27 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors, apathy, ascension, aura of love, benefits, birth, blessed, blessed be the Lord, blessings, brand new day, breath, cast out, children of God, Christ, christianity, church of Jesus, circle the wagons, confidence, conquerors, darkness, death, dim, disaster prone, disciples, displeases Jesus, do good, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil powers, faith, fear, flavour, flavourless life, forgiveness, frail and mortal bodies, frogiveness, get our act back together, glorious kingdom, God of our salvation, God's Word, good for noting, good news, grace, great commission, heal wounds, heavens and the earth, hidden, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, humbly ask, illuminate the darkness, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice, jobs, lies, light, LOVE, lust, make Jesus proud, makes a mockery of, mercy, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, praise, preservative, proud and faithful, put God first, quality of life, Red Letter Day, regroup, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renaisance, renewed vitality, resurrection, revival, rise up victoriously, salt, salvation, selfless sacrifice, shining examples, sit up and take notice, spiritual armour, spread the gospel, steadfast faith, straight and narrow path, strength and guidance, sufficiently, surrender our all, thanksgiving, the day the Lord has made, things of the world, trodden underfoot, troubled world, true meaning, turn around, undesirable situation, ungodly world, walk obediently, we shall rejoice and be glad, well enough, while there's life there's hope, wiles
Psalm 68:19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Aye mih people, it’s Monday, a brand new day! And like every day that there’s breath in our frail, mortal bodies, it deserves the same opening sentence of praise and thanksgiving, namely: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we SHALL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Psalm 118:24)
So as proud and faithful children of God, let’s rise up this Monday morning, the first day of the new work week, with supreme faith and confidence in our great, most wonderful and faithful God, asking for His strength and guidance to go out today and face the evil, ungodly world in which we live. And we’ll do that by boisterously, but also harmoniously singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
All together now, let’s make both the heavens and the earth sit up and take notice. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh Friends, that was an awesome rendition! We got a standing ‘O’ from the angels in heaven. Jesus beamed with delight, and the Father was seen to be tapping His toes and keeping time to the riddim with His right hand on the arm of His throne. Mama Mia!
So let’s take this excitement and enthusiasm out into the imperfect world today and do good, like Jesus did, when He walked this earth two millennia ago, for that’s what He desires of us. As He said, we’re to be His disciples, His ambassadors here on earth, the salt and light, shining examples of His grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness. (Matt.5:13-16)
And these troubled times certainly call for us to exhibit those heavenly and godly qualities more than ever before. Our salt has recently been losing its flavour, and our light has indeed been dim, because we have been hiding it under a bushel, a basket. But my fellow believers in Christ, what’s the purpose of having flavourless salt and hiding our light eh?
None whatsoever! The salt is supposed to add flavour to our food, act as a preservative, melt coldness and heal wounds. And when it stops doing those things, then it’s of no use, like Jesus said, ‘good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.’ (Matt.5:13b)
The same goes for the light, which is supposed to illuminate the darkness. However, when it’s hidden it cannot do so. That’s why the darkness of the world has recently become so expansive and powerful; the supposed children of God have not been effectively lighting and showing the way on that straight and narrow path that leads to heaven.
And we know that displeases both the Son and the Father. Why you ask? Because then it only makes a mockery of the Father engineering the Son’s sacrifice to pay for our abominable sins, and thus enable us to be reconciled to Him.
So at about twenty to six this morning, as I sit on the balcony of my little bungalow in Lowlands, trying to wear off the effects of an unusual headache which caused me to go to bed early last night and also rise up early, I’m pleading with us, my fellow believers, to regain the flavour and all the other wonderful properties of our salt, and remove the covering from around our brightly burning lights, so that we may show the unbelieving world the true meaning of Christ and Christianity.
Remember Friends, that’s the great commission that Jesus entrusted to each and every one of His followers. To go out into all the world and spread the gospel, the good – no great news of His Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension, the selfless sacrifice He made so that mankind could have salvation and eternal life. (Matt.28:19-20)
Now isn’t that a most worthy cause to give our all to? Absolutely! But unfortunately we haven’t been doing it sufficiently, or well enough, that’s why the darkness has enveloped, has taken over so much of our beautiful world.
My Friends, it’s high time we circle the wagons, regroup and seriously and sincerely get our act back together, cause that’s the only way the church of Jesus here on earth will ever rise up victoriously against the evil powers of this troubled and disaster prone world.
Now it’s not too late to turn this thing around, for remember while there is life, there’s always hope. And we still have lots of life left, which means that there’s also lots of hope that we can turn this undesirable situation around, thereby improving the quality of life for ourselves, this young generation and those to come.
I’m sure we’ll all prefer our legacy to be one of successfully building Christ’s church, like our forefathers did, rather than one of destroying it, as our current, fear, apathy and lust for the things of the world are doing. So please, let’s make this Monday morning at the end of January, in the year of our Lord 2014, a RED LETTER DAY nuh!
A day on which we can truly look back and say that it was the end of our dim and flavourless life, but enthusiastically and ecstatically, the beginning of our revival, our renaissance, when we truly put God first in our lives and began doing what we ought to. My Fellow believers, that is the ONLY WAY that Christ’s church will ever stand strong and grow.
And likewise, the only way we will ever be able to truly repeat the words of our Bit. ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.’
Now let’s go out and make Jesus proud of us. Much LOVE!
…the Lord blesses those…who praise Him… give Him thanks…and walk obediently to His Word…
06 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abandoned, admonish, adrenalin, all year round, aura of love, be proud, believe, best present, blustery winter's morn, bright sunshine, brother, Bruh Paul, busybodies, Christ-like feeling, Christmas Season, commanded, confidence, conquerors, correct, Creator of the universe, death row, Devil's workshop, disobedience, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, evil, excommunication, faithful Being, forgiveness, further your glorious kingdom, good works, goodwill to men, grace, heavenly Father, hoopla, humble servants, idle hands, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, judgement morn, jump start, keeping lives and families together, lies, lord god almighty, lord jesus christ, LOVE, meddlesome ways, meddling, meet the enemy in battle, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new year 2014, New Year's hangover, obedience, peace, Praise the Lord, praise Your Holy Name, pray, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sally forth, second chance, serve a useful purpose, shame, should not eat, sing God's praises, snow, snow-white Monday, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strength and energy, surrender, Thessalonians, ungodly world, valiant fight for Jesus, walk disorderly, warm temps, warn, we're not afraid, weary souls, week of work, well doing, wiles, wonderful god, work ethic, worthwhile inroads, would not work
2 Thessalonians 3:10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday, a beautiful snow-white Monday in my area, and the ole fella’s feeling a tad better. Praise the Lord!
However for those of you going to work in the Greater Toronto Area, please leave early, and be very careful, for there’s a fair amount of snow on the ground. And for those of you enjoying bright sunshine with warm temps, please enjoy it and pray for us who unfortunately don’t have that luxury. (smile)
Anyway Friends, it’s Monday and all the hoopla from the Christmas season is now over, but please let that Christ-like feeling of joy, peace and goodwill to men reign all year round. It’s the best present we can give to Christ.
And I know that many of us are still suffering from the New Year’s hangover and don’t want to go back to work, but that’s life mih people, for as Bruh Paul says, if you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat. But though we find it extremely difficult to get up and get back in the flow of things, we just have to.
And as always, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn is here to help us do just that. So with all the strength and energy we can muster this blustery winter’s morn, let’s sing it out loud, believe and be proud.
‘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 my people, let’s allow that adrenalin build up to jump start our motors and get us going, so we can get out there and fight a valiant fight for Jesus, thereby enabling us to walk closer with Him this new year of 2014. For remember, that’s what we’ve resolved to do.
And Friends, I can’t help but sing and extol our wonderful God’s praises everyday, because everyday He does something that amazes me. Now, after writing above, about Bruh Paul saying that if you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat, I went looking for that particular scripture, so I could note it.
And, lo and behold, I not only found it, but found in it a Bit that nicely dovetailed with the work ethic that we were talking about on this first Monday in the new year. Up until then, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to write about.
That’s why I keep saying that our great God is the most faithful Being there is, if we sincerely try to adhere to His dictates. We might not understand all that He says or does, but we can be assured that He will never leave us suspended in mid-air without a safe way to escape.
Now let’s turn to that most interesting Bit. ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’
And there’s a lot of sense to that my people! As Bruh Paul continues: ‘For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.’ (2 Thess.3:11-12)
And there are undoubtedly many amongst us who fall into that category; spend more time meddling than working. And the scholars have this to say about those verses.
‘3:10-12. Paul expounds his simple and straightforward work ethic; If a person will not work, he should not eat! The Thessalonians’ diversion encouraged their meddlesome ways, demonstrating that “idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.’ Or as we would say; the devil finds work for idle hands.
However my fellow believers, please note Bruh Paul’s next words. ‘But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (warn, correct) him as a brother.’ (2 Thess.3:13-15)
So though there are annoying and meddlesome people amongst us, we still need to keep up with our good works.
As the scholars put it: ‘3:14-15. This instruction falls short of excommunication. Paul intends his readers to shame the brother, who is not an enemy, into obedience.’
Yes Friends, we ought to try our very best to get our misbehaving brothers and sisters to see the light, not simply abandon them because of their disobedience.
Remember that if God had simply abandoned us because of our disobedience, right now we’d be sitting on death row, waiting for the judgement morn to come, when we’d be separated from Almighty God forever. But He, in his great mercy, LOVE and forgiveness, gave us a second chance, and so should we to our brethren.
And we’ll end with Bruh Paul’s words. ‘Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all… The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.’ (2 Thess.3:16, 18) Much LOVE, my brethren!
…but let none of you suffer…as a busybody (meddler)…in other men’s matters… (1 Pet.4:15b)
02 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2014, anger, anger of the Lord, backfire, blessed, bow down, calamity, chosen people, Christmas Season, climb over, come up higher for Jesus, conscious actions, consequences, Controller, Creator, cry out, delivered, depravity, descend to the level, disaster, disgust, dislike, disobedience, displease God, distress, don't quit, emotional, enemies, evil, eyes of faith, faced with a mountain, faith, faith at work, find a pass through, foolish sheep, forgiveness, forgotten Jesus' promise, forsook the Lord, friends, god, gold mine, gone astray, Good Book, hatred, hearts, heavenly Father, high time, humiliate, idolatry, idols, in the sight of, Isaiah, Israel, Israelites, jealous god, Jesus Christ, joyous time, keep on striving, kindness, LOVE, manifested, manmade idols, material things, mercy, minds, negative emotions, obnoxious, of the universe, oppress, pagan gods, peace, Philistines, pleading, ponder, Possibiity Thinker's Creed, Possibility Thinking, propitiation, prosperous year, punished, resentment, rich and fertile soil, righteousness., sacrifice, sake of our children, seek first, serious effort, serious note, sinful attitudes, sinned against, sins, souls, sowing seeds, spiritual, the kingdom of God, tribulation, tunnel underneath, turned His back, vexatious policies, with God's help, work of our own hands, worship
Isaiah 2:8. Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.
Oh Friends, can you believe it’s already the 2nd of January 2014? (smile) And I’ve made one mistake already. I put 2013 in the big heading above instead of 2014. But the ole fella’s only human, and that kind of error is usual until the new year really gets into our systems.
But my people, on a more serious note, the Christmas season is coming to an end, and I’m pleading with us, please, please, let’s not allow the kindness, mercy, peace, forgiveness and LOVE that we’ve shown throughout this joyous time to die. Let’s not allow it to turn back to the evil, the anger, the hatred, resentment and other negative emotions that we had, and exhibited before Christmas began.
It’s obvious that we can’t LOVE everybody, every minute of every day, but we definitely don’t have to descend back to the level of dislike, disgust and depravity that we were at in 2013. It’s high time we come up higher for Jesus’ sake!
And here’s a word, a reminder, re coming up higher, from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller). He calls it the Possibility Thinker’s Creed. And Possibility Thinking my Friends, is just faith at work, because as believers, we need to see the world through the eyes of faith.
So let’s remember and truly believe that: ‘When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine – with God’s help.’
Yes Friends, let’s start this blessed and prosperous year of 2014, by sowing those seeds of possibility thinking, of faith, deep into the rich and fertile soil of our hearts, souls and minds!
Now let’s turn to our very first Bit of this new year. And it’s a very serious Bit my people. ‘Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.’
Oh my brethren, Isaiah could surely have been writing about us, instead of the Israelites of old! Why? Because we too have such a multiplicity of idols in our lives these days, that it’s not funny. Remember too, the definition of an idol; anything we place before God in our lives.
And that covers a multitude of things Friends, because we seem to place all the material things of the world, as well as all its evil, obnoxious and vexatious policies before the Creator and Controller of the universe. I don’t know how many times we must be reminded that our God is a very jealous deity and wants us to bow down to no other supposed deity but Him. And surely not those that we’ve made with our own hands!
It also seems that we’ve completely and conveniently forgotten Jesus’ promise, that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that all the stuff we need, material, spiritual, emotional and whatever else, will be provided to us by our Heavenly Father! (Matt.5:24-34)
Please read that again my fellow believers, so that it can sink into our minds and spirits, and thus be manifested in our conscious actions. It’s the only way we’ll ever remove the idolatry from our lives.
And just to show how all this idolatry could backfire on us, we’ll recall one occasion from the Good Book, where the Lord turned His back on His chosen people, Israel.
‘And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth (Baals and Ashtoreths), and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served him not.
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.’ (Judg.10:6-7)
Yes Friends, the Lord allowed their enemies to humiliate them.
‘And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry (out) unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation (distress). (Judg.10:10-14)
What more is there to say my brethren? Not much. The children of Israel knowingly and wilfully abandoned, turned away from the God of their fathers to worship pagan gods and man-made idols. And the Lord, as promised, punished them severely.
Now tell me, why do you think that our individual societies, and our world in general are in such a mess eh?
It’s simple Friends; we too have turned away in droves from worshipping the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD, who created us, who LOVED us so much, that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be a propitiation, a human sacrifice for our sins.
And now, like foolish sheep, we have all gone astray, forgotten Him, and instead turned to idols of our own making. So what else can we expect but disaster and calamity eh?
Please ponder on these things today, my fellow believers, and then let’s make a strong and serious effort to overcome those sinful attitudes that we know displease our God. If we don’t want to do it for our sake, then please do it for the sake of our children and those who come after us.
Let us not allow it to be said, that our generation caused it all to fall apart. It’s not too late… if we begin RIGHT NOW! Much LOVE!
…when will we ever learn…that disobedience to God’s will…will ALWAYS bring serious consequences…
31 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2013, 2014, Abraham, actions dispute claim, actions speak louder than words, all the law, anger, angry spirit, avast security system, Beelzebub, calamitous, christianity, cops, courageous, deceitful, disatrous, do as God commanded, do the right thing, don't turn aside, don't worry, drink, drunk drivers, drunk or sober mind your business, eat, evil, evil cohorts, faithfully believe in, fellow believers, focus on Almighty God, forgiveness, Gentiles, Granny's advice, great god, have success, headeaches, heavenly Father, hope, in the church, interceded with god, Internet Explorer, intimate walk with Jesus, jesus name, Joshua, kingdom of god, LOVE, Love god ourselves and neighbours, loving kindness, lying, mantle of leadership, mercy, Moses, needs, negative emotions, New Testament, New Year's Eve, New Year's resolution, Old Testament, our benefit, prosper, rampant, rant, reverence, righteous people, righteousness., ringing in the New Year, run around, save the world, second chances, seek, seek God, serve and worship, sincerity, Sodom, strong, tenderness, to the left, to the right, topsy-turvy, ungodliness, wear, wisdom, wise, wrong foot
Deuteronomy 5:32. Ye shall (carefully) observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
Oh Friends, sorry this is somewhat late. I wanted to wish you a Happy New Year’s Eve, but right now my spirit is somewhat angered. I’ve been using a free avast security system on my desktop computer for a while now, just simple net surfing stuff, and I never really had a problem with them. However, they’ve been bugging me to buy their advanced system, so since I’d been using their protection for free and it wasn’t bad, I decided to do the right thing and purchase their system.
Lo and behold this morning when I came down to write the Bit, I decided to finally download the new avast system. Hn! What a mistake! It seems to have downloaded the system properly, but then said it need to close so everything could take effect. So I agreed to do it then. But upon rebooting I could not get back into Internet Explorer, which I use. I tried several times, but with no luck.
Then I tried logging in with Firefox, and was successful. However I don’t like the other servers. That’s just me. (smile) Then when I tried to contact avast, I got the usual run around, with oodles of screens to fill out questions, to which I’ve had no reply, except acknowledgement of my query.
Then when I got on to my laptop, which I’m on now, I got on to Internet Explorer without a problem, so I decided to check the site showing on my desk top, only to find that the avast system was blocking Internet Explorer from opening up. So the long and short of the story is that I’m on the verge of cancelling the avast system.
Ah Lord eh! Yuh see why I don’t like computers and all the nonsense they entail! And they never seem to cause problems until you need them most. Steups! And that’s my rant for the day. (smile)
Now dear Lord, please free up the ole fella’s mind, take away the anger and all the negative emotions, so that I can write a Bit worthy of You. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
So what’s new and exciting in your lives this New Year’s Eve morning, my fellow believers? (smile) I surely hope it’s better than mine, for who needs the unnecessary headaches eh? Life is already filled with enough necessary ones. Many of you will no doubt be ringing in the new year at some party or other, but please remember Granny’s advice: ‘Sonny Boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.‘
And we all know that this is a time when Beelzebub is at his deceitful and lying best. So let’s not begin the new year off on the wrong foot, getting trapped by him and his evil cohorts.
As for me, I’m going to be doing my usual stay at home thing, spending it with my family. Going out in all the cold weather isn’t appealing anymore, and then you have to be careful with the cops and the drunk drivers on the road. Plus it’s supposed to snow in my area today. Who needs the headache eh, when I can enjoy it just as much at home?
Anyway, let’s finally get to our Bit. ‘Ye shall (carefully) observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.’
Ah mih people, we couldn’t have a better Bit to ring in 2014! Why, you ask? Because it brings, and hopefully keeps our focus on Almighty God, whom we claim to so faithfully believe in. Unfortunately though, too many of our actions dispute that claim. And remember that actions do speak louder than words.
Just look at our world, at the church, the body of Christ nuh. We certainly can’t say that we’re living up to our Bit, to God’s Word, to our promise to faithfully serve and worship Him? Evil and ungodliness are so rampant all over, even in the church, that it would be difficult, like when Abraham interceded with God to save Sodom, (Gen.18:22-32) to find enough righteous people to save our world.
However Friends, we’re indeed fortunate to have a God who gives second chances, and while we’re alive it means that there’s still hope for us. But for that to happen my people, we have to have a serious return to the dictates of Christianity; faithfully LOVING our wonderful God, ourselves and our neighbours.
We desperately need to do as the Lord instructed Joshua when he took over the leadership mantle from Moses. ‘Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success) whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:7)
Oh my fellow believers, it doesn’t get any simpler or plainer than that! And if like some, you believe that’s Old Testament stuff, then listen to Jesus saying the same thing.
‘Therefore take no thought (don‘t worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.‘ (Matt.6:31-32)
There we have it Friends, the New Testament version, of doing what the Lord commands, then all your needs will be met! And isn’t our God a great God? I couldn’t have chosen a better ending for this last Bit of this topsy-turvy, often disastrous and calamitous year of 2013.
Please my people, please let’s make 2014 a much better year in seeking God and His righteousness that we did 2013 nuh. Remember it’s all for our benefit, especially our children. There’s nothing the Lord wants from us except our sincereLOVE and reverence, but we need oh so much from Him; His mercy, His tenderness, His forgiveness, His LOVING-kindness, etc.etc.
So let’s be wise this new year and return to Him with a new found sincerity. That’s truly wisdom at its highest. Much LOVE!
…there’s only one New Year’s resolution that’s necessary…to develop a closer and more intimate walk with Jesus…for then…as promised… everything else will be taken care of…
26 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive and kicking, almighty god, Amen, beatiful soul, believe in God, believers, birth, Boxing Day, business owners, caring, celebrate God's Love, Christmas, Christmas tree, cold, colt, Creator, cross, dark, daughter, depressing news, disatrous situations, earthly pilgrimage, Easter, Emergency, eternal life, evergreen, exalted position, faith, faithfully fulfilled, forgiveness, G.T.A, God will stop at nothing, God-given ability, grace, guide and leader, hands that reach to touch, hanging on a tree, hearts that hurt, help, Holy Name, holy spirit, humble, inspiring and encouraging words, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, judge, just, king, lack of access, lack of power, lawgiver, life-giving, lift us up, Lord, lose one's mind, LOVE, lowly, manger, merchants, mercy, Ms. Wynne, negative, omnipotent force, outstrecthed arms, Palm Sunday, physical damage, pointing, praying, Premier, province wide, pushing on, quiet rest, reaching, rejoice, riding an ass, righteous, road-weary, rough time, sacrificial work, sales, salvation, saviour, Scarborough area, scriptures, setbacks, sharing, shoppers, significant difference, solid, sparkling, strong rooted in god's love, sturdy, suffering, The Christmas season, thoughts of God, three days, to save my soul, travel-worn, treasures, tree branches, trust, twinkling Christmas tree, two thousand years, wayfarers, whole world, young man, Zechariah, Zion
Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he shall save us.
And then it was Boxing Day! Yes Friends, most of the Christmas hoopla has died down now. Thank the Lord! The Christmas season itself is wonderful, but all the unnecessary fuss can get to be a bit much.
Unfortunately though, some 60-70 thousand people, primarily in the Scarborough area of the G.T.A, are still without power, and many trees and other impediments are still to be removed from the roads to provide access.
It’s certainly been a very rough time for those people, and though some are still complaining about the refusal to declare a state of Emergency, the Premier of the Province, Ms. Wynne, says that isn’t necessary because all the people who would have been called in province wide, are already here helping out.
But that’s cold comfort for those who still don’t have power. I spoke to a friend last night, she and her husband, both in their 70’s were without power for almost 72 hours over the weekend. At one point she thought she was about to lose her mind. Imagine two people in their 70’s in a cold, dark house for almost three days nuh!
Ah mih people, it’s truly been a harrowing Christmas for many people in the province. And sadly, on top of the ice, there’s been some snowfall over the last couple days, not a great deal, but enough to make matters worse. Please continue praying for us and helping in whatever way you can.
And another group that has certainly suffered is the business owners and merchants, since many of them couldn’t open because of lack of power and possibly physical damage to their properties. And even for those who were able to open, the number of shoppers must have been seriously curtailed due to the latter’s disastrous situations.
To spoil their Christmas even further, today, Boxing Day, usually Canada’s biggest sales and shopping day, has seen its importance steadily eroded as we try to compete with the U.S. Thanksgiving Black Friday sales pitch. So the merchants are seriously suffering, any which way you take it.
However my brethren, here’s something to lift us up after all that negative and depressing news. It’s a Christmas Prayer, from the Robert H. Schuller Hour of Power Devotional. I only read it after I wrote the Bit yesterday, otherwise I would have included it. But it’s still the Christmas season, so it’s still very appropriate.
And again I have to wonder how this prayer seems so new and unfamiliar to me, although I’ve been reading this devotional for a number of years.
Anyway, it inspirationally says: ‘You lead me, Jesus Christ, to thoughts of God. I see you in a manger carved from a tree. I see you as a young man with hands that reach to touch hearts that hurt. Your caring reaches out like the strong and kind branches of a gentle tree reach out to invite road-weary and travel-worn wayfarers to quiet rest.
I see you again hanging on a tree with outstretched arms taking in the whole world. From your cross, you show me that God will stop at nothing to save my soul. So, I celebrate God’s LOVE today as I celebrate your birth around a twinkling Christmas tree.
I pray my life, like yours, O Lord, may be tall and upright as a pine tree pointing, reaching, sharing, sparkling, life-giving; solid, sturdy, strong-rooted in God’s LOVE, a beautiful soul, evergreen forever: Amen.’
What inspiring and encouraging words my people! Though I had to chuckle at the end, because a lot of pines and other trees around the Province, certainly aren’t standing tall and sturdy today.
But the significant difference is that we believers, despite any setbacks, still have the God-given ability to stand sturdy, strong and deeply rooted in God’s amazing LOVE, becoming truly beautiful souls.
And we find that possible because of scriptures like our Bit. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he shall save us.’
Yes my brethren, since Almighty God, the Creator and most omnipotent force in the universe is our guide and leader, we can stand strong in the power of His Holy Name, through the current working of His Holy Spirit, and the sacrificial work His Son, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, did for us two thousand years ago!
That just goes to show how strong and powerful is our God! Two thousand years later, He’s still alive and kicking, and pushing on as strong as ever. Wow!
In fact He’s becoming stronger every day, as more and more people come to recognize His tremendous power, LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, and thus believe in Him, put their trust and faith in Him, for help in their earthly pilgrimage.
Ah Friends, it’s time to close. I had envisioned getting to the ‘lawgiver’ aspect of our Bit, but that obviously wasn’t meant to be today. However, I’ll leave us with a wonderful scripture on the ‘king and saving’ aspect that I could not include yesterday.
Listen to these beautiful and encouraging words from the prophet Zechariah, as he prophesies about Zion’s future king. ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech. 9:9)
And we all know that scripture was faithfully fulfilled on Palm Sunday!
So fellow believers, we’ve celebrated, sorry, we’re still celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, but we indeed have the next big occasion to look forward to, Easter, when He truly did His saving work and definitely earned His exalted position as our Lord and King. Much LOVE!
…to whom do we owe the treasures of salvation and eternal life…JESUS CHRIST…what a wonderful SAVIOUR…!
13 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: awesome majesty, bear burdens, Bruh David, called to courage, change, Christmas Season, contemplation, covenant, cry in distress, deliver us from sin, descendants, do not be afraid, eternal death, eternal life, Ethan the Ezrahite, ever-faithful God, everlasting faithfulness, faithful, faithful promise, faithfulness, fear, fellowship, Firday 13th, for ever, forgiveness, foundation of the earth, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generations, generous help, God's sure promises, gospel truth, grace, greatest gifts to man, grow old, heaven, Jesus Christ, jesus name, joyfully shouting, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving, loving kindness, magnanimous god, make known, merciful, no labour, omnipotent, perseverance, pilgrims, proudly, ravages, refreshed in soul, relaxation, renewed, respect, rest, right track, salvation, seed, smoke, sojourn, stand strong, steadfast faith, superstition, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Lord's mercies, time to sing, true, true believer, ungodly earth, vanish away, veneration, weekend, wisdom, work of thy hands
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday…Friday the 13th! Now does that raise fears in your spirit, re it being an unlucky day? I surely hope not, because there’s absolutely nothing to fear from a Friday that falls on the 13th day of the month.
It’s just a bunch of superstitions dating back to who knows when and where! They can’t even decide where it originally came from. So we’ll repeat, there’s nothing to be afraid of on this Friday 13th December 2013, or any other Friday 13th at all!
And that’s especially so if you’re a true believer in Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord and Saviour. He’s faithfully promised to save us from any evil, so there’s nothing to be afraid of. And just in case you’re one of those who have difficulty handling a Friday 13th, then you’re probably suffering from ‘Paraskevidekatriaphobics.’
Yes Friends, it’s a big word for a fear that ought not to exist! So please keep joyfully shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because whether it’s called black, or misfortune, or unlucky Friday, it’s still the day before the weekend, and there’s no labour for two, whole, big, long days! (smile)
And to keep us on the right track, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much affirmation nuh. ‘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.’
Now that’s the right way to view the weekend my people! And in conjunction with our Bit, we shall certainly stand strong this weekend.
Our Bit comes from Psalm 89, which deals with God’s sure promises to Bruh David. It’s a contemplation written by Ethan the Ezrahite, a man of much wisdom, (1 Kin.4:31) and also one of the singers in Bruh David’s band. (1 Chr.15:19)
So he was well qualified to declare in the opening verse: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
And this Christmas season my brethren, is certainly a time to sing of and make known to all and sundry, the great mercies and the everlasting faithfulness of our omnipotent and magnanimous God!
Look, He promised to deliver us from sin and its ravages, death eternal, and in response sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to do it, thus giving us the two greatest gifts ever known to man; salvation and eternal life! Wow! Now how can we not jump and shout for joy at those two life saving and life giving situations eh?
And as the psalmist continues: ‘For I have said, Mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.’ (Ps.89:2-4)
And all of that is gospel truth my Friends! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these scriptures which declare and establish that LOVING-kindness and faithfulness of our eternal God.
Psalm 102, a cry in distress, puts it thus: ‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed (descendants) shall be established before thee.’ (Ps.102:25-28)
Who says our God isn’t merciful, LOVING, faithful, omnipotent and true eh! He certainly is my people, as all of us can attest to in so many aspects of our lives!
And we’ll end today with this outstanding verse from Isaiah, where the faithful are called to courage. ‘Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax (grow) old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished (broken).’ (Is.51:6)
Oh my people, please hang on tightly to those words of our ever-faithful God, because it’s in His words, His promises, that we find courage, perseverance and steadfast faith to bear our burdens as pilgrims on this evil, ungodly earth!
And we’ll have more corroborative scripture on this topic tomorrow to boost our spirits, provided the Lord’s in favour, of course.
But till then my Friends and fellow believers, please, please, let’s stand steadfast and strong, and sing staunchly and proudly of our God; of His mercies, His LOVING-kindness, His forgiveness, His grace and all the other wonderful stuff that He’s so faithfully and LOVINGLY provided to help us on our short sojourn here on earth. Much LOVE!
…when God’s people stand strong…in faith…LOVE…and mercy…the whole world takes notice…and stands up in respect, in veneration…of His awesome majesty…
04 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonish, admonishment, adultery, all aspects, anointed, Bathsheba, Beelzebub, bitter fruit, blameless, blaspheme, blot out, broken spirit, Bruh David, burnt offerings, circumstances, cleanse, confess, confidence, confronted by sin, contrite heart, cried out to God, death, deny sin, depressed, despise, deterrent to willful sin, disrepute, distraught, emotions, enemies of the Lord, evil, fasted, fat of rams, forefather, forgive, forgiveness, forgiving Deity, God of truth and justice, God's only Son, gracious, house of the Lord, hurt, in thy sight, iniquity, integral part, Jesus, judge, justified, kinsman, life, listen, long and short of the story, loving kindness, lustful desire, merciful, mercy, mourning, necessary adjustments, obey, pain, pleas for help, practical application, prayer for cleansing, price to pay, promise, Psalm 51, punishment, remember our God, repentance, repented, righteousness., sacrifice, scot free, seed of sin, sin, Sin does not pay, sinful traps and snares, sinned abominably, situations, Solomon, sonner the better, sordid manner, sorrow, thanks and praise, tragic liaison, transgressions, tremendous price, ungodly behaviour, unrighteousness, walk with god, wonderful god, worshipped, wrongdoing
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh mih people, the Bit will most likely be late today since I had a late night, and the body wasn’t too thrilled about getting up in the early hours of the morning. (smile) But all thanks to our great and wonderful God, we’re finally here and motoring on. Please give Him some thanks and praise for that.
And today we’ll continue with Bruh David’s story, how his life changed for the worse because of that lustful desire he couldn’t control; sleeping with Bathsheba, and the sordid manner and great lengths he went to, to have her for his own.
However Friends, one of the most important things to notice in that story is that when confronted by his sin, Bruh David admitted it. ‘And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.’ (2 Sam.12:13)
Yuh see God’s reaction to Bruh David’s admission; life… not death, as he deserved. But he wasn’t going to get away easily. For Nathan continued: ‘Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.’ (2 Sam.12:14)
So mih breddren, though Bruh David was allowed to live and continue to reign as king, he didn’t get away scot free from punishment for his ungodly behaviour. In fact he ended up paying a tremendous price. Now here are the scholars’ take on those verses.
’12:13. David genuinely grieved and repented (cf. Ps.32:5; 51:3-14) However, the seed of sin was immediately to bear bitter fruit, for the child born of the adultery became grievously ill and died (vv.15-18).
12:14. David’s sin had brought the name of God into disrepute. Such knowledge ought to serve as a deterrent to willful sin on the part of believers (cf. 1 Tim.5:14; 6:1).’
Please read those references Friends, for they are quite informative. And we all know how Bruh David fasted and prayed and cast himself upon the earth during the child’s sickness, and refused to be comforted. His people were even afraid to tell him when the child died, figuring that he would become even more depressed and distraught.
But Bruh David sees them whispering and figures out that the child has died, and when they confirm it: ‘Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required (requested), they set bread before him, and he did eat.’ (2 Sam.12:20)
Ah Friends, in all of that sorrow, Bruh David still remembered His God, and the first thing he did after cleaning up himself was to go to His house and worship Him. In our times of sorrow we ought also to remember our God.
And please note too his logic when asked by his staff about his strange behaviour; sort of mourning when the child was alive and coming out of mourning when he died.
‘And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God, will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.’ (2 Sam.12:22-23)
The long and short of the story though my people, is that SIN DOES NOT PAY!
And though we will always receive forgiveness for our repentance, the Lord will usually require, or requite some punishment for our transgressions. And usually the sooner we own up to the wrongdoing, the better. The worse thing we can ever do is deny our transgressions.
That’s the beauty of Bruh David’s walk with God; though he sinned abominably, he came clean when confronted with it, and the Lord was merciful and magnanimous enough to not take away everything from him. In fact He even gave him another child from Bathsheba, Cousin Sol (Solomon), the richest and wisest king ever to sit on Israel’s throne, and in the end Bruh David was a kinsman, forefather of God’s only Son, Jesus.
And we’ll end with some passages from one of Bruh David’s greatest psalms, Psalm 51; A prayer for cleansing, something he wrote after His tragic liaison with Bathsheba.
‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified (be found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest…. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps.51:1-4, 15-17)
Oh Friends, that’s possibly another reason why the Lord LOVED Bruh David so much and kept blessing him. He never shied away or tried to hide his hurt, his pain, his sin and whatever emotions he was feeling at a particular time. He always cried out to the God of his fathers whether in a good or bad situation with thanks and pleas for help.
And that’s how the Lord wants it with us too, my people. We need to cry out to Him with praise, thanks and pleas for help under any and all circumstances, good, bad and/or indifferent, for the Lord wants to play an integral part in all aspects of our lives.
So let’s remember that, and don’t try to hide or run from Him, but come to Him with confidence with whatever is troubling us, for He has promised to cleanse and forgive us once we confess our wrongdoing. And He is ever-faithful to keep His promises.
But please remember too that there’s usually a price to pay for wrongdoing, for though our God is a great, merciful and forgiving Deity, He is also a God of truth and justice, and disobedience must be paid for if He is to retain His righteousness, as Bruh David notes in the psalm above, (vs.4).
That brings us to the end of this promise Friends. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Let’s hope we learned from it, especially from the practical application of it in Bruh David’s life, and will make the necessary adjustments to our own lives, so that we don’t fall into the same sinful traps and snares of Beelzebub.
For that will only further complicate our lives, bring God’s Word into disrepute and cause Him to admonish us. And if there’s one thing we can certainly do without is His admonishment. Much LOVE!
…to obey is better than sacrifice…and to hearken (listen)…than the fat of rams… (1 Sam.15:22b)
03 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2 Samuel, a believer's life, Absalom, abundance, adversity, Bathsheba, be wise, better example, blessed, Bruh David, chagrin, children of Ammon, Christians, civil war, cleanse, confess, consequences, despised, destroyed, disagreement, disobedience, disrepute, divine truth, dressed down, earthly and heavenly lives, essence of wisdom, ever-Loving, evil, evil leader, faith, faithful, faults, forgive, forgiveness, forgiving, good and proper, gospel truth, gracious, gross misconduct, hand of Saul, harsh judgements, house of Israel and Judah, hypocrites, in the sight of the sun, individual circumstances, integral parts, judgements, justice, light of jesus, Lord god of Israel, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, lusting, merciful, mercy, nansi story, omnipotent god, perfect example, pilgrims, pity, plod on in faith, plotting, preach, promises, prophet Nathan, rebellion, rightousness, scriptural standards, secretly, sinful darkness, sinfulness, sins, strife, the Lord's commandment, the Word of Almighty God, trust, unfathomable, unrighteousness, unwanted, Uriah the Hittite, usually comes to light, what's done in darkness, wisdom, wise living
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Aye mih bredden, I never expected these wonderful promises of our ever-LOVING, merciful, forgiving, gracious, omnipotent God to take up so many days nuh! And we’re only on the second one, with quite a few more to go through.
But that’s a-okay, because they are all very integral parts of our faith, of both our earthly and heavenly lives. And without them… Hn! I refuse to even think about that option, for in our serious sinfulness, we would have been destroyed long ago.
So please, let’s be wise and plod on in faith and trust as true pilgrims, as those promises teach us about the divine truth and wisdom contained in the Word of Almighty God. And today we’ll see the perfect example of our Bit, lived out in a believer’s life. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Yeh Friends, that perfect example of the real life working of our Bit is to be found in none other than Bruh David. 2 Samuel 11, tells us about his seeing the beautiful Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite, lusting after her, lying with her, then plotting to have her husband killed in battle.
Most of the populace were none the wiser, but Almighty God saw his abominable sin and sought justice as is His wont. Remember that saying that what is done in darkness, is often brought to light. So in 2 Samuel 12, the Lord sends the prophet Nathan to Bruh David with some nansi story about a rich man having a visitor, and instead of killing one of his many sheep to serve his visitor, took the pet lamb of his neighbour.
Oh Friends, yuh see how our Lord can be even more devious than us when it’s called for. Now when Bruh David hears Nathan’s story, he’s furious at the rich man.
‘And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely (deserves to) die. And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.’ (2 Sam.12:5-6)
But can you imagine Bruh David’s chagrin when Nathan says to him: ‘Thou art that man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things (much more).
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.’ (2 Sam.12:7-9)
Yeh mih people, Nathan dressed down Bruh David real good and proper in the Lord’s name!
And as the scholars’ so rightly note: ’12:5-7. How easy it is to see the sins of others without applying the scriptural standards to ourselves (cf. Matt.7:3-5)! David called for the full weight of the law to be applied (cf. Ex.22:1)’
That last reference deals with the stealing of animals and the repayment. But the scholars’ statement is gospel truth! We’re always quick to pass harsh judgements on others, but never apply the same standards to ourselves, as Jesus points out in the first reference (Matt.7:3-5), quick to take the splinter from someone else’s eye, without removing the big beam from ours.
But sadly, the Lord wasn’t done with Bruh David, for Nathan continued with his rebuke. ‘Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil (adversity) against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of the sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’ (2 Sam.12:10-12)
What a fiery dart to Bruh David’s heart mih breddren! And yuh better believe that the Lord was very serious.
For as the scholars’ tell us: ’12:10-11. These judgements came to pass literally in the sins of his own household (ch.13), the rebellion by his own son Absalom (ch.15), and the civil war that followed (chs.16-20). David was never to fully know rest again.’
Oh Friends, you can read those referenced chapters for yourselves and realize the truth of the scholars’ words. But thereafter, because of his gross misconduct, Bruh David was always embroiled in some sort of strife or disagreement, a lot of it within his own family.
It just goes to show my fellow believers that the Lord is very serious about His Word, re promises, and disobedience. Bruh David was king, and should have known better, especially since the Lord had blessed him so much, showered him with such worldly abundance and LOVING-kindness. A better example was expected from him.
Likewise, the Lord expects better examples from us, His adopted children. We can’t afford to preach one thing, then go out and do something entirely different, thus bringing disrepute upon the Lord and His righteousness.
Unfortunately though, we do it all the time, and that is why so many hold Christians up as the biggest hypocrites on the planet. And oftimes they are quite right.
So Friends, to day let’s sit down and consider our individual circumstances and see if there be any serious faults in us nuh. And if there be any, let’s immediately confess them to the Father, and sincerely ask for His mercy and forgiveness, for that is the very essence of wisdom and wise living.
So until we meet again tomorrow, the Lord in favour, let’s try our best to walk in the revealed light of Jesus, and not wallow in the sinful darkness associated with the world and Lucifer, its evil leader. Much LOVE!
…please remember that…disobedience ALWAYS brings…unwanted, unfathomable consequences…
02 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, alive and kicking, aura of love, be wary, bow, Christ's death, clarion call, cleanse, confess, confidence, Creator of the universe, Cyber Monday, divine provision, earthly behaviour, enemy's taunts, energized, enthusiasm, eternal life, faithful, faithfulness, falter, famiies, forgiveness, friends, glorify, glorious kingdom, God's standard, gospel truth, grace, greedy merchants, Holy Name, holy spirit, human need, humble servants, immortal God, incentive, inroads, invincible, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jobs, join the fray, judge, judicial standing, just, justice, justification, justified, lead and guide, lies, Lord and Saviour, loving kindness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mortals, nature, obedience, Oh Lord God Almighty, on Jesus' behalf, praise, ransom, redemption, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteous God, righteousness., salvation, saviour, shop on-line, shop till you drop, sinful disposition, sinful souls, sing with joy, sins, snares and traps, steadfast faith, succumb to temptation, sure conquerors, the glory of God, ungodly world, unmerited favour, unrighteousness, useful purpose
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday…Cyber Monday! So jump and shout and get on your computers and start shopping on-line, as the greedy merchants would have you do! Shop until you drop!
Ah Lord eh! I hope you all realize though that I’m only being sarcastic, facetious and any other terms that are synonymous with those two. Steups! I have to shake my head in both wonder and disgust, for everyday we’re encouraged to buy more stuff.
And we come up with such foolish names; Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc. And the sad part is that they are all consolidated around some important holiday, which tends to suck the life and true meaning out of the holiday, so that it soon becomes a mere opportunity to spend what we don’t have, and buy what we often don’t need, thereby enriching the already rich.
But please remember Friends, that there’s an immortal and righteous God in heaven looking down on us mere mortals, who will eventually judge us on our earthly behaviour. So please let’s be wary, and don’t fall into the snares and traps of the ungodly world. For we’re only supposed to be IN the world, not OF it.
Anyhow, enough sermonizing from me, (smile) let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto, so that we can get energized to go out and face the evil world, and be strong enough to repel them.
As one loud clarion call 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!’
Yes mih people, that ought to get our adrenalin flowing and give us the wherewithal to join the fray on Jesus’ behalf!
But just in case we unexpectedly falter and succumb to worldly temptations, it’s very important to know that relief is possible by following the guidelines of our Bit. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Now Friends, isn’t that a real powerful and heart-warming incentive to believe in Jehovah God? It surely is! For there’s no other supposed deity who displays such LOVING-kindness, and the ONLY ONE, who can do what He did, cause He’s alive and kicking, while all the others are dead and of no use.
We talk about His faithfulness, justice and forgiveness, all truthful facts. Bruh Paul hit the nail on the head when he declared: ‘For all have sinned and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23) Sadly though my brethren, that sinful disposition has been bred into our very nature down through the ages.
The scholars reinforce this by saying: ‘3:23. For all have sinned: The human need and the divine provision are alike applied universally. Come short of the glory of God: Man can exceed his own standards but never, left to himself, can he attain to God’s standard of righteousness.’
And that’s gospel truth people! However my fellow believers, please listen carefully to what our wonderful God has done for us nuh. ‘Being justified freely (without any cost) by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.’ (Rom.3:24)
Now doesn’t that just make your hearts sing with joy my brethren? It surely ought to. And after listening to how the scholars explain it, I surely hope it does.
‘3:24. Being justified (Gr. dikaioumenoi) indicates being declared righteous. It signifies the believer’s judicial standing before God. Freely: There is no just cause in man to warrant justification. By his grace: Unmerited favour is bestowed through the redemption (release on payment of ransom). Christ’s death is the ransom. The sinner is released on the basis of the ransom having being paid.’
Yes Friends, we only have that marvellous, soul-saving opportunity to be set free from sin, because of the monumental ransom that Jesus paid. Without Jesus’ sacrificial gift of His sinless life, we would have been held in bondage to sin forever, with absolutely NO hope of escape.
But thanks to Jesus’ selflessness, we now have that opportunity to tell the lying, deceitful Lucifer, ‘Bye bye,’ and instead move on to live with Jesus through salvation, in eternal life. What a glorious God we serve and worship! Let’s keep that first and foremost in out thoughts please my fellow believers.
And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of ‘Thank You heavenly Father for sending Jesus to die for us. And thank You Jesus for being obedient to the Father even unto death, when You didn’t have to. We praise and glorify Your Holy Name and bow to You as our Lord and Saviour. Amen!’
Much much LOVE, my fellow believers in Christ!
…only the true Creator of the universe…could have done what He did…to save our sinful souls…
30 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 1 John, antidote, bamboozle, blind to sin, blood of jesus, bondage to sin, bow down, burden of sins, cleanse, cleansing light, come short of God's glory, confess our sins, darkness, death, death on the cross, deceit, deceive ourselves, denying God's Word, eternal life, ever-faithful, faith, faithful, fellowship, forgiveness, glorious opportunity, God is light, God's promises, gospel truth, heavenly advocate, inescapable fact, Jesus, just, just desserts, Lamb's book of life, lavish, liar, lie, live by faith not by sight, live free, Lord and Saviour, loving kindness, New Testament, Old Testament, omnipotent, prince of darkness, purify our hearts, reality, rejoicing, remedy, reprieve, salvation, secure hands of Almighty God, sin, sin's presence and power, star gazing, the blood of Jesus, to fight tooth and nail, trust, truth, ultimate defence, undeniable truth, universality of sin, unrighteousness, walk in darkness, walk in the light, wonderful god, worship
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh Friends, I think yesterday I was doing some star gazing when I wrote ‘TGIM” instead of ‘TGIF,’ at the beginning of the Bit. I don’t know how many of you noticed it, but thanks to my first born, I was apprised of the situation soon after I posted it. I guess I was gazing into the future, seeing a time when we believers would routinely be rejoicing on Mondays for the glorious opportunity to go back out to work and fight tooth and nail for Jesus.
Please accept my apologies for being so previous. (smile) But remember we need to live by faith and not by sight, and to call things that are not, as though they are. And I’m still full of hope that that scenario will eventually come to pass, possibly not in my lifetime, except I live a very long life. I’m putting my faith in the next generation, that they will do better than us, otherwise crapaud will surely smoke their pipe. (smile) That just means that things will be real bad with them.
And today we’re going to start looking again at some of God’s promises, and this one in our Bit is a pretty big one; one of the biggest. But before we get to it, let’s get some background. In John’s first letter, he seeks to convince his readers about the reality of salvation and eternal life. And in the section from which our Bit is taken, he’s dealing with sin, its reality and its remedy.
He begins there by saying: ‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’ (1 John 1:8)
To which the scholars write: ‘1:8. Others seem to have been claiming that they had no sin. Jesus had taught that those who owned up to their sin could find forgiveness, while those who were blind to their sin would be left mired in it. (cf. John 9:41)’
Hence John pens our Bit: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
And the scholars take on that is: ‘1:9. This is a restatement of verse 7. We ought not to deny our sins (v 8), but rather to confess them before God. This opens the door for His forgiving and cleansing light to purify our hearts. Unrighteousness is another way of saying ‘sin.’
And verse 7 comes from the earlier section where John is talking about God being light, with no darkness, but we’ll go from verse 6, to get the full context. ‘If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness (sin), we lie, and do not (practice) the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ (1 John 1:6-7)
To which the scholars explain: ‘1:7. “God is light” (v.5): To walk in this light, which is to live free from bondage to sin (cf. Rom.6:18), is to make true communion between believers possible. Jesus’ violent death on the cross, which is what blood signifies, is the initial antidote for and ultimate defense against sin’s presence and power.’
And that’s gospel truth my people! It’s only the shed blood of Jesus that gives us any reprieve from the burden of our sins!
Thus John continues: ‘If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:10)
Meaning: ‘1:10. To deny one’s sinfulness (v.8) or sins is not just to deceive oneself; it is to make God a liar by denying His Word. Both Old and New Testaments stress the universality of man’s sin (e.g. Job 4:17; Ps. 14:3; Is.53:6; Rom. 3:10-18, 23).’
I’ll leave you all to look up those references, except the last one, which admirably drives home the point. ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.8:23)
And that my brethren is an inescapable fact! But again, we have such a wonderful God, who instead of giving us our just desserts for our sins; death, in His LOVING-kindness He devised a way-out plan so that He could lavish salvation and eternal life on us instead. Wow!
Now why would I want to bow down and worship any other God eh? No way Jose!
And our God is so thoughtful and kind that He made it very easy for us; just confess that you’re a sinner, believe in His crucified Son Jesus Christ, accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, and salvation and eternal life are yours. Your name’s automatically written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Now that’s such a wonderful promise Friends, that some people can’t handle it. But the saying that if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is, only applies to the things of man and of the world, not to the promises of our ever-faithful, omnipotent God.
So please let’s not allow the prince of darkness and deceit, the ruler of this sinful world, Lucifer, to bamboozle us into thinking that there’s no hope for us. There IS LOTS OF HOPE when we put our faith and trust in the safe and secure hands of Almighty God, through our Lord, Saviour and heavenly Advocate, Jesus Christ! That’s the undeniable truth my Friends! Much LOVE!
…there’s no better place to be than…standing…standing…standing on the promises of God…
P.S. I hope you all notice how short it is today, (smile) Much LOVE!
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