28 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acts of contrition, almighty god, appreciate, arrogance, Asa, association with God, at peace with the world, attention spans, Azariah, benjamin, calm, Cleanse your hands, cleansing, commune with nature, contented, contrition, cool breezes, dearest of all delights, delights, doubleminded, draw near to God, enjoy, evil, foolish pride, force His will on us, forge that relationship, forgiveness, forsake the Lord, gloom, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God will draw near to you, gospel truth, grace, hate, he shall lift you up, heaviness, humble yourselves in the sight of God, Intimate closeness, joy, Judah, lament, laughter, LOVE, mercy, mourn, mourning, necessity, night insects, peace, positive aspect, pride, purify your hearts, quiet, reaching out to God, relationship with Christ, revere God, rustling of the leaves, seek the Lord, sing their songs of thanksgiving, sinners, stress, teach me, tension, the healing aspects of nature, the Lord is with you, the Lord's presence, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the onus, the right foundation, the Spirit of God, the wisdom of heaven, therapeutic miracle, this is the day the Lord has made, through eternity, to go to bed late is to be up early, tragedy, unconditional LOVE, ungodly world, use to our benefit, usefulness of nature, walk arm-in arm, we will rejoice and be glad in it, weep, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, William Shakespeare, winding path, wisdom
James 4:8. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye dobleminded.
Aye Friends, welcome to another terrific Thursday! Glory to God! We are alive and kicking strongly and diligently in God’s name, so let’s maintain that positive aspect by saying, ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’
What a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! All thanks be to Him and His grace, mercy, forgiveness and unconditional LOVE!
And you know that somewhere in Willie Shakespeare’s vast repertoire of works, he says something to the effect that to go to bed late is to be up early…. Well my people, you can say that the ole fella was up rather early this morning, after three, so if I’m not all that coherent you will understand why. (smile)
And believe me, the early morning commune outside with nature was beautiful. Some of you might laugh, but when I sit out on my porch in the late hours of the night or early morning, just enjoying the peace and quiet of the time, whatever stress and tension I’ve built up during the day seems to evaporate as I feel the cool breezes wash over me, while they sigh in the rustling of the leaves, and the night insects sing their songs of thanksgiving to their Creator.
After a short while, I am relaxed and at peace with the world and all therein, and can go to bed calm and contented, regardless of whatever problems might exist. It certainly works therapeutic miracles for me. (smile)
And it’s sad that so many of us can’t, or don’t want to embrace the healing aspects of nature. Friends, God made it so beautiful so that we can appreciate, enjoy and use it to our benefit.
Anyway, I won’t try to convince you of the beauty and usefulness of nature, for like the same way you came to Jesus, you will have to come to that conclusion…on your own. (smile)
Now hear is a little prayer from The One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, that I believe we all can, or need to say. It’s titled ‘Intimate Closeness.’
Please pray with me: ‘You promise, dear God That when I draw close to You You will draw close to me. Lord, I give myself to You unreservedly. Teach me more and more Of intimate closeness And fill my heart with You alone. To walk arm-in-arm with You Down every winding path. Seems to me The dearest of all delights.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren? Walking arm-in arm with Jesus, any and everywhere is certainly the greatest delight we can enjoy on this earth!
And if you don’t believe that, I’m sorry for you, because you don’t know what you’re missing. That’s because with Him beside, inside and around you, there’s no power on earth, in hell or in heaven can touch you! Glory Hallelujah!
And the scripture verse for that prayer was the first part of James 4:8; ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and He will draw near to you.’ However we will use the entire verse as our Bit for today. ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.’
Ah Friends, so many of us in this ungodly world desperately need to do those acts of contrition, that it borders on a worldwide tragedy. No, it doesn’t border nuh, it is a worldwide tragedy! That’s why there’s so much hate and evil in our world. But when we turn to Jesus we preach peace and LOVE, which is the right foundation for us to build our lives upon.
And I like how James continues after our Bit, in the same cleansing and reaching out to God manner. ‘Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:9-10)
Oh my people that’s shades of our last Bit. One of the things this generation certainly needs to do is to give up their foolish pride and arrogance, and humble themselves before Almighty God, if they want to ever receive a positive association with Him. That’s an ultimate necessity before we can even consider coming into the Lord’s presence, before His throne.
And one of the scriptures associated with our Bit, is one we just recently looked at, but it’s worthwhile looking at again. It’s the warning of the prophet Azariah.
‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet (before) Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr,15:1-2)
Yes Friends, that’s no lie! If you sincerely seek the Lord, then you will find Him. But if you forsake Him, then He will do the same to you. Please remember that the Lord doesn’t really need anything from us, but we do need His saving grace and mercy, so the onus is on us to seek His face, not the other way around.
And with that thought foremost in our minds, I think we’ll end for today, because the rest of stuff I have to add will make it much too long for our short attention spans. (smile)
So please, as we go about today, let’s seriously ponder the state of our relationship with Christ, and let wisdom enter our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, and thus enable us to make the wonderful decision to seek God and revere and worship Him for the rest of our lives, and down through all eternity. Now that is certainly the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…God desires to have a positive relationship with each and every human being…but He’s not going to force His will on us…we must wisely seek Him and His blessings to forge that relationship…
25 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a mirror image, abundantly pardon, arrogance, brimstone and fire, celebrate, confidence, deceiver, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enemies, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, for free, forgive their sin, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, God is faithful, gospel truth, gracious, heal their land, holy spirit, humble servants, I am the way, invitation, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, like pulling teeth, long-suffering, LOVE, Lucifer, Memorial Day, merciful God, mercy, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, my people which are called by my name, no man comes to the Father but by me, Noah, Oh Lord God Almighty, patient, plenty rope, pray, pride, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, repentance, rest, righteousness., sacrifice, salvation, save his soul, seek my face, seek ye the Lord, serve a useful purpose, shall humble themselves, spiritual armour, spunk, steadfast faith, taunts, the earth was corrupt, the Great Flood, the table's turned, then will I hear from heaven, transgressions, truth, turn away from their wicked ways, turnabout is fair play, ungodly world, victory, violence, when a man's ways please the Lord, wicked nature, wiles, wisdom, worship our Creator
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Come on people, it’s Monday; time to rise and shine and get with the programme!
But some of our Friends in the U.S. laugh and declare: ‘Not today my brother! Today is our Memorial Day holiday, and that means no work today, period! Just like you had your Victoria Day holiday last weekend and laughed at us lowly plebs who had to go to work down here, well the table’s turned now.
It’s time for us to celebrate while you go out and labour. As they say, turnabout is fair play, or something to that effect. Hn, hn! But we do wish you the best in all your labouring today. (smile)
Yes Friends, our U.S. brethren are putting it to us today. But we can handle it. So to show that there are no hard feelings, and to help all those who have to go out and labour, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle hymn with spunk and powerful, positive thoughts of victory.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that was spunky enough, but obviously the loudest voices were those of our U.S. brethren. They could afford to sing loud and lustily because they have a whole day of celebration in front of them. But as I said last week, let’s remember to keep Granny’s advice front and centre in our hearts and minds; ‘drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’ For the ole deceiver, Lucifer is out there just prowling for anyone he can latch on to. And we certainly don’t want that to be any of us.
Now let’s turn to our oh so important Bit, one that can make the difference between eternal live in heaven, or everlasting death and damnation in Hades. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
Oh Friends, what a wonderful invitation from a gracious and merciful God! But from day one, our wicked nature, pride and arrogance seems to have been our downfall, as we’ll see when we deal with the last of the four things we need to do for God to hear from heaven and forgive our sin and heal our land, which we desperately need.
Way back when, in the time of Noah, the Bible declares: ‘The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way on earth.’ (Gen.6:11-12)
Ah mih people, it was just a mirror image of today’s world! And what did God do? He caused the great flood and destroyed all the inhabitants, beside Noah and his family. Now doesn’t that say something to us; that it’s possible for Him to wipe out everybody again? Obviously we don’t seem to think so. But remember our God is a faithful God, who keeps His promises, and He promised that the next time would be with brimstone and fire, not water.
Meanwhile Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.’ (Prov.16:7)
Oh Friends, that ought to have us just crawling over each other to make our ways please the Lord. But that’s certainly not happening. In these supposedly modern times, it’s like pulling teeth to get people to truly worship our Creator. But our God is so patient and long-suffering that He gives us plenty of rope, hoping against hope that we will not hang ourselves.
Hear His free offer of mercy to all, through the prophet Isaiah. ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:6-7)
And again in Jeremiah, the Lord offers mercy and forgiveness for repentance. ‘Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive (preserve himself). Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.’ (Ezek. 18:27-28)
Ah mih breddren, what else do we want the Lord to do eh? How often must He offer the same thing and we refuse His wonderful offer? All down through the ages He’s offered us forgiveness for repentance, but we’re too stubborn and proud to accept it. He even gave us His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sins, and yet we still don’t think it wise to be obedient to His dictates. That’s a fool’s wisdom my Friends.
Anyway people, we’re running out of space and time, so we’ll continue this dialogue tomorrow, the Lord in favour. In the meanwhile, let’s end with these words of absolute truth from Jesus, which says it all. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6)
Now my wise Friends, (smile) let’s go and ponder that statement, and with Jesus’ help, bring our lives into line with it, for that is the wisdom of all wisdom. Much LOVE!
…evil and sin should never be so rampant in our world…when genuine forgiveness, mercy and salvation… are so readily available…for free to boot…
23 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a friend of Jesus, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a slave to Lucifer, Amos, and all these things shall be added unto you, Beelzebub, blessings, bondage of darkness, damnation, death, divine judgement, eternal life, eternally separated from God, follower of Jesus Christ, forgive their sin, forgiveness, freedom of light, friendship with Jesus, glory hallelujah, going to hell in a hand-basket, gospel truth, grace, guiding light, heal their land, hellfire, humility, hunger and thirst for Christ, joy, kowtowing, LOVE, lusts of our nature, meekness, mercy, minion of Lucifer, my people which are called by my name, my soul thirsteth for god, Orion, passion, peace, pray, promise, prosperity, provision, salvation, seek my face, seek ye first the kingdom of God, seek ye the Lord, sensible, shall humble themselves, the day of the Lord's anger, the Life, the Light, the Lord is my light and salvation, the Pleiades, the Prince of Peace, the Sermon on the Mount, the shadow of death, the things of the world, the Truth, the Way, then will I hear from heaven, to be or not to be, true believers, turn away from their wicked ways, understanding, wisdom, wise, without faith it is impossible to please God, worshipping Jesus, Zephaniah
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Aye Friends, to be or not to be is the question? Whether it is better to be a follower of Jesus Christ, than to be a minion of Lucifer?
And a mighty shout of unanimous, universal approval rose up to high heaven: ‘It is far far better to be a follower of the Prince of Peace, the One who is the Way, the Truth, the Life and the Light than a to be a minion of the prince of darkness! Glory to God Almighty, who sent His Son Jesus to bring us out of the bondage of darkness into the freedom of the Light!’
Yes my people, it is indeed much better, from all points of view, to be a Friend of Jesus than a slave to the evil Lucifer! For Lucifer has nothing worthwhile to really offer us. All the things of the world and the fleshly lusts of our nature will eventually rot and be destroyed.
But when you have friendship with Jesus… Oh fellow followers, you have peace and LOVE, joy, wisdom and understanding, forgiveness, mercy and grace, and are assured of salvation, which leads to eternal life in heaven with Jesus as our guiding light. What can be better than that eh? NOTHING really my brethren! Being a slave to Beelzebub will only cause us to be separated from our Creator for eternity; the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
So having said all of that, can someone explain to me why so many of us are still minions and slaves to Lucifer? I guess we’re just bedazzled by the bright and gaudy wares that he has to offer and the lusts that he promotes. And that is exactly why our world is going to hell in a hand basket! Too many of us are kowtowing to Lucifer rather than worshipping Jesus.
But that’s a fool’s wisdom my brethren! For there’s nothing substantial or long lasting that Lucifer has to offer… except death, hellfire and damnation! And I don’t think any of us really want to experience that, so why not do the right and wise and sensible thing RIGHT NOW eh? Turn to Jesus while there is still time, for once He comes back in all His majestic glory, all bets will be over.
And it’s not like our wonderful God didn’t make provision for just such occasions. Our Bit spells it out loud and clear. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
Ah Friends, I don’t understand when we have such a glorious opportunity for all around improvement and prosperity, we choose to ignore it. I guess the problem is just too big for my small mind to comprehend. (smile)
Anyway, let’s continue looking at scriptures that involve ‘seek my face.’ But my people, there are so many, I don’t know where to begin. But as they say, when in doubt, begin with Jesus. So here goes.
Remember Jesus’ famous admonition in the Sermon on the Mount? ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) That’s the gospel truth Friends, but so far, not too many of us seem to be seriously interested in doing it. It’s the same idea as our Bit, just said in a different manner.
Meanwhile the prophet Zephaniah told the Israelites, re the scope of divine judgement: ‘Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgement (upheld his justice); seek righteousness, seek meekness (humility): it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.’ (Zeph.2:3) Again my people, it’s the same idea as our Bit.
And Amos, in his call to repentance, informed the children of Israel. ‘For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live… Seek him that maketh the seven stars (the Pleiades) and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with (as) night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:’ (Amos 5:4; 8) More wisdom and gospel truth my brethren!
And no discourse on seeking God could ever be complete without the sentiments of Bruh David. Hear him proclaim from Psalm 27 – the Lord is my light and my salvation. ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty (delightfulness) of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple…
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.’ (Ps.27:4, 7-8) Glory Hallelujah!
Now here is a favourite from Hebrews. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him diligently.’ (Heb.11:6)
Oh Friends, I can personally vouch for that, because the Lord has rewarded me with untold blessings for having faith in Him and diligently seeking Him. And He will do the same for you if you seek him with all your heart, mind, body and soul! That’s His faithful promise.
And we’ll end with another gem from Bruh David; this one from Psalm 63 – God satisfies the thirsting soul – when he was in hiding from his enemies in the wilderness of Judah. ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry land, where no water is.’ (Ps.63:1)
Oh my people, do we feel that way; that hunger and thirst for our magnificent and magnanimous God? Well we ought to…that is if we’re true believers. So today, please let each of us seriously ponder our individual hunger and thirst for Christ , so that we might attain unto true righteousness. For that’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…to truly LOVE Christ…is to show a burning passion …for all things and people associated with him…
18 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, christianity, Christians, commandments, confidence, conquerors, Cousin Sol, covenant, crapaud smoke we pipe, depravity, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, economic situation, enthusiasm, evil, evil deeds, evil powers, forgive thier sin, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, glory, godly day, heal their land, hear from heaven, hope, humble servants, humble themselves, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, my ears attentive, my eyes shall be open, O Lord God Almighty, people which are called by my name, plentiful in goods, power, pray, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, repentance, repentant people, seek my face, serve a useful purpose, sin, sinfulness, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, Thank God is Monday., the ball is in our court, the blessings of obedience, the breath of life, the fruit of our loins, the fruit of thy body, Top o' the morn, turn from their wicked ways, ungodly world, walk in God's ways, wicked aspirations, wisdom
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Top o’ this Monday morn to you my brethren! And I hear the negative comments from some, but also cries of glee: ‘Thank God is Monday, Victoria Monday holiday yes, and we don’t have to go out and labour today. Thank God for the holiday!’
Yes Friends, some of us are lucky to be off this lovely spring morning, so let’s be truly thankful for it, because many of our fellow workers are not so fortunate. They have to go out and labour regardless, so please let our prayers go with them, prayers that they will have a safe, productive and godly day. Now let’s reinforce that by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with them.
As one choir in Christ now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that wasn’t bad at all mih people, but I strongly suspect that the loudest voices were those who did not have to go to work. They could afford to be exuberant because they know that a whole day of partying and/ or simply lazing around is in the offing. But as usual friends, in these times of celebration, please remember Granny’s admonition: “Sonny boy, don’t forget, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’
Now Friends, that piece of advice is of the utmost priority in this evil and ungodly world that we’re currently living in. But unfortunately, as a body of people, as a society, we have already allowed the negative and wicked aspirations to gain control of the power and glory that lie within it.
However my people, there is still hope for us, as there always is, once we’re filled with the breath of life. And our Bit tells us exactly how we can turn this travesty around. Hear the words of our God in the covenant He made with Cousin Sol, after the temple was built.
‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
And the scholars explain: ‘7:14-15. While this promise was originally given to Solomon regarding the people of Israel, it is certainly applicable to all who will call on the Lord in repentance and faith. These verses stand as a high expression of God’s LOVING readiness to hear the prayers of a repentant people (cf. 6:37-39; James 4-8-10)’
And the Lord continues after our Bit: ‘Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent (attentive) unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified (set apart) this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes (my attention) and mine heart (my concern) shall be there perpetually.’ (2 Chr.7:15-16)
Yuh see Friends, how our good and wonderful God has made provision for us even in our times of depravity and sinfulness! He knew what a frail and feeble creation we were, and would no doubt stray from His fold, so He made provision, right from the beginning, for us to return. What a magnificent and magnanimous Deity He is!
So yuh know what? We have no excuses for not getting back into His favour. But to do that my brethren, as our Bit says, there are four things we need to put into serious action. We need to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn away from our wicked ways. Yes Friends, those four requirements are absolutely necessary for us to get back into God’s good graces, first as individuals, then as a society, as a people.
But unfortunately we are not seeing that reaction as strongly as we need to. It seems that as some individuals turn to God, a fairly similar amount turn away from Him, and since the evil powers rule the land, we’re definitely not seeing the repentance and other requirements being implemented as a society. In fact we’re losing more of the God- based institutions and rights every day.
So Friends, we have no one to blame but ourselves for the disastrous and ridiculous state of our current society. The ball is now in our court, for the Lord has already done his part by making provision for us to come back to Him – if we so desire. I don’t think we have much choice though my people, because we are called by the Lord’s name; Christians. That means we have to repent and turn back to Him, otherwise, in all seriousness, crapaud smoke we pipe!
Let’s remember the words of Moses, re the blessings of obedience. ‘The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. And all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods (grant you plenty of goods), in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware (promised) unto thy fathers to give thee.’ (Deut.28:9-11)
Look around my people; nobody’s afraid of us, our economic situation is worsening every day, the fruit of our loins has diminished, and whatever we have has turned to evil deeds not God, so what does that say to us eh? It’s time to turn back Friends, time to repent, and like the prodigal son, return to the safety and prosperity of our Father’s house. That is the wisdom of all wisdom! Much LOVE!
…when things aren’t going right…the wise will figure out why…and make the necessary changes…
01 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a living dog is better than a dead lion, a red flag, a source of happiness, a toehold, a two way street, And now Lord what wait I for, another iron in the fire, bad moods, Beelzebub, caused me to trust, Cervantes, compassion, constant companion, dance the maypole, depression, direction, Don Quixote, Ecclesiastes, evil thoughts, faith, faithful promise, forget our problems, forgiveness, Friday chant, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, grace, he that took me out of the womb, hearts minds and bodies, hope, humble servants, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, Jesus Christ, joy, keeps our mojo working, let me not be ashamed of my hope, LOVE, May Day, Maypole, mercy, Miguel Cervantes, my hope is in thee, observe thy statutes, one-way lane, our realtionship with God, peace, pilot light, psalm 119, renewed vitality, resonate, rest, reverberate, right perspective, righteousness., salvation, slaving for massa, steadfast faith, strength, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that keeps us tuned into God, the eternal channel, the Lord God Jehovah, the mainstay, there can be no evil, thou didst make me hope, to titillate our senses, trust, truth, uphold me according to thy word, weekend, when I was upon my mother's breast, where there is music, while there's life there's hope, wisdom
Psalm 22:9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.
And then it was Friday – the first day of May – May Day, May Day!
And the working population readily chimes in with: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here! Thank God it’s Friday yes! This has been a brutal week, and we do need the rest from slaving for massa.’
Now that might be so, but here’s another iron in the fire. Do you remember those May Day High School dances, the first Saturday in May, where we’d dance the maypole? If you do, then you are a real old-timer, but one filled with lots of wisdom and experience.
Ah Friends, it’s another glorious morning to be alive, brimming with the joy, LOVE, peace, mercy, grace, compassion and forgiveness that’s only to be found in Jesus Christ! Glory be to God!
Now here’s an interesting quote from Cervantes (Miguel Cervantes 1547-1616) the famous Spanish writer, whose novel Don Quixote, was supposedly the first novel to gain international acclaim. Anyway, Cervantes reputedly said that ‘Where there is music, there can be no evil.’
And that’s very true to a large extent, for when sweet music is bubbling forth from our hearts how can we ever imagine evil thoughts eh? Plus music lifts us out of our bad moods, out of our depression, and helps us forget our problems for a while. It’s also a special source of happiness that we can take with us wherever we go.
And I can personally vouch for all of that Friends, for music has been the mainstay, the constant companion of my many years on this earth. When Friends and family forsake you, music NEVER will. And hopefully it will continue to be my companion for the rest of my days, and even afterwards in heaven, where music and singing seem to be a big thing.
And since we seem to be into music this morning, let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, with all the passion it deserves. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, regardless of the day, the celebration or occasion, we need to have the right perspective on the weekend, if we’re going to be ready for Monday when it comes around. And that means being careful not to give Beelzebub even a toehold in our lives.
And one way to do that is through HOPE, the HOPE that is found in Jesus! For as Bruh David truthfully declares in our Bit: ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.’
Yes my people, our Creator wisely put that never give up emotion of HOPE in our hearts from the moment we were born! And we’d be very foolish to let it go out, disappear from our souls, for it’s our pilot light, the steady flame that keeps our mojo working at all times. (smile)
Now let’s see what great scriptures on the subject we can find in the Good Book to titillate our senses. And we’ll begin with an interesting verse from Ecclesiastes, where the Preacher informs us that: ‘For to him that is joined to all the living there is HOPE: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.’ (Eccl.9:4) I guess he is just saying what we believe, that while there is life there’s always HOPE.
Now listen to Jeremiah: ‘Truly in vain is salvation HOPED for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer.3:23) Yes my brethren, ONLY from the Lord God Jehovah can salvation be HOPED for and truly found!
And the author of Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, has this to say on the subject. ‘Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my HOPE. Hold thou me up (uphold me), and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes (observe thy statutes) continually.’ (Ps.119:116-117)
Oh my people our God will NEVER let us be ashamed of our HOPE in Him! That’s a forgone conclusion! All who HOPE in Him will be upheld with His powerful right hand! That’s His faithful promise!
But by the same token, we have our part to play in the relationship; to observe His statutes. And sadly that’s where the relationship usually breaks down. We want to have our HOPE upheld, but aren’t too keen on observing God’s commands. And that just can’t work Friends, for the relationship with God is a two way street, not just a one-way lane.
And we’ll end this series of messages on HOPE with a rather appropriate verse from Psalm 39, where Bruh David is praying for self-understanding. In the midst of his prayer, he loudly proclaims: ‘And now, Lord, what wait I for? My HOPE is in thee.’ (Ps.39:7)
Words of absolute truth and wisdom my fellow believers! Let’s keep that verse as a red flag always before us, so that we know why, and where our HOPE in this evil world comes from.
And I do HOPE that all we’ve said about HOPE in these past few days will continue to resonate and reverberate in our hearts, minds and bodies, so that we don’t lose our strength, faith and direction that’s to be found in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Much LOVE my fellow believers!
…HOPE…it is the eternal channel…that keeps us tuned into…our Creator…the Most High God Jehovah…
28 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bed of roses, a high priest, a wasted effort, Abraham, after the order of Melchizedek, anchor of the soul, blessing, blessings, caused me to trust, Christ-like, Christians, cities of refuge, compassion, confirmation, coursing through our bodies, crapaud smoke we pipe, difficulties, do God's bidding, empowered, evil minions, face all negativity with a smile, fled for refuge, forerunner, forgiveness, God's magnanimous offerings, God's unchanging word, grace, gratefully, he that took me out of the womb, Hebrews, hope, Hope in Jesus, I will render double, immutability, impossible for God to lie, intercede for the people, Joyce Meyer, joyously receive, Lucifer, mercies, Most High God Jehovah, mutiplying, negative position, negativity, oath, obtained the promise, our avowed purpose, patiently endured, prisoners of hope, promise, rough times, shortsighted approach, Sister Joyce, steadfast, steadfast faith, strong, strong consolation, struggles, terrific Tuesday, the breath of life, the heirs of promise, the Lord's doing, the Old Testament, the sanctuary of heaven, the security of being in Christ, thou didst make me hope, trials, tribulations, turn you to the stronghold, understanding of god's Word, versatile, walk with Jesus Christ, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, when I was upon my mother's breast, within the veil, Zechariah
Psalm 22:9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.
Aye Friends, welcome to a terrific Tuesday! And some of you grouchily ask, what’s so terrific about it eh? We still have the same trials and tribulations to endure? But Friends, that’s a shortsighted approach to the situation from a negative position.
Think about it this way nuh. The breath of life is still coursing purposely through our finite bodies. That means the Lord still has use for us down here on earth.
And then think about all the new blessings, mercies, forgiveness, compassion and grace that He’s earmarked specially for today, to bountifully shower down on us, so that we can do His bidding successfully. Now if that doesn’t make it a terrific Tuesday, then I don’t know what does! (smile)
Oh my people, we all know that life was never meant to be a bed of roses, there will be struggles and serious difficulties, but remember when we walk sincerely with Jesus Christ, we will be empowered to face all the negativity with a smile and steadfast faith, and also come through it with glowing report cards, much more Christ-like than when it all began. Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my brethren!
Oh Friends, the Lord has done His part, providing all that wonderful stuff for us. The problem though is that we now need to do our part, which is to gratefully and joyously receive His magnanimous offerings. We can be given lots of stuff, but until we accept and receive them, it’s all a wasted effort.
So today, please let’s look on the bright side of life and accept and receive with thanksgiving all that the Lord has offered us. That will certainly make it a terrific Tuesday!
And it also brings us to our Bit. ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.’
Oh Friends, what an encouraging scripture verse! From our very first breath, our Creator placed a little thing, sorry, a mighty emotion called HOPE in our souls. Yes my brethren, from the very beginning, God made sure that we had something strong and versatile to carry us through the rough times that we would most certainly endure in this earthly life.
So much so, that as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, we’ve become ‘prisoners of HOPE’! And that’s a rather apt description of Christians, for if we don’t hold on tightly to HOPE in Jesus, then crapaud smoke we pipe!
The term itself comes from Zechariah, when he talks about Zion’s future king: ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of HOPE: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’ (Zech.9:12)
Yes my fellow believers, each and every day we need to turn to the stronghold of the Most High God, Jehovah, to replenish the HOPE in our souls! For without that HOPE, we don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell, against Lucifer and his evil minions.
Now Friends, here is some scripture that corroborates all that we’ve been saying. I never planned to include it all, but realized that just pulling a couple verses out of context would not be really helpful. So here goes.
The author of Hebrews is here talking about an anchor of the soul. ‘For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could sware by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily sware by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife (dispute). Wherein God, willing more abundantly (determining) to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability (unchangeableness) of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
That by two immutable (unchangeable) things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the HOPE set before us: which HOPE we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil (the Presence behind the veil).
Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made (having become) a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.’ (Heb.6:13-20)
Oh my people, I know that’s a somewhat convoluted and thus difficult section of scripture to understand, so here is some info from the scholars to help us do so. ‘6:13-18. God’s covenant with Abraham, which involves salvation (Gal.3:15-25), is secure, being based on two immutable things, that is, elements that cannot change.
First, God’s promise is based on His own unchanging Word. He cannot lie, nor will He allow His Word to fail (Matt.5:18; John 10:35; 17:17). Further, His Word was confirmed by an oath. And since He can swear by none greater, He swears by Himself. He rests His Word on His holy character.’
And the scholars continue to explain: ‘6:19-20. Starting at the end of verse 18, the author uses three pictures to demonstrate the security of being in Christ. First, it is described as a safe retreat for the believer, as were the six cities of refuge in the Old Testament to those allowed their protection. (Num.35:6-32).
Second, our HOPE is sure and steadfast as is a well-placed, unbending anchor. Our anchor is not located in the deepest sea but in the highest heaven. The third figure is that of a forerunner. Though the figure changes, the location does not. Our forerunner is likewise positioned in the sanctuary of heaven.
As our forerunner, Jesus is far different from the Old Testament priests. In the sanctuary they could intercede for the people, but they could not lead the people in themselves. As our forerunner, Jesus has opened the way before us, that eventually (and certainly) we might enter in with Him.’
Oh Friends, I know that’s a lot to digest, but I do hope that we take it seriously, and that it brings us all to a greater understanding of God’s Word, for that’s our avowed purpose. Please stay strong and steadfast in Christ; continue to be a prisoner of HOPE. Much LOVE!
…HOPE…it is the heavenly anchor of our souls…and that’s the Lord’s intentional doing…
22 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future, agenda, all is well, basic tenet of our faith, bestows on us, bleary eyes, blessings, Bruh Paul, called to do his bidding, caring, Christ-like, corrupt, cruel, cruelty, empathy, empowering strength, empowers, endures forever, enlightened times, ever-changing circumstances, evil, evil powers of darkness, faith-feeding scriptures, faithful promise, fellow believers, forgiveness, forgiving, from head to foot, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God is on His heavenly throne, God works everything out for our good, God's comforting presence watches over us, God's power protects us, God's unconditional love enfolds us, good news of Jesus' gospel, good plan, gospel truth, gracious, grees, gruesome crime, his goodness to the children of men, hungry, I AM, I can do all things through Christ, I have learned, in full control of all activities, in regard of need, in respect of want, integrity, Jesus Christ, joy, judge others, kindness, lead me astray, LOVE, mercies, merciful, moral character, motherly type, motives, of good over evil, on the other side of the coin, outward appearances, perpetrated by a woman, perplexing, practical experience, Praise the Lord, prosperity, rectify the situation, refined ways, sadistic, selfishness, Spirit-induced, spiritual superman, standards, suffer need, the joy of following Jesus, the light of Jesus surrounds us, the long and short of the story, the Lord sees into our hearts, the universe is unfolding as it should, there's no need to worry, to be abased, to be content, to be full, to sleep in, toabound, ungodliness, uphill battle, what a marvellous God we serve and worship, whatever he wills, which strengtheneth me, wicked stuff, win the battle
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Oh Friends, I really don’t know what to say this cold, wet and windy Wednesday morning nuh. I was most surprised when I opened my bleary eyes and saw that it was after eight o’clock. But I guess the Lord saw that the body needed more rest than I was prepared to give it and He allowed me to sleep in. Hn!
But then when I did get up, the ole body was aching all over, from head to foot, which also shows that too much rest is not good for it. (smile)
But the long and short of the story Friends is that I’m up and about, though not kicking as strongly as I would like – yet. However, I do know that our wonderful God is on His heavenly throne in full control of all activities in His beautiful universe.
The brilliant light from His awesome Son Jesus surrounds us. His never ending and unconditional LOVE enfolds us. His unimaginable power protects us, while His faithful and comforting presence continually watches over us. And that means that ALL is well my people!
So there is no need to worry, because the gracious and merciful and forgiving I AM, has everything under control, the universe is proceeding and unfolding as it should. What a marvellous God we serve and worship my brethren! Never let anybody tell you differently nuh!
On the other side of the coin though, this morning I read where a farmer, a middle aged woman in Oregon, U.S.A was found guilty of murdering two men over a period of a year and feeding their remains to her pigs. How gruesome a crime – especially to be perpetrated by a woman!
We certainly don’t expect that sort of crime to be committed by women. And the sad part is that her picture shows her like a caring, motherly type. It just goes to show that we truly can’t judge others by their outward appearances, and unfortunately only the Lord has the power to see into our hearts and discern our real motives and agenda.
That means we have to be very careful of whom we allow in to our lives and associate with. What a sad time we’re living in my brethren. How ironic that at the most enlightened and advanced time in man’s history, that we’re possibly the most corrupt, cruel and sadistic, though in more refined ways.
We’re certainly not using the advances and enlightenment for good purposes like we should, but rather for evil and wicked stuff. Things like moral character, integrity and high standards are disappearing from our world, only to be replaced by stuff like greed, selfishness, heinous cruelty and ungodliness.
However my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, the good news is that we’re here to try and rectify the terrible situation that now exists in our world. And though it looks like a long, uphill battle, with our kindness, caring, empathy and the good news of Jesus’ gospel, we can prevail over the evil powers of darkness and win the battle of good over evil.
Glory Hallelujah! And we are assured of this in the wonderful words of encouragement that flow from Bruh Paul through our Bit. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’
And all God’s people shouted a loud and delirious; ‘Glory to God who empowers us to do whatever He wills!’
Yes my fellow believers that’s gospel truth and a basic tenet of our faith, which we must clearly and dearly believe and then act upon it with faith. But before we go any further, let’s hear the scholars’ important explanation on that verse.
‘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 situations, and God gives him the strength to be content in them all, trying and perplexing though they may be.’
Oh my people, my people, those words also resonate with heavenly truth in our modern day situations. God allows us to be in different kinds of situations, then gives us the wherewithal to endure them and come out more Christ-like on the other side.
Thus we can, or ought to be able to say like Bruh Paul does before our Bit. ‘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.
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.4:11-12)
Oh Friends, all of that also pertains to us today! But please note one thing, that process of being content in any situation does not come easily, neither from book learning or overnight, but from hard practical experience. It has to be learned, as Bruh Paul says: ‘I have learned.’
So too we must learn from all the experiences that God allows us to go through, remembering that with His empowering strength, we can do whatever He calls us to do, and also that He has a good plan and a future for our lives, as well as He works everything out for the good of those who LOVE Him and are called to do His bidding.
Oh Friends, I had to chuckle at that last Spirit-induced sentence, as it contains three basic but ever-faithful tenets of our faith and the everlasting LOVING-kindness of our God. I’m not going to elaborate on them, because they are three faith-feeding scriptures that we all should know.
So let’s ponder them this fateful day, as we give thanks for the breath of life that God has allowed in us, and all the other mercies, blessings and forgiveness that He daily bestows on us, many of which we are totally undeserving of.
And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! For his goodness to the children of men endures for ever!’
And that’s gospel truth Friends! So with all that stuff in mind, let’s go out and show the world the real joy of being a follower of Jesus, so that they too can want, can greatly desire to follow in His footsteps. Much LOVE!
…where He leads me…I will follow, follow…for He will never lead me astray…that’s His faithful promise…
15 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed day, admonishment, all-knowing, all-powerful, alleviate, as sheep having no shepherd, because they fainted, bounden duty, Christ has no hands feet or tongues but ours, Christ's work, compassion, courage, diligent, diligent workers, dissatisfaction, eat corn dogs, eternal life, eternally separated from God, ever-present, forgiveness, friends, glory hallelujah, God is good, good news, good to the last drop, Gramps Schuller, great abundance, halfway home, harvesters, He was moved with compassion, heart-broken, heathens, His church, His earthly body, Jesus, Jesus is depending on us, Jesus' sacrificial death, joyful, keep on ploughing straight ahead, King of the universe, life isn't fair, LOVE, loving kindness, Mama Mia, mercies, missionaries, monetary contributions, no turning back, onerous, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, pain, persevering, prayer, reapers, reconciliation, resurrection, ride the Ferris wheel, ripe to hear the Word, saviour jesus christ, scattered abroad, sorrow, soul-satisfying, spiritual harvest, spring like day, strong foundation, sunshine everlasting, the Creator and Controller of the universe, the Great Commission, the harvest truly is plenteous, the judgement day, the labourers are few, the Love Revolution, the lustful things of the world, the middle of the workweek, the unsaved, the wonderful sunshine of Jesus, they were weary, truth, unconditional LOVE, Wednesday, wisdom
Matthew 9:36. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Ah Friends, it’s Wednesday, the middle of the workweek, we’re halfway home, so no turning or looking back now, just keep on ploughing straight ahead! And it’s also supposed to be a beautiful, spring like day, with temps in the mid teens and sunshine everlasting. Wow!
And for us believers it’s going to be an even brighter day, because along with the physical sunshine we’ll also have the wonderful sunshine of Jesus shining forth from our lives. Glory Hallelujah!
That means it’s going to be a real blessed day my people, for when you add all of God’s mercies, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness that He’s prepared especially to shower down on us today… MamaMia! I don’t know if we can handle it nuh. (smile)
And today we’re going to get going with an interesting, humorous but also true quote of a couple days ago from my friend Anselm. And it says: ‘Life isn’t fair. A fair’s a place where you eat corn dogs and ride the Ferris wheel.’
Now that’s absolutely true my brethren. But the wonderful thing about it all, is that our GOD IS GOOD… GOOD TO THE VERY LAST DROP! And there’s no denying it. So the world not being fair doesn’t cause us much anxiety, since our Good God is the Creator and the Controller of the universe.
We are the children of the all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing King of the universe. And all God’s people said a most grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’
And yuh know what too Friends, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ needs us to do His earthly work, to spread the good news message of His sacrificial death and wonderful resurrection that now allows reconciliation with the Father and eternal life for all who believe on Him. Wow! What an awesome job my people.
But as Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) says in His Hour of Power Devotional: ‘Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today. He has no feet but our feet to lead us on the way. He has no tongues but our tongues to tell us how He died. He has no help but our help to bring us to His side.’
Oh Friends, that’s absolute truth! So you see how important we are to Christ’s work here on earth? It all depends on us. And after He’s done so much for us, how can we justify not being diligent and persevering in our work efforts on His behalf eh? We simply can’t!
And I’ve shared that message before, but it’s ever so important that I thought it worth sharing again, since we’re not doing Christ’s work as diligently, enthusiastically and truthfully as we should.
Ah mih people, Jesus is depending on us, His earthly body, His church with strong foundation, built on the rock of His powerful Word, to stir up the LOVE Revolution that will unite the entire world in His everlasting, unfathomable and unconditional LOVE! That’s why he gave the Great Commission (Matt.28:19-20) to the disciples, and consequently to us.
That brings us to our rather appropriate Bit: ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’
Yes Friends, our Lord and Saviour was heart broken when He saw so many people going astray; like lost sheep, with no shepherd to guide them. ‘Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38)
Oh Friends, that’s another admonishment for us to go out and reap a plentiful harvest, because the unsaved are still out their in great abundance, possibly more so today than in Jesus’ time. That means He’s still heartbroken to day, and only we, His true and faithful followers can alleviate His pain and sorrow.
And as the scholars tell us: ‘Verses 37 and 38 constitute one of the great missionary passages of the New Testament. Jesus pictures the world as a great spiritual harvest in need of labourers to gather it into the storehouse.’
Yes my brethren, there are many heathens to be harvested, and there’s lots of space in the storehouses of heaven, but sadly, there are not enough reapers, harvesters and diligent workers to do the job satisfactorily. And if you read between the lines, that’s a slight on us, a mark of dissatisfaction with way we’re doing, or rather not doing, our bounden duty here on earth.
Oh Friends, I know that we can’t all be missionaries to the far-flung parts of the globe, but we can help send some there through monetary contributions and sincere prayers. But we can also do the same job, the job we are called to do, right in our own homes and neighbourhoods, where there are oodles of people who still have never heard of Jesus, and thus have never had the opportunity to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.
Remember Friends, we will all have to stand before Christ, come the judgement day. And when He asks why we didn’t talk to this one, or that one, right in our area, who was ripe to hear the Word, and unfortunately has since been eternally separated from God, what are we going to answer eh? The truth hopefully; that we were too busy with the lustful things of the world? Steups!
That’s certainly not going to cut it my people. So please, let’s get serious nuh, right in our own areas, let’s be diligent and persevering about reaping the plentiful harvest that’s out there to put in Jesus’ storehouse, so that none will be lost, and thus suffer the worst fate a human being can – that of eternal separation from Almighty God!
Remember too Friends, that Jesus has nobody else but us to do it. So let’s show some wisdom and courage, and just do it nuh. Much LOVE!
…after all Jesus has selflessly done for us…His earthly work should not be perceived as being onerous…but rather…joyful and soul satisfying…
14 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloudless blue sky, a cry of anguish, a glorious Tuesday, a song of praise, accomplish all our desires, affliction, all that labour and are heavy laden, appreciation, brokeness, Christianity means action, come unto me, common sense, each step of the way, elevate our earthly lives, enhances growth, every experience is an opportunity to grow, fat fannies, fear the Lord, forgiveness, fulfilling, hungry, I have not refrained my lips, I have preached righteousness, I told you so, I will give you rest, in the great congregation, it's a little too late, learn from our mistakes, Limping Home, LOVE, mocked and maligned, never stop learning, O Lord thou knowest, One Year Book of Bible promises, pay my vows, praise, proclaimed the good news of righteousness, proclamation of God's Word, prodigal journey, Psalm 22, rest, Ruth Harms Calkin, seed of jacob, soiled and shabby, sprintime, stimulating, sttoped and stupid, sweep it under the rug, the cross, the end of our tether, the judgements of thy mouth, the Love Revolution of Jesus, thirsty for God, tons of bright sunshine, truth, turn to our Higher Power, unburdening of our souls, unfathomable love, variety of happenings, walking continually with God, walking with god every day, welcome, wisdom
Psalm 40:9. I have preached righteousness (proclaimed the good news of righteousness) in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained (restrained) my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
Ah Friends it’s the promising start of what hopefully will be a totally glorious Tuesday!
Yesterday wasn’t bad nuh, with the decent sunshine, warm temps and all that, but late in the afternoon the sun chose to be hidden betwixt the dark clouds and the rain. Let’s hope for a cloudless blue sky and tons of bright sunshine this spring day.
And yuh know Friends, I saw something yesterday in my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness that got me thinking I should share with you. It says that ‘Every day, every experience is an opportunity to grow.’
And isn’t that the God-awesome truth my people. Our experiences are like the springtime, which enhances growth. And we’d be rather foolish if we did not use the wide variety of happenings that we all experience to enlighten and elevate our earthly lives. It’s like the old saying, we should learn from our mistakes.
And remember too, that once we’re alive we should always be learning. We should NEVER stop learning! Learning something new every day, keeps the doctor and the funeral director away! (smile)
And as an added bonus, here’s this poem from The One Year Book of Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. I couldn’t help but include it since it portrays so many of us so vividly.
It’s titled ‘LIMPING HOME,’ and astutely declares: ‘Lord With a crooked stick for a cane I’m limping home. Mocked and maligned Stooped and stupid Soiled and shabby I limp toward You. You could say, “I told you so.” You could say, “It’s a little too late.” You could say, “Wait while I think it over.”
You could sweep me under the rug – We both know I deserve far less. But when I see the cross And the Man who died there Suddenly I know I limp Toward unfathomable LOVE And there is forgiveness Rushing toward me. I don’t ask for a banquet, Lord Nor do I need a gold ring. I’m so hungry So thirsty For You.’
More awesome truth Friends! We try to do it our way, on our own, but eventually realize that that’s impossible. And hopefully, when we’ve reached the end of our tether, we turn to our Higher Power, who is indeed the One that causes us to successfully accomplish all our desires.
And it’s interesting to note, that on our prodigal journey back to the Father, we suddenly discover the appreciation and wonderful welcome that’s waiting there for us, and the hunger and thirst for His unfathomable LOVE just overwhelms us. The sad part though, is that it often takes our brokenness to bring us to that realization.
And the rather appropriate promise for that poem come from these beautiful and welcoming words of Jesus. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28)
But for some ungodly reason, too many of us hesitate and/or refuse to accept that promise of rest and unburdening of our souls, and thus struggle more than is necessary to make it through this earthly life. That’s definitely not even common sense, much less wisdom my people!
So where then are common sense and wisdom found, you ask? Oh my brethren, those two marvellous traits are found in walking continually with God and doing what our Bit declares. ‘I have preached righteousness (proclaimed the good news of righteousness) in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained (restrained) my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.’
Yes my people, the proclamation of God’s Word to the world is a rather integral part of our earthly lives!
And we’ll continue with the stuff I had left over from yesterday, which consists of a few more verses from Psalm 22 – A cry of anguish and song of praise. Listen to Bruh David exhort us: ‘Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed (descendants) of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him (hold Him in awesome reverence), all ye the seed of Israel.
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.’ (Ps.22: 23-25)
Oh Friends, how wonderful and productive this life, and this world would be, if we only carried out those vows and promises! But unfortunately, that’s only going to happen, if and when we get truly serious about promoting and promulgating the LOVE Revolution of Jesus Christ.
As individuals, we have to ask ourselves, how interested we really are in doing that, then get up off our fat fannies and do it. Remember Friends, that Christianity is an ACTION word, and nothing is more fulfilling and stimulating than walking with God every day, each step of the way. Much LOVE!
…with my lips…have I declared…all the judgements of thy mouth… (Ps.119:13)
12 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a travesty of justice, afraid, also to the Greek, and of the Holy Spirit, awe, believers in Jesus Christ, blessens, bonds in christ, bounden duty, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, Christians, comfort, dynamite, dynamo, edify, encourage, enthusiasm, eternal life, ever-faithful God, faith, faith comes by hearing, fellowship, filter into your hearts, forgiveness, gather to worship, go to church, God's gracious provision, hearing by the word of God, hidden under a bushel, I have not refrained my lips, I have preached righteousness, in sincerity, in the great congregation, in the name of the Father, Jesus Christ, listen more than we talk, make disciples of all nations, mercy, no man is an island, number one priority, of the Son, oral communication, personal relationship with Jesus, pilgrim's journey, powerful word of God, praise and worship God, preach Christ, reconciliation, righteousness., sacrifical death, salvation, saving faith, secret, the body of Christ, the good news, the gopsel is the power of God unto salvation, the Great Commission, the most powerful force in the universe, the word of Christ, to the Jew first, truth, zeal, zenith of wisdom
Psalm 40:9. I have preached righteousness (proclaimed the good news of righteousness) in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained (restrained) my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
Well hello there you beautiful believers in Jesus Christ! How goes it this Sunday morning in mid-April eh? I hope that it meets you all safe and sound, and also up and about, preparing to go to church and praise and worship our wonderful God with other believers. For you know that’s the number one priority of a Christian on a Sunday morning.
Our God both desires and expects it of us, because He is always there ready to shower down blessings, mercy and forgiveness on us, whenever we gather to worship Him in sincerity and truth. That means that though you may have a personal relationship with Christ, that is not sufficient, you still need to meet with other believers in fellowship, to strengthen your bonds in Christ and to encourage, comfort and edify each other.
That’s why Jesus and Bruh Paul talk about His body, the church. It resembles the human body because it is made up of different parts, but all come together to form one body. No one part can’t do it all by itself. Just like no man is an island, likewise, no Christian is capable of doing it all himself.
And if by chance you’re physically unable to get to a sanctuary, then turn on your radio or your TV, find a church program and let the powerful and ever-faithful Word of God filter into your heart through your ears. That’s why He gave us two ears and only one mouth; so that we can listen more than we talk. (smile)
Remember too the fateful words of Bruh Paul to the Romans: ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom.10:17)
And the scholars offer this important explanation. ’10:17. The word of God: Better, “the word of Christ.” The reference here is to the oral communication of the gospel. Note that it is not faith in what is heard, but faith that comes about by what is heard. This is what Paul meant in 1:16 when he said the gospel “is the power of God unto salvation.”
Saving faith is not man doing his part in response to God’s having done His part (synergism). Saving faith can come about only through the gospel. Salvation is God’s work alone (monergism). This also shows that there is no other way to be saved but by the explicit gospel of Christ.’
Yes Friends, faith is born, and then grows in us when we hear the word communicated orally. And I guess I’ll have to spoon feed you all here because very few, if any of you will condescend to check out Romans 1:16, so you can better understand the scripture. So here it is. ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.’ (Rom.1:16)
Please remember my people that the Word of God is the most powerful force in the universe! For as the scholars tell us: ‘1:16. The power of God: The English words dynamite and dynamo are derived from the word “power.” If Paul were writing today he would probably speak of atomic power. The gospel is so powerful that it takes people all the way into heaven.
Every one that believeth: The basis of salvation is God’s gracious provision. (Rom.3:23-26) But the only means by which the sinner can appropriate this gift is faith (10:9-17) The gospel is the essential content of that faith. This is why Paul is so burdened to preach Christ to the world.’
Ah mih people, the power of the gospel of Christ is truly marvellous and miraculous! Without it, our faith would not exist; neither would we enjoy salvation, reconciliation and eternal life! Please keep that front and centre in our lives, as we make our pilgrim’s journey here on earth.
That bring us to our Bit, where Bruh David declares: ‘I have preached righteousness (proclaimed the good news of righteousness) in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained (restrained) my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.’
Yes my brethren, the same way Bruh Paul was enthused to preach the gospel of Christ, that’s exactly how Bruh David felt about God’s Word, and proclaimed it loudly to all and sundry! That job has now fallen to us Friends, but are we expressing it with the great awe, zeal and enthusiasm like we ought to? I doubt it very much. A lot of us are ashamed of Christ, are afraid to talk about Him openly, even to our friends and neighbours, but yet consider ourselves Christians, His followers.
But that’s not good enough my people. Hear how Bruh David continues after our Bit. ‘I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy LOVING-kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.’ (Ps.40:10)
Now that is what all believers ought to be able to say, and until we each can say that truthfully, then we’re not doing God’s will as we ought! Many of us instead of broadcasting the gospel and salvation boldly and diligently, we selfishly hide it in our hearts. But Friends, that good news was not meant to be kept a secret; it was meant to be broadcast to all the world.
Remember Jesus Great Commission to the disciples: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even to the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20).
Yes my brethren, that is what all faithful believers in Christ ought to be doing; telling others about His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary; which paid for our sins from now until eternity, plus the free gift of salvation offered to us through God’s grace, and the wonderful promise of eternal life!
Wow! Oh my people, if you believe that you have all of that, how can you keep it to yourselves eh? It’s a travesty of justice! So please, starting today, right now, let’s up the ante nuh, let’s get more interested and zealous about the cause of Christ, and go out and gladly broadcast it to all the world, for that’s our bounden duty, as well as the zenith of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…the good news of Jesus’ gospel …should not be hidden under a bushel…but brightly exposed for all to see and hear…
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