31 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a perfect heart, a sense of well being, a willing mind, all is right with the world, an even keel, annoyed, be not dismayed, be strong, carefree attitude, cast thee off forever, circumstances, commandments, dreary feeling, emotions of joy, ever-faithful, everyday is a beautiful day, faith, fear not, frivolity, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, imaginations of the thoughts, improve, in God's realm, inheritance, interceding for us, laugh at ourselves, laugh at trouble, laughing is important, laughter is the best free remedy, mercies, new blessings, nothing's right, omnipotent god, physical circumstances, positive attitude, possess this land, righteous journey, risen from the dead, seek God, sits at the right hand of God, Solomon, steupsing, surrendered to God, take heed now, the congregation of the Lord, the god of thy father, the Lord goes before thee, the Lord searcheth all hearts, the Love Revolution of Jesus, trust, uplift, waxing philosophical, what a difference
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Oh friends, what a difference a difference in a day can make in the lives of mortal men eh! Yes sir, the ole fella is waxing philosophical this morning! (smile)
But all that means is that yesterday was bright and sunny with warm blue clouds floating on high, and it automatically invoked emotions of joy and frivolity, of feelings that all is right with the world, even if that is far from true. But overall a sunny day brings a sense of well being.
Today however, it’s raining, the streets are wet and slippery, the skies are dark and the soul of man tends towards that same attitude; a dark and dreary feeling, one of nothing’s right, even though everything might be right.
It just goes to show how our physical circumstances tend to have a strong effect on us. Now yesterday I was out and about with a carefree attitude, today though, I wake up and see the rain and I’m steupsing and somewhat annoyed because I have to go out in such uncomfortable weather.
But you know what my precious people, in God’s realm though, those things ought not to affect us so strongly, because where our God is concerned everyday is a beautiful day, loaded with all kinds of new blessings and mercies to uplift and improve our physical, emotional and mental circumstances.
Christians are supposed to be people who run on an even keel, not ones who are ruled by the vagaries of their current situations. That’s why I want to share something from my One More Day – Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness. I believe I’ve shared it some time ago, but it’s till useful today.
The quote is attributed to one Ed Howe, which one I’m not sure, because they are so many of them. (smile) However it says: ‘If you don’t learn to laugh at trouble, you won’t have anything to laugh at when you grow old.’
I guess he’s trying to say that when you get old, trouble is what you have more than anything else, so you might as well learn to laugh at it, otherwise you won’t be laughing much.
And the text says: ‘Laughing with others is important. Learning to laugh at our own problems is even more important. Since we will continue to live with situations that cause us all types of problems, we may as well learn to laugh at ourselves.’
And believe you me friends, laughter is the best free remedy available for all kinds of illnesses and problems. When we laugh, it brings on a more positive attitude in our spirits and we don’t seem to feel as dreary and forlorn as we were before, although there may be cause to feel that way.
And as the text continues: ‘Laughter is a gift we give ourselves. We can carry it with us wherever we go, and it will always be ours.’
And all of God’s people declared a loud and lusty ‘Praise the Lord!’ then burst out laughing.
Ah mih people, laughter is indeed a good remedy for whatever is wrong with our souls. And when that attitude is combined with the strong and faithful promise of our Bit, mankind will surely be able to move mountains. (smile) ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Now why are we still so fearful in our daily lives eh, even with such a promise from our ever-faithful and omnipotent God?
It just means that we have not fully surrendered our lives to Him; our trust and faith are not to the level they ought to be. But friends, what’s the point of having promises if we don’t sincerely and fully believe them? None whatsoever!
Now listen to Bruh David as he counselled Israel and Cousin Sol. ‘Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the Lord, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever. Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong and do it.’ (1 Chr.28:8-10)
Oh my fellow believers, that is the exact attitude we need to adopt and follow today! We must continually seek God and keep His commandments and be strong and do whatever it is He has called us to do. That is the only way we can win this war against darkness and evil and further the LOVE Revolution of Jesus!
So, please, let’s show ourselves to be true believers and get started on that righteous journey, right now nuh! Much LOVE!
…Jesus has triumphantly risen from the dead…and sits at the right hand of God the Father interceding for us…so what’s there to be afraid of eh…absolutely NOTHING…
04 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A prayer for change, adhered, another week of work, balance of life, be in thy mouth, body, calamitous, calamity, chiding, children of Israel, circumstances, contention, day and night, depressing, disconsolate, do whatever I want, doubting, dreary, Egypt, evil, exodus, face challenges, faith, fellowship, Friday chant, frivolity, fun, further your glorious kingdom, generous help, glory hallelujah, glowing sunshine, God's Word, guideline, half-truths, holy spirit, hope, image, indulge, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Joshua, joy, lack of water, laughing, LOVE, Massah, meditate, mental dial, Meribah, mind, miracles firsth hand, moment od prayer, moods, morning mist, negative feelings, omnipotent, partying, Pharaoh, prayer, prosperous, relaxation, remove God from our lives, renewed and refreshed, responsible, rest, richly blessed, second hand, self-pity, slave work, soul, sovereign, springtime returns, success, surrender, tempted the Lord, testing, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank You Lord, the book of the law, the prince of darkness, the Rock, the sanctuary, the sun breaks through, the weekend, thy way O God, time to play, traffic jams, travelling, trust, truth, trying times, turning away from God, understand, ungodly world, who is so great a God, wiles, work diligently
Psalm 77:13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?
And the day that the working people LOVE so much, Friday, has finally rolled around again. That’s why there are so many glorious and joyous shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! I couldn’t make it even one more day in this slave work nuh! At last the weekend! My time to play and do whatever I want! Oh thank you ever so much Lord for Fridays! Glory Hallelujah!’
And in these trying times of early waking up and much travelling to get back and forth to work with all the traffic jams and otherwise, you can understand the sentiment of the ordinary working man. And though we are entitled to do whatever we want with the weekend, there is a wise and a foolish way to use it; the latter involving excessive partying and frivolity.
But listen to the better and wiser way to use our weekends as we chant our Friday Chant. ‘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 doesn’t that make much more sense as to how we use our weekends? It surely does! We get a better balance of life, including the strength and refreshed spirit so that we can work diligently the following week.
And today my fellow believers in Christ, I want to share with you a prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Schuller) Hours of Power Devotional. This one is titled, ‘A Prayer for Change.’ And I know that many of us are in dire need of change (s) in our lives. So please pray with me.
‘O God, when a life has been so richly blessed as mine has been, it’s not right for me not to be laughing! I confess that I am responsible for my moods. I have no right to selfishly indulge in negative feelings of self-pity.
It’s time for me to change my mental dial, Lord. You are helping me. This will be the moment when the sun breaks through the parted clouds, and the springtime returns after winter. Thank you, Lord!
The dreary, depressing, disconsolate mood disappears like the morning mist in the glowing sunshine of your LOVE. And joy moves in! And hope begins to build up within me! And a beautiful feeling of LOVE starts to surround me! Thank you, God, for the great things you are doing within me now in this moment of prayer. Amen.’
Oh friends, oh friends, I do hope that depressing mood has lifted and the hope, joy and LOVE of our heavenly Father has once more captured our lives, because it’s definitely what we need to confidently face the challenges and calamitous circumstances of this dangerous and evil world!
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which shows us that that very change in our moods and thinking are quite possible because of the outstanding, magnificent and omnipotent God we serve and worship. ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’
And I know that some of you are tired hearing about how great our God is, but my brethren, that’s exactly what makes Him our God; His greatness! And until we fully understand just how great and wonderful He is, we will never be fully able to surrender, to give our entire beings into His wonderful care. So just bear with the ole fella nuh, (smile) you know I’ll never lead you astray.
And we’ve seen over the past few days how our God played with Pharaoh until he let the Israelites go, and all the wonders the Lord did during their exodus from Egypt and those in the wilderness too. Now we come to one more marvelous wonder where water was miraculously supplied.
As usual the Israelites were complaining, this time about the lack of water. And as was his wont, Moses cried out to the Lord for guidance and direction. The Lord told him to take his rod and the elders with him and go on before the people.
‘Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shall smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
And he called the name of the place Massah (lit. Tempted), and Meribah (lit. Contention), because of the chiding (contention) of the children of Israel, and because they tempted (tested) the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?’ (Ex.17:6-7)
Oh friends, what a foolish and ignorant people! After all the signs and wonders that the Lord had done in their sight, they still doubted His presence and His power! Chuh!
The truth of the matter though is that we can’t be too harsh on the Israelites, because we are doing the exact same thing right now. We are doubting and turning away from God in droves, aided and abetted by the wiles and deceitful half-truths of the prince of darkness, who rules this current evil world.
The only difference here my people, is that the Israelites saw God’s miracles first hand, but we only have second hand accounts of them. But nonetheless, we have seen our Christian societies grow and prosper when were a truly Christian people.
So what has happened to change our outlook so drastically eh, that we’re now trying our best to take God completely out of our lives? Oh friends, that is indeed a fool’s wisdom!
How many times during the course of history have we seen societies that have grown great while serving and worshipping the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and when they got too big for their britches, the Lord took away His favour and protection and they eventually wasted away, ignominiously fell into the bowels of history?
We tend to overlook, forget, or simply ignore this seminal bit of scripture, the Lord’s advice to Joshua, when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8)
That my friends, has been, and will always be a society’s guideline to success. We see it in the very behaviour of the Israelites; when they adhered to God’s Word, they prospered; when they didn’t, they suffered serious calamity.
May we today understand this principle and do our best to adhere to the Word of our great, mighty, sovereign and omnipotent God, because that is wisdom to the nth degree. Much LOVE!
…it’s ever so foolish to turn away from the ONE who created you…in His…might, power and image…
07 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: appropriate scripture, Babylon, bad choices, blind lead the blind, burned with fire, cause them to err, consequeneces, consider, contemptible, corruption, covenant, critical position, death, decision making, destroyed, disasters, disobedience, disregard, enormous ramifications, equal rights, evil cohorts, evil path, famine, fellowship, Friday chant, friends, frivolity, fun, further your glorious kingdom, gay abandon, generous help, glorious kingdom, go with the flow, God's Law, God's principles, God's Word, gospel truth, greed, heartfelt rendition, heartrending, heavenly wisdom, hedonistic, hold my head and bawl, holiness, holy spirit, horrific price, in Jesus' name, ineptitude, insightful words, Isaiah, Israel, Jesus Christ, joy of the lord, justice, knowledge, Leaders, leading people astray, led of them, life, LOVE, Lucifer, man-made idols, messenger of God, mourning, natural laws, no place like Home, one day, one true God, partiality, peace, plagues, pleasure driven lifestyle, ponder, poor decisons, prophecies, proven fact, rat-race, refreshed in soul body and mind, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, repent, rest, retribution, Revelation, right perspective, righteousness., routine, rude awakening, seek the Lord, strong is the Lord, stumble, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the head and tail, the Lord's anger, the priest's lips, the prophet Isaiah, think on, truth, turn back to God, understanding, ungodly society, virtual reality, warnings, welcome back, wisdom
Isaiah 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
‘Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!’ Oh Friends, the snow and cold gave me a very warm welcome back last night. Wow! But in spite of the rude awakening, it’s good to be back, because there’s just no place like home!
And like I’ve fallen right back into the early morning routine. Chuh! How nice it was the past three weeks not to have a set routine and just go with the flow of life. But that was the virtual reality, the frivolity of the situation, this is the real reality, and the two are definitely much different.
So as most workers rejoice with shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Payday and time to party!’ let’s get the right perspective on the situation right away, with a soulful, heartfelt rendition of our Friday Chant.
As one chanter now. (smile) ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, the wise and sensible thing to do on the weekend is to make sure you get enough rest, relaxation and fellowship with other believers, so that come Monday you’ll get out there bright, spunky and full of the joy of the Lord! That’s the only way we can successfully handle this rat race we so nicely term life.
That my Friends, brings us to today’s Bit; a very interesting and rather appropriate verse of scripture, which has enormous ramifications for our present society and way of life. ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.’
And that’s gospel truth my people! This is the prophet Isaiah declaring the Lord’s anger against the Northern kingdom of Israel, for their overwhelming disobedience and turning away from Him to worship other supposed gods and man-made idols. But my fellow believers, we know that there is ONLY ONE TRUE GOD IN EXISTENCE, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
And you don’t have to look very far or dig very deep to see the gross ineptitude, corruption, greed, poor choices and decision making of today’s leaders.
But listen to what Isaiah says before our Bit. ‘For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth (strikes) them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.’ (Is.9:13)
That my Friends is so relevant to our current society, that it’s heart rending. A substantial part of our society has turned away from the ONE TRUE GOD, and refuses to repent and turn back to Him, despite the many warnings found in His Word, and the many unusual and severe disasters that are happening on a more frequent basis than that to which we are accustomed.
So what do you think will the consequences of this disobedience eh? ‘Isaiah details it: ‘Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch (palm branch) and rush (bulrush), in one day.’ (Is.9:14)
And if you don’t believe Isaiah, then listen to what Revelation says about the eventual fall of Babylon, the evil, ungodly society in which we’re presently living. ‘Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord who judgeth her.’ (Rev.18:8)
And we’ve seen all Gods’ prophecies come true, so why not that one eh? Yes my brethren, the Lord will eventually destroy our society, like He’s done to so many others before us, who proudly and foolishly refused to accept His warnings.
Then Isaiah further explains: ‘The ancient and honourable (elder) he is the head; and the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.’ (Is.9:15)
For as the prophet Malachi said way back when, and still applies today: ‘For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.
Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial (shown partiality) in the law.’ (Mal.2:7-9)
Again Friends and fellow believers, that is gospel truth, for the priesthood nowadays is definitely not up to the level or standard of righteousness and holiness that it ought to be, people no longer look up to them as they used to, and unfortunately they are leading a lot of people astray!
Ah Lord eh! Some of the things I see and hear about, regarding our leaders and priests, it just makes me want to hold my head and bawl!
Oh my brethren, it truly amazes me, that with so many societies, shown by history to have bitten the dust because of blatant disobedience to God’s holy law, we, supposedly the wisest and most knowledgeable of all humans, are still pursuing, unabashed and unashamed, in fact with total disregard and gay abandon, to flout the natural laws of justice, peace, LOVE and equal rights!
Now that’s a Bruh Paulian sentence! (smile) But it’s irrefutable truth!
Oh Friends, we desperately need a change of mind and heart, one filled with crucial but true understanding of God’s principles, so that we can turn back to Him, repent and diffuse His holy and just anger against us. And unless you are really foolish, you’ll realize that God is indeed very angry with us for our evil, hedonistic, material and pleasure driven lifestyle.
Oh my people, I don’t know what else to say to get us to understand the critical position we’re currently in nuh. We’re behaving just like Israel did long ago, not heeding God’s warnings. And they paid a horrific price for their disobedience. And the same will eventually happen to us, if we keep going down the evil path we’re being led down by Lucifer and his evil cohorts, many of them our elders, teachers and prophets.
And we’ll end with some interesting, but oh so true words of Jesus on the topic. ‘And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?’ (Luke 6:39)
Oh Friends, please, let’s ponder, seriously think on and consider those very insightful words of our Lord, Saviour and Leader, Jesus Christ. Then with God’s help, let’s try to make any necessary corrections in our own lives. Now that’s undoubtedly heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…disobedience to God’s holy law…will always bring painful retribution…and that’s a proven fact throughout history…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness Friends, for although I got up fairly early, I had lot of other important stuff to first rectify, and then a sudden bout of tiredness hit me and slowed me down. But it’s still an excellent Bit. (smile) Much LOVE!
22 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accedptable to God, admonishing, arise from the dead, armour of light, awake, be not unwise, beautiful morning, beautiful morning in Paradise, blessed light of Jesus, character, charles stanley, children of disobedience, Christ's return, conformity, confront hypocrites, daily decisions, dark clouds, darkness, darkness of this world, deceive, desire to do God's will, dissipation, doing good, don't be drunk, earnestly, embrace outcasts, Ephesians, equip leaders, evil power, excess, exhortations, expose, filled with the Spirit, frivolity, fruit of the Spirit, giving thanks always, goal, God's little Acre, God's plan, goodness, hearts minds and souls, heavenly blessing, heavenly wisdom, hovering overhead, humbly, humility of Spirit, hustling pace, hymns, Jesus Christ, Jesus' 2nd coming, Jesus' work, joyous coming again, light, light in the Lord, long term basis, lord jesus christ, Lucifer, making melody in your heart to god, more like Jesus, morning splendour, obedience, onerous goals, partakers, patience, perseverance, poetic licence, ponder, priorities, psalms, rain, restore broken lives, reverence of God, righteousness., secret, seek God, serve others, shame, signs, spiritual songs, teach God's Word, the sun rose, time, time's moving fast, truth, understand the will of God, unfruitful works of darkness, vain empty words, walk as children of light, walk circumspectly, walk like Jesus, ways of a believer, We could handle this, works of darkness, write indelibly
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Well Friends, it’s another beautiful morning in Paradise! Wow! Since I’ve been here that’s been a recurring occurrence. (smile) And would you believe that I’ve already been here for almost a week? I left T.O. last Wednesday night.
Mama! Time sure is moving fast! A little too fast for my liking though. I need it to slow down some, to just an easy walk, so that I can properly enjoy my time on God’s Little Acre, rather than the hustling pace it seems all geared up for.
And by the way, I finally experienced my first rainfall since I arrived. Sometime last evening, while we were inside, we suddenly heard an unexpected loud, drumming kind of noise on the roof, and wondered if it was rain, so I went outside to investigate the matter. And behold it was indeed heavenly blessing!
However, after a minute or so, it stopped just as suddenly as it had begun. It wasn’t all that surprising, because over the past week, there have been numerous dark rain clouds in the sky, but nothing has ever happened. Apparently the strong breezes simply blow them away. Even when I went outside earlier this morning, there were dark clouds hovering overhead, but soon thereafter, the sun rose in all its earthly morning splendour.
Ah mih people, as the Duchess and I keep on saying: ‘We could handle this, yuh know – on a long term basis.’ (smile) And hopefully, one day we will, provided it falls into line with God’s plan for our lives.
But enough of my frivolity, let’s get serious with Jesus’ work. And this morning I found this note amongst my papers, which I’m being guided to share with you. It looks like something I scribbled down from one of Uncle Charles’ (Charles Stanley) sermons. It talks about the 7 Priorities of Jesus’ Daily Decisions.
And they are: (1) He sought the Father. (2) He embraced the outcasts of society. (3) He restored broken lives. (4) He confronted hypocrites. And did He ever! (5) He taught God’s Word. (6) He served others in humility of spirit. (7) He equipped leaders – providing training in obedience and a desire to do God’s will.
So Friends, if we want to be more like Jesus, bring our character into greater conformity with His, then we too have to make those things our priorities. They’re not onerous goals, but they do take time, perseverance and patience to build, obviously with God’s help. And who knows how much time we have left on this earth eh – either in terms of our personal lives, or Jesus’ 2nd Coming?
For as our Bit so wisely and rightly reminds us. ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
And as we saw yesterday, the night refers to Jesus’ absence from the world, when the evil power of Lucifer rules, while the day hails His joyous coming again. And without a doubt my fellow believer, from all the signs He’s given us, that day isn’t as far away as many of us believe.
And having heard Jesus’ serious pronouncement on the subject of His Second Coming yesterday, today we’re going to investigate some scriptures which encourage us to give up the foolish darkness of this world and wisely move into the blessed light of Jesus’ heavenly abode.
Let’s begin with some powerful admonishing and ‘exhortatious’ words (smile – poetic licence- it just sounded better) from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians, re the ways of a believer.
‘Let no man deceive you with vain (empty) words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest (known) by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear (reverence) of God.’ (Eph.5:6-21)
Oh Friends, I have to chuckle here because I never intended to use all of that scripture, but after reading it, I couldn’t find anywhere to break off and not lose the sense of the passage, since it all speaks so earnestly and appropriately to our Bit; being ready for Christ’s return, and the behaviour that’s necessary to achieve such a wonderful and important goal.
So please, let’s ponder all the stuff we’ve heard today, write them indelibly in our hearts, mind and souls, and walk accordingly, thereby bringing more righteousness to our lives and also improving our readiness for Jesus’ Second Coming. That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to be truly ready for Jesus…we must daily walk like He walked…humbly doing good…
03 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dry and thirsty land, a longing for God, appear before God, back to work, christianity, commandments, common sense, control of the universe, deer pants for the brooks, depressing news, dr robert h schuller, ever-LOVING God, extol, four seasons, freedom, frivolity, fun, get aquainted with God, God alone can satisfy our thirst, God satisfies the thirsty soul, Hour of Power, improve our standing, intense longing for God, Jesus Christ, joy, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, man's fault, meditate on God's words, my flesh longs for God, my soul pants for God, my soul's thirsty for God, northern climes, partition in our souls, partition reserved for God, peace, permeate our being, planet earth, polluting the atmosphere, ponder God's work, positive stuff, power, Prayer for Success, pressure, religion, running from enemies, sad state of our world, school, schools reopen, scriptures, shedding of leaves, sojourn in the wilderness, spirituality, spring summer autumn, summer, the living God, thou art my God, trees turning brown, true peace, truly find God, undeniable fact, vacation, wealth, what I am, what I do, wisdom, work, work of God, zenith
Psalm 42:2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Well mih Friends, all the summer frivolity is now ended in the north country! That’s so sad! (smile) Schools will reopen today, and many adults who have been on vacation will also go back to work, having closed up the cottages for another year.
And though the summer wasn’t as hot and sunny as it usually is, it’s way, way better than what we’re about to receive. Would you believe that it’s only the third day of September and trees are already turning brown and shedding their leaves?
Ah Lord eh! But that’s what we bargained for when we decided to live in the northern climes. The Lord promised us four general seasons, spring, summer, autumn and fall, but He didn’t say exactly how long they’d be, or what temps we’d have on what days.
All that we have are man’s approximation. So if the leaves begin falling at the start of September rather than at the end, around the 22nd, when we audaciously declare that autumn begins, then that’s our problem.
The Lord God Jehovah is still in control of His universe, although I believe that the divergence between what should be and what actually happens is basically man’s fault, due to his polluting the atmosphere and thus setting the finely tuned work of God awry.
And having given us that somewhat depressing news (smile), here is some positive, uplifting stuff. It’s a Prayer for Success from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. I don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but even if I have, it’s certainly worth sharing again.
So let’s pray together for success this Tuesday morning, when our lives will get busier and change from much fun and freedom to much school and work.
As one voice now: ‘As I become a success with your help, Lord, let me never forget that what I am is more important than what I do. Faith stimulates success. Hope sustains success. LOVE sanctifies success. So I cannot and I dare not succeed without your power, peace, and pressure in my life, Jesus Christ. Amen.’
And again my true believers in Christ, we say a loud and lusty, ‘Amen!’
Now all of that just fits nicely with our Bit: ‘My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’
Now that’s certainly a good question my people! And it’s certainly how we ought to feel! A longing for God, just dying to get acquainted with Him and His ways should permeate our very being.
Please note how the psalmist begins the psalm. ‘As the hart panteth after (the deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.’ (Ps.42:1)
Oh Friends, do we pant after God, do we have that intense longing for our Creator as Psalm 42 is superscripted? And do we say, as the author of Psalm 119 says: ‘I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.’ (Ps.119:131)
I surely do hope so, although from the physical evidence reflected by the sad state of our world, it’s obvious that enough of us feel that way, otherwise planet earth would be in much better shape.
But let’s look now at some scriptures that also extol the longing for God, starting with Psalm 63, God satisfies the thirsty soul, penned by Bruh David during his sojourn in the wilderness of Judah, while running from his enemies.
‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;’ (Ps.63:1)
Yes Friends, whenever we find ourselves in a dry and thirsty situation, be it physical, spiritual or emotional, the correct place and first person to run to is our ever-LOVING God, for He ALONE can satisfy our thirst!
Meanwhile, Psalm 84, a psalm of the sons of Korah, confidently proclaims: ‘How amiable are thy tabernacles (lovely are thy dwellings), O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.’ (Ps.84:1-2)
Oh Friends, I couldn’t put it any better or simpler! To be a longing for God is just how and why we were created!
That’s why none of us are ever fully satisfied with the mere wealth and things of the world, regardless of how much we have, but can be satisfied with little or nothing, if we truly find God.
We never find true peace, wealth and joy until that little space, that small partition in our souls that God reserved for Himself, has been filled with a sincere longing for the Almighty.
And that’s an undeniable fact my people! Check out all the rich and famous and powerful, and you’ll find very few are truly happy, unless that part of their souls reserved for God is filled with Him.
And we’ll end with some true and stellar words of Bruh David, when he was again beset by enemies. ‘I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse (ponder) on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.’ (Ps.143:5-6)
Yes my brethren, let’s muse, let’s ponder on that today nuh! Let’s see how we personally shape up on the matter of longing for, of panting after God. Then let’s make and take the necessary actions to improve our standing in so important a matter. For that’s undeniably wisdom and common sense at their zeniths! Much LOVE!
…if there’s NO longing in our souls for God…then there’s NO God in our souls…
02 Dec 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: blessed, bountiful harvest, celebrations, continually walking with God, family, fellowship, fertile land, foolishness, friends, frivolity, harvest festival, listen to God's Word, peace as a river, sea grapes, spiritual relationship, thanksgiving, the Life, the Light, the Truth, the Way, West Indian flavour
Proverbs 8:32. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, our God is indeed a great God, there’s no doubt about that! That’s why we can sing so heartily, truthfully and appreciatively: ‘All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. The bright and sunny weather, Our sparkling waters pure, Are gifts from God as well as, The white sand on our shore. (Chorus) The mangoes in the summer, The sea grapes growing wild, Guinep and plums and guavas, Are gifts for every child. (Chorus) The waters round our island, Are brimming full with food; Grouper and crab and lobster, That do our Bodies good. All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.’ Truths for now and all time Friends! And all God’s people raised up a mighty shout unto heaven: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Praise be to Him that sits on the throne on high and looks after His children down here on earth.’ Sorry this is so late my brethren, but I was about God’s business, fellowshipping with other believers at the Harvest /Thanksgiving service at my old church, St. Andrew’s Anglican in Scarborough. I had no idea that the celebration would be so long, three hours, from 8-11 am. But it was beautiful! With a West Indian flavour that can’t be beat. The last Harvest Festival I went to there, must have been some fifty years ago, before Hurricane Flora blew down the old church in 1963. As usual, I saw friends and family that I haven’t seen in donkey years. (smile) It was also good to see all the produce of the fertile earth on display in the church, and the singing and praising was wonderful. After that I bought some of the goodies they were selling, then they held me back for lunch. I never got back home until after one, having left shortly after seven. So what else can I do but give Almighty God thanks and praise for the many blessings He’s poured down on me in the last two weeks here on His Li’l Acre? And it’s not done yet, because I still have some rounds to make later this afternoon. And even while I’m trying to write the Bit on the porch of my cosy cottage at Store Bay, under cloudy skies, people are calling and disturbing me, but I have to be nice and pleasant as our God dictates. Anyway, our Bit: ‘Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways,’ has made it to day 3, because it’s very important and there are several scriptures still left to bring to our attention. The first one today comes from Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Good Book, titled, The Lord’s judgements are righteous. And true to its title, it opens thus: ‘Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.’ (Ps.119:1-2) Oh my people, how can anyone be anything other than blessed if they walk continually with the Most High God eh? Impossible! For He’s the kind of God that abundantly blesses those who diligently seek Him. I just wish more unbelievers, and supposed believers too, could truly get that into their hearts and minds, and forget the foolish Lucifer and his empty, frivolous nonsense. And as I keep saying, all the material possessions we can get by selling our souls to Lucifer, are also available from the Lord, in even greater abundance, plus they are more secure and last longer, if we get them through God’s largesse. Oh, the duchess brought a piece of roast bake and some ginger beer outside for me. Oh Tobago, sweet Tobago! Am I ever going to miss you when I’m gone! And now is a piece of sweet bread. (smile) So why bother with a ‘chupid’ fellow like Lucifer eh, one who had it all, but threw it away by unwisely trying to overthrow the Creator, and is now forced to walk in sin, disobedience and destruction? Now listen to Isaiah postulate and expatiate (smile) in wisdom and truth on the matter. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened (heeded, listened) to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body) like the gravel (grains of sand) thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’ (Is.48:17-19) And if you don’t believe that, just check out Israel’s history. When they followed the Lord, they prospered; when they rebelled, they suffered true hell here on earth. So which path are you going to choose eh my brethren? I certainly hope it’s the path that’s led by Jesus, for He is indeed the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE and the LIGHT! And hear Him tell it. One day while Jesus was preaching His family came to look for Him but couldn’t get through the big crowd. Eventually somebody told Jesus that His mother and brethren wanted to see Him. And His answer was: ‘My mother and brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.’ (Luke 8:21) If Jesus could say that about His earthly family, most of whom never believed in Him when He was alive, who am I to say different eh? And another time, while talking about a house divided against itself can’t stand, and about unclean spirits, (Luke 11:14-26) a woman in the crowd, generously declared: ‘Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps (breasts) which thou hast sucked.’ (Luke 11:27) However, Jesus’ reply declared something somewhat different: ‘Yea, rather (more than that), blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.’ (Luke 11:28) Matter fixed Friends! And the scholars hit the nail on the head with these conclusions. ‘These verses are unique to Luke. They show that spiritual relationship with Jesus is more important than family ties, and that blessedness is a matter of both hearing and doing God’s word.’ Ah Friends, I don’t know what else to say to encourage us to live for God and obey His Word nuh. I know that I am trying my best to do so, and I’m certainly benefitting from it. Now everything is not, and will never be, strictly wine, roses and song, but it’s surely always interesting, even in the difficult times. So who ever doesn’t want to do likewise, I’m sorry for them, but each individual has to make their own decisions on this particular matter. And we’ll end with the chorus of a well known hymn that we sang in church this morning in thanks for the bountiful harvest. ‘Count your blessings, Name them one by one. Count your many blessings, See what God has done.’ Oh people, please let’s do that seriously today, so that we can see and understand the wonders our God is doing in the lives of His children down here on Mother Earth. Much LOVE!…as for me and mine…we’ll definitely follow Jesus…
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