03 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive note, action, action based, Almghty God, almighty god, anxiety, anxious thoughts, atonement for our sins, awesome Son Jesus Christ, Beelzebub, beginning the day with Jesus, Bruh David, calm and peace of God, calm our storms, Calvary, christianity, confidence, control, cut him some slack, daily ritual, deceit of the enemy, deceitfulness, delivered my soul, deliverer, despair, die on the cross, enemies, everything will work out for our good, faithful, faithfully walking with Jesus, frail, from strength to strength, generous, glory, God is never late, guidance, gullible minds, Hades, hope in the Lord God, I wait all day long, jehovah god, just in time, keep it unto the end, lead me in a plain path, Lent, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, maganimous God, mercy, Most High God, negative, O Lord, omnipotent, peace, promises, prosperity, protection, Redeemer, reverential awe, smart, Son Jesus, spreading God's Word, stand strong, strength, talk show, Teach me thy way O Lord, thanks and praise, the beauty of knowing Jesus, the bondage of sin, the depths of fear, the god of Jacob, The God of my salvation, the ladder of success, the straight and narrow path, the way of thy statutes, tired and out of sorts, tough times, tribulations, true, true followers of jesus, truth, unconditional LOVE, walk a smooth path, walk in thy truth, walking with Jesus, wisdom, with God's help, with Jesus leading the way, woldly
Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.
Oh Friends, the ole fella woke up late, somewhat tired and out of sorts this morning, so you have to cut him some slack eh. (smile)
But nonetheless, I remembered to give our wonderful God some thanks and praise for bringing me safely through the dark night into the beautiful and brilliant light of His awesome Son Jesus, on this glorious Tuesday in Lent!
That’s because it is only through His enduring and never ending mercy and LOVING-kindness that I’m alive to see another day. I also remembered to ask Him for strength, guidance, wisdom and confidence to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to Him, while spreading His Word, as well as the peace and LOVE that He desires of me.
Oh my people, that’s a daily ritual we’ll all go through if we’re smart and walking with Jesus! For when we begin the day on a positive note with Almighty God, our day goes much better than if we begin with a set of negative, worldly, anxious thoughts flooding our frail and gullible minds.
Beginning the day with Jesus, we move from strength to strength, going up the ladder of success and prosperity. However, starting out with Lucifer invading our thoughts, just keeps taking us down lower and lower, and finally into the depths of fear, anxiety and despair. And that certainly is never a good place to be my brethren!
So please, let’s remember to begin each and every day on the right note, with Jehovah God, so that even if our whole world seems to be falling down around us, we will still have the calm and peace of God, and His everlasting confidence to face the tribulations, knowing that He is in perfect control, and will eventually work everything out for our good.
Life is already difficult as it is, why make it more difficult by holding on to the lies and deceit of the enemy eh, when we can hold on to the true, generous, faithful and wonderful promises of our omnipotent and magnanimous God? And that’s today’s sermon! (smile)
Now let’s turn to our most appropriate Bit, just one verse after the one of yesterday, for that’s where I was led. And in it, Bruh David sincerely declares: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
Yes Friends, we all have people and things that come against us, but when we are true followers of Jesus, and have His Word engraved in our hearts, we can stand strong in those tough times and walk a path that’s smooth and calm, with Jesus leading the way.
As we said above, if we give in to Beelzebub and his deceitfulness, then we’ll experience a path strewn with obstacles that we’re too afraid and anxious to deal with.
Now Jesus doesn’t necessarily calm our storms, but He does give us the wherewithal to face and go through them without a whole lot of fear and anxiety. And that’s the beauty of knowing His ways and faithfully walking with Him in them!
Now listen to some scripture that upholds our contention, starting with Bruh David from Psalm 25 – A prayer for guidance and protection. He again seeks to know the ways of God. ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps.25:4-5)
Yeh Friends, we do need to look to the Most High God for guidance and salvation! For he is the One who, through His great and unconditional LOVE for us, sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to procure the atonement of our abominable sins.
But remember too that sometimes our pleas will not be answered right away, so there will be some waiting involved. But note that our God is NEVER LATE, for He is the God of just in time!
And we all know these fateful and faithful words of Psalm 119, where the psalmist beseeches God: ‘Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.’ (Ps.119:33) Again my brethren, we have to note the last words of that verse ‘and I shall keep it unto the end.’
For what good is the Lord teaching us His ways, if we don’t keep them eh? None whatsoever!
But unfortunately, many of us only want to learn His ways to get through whatever difficulty is currently confronting us, and after that is resolved, we forget about those ways until the next time we find ourselves in a difficult situation.
But that’s not how it ought to be my people. We ought to learn the ways of the Lord and faithfully keep them from that time until forever! That’s what he desires and expects of us, and really the only path in this world that makes any sense at all.
And we’ll end with some more appropriate words of Bruh David from Psalm 86 – Teach me thy way, O Lord. ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of heart) to fear thy name (to have reverential awe for you).
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell (from the depths of Hades).’ (Ps.86:11-13)
Oh my brethren, what words of indisputable truth and glory! For it is indeed the Lord God who truly has delivered our souls from the sure destination of Hades, through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus’ death on the cross of Calvary.
Otherwise, without the option of heaven, we would all be surely bound for death and destruction with Lucifer, the prince of darkness. And that’s not a very pleasant thought or destination!
So all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Father for sending Jesus to be our redeemer and deliverer! And thank You Jesus for being selfless and obedient to the Father’s will, thus setting us free from the bondage of sin. We glorify You and praise Your holy name! Amen!’
Now Friends, let’s go out into the cruel and evil world and put all that we’ve spoken about today into action. Remember that Christianity is an action based and action packed movement, not simply a talk show, as we often tend to make it. Much LOVE!
…happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help…whose hope is in the Lord his God… (Ps.146:5)
P.S. It’s pretty late, but with God’s help, also pretty good! (smile) Much LOVE!
17 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, be not deceived, be not weary in well doing, bread for your food, Carnival season, Carnival Tuesday, come and follow me, Crusoe's Isle, do not lose heart, every man shall give as he is able, financially wealthy, friends, generous, give to the poor, giving, go and sell that thou hast, God is not mocked, God's blessings, harvest, he hath given to the poor, he that sows to the flesh, he that sows to the Spirit, idyllic scene, if we faint not, importance of giving, in due season you shall reap, Ireland, Jehovah-Jireh, magnanimous god, make our own decisions, mas, material wealth, ole-timers, Pan on D Road, prosperity, Psalm 112:9, Queen's Park Savannah, reap corruption, reap eternal life, reef, righteousness., serene, spiritual increase, supplies the needs of the saints, thanksgivings unto God, the Corinthians, the Lord our Provider, the Lord thy God, the same measure will be used to give back to you, tranquil, treasure in heaven, water hole, West Indies, whatever measure you use, white surf, World Cup Cricket, yield, you will be enriched
Deuteronomy 16:17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Ah Friends, the big day of bacchanal is here at last – Carnival Tuesday! And at 9.15 in the morning mas is already hopping across the Main Stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Trinidad. The duchess is inside watching it while I’m outside on the verandah overlooking the pool and the sea writing to you.
The mas doesn’t really thrill me because it’s mostly the same nonsense; a bikini with a headpiece or wings of feathers, except possibly the king and queen of the band. I guess the days when most of the revelers had serious costumes are over. Even then I was never a big mas fan, but those costumes were usually intriguing and had you going; ‘Wow!’ at some of them.
There’s supposed to be a mas parade in Scarborough today too, don’t know if I’m going though, what with the hot sun, the parking and walking situation. (smile)
Last night I went down to Scarborough to see what they call ‘Pan on D Road.’ Hn! I went expecting to see some pan beating on the road, so that I could catch a little jump. But it was merely a group of pan sides set up along the grassy shoulder at the junction of Milford and the old Orange Hill Road, competing for some prize or the other.
I got there about 8.30, after the bands had already played their first tune, so I was just in time to hear the second. It wasn’t the greatest though, for the sides were small and the members were obviously tired from the hectic activity of the Carnival season, and you could hear and see it from their lack of intensity. I obviously saw several people I knew and hung out with a couple till the show ended.
After that, we walked up Milford road towards the town, stopping at Mr. Gomes watering hole to talk to a group of ole-timers who were sitting there imbibing a few. Then we walked a little further up the road to a judging point for some night mas.
On the other side of the road a temporary stand had been erected for onlookers, so we sat there for about half an hour, watched a few small bands come down the road and parade before the judges. But it was nothing really spectacular.
After that I came home, watched a little World Cup cricket from Australia; West Indies versus Ireland, where some of the West Indian batsmen were taking advantage of the lowly Irish bowling. Hopefully when they come up against the cricket powers, like Australia, England, India, Pakistan and South Africa they can do the same.
Earlier this morning I went for a walk along the shoreline of the property. Would you believe that I’ve been here for three weeks and it’s the first time I’ve done that? It’s beautiful along the rocky shoreline, with the white surf breaking in a line against the reef a little further out to sea.
Oh, I actually discovered a better looking water hole up the shoreline, which seems to have sand and not rocks. I’ll try it out sometime later. And that’s my report on the simple life on Crusoe’s Isle, as a lawn mower nearby disturbs the tranquil, serene, idyllic scene. (smile)
Now turning to our Bit – the last day – and I hear some sighs of relief. (smile) ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’
And again Friends, I want to impress on us the grave and great importance of giving; of giving generously and freely, for if we don’t give in that manner, we will NOT receive in that manner. As Jesus said, whatever measure you use to give, the same measure will be used to give back to you. (Luke 6:38) So it’s left up to each of us as individuals to make our own decisions.
And we turn to Jesus again, this time when a rich young man came and asked Jesus how he could gain eternal life? (Matt.19:16) However, when Jesus told him: ‘If thou wilt (want to) be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt.19:21)
The young man hung his head and went away sad because he had a lot of material wealth. And so it is with us Friends; there’s nothing wrong with having material wealth, but you have to share it generously and with a good heart to gain God’s blessings.
For as Bruh Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians: ‘As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; He hath given to the poor: His righteousness remaineth for ever. Now (may) he that ministereth (supplies) seed to the sower both minister (supply) bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness (liberality), which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want (needs) of the saints, but is abundant (abounding) also by many thanksgivings unto God.’ (2 Cor.9:9-12)
Yes Friends, it all comes from Almighty God, according to His purpose and plan! Now hear these explanations from the scholars.
‘9:9. His righteousness (prosperity) remaineth for ever: Neither Paul nor Psalm 112:9, cited here, advocates “prosperity theology,” that is, that every generous believer will be financially wealthy. Both experience and the context (c.f. 8:2) deny this.
This statement only says that the generous believer will always prosper in two ways: (1) financially, all his needs will be met, so that he will be able to keep giving (vs.8); and (2) spiritually, he will increase in everything (vs.12).
9:10. This verse may be translated; “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread to eat will supply and multiply your seed and will increase the harvest (yield) of your righteousness (prosperity).”
9:11. Being enriched is better translated, “You will be enriched.”
And we’ll end this series of messages on giving with these immortal and most appropriate words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth the Spirit shall of the Spirit real life everlasting.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart). As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal.6:7-10).
Ah mih people, that hits the nail right on the head! It all comes from God in the first place, and as we share what we have, we will never suffer from want for the Lord will increase us, give us enough for our own needs as well as left overs to give to others.
Let’s get that basic law planted firmly in our souls nuh, so that we can follow it and thus live a prosperous and generous life. That’s truly heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…Jehovah Jireh…the Lord our Provider…the Lord our Giver…is one of the many names of our wonderful, majestic and magnanimous God…
12 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bountiful eye, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, adversity, blessed, broken relationshp, caring, compassionate, cruel, cursed, destroyed, every man shall give as he is able, evil, eyes glued, family friends, family time, focus on God, forgiving, generosity, generous, give bread to the poor, God is the ultimate giver, God LOVES a cheerful giver, good Samaritans, greedy, heartrending, impersonal, inherit the earth, little cottage from Lowlands, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, me myself and I, no way Jose, paradox, reconciliation, ridiculous, sanctity of the family, Scarborough, school chums, selfish, siblings, smile, social entity, soldiers in Christ, strong and trusting faith in Jesus, temptation, Thank the Lord, thanksgiving, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the Lord's plan for my life, the righteous showeth mercy, the things of the world, this too shall pass away, trial, truth, ungodly, wicked, winter, wisdom, yellow yam, you can't outgive God
Deuteronomy 16:17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Well Friends, it’s throwback and thanksgiving Thursday! And I’m writing these beautiful words of LOVE from the verandah of my little cottage in Lowlands, with much thanksgiving! I’m giving thanks for all that I have, all that I am, and all that the Lord is calling me to be.
And not to forget, enormous thanks for being in Paradise on another lovely tropical day, when back in the North Country, snow, ice and cold weather reign supreme!
Oh my people, I truly feel for all of you who are up there undergoing the cruel brunt of winter. And sadly, in another couple of weeks I’ll also be feeling sorry for myself when I return to face it. (smile)
But like the good soldiers in Christ that we are, and with His ever-faithful promises to look after us in each and every trial and temptation, plus the fact that like everything else, winter too shall eventually pass and give way to spring, we shall overcome any and every adversity that comes against us.
Please, let’s believe all of that, and walk with it in our hearts, minds and souls, through strong and trusting faith in Jesus Christ, our ever-LOVING Lord and Saviour!
Enough sermonizing for today though. (smile) Now, re adventures. I didn’t do much yesterday, just went into town to the market, so the duchess could get her yellow yam. Hn! Then we visited a couple of old family friends and a couple of school chums; from one end of Scarborough to the next.
The sun was hot sir! I know I came to get sunshine, but not that hot! (smile) And driving around hill and dale on the narrow, badly maintained roads that are still the same width since my youth, was a task in itself, especially with the duchess as my co-pilot. Hn, hn!
One of the people I visited was a 91, well more like 92 year old woman because her birthday is next month. She still lives by herself and looks very good for that age, still getting around on her own to a certain extent, though people, good Samaritans come around and check on her regularly.
Now that’s something I’d LOVE to do; live out my last days in decent health in sweet Tobago! Hopefully that’s in the Lord’s plan for my life. (smile)
But mih people, the best news I’ve heard in a long while, in Tobago or anywhere else, is the recent reconciliation of one of the school friends I visited yesterday and his younger brother.
Thank the Lord for that! He does move in mysterious and glorious ways! For there can be no better or higher action in human life than reconciliation, especially if the break up was originally over petty, unimportant stuff. It’s just like when Jesus died, so that sinful humanity could be reconciled to the Father.
Oh Friends, there’s nothing as sad as a broken relationship especially between siblings, because then it hurts the overall family, the smallest, but most important social entity in our society. And unfortunately the family, as we know it, is dying out because of too many of those break ups, plus the fact that the world now holds the individual as more important than the family.
How often nowadays, do we who live together in the same house, eat or get together as a family to play some game, or just talk eh? Certainly not as often as we should, if we want to protect the sanctity of the family. We’re all so busy with our individual lives that family time is now not a big consideration.
And it’s definitely something we should try to recapture, although the world with its 24/7 schedule, and its widespread communicating devices are making it very difficult to do. It’s a modern day paradox that we are communicating more, but becoming lonelier, because we’re not actually getting together with each other in person.
And even when we do get together, all we do is pull out our little toys and play on them. Chuh! It’s heartrending to see a group of people sitting together, and none of them talking to the others, or even looking at them, their eyes glued to the little screen in front of them, and their fingers busily typing away. Steups!
It’s become so ridiculous, that they could also be sitting together and tweeting or texting each other, instead of talking. When we prefer to communicate through a device, rather than talk to each other face to face, it only means that our society is going further and further downhill. That’s the selfish, impersonal state to which we have finally sunk.
Ah Friends, with all that unscheduled, but vitally important talk, I don’t know how much space and time we have for our Bit. ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’
Words of immortal truth my people! But are we putting them into practice in this evil, cruel, ungodly society? Not as much as we ought to, for as we said, we’ve become a selfish, individualistic, greedy society, where ‘me, myself and I,’ are the most important pronouns in our vocabulary.
Now let’s look at some scripture that deals with the subject. Yesterday, we saw where Bruh Paul told the Corinthians that whatever and however they sow, that’s what they will reap, and God LOVES cheerful and generous givers, and He always give us enough for our needs. (2 Cor.9:6-8)
Now the scholars in their explanations mentioned Proverbs 22:9, which I doubt, any or many of you checked out. So here it is in living colour. ‘He that hath a bountiful (generous) eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.’ (Prov.22:9)
Yes my people, in God’s kingdom, generosity is ALWAYS blessed!
Meanwhile in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – Bruh David rightly and wisely declares: ‘The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again (does not repay): but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth (land); and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off (destroyed).’ (Ps.37:21-22)
More gospel and immortal truth that my brethren! And we’ll stop there for today, so that we can ponder all the things that we’ve spoken about. So let’s focus steadily on our God today, rather than the things of the world; allowing His words to function in our lives, by being caring, forgiving, compassionate and giving! For that’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…God is the ultimate giver…and besides…you can’t outgive God…no way Jose…
11 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cheerful heart, a willing heart, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, as we give God gives even more to us, blessings, compassion, every man shall give as he is able, feast of weeks, forgiveness, freewill offering, friends, generous, generously, give from our hearts, giving, giving is a delightful experience, God LOVES a cheerful giver, God never changes, having sufficiency in all things, he that sows bountifully will reap bountifully, he that sows sparingly will reap sparingly, iguana, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Losers compromise on values, loving, loving kindness, mercies, morning neighbour, no givinng up, no turning back, obedient, one hundred and ten percent, Pigeon Point, pressing forward, smile, the Lord thy God, the Word of god, Wednesday, what's cooking, which he hath given thee, Winners stand firm on values, wisdom
Deuteronomy 16:17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Morning Neighbour, morning! What’s cooking on this fine February day eh? A day filled with all sorts of new blessings, mercies and God’s LOVING-kindness!
It’s Wednesday, and we’re halfway through the work week. That means there’s no turning back now, we just have to keep pressing forward with all we’ve got; as the popular saying goes, give a hundred and ten percent! But’s that nothing new to us followers of Jesus Christ, because that’s how we’re expected to operate each and every day. And with God’s help that certainly is possible.
So please, let’s just keep pressing on, possibly faltering a little, but definitely NO GIVING UP! The words ‘giving up’ don’t exist in Jesus’ vocabulary, and neither should they exist in ours.
Now here’s an interesting quote of a few days ago from my friend Anselm, Inspiring you for a better tomorrow. ‘Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things; Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values.’
Oh Friends, oh Friends, if there’s one thing we should NEVER compromise on, it’s our values, for once we do that, we leave ourselves open to all kinds of evil and ungodly nonsense!
Now, because of the complexities and vagaries of life, there must be some compromises if we expect it to run fairly smooth, but as Anselm points out, they should only be on petty, basically unimportant things, NEVER on anything that has to do with the Word of God; its doctrine, it’s belief system and the way we should live obedient to God’s will.
For that will only bring it into disrepute, and there are enough people around the world already doubting the Word and spreading negative assumptions and assertions about it. No need for us to make things worse by compromising the godly values that it stands for.
As per adventures, I didn’t do anything much yesterday, just went to the beach, Pigeon Point, as the duchess desired. What a good, LOVING, and obedient husband I am eh! (smile) But I wasn’t happy with the beach, at least the one that she liked, because it was very shallow and with no sudden drop down as you entered the water.
But I disliked it with the stones on the beach and in the water, and I couldn’t even float properly, much less swim, since the water where the protective rope was placed, barely reached to my waist, and that’s a fair way from shore. The other side of the rock pile though was better. The rope was further out and the water reached my chest. Still not the greatest, by my standards, but good enough to enjoy.
Oh, at one stage where we were sitting at the top of the rock pile between the two beaches, a small guana (iguana) showed up, sunning himself on the rocks, completely ignoring the duchess, myself and an old British couple who were sitting nearby.
I tried taking some pictures of him, but since I didn’t have my glasses handy, and I’m not versed in the duchess’ I-pad – she was in the water then – I don’t know if any of them came out properly. I completely forgot about them, and must look at them later.
After the beach, we stopped at the grocery for a few things, then came home and rested for the rest of the day, simply enjoying the serenity and beauty of our surroundings. (smile)
And today my people, since we’ve spoken recently of compassion and forgiveness, we’ll talk about another most important aspect of a Christian’s life; giving. Our Bit put’s it admirably and very succinctly. ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’
Oh mih people, mih people, that was God’s command from way back when to the Israelites, when they celebrated their feasts! And since neither our God nor His Word ever changes, then that command applies even unto us in these present times.
And earlier on in the same chapter as our Bit, Moses spoke God’s command to the people thus: ‘And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. (Deut. 16:10)
Yes Friends, the basic idea is to give freely, from our hearts, according to the provisions with which the Lord has blessed us. What we give depends on what we have. Obviously if we don’t have a lot, we can’t give a lot, but of whatever we have, we ought to be generous with it.
For let us remember and practice these fateful words of Bruh Paul in his second missive to the Corinthians. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings, generously) shall reap also bountifully.
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor.9:6-8)
Yes Friends, God LOVES it when we give with a cheerful heart, not grudgingly. And remember, as we give, He will give to us, we will always have sufficient for ourselves and some left over to give to others. That’s the beauty of our God!
Now let’s close with some explanations from the scholars re those verses. ‘9:6. One’s return is determined by his investment (cf. Prov. 11:24, Luke 6:38; Gal.6:7). The expression ep’ eulogiais ordinarily translated “with blessings” here has the sense of “generously.” While it does not suggest indiscriminate giving, it does denote “unrestrained” giving.’
‘9:7. Cheerful giver: The giver is to have a willing heart and a sincere desire to participate in the offering. Paul is not so much interested in their money. Nor is God, for that matter, as the passage from Proverbs 22:9 indicates. (Please check it out). The Greek term hilaron, from which the English “hilarious” derives, is best rendered as the English text suggests, “cheerful.” Giving is not a joke. It is serious business, but it is a delightful experience all the same.’
Ah mih breddren, those last two sentences puts giving in the right perspective. For giving is indeed a blessing in itself. When one gives, one feels good. Not a slimy, smarmy (smile) hypocritical, negative good like the Pharisees did. But a cleansing, healing and healthy good, as the Lord desires.
So please, let’s ponder our giving today, and try, with God’s help of course, to bring it into line with His Word. That is the ultimate in wisdom. Much LOVE!
…as we give…God gives even more to us…so that we can increase our giving…
P.S. I checked out the pictures of the iguana, and one is attached. You might have to zoom in or out to see him properly. He wasn’t a big boy, but big enough. (smile) Unfortunately readers of the Blog, I can’t put a picture of the reptile here. 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!
13 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: appreciation, aura of love, be not far from me, blessed land, blessings, bounden duty, confidence, courage, diligently, do good, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, evil cohorts, faithfully, feed the fire that's burning for Jesus, fight the good fight, for there is none to help, for trouble is near, friends, from sea to shining sea, further God's glorious kingdom, generous, glory, grace, Granny's advice, guidance, Happy Thanksgiving Canada, he that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep, help, holy spirit, honour, humble servants, I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, Jesus Christ, joyful celebration, keeping lives and families together, lies, Lord God of Abraham, Lord God of Abrahm Isaac and Jacob, LOVE, Lucifer, magnanimous god, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my help comes from the Lord, omnipotent, Praise the Lord, prosperity, rejoice, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, saviour, serving, sincere thanks, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, taunte, thanks and praise, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Lord is thy keeper, true wisdom, trust, trust in the Lord, trustworthy source of help, truth, undying gratitude, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, worshipping
Psalm 22:11. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
Well a Happy Thanksgiving Monday to all Canada! May we rejoice in the blessings of our omnipotent and magnanimous God, and celebrate this joyful day with much thanks and praise, seeing that He has been so generous to us over this past year!
Yes Friends, we are living in a very blessed land, and to continue to do so, we need to continue faithfully worshipping and diligently serving the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because it is He who provides the opportunities for our prosperity. Without His help and guidance, we are nothing! Let’s never forget that.
So today, let’s join together in joyful celebration, all over this glorious land, from sea to shining sea, raising our sincere thanks and undying gratitude to heaven, so that the Father can hear and see our true appreciation of all His mercy, grace and LOVE!
And my brethren, please remember the many in our society who don’t have as much as we do, and as the Good Book says: ‘send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10)
Yes Friends, we need to remember those who don’t have, as well as those who have to go out and labour today, while we celebrate. That means they need the help of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to boost their confidence and courage, before they face the evil world that’s lying in wait for them.
Therefore, as one voice, let’s belt it out in sweet harmony and awesome power. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh Friends, that was a most beautiful rendition! However, I strongly suspect that the loudest and most harmonious voices belonged to those who don’t have to go to work today. (smile) And I really can’t give you wrong for being so elated. But please, please remember Granny’s sage advice: ‘Sonny boy… drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’
And that’s no joke my people, because it’s when we are celebrating that we are the most susceptible to the wiles and leis of Lucifer and his evil cohorts. And for those of you who have to go out and labour; may the Lord strengthen your spirits, raise up all that you need to fight the good fight in His Holy Name!
Now let’s turn to our Bit, for this last time in the series of messages on HELP. ‘Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.’
And for the last few days we’ve been coming up with scripture passages which proclaim that the Lord God Almighty is the ONLY truly trustworthy source of HELP in this universe, for man’s help is often unreliable and deceitful. And we’re going to try and keep it short this morning … and a whole lot of ‘Thank You Lord!’ went flying up to heaven. (smile)
Oh Friends, it’s not that I like being long-winded, it just happens that way. There’s usually so much to write and when the passion grips me, I just can’t help myself! Anyway, as I was saying we’re going to keep it short by simply quoting Psalm 121 – God’s sustaining power, since it’s very appropriate.
Listen to these comforting and encouraging words of the psalmist: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hill (mountains) from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy going out and coming in from this time forth, and even for ever more.’ (Ps.122:1-8)
And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
Yes my people, those are words of undisputable truth! So I implore us, that whatever we do today, to allow them to feed the fire that’s burning for Jesus in our souls, that we might further His oh so necessary LOVE Revolution, and bring even greater glory and honour to our heavenly Father, for that is our bounden duty, as well as true wisdom! Much LOVE!
…trust in the Lord and do good…so shalt thou dwell in the land…and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness)… (Ps.37:3)
19 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pleasant dream, blessed, bondage of labour, cause his face to shine on us, commandments, communicated with our Creator, Cousin Sol, crown of glory, dark and dreary night, depart from evil, diligently seek wisdom, drift aimlessly, father of patience, fear of the Lord, fellowship, fools despise wisdom, forgiving, fount of all wisdom, Friday chant, friends, fun, generous, generous help, God's gift, good understanding, goodly shepherd, goodness, grace, greetings, honour, illuminating sunshine of Jesus, in league with God, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Job, knowledge, lost sheep, LOVE, Loving Deity, lustful worldly activities, magnanimous, may the Lord bless and keep us, merciful, ornamnet of grace, our Lord and Saviour, permeate our souls, powerful, rejuvenation, relaxation, rest, right perspective, salutations, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Holy One, the Lord's praise endures for ever, the peace that surpasses all understanding, the reverence of God, the weekend, time for partying, understanding, ungodly world, wisdom, wisdom of a fool, wise
Psalm 111:10. The fear of the Lord (an awe-filled reverence toward the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Greetings and salutations my people, on this new and blessed day of September 2014! Tell me, have you communicated with your Creator as yet for today?
Well, if you haven’t, then take a moment now to tell Him thanks for bringing you safely through the dark and dreary night, into the bright and illuminating sunshine of His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Then you can boldly and sincerely declare: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God that the weekend is upon us, and we’ll soon be free from the bondage of labour… if only for a couple of days! Indeed, we must thank God that it’s Friday!’
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant, so that we can have the right perspective on how to use the weekend. ‘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 brethren, it’s very important that we view the weekend in the right manner; as a time of rest and rejuvenation, not merely a time for partying and engaging in other lustful worldly activities. Remember, when you use the weekend properly, then the new work week unfolds calmly and smoothly, like a pleasant dream. (smile)
That brings us to our Bit: ‘The fear of the Lord (an awe-filled reverence toward the Lord) is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.’
Oh Friends, those words are ever so true! If the reverence of God doesn’t permeate our souls, then we’ll drift aimlessly for ever, like lost sheep in the dry and waterless wilderness, without a goodly shepherd to look after us.
But when we truly reverence our great and wonderful God, then we see Him for who and what He really is: a wise, powerful, merciful, forgiving and LOVING Deity, generous and magnanimous to a fault. As so many other men of God have stated, that’s where all wisdom begins, my brethren!
Now let’s have a quick look at some of the scriptures that tell us so, beginning with the father of patience, Job, as he talks about wisdom being God’s gift. After asking the profound question: ‘But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?’ (Job 28:12) He goes on to detail where it cannot be found. (Job 28:13-21)
Then he finally declares: ‘And unto man he (God) said, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ (Job 28:28)
And if you don’t believe Job, then listen to Cousin Sol, proclaimed the wisest man ever. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7)
Yes my people, when we submit to Almighty God with a healthy fear of awe and reverence, then our eyes, hearts, minds and souls are opened, and we are able to discern wisdom and truth and knowledge, as decreed by our heavenly Father, not as the evil and ungodly world considers it.
And Cousin Sol later on, again wisely informs us on the subject: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy (Holy One) is understanding.’ (Prov.9:10)
Oh my brethren, it’s therefore obvious that true wisdom and knowledge and understanding are all tied up with knowing our Creator, and unless we are in solid league with Jehovah God, the ONE who created the universe and all therein, we cannot attain to those things.
And as Cousin Sol seriously warns us: ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou doest embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov.4:7-9)
Yes my Friends, that’s what happens when we diligently seek wisdom; she just overwhelms us with goodness! So why aren’t more of us seeking it eh; godly wisdom that is, not the wisdom of the world?
I guess because too many of us tend to turn away from anything that smacks of God. And that definitely is not true or real wisdom my people! It’s the wisdom of a fool, for they despise true wisdom and instruction, as Cousin Sol says earlier.
And on that note we’ll close for today, because the rest of what I have to say will definitely make the Bit too long, and I know that our attention span is short on most days, but especially so on Fridays, when the weekend beckons. (smile)
So may the Lord bless and keep us as we walk faithfully with Him today, and may he cause His favour to shine on us, and give us His wisdom and peace that passes all understanding. Much LOVE!
…how can a mortal human ever attain wisdom…without a true and stable connection to the fount of all wisdom…the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…
16 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all praise and thanks to God, allergies, awesome, better late than never, blessings, boggles my imagination, born again, born of water and the Spirit, brought men to christ, Bruh Paul's conversion, by faith in christ Jesus, Calvary, children of God, christ jesus, church at Corinth, comforting, compliance with God's word, condemn the sinner, conversion, covenant, curse of the law, Damascus, declared righteous, divinely intended purpose, endowed us with physical life, enter into the kingdom of god, eternal life, ever so faithful and kind, ever-Loving, evil, externalism, faith, Galatians, generous, glorious, Glory Halleujah, God's Spirit, good, good measure, gung ho, healing, helping, holy, holy spirit, internalism, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, just, justified, keeping our focus on God, Law of Moses, learning, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, magnanimous, manifestations, medication, mercies, minister of the New Testament, miracles, Mosaic covenant, Nicodemus, our sufficency is of God, precious blood of Jesus christ, reconciled, redeemed, righteousness., runny nose, schoolmaster, sleep inducing, spiritual blessings, Stephen, sufficient of ourselves, teaching, that which is born of the flesh, that which is born of the spirit, the flesh profits nothing, the Holy Spirit, the letter kills, the spirit gives life, Triune God, true believer, truth, ultimate wisdom, understanding of the scripture, wisdom, words of jesus, worker bee
John 6:63. It is the spirit that quickneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Aye Friends, the ole fella’s in a bit of a rough shape this Tuesday morning. Last night my allergies, or the cold, or some similar malady had me sneezing and sniffling with a runny nose thrown in for good measure. (smile)
So I took some relief medication, which though it eased up the nasal situation, it was also sleep inducing, which therefore made it somewhat difficult to get up at an early hour. But as they say, better late than never! (smile)
And the ole fella’s up now, gung ho and ready to go; not a hundred percent fit, but feeling much better than when I went to bed last night, or rather early this morning. (smile) All praise and thanks to our ever-Loving, healing and comforting God!
Ah my people, when I consider all the blessings and mercies that our magnanimous and generous God daily bestows on us, it just boggles my imagination and fills my heart, body, soul and mind with the urge to greatly praise Him! He is ever so faithful and kind…
But I don’t really need to tell you all that eh, because if you’re a true believer, you will already have discovered that by the way He operates in your own life.
And all God’s children gave out a loud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise be to Jehovah God, who has redeemed us from sin, and reconciled us to Himself, through the precious blood of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that was shed on Calvary’s hill for our benefit!’
And isn’t that a most glorious and awesome truth my brethren? It surely is!
Now let’s have a look at some more wise and truthful words, words of Jesus, in our Bit. ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’
And we saw yesterday where it was God’s Spirit that actually endowed us with physical life. (Gen.2:7) And that Bruh Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, as well as Stephen’s wisdom and miracles were figurative manifestations of the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives.
I guess we can compare the Holy Spirit to the worker bee in a hive; He is the one who carries out the actual work or deeds in our Triune God.
Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the church at Corinth: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able (sufficient as) ministers of the new testament (covenant)’ not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.’ (2 Cor.3:5-6)
Words of absolute truth my brethren!
And the scholars explain that last verse thus: ‘3:6. The new testament (lit. New Covenant) is both new in time (not being inaugurated until Christ – Matt.26:28; Luke 22:7-23; 1 Cor.11:25; Heb.8:8) and new in quality (providing better spiritual blessings than did the old Mosaic covenant).
Letter, but of the spirit: This expression corresponds to the thought of verse 3 contrasting “ink” with the “Spirit.” The contrast is between the externalism inherent in the Old Covenant and the internalism inherent in the New Covenant.
The letter killeth: Since certain Jews in the assembly at Corinth were concerned with Paul’s defection from Moses’ law, Paul here explains his position. The best the law could do was condemn the sinner.
It is not here implied that the law of Moses was evil. On the contrary, it is holy, just, and good (Rom.7:12). This can be asserted because it brought men to the end of themselves to Christ (Gal.3:24).’
Oh my people, I sincerely hope that gives us a better understanding of the scripture, because that’s what we’re all about with the Bit; learning, teaching, helping to understand God’s Word and keeping our focus on Him.
And please check out the scriptures mentioned in the scholars’ explanation, because they offer a wealth of information. I just did, and consequently was inspired to quote the last scripture reference, that from Galatians.
‘Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified (declared righteous) by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a school-master (tutor), For ye are all the children (sons) of God by faith in Christ Jesus.’ (Gal.3:24-26)
Yes Friends, as the scholars say: ‘3:25. After one’s conversion to Christ, he is no longer under the curse of the law, as it has fulfilled its divinely intended purpose.’ That is, bringing us to the point where we become children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Oh, I know I digressed there for a moment, but I just thought it necessary to interject those verses so that we could come to a better understanding of Bruh Paul’s words. And we’ll close with some more awesome words from Jesus, re the second part of our Bit: ‘the flesh profiteth nothing.’
Listen to Him expound to Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes); and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:5-8)
More truth of the awesome, indisputable variety my people!
Now let’s take a few moments to ponder all that we have spoken about today, then try, with the help of God obviously, to make our lives better and brighter by bringing them into compliance with God’s Word and the wonderful plan He has for each human life He has created. That is the ultimate wisdom of the universe! Much LOVE!
…oh what a magnificent blessing it is…to have the Holy Spirit of God dwell within us…to have Him continually lead and guide us in righteousness…to have Him strengthen us with true faith and trust in Almighty God…then finally bring us to eternal life with our wonderful Lord and Saviour…Jesus Christ…
11 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a double-minded man is unstable, accept what I cannot change, almighty god, anchor, ask in faith, beacon on a hill, blanket promise of wisdom, blessings, christianity, colourless, communication with our heavenly Father, courage, courage to change what I can, Cousin Sol, dark and dreary world, diecern between good and bad, evil powers, fallen world, focus, forgetting who brought us to the party, forgiving, friends, generous, gleaned, God gives to all men liberally, God's will, humble confidence, if any of you lack wisdom, in death, insects singing their praise, jehovah god, jump on the bandwagon, late night commune, let him ask of god, life's trials, lik a wave of the sea driven with the wind, live our faith, LOVE, Love our God, lust for things of the world, magnanimous god, majesty, modus operandi, Mother Nature, never-ending love, not doubting, operate successfully, peace, power, sacred, senseless killing, serenity, serve and worship, smile, spread His Word, standards, stick-to-itiveness, stipulations, taking shelter from the stormy weather, the Serenity Prayer, the wisdom to know the difference, the Word of god, tossed and turned, trust in God, understanding heart, vacillating, values, waste precious time, weak, wealth, wisdom, wishy-washy, without reproach, World Trade Centre
James 1:5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him.
Aye Friends, I don’t know if this early going to bed thing is going to work nuh. Chuh! I tried going to bed even earlier last night, but all to no avail. I just tossed and turned, kept waking up every hour or so, and still got up late …tired too, because it’s only in the late hours of the morning that I fell into a half decent sleep pattern.
So don’t say I didn’t try. (smile) At least when I go to bed late, I get a solid few hours of sleep, and not the tossing and turning kind I got last night.
And my people you’ll be proud of the ole fella and happy to know that yesterday, at long last, I paid my mother Molly her yearly visit at her last resting place here on earth. The duchess and I braved the cloudy skies and travelled to the northeastern part of the Greater Toronto Area to where she’s buried.
It was also a good excuse to get out of the house since they were doing some belated maintenance work on the water mains in my area, and thus there was no water between 9 a.m and 5 p.m.
We had a good, though short visit, about half an hour, because of the overcast skies. She obviously forgave her wonderful son for not coming to visit her before. But what else did you expect eh? (smile) In death she was just as generous and forgiving as in life.
Luckily the weather held until we got back home. But around 5 o’clock the rain began, then the wind started huffing and puffing too. And they both carried on all night long. The rain seems to have eased off now, but the wind is still out there harassing the poor trees.
Consequently, in my late night commune on my porch, it definitely wasn’t a calm and peaceful Mother Nature. You couldn’t even hear the insects singing their praise, if they were even singing, and not taking shelter from the stormy weather. But we communed anyway. (smile)
In light of all that, I decided that we needed to remember and recite the Serenity Prayer. So please pray with me. ‘Oh gracious God, please grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.’
Yes Friends, in these very trying, confusing and evil times, it is of the utmost importance to have the wisdom to know good from bad, as well as what you can change and what you cannot change, because a lot of us waste precious time trying to change stuff and people that we simply cannot change.
That wisdom will certainly enhance our choices and improve our lifestyle. But the only place that kind of wisdom is available is from Almighty God. For as James so wisely says in our Bit: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him.’
Yes my people, true wisdom is only obtained through communication with our heavenly Father!
The scholars though point out: ‘1:5. This verse is not a blanket promise of wisdom for any situation. In the context of life’s trials, it probably speaks of a believer being granted (1) wisdom as to the reason for his trials and (2) wisdom to endure them.’
In any case, whenever, and for whatever reason we need true wisdom, it can ONLY be obtained from Almighty God!
However, there are some stipulations for obtaining it, as James continues: ‘But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:6-8)
Now that is where our faith truly comes in my brethren! We need to have a strong, secure and constant faith and trust in God, not a wish-washy, sometimes on, sometimes off kind of faith, like so many of us have today. One minute we’re driven by lust for the things of the world, then we turn to God, then we turn back to the things of the world, and keep on vacillating without any real or strong anchor.
That is not the kind of faith that God answers my Friends! But that, unfortunately, is the state of our world today! We don’t stick with anything for long. As soon as some new fad or toy comes along, we jump on the bandwagon, quickly forgetting what and who had brought us to the party.
And sadly my brethren, that’s a big part of the reason why Christianity is so weak and colourless today; we’ve lost our focus and stick-to-itiveness qualities. Nothing is sacred anymore, not even Jehovah God. But my fellow believers, we cannot operate successfully in an already fallen world without proper standards and values, those gleaned from the Word of God.
Now let’s look at our Bit. The first part says: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…’
And we have the perfect example of that in Cousin Sol’s response to God’s offer of what he desired. ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ (1 Kin.3:9)
Yes Friends, Cousin Sol realized that he needed lots of wisdom to rule such a populous and stubborn, stiff-necked people as Israel. And God was so pleased with his request, that He gave him the wisdom that he’d asked for, as well as wealth and power and majesty like no man before or after him!
Wow! That’s the magnanimous kind of God we serve and worship my people! When we come to him in humble confidence, He will grant our wishes, in His own time and manner, provided that they fall into line with His overall plan for our lives. For remember that it is His WILL that must be done, both in heaven and on earth!
And we’ll close today with that very important thought uppermost in our minds, for the rest of stuff I wanted to say will definitely make the Bit too long. (smile)
So my people, let’s go forth today with the blessings of God surrounding us, His wisdom and peace permeating our hearts, minds, souls and bodies, and His wonderful, never-ending LOVE shining through us like a beacon on a hill, lighting up our dark and dreary world, as He so eagerly desires. Much LOVE!
…let’s truly LOVE our God…sincerely LIVE our Faith…and diligently SPREAD His Word…
P.S. Oh Friends, in our prayers today, let’s remember those who were sacrificed for us in the horrible attack on the World Trade Centre on this day, thirteen years ago. Unfortunately, indiscriminate and senseless killing has now become the modus operandi of the evil powers on the earth. Oh, when will it all end eh? Much LOVE!
01 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a shower of grace, almighty god, anointed, awesome truth, Beauty for Ashes, bind up, blessings, brand new day, Canada, Canada Day, charles stanley, civic, come up higher, comfort all who mourn, common sense, consequences, console those who mourn, current state of ashes, current world order, dancing, deliverance from death, destruction, diligence, disobedience, do what's right in God's eyes, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, faith, favour, generous, give thanks, glorifying our heavenly Father, glory hallelujah, God of justice, godly responsibility, gone by the wayside, good tidings, gospel truth, Happy Birthday Canada, hard work, heal, Isaiah, Jesus, joke, joy, just and righteous nature, kind, lie, LOVE, loving, lowering our standards, meek, merciful, mercy, mourning, obedience to god, obedient to god, obey God, oil, opening of the prison, pardoned, perished, poor, praise, price to bbe paid, proclaim liberty to captives, profit, pronouncements of the Bible, prophesying, Psalm 30, put a smile on my face, righteousness., rose to glory, rule of law, sackcloth, sacrifice, salvation, silent, sing God's praises, sins, Sodom and Gomorrah, stand strong, supplication, the acceptable year of the Lord, the best big country, the BIBLE, the broken hearted, the coming of Jesus, the day of vengeance, the garment of praise, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Good Book, the Lord's glorification, the oil of joy for mourning, the planting of the Lord, the shoulders of God, the spirit of heaviness, the spirit of the Lord, the top of the heap, those who are bound, time to take stock, to preach good tidings, took away my sorrow, trees of righteousness, trust, truth, wisdom, words of wisdom
Isaiah 61:3. To appoint unto (console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA !’
Yes Friends, today is our Birthday in this fair and blessed land! One hundred and forty seven years young are we! Young by the standards of many other counties… And we still looking good too! Glory Hallelujah!
Yes my people, as I keep on saying, Canada is the BEST BIG COUNTRY IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD! Wow! So let’s try and keep it that way nuh Friends. And please note that it didn’t get to be that way by chance, but by choice! By the rule of common sense, law, diligence, hard work and trust and faith in Almighty God!
And it will only stay that way if we continue to do what’s right in the eyes of the Lord. Unfortunately though my brethren, we’re falling behind some, because we’re lowering our standards, and that’s never a good thing, because the best of anybody or anything is usually the one with the highest all-round standards.
So let’s celebrate, but at the same time take stock of what we’re doing nuh, and try to come up higher, in both civic and godly responsibility. That’s the only way we will remain at the top of the heap!
And please, please, as we celebrate this bountiful day, let’s remember Granny’s wonderful words of wisdom: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, mind yuh business!’ (smile) I know it sounds clichéd, but that’s because it’s the awesome truth!
Anyway, enough preaching, (smile), here is the chorus of one of my favourite reggae, no just favourite songs, ‘Beauty for Ashes’ by Jermain Cowan. I heard it yesterday, and it so touched my heart – it does every time I hear it – I just had to share it, because the words and sentiments are so beautiful and true.
It says: ‘Beauty for ashes, In a shower of grace. Hope for tomorrow, It’s a bright and brand new day! He took away my sorrow, Put a smile on my face; Beauty for ashes, In a shower of grace.’
Oh mih breddren, mih breddren, how true that is of our great God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
And it’s only appropriate that we should use that wonderful promise of our wonderful Deity as our Bit on this birthday of Canada. Listen to the prophet Isaiah as he declares the good tidings of salvation to Zion, prophesying of the coming of Jesus.
‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor); he hath sent me to bind up (heal) the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto (console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is.61:1-3)
Yes my people, it’s all for the Lord’s glorification! Let’s never forget that. In all we do, we ought to be thinking about glorifying our heavenly Father, for that’s one of the purposes He made us to fulfill. And if we are obedient to Him, we will enjoy innumerable blessings!
But Friends, the operative word here is ‘obedient.’ Our God is generous, LOVING, kind, merciful and all those other wonderful things, but he desires obedience of His people in return. And that sadly is why we are now experiencing our current state of ashes.
In the last couple of generations, obedience to Almighty God has simply gone by the wayside, but yet, foolishly, we still expect Him to bless us abundantly and be oh so merciful to us. Steups! That’s a fool’s wisdom my people!
Yuh see what He did to Sodom and Gomorrah, in whose footsteps our current world order is now marching? So what else but destruction can we expect if we continue along that pathway of disobedience eh? Too many of us take the serious pronouncements of the Bible as a joke, or old time stuff that no longer applies.
But Friends, I’m here to tell us that God doesn’t joke with, or in His Word, neither does He ever change. What He says stays the same forever. He is a God of justice and righteousness first and foremost!
And there is no better example of that than His sending His only son Jesus to die as a sacrifice for our abominable sins. He could just as easily have pardoned our sins, but because of His just and righteous nature, a price had to be actually paid for it, otherwise He would have forfeited that just and righteous acclamation.
So Friends, please don’t listen to all the crap the world’s throwing at us, for our continual disobedience to God will cause a hefty and significant price to be paid at some time or other. The Good Book doesn’t lie, and there are oodles of examples of nations and societies that rose to glory on the shoulders of God, then conveniently forgot Him when they became strong, but subsequently perished as a result of their disobedience.
Now let’s go home with some pleasant and thankful words from Bruh David, from Psalm 30 – A thanksgiving for deliverance from death. ‘Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication.
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit (grave)? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth (the sackcloth of my mourning), and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory (soul) may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.’ (Ps.30:7-12)
Yes Friends, let’s go forth and stop being silent! Instead, let’s sing the Lord’s continuous praise, as we walk in continual obedience to His everlasting will. There can be no higher wisdom than that! Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) likes to say…the best way to live this earthly life…is to simply obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…and that’s gospel truth my people…
P.S. Friends, it’s long and late, but what else can you expect on this Canada Day eh? (smile). It’s good though!
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