08 Mar 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all compassion, at liberty, casting of the crowns, end of faith, eternal death, every trembling heart, faithful mercies, fire and brimstone, freely, from glory to glory, glory and honour, Godhead, him who thirsts, Holy Trinity, I am Alpha and Omega, idolaters, inherit, interact with fellow believers, it is done, lake of fire, lifestyle of sin, lost in wonder, LOVE, love divine all loves excelling, loving spirit, new creation, perfect love, persevering faith, personal touch, praise, provision, rebellion against God, sanctification, second death, service on television, set our hearts, sinners, son of god, source of all life, Sunday, sustenance, the beginning and the end, the fountain of the water of life, the great invitation, the Lord's Day, the love of sinning, the New Covenant, the same image, the Spirit of God, the Word of god, thou art worthy, transformation, troubled breast, whoremongers
Revelation 21:6. It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst (who thirsts) of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Well it will be good to darken the church doors once again today, after a two week hiatus. Watching service on the tube is fine, but definitely not the same as actually being there in body and soul. The former lacks the personal touch where fellowship is concerned. And since I am an 18th century man, the technological aspect with television worship doesn’t thrill me as much as the personal interaction in a physical sanctuary. (smile) But be that as it may, it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and we all ought to find our way to His sanctuary sometime today to personally interact with fellow believers to praise and sing and worship Him and receive the awesome power of His Word in return.
What a moving time that can be in a believer’s life, bringing him ever closer in His relationship to His Lord and His God! So let’s begin the proceedings as usual with a song of praise and worship. And today’s sacrifice of praise is an old but highly favoured one by the master of hymn writers, Charles Wesley, titled ‘LOVE Divine All LOVES Excelling.’ We all know it so let’s get serious and soulful, and in strong, harmonious and melodious voice (smile) offer up our song of praise.
‘LOVE divine, all LOVES excelling, joy of heav’n, to earth come down, fix in us Thy humble dwelling; all Thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, Thou art all compassion; pure, unbounded LOVE Thou art; visit us with Thy salvation; enter ev’ry trembling heart. Breathe, O breathe Thy LOVING Spirit into ev’ry troubled breast! Let us all in Thee inherit; let us find the promised rest. Take away the LOVE of sinning; Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.
Come, Almighty, to deliver; let us all Thy life receive; suddenly return and never, nevermore Thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, serve Thee as Thy hosts above, pray and praise Thee without ceasing, glory in Thy perfect LOVE. Finish then Thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation perfectly restored in Thee. Changed from glory into glory, till in heav’n we take our place, till we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, LOVE, and praise.’
Oh friends, that was indeed a great rendition and heaven received it with great joy. Jesus, as always, blushes when we sing His praise, the Father smiles, and the Holy Spirit is the One working so astutely in us to get us singing with the right motives. And the song itself is like a compendium of Biblical quotes and attributes to our Three in One Godhead. Let’s see if we can pick out a few of each. It opens with Jesus being referred to as the ‘expression of divine LOVE.’ Then it talks about His compassion, His salvation, and the urgent need for His Second Coming so that our change to a new creation can be completed, and at last be sinless and finding the promised rest in Him.
That possibly alludes to Jesus Great Invitation in Matt. 11:28. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ The new creation obviously refers to Bruh Paul’s words to the Corinthians. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17) Yes friends, when we come to Christ we have to become new, changed, and give up some of the old things in our lives which don’t fit into Christ’s will.
Then the Holy Spirit is cast as ‘the agent of sanctification,’ in the second verse. And the Father, the ‘source of life’ in the third verse. Meanwhile the casting of the crowns before God’s throne comes from Revelation 4:10-11 ‘The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns down before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created (for your will and pleasure they exist.’ And isn’t that the living truth! The Lord created the universe and all therein for His pleasure and purpose!
So then we are gradually changed from glory to glory: ‘But we all, with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 3:18) ‘The believer himself “reflects” the glory of the Lord, just as the face of Moses reflected the glory of the Lord. For Moses the glory eventually faded away, but under the New Covenant the believer is changed into the same image. This transformation takes place by the abiding presence of the Spirit of God.’
And then we come to Alpha and Omega. As Christ says to John in Revelation: ‘It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst (who thirsts) of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful (cowardly), and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers (sexually immoral), and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.’ (Rev. 21:6-8)
And the scholars offer some interesting explanations. ‘21: 6-8) It is done: The eternal purpose of God to gather a holy, devoted people for Himself has now been accomplished. Alpha and Omega: (see 1:8; 22:13. Beginning: God is the origin and source of all things (cf. Is. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12). End: He is also the goal or aim of all things. (cf. Rom.10:4).The water of life represents eternal sustenance and provision (cf. 22:1; Ps. 36:9; Is. 55:1; Jer. 2:13; John 4:14), available freely by faith (22:17).
He that overcometh is the one who has genuine, saving, persevering faith (cf. 2:11; 3:5; 1 John 5:4-5). He will inherit all that belongs to him as a son of God (cf. John 1:12; Rom. 8:16-17; Gal. 3:29; 4:7). But sinners, who have shown their rebellion against God by their lifestyle of sin, have already been cast into the lake of fire (20:12; cf. 22:15). The second death is eternal death (cf. 20:14).’
Brother was that ever hard to copy, but I did not want to deprive you of the references which can be an important part of understanding the scriptures. And now that we’ve all got it straight, it’s time to put it into serious operation, so that we’re not cast in the lake of fire to eternal death, obviously with the Lord’s help. Much LOVE!
…The Holy Trinity was there long before us…and will be there long after us…
05 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessing, also to be feared, ambassadors, among the heathen, assurance, band our jaw and belly, beautiful replicas of Christ, breath of life, challenging workweek, compassion, covenant, encouraging, exhorts, fear him, fickle nature, forgiveness, frail, get a pass mark, glad to be alive, glory and honour, grace, great is the Lord, greatly to be praised, halfway home, hard slugging, held in reverential awe, holy spirit, Holy Trinity, idols, in beauty and holiness, in his place, in his presence, inherent problem, justification, looking forward, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, marvellous works, mercy, not looking back, plenty eyes water, privilege, remember God's deeds, salvation, sanctification, sincere hearts, strength, strength and gladness, the Master Plan, the reigneth, to a glorious future with Jesus, tremble, Triune Godhead, truth, tumbling tumbleweed, Wednesday Wail, worship the Lord, worthless things
1 Chronicles 16:25. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods.
And by now, on this bright and sunshiny, but somewhat chilly Wednesday winter’s morn, most of us will have gotten accustomed to the tumbling tumbleweed motion of our lives as we go through the challenging workweek. (smile) Ah, but friends, we believers don’t need to worry about that tumbleweed motion of our lives because our most remarkable Maker has it purposefully planned, right down to the last teardrop, the last breath! And nothing is going to interfere with His plans to work everything out for our good as He grows our faith and matures us into beautiful replicas of His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! Yes, that’s the Master Plan!
Wow! What a blessing and privilege it is to be a replica of Christ! The inherent problem in accomplishing that though, is that such a feat requires a lot of hard slugging, it certainly doesn’t come easy, and we often have to band our jaw and belly, sacrifice a whole lot, cry plenty eyes water just to get a pass mark in the class. (smile) But the wonderful thing about our amazing, magnificent and magnanimous God is that He never asks us to do anything and not give us the tools to do it.
Thus, in our desire to become like Christ, He gives us His grace, His mercy, LOVE, compassion, forgiveness, strength, assurance, justification, sanctification, confidence, and whatever else we might happen to need to do His will! And He does it all through the power of His Holy Spirit, the third member of our Holy Trinity, our Triune Godhead. Oh my people, we certainly couldn’t ask for anything more! However, sad as it is, we ofttimes ask for more; because we’re too lazy, too afraid, or some such human frailty. In other words, we want God to not only give us the tools to do the job, but also to do it for us.
But friends, He’s not going to. We have a covenant, a partnership with Him, whereby He does His part and we do ours. End of story! He will certainly help us accomplish our part, but definitely not do it for us. So let’s not hold out any hope in that regard nuh. We’ve got to stand up on our own two feet sometime or the other, whatever it takes! We’re Christ’s ambassadors down here on earth, His hands, feet, eyes and ears, and He’s depending on us to get His work done, to spread the good news of His gospel all over the world.
Please note the marvellous words of Bruh David in the psalm he gave to Asaph, the cymbals man and band leader, as they celebrated the bringing of the Ark of the covenant to Jerusalem: ‘Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.’ (1 Chr.16:23-27)
Oh my people, what awesome truth are contained in those words! And until we fully grasp the truth contained therein, we will not fully realize the awesome position we hold in Christ’s company! Now the bringing of the Ark to Jerusalem was a really big do; a most noteworthy event in the annals of the Jewish people, and Bruh David went out all, both in his activities – dancing and playing before the Lord in the company of his subjects, as well as writing some amazing praise music that a whole big band of established musicians played along with him.
Can you imagine the scene? It must have been like Carnival Tuesday in T&T; the sun shining hot and bright, the big fancy costumes, the bright dazzling displays of colour, the music jamming loud, and people jumping to high heaven! Mama Yo! Who say they didn’t know how to party in them days eh! (smile)
Now hear some more awesome truth from Bruh David on the occasion nuh: ‘Give unto the Lord , ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear (tremble) before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.’ (1 Chr.16:28-31).
Oh my people, my people, that is exactly what we ought to be saying in these perilous and troubled times! Unless we believers acknowledge the sovereignty of our omnipotent, merciful and gracious God, and behave like it too, how are the unbelievers going to know about Him and the wonderful life that awaits them with Him eh? They won’t. That’s why it’s ever so important that we sing the praises of the Lord and show His true colours to the unbeliever.
Now here is some interesting info from the scholars on the psalm. ‘16:7. This psalm (with slight variations) is woven into several of the psalms in the Hebrew Psalter (cf. vs. 8-22 with Ps.105:1-15; vs. 23-33 with Ps.96; vs. 34-36 with Ps.106:1, 47-48). It is learned here that those later liturgical adaptations originated with David. The psalm was especially suited for this auspicious occasion.
This particular psalm exhorts the people to praise Israel’s wonder-working God (vs. 8-11), and encourages its hearers to remember God’s deeds (vs. 12-14), and His unfailing covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (vs. 15-22). David then directs all nations to join Israel in its praise of the holy God to whom all the universe is subservient (vs. 23-33), and closes this song with a section of thanks, petition, and praise (vs.34-36).’
Let’s do the same nuh: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr. 16:34-36) Oh my fellow believers, that’s how it ought to be, every day of our lives! And yes, we’re only humans with a frail and fickle nature, but that’s no excuse for not praising and worshipping and thanking our great God!
And now, for those of us who sincerely try, let’s go home declaring (chuh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our true position in Christ. As one body, in strong voice with sincere hearts. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And will that future ever be glorious…more than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…O…give thanks unto the Lord…for He is good…for His mercy endureth for ever…
P.S. Yes, it’s a tad long…but it’s ever so nice and encouraging…and I enjoyed writing it! (smile) Hope you enjoy reading it… Much LOVE!
25 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dunghill, a golden idol, Abednego, action, assurance, babylonian king, Beelzebub, Calvary, Christians, come to God, defeating Lucifer, Easter Sunday, faithfully serve God, fellowship, glory and honour, Hades, hate evil, he delivers them, he preserves the souls of his saints, hell death and the grave, I am with thee, insincere prayers, invincible power of God, Israel, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, light, LOVE, merciful God, Meshach, Nebuchadnezzar, nourish our physical bodies, our Lord and Saviour, out of the hand of the wicked, precious, redeem thee, repent, shadrach, share His love, singed, spring rains, stampede, thanks and praise, the beloved of God, the friend of Jesus, the grip of the terrible, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the only true way, the smell of fire, the SON, the Son of God, true faith, truth, Tuesday Mantra, under the weather, vile, ye that love the Lord
Psalm 97:10. Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
Oh friends, welcome to a wet and dreary Tuesday morning in my neck of the woods! But the spring rains are doing their job; rejuvenating the cold, dry, dead, winter earth, getting it ready for the planting of food to nourish our physical bodies. Just another one of God’s marvellous and miraculous ways of looking after us!
And though the sun might not be out, the SON is certainly shining in all His brilliant splendour; guaranteeing us, LIGHT, LIFE, LOVE, and the ONLY TRUE WAY to the Father’s heavenly kingdom!
All Glory and Honour be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life for us on Calvary, then rose triumphantly from the dead on Easter Sunday, totally destroying and defeating Lucifer’s kingdoms of hell, death and the grave! Give Him much thanks and praise my people, for He certainly deserves it!
Unfortunately, I’m a bit under the weather myself, though I can’t understand why, since I went to bed at a reasonable hour and got up late. But I know that as I keep on writing, the strong and invincible power of our great and wonderful God will eventually permeate my body and soul and bring me the energy that I need to do His wonderful will.
Wow! What a mighty, generous and merciful God we serve my brethren! That’s why I can’t understand why people, and I mean a lot of supposed Christians are so reluctant to faithfully serve Him!
They will spontaneously serve Beelzebub, who can’t do anything worthwhile for them, only drag them down into Hades, but answering their Creator’s call takes a whole lot of contemplating. Steups!
Then we wonder why He doesn’t answer our hurried, insincere prayers in times of trouble. Chuh friends! The Lord our God is not our servant, just there to lavish us with the sinful desires of our hearts!
We were made to serve and honour, glorify and have good fellowship with Him. That means sticking with Him in both the good and bad times. As our Bit so wisely advises us: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’
And all of that is indisputable truth! So why the current stampede away from God eh? I really don’t know nuh. Anyway, let’s check out some scripture that corroborates the last part of our Bit: ‘he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’
Hear the Lord’s assurance to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah if they repent and turn back to Him: ‘Therefore, thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them (the heathen).
And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen (fortified bronze) wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand (grip) of the terrible.’ (Jer.15:19-21)
Oh friends, what more do we need eh, but to turn from our wicked ways and once more magnify and sincerely worship the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? We have His sincere promise, that should be ALL we need!
But if you’re not into promises, then listen to an actual saving grace of our mighty God; that of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.
The king had ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal, to destroy the three Jewish young men who had refused to bow to a golden idol the king had made. And what happened?
The fire consumed the men who went to throw them into the furnace. But when the king went to check out the Jewish lads, he was most surprised because they spoke to him, and he in astonishment declared: ‘Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no (are not) hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (a son of the gods).’ (Dan.3:25)
And we all know that when the lads came out, ‘upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed (garments affected), nor the smell of fire had passed on them.’ (Dan.3:27)
Oh my people, if the Lord did that way back then, why do we think He cannot do it now eh? Because our faith is not strong enough! And this miracle even caused the heathen Babylonian king to later declare:
‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed (frustrated) the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses made a dunghill (an ash heap): because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort (like this).’ (Dan.3:28-29)
There’s nothing left to say friends, except that we need to seriously check the level of our faith and see how it compares to those Jewish lads. Now let’s go home, enthusiastically declaring and believing our Tuesday Mantra.
‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And if we believe, then let’s put it into action, as we ought to. Much LOVE!
…without true faith…one cannot come to God…
P.S. Sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but in between I had to go out the street and pick up my tech, for today is music day. Glory be! Much LOVE!
20 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a treasured part, actions, aongs, Ark of the Covenant, automatically, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, bring an offering, Bruh David, choir of joyful praise, crying out for mercy, encouraged, exhorted, face whatever comes our way, fear the Lord, fellowship, filling our hearts with food and gladness, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glorify, glory and honour, glory hallelujah, God of Abraham, God of our salvation, goodness, heritage, his mercy endureth for ever, hope and pray, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord, idols, in Jesus' name, Israel, Israel's wonder-working God, let the earth rejoice, let the fields rejoice, let the heavens be gald, let the sea roar, LOVE, loving kindness, Make God our number 1 priority, no-brainers, O Give thanks unto the Lord, our faith, petition, praise, promise, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, rough winter, sing praises unto God, sing the Lord's praises, speak of the Lord's greatness, spring, strength, subservient, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, TGIS! Thank God it's spring, thanks, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Lord made the heavens, the Lord reigneth, the wherewithal, the wonderful God we serve, this earthly life, triumph, turn to God, week of work, wisdom, with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness, words, worship the Lord, worthless things, young generation
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday, but it’s also the first day of spring. And lots of people, especially those in the northern climes are going to be shouting ‘TGIS! Thank God it’s spring at last!’ As well as ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’
After the exceedingly rough winter we’ve had, the words will come naturally: ‘Glory Hallelujah, spring at last, spring at last! Lord please don’t let winter return. Just let it keep getting warmer and greener.’
And although I wasn’t here for the real bad parts, I certainly can understand those sentiments, for what I experienced was bad enough to have me crying out for mercy. (smile)
Anyway Friends, let’s just hope and pray that the days do keep getting warmer, the trees start budding, and more birds join the early morning choir of joyful praise to their Creator, for that will mean that it’s truly spring.
But meanwhile, to try and alleviate all the confusion and anxiety over Friday and Spring, let’s chant out Friday Chant with plenty feeling. ‘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, let’s relax and turn to our wonderful and sovereign God to show us the way and give us the wherewithal to face whatever comes our way. So with all of that in mind, let’s move on to our Bit: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
And my brethren, as true believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that is exactly what we are called upon to do! For we cannot appreciate the Lord’s goodness and LOVING-kindness without expressing it in words, actions and songs, and more importantly, letting the young generation know about the wonderful God we serve and worship. That’s the only way that our faith will keep on being a treasured part of this earthly life.
Now yesterday we heard the first half of Bruh David’s psalm of thanksgiving when the Ark of the Covenant was brought up to Jerusalem. Today we’ll listen to the other half. ‘For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear (tremble) before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth. Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr.16:26-35)
Ah Friends, what beautiful sentiments from Bruh David! Even nature, the inanimate objects, like the trees and fields are expected to sing praises unto God, so why wouldn’t we eh, His most marvellous creation?
Now here are some interesting explanations from the scholars. ’16:7. This psalm (with slight variations) is woven into several of the psalms in the Hebrew Psalter (cf. vv.8-22 with Ps.105:1; vv.23-33 with Ps.96; vv.34-36 with Ps.106:1, 47-48). It is learned here that those later liturgical adaptations originated with David. The psalm was especially suited for this auspicious occasion, (moving the ark to Jerusalem).
This particular psalm exhorts the people to praise Israel’s wonder-working God (vv.8-11), and encourages its hearers to remember God’s deeds (vv.12-14) and His unfailing covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (vv.15-22). David then directs all nations to join Israel in its praise of the holy God to whom all the universe is subservient (vv.23-33), and closes the song with a section of thanks, petition, and praise (vv.34-36).’
Oh Friends, likewise, in these exceedingly rough and trying times, we are also being exhorted to praise our wonder-working God, the same One that Israel worshipped!
And we are also being encouraged to remember God’s great deeds on our behalf, as well as His unfailing covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for that too, is all a part of our heritage and our promise!
If we don’t make those things our priority, then we’re being hypocritical, and failing in service and worship to the God we claim to treasure and appreciate so much.
Therefore my brethren, let’s try and sincerely make the Lord God THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY in all aspects of our lives nuh, by living a life that glorifies Him, which means singing His praises, and telling others of His marvellous works, for then an only then will we become true believers. That’s the zenith of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to sing the Lord’s praises….and to speak of His greatness…should be no-brainers to His true people…should come automatically to them…
03 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abomination, be of good courage, blessed day, branch of God's planting, buckle down, burdens, confess our sins, Creator, crying, curse, days of mourning, death, defile, destruction, devastation, encourage, endure afflictions with patience, establish, everlasting light, expectant faith, eyes of faith, faithful, fire in your hearts, forgive and forget, former things are passed away, friends, gates, glorified, glorious day, glory, glory and honour, glory hallelujah, glory of God, good tidings, gospel truth, heavenly guidance, hungry hope, inherit the land, Isaiah, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John, joy, keep us focused on god, kings of the earth, Lamb's book of life, light, live our faith, Lord and Saviour, lord god almighty, LOVE, Love our God, magnanimous, manifestations, mettle, moon, motivate, New Jerusalem, nightmares, obedient to God's will, Oh Happy Day, pain, passages through fire, patience, perseverance, praise, Praise the Lord, promise, provider, pull up our britches, repentance, Revelation, rewarded by god, righteous, salvation, serve and worship, settle, Shekinah, sinned and fallen short of God's glory, sins, smile, sorrow, spread His Word, steadfast and strong, strengthen, sun, take hold of God's grace, tears, temple, tests, thank the Lord for small mercies, that God might be glorified, the garment of praise, the Lamb, the oil of joy for mourning, the planting of the Lord, the spirit of heaviness, the throne of God, to console them that mourn, to give them beauty for ashes, trees of righteousness, trials, tribulations, ups and downs, violence, walk and talk with Jesus, when Jesus washed my sins away, wisdom, without growing weary, work of god's hands, yokes, Zion
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.
Oh Friends, it’s a nice cool Thursday morning in early summer! And what does the ole fella have to say for himself? Not a whole lot nuh. I went to bed late, reading a novel, then had a rough night, turning and tossing, dreaming all sorts of stuff. But luckily though, it was all pleasant stuff, no nightmares, nothing scary… Thank the Lord for small mercies!
And now I’m here to write the Bit, seeking heavenly guidance to write something sensible that will help us all; that will motivate, encourage and keep our focus steadily on Almighty God, our LOVING Creator and generous Provider.
And in keeping with that task, I’ll just remind us that our task on this great earth is to take hold of God’s grace, to endure our afflictions with patience, without growing weary, knowing that in His own good time, our heavenly Father will perform, establish, strengthen and settle us.
We must be of good courage and wait with patience and perseverance, hungry hope and expectant faith on our wonderful and most faithful God. And all God’s people said a delightful ‘Praise the Lord! Amen.’
Yes Friends, we ought to, because that is all simply gospel truth! And why is that so? Because every worthy name named in the Good Book, had their trials and tribulations, their ups and downs, their tests and passages through the fire to check their true mettle.
And those who stood steadfast and strong, who passed the tests – obviously with God’s help – were subsequently rewarded By the Most High God Jehovah.
Oh my people, we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory and expectations. However, when we do acknowledge our shortcomings, confess our sins and return to being obedient to His will, He is most magnanimous to forgive and forget.
Oh what a great God we serve and worship! He delights so much in our repentance, that He’s promised there would be future glory in Zion, with good tidings of salvation:
‘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.’
And was His great and holy name ever glorified when His Son Jesus fulfilled the first part of His everlasting promise!
We’re just waiting now, with patience and perseverance, hungry hope and expectant faith – yes, I do like those terms – for that fateful day when, as Isaiah promised in the Lord’s name: ‘Violence shall no more (longer) be heard in thy land, wasting (devastation) nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. The sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw it self: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Thy people shall also be righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his (its) time.’ (Is.60:18-22)
Oh Friends, what a glorious day that will be eh!
And if you don’t believe Isaiah, then listen to those same promises reiterated by our faithful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to John in His Revelations: ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev.21:4)
Oh Glory Hallelujah! I can’t wait for that day my brethren! No more aches and pains – Wow!
And furthermore, hear this on the New Jerusalem: ‘And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (Rev.21:22-23)
Oh happy dayyyy! When Jesus washed… When Jesus washed… ALL my sins away…!
As the scholars explain: ’21:22-23. There is no temple in the city, since both the Father and the Son will be present in their fullest manifestations. Its light will be provided by the Shekinah glory of God and of Christ (cf. Ex.3:3-4; 24:15-17; 33:14-16; Luke 2:9; 9:29; Heb.1:3).’
Plenty of scripture references tocheck out Friends. (smile)Now that’s not all: ‘And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh (causes an) abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ (Rev.21:24-27)
Mama Mia! Oh my brethren, the imagined sight of that, through the eyes of faith is just working on me, stirring me up! (smile)
And there’s more: ‘And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in (on) their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle (lamp), neither light of the sun; for the Lord giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.’ (Rev.22:3-5)
Oh my people, that is what awaits us at the end of the day, if we bear our burdens and yokes, already much lightened by our Saviour Jesus Christ, with patience and perseverance, hungry hope and expectant faith! There’s absolutely nothing better than what He’s promised!
So please, let’s get serious nuh, let’s buckle down, pull up our britches, pull up our socks, and whatever other cliché there is concerning improving our behaviour, and just live for Jesus, as He desires us to do. That’s wisdom of untold benefit! Much LOVE!
…Let’s LOVE our God…LIVE our Faith…and SPREAD His Word…that’s all He asks of us…
P.S. Oh my Friends and fellow believers, I do hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. There was a smile on my face and joy in my heart from soon after I began writing it, and saw where it was headed. Hope it brings a smile to your faces too and produces a fire in your hearts for Jesus! Please have a most blessed day walking safely and talking intimately with Jesus! Much LOVE!
28 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominations, adversity, Amen, black and white, blessed, blessings, burn the candle at both ends, city gates, commandments, defiles, disobedience, doing right, dr schuller, empty pitcher, fruit of the righteous, glory and honour, god, God's amazing faithfulness, growing flower, holy spirit, Hour of Power, I come O God, Jesus is the only answer, Lamb's book of life, lies, long and arduous night, LOVE, LOVE one another, mountain spring, my soul, New Jerusalem, no night, on the outside looking in, paradise of God, poem of prayer, positive note, Praise the Lord, rewards, right decision, satisfying sun, straight from the horse's mouth, thank you, the end times, thirsty deer, time of prayer, tree of life, tribulation, truth, vim and vigour, warning, wisdom
Revelation 22:14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s been a long and arduous night…of sleep! Hn, hn! My body had its way with me. That’s what happens when you try to burn the candle at both ends simultaneously. (smile) But hopefully, now that the ole bod has had its fill of sleep, it will be able to do the Lord’s work properly, with much vim and vigour.
Anyway, let’s get rolling with a poem of prayer from Dr. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. And it’s truly amazing, that though I’ve been reading the Devotional for several years now, most of the stuff I share from it seems entirely new to me. This poem titled ‘Fill Me!’ falls into that category.
Please read and pray with me. ‘O Lord, like the thirsty deer which goes to drink from the mountain spring; like the growing flower which turns hungrily to the satisfying sun; like the empty pitcher which is carried to the fountain to be filled; so I come, O God, knowing that in this time of prayer my soul will be filled with your LOVE and truth. Thank you! Amen.’
And I certainly hope that all our souls will be filled with God’s LOVE and TRUTH, as we go out this rainy Tuesday morning to do His awesome bidding, securely backed up by His amazing faithfulness.
And all God’s people declared a mighty, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes Friends, let’s keep on praising His glorious Name, for He is indeed most worthy of all that praise, and infinitely more than we can ever come up with or imagine.
Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.’
Ah mih people, that’s a warning we should all take very seriously and heed immediately! For as we saw yesterday, the adversity and unfixable tribulation of the opposite action, disobedience, is certainly not to be desired. Being on the outside looking in, is definitely not where you want to be at the end times.
And today, I want to look at some appropriate scriptures which corroborate our Bit. And we’re going to start out on a positive note, with the blessings administered for doing right.
John tells us in his first letter: ‘And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.’ (1 John 3:23-24)
That’s plain and straightforward Friends!
And as per ‘the tree of life,’ Cousin Sol describes it thus in Proverbs 11: ‘The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed (rewarded) in the earth: much more than the wicked and the sinner.’ (Prov.11:30-31)
Now hear Jesus’ warning and promise on it. ‘He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.’ (Rev.2:7)
Straight from the horse’s mouth my brethren, so it has to be true!
Now as regards ‘the gates of the city,’ of the New Jerusalem, listen to John’s revelation: ‘And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh (causes an) abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ (Rev.21:24-27)
And all God’s people said a loud and thankful ‘Amen!’
So there we have it Friends, in black and white. If your name’s not written in the Lamb’s book of life, then you won’t be allowed into the New Jerusalem. And the ONLY way to get your name in that awesome book, is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then obey His commandments in this earthly life.
So now the choice is ours. Let’s hope we make the right decision right now, for remember when the end times arrive, there’ll be no chance to change our minds. It’s certainly NOW or NEVER!
So please, please, my brethren, let’s be wise for once in our lives and choose Jesus nuh, for He is the ONLY answer to whatever ails us. Much LOVE!
…I choose Jesus…because He first chose me…and that says a whole lot…
SCRIP-BITS 