, the prince of darkness and disobedience.
Remember, what Bruh Paul said about disobedience: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is sternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23) And just like the Lord keeps the good promises, He also keeps the tough ones. So, there will be no getting away in the end if you don’t walk uprightly and follow His Son Jesus.
And that’s the very reason He sent Jesus to die on the cross. Hear Jesus tell it nuh. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) And that’s it in a nutshell. If you don’t believe in Christ, you will perish, as simple as that.
And friends, from personal experience, I can tell you that though living for Jesus might seem difficult in this evil and ungodly world, the reality is that He gives you the wherewithal to handle whatever comes against you. He won’t always make life easy, but He will enable you to handle life. No other supposed deity can sincerely and successfully promise that. So I plead with you, please rethink your options, and if you haven’t already chosen Jesus, please do so asap, in fact right now, because tomorrow, or even later, could be too late.
So, let’s go to the Lord in prayer, through what we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and sincerely open up our hearts and souls to Him, pleading for His help. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, if we want the Lord to keep His promises, it behooves us to keep ours. Much LOVE!
…free will is good…but only if used wisely…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
25 Oct 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be quiet and listen to God, be strong and of a good courage, blood sweat and tears, by day in a pillar of cloud, by night in a pillar of fire, forgive us and heal our land, give us wise guidance, God is faithful, God is never late, God will supply all of our needs, God's grace is sufficient, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, heavenly rewards, Jehovah Rapha, know our purpose, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, put our shoulders to the wheel, shall not depart out of thy mouth, sincere repentance in our hearts, temptation will not overtake us, the fruit of our earthly labour, the God who heals, the just in time principle, the Lord thy God goes before you, then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, this book of the law, thou shalt have good success, thou shalt meditate therein day and night
Deuteronomy 8:6. ‘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 before thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’
A good Monday morning to you my faithful friends and neighbours! Grace and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to all those who sincerely trust and believe in Him. And since the breath of life continues to run through our bodies on this fateful Monday, it means that there is still important work for us to do down here in Christ’s name. Some of us know what that work is, and should faithfully put our shoulders to the wheel and do it without complaints, for He will greatly enable us to perform whatever He calls us to do.
Meanwhile, for those of us who don’t know our particular purpose, it’s ever so important for us to seek it out with the Lord’s help, for one day we shall all come before Him to answer for what we’ve done with our lives. And I don’t believe that ignorance of our earthly purpose will be a satisfactory answer. (smile) Remember, heavenly rewards are based on the fruit of our earthly labour, and if we didn’t bear any good earthly fruit, how can we expect to reap heavenly rewards eh?
And how do you find out your earthly purpose, you ask? Simple. Go to God and ask Him. Find a quiet place and some quiet time to spend with Him; read His word, think on it, and talk to Him like you’d talk to a friend, and He will answer your questions. Possibly not all at once, or in a loud voice, but quietly, in your spirit, you will eventually feel a nudging in a certain direction…or it might even be much more than a nudge, a direct command.
But remember too, that after we pose our questions to God, like in every other conversation, we need to be quiet and listen for His response. And that’s where so many of us fail, and complain that God doesn’t speak to us. It’s obvious that if we don’t listen, we can’t hear Him speaking. However, with the impatience of our current society, we expect to receive the answer right away, but that isn’t how our God operates. Unless it’s a dire emergency, He expects us to be patient and contemplative, not rushing around aimlessly like so much of our world is doing.
There’s no need to worry friends. If you ask God for directions, He will give them to you, just in His own time and fashion. Don’t worry about Him being late either. He knows what’s important and when and operates on the just in time principle. From personal experience, I know that’s an aggravating principle, but after the first few times, you’ll realize that God is faithful and will not let you down, He will arrive just in time.
But that means putting your trust in Him, which means spending quality time with Him, getting to know Him as intimately as possible, because trust can only be built through intimacy and sincerity and time spent together. And that trust can’t be built overnight either. It will take time, as much or as little time as you choose to put into the relationship. Remember, our heavenly Father is always there, ready, willing and able to talk to us, and when He feels the need, He will open a conversation with us, but basically, it’s our responsibility to get the ball rolling.
And in building trust, you must learn to rely wholeheartedly on His promises; promises like His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9); Temptation will not overtake us (1 Cor. 10:13); Victory over death (1 Cor. 15:57) To supply us with every need we have (Phil. 4:19) Eternal life. (John 3:16, 10:28) All things work together for good for those who love and serve Him faithfully (Rom. 8:28)
But yuh know what my people? Sincere trust also calls for bravery and courage. And believers need them each and every moment of every day if they are to be faithful to God’s desires. They are not easy to come by in this evil and ungodly world either, but God in His everlasting wisdom has also made provision for that. Remember these words of Moses to the Israelites. ‘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 before thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 8:6)
And that’s gospel truth, for you see how He led the Israelites when He brought them out of bondage in Egypt. The Good Book tells us: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:’ (Ex. 13:21) But to acquire that bravery and courage, trust and surrender, here’s what the Lord said to Joshua, when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) And therein lies the secret to success in God’s kingdom; learn His Word and put it into action.
That’s it in a nutshell friends. If you don’t know His Word then you can’t keep His commands. And to truly truly know it, you must also have good and frequent communication with the Lord so He can explain the parts you don’t understand. (smile) And communicating with God is called prayer, and there is never a better time for prayer than the moment you think of it. So, since it’s in our thoughts right now, I think it’s appropriate that we approach the Lord in prayer through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, laying out our problems and desires before Him.
As one strong voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now remember that God not only listens to our words but also checks our hearts to see if our motives are right and true, before He answers our prayers. Much LOVE!
…to truly live for the Lord…one must put a sincere effort into it…meaning blood, sweat and tears…like Jesus did…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
18 Oct 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and I know how to abound, forgive us and heal our land, humble servants, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I have learned, I know both how to be abased, in whatsoever state I am, Jehovah Rapha, live in prosperity, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Not that I speak in respect of want, practical experiences in life, praise Your Holy Name, promised to work all things out for good, regardless of our circumstances, sincere repentance in our hearts, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the hard knocks of life, the Lord be praised, the power of Christ is within you, the universe unfurls, therewith to be content, to everything there is a season, true contentment in all seasons, wise guidance and direction
Philippians 4:11. Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
And since the universe unfurls exactly as its Creator programmed it to do, today is Monday! That’s what the printout says, and there is nothing we can do to change it, so we might as well just accept it and say, ‘the Lord be praised!’ (smile) Yes friends, we don’t have much, if any say in how the world turns, which means we had better learn to accept and be contented in whatever state we are in, allowing the Holy Spirit of Jesus to lead and guide us, knowing that in the end we will be well looked after by our heavenly Father, who has promised to work all things out for our good.
And as Tim Sullivan says in the opening remarks of his sermon of how to abound and how to be abased, on the workerstogetherwithhim.org website. ‘To everything there is a season. Some seasons are of ease and others are of struggle. Life certainly has its ups and downs. But God desires that we know true contentment in all seasons, regardless of the circumstances that surround us.’
Now all of that is gospel truth, as Cousin Sol articulates as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.’ (Eccl. 3:1) And the Lord expects believers to handle whatever comes against them in any and every season with zeal and panache, with style and flair. (smile) And it’s great if we can handle the ups and downs of life with equanimity, that’s a calm and composed manner, especially in the difficult times. It’s not an easy thing to do though.
That brings us to the encouraging words of Bruh Paul in his epistle to the church at Philippi, when talking about his appreciation of their gift. ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’ (Phil. 4:11) And therein lies the Christian’s problem: being content does not come as naturally to us, as complaining does. (smile) We have to learn how to be content. And that takes a lot of learning in a lot of difficult situations.
Hear the scholars’ explanation on that verse. ‘4:11. Not that I speak in respect (because) of want: Paul’s ability to be content despite the circumstances assures the readers that his joy of verse 10 is not solely over his “need” being met at their expense. He implies that he could have done without their financial aid. For justifies this implication. I have learned …to be content: The Greek here suggests that contentment is a lesson learned neither in a classroom nor overnight, but through many practical experiences in life.’
Yuh better believe that friends, you can’t learn contentment in any classroom or in a short period of time. It’s only learned by going through the many hard knocks of life. As Bruh Paul continues: ‘I know both how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’ (Phil. 4:12)
And the scholars tell us: ‘4:12. By listing some specific examples, this verse elaborates upon the very general and broad “in whatsoever state I am” of verse 11. Be abased means literally to discipline oneself, that is tighten the belt in lean times. To abound means to live in prosperity. Every where and in all things I am instructed (or “in all circumstances I have learned the secret of how”) to be full, that is “well-fed.” Paul has acquired the skill for successfully living with little and with much, the latter probably being harder.’
And to back up that statement, they quote the British Philosopher Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) ‘For one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.’ And surprisingly that is very true. There are many who will withstand adversity better than prosperity. But here is the kicker, the engine power that makes the whole situation work. Bruh Paul’s proclamation: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil 4:13) All power and glory be to God, my fellow saints!
Yes friends, that’s how we can abound and be abased and not lose hope and faith and trust in Almighty God! Now listen to the scholars: 4:13. The apostle’s ability of knowing how to live skillfully on little or in prosperity does not mean that he is a spiritual superman. The reason he can live in such extremes is not owing to his own ability. Rather he can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth him, thus enabling him to adapt to his various, ever-changing circumstances. God orders Paul’s various circumstances, and God gives him the strength to be content in them all, trying and perplexing though they may be.’
And that’s exactly what He does for every one of His children! God orders our steps, and He also gives us the wherewithal to handle them. That’s the kind of God He is, a fair, just, righteous and LOVING God! And the sooner we understand and appreciate that fact, the sooner we will make inroads into living the contented life. Now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s seek His omnipotent help with the many problems we are currently experiencing.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now let’s go out and keep those promises we just made, so that the Lord can bless us and our land. Much LOVE!
…you can’t strong in ALL circumstances…unless the power of Christ is within you…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
11 Oct 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a most dreary time, be careful for nothing, bless the LOrd o my soul, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, drink the asweet, eat the fat, Ezra, faith in Christ, forgive us and heal our land, go your way, God so loved the world, Happy Thanksgiving Canada, he gave his only begotten son, humble ourselves, in every thing, in everything give thanks, Jehovah Rapha, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord, let your requests be made known unto God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Nehemiah, O Give thanks unto the Lord, please be careful, reverence and appreciate our Creator, send portions unto them for whom nothing has been prepared, show our gratitude, sing psalms unto him, sing unto him, take precautions, talk ye of all his wondrous works, Thanks be to God, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the breath of life, the God who heals, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God which passeth all understading, this is the day the Lord has made, this is the will of God, we will rejoice and be glad in it, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, wise guidance and direction
HAPPY THANKSGIVING CANADA!
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.
Oh friends, is it ever good to awaken to another day, another Monday, another Thanksgiving Monday! And all God’s people said: ‘Thanks be to God, who keeps the breath of life flowing through our earthly bodies!’ And why does He do that? Because He has a plan and a purpose for our lives, which includes enjoyment of the day. That’s why we say: ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) Yes, my brethren, that’s the only way to go!
And on this Thanksgiving Day of 2021, where life is somewhat rough, and we can’t gather as carelessly as we’d like, we ought to be thankful that we can even gather at all. Remember last year Thanksgiving Day was a most dreary time. No set of food and family and good cheer, all because of the Pandemic situation. So, there’s oodles of thanks to be given for just being able to get together more than last year. But please, please be careful. This thing is not over yet – far from it – and we still need to take as many precautions as possible to minimize further problems.
And to show our gratitude for that improvement, let’s intone the opening verses of Psalm 105, subtitled – God’s wondrous works in behalf of Israel. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.’ (Ps. 105:1-4)
Now I am sure if we were doing that as much as we ought to, we would not be having half as many problems as we do! I am convinced that many of our problems stem from the fact that we don’t reverence and appreciate our Creator as we should. But this Thanksgiving time is the right occasion for us to turn back to Him, remembering all that He has done for us, and has promised to do.
In the marvellous words of Bruh David: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5) And are we ever so glad that this Thanksgiving we have sufficient food to eat. But having said that, let’s not forget there are many of our fellow brethren out there who don’t have enough, possible nothing at all to eat, and it’s our bounden duty to provide for them as best we can.
That recalls the glorious day when many of the children of Israel heard the word of the Lord for the first time as it was read to them, by Ezra and his associates. Then Nehemiah, the Governor, said unto them: ‘Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 1:8)
And is it ever my fellow saints! That’s why the enemy does his best to steal our joy. He knows when he gets us sad and downcast, it’s much easier to have us do his evil bidding. But not today mih bredrin, for today is a day of exceeding joy, and a time to remember our biggest blessing, our greatest gift and benefit. Like Bruh David said: ‘who redeemeth thy life from destruction.’ And yes friends, God’s greatest gift, His biggest benefit is that of freedom from the bondage of sin, of salvation through His free gift of grace, earned through the finished work of Christ.
As Jesus puts it: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) Glory be my fellow believers! If we are not thankful for anything else, we should be exceedingly thankful for that, because it’s nothing that we earned, or could ever earn, but though God’s infinite grace and mercy, it was bestowed upon us. And all we have to do is to believe in His Son! But so many of us stubbornly refuse to do it because of foolish pride and belief in the world’s evil systems. But there will be consequences for that stubbornness.
And let’s not think that just because we call today Thanksgiving Day, that this is the only day we should give thanks. Absolutely not! Bruh Paul reminds us of that in his epistle to the church at Philippi, when he says: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7)
Oh my fellow believers, we wonder why we don’t have peace? Well, the answer is right there. We don’t take our requests to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. And there’s no better time than right now, for us to get wise and do just that. So, in sincere prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let’s make our requests known to Almighty God through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, let’s go and keep the promises we just made, if we want to see positive answers to our prayers and supplications with thanksgiving. Much LOVE!
..in everything give thanks…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus…concerning you… (1 Thess. 5:17)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
27 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken and contrite heart, a broken spirit, a figment of our imagination, a fool's wisdom, agree to disagree, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, come together, devolve into anarchy, directions for earthly living, endemic strife, every idle word that men speak, fear God and keep his commandments, fomenting disagreement, forgive us and heal our land, God shall bring every work into judgement, God's Word, guidance and direction, hear our prayer, humble servants, in the day of judgement, it's talk that won the war, Jehovah Rapha, learn to live in unity, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obey God, repentance in our hearts, right motives, seriously disobeyed your word, sincerely seek your face, submission to God and His revelation, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the killing machine, the sacrifices of God, they shall give account for, this is the whole duty of man, thou desirest not sacrifice, to do justly and to love mercy, to walk humbly with thy God, turn from our evil ways, weapons of mass destruction, what does the Lord require of thee, whether it be evil, whether it be good, with every secret thing
Ecclesiastes 12:13. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Oh my brethren, let’s come together on this last Monday in September 2021 nuh! It’s the only hope we have of going forward in a relatively calm world. The anger scouring our world right now is tremendous and can lead to no good. There are too many divisive actions and responses to the many serious problems we face. Unless we at least agree to disagree and stop fighting each other on the important matters our world currently faces, the situation will just devolve into anarchy and full-scale violence.
The pandemic, the vaccines, climate control, worldwide poverty and endemic strife will never be settled through violence and bloodshed, which is where we are heading right now. As my Uncle Foster used to tell me: ‘It’s talk that won the war nephew.’ And he was quite right, for it’s in the peace talks after the war that everything’s really decided. So why can’t we have the peace talks before the war eh? Haven’t we been self-destructive enough over the last century, where we have killed more people than in all the wars of several centuries before?
The killing doesn’t prove anything, it just keeps the status quo going, where every few years we turn to killing each other again in a vain attempt to solve age old differences. And the next worldwide slaughter will most likely be the last one since we’ve improved our destructive methods like nothing else. The killing machine is our proudest and most significant area of expertise! Whatever’s happened to the peace and LOVE that so many of us romanticize in our societies eh? Is it really only a figment of our imagination? It certainly seems so, because right now those two attributes are totally lacking from the world scene.
We certainly have not spent half as much time on promoting peace and LOVE as we have on fomenting disagreement and building weapons of mass destruction, which has inevitably led to the vitriolic anger and hatred we’re currently spewing against our friends, families and neighbours. Whatever happened to the tenets of the Good Book eh, the Bible, God’s Word, His directions for living this earthly life? Obviously it’s no longer looked upon favourably. Instead, we are trying to remove it and God completely from our society, which is a fool’s wisdom and will never happen.
How many centuries have mankind tried to rid themselves of it eh, but it only becomes stronger and takes greater hold, especially since Jesus came to earth and showed us the true image of our heavenly Father and how much He cares for us, that He’d even allow His Son to die for us, while we were yet sinners. Yes friends, the Bible is God’s word to us, still fresh through all the ages, and if we’d but read it, we would find God’s wisdom on its pages. The amazing wisdom He desires His favourite creation to live by. Oh my people, what will it take for us to truly realize that there’s ONLY One Power and One Presence in this great universe eh: that of Almighty God, the Good Omnipotent!
And until we get it through our thick skulls that He created this universe and all therein, and will not allow it to be taken away from Him, so we had better learn to live in unity with each other and with Him, the sooner there will be some real semblance of peace and LOVE in our angry, hating, divisive world!
What then is the solution to our problems you ask? I believe the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us as simply and clearly as possible. He wisely declares: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) That’s the gospel truth friends!
Now hear this explanation from the scholars: ‘12:12-14. God has not answered every problem of life, but He has commanded man to live joyfully, responsibly, and wisely. Finally, the controlling factor of all life should be the fear (reverence) of God, that is, submission to God and His revelation (cf. Prov. 1:7). The certainty of divine judgement demands it.’
And that is not new news my fellow saints, it’s old stuff. Moses told the Israelites that in (Deut. 6:2, 10:12) and the prophet Micah reiterated it to them later on: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic. 6:8) Meanwhile Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51:16-17)
Yes, my fellow believers, that is what the Lord desires of His greatest creation; to come to Him humbly and in reverence, admitting His awesome sovereignty. And if you didn’t believe the prophets, then listen to Jesus, the Son of God. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37).
Now, if Jesus says there will be a day of judgement, then there will be one. And all our words and actions will come before Him, and we will receive our just deserts, be it rewards in heaven or eternal damnation and separation from Almighty God. Let’s understand and believe that there is a price to pay for all that we do that does not line up with God’s will.
Disunity is our biggest problem right now. Why can’t we see that eh? We desperately need to come together and get back to worshipping and reverencing Almighty God. And there’s no better time to start than right now. So let’s go to Him in prayer with our problems nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the Lord will search our hearts for the right motives and see how we keep our promises before answering our prayers. Much LOVE!
…the duty of man…to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…. (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
20 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bursting with joy, Christ's Second Coming, doing your democratic duty, Election Day, forgive us and heal our land, God is the King of the earth, hear and answer our prayers, Jehovah Rapha, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere obedience to God's will, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, sing ye praises with understanding, slinging mud, spending large sums of money on campaigns, the divine kingdom, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the god of Abraham, the God who heals, the Lord is clothed with majesty, the Lord most high is terrible, the power of the ballot box, thy testimonies are very sure, tons of hope and faith
Psalm 47:7. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
It’s a beautiful morning, a wonderful Monday, Election day in the land! So, despite our many problems and differences of opinions, please be sure to get out and cast your vote, for it’s your biggest responsibility in our democratic way of life. And if you don’t vote, you are not doing your democratic duty. And if enough of us default on our duty, it can eventually lead to the downfall of the system. But we know that won’t happen, because we are all good and worthwhile citizens and take our duties seriously.
The problem is that we seem to have adopted the American way of campaigning, where it’s all about spending large sums of money on campaigns and slinging mud. The campaigns have become so nasty and personal, rather than concentrating on party-based promises, that it’s turning off a lot of good folks, who are not accustomed to such tactics, and don’t like them. And that’s exactly why we must get out there and vote and let our displeasure be known, vote for those who we believe will give us the most righteous and godly government.
And yes, I know that politics is looked upon as a godless and evil occupation, but that’s not totally true, for if we elect godly people, most of them will do the right thing. And that’s where the power of our democracy lies, in the power of the ballot box! The only problem there is to find enough godly people to elect. (smile) But if we believe that God is still the sovereign ruler of the universe, then we will have hope that things will get better rather than worse. That brings us to Psalm 93 – subtitled ‘The Lord is clothed with majesty.’ Exactly what we were just talking about.
So let’s pray it together nuh. ‘The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself; the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved (shaken). Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. The floods have lifted (raised) up, O Lord, the floods have lifted (raised) up their voice; the floods lift (raise) up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh (adorns) thy house, O Lord, for ever.’ (Ps. 93:1-5)
And all God’s children said a loud and sincere ‘Amen!’ Yes friends, our God is still as great as He ever was, and will continue to be the sovereign ruler of His universe! No ifs, ands or buts about it! And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘Psalm 93. This second psalm of the divine kingdom (cf. 47; 96-99) speaks prophetically of the time when the Lord will rule on the earth in the person of the Messiah. The Lord’s kingship is described (vs. 1-2), revealed in nature (vs. 3-4) and present in His house, the temple (vs. 5).’
All those psalms mentioned above deal with the Lord’s sovereignty and the Messiah’s reign over the earth. So, let’s hear a few verses from Psalm 47 nuh. ‘O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible (awesome); he is a great king over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he LOVED. Selah.
God is gone up (ascended) with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen (gentiles): God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.’ (Ps. 47:1-9)
That’s all gospel truth my people! And if we say we believe in Almighty God, then we ought to believe all of that! And we do have the fulfillment of the first part of the promise; that’s the first coming of the Messiah, Christ Jesus, and we are eagerly awaiting His Second Coming to take us home with Him to those magnificent mansions in the sky. So we believers should be all filled with tons of hope and faith, bursting with joy, because we know that our great and wonderful God keeps all His promises.
Consequently, this fateful Monday morning, where we are beset by numerous problems, let’s not worry ourselves about the outcome of the elections or any of the stuff that’s causing us anxiety. Instead, let’s do as the Lord has commanded us, take our problems to Him in prayer. In strong and sincere voice then, let’s raise our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to heaven.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Let’s not forget though, that it all hinges on our sincere obedience to God’s divine will. Much LOVE!
…the earth is the Lord’s…and the fulness thereof… the world…and they that dwell therein… (Ps. 24:1))
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
13 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, a more fruitful way to live is alongside others, a threefold cord is not quickly broken, bereave my soul of good, crosswalk.com website, divine help, faithfully promised to hear our prayers, for whom do I labour, forgive us and heal our land, good relationship with God and man, he hath not another to help him up, how can one be warm alone, humble servants, I saw vanity under the sun, if two lie together they have heat, it is a sore travail, it's all about unity, Jehovah Rapha, life's difficult pathway, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no man is an island, seriously disobeyed your word, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, Tamara Chamberlain, the God who heals, the one will lift up his fellow, the truth is the truth, they have a good reward for their labour, turn from our evil ways, two are better than one, two heads are better than one, unity between man and man and God, walk in unity, we have all sinned, wise guidance and direction, woe to his that is alone when he falleth
Ecclesiastes 4:9. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
Come down Monday, come on down! Let us walk in unity along life’s convoluted and ofttimes difficult pathway. For only together can we be victorious. Alone we will most surely be defeated. That’s why the wise author of Ecclesiastes, who simply refers to himself as the Preacher, but whom most scholars believe is Cousin Sol, tells us about two being better than one, and three, an even stronger cord.
Listen to these words of everlasting wisdom. ‘Then I returned, and I saw vanity (futility) under the sun. There is one alone, and there is not a second (a companion); yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he. For whom do I labour, and bereave (deprive) my soul of good? This is also vanity (futility), yea, it is a sore travail (grievous toil).’ (Eccl. 4:7-8) And is that ever the gospel truth! It is a useless, futile task when you are labouring by yourself for only yourself!
However, the Preacher wisely continues: ‘Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow (companion): but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.’ (Eccl. 4:9-10) Now that’s not rocket science friends, but mere common sense; two people working and walking in harmony and unity are always better than one, because each can help the other when they fall, either literally or figuratively.
But when you’re on your lonesome, it’s often impossible to get up if you fall. Just goes to show that we all need help to live this simple, yet complicated life. As the wisdom of the world says; no man is an island, he can’t do it all himself. But the preacher is not done yet. (smile) He maintains his claim of togetherness being oh so important: ‘Again if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?’ (Eccl. 4:11) Now that’s a very good question. And if anyone can answer it, please let me know. (smile)
Meanwhile, the Preacher is just warming up to his argument: ‘And if one prevail against him (though one may be overpowered by another), two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.’ (Eccl. 4:12). Mama Mia! What incredible words of wisdom! So life is not completely useless, futile or meaningless after all! That is, if you are in worthwhile company.
As the scholars explain: ‘4:7-12. The toil of the miser is futile, especially when he toils only for himself. On the other hand, two are better than one because they have a good return (vs. 9); they can help each other (vs. 10); they can provide mutual warmth (vs. 11); and they double their strength (or triple it, as in the case of three friends (vs. 12).’
Now, here are some interesting insights on the subject from commentator Tamara Chamberlain, found on the crosswalk.com website. She says: ‘One of the unique things about Ecclesiastes is that its wisdom is beneficial regardless of your belief in God. The wisdom shown in these four verses can be agreed with, even if you don’t consider yourself a follower of Jesus. There are many other non-Christian proverbs that support the wisdom stated in these verses. Proverbs like, “two heads are better than one” or “no man is an island.”
The writer of Ecclesiastes penned these truths thousands of years before the similar proverbs we commonly know today. It truly is amazing to see the way the truths revealed in Scripture are not only true because we find them in the Bible, but because the truth is the truth… The principle of two being better than one can be applied to any partnership or aspect of life. To be alone isn’t necessarily seen as negative, but when you add another person to your life the situation is usually better. One of the keywords in these verses is “better.” The writer is stating that a better way, a more fruitful way to live life is alongside other people…
The statement of two being better than one is true in many different life circumstances all across time… From the very beginning, God created us to be in relationship with others. Not only are we to live in relationship with other people but with God as well. The image is explained in Ecclesiastes 4:12) “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” The three-strand cord is understood to be unity between yourself, God, and another person.’
Yes friends, it’s all about unity…with God and with each other! And that’s what our world, our church and our lives are sadly lacking in these turbulent and ever so dangerous times. And the only way to fix it is by sincerely attempting to grow that unity between you, me, and God again. And we can begin to close that needless and foolish rift, right now, by coming together and raising up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to Almighty God, and acknowledging His sovereignty over the universe.
So as one sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the answers to our prayers will be determined by the way we keep the promises we make to Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…it’s only in good relationship with God and man…can our earthly purpose be truly fulfilled…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
06 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alleviate our problems, awesome grace and mercy, cast into the lake of fire, earth's treasures are temporary, eat your flesh as it were fire, eternal separation from God, Everything is grace, fall on deaf ears, for where your treasure is, forgive us and heal our land, from everlasting to everlasting, go to ye rich men, God's unmerited favour, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, heaped treasure together for the last days, hear our prayer, heaven's treasures are eternal, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ - the only way to the Father, keep our promises, lay not up for yourselves, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, on the cross of Calvary, rewards for faithful service, sacrificed His sinless life, Saint Therese of Lisieux, Satan, shall be a witness against you, sincere belief in the Son of God, sincere repentance, the breath of life, the fiery halls of hell, the God who heals, the rust of them, the Sermon on the Mount, the vicissitudes of life, there will your heart be also, thieves break through and steal, through the knowledge of God, to pay our sin debt in full, treasures upon earth, turn from our evil ways, two precious commodities, weep and howl, where moth and rust doth corrupt, wise guidance and direction, your garments are moth-eaten, your gold and silver is cankered, your miseries that will come upon you, your riches are corrupted
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, on this Labour Day Monday, may ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord (and Saviour).’ (2 Pet. 1:2) Yes friends, we do need a lot of grace and peace in these trying times, times when everyone seems to be angry, displeased and dissatisfied over some thing or the other. And the only way to get those two precious commodities is through sincere belief in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to pay our sin debt in full!
All praise and glory be to that wonderful Saviour of ours! He’s promised that despite our circumstances, if we believe in Him, the Father will grant us His divine grace, and thus peace, through all the vicissitudes of life. And let’s remember that it’s by God’s divine grace that we are saved, through faith; and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:8-9) Or as Saint Therese of Lisieux so wisely put it a while back: ‘Everything is grace!’
And it certainly is friends, for all that we are and do, all that we have and will ever have, from the breath of life flowing through our bodies, to the eternal life we receive through believing in Christ, is based on the divine grace of our heavenly Father. That’s God’s unmerited favour, that nothing we can ever do will be good enough to deserve it. And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Thank You Lord for Your awesome gift of grace!’
Sadly though, too many of the earth’s inhabitants don’t know of Jehovah God and His wonderful goodness to the children of men. And even worse yet, too many of those who do know of Him, refuse to accept that divine grace He offers, through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Now that’s to their detriment, for it will only lead to eternal separation from God, which is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
Oh my people, how many times do I have to reiterate that eh, before you all believe me? Eternal separation from God means not being in heaven with Him till eternity, but with Satan, the Devil, Beelzebub, or whatever name you choose to call him, facing damnation in the fiery halls of hell, and eventually being cast into the lake of fire with all the other unbelievers. Now tell me, are the sinful pleasures of this world truly worth such a terrible end? I don’t think so friends. And if you stop for a moment and really consider the situation, you will also realize that the pleasures of this world are not worth such a disastrous end, and can never be better than those found in heaven.
That’s why in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus adamantly warned: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And we all know that’s the gospel truth friends, for wherever we store whatever we treasure, we will always be thinking of and contemplating on it. So, it’s much better if we store up treasure in heaven, that is, rewards for faithful service, where moth and rust nor any negative thing can destroy them, than store up earthly stuff, that’s useful today and old and rusty or stolen tomorrow. Yes my brethren, earthly things don’t last. Just look at any junkyard nuh. Everything in there was once brand new, shiny and useful, but like the shine on all earthly things it soon wore off and they became old and rusty, of no further use to anyone.
And to further illuminate us, please listen to the warning James gave to the rich, those who stored up earthly treasures. ‘Go to ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted (have rotted), and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered (corroded); and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.’ (James 5:1-3)
Sadly my brethren, that same earthly treasure that the rich have laid up for their retirement, is what the Lord will use against them in the last days, for a lot of it was treacherously and deceitfully gained; robbing the poor and not paying the labourer a fair wage. That’s the basic story friends; don’t store up too much useless earthly stuff, which you will die and leave here anyway. But try and store up as many rewards for faithful service as you can in heaven, where you will eventually go and enjoy them – providing you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, because He is the ONLY Way to the Father in heaven!
Now, let’s talk to the Father, pour out our troubles and problems to Him, the ONLY One who can help us to put a lasting fix on them. So as one strong voice, let’s invoke our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now let’s remember that all our prayers will fall on deaf ears, if we don’t keep the promises we just made. Much LOVE!
…earth’s treasures are temporary…short lived…but heaven’s treasures are eternal…run from everlasting to everlasting…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
30 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an immense shower of love, and now abideth faith hope love, beareth all things, believeth all things, But God commendeth his love toward us, Christ died for us, doth not behave itself unseemly, endureth all things, envieth not, forgive us and heal our land, hatred stirreth up strifes, hear our prayer, hopeth all things, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, learn to enjoy, let us love one another, LOVE, Love - the great mover and shaker, love covereth all sins, LOVE is of God, Love never fails, love suffereth long, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative producing emotions, sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, sincere repentance, steal the joy and peace of Jesus, the God who heals, the greatest of these is love, the penultimate day, turn from our evil ways, while we were yet sinners, wise guidance and direction
Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.
Here comes Monday, here comes Monday, ringing in the penultimate day of August! And with the end of August, our summer weather will soon fizzle out to nothing. But be it hot, cold, or in between, I believe the important thing is for us to learn to enjoy whatever kind of weather we may experience, once it means that we are still alive, and still enjoying the wonderful life that Jesus died for us to have!
And please note that I said, ‘learn to enjoy,’ for that kind of thing does not come naturally. We have to make a conscious decision to not let it steal the joy and peace we find in Jesus, who is our strength, and enables us to overcome every circumstance that comes against us. And with the sad and angry state of the world, I believe today is a rather appropriate time to consider these wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 10:12)
Oh my people, I doubt that there’s ever been a time in our world when we have needed LOVE more desperately than right now! The anger, greed, jealousy, resentment, hatred and all the other negative producing emotions are currently at an all-time high. And only an immense shower of LOVE will, or can stop it from further destroying our world. That’s because LOVE is the greatest attribute of our great God Jehovah; the attribute that caused Him to send His Son Jesus to earth to die for our sins.
As the Good Book so truthfully recounts: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) And it is ONLY LOVE that will keep us from doing further damage to our world and to each other. Why is that you ask? Because LOVE is the perfect antidote for all negative emotions and reactions! So let’s see what the scriptures have to tell us about that marvellous thing called LOVE nuh.
Bruh Paul puts it this way to the church at Corinth in what we refer to as the LOVE Chapter: ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind…envieth not…vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself…is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no counts of evil); Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things…never faileth.’ (1 Cor. 13:4-8)
Oh my, my…LOVE is certainly the great mover and shaker! That’s why Peter could confidently declare to the church: ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet. 4:8) And that’s the gospel truth friends; if we have sincere LOVE for each other, it will clean up so many of our wrongful thoughts and actions.
And we can never talk about LOVE in the scriptures and leave out these immortal words of John from his first epistle. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another; for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-11)
Matter fix friends! Story done! (smile) So all that’s left for us to do now is to inculcate that godly attribute of LOVE into our daily lives, so that we can lessen the hatred and strife that’s engulfing our world. And yes, I know that’s sometimes difficult to do, but again, if we truly have Jesus in our hearts, and we seriously desire to live for Him, then, as we said earlier on, we can do whatever we need to do, through His awesome strength and power. And we can begin right now by going to Him in prayer and laying all of our problems before Him, asking for His divine help.
So as one strong voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to heaven nuh. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now friends, please remember that the Lord’s answer will pivot entirely on our keeping those promises we’ve just made. Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor. 13:13)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
19 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a matter of perception, alleviate our problems, answer our prayers, based on adherence to God's revealed will, disobeyed God's word, exercise thyself rather unto godliness, for therein do I delight, forgive us and heal our land, give me understanding, God's will, hear our prayer, humility, I shall keep thy law, Incline mine heart unto thy testimonies, Jehovah Rapha, life and strong faith in Christ, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morality, not to covetousness, our heart's desire, physical exercise has limited value, positive answers to prayer, refuse profane and old wives fables, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual exercise has unlimited value, teach me the way of thy statutes, the God who heals, the people perish, the Sermon on the Mount, the Supreme Being, weekly cycle of work, where there is no visioin, wise guidance and direction
Proverbs 29:18. ‘Where there is no (prophetic) vision, the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’
And before you know it, the weekend is done, and the weekly cycle of work has begun again! Yeh friends, the weekend seems to pass so quickly, while the workweek seems to take forever. But you know, that’s only a matter of our perception, for all the days are the same in length and are controlled by the same mechanism. And we just think that what we like passes quickly, and what we don’t like lasts an interminably long time.
But never fear, for there is method to the Lord’s madness. He is the Supreme Being and knows what He’s doing. He set up His universe the way He thought best, so who are we, a mere creation, to doubt, or find fault with His decision making eh, just because it’s somewhat tough on our mortal bodies? (smile)
And there is only one way to overcome that, by asking the Lord for understanding, as set out in Psalm 119. ‘Teach me O Lord, the way of thy statutes (unchangeable regulations); and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law (Word); yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.’ (Ps. 119:33-34) Yeh friends, when we have pliable or teachable hearts and go to the Lord sincerely seeking understanding, He will gladly give it to us.
But we have to get the ball rolling by going to Him, we can’t wait for Him to come to us. His will must be our heart’s desire, so that we can truthfully declare: ‘Make me to go in the path of thy commandments (directives, charge); for therein I do delight.’ (Ps. 119:35) And that’s no joking matter my brethren, because the Lord takes His commandments very seriously, so you can’t tell Him that unless you truly mean it, just to try and appease Him. He will not fall for it, because He checks the motives of our hearts for every word we say to Him.
So, unless you are serious about all this stuff, please don’t go asking for it. But if you are, the Lord will be overjoyed for you to say to Him: ‘Incline my heart unto (cause me to long for) thy testimonies (what You have said about Yourself and Your will), and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity (looking at worthless things); and quicken (revive) thou me in thy way. Stablish (establish) thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear (fearing thee). Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgements (decisions) are good. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts (instructions): quicken (revive) me in thy righteousness.’ (Ps. 119:37-40)
Oh my people, we can never go wrong by seeking God and all that He has to offer. Remember Jesus’ fateful words of warning from the Sermon on the Mount, re serving one master and running down earthly stuff: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) Yes my fellow believers, our number one priority ought to be seeking God and His righteousness, and then all the other stuff we need will be given to us by Him.
And on that subject, please remember Bruh Paul’s directive to Timothy. ‘But refuse (reject) profane and old wives’ fables (because they promote ungodliness) and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ (1 Tim. 4:7-8) And the scholars paraphrase that last verse thus: ‘For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness, the result of spiritual exercise, has unlimited value, since it brings blessings for both now and eternity.’
Matter fixed friends! We need more spiritual exercise than we do physical, but unfortunately, the gyms, with their tough workout routines are enticing many more people than the churches in these godless times. Meaning that spiritual exercise seems to be taking a back seat to the physical aspect. Consequently, that doesn’t bode well for our society, for a society that rejects God will always suffer serious consequences. Like Cousin Sol says: ‘Where there is no (prophetic) vision, the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18)
That means when you don’t have God’s direction, divine revelation in a society, there are no restraints, and people do whatever they want, like in our current world. The scholars tell us that ‘Morality is based on adherence to God’s revealed will.’ And it obviously hasn’t been revealed to us because we are a very immoral society.
But it’s not too late to get some divine revelation friends, however, as we said above, the onus is on us to get the ball rolling by going to God for direction. So let’s do that right now nuh, go to Him in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, laying out all our problems, fears and doubts before Him, asking for divine wisdom and guidance.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, remember that humility and sincerity are essential for positive answers to prayer. So, let’s hope that we were sincere and humble. Much LOVE!
…only through seeking God’s kingdom…and its righteousness…will mankind see heaven…and not hell…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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