20 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sinful nature, all bets off the table, an integral part of our lives, as for me and mine, brother, do the work of Jesus, dreary winter mornings, eternal death, everlasting life, evil deeds, follow Jesus, for God so loved the world, friend, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God in His wisdom, Hades, halfway home, hands fixed on the plough, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he that believes is not condemned, he that does not believe is condemned, Jesus Christ, Jesus' Second Coming, light, Lord, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Lucifer, men loved darkness, momentous decision, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back at the past, not turning back, one of those days, provider, rebellious nature, Redeemer, rest, saviour, should not perish, spending time, strong and steadfast, the breath of life, the good shepherd, the individual's responsibility, the light is come into the world, the only begotten Son of God, to a glorious future with Jesus, to condemn the world, to save the world, truth, uplift the spirits, we will serve the Lord, Wednesday Wail, whosoever believeth on Jesus, wrought in God
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Oh Friends, oh friends, it’s just one of those days! Hn! I got up at a much earlier hour, but found that it was too early, so I went back to bed. Unfortunately, it was two hours later that I finally arose. I guess the body was crying out for more rest, and the Lord in His wisdom obliged. At least that’s my take on the subject. (smile)
And even though it was minutes to nine when I got up, outside still looked damp and bleak, no sunshine or nothing to uplift the spirits. What a good thing it is that we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the bright sunshine of our spiritual lives to look forward to yes! Otherwise facing these cold and dreary winter mornings and days would be even harder to bear.
And all God’s people said a thankful ‘Glory to God!’
Yes my people He definitely deserves all the honour and glory! So let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with much sincerity, enthusiasm and gratitude nuh.
As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah mih breddren, how good it is to be alive, despite the gloomy weather and all the other negatives in our lives! And is it ever so wonderful that we can look forward to a glorious future with our Friend, Brother, Lord, Saviour, Provider and Redeemer Jesus Christ! What a magnificent Being He is, playing so many different parts in our lives!
But please remember that we have to do our part too to make that wonderful future come true; we have to stay strong and steadfast, with our hands fixed securely on the plough, looking straight ahead, not backward, so that we can plough straight furrows, and thus do the work that Jesus desires of us.
And here is the most wonderful news of all, as stated by our Bit: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
What a blessed day that was my people! And it’s so sad that so many people don’t know about Him, or His purpose for coming. And even sadder, that so many who do know about Jesus, don’t seriously consider Him or make Him an integral part of their lives.
That’s not wisdom at all friends, especially when this is what God’s plan and purpose states. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
Oh what a most remarkable plan and purpose my brethren! But are we making use of that wonderful opportunity so graciously and mercifully laid out for us? No! Definitely not as much as we ought to!
And why not eh? Possibly because of our natural rebellious and sinful nature, plus the hold that the lust for the things of the world has on us.
And it’s such an easy method to accept Christ. The Good Book tells us: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18)
And the scholars have an interesting take on this verse. ‘3:18. This verse answers the question, “Why do people go to hell?” It is because they do not believe in Jesus.’
Ah mih people, it’s so simple, plain and straightforward; believe in Jesus and you’ll be saved, spend eternity with Him. The other side of the coin is if you don’t believe, you’ll die an eternal death, spending time with Lucifer in Hades.
Now which is the better choice eh? From all I’ve seen, read and heard, the first option appears to be the much better one, and that is why like Joshua, I’m proud to say, that as for me and mine, we will serve the Lord God Jehovah! Glory Hallelujah my people!
There is absolutely no better purpose on this great earth that our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God has created! All I can do though is present the facts as they are, each individual then has the responsibility as to whom or what they will follow.
But please, please don’t wait too long to make that momentous decision, because Jesus has promised to come back at some time, any time in the future, and when He does, all bets will be off the table.
So please grab a whole of Him and His purpose as soon as possible, preferably RIGHT NOW, since one never knows, He can even return today or tomorrow.
And we’ll end with these self-explanatory verses from the Bible. ‘And this is the condemnation, that (the) light is come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:19-21)
Oh friends, I implore us to seriously and sincerely ponder those verses and make the wise decision to follow Jesus TODAY!
Much LOVE!…I will follow Jesus…wherever He may lead…for He is indeed the Good Shepherd…
07 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a no-brainer, a place of authority, aches and pains, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, as for me and mine, belief, caring, christianity, come boldly to the throne of grace, come unto me, compassionate, cramps, disappointments, discernment, earthly pilgrimage, earthly sojourn, faith, friend, genius, glory hallelujah, grace, guidance, hanging out with Jesus, hard experience, high priest, I am halfway home, I am meek, I will give you rest, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, in the presence of Jesus, infirmities, intercession, Jesus Christ, LOVE, loving, lowly in heart, mercy, my burden is light, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my testimony, my yoke is easy, natural inteligence, obtain mercy, our High Priest, our Lord and Saviour, out on a limb, praise and thanksgiving, promise, rest, sin, sympathize, take my yoke upon you, tempted, the breath of life, the Good Book, the great invitation, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, the throne of grace, them's the breaks, to a glorious future with Jesus, to help in time of need, we will follow the Lord, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, with God's help, without sin, worship
Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Ah Friends, it looks like it’s going to be another nice day, but right now the ole fella’s shaking it a bit on the rough side. (smile) I guess it all has to do with rest; with not getting enough of that most precious commodity. And to make matters worse, I was rudely awakened by a couple of cramps in my legs. It doesn’t get any better than that. (smile)
But what can I say eh? Them’s the breaks! Cause it’s nobody’s fault but my own. Anyhow we going to putter and stutter along in faith, and with God’s help, we WILL produce a Bit that’s worthy of our heavenly Father.
And since today is Wednesday, it is only appropriate that we get wailing with our Wednesday Wail. So mih breddren, let’s wail nuh, in all sincerity and truth.
As one wailer now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah Friends, what a glorious future that promises to be! Not looking back at all my past mistakes, but just ploughing straight ahead with Jesus by my side; continually being in the presence of, hanging out with the Son of God, Jesus Christ…Chuh!
How could it get any better than that eh mih breddren? No way! But for some inexplicable reason(s), too many of us opt not to accept that promise of being continually in the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That’s a fool’s wisdom my people!
And yuh know what? To show you why that attitude is unwise, right now, in my rough and ragged state, I am going to take hold of that promise and do like our Bit says: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’
And oh how I do need grace aplenty right now to help me find the right things and words to say in this work of praise and thanksgiving to our great God! What other faith offers such a wonderful opportunity eh Friends? No other! So why would I not partner with Jesus under those conditions eh? To me it’s a no-brainer.
And listen to what the scholars say re our Bit. ‘4:16. Only Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that boldness is possible only because of our High Priest (Jesus Christ). That figure of a throne suggests a place of authority and provision. It is the place to obtain God’s grace when it is especially needed.’
And believe you me, I desperately needed it, and went straight to the Father’s throne and pleaded for grace to do His will. And without any problems, through His Holy Spirit which dwells within me, He granted me the discernment, the guidance and wisdom to write what I’m writing now.
How can I not LOVE and worship Him then eh? Otherwise I’d be left hanging out on a limb to dry, alone and unable to help myself.
Ah mih people when I talk about being Friends with Jesus, some of you no doubt chuckle and possibly think I’m crazy. But I am only talking from hard experience here. And you will never know how wonderful it is to serve Jesus, until you actually begin to do so.
As the Good Book says, it’s all done through belief and faith. If you don’t have them, how can you know what they’re all about eh? And how do you think I’ve been writing this Bit for…for some eight years now eh? Do you think it’s through my natural intelligence and brilliance, my innate genius? Definitely not!
It’s only been possible through the powerful, ever-faithful and ever-present help of the Holy Trinity! Many days I’ve come to write with no clue whatsoever about what I was going to write about. But in His own way and timing, He has ALWAYS led me to write something worthy of His name.
And the great thing about turning to Jesus for help and intercession is that He, in His earthly sojourn experienced all the aches and pains and disappointments that we’re now going through, so he understands what’s happening with us.
As the Good Book says before our Bit: ‘For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ (Heb.5:15)
Yes Friends, Jesus was tempted in all areas of life, just like we are. The only difference is that unlike us, He did not yield to the temptations and remained sinless during His earthly pilgrimage. But He understands better than anybody else, exactly what we are going through.
So this Wednesday morning in early October of 2015, I am beseeching, I am imploring us to turn to Him for succour and comfort. Nobody else does it the LOVING, caring, compassionate and friendly way that He does. Just listen to this awesome promise as we close. It is called the Great Invitation!
‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle and humble) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh Friends, oh Friends, that is truly the GREATEST invitation that’s ever been uttered! And Jesus has no reason to lie, because He is God and thus able to do whatever He promises! So please wake up, be wise and turn to Him today nuh. I guarantee that that will be the wisest decision you’ll ever make in this life. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…oh…without a doubt…we will definitely follow the Lord…
P.S. Friends, today’s Bit is a fine example of our God’s grace and mercy. At the beginning I was feeling rough and had no idea what to write, except our Wednesday Wail.
And now, having gone confidently to the throne, look at how much I’ve written – more than I actually bargained for. And I know it’s not all nonsense. So that’s my story, my testimony. And I’m sticking to it. (smile) Much LOVE!
20 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy and righteous God, a just God, a pattern of success, a prayer for God's help, a sinful creation, act of compassion, all the ends of the earth, almighty god, amazing, ancient time, anointed one, ascension of Jesus, atonement for our sins, awesome, awesome Deity, be obedient to god's will, be ye saved, benevolence, benevolent parent, blessed, Bruh David, communication with God, compassion, empowering Spirit, enabling, encouraging, fall from heavenly grace, Father, fatherly status, fellowship, finite minds, friend, friendship, generous, generously bestowed, god, God broke His own heart, grace, heartfelt prayer, heavenly Father, humble, I am God, in Jesus' name, inheritance, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, kind, living truth, LOVE, loving, man's history, mercy, Messiah, none but Almighty God, obedience, our Lord and Saviour, peace, prayer, precious blood of Jesus christ, promise, raise our heads to heaven, reconciliation, relationship, reproach, resurrection, sacrifice, Salvation belongeth unto the Lord, Selah, shepherd, shout of thanks and praise, sinned, sinned and fallen short of God's glory, Spirit of God, take counsel together, thank you, thankful, thanks and praise, thanks in our hearts, the apple of His eye, the Lord is their strength, the saving strength, there is no God else beside me, thy blessing is upon thy people, truth, Tuesday, turn to me, unconditional LOVE, understanding, uplifting, walk the straight and narrow path, we serve and worship, wisdom, words of thanks
Psalm 3:8. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Oh Friends, welcome to another one of Jehovah God’s beautiful days – this one called Tuesday!
And would you believe that he made it specially for us; that we could rejoice and be glad in it, while being obedient to His will and having brilliant communication with Him, as a Friend, a Father and our God?
Wow! What an awesome Deity we serve and worship my people!
And that’s not even the whole story; for when we had foolishly sinned, when our forefathers had fallen short of God’s glory, and thus instigated His reproach and our fall from heavenly grace, He did not reject us, but instead, through the wonderful and unconditional LOVE that He bears for us, His most brilliant and amazing creation, He sacrificed His only son, Jesus Christ, so that we could be once again welcomed into Friendship, Fellowship and Fatherly status with Him!
Oh Friends, Almighty God LOVED us so much that he broke His own heart so that reconciliation could be achieved between a sinful creation and a holy and righteous God!
Mama Mia! How truly awesome, amazing, LOVING, generous and kind is our heavenly Father!
And yet so many of us still doubt that He even exists, and that He does indeed LOVE and desire constant and consistent communication with us.
Chuh! If sacrificing the apple of His eye, His Son Jesus Christ doesn’t prove His all encompassing LOVE for us, His ungrateful and sinful children, then I don’t know what else will, for it is the greatest act of compassion, of mercy, and of grace that has ever been made in man’s history!
So my fellow believers and followers of Jesus Christ, let’s raise our heads, hands, hearts and eyes to heaven this chilly Tuesday morning and gratefully utter a few words of thanks to Almighty God.
Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly father, You are such an amazing and benevolent parent, that there are no words to truly describe Your LOVING- kindness to us. Our vocabulary is so small and narrow that the most our finite minds can come up with is Thank You! Thank You for being so wonderful to us, although we don’t truly deserve Your grace, mercy and forgiveness.
And above all, we most heartily thank You for sending Jesus to earth to be the atonement for our sins! That alone shows the great compassion and LOVE that You have for us!
And today, we ask that through Your enabling and empowering Spirit, You lead and guide us safely, enable us to do Your Holy Will, to live out the plan You have for our lives, so that we can maintain the wonderful relationship we have forged with You over time.
Please give us Your peace, wisdom and understanding so that we may not stray, but walk the straight and narrow path that leads directly to You. This we pray in the name of Your precious Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!’
Oh my brethren, I sincerely tried to keep it to a few words, but I just couldn’t cut it any shorter. (smile) And though the length of our prayers isn’t the important thing, sometimes we just have to let what truly is in our hearts just flow out until it comes to its own natural end. That’s what happened with me there just now.
And would you believe that the Spirit of God working in me, is now saying that our God is so great and wonderful that we ought to give Him another glorious shout of thanks and praise! So why don’t we eh? (smile)
‘Yes Lord, Your people are so blessed, so thankful for Your blessings and Your benevolence, that we just want to exclaim another big and loud, ‘THANK YOU! Thank You for all that You’ve done, are currently doing, and has promised to do in our lives!
We give You enormous praise, and promise to be as obedient to Your Will as we humanly can. We pledge this on the precious blood of our dear Jesus, who was sacrificed on Calvary’s cross for our misdemeanors, and because of that, we’re now back in Your fold again, made a new creation through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
We LOVE You Father, and will praise and glorify Your Holy Name as we lead our earthly lives today, and every day! Please accept our humble, heartfelt prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen!’
Oh mih people, I’m chuckling here, as it seems the Holy Spirit has just led us to a day of prayer. And it’s all consistent with the words of Bruh David proclaimed in our Bit. ‘Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.’
Those are words of absolute truth Friends! Salvation is indeed of and from the Lord, His free gift of grace, and His many blessings are so generously bestowed upon His people.
And a mighty torrent of thanks and praise rose up from His grateful children. “Oh thank You, thank You Father! That’s the best that we can say, but You can read the true level of thanks in our hearts!’
Now let’s look at a couple of scripture passages that attest to the truth of our Bit and all that we’ve said today. Listen to Bruh David state the awesome and living truth again from Psalm 28 – A prayer for God’s help.
‘The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed (Messiah, commissioned One). Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed (shepherd) them also, and lift them up for ever.’ (Ps.28:8-9)
No one else can do those things my brethren! None but Almighty God!
And we’ll close with God’s own words on the subject, spoken through His prophet Isaiah. ‘Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together; who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto (turn to) me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.’ (Is.45:21-22)
Oh my brethren, I implore us to take those words of absolute truth and write them indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, so that we can use them to our benefit in these truly trying last days! That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…the unconditional LOVE…the mercy…the grace…the forgiveness…and the blessings of God…are now flowing through me…in a wonderful pattern of success…
P.S. Friends, it’s late, but it’s wonderful; uplifting and encouraging! (smile) Hope it touches you as much as it touched me in writing it. Much LOVE!
10 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afraid of change, all our sins and griefs to bear, almighty god, Ashley Montague, be not far from me, be paitient, Bruh David, burdened, Canadian Thanksgiving, circumspection, cry of anguish, deceitful, deceptive, deliver their soul from death, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, every human being is a problem in search of a solution, everything to God in prayer, faithful, false hope, famine, fellowship, fraudulent, Friday chant, friend, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, give you rest, giving thanks, glory hallelujah, God is never late, God shall tread down our enemies, God's glory, God's timing is perfect, Healer, help, help from trouble, Helper, hope in God's mercy, in Jesus' name, indisputable truth, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus' great invitation, just in time, keep them alive in time of famine, lean not on thine own understanding, living truth, LOVE, motives of our heart, one reason to infiltrate our godly spirits, one toehold, passion, proud, Redeemer, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteous, show faith, singing praises, song of praise, stumble, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanksgiving, the eye of the Lord, the Lord is our help and shield, the weekend, them that fear him, there is none to help, through God we shall do valiantly, too proud to ask for help, trouble is near, trust, trust in the Lord with all thy heart, trusted in his holy name, truth, upright, vain is the help of man, vain thing, weary, what a friend we have in Jesus, what a privilege to carry
Psalm 22:11. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
Wow Friends, it’s Friday! And there was lots of jumping and jiving and shouting: ‘TGIF! Thank God It’s Friday! Glory Hallelujah! The workweek soon finish, and party time start, especially on this upcoming long weekend of Thanksgiving! Mama Mia!
What a grand ole time we’re going to have; giving thanks and singing praises to our heavenly Father, for all that’s He’s so kindly done for us this past year!’
Yes my people, this is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada and there will be mucho mucho celebrations all across this great land, from the coasts of the Atlantic on the east, across the vast Prairies in the middle, over the mighty Rocky Mountains to British Columbia on the coast of the Pacific out west!
Please remember that one caution though of Granny’s: ‘drunk or sober mind yuh business.’ In all our giving of thanks, let’s not give, or allow the loathsome enemy even one toehold, one reason to infiltrate our godly spirits and make us stumble before Almighty God.
And to keep us somewhat in remembrance of that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with sincere passion and enthusiasm, which will hopefully lead to a fair amount of circumspection. (smile) All together now: ‘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 with that caution invoked, let’s turn to an interesting quote from Ashley Montague (1905- 1999) the British / American anthropologist and humanist, born Israel Ehrenberg in London, England, but who later migrated to the U.S, became a citizen and lectured at many of its famous universities.
Ashley says that ‘Every human being is a problem in search of a solution.’ And that’s the living truth Friends!
We all need help in many areas of our lives, but oftimes we’re too proud or scared to ask for it, afraid either of the changes that will be involved, especially since change is something many of us are very wary of. Though the old way may be troublesome, we still feel more comfortable with it, because we know it, and hold the supposed new and better way suspect since it’s unknown.
On the other hand, we’re sometimes too proud to let others know that we’re hurting and need help, that we’re actually less than we seem to be. But my brethren, it’s quite all right, in fact very natural and very wise to ask for help, and to consider change if it will either help solve or completely resolve our problems.
And the best person to turn to for help is obviously Jesus Christ, our be all and end all, the great Helper, Healer, Friend and Redeemer! Remember His Great Invitation too; to come to Him when we are weary and burdened, and He will lighten our load and give us rest. (Matt.11:29-30)
And in his cry of anguish and song of praise, Psalm 22, Bruh David highlights the situation very well, when he cries out to Almighty God in our Bit: Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.’
And that is oh so true my people, for as Bruh David says later on in Psalm 60 – a prayer for help against the foe: ‘Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.’ (Ps.60:11)
That’s also indisputable truth, since man’s help is often insufficient, not forthcoming, or deceptive and deceitful! Just think about all the fraudulent acts being committed in these difficult times in the name of help!
And Bruh David ends that psalm with these thoughtful and faithful words. ‘Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.’ (Ps.60:12)
Yes Friends, in this vast and controversial universe, it is only Jehovah God that we can put our entire trust in, and know for a fact that He will help us. Bruh David did it, and we see the most excellent results he achieved, although his life was not always the most upright and righteous. But he implicitly trusted the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom he knew to be ALWAYS FAITHFUL!
Remember the old hymn we sung recently: ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry EVERYTHING to God in prayer!’ That’s the wisest move we can ever make my people!
The problem though is that with our busy lives in this busy society, we want answers and help immediately, now for now, sometimes even yesterday. But unfortunately when we go to Jesus, according to the nature of the problem, and the motives of our heart, we’ll probably not receive an immediate answer, or one that we don’t like.
But Friends, I can personally testify to the fact that if we take our problems to our Lord and Saviour, He will help us, in His own time and His own way! We just need to be patient, show the faith we’re supposed to have. And if the problem is genuine and requires immediate solving, fear not, He will do so.
That’s one thing about God’s timing, my brethren; it is perfect! He is NEVER LATE!
But the truth is, waiting patiently is not always easy, for even though I know that from personal experience, I still sometimes get anxious when His help doesn’t seem to be forthcoming in time. But NOT ONCE has He ever showed up late, ALWAYS on time! He is the supreme example of a just in time system!
And to encapsulate all that we’ve spoken of, (smile) let’s end with these true, beautiful and encouraging words from Psalm 33 – Praise to the Lord for His creation.
‘A horse is a vain thing (false hope) for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our HELP and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.’ (Ps.33:17-22)
Yes my people, as we hope in the Lord, so will His mercy and blessings be showered down upon us! Much LOVE!
…trust in the Lord with all thine heart…and lean not unto thine own understanding… (Prov.3:5)
P.S. Oh Friends, I truly don’t know why the Bit is so late nuh, because I got up at a reasonable hour. I guess it was just my running around aimlessly, being a slow-coach, and/or trying to find the right info to use. (smile) But as always, with our great God, it works out perfectly, for His glory, every time! Much LOVE!
07 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man sharpens the countenance of his friend, a man with many friends comes to ruin, a perverse man sows strife, adversity, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, anxiety, beating him down emotionally, bless them that curse you, blessings, call on god for help, Calvary, come unto me, encouragement, fear, forgiveness, friend, friends, friendships, God makes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, God sends rain on the just and the unjust, God's wrath was kindled, gospel truth, gossip, gossip destroys friendships, greater love hath no man, grief, Healer, Helper, how good is our God, I am meek (gentle) in heart, I will give you rest, iron sharpens iron, Jesus is our be all and end all, Job, keep our focus on god, LOVE, Love your enemies, make a positive difference, mercies, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, offer burnt offerings, one more day, praise God, pray for them which use you, prayed for his friends, praying for others, redeem, repent, servants, serve God dilgently, sins, sons of the Father, sorrow, stand strong in Christ, strife, take my yoke upon you, that a man lay down his life for his friends, the Good Book, the great invitation, the poor is hated by his neightbour, the rich have many friends, wealth makes many friends, words of comfort, worry, you shall find rest unto your souls
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
One more day Friends, one more day! Wow! We’ve been granted life anew for another day, so let’s use it wisely please. Let’s use it like the present God desires it to be, with all the new mercies, blessings, forgiveness and LOVE that He’s showering down on us.
Let’s keep our focus on God: praise and serve Him diligently and sincerely, and do the works He desires of us. He has given us all we need to accomplish the tasks on our task sheets, so there should be no serious problems involved.
But if perchance, one does crop up, we have the freedom, or rather we’re expected to call on Him for assistance, which He’ll never refuse, once we’re sincere. For as Jesus says in His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
So my fellow believers, with those words of comfort and encouragement bubbling in our souls, let’s not allow anything or anyone to cause us anxiety, fear or worry today. Let’s stand strong in the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour, and try our very best to make a positive difference in this crazy, troubled world in which we now live.
That’s what Jesus desires of us! And remember that He is indeed our be all and end all! He is our Healer, our Helper, our Redeemer and our Friend! What more can we ask eh? Nothing really.
So let’s look at our Bit: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’
And it’s worth repeating and remembering that after He spoke those purposeful words, He went out and died for us at Calvary… as Friends, not servants.
And we’ll continue looking at the interplay of ‘friends and friendships’ as found in the Good Book. Then there was Job and his supposed friends. They ostensibly came to comfort him in his sorrow and grief, but unfortunately ended up beating him down emotionally, claiming that his hidden sins had caused his disastrous experience.
And God’s wrath was kindled against them, because they had not spoken rightly of Him as His servant Job had done, and He commanded them to repent and offer burnt offerings. (Job 42:7-9)
But hear this: ‘And the Lord turned (restored) the captivity (losses) of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.’ (Job 42:10)
Yes my people, the Lord turned Job’s adversity around when he prayed for his friends, and also worked some serious miracles on his behalf, blessing him with twice as much as he had lost. Oh how good our God is to us!
That brings us to this rather important point; the importance of praying for others, even when they’ve done us wrong. I know that’s sometimes pretty hard to do, but it’s required of believers.
Jesus said it loud and clear: ‘But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you; That ye may be children (sons) of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.’ (Matt.5:44-45)
So if you ought to pray for your enemies, it’s logical to assume that you ought to pray for your friends and fellow believers too. (smile)
Now let’s look at some wisdom of Cousin Sol, re ‘friends and friendships’ as divined in Proverbs. He declares first of all that: ‘The poor is hated even of (by) his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends (the LOVERS of the rich are many).’ (Prov.14:20)
And isn’t that the gospel truth! The scholars explain it thus: ’14:20-21. Social standing is improved with riches, but the good neighbour will have concern for all, regardless of their status.’ That’s how it ought to be, but sadly in this topsy-turvy world of ours, we still look down on the poor and up at the rich.
And here’s a fitting companion to that Proverb. ‘Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour (friend).’ (Prov.19:4)
And we see that everyday. Many of us have also experienced it. When times are good and we are rolling in plenty, we have plenty supposed friends around us, but as soon as the good times stop flowing, they all disappear.
Now listen to these Proverbs. ‘A froward (perverse) man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief (the best of) friends.’ (Prov.16:28) Or as the scholars say: ’16:28. Gossip destroys friendships.’ That we all know and have experienced too.
Here is a companion to that one. ‘He that covereth a transgression seeketh LOVE; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very (the best of) friends.’ (Prov.17:9) More reflections on gossip.
Then we have this bit of wisdom. ‘A man that hath friends must show himself friendly (may come to ruin): and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’ (Prov.18:24)
The scholars explain that this way: ’18:24. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly may also be translated, “A man of many friends comes to ruin.” In other words, a man must not spread himself too thin among many superficial relationships. Far better it is to have genuine friends who become like family and LOVE at all times. (17:17).’
And isn’t that the gospel, gospel truth my people! It surely is!
And we’ll close with this priceless gem of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.’ (Prov.27:17)
Mama Mia! Wisdom from heaven Friends!
The scholars explain it thus: ’27:17. As the proper tool shapes and sharpens iron for its desired use, so a man sharpens his friend morally and intellectually by their personal friendship.’
Now that’s the kind of friends we need to have and need to be! Friends, who encourage, comfort, exhort, educate and uplift each other in as many walks of life as possible.
So let’s go out today and be that kind of friend nuh mih people. It could only make our world a better place for our children and us. Much LOVE!
…the fewer the friends…the less possibility of strife and troublesome friendships…
06 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: absence, afflictions, after one time is two, atheist, believed, Blessed be the God and Father, blessings, cares, Christ's blood, Christ's work, Christian, deposit, down payment, Ephesians, faith, friend, friends, Gentiles, glory, God Almighty, God's little Acre, gospel, guarantee of our salvation, Health System in T&T, hearts, heavenly places, holy spirit, hopes, hoping and praying, human existence, inheritance, Israel, Jesus Christ, Jewish Christians, level of service, lord jesus christ, Lowlands, memories, mind, negative things, our Lord Jesus Christ, Paradise, physical ailments, praise, praise and glory, prayer power, prayers, priceless, promise, purchased possession, redemption, sadly lacking in professionalism, salvation, saviour, sealed, snowy North Country, sojourn, souls, spirit, spiritual blessings, standards, stimulate, Sugar Mills Suites, swansong, sweet Tobago, thank you, the God and Father, the Lord's will, the party's over, time to call it a day, trust, vocabulary, word of truth, world-wide phenomenon
Ephesians 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Well… ‘The party’s over my Friends. It’s time to call it a day…’
Chuhhh! How sad, that I will no longer be writing to you from the balcony of my little bungalow in the Sugar Mill Suites of Lowlands, overlooking the lush greenery, and the well kept golf course on God’s Little Acre.
Yes my people, the ole fella’s rather short sojourn in Paradise will end today. Steups! Ah Lord eh! The next time you hear from me, God willing, will most likely be from the cold, snowy North Country. And I just heard that there’s been a big, beautiful snowfall, just in time for my return. All praise and glory be to God Almighty! Well what else can a good Christian person say eh? (smile)
But Friends, please note that my absence from Paradise will only be for a short period of time, obviously providing it’s the Lord’s will. And since we all know that where there’s life, there’s always hope, and since I still have some life left in me, I won’t give up, I won’t stop hoping and praying that I can return to sweet Tobago some time soon.
And if this just happens to be my swansong, then it was a great one. Mama Mia!
And as regards memories… Oh my people, I made a couple of dandy ones yesterday! Around lunch time, I visited one of my mother’s oldest and dearest friends living in Scarborough, Diana Plante. And was I ever surprised to see how frail and weak she has become, for unfortunately she’s now sick with spinal problems and can’t get around much on her own.
She’s now a shadow of the tall, beautiful, buxom woman I once knew, who along with Mols, my mother, at one stage, were the hottest numbers in Scarborough. But as they so rightly say; after one time is certainly two. Now Mols has gone over to the other side, to the great palace in the sky, leaving Di here to suffer the painful afflictions of human existence.
But thankfully, despite the physical ailments, Di’s mind, spirit and faith are all still strong, and that’s a wonderful thing! But nonetheless Friends, please, let’s remember her in our prayers. Let’s pray for her to be comforted in her time of need, for we never truly know what others are going through just from their outward demeanour and behaviour.
And there’s absolutely nothing in this world as powerful as prayer power!
I made one other good and significant memory yesterday; in the late afternoon, meeting, for the first time ever, one of my nieces, a doctor here on the island. And though we had a long and excellent visit, I was appalled by some of the negative things she recounted about the Health System in T&T in general, and in Tobago, in particular. Although Health Care is basically free, it seems that the level of service and professionalism is sadly lacking.
Ah mih people, what to say eh? Not much, because it’s a world-wide phenomenon; the standards in ALL areas of life have fallen to such low levels that it boggles the imagination. And the sad fact is that they are continuing to fall. Hopefully though, we staunch, strong and steadfast believers in Jesus Christ will soon wake up and begin correcting it, for no one else will do it.
And those are the most memorable memories I made yesterday… Oh, oh, I almost forgot. I also had my last constitutional at Store Bay, which, despite its total commercialism, is still my favourite beach! Amen!
And now, here’s our Bit. ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’
Oh my brethren, have you noticed how, over the last few days, the Lord has adroitly manoeuvred me to this most appropriate Bit, one dealing with blessings? I guess He’s just making sure that I am fully cognisant of the many blessings He’s showered down on me over the last three weeks. It truly wasn’t necessary though, for the blessings have been so plentiful, that even an atheist would have been forced to say ‘Thanks!’ (smile)
And I’m saying that now Lord: ‘Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!’ I know it’s insufficient, but that’s the very best our inferior mortal vocabulary allows.
And now Friends and fellow believers, let’s continue with Bruh Paul’s explanation to the Ephesians, re the spiritual blessings received through Christ, from verse 13.
‘In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of (down payment or deposit on) our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.’ (Eph.1:13-14)
Oh Friends, what beautiful, sweet sounding terms – trust, truth, gospel, salvation, believed, sealed, holy spirit, promise – all in one sentence! Wow! Then you have down payment, deposit, inheritance, redemption, purchase, praise and glory in the next. How priceless!
Now let’s hear the scholars’ take on those scriptures. ‘1:13. In whom ye also (or, “by whom also you”): The first person plural (we, us) in verses 3-12 refers to Jewish Christians. The second person plural (you) refers to Gentile Christians. This seems evident from 2:11-12 where the second person is explicitly applied to non-Jews. “Ye being in time past Gentiles… ye were… aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.” Compare 3:1, where Paul calls his readers, “you Gentiles.”
The apostle’s point in this “we-you” distinction is that all those spiritual blessings God has bestowed upon “us” Jewish Christians, He has also granted “you” Gentile brethren. There is no difference.
In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise may be read, “By whom also, when you believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” The Christian receives the Spirit, not “after,” but when He believes in Christ as Saviour. The sealer is Jesus; the seal is the Holy Spirit. In biblical times a seal denoted both identification and ownership and protection provided by the owner.’
And re ‘1:14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance means “who is the guarantee of our salvation.” The Holy Spirit is here called “the earnest of our inheritance.” The word ‘earnest’ means “down payment”; as such the gift of the Spirit is viewed as an installment or as part of our salvation. God therefore assures the Christian that the realization of the rest of His salvation is forthcoming.
How long is the believer assured of his salvation? Until the redemption of the purchased possession may be read, “until God glorifies and perfects the believer (the purchased possession) whom He has bought by Christ’s blood.”
And that’s it for today, and for that message! Please Friends let’s, as always, ponder the words we’ve read, then let them stimulate our hearts, minds and souls as we go out today to do Christ’s work.
And now I’m going out on to my balcony and watch the sun rise up above the Eastern horizon for the last time. (smile) Much LOVE!
…oh what a friend…and saviour…we have in Jesus…our hopes and cares to bear…
19 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day in the life, abhor evil, Apollos, bear witness, beautiful reflections, beheaded, bind, bitter fights, bland, blessings, bridegroom, calm, caring, cheerfulness, Christ, Christian faith, Christian's conduct, christianity, cleave, cling to good, co-workers, Corinthians, decrease, different colour thread, diligence, disjointed, dissimulation, divided, encouragement, endowed, exhortation, faith, fellow believers, forgiveness, fountainhead, fragrance, friend, fulfilled, genuine, gifts, giving, God's Holy Will, God's plan, grace, hearts, help of God, hope and pray, hypocrisy, hypocritical actions, imprisoned, increase, indisputable fact, jean paul richter, joy, labourers, liberally, light of the world, local church, LOVE, members, mercies, mercy, minds, ministry, mish-mash world, Most High God, ONE body in Christ, opportunities from heaven, Paul, peace, planted, prophecy, prophesy, purposes, rainbow, reflections, rejoice, religion, ruling, salt of the earth, same old, scriptures, segue, short attention span, souls, source, spiritual challenges, spiritual undercurrent, spirituality, storm, strong cord, sweet smelling flower, take root, teaching, Togetherness, truth, uneventful, unfeigned, ungodly earth, watered, weak, wise words, wonderful god
John 3:27. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
Oh mih Friends, it’s another day in the life! And I know that many of us live the same bland, same old, uneventful lives from day to day, but if we truly believe in Almighty God, then though the events might seem the same – home, work, home – the spiritual undercurrent and happenings will definitely be different. Everyday we’ll be faced with different spiritual challenges.
And getting logical, (smile) how can each day be truly be the same eh, when we’re getting new mercies, blessings, forgiveness and opportunities from heaven above? Our God is so wonderful that He threads the needle of each day with a different colour thread, so that our lives will all seem to be beautiful reflections of His rainbow. (smile)
And to add some encouragement to all of that, because that’s what we try to do here at the Bit, here is this interesting quote. I might have shared it before, but if I did, it’s certainly worthy of sharing again. It comes from the German writer, Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825).
It says: ‘Flowers never emit so sweet and strong a fragrance as before a storm. When a storm approaches thee, be as fragrant as a sweet smelling flower.’
Ah mih people, those are certainly wise and encouraging words, but not always easy to live by in this mish-mash world. But whoever said that living on this ungodly earth was meant to be easy eh? We’ll all endure times of storm and times of peace and calm, we just have to hope and pray that the latter will greatly outweigh the former.
And regardless of what comes against us, we can only face it as a sweet smelling flower with the help of Jehovah God!
And with that indisputable fact, we’ll segue smoothly into our new Bit. ‘John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.’
Now Friends, that is the truth of all truths! And we’ll prove it with some scriptures in a minute. But first let’s get some background on the subject.
John gave that answer to his disciples when they came and told him: ‘Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.’ (John 3:26)
Then after our Bit, John continued: ‘Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.’ (John 3:28-30)
John’s ministry and that of Jesus ran concurrently for a short period. And as Jesus’ was increasing, John’s was decreasing. This however didn’t bother John, because He knew that was God’s plan. John’s ministry didn’t really end until he was imprisoned and then beheaded.
And with that bit of background, let’s check out some supporting scriptures, beginning with Bruh Paul’s exhortation to the church at Rome, re the service of LOVE to all.
‘So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith. Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity (liberality); he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.’ (Rom.12:5-8)
Yes mih breddren, we have all been endowed with different gifts for different purposes, but they all come from the same source, the same eternal fountainhead; the Most High God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And we are all supposed to use those gifts, whatever they may be, in doing God’s holy will; being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, not hiding our lights or abusing and abandoning God’s gifts.
And as Bruh Paul continues to the Roman church: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’ (Rom.12:9)
Now that, my people, is the greatest thing a believer can ever do!
And as the scholars advise: ‘The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional caring for others, (exercised through one’s will), LOVING faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
Unfortunately though, that doesn’t happen in our churches today as much as it ought to. Some of the bitterest fights and most hypocritical actions are currently consuming our churches, that’s why the body of Christ is so divided, disjointed and much weaker than it should be.
And since I’m so concerned about our short attention span, (smile) we’ll end with one more scripture. Don’t want you all to blame the length of the Bit for your not reading it. Hn, hn! But we all know that’s one of our favourite complaints today for anything that takes a few minutes to comprehend.
And this last scripture is from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians, trying to make them understand that Christians ought to be co-workers, not simply individual labourers. Remember there was some confusion as to whom the Corinthians should follow, Bruh Paul or Apollos?
Well he straightaway tells them: ‘Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.’ (1 Cor.3:5-7)
And on that note of gospel truth, my Friends, we’ll close today. Let’s hope that the words we’ve read will reach deep down into our hearts, minds and souls and take root, and thus make a sincere difference to the way we treat each other, especially those of the Christian faith, for it’s all about togetherness and LOVE.
Much LOVE, my fellow believers!
…LOVE is the strong cord that’s supposed to bind Christ’s body together…
07 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: agree to disagree, air canada centre, Amen, bestowed on mankind, bring forth fruit, brotherly LOVE, cedars of Lebanon, cheerful, child, Christ's Church, Christians, clean up our act, cleansing, co-worker, come short of God's glory, condemn, criticize, cross at Calvary, dead, deeds, destroy, downbeat, downcast, earthly lives, encouragement, encouraging, entertain angels, enticement, eternal destiny, eternal life, faith, fellow believers, forgiveness, founder, friend, God likes service to others, God's great earth, good example, good name, greatest gift, growing relationships, happiest, have life, healing, heavenly rewards, help, helping, hinder, hypocrites, innocent life, inspiration, Jesus Christ, job to do, Joel Osteen, judge others, judgement day, judgemental, kill, lacking, miracles, more abundantly, more harm than good, most joyful, my rock, negative aspects, negative invective, negativity, no-good, old age, on the rocks, optimistic people, orphans, palm tree, pit of despair, planted in God's house, positive Christianity, positive things, power behind the throne, Praise the Lord, prideful, psalm 92, put down others, quick to judge, redeem, religion, respect, respectfully, ridicule, righteous judge, righteous shall flourish, sacrificing, salvation, sensible, sinfulness, sinned, sins, spirituality, spouse, success, suffering, the Good Book, the Lord's upright, the thief comes to steal, total stranger, trials, tribulations, unbeliever, unconditional LOVE, understanding, ungrateful sinners, unrighteousness, unstinting support, upbeat, uplifting message, victorious living, widows, words
Psalm 92:12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella went to se Bubba (Joel Osteen) at the ACC, Air Canada Centre last night. That’s the money making machine at the corner of Bay and Lakeshore, the home of the Maple Leaf’s Ice Hockey Team.
I know that some of you don’t like Bubba, find him too simplistic and smiley smiley, but I like him, and he’s been a great inspiration of mine over the years. I was first introduced to him by my mother, and when I found amongst her stuff, a little devotional booklet he’d written called ’30 Thoughts for Victorious Living,’ it became the last part of our daily prayer time, after I began reading prayers for her over the phone.
Now I don’t remember how we came to call him Bubba, maybe it was because of his Texas connection, but what’s really amusing is that some days neither of us could remember his right name, because we seldom used it. However from the moment we said ‘Bubba,’ we both knew exactly whom we were talking about.
Yeh Mols sugar, your Sonny Boy went to see Bubba last night, on the eve of what would have been your 86th birthday, and I know you’re up there smiling with joy for that. But I promised to uphold your good name, and I’m trying my best.
Anyway Friends, Joel was his usual bright, upbeat, smiling self, teaching his message of positive, upbeat Christianity, despite all the problems we face. And you already know I consider that the true way to celebrate all that Christ has done for us.
Just look at Jesus nuh; we would never be called on to face more ridicule and suffering than He faced, but even in His most bitter time, He was still positive and encouraging, because He knew that He had a job to do despite all the trials and tribulations.
The same thing applies to us my fellow believers. And as I’ve said so often, Christians should be the happiest, most joyful cheerful and optimistic people on God’s great earth, especially when we have all that Jesus died to provide for us; cleansing, healing, forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life, just to mention a few.
Joel’s mother, Jodie was there, and she shared a few thoughts on how she was miraculously saved from cancer some 20 years ago. And we can’t forget the real power behind the throne, his wife Victoria. She also shared a positive uplifting message.
And as I’ve seen from their interaction, and as Joel always says, it’s Victoria who has buoyed him up over the years, giving him the unstinting support and encouragement to do what he’s doing. As she said, they don’t always agree, but they agree to disagree respectfully.
But sadly my brethren, that principle, of respect and support, which is absolutely necessary to sound and growing relationships, is lacking in too many marriages and relationships today. We get angry and curse each other, spouting a whole lot of negative invective, and right there the respect that’s so badly needed disappears, causing so many relationships to founder on the rocks.
But Friends, please hear these words, believe and implement them in your own lives: ‘Behind every successful person, man, woman or child, is a sensible, understanding and encouraging person or group of persons.’
None of us can make it without the help and encouragement of others, who believe in and have faith in us. So please my brethren, let’s start seriously helping and encouraging each other nuh, whether it be our spouse, friend, child, co-worker or even a total stranger, since service is well pleasing to God.
‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb.13:1-2) Yes Friends, we never know whom we are helping, so let’s just help with LOVE, as Jesus did, for our God champions widows, orphans and strangers.
So fellow believers, if you see something in anyone that’s worth raising up, encouraging, please do so. Look for the positive things in people, for we all have some, and focus on those, instead of concentrating on the few negative aspects, as we tend to do.
You’ll notice that Jesus, God Almighty, never put down anybody, regardless of how abominable their sins might have been. But we, sinful, worthless creations that we are, are always quick to judge, ridicule and put down others, even though we don’t have a clue about why they are the way they are.
That brings me back to Bubba, where people are quick to criticize him, but thousands of people delight in him, as shown by the sold out crowd at the ACC last night, and the many who stood up and renewed their relation
ship with God.
The fellow is only doing what he’s been anointed to do, in the manner he sees fit. But too many of us equate success with negativity, a lot of it stemming from pride and envy. And when you get right down to it Bubba’s only reiterating what the Good Book says, a very good example of that being our Bit. ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.’
Now does that mean we should walk bowed down, miserable and unhappy? Absolutely not! Remember Jesus’ words: ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) He certainly doesn’t want or expect His followers to be dead, downcast and downbeat!
Now listen to the psalmist as he continues after our Bit. ‘Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green); To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps.92:13-15)
And all God’s true believers said a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
Oh my people, it doesn’t make sense to talk about all our God’s done, doing and plans to do for us, then walk around as though we’re living in the pit of despair. That’s why so many people consider us Christians hypocrites of the highest order! And in many instances they are quite right.
Our attitudes toward each other, the way we walk and talk and live our lives should be an enticement to the unbeliever to want what we have, to draw him into the body of Christ, not like it too often is, driving them away from the greatest gift and blessing ever bestowed on mankind – Jesus Christ.
So as of today my people, RIGHT NOW, let’s stop putting others down, especially when we don’t know anything about their circumstances. We’ve become so judgemental and prideful, like the Pharisees of old, that we’re doing more harm than good to Christ and His church.
We’re never going to like everybody and everything about them, but that’s no reason to be judgemental and condemn them. Remember that all of us have sinned and come short of God’s glory, (Rom.3:23) so we have no right to judge others.
And in any case, what was God’s reaction to our sinfulness eh? He opened His abundant storehouse of unconditional LOVE, and though it broke His heart, sent His only Son Jesus Christ to redeem us, by sacrificing His holy and innocent life on the cross at Calvary for a bunch of no-good, ungrateful sinners.
Now if He, the righteous judge, can do that, why can’t we forgive and stop judging others eh?
Oh Friends, that’s our ‘ponderation’ for today. And please do it seriously, for the way we live our earthly lives, will dictate our heavenly rewards and eternal destiny. Much LOVE!
…come the judgement day…will our words and deeds on earth, help or hinder us…now is the time to clean up our act.
16 Apr 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors of Christ, Christ, Comforter, compassion, delightful praise, embrace Jesus, eternal life, forgiveness, friend, Good Book, good cheer, Greeks, Guide, guilt, Helper, incredilbe journey, Jesus our everything, Jesus the only answer, Jews, lifeblood, Lord, LOVE, manifesto. the power of Jesus' name, mercy, peace, pilgrim, rejoice and be glad, religion, require a sign, rewards, salvation, saviour, seek wisdom, tenderness, today, tomorrow, undeniable truth, understanding, ungodly world
1 Corinthians 1:22. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.
Oh Friends, as it was ordained from the very beginning of time, yesterday has passed away into history, the future, tomorrow, has not yet arrived, but thankfully, the gift of today, the present time is here! And all God’s people said a loud and delightful ‘Praise the Lord!’ So please, let’s use today wisely, because that’s all we have. As the psalmist so rightly declared: ‘This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24) And the people shouted a loud and thankful ‘Amen!’ Yes Friends, today is all we have, so let’s concentrate fully on it nuh. Yesterday’s done gone, and as Jesus said, tomorrow will take care of itself. (Matt.6:34) And I have an interesting quote to share, one that’s attributed to Dr. Samuel Shoemaker, a prominent American churchman. He proudly declares: ‘Religion can never be the answer to human problems. All of the religions of the world are inadequate. Christ alone is the answer. Christ alone understands. Christ alone forgives. Christ alone eliminates your guilt. Christ alone saves and then assures you that you are God’s child and the most wonderful person possible! Christ alone fills the human heart with LOVE – joy – peace – self-confidence. No wonder a genuine Christian LOVES himself.’ And if that isn’t the undeniable truth, my Friends, then I don’t know what is! For Jesus is indeed our everything; our be all and end all. In Him we find our purpose, our strength, our joy, and help to bear our sorrow. He is truly the very lifeblood of our lives. And I’m so sorry for those of us humans who don’t know, realize and recognize Him for what He is, because they’re missing such an incredible, interesting journey as a pilgrim following in Christ’s footsteps. As I keep saying my people, working for Jesus is often very difficult, but I can guarantee you, from personal experience, that it’s mightily interesting, much more interesting and lasting than anything the world has to offer. And oh my brethren, the rewards…the rewards are just to die for! (smile) The faithful promise of salvation and eternal life with Jesus in the hereafter, are way way more interesting and worthwhile than anything this evil, sinful, ungodly world has to offer. And what I don’t understand about human nature is that they’re willing to try every little nonsense, like diets and other fads that the greedy, deceitful world puts out, wasting time, effort and money on them, but they’re not prepared to spend one moment with Jesus. Jesus, whose manifesto is plainly stated in the Good Book, and has been proven to be undeniably true down through the ages. In addition, Jesus is the most generous and faithful leader there’s ever been, or will ever be! So why do people refuse to get to know Him? Why at the name of Jesus do so many people become angry, fearful and refuse to listen to what He has to say? Why eh? No other name in history has ever provoked such a reaction, and still does to this day. There must obviously be great power in the name of Jesus, else why would people react to it so fearfully, so violently and so negatively. There’s no such reaction to other names like Satan, Allah, Buddha, and the multiple other supposed gods and idols humans worship. Our wonderful Lord and Saviour certainly strikes fear in the heart of the heathen. But to those of us who truly know Him, it’s only LOVE, tenderness, mercy, forgiveness, compassion and those kinds of positive emotions that He conjures up in our hearts, minds, souls and bodies. That’s because those are the attributes for which He is truly renowned. Peace, LOVE and Good Cheer was, is, and always will be His mantra! So why people get so confused and discombobulated over His name certainly boggles my mind. Instead of running to His always opened and inviting arms, they run away instead. How foolish! And I can personally testify to the ‘wonderfulness’ of Jesus! Our vocabulary is so inadequate, I can’t find a better or more appropriate word to describe Him. Anyway, I was testifying – testifying that this very morning, I came down here, not feeling too hot, or knowing what I was going to write, except for Dr. Shoemaker’s quote, but before I could even sit down and contemplate the situation, He engineered the thoughts in my mind and brought them to fruition in the words you’re reading. To tell the truth, I haven’t even had a chance to open the Good Book yet and look for a Bit. So why would I ever turn away from, and denigrate such a kind, thoughtful, gentle and generous leader eh? Not on yuh life, mih breddren! It simply doesn’t make sense, and it’s being proven everyday, especially in these fearful and troubled times. Just look at the nonsense yesterday, with the bombs exploding in and around the Boston Marathon. Ah Lord eh! Followers of Jesus would never do such a thing! Oh Friends, let’s tell the world nuh, let’s show them their dreadful mistake in not embracing Jesus and all the wonderful stuff He has to offer! They quickly embrace all the man made nonsense, but shy away from the One, True, Faithful Helper, Comforter, Friend, Guide and Saviour that’s available to us. They’ve tried everything else and failed. Let’s convince them that it’s time to try Jesus. I’m sure that once they’ve sincerely tried Him, and seen what He’s really all about, the blessings, mercy, forgiveness, the overall LOVING-kindness, so generously bolstered by the wonders of salvation and eternal life, they’ll never go back to worshipping the other non-gods they once worshipped. However Friends, the one big impediment to getting that done, lies with us, His followers. We don’t sincerely live the life that Jesus wants us to live, we’re too often hypocritical, which obviously turns off the non-believer. We talk a good talk, but fail miserably in walking that talk. Just look at all the divisions and petty dissension that permeates the church of Jesus. How could that ever draw unbelievers to Him eh? Oh my brethren, for Jesus’ sake, as well as ours and our children’s, let’s seriously try and improve the image we hold amongst the heathen nuh. Remember, it’s Jesus’ name and image we’re hurting and bringing shame and negative press to, which then holds back the progress of His earthly church and glorious, righteous kingdom, which we’re supposed to be promoting. Remember we’re His ambassadors. But we’re certainly not doing our ambassadorial job to the best of our ability, not to the standard of excellence that Jesus expects. So how can we expect His Name, His Word and His Church to prosper eh? Ah mih people, how sad it is that we’re not doing a better job for Jesus. And I just got a divine zeppo (smile) to stop here and look for a Bit, as time and space are running out. So soon come. Oh Friends, I found it, I found it! I found and appropriate Bit – in exactly three minutes! It’s so amazing that when the Lord gives you a task, He also enables you to perform it! Glory Hallelujah! Now here’s our Bit for today: ‘For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.’ And that still holds true for a lot of people today. However, as Bruh Paul so wisely continues to the Corinthians: ‘But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling bloc, and unto the Greeks foolishness: But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.’ (1 Cor.1:23-25) That says it all in spades my brethren! Please embrace Jesus in wisdom and in truth, for He’s the ONLY ANSWER! Much LOVE!…but as for me and mine…we’ll certainly follow Jesus…regardless of what it takes…
02 Oct 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: abomination, awesomeness, caring God, comfort, encouragement, friend, gospel truth, Jesus, lifting up, lonely, momentous year, precious thoughts, presence of god, promises, rejoicing, renewal, support, thanskgiving, worship
Psalm 139:17. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
Well Friends, it’s now October! Wow! Next week is Canadian Thanksgiving, then it’s Halloween, American Thanksgiving and finally Christmas once again! Doesn’t it seem like we had Christmas just the other day? This year has flown by so fast that I’m not sure of all that happened in it, but it definitely was a momentous year, filled with plenty mind boggling stuff, and we still have three more months to go. So by the end, who knows what other interesting and/or calamitous stuff is going to happen. But thankfully, we don’t have to worry about it all because our caring and considerate God has promised to protect us come what may, and He does keep His promises. And to show you just how faithful He is, check out this awesome prayer from Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. It’s called, What a Friend. ‘You have never failed, Lord, to be my one, essential, intimate friend. When I was: Lonely in striving – you encouraged me. Lonely in struggling – you lifted me. Lonely in serving – you supported me. Lonely in suffering – you comforted me. Lonely in sinning – you forgave me. Lonely in sinking – you renewed me. Lonely in succeeding – you rejoiced with me. What a friend I have in Jesus! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’ Now isn’t that the gospel, gospel, gospel truth my brethren! And all God’s children unequivocally declared: ‘All thanks and praise to Almighty God who created us and takes care of us in every circumstance!’ Yes Friends, our God has never failed us yet! In whatever area we struggle, He always helps us. Even when we were so lost, so deep in sin, unto eternal death, He readily gave His ONLY Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice to wash our unspeakable abominations away, so that we could once again have communion with Him. How awesome and caring is that eh! I doubt that many, if any of us would have made such a sacrifice for unworthy creatures. Bruh David knew the awesomeness of the God of his fathers, not only from their stories, but more importantly from his own experience. That’s why in Psalm 139, The everlasting presence and power of God, from which our Bit is taken, he proclaims in glorious wonder: ‘How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!’ More undeniable truth Friends! And the verse after our Bit nicely sums it up. ‘If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.’ (Ps.139:18) Oh my people, with all this LOVING-kindness showered upon us by the most Wonderful God Jehovah, I don’t understand how we could ever go a-whoring after other supposed gods, for our Heavenly Father is the epitome of a God! He is exactly what a God should be; omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and full of mercy, LOVE, kindness, justice, truth and forgiveness on top of all that. Wow! Listen to how Job says it in acknowledging God’s justice: ‘I know it is of a truth: but how should man be just with God (can a man be righteous before God)… He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? …Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him (turn him back)? Who will say unto him, what doest thou?’ (Job 9:2, 4, 10-12) Nobody in his or her right mind will do, or rather try to do that my Friends! That means therefore, that the many in this world who despise God, ignore, abuse, try to control or put Him out of business must have more than a few screws missing, because it just cannot be done by mere mortals, insignificant beings comprised of fallible, easily destroyed, flesh, blood and bones. And we’ll end today with the immortal words of Bruh Paul on the subject. Ever noticed how he has a take on almost every topic? (smile) This one is exceedingly good though. To the church at Rome he gloriously declares: ‘O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed (repaid) unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.’ (Rom.11:33-36) Yes Friends, in there Bruh Paul uses his vast knowledge of the Old Testament and quotes Is.40:13, Jer.23:18, Job 36:22, Job 41:11. Now hear how the scholars explain that last verse. I think it’s important for us to understand it. ‘God is the source of all things – of him; God is the channel of all things – through him; God is the goal of all things – to him; and Man’s only proper response to God is to worship Him.’ That says it all my people! Now let’s go out there and worship our God, like we ought to. Much LOVE!…our duty is to…LOVE our God…LIVE our Faith…and SPREAD His Word…
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