10 Dec 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a drawback to human nature, a memeory, a sense of well being, a wasted day one without laughter, aspires to inspire, cardiac health, delight thyself also in the Lord, dreams, endorphins, eternal life, faith, for a better tomorrow, Fret not thyself over evildoers, go back and forth in our rocking hairs, goals, gospel truth, hold our heads and bawl, if any man will come after me, joy, laughter, lazy Saturday, let him deny himself, live a truly fulfilled life, live for Jesus, live longer, never know the value of a moment, only existing, peace, positive expectation, take up his cross daily and follow me, the desires of thine heart, the evidence of things not seen, the joy of the Lord, the substance of things hoped for, thy will be done, to win big you must take big risks, under the umbrella of god's unconditional love
Luke 9:23. If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
And once again, this new day, this lazy Saturday has dawned grey and overcast. However, my computer weather forecast tells me that it will eventually be mostly sunny. Let’s hope that is true, because there’s nothing worse than a cold, cloudy day. And since I’ve already lazed out as much of the day as possible, (smile) I’ve got to get right into the Bit, considering the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Now the first quote tells us: ‘Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.’ Well, that’s at least partly true, because some things, if you don’t believe in them, you’ll never experience them. That’s just the nature of those things. It’s like belief and faith in Christ. If you don’t believe in Christ, have sincere faith in Him, you’ll never experience the wonderful things He has in store for you. All the many miracles, or what some might call magical moments, in a life lived exclusively for Him.
It’s the faith, the belief that creates the opportunities. And how is faith defined? ‘The substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) Exactly my faithful brethren! Faith is what we hope for, the positive expectation of what we don’t see, but know that it will come along eventually. And that segues very nicely into our next quote. ‘Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.’
That’s the gospel truth. Many of us can think back to moments we never really valued at the time they were happening, but now, many years later, realize how important and valuable they were in our life. I can think of several right off the top of my head. Unfortunately though, not properly appreciating the moments of life when they occur, is a sad drawback to the human nature.
Why? I don’t know! But we just seem to pass over some moments without paying proper attention to them. And that’s ever so possible and plentiful in our busy society. And later on, we so often hold our heads and bawl: ‘Oh how I wish I’d paid more attention to such and such, or so and so!’ But then it’s too late my people. Let’s hope that this will give us a wakeup call, to consider all the moments in our lives, so that we don’t pass over some of the real important ones, and only have vague memories of them as we go back and forth in our rocking chairs. (smile)
Meanwhile, the next quote succinctly informs us: ‘To win big, you sometimes have to take big risks.’ And that’s the glorious truth! Be it in the evil doings of this world, or in the wonderful kingdom of Christ. To gain much, one must usually expend much; in time, money, energy, faith and hope! That’s because big rewards just naturally come from big expenditures in whatever you’re seeking to achieve. And if you think that’s not true, then listen to Jesus as He sets out His basic rule for discipleship. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
Now if that isn’t a big risk, I don’t know what is. It means that every day we have to put aside our own desires and do God’s will. Be like Jesus said in His darkest hour in the Garden of Gethsemane: ‘O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.’ (Matt. 26:42). Yes friends, Jesus would have surely preferred not to go to the cross, but He was willing to do it if it was the Father’s will. Likewise, we are expected to put our desires aside and do Jesus’ will if we want to receive big rewards in heaven.
Please note that all the people mentioned as being of great faith and doing great things in the Bible, all took great risks and sacrificed much. Names like Abraham, who packed up and left his family simply on God’s say so. A God He did not even know. Likewise, Moses, led the Israelites at great sacrifice to himself. Bruh Joseph experienced much heartache and betrayal in his young life, but he held on staunchly to the promise of His God and was eventually greatly rewarded by being made the Prime minister of Egypt, then the greatest power on earth.
Look at the lives of Bruh David, Bruh Paul, Job, etc. etc. All laid down their own desires to follow that of their God, and were well rewarded, not necessarily here on earth, but definitely in heaven, where Jesus said it was the best place to store one’s treasure. (smile)
And then, there was this quote: ‘To live a fulfilled life, we need to keep creating the ‘what is next’, of our lives. Without dreams and goals there is no living, only merely existing, and that is not why we are here.’ Now, all of that is technically true; without dreams and goals we’re merely existing, and that’s not why God made us. But to live a truly fulfilled life, one must be living for Jesus! For He is the only one who can bring real fulfillment to our souls and spirits.
The world might bring fulfillment to our bodies, but those pass away back to the dust from which they were originally formed. However, our souls and spirits live on, and that’s why they ought to be properly taken care of. And remember only Jesus gives eternal life, peace, true joy and unconditional LOVE! But that doesn’t mean that our desires and dreams are unimportant to our God. Definitely not, since he is the One who originally put them there!
And let’s not forget this magnificent advice of Bruh David, which he wrote from personal experience: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:1-5)
Obviously you won’t get everything you want, especially if it conflicts with God’s will, but my people, that’s the only way to live a truly fulfilled life on God’s great earth! That brings us to this last quote, another dilly. ‘The most wasted of days is one without laughter.’ And yuh better believe it! A day without laughter is indeed a wasted day. Now, we’re not talking about just maniacal, delirious laughter, but moments when the soul and spirit exude a joy that lifts us up, that enables us to continue steadfastly on the straight and narrow road.
And Cousin Sol, in his infinite wisdom, described laughter thus. ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ (Prov. 17:22) Yes friends, it’s been scientifically proven that laughter is one of the best, and the cheapest medicines ever. Here are some of the things laughter does. It lowers blood pressure; reduces stress hormone levels, and right now stress is the biggest killer in our society. Laughter also works your abs. Oh yeah! When you laugh your stomach muscles contract and expand like when you intentionally exercise your abs.
It improves cardiac health; gets your heart pumping and improves blood flow. It boosts ‘T-cells’ a natural immune system that helps us fight off sickness. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, another facet of our natural pain relief system. And finally, laughter produces a general sense of well-being. It certainly does! And doctors have discovered that those with a positive outlook on life, who laugh a fair amount, also live longer than those who are on the negative side of the equation and don’t laugh as much. So please, let’s go out today and be positive, bask in the joy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and laugh a lot, so we can live longer! Much LOVE!
…living for Jesus might be tough…but it’s always interesting…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
25 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a no-brainer, a step forward, abundance, actions, Advocate, an attitude of gratitude, animal instincts, Anselm's quotes, arrogance, better than life, brother, by our hands, Christian hearts, come to pass, Creator, efforts, energizes our Spirits, excellent, faithfulness, fatness, favourable things, full of ourselves, give thanks, goals, harp, hindrance, in advance, in your mind's eye, Israelites, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Joshua, light, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving-kindness, lute, made me glad, make a habit, many hats, marrow, me and my house, meditate, mental, mighty man, my lips shall praise thee, night watches, optimism, positive expectations, precious, pride, provider, put their trust, Redeemer, satisfied, sing praise, thanksgiving, the best, the children of men, the Lord's goodness, the work of thy hands, toward achieving, triumph, under the shadow of thy wings, ungrateful, unworthy, we will serve the Lord, winners, wisdom, without God's help
Psalm 36:7. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
And yes, it’s cloudy, it might even rain, but you know that doesn’t detract in the least from the light and LOVE in our Christian hearts deposited there by our Leader, our Friend, our Brother, our Lord and Saviour, our Advocate, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ!
Oh what a mighty man is our Jesus! He just had to be with the many hats He wears in our lives. So how could we do anything but LOVE Him eh? It would be most unworthy and ungrateful of us, especially in this Thanksgiving time.
That brings us to our Saturday feature, Anselm’s Quotes; quotes from a brother who sincerely aspires to lead us to a better tomorrow. And the first one addresses what we were just talking about. ‘Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.’
Oh friends, there’s no better way of living this life than with an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving, for that’s the way God expects us to live. And doing so, just energizes our Spirits and allows more favourable things to keep happening.
The second quote declares that ‘Winners make a habit of manufacturing their own positive expectations in advance of the event.’ And if you truly expect to win, then you had better have the optimism and winning picture in your mind’s eye, otherwise the winning might not come to pass.
That’s because a large part of winning is mental, of seeing yourself in the winners’ circle. And what’s the point of doing something if you don’t expect to be successful at it eh? None whatsoever!
And this last quote says it all. ‘If what you are doing is not moving you towards your goals, then it’s moving you away from your goals.’ Simple logic friends. (smile) Your actions and efforts can only carry you one way, hopefully in the direction you desire.
But yuh know people, the wisest and best way to achieve any kind of success in this life is by following the gospel truth words of Bruh David in our Bit. ‘How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.’
And why wouldn’t we do that if God is our Creator and Provider eh? Because we’re too full of ourselves, possess too much pride and arrogance, foolishly believing that our success has been wrought solely by our hands. Hogwash! Heifer dust! NOTHING is ever done without God’s help or hindrance!
And the psalmist truthfully declares it in his opening remarks of Psalm 92 – Praises for the Lord’s goodness. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To show forth (declare) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute or lyre), upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the work of thy hands.’ (Ps.92:1-4)
Yeh friends, it’s ONLY through the work of God’s hands in the background that mankind can ever be successful! Please, let’s remember that and give Him the kind of praise and thanksgiving, glory and gratitude that He deserves nuh. For if He doesn’t get the exaltation He believes He deserves, He is just liable to leave us to do it all on our own, and the wise ones know that we can’t do much of anything on our own.
And Bruh David knew that, that’s why when he was suffering in the wilderness, running from Saul and his many enemies, he could write in Psalm 63 – God satisfies the thirsting soul. ‘Because thy LOVING-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.’ (Ps.63: 3-7)
Ah mih people, if a man on the run from murderous enemies in a dry and thirsty land can sing the praises of our God so loudly and marvelously, then there must be lots of truth to his words, since his situation is definitely not a joyful or pleasant one.
So what’s it to be eh friends? Shall we follow the Lord, or shall we follow our own animal instincts? It’s an individual choice we all have to make, and make soon too, because once Christ returns, it will be too late.
But yuh know what, as Joshua said so long ago, when he put the same question to the Israelites; ‘but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh.24:15d)
Yes friends, I have yet to see any good reason to do otherwise. Hope you feel the same way too, for that is wisdom of eternal proportions! Much LOVE!
…to sincerely follow Jehovah God…should be a no-brainer…if one believes His holy word…
14 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cakewalk, a compassionate heart, a passing observation, a positive outlook, a rich man, abundance, action, all things are possible, busy, Christ, Christians, courage, creativity, curse, desires of our hearts, divine protection, dreaming, easier for a camel, effort, enter the kingdom of God, faith, faithful, favour, get up off of our rear ends, go out of my mind, goals, help, hemming and hawing, holy spirit, hotter, in the name of Jesus, Jesus beheld them, Joyce Meyer, LOVE Revolution, medication, medicinally induced dreams, middle of September, my neck of the woods, negative word, nightmares, personal testimony, power in the Word of God, promotion, put your money where your mouth is, required tools, self-control, self-discipline, success, summertime, supernatural wisdom, take on dreams, talent, the distance between dreams and reality, the less fortunate, the living truth, the Lord came calling, Thusrday Blessings, to go through a needle's eye, wake up tired, with God, with men this is impossible
Matthew 19:26. But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.
In the summertime…summertime…summertime… Yeh friends, can you believe that in the middle of September, in my neck of the woods, we’ve been having constant temps in the mid to high 20’s range?
Wow! This week has been hotter than many in July and August. You can actually feel the sun burning your skin. Now please note, this is just a passing observation, it’s not a complaint, (smile) for we will take that kind of weather any and every time!
And I now understand why sometimes I wake up tired instead of refreshed. That’s because my medication has me dreaming constantly, and in the dreams I’m always busy doing something. It’s a good thing they are not nightmares, (smile) otherwise I’d go out of my mind.
And I just noticed an interesting take on dreams on a sticky I have in my Bible. It comes from sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer). And she says: ‘The distance between dreams and reality is called action.’ Now that’s the living truth!
Now she’s not talking about my medicinally induced dreams (smile) but the things we’d like to achieve, our cherished goals, the desires of our hearts. Unless we get up off our rear ends and put them into action, they will always remain dreams, unrealized ones to boot.
And I guess many of us have dreams of things we’d like to do for Christ, but we’re not actioning them, so they are still dreams…useless to everyone, including Christ.
Ah friends, as the ole people would say, to get things done, we’ve got to put our money where our mouth is. And that’s no lie. Until we put sincere and diligent effort into ANYTHING we want to do, NOTHING will get done.
And having Christ and His Holy Spirit on our side, as our more than willing associates and helpers, then NOTHING is impossible to us… if we seriously and willingly make the effort to put whatever it is into action.
Note Jesus’ words to His disciples after He told them that ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Matt.19:24) Obviously the disciples were amazed by that statement and were left wondering, who then could get into heaven?
And in our Bit, our Master had an answer for their problem.‘But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.’
Oh mih people, mih people, until ALL we Christians truly believe that statement deep down in our hearts and souls, and not just pay lip service to it, then our Christian faith and Christ’s LOVE Revolution will not progress as Jesus desires it to.
Too many of us refuse to put into action the things God puts in our hearts to do because we don’t believe that they can or will ever come to pass. But here’s a personal testimony. Some ten, almost eleven years ago when the Lord came calling about the Bit, I laughed and told Him I didn’t know enough scripture to do something like that.
But he persisted and eventually I gave in. And the first Bits were merely verses from the Bible, possibly with just a few words from me. But over time, as I have been faithful to His work, the Lord has been faithful to me and helped me until I’ve reached the current level.
Now, as Sister Joyce likes to say: I still haven’t arrived, but I’m certainly not where I used to be. And believe me friends, writing this Bit for over ten years now hasn’t been a cakewalk, but the Lord has guided me each and every step of the way.
Many times I’ve begun by telling you I didn’t know what to write about, but then I’ve ended up writing oodles of stuff. Do you think that was just me and my brilliance? Of course not! It was the Holy Spirit of God inspiring me to do His work.
And yuh think I was planning to give a testimony this morning? Not at all! But that’s where the Lord led me. So please friends, if the Lord has put anything in your hearts to do that falls under His will, stop hemming and hawing and get to it. For He won’t EVER ask you to do something and then not give you the required tools and help to do it.
And having said all of that, let’s declare those powerful Blessings of Thursday, which our wonderful God has so magnanimously rained down on us. In full voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go out and share those magnificent blessings with the less fortunate, as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ desires. Much LOVE!
…there is unbelievable power in the Word of God…if we would only use it…
04 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, aim to high, aim too low, align yourself, Anselm, balm, bane, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, change, Christians, cleaning, comfort zone, condemned, confident, Controller of the universe, Creator, dependent trust, desolate, discomforts, drawbacks, el numero uno, exalted, fail, fall on deaf ears, fear the Lord, find good, goals, gracious, grocery shopping, handles a matter wisely, happy is he, have mercy, hedge our bets, hiccups, higher ground, his breath goeth forth, human beings, in the son of man, joy, lack, LOVE, mercy, never hang your hat where you can't reach it, no help, odd jobs, out of reach, prosperous living, put not your trust in princes, roll in smoothly, salvation, Saturday, seeking, setting goals, sleeping in late, spirit departs, spread it far and wide, stretching, the Lord redeems the soul of his servants, there is no want, thoughtful action, thoughts perish, trust, trusts in the Lord, vegetate, whose hope the Lord is, will the Lord wait, wisdom of the highest order, work ourselves to the bone, you can learn from
Jeremiah 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
Saturday, O Saturday: balm for some, bane of others! Yeh friends, for some of us Saturday means not doing a whole lot, possibly sleeping in late, then moving to the couch to watch the tube. Hn!
While for others, Saturday means cleaning and grocery shopping and doing odd jobs around the house that you never had a chance to do during the week. Some of us work harder at home on Saturdays, than we do at work all week. But that’s the joy of prosperous living! (smile) We can either vegetate or work ourselves to the bone.
Anyway on Saturdays too we also look at a few of our friend Anselm’s quotes, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one is ever so true. ‘Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.’
Yes people, that’s why many of us don’t like change, even though it might improve our lives, for change doesn’t just roll in smoothly, it always causes hiccups, and sometimes some real bad ones too.
Now this second quote offers a wealth of good advice. ‘Align yourself with people that you can learn from, people who want more out of life, people who are stretching and searching and seeking some higher ground in life.’
That’s the only way we can truly grow friends! If we sincerely wish to grow, then we must surround ourselves with wise people who are striving to do the same. We ought not to be always the smartest, wisest or most accomplished person in our group, else whom are we going to learn from eh?
And this last quote is also interesting and very true. ‘Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit.’ Bingo! Setting goals is a very serious and thoughtful action friends. We can either set them too low and hit them, but not accomplish much. Or we can set them too high and not reach them, with the same result as setting them too low.
That reminds me of the old people’s saying: Never hang your hat where you can’t reach it. But my breddren, goals should be set where they are just out of reach, where you need to extend yourself some, get a bit out of your comfort zone, otherwise they are not worth setting.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.’
Oh my fellow believers, that’s wisdom of the highest order! That’s why I don’t understand why more of us, including supposed Christians don’t follow it. If the Lord is the Creator and Controller of the universe, El Numero Uno, as we claim, then why aren’t we putting our absolute trust in Him eh? I guess some of us don’t truly believe what we spout, and try to hedge our bets by not giving God all our trust.
But please remember what we read yesterday from Psalm 146: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (human beings), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Ps.146:3-4)
That’s gospel truth friends! We die and return to the dust from which we were created, while God lives on forever, and also knows the beginning from the end. So whom is the best one to trust eh? Both logic and wisdom tell us the Lord God Almighty!
So let’s look at some scripture that will help me convince you to put ALL your trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Listen to Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘He that handleth a matter wisely (wisely heeds the word) shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.’ (Prov.16:20)
And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then hear Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing… The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust him shall be desolate (condemned).’ (Ps.34:8-10; 22) I can’t dispute any of that nuh people, so I just have to believe it.
And we’ll end with something from Isaiah, where he’s appealing to his people to turn to the Lord for help, the very same thing I’m trying to do in these tumultuous times. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice); blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is.30:18)
And the scholars add this explanation. ‘30:18-33. Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God.’
What more can I say eh friends? Not a whole lot, for I am just the messenger aspiring to deliver the message that our world needs the Lord God Jehovah more than at any other time in our existence. I just hope that the message doesn’t fall on deaf ears, and that every Christian will endeavour to put into action in their own lives, then spread it far and wide, so that our children’s children will have the chance to live in a good and beautiful world. That’s my sincere prayer for us today! Much LOVE!
…if we can’t trust our God and Creator…whom then can we trust…
01 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, action, against the wiles of the devil, be above the earth, Be thou exalted, Christians, daily routines, delays, demons, disappointments, dreams, dwelling in our hearts, emergencies, emotional responses, evil schemes, exalted in heaven, failures, fallen angels, false, fight fire with fire, flesh and blood, glad to be alive, glorious morn, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, goals, God's great earth, halfway home, hand to hand combat, hands on the plough, hypocritical, in high places, in thine own strength, LOVE, Lucifer, motives, my day-by-day agenda, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my heart, natural disaster, not turning back, powers, praise, praise thy power, prayer for deliverance, principalities, priorities, put on the whole armour of God, rulers of darkness, Ruth Harms Calkin, Satan, secret thoughts, singing, sobbing, spiritual armour, spiritual growth, stepping stones, strategy, thanks and praise, the breath of live, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the Son of God, to know Him, urgency, we can handle anything, Wednesday Wail, wickedness, wiles, will we sing, worship, wrestle, ye may be able to stand, your home
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Aye mih people, it’s another wonderful day on God’s great earth! Give Him thanks and praise!
And though I’m somewhat tired from running around between hospitals yesterday, was I ever glad to open my eyes to another glorious morn, even if it’s cold and snowy. (smile) But then, the physical aspects of the day don’t really matter that much, once it’s not a devastating natural disaster.
And even then, with the SON of God dwelling deep in our hearts, minds and souls, we can handle anything. Let’s never forget that! Glory to God!
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, which fits in quite nicely with those sentiments. It’s titled ‘Be Thou Exalted.’
Please pray with me. “Be thou exalted, Lord In thine own strength; So will we sing And praise thy power.” Yes, Lord, Yes! David’s prayer is my prayer. Be exalted in my day-by –day agenda In my motives and dreams My priorities and goals. Even in my failures, Lord As you turn them into stepping stones Toward spiritual growth.
Be exalted in my worship and praise In my sobbing and singing. Be exalted in my secret thoughts My emotional responses. Be exalted in my daily routine The delays, the unexpected emergencies The disappointments that often come. Lord God, as You are exalted In heaven and on earth Be exalted in Your home – my heart.’
Oh friends, isn’t that beautiful? It surely is! And I especially like the last line, where, if we are to be exalting God continually, His home must be in our heart. That must be where He truly resides continually, otherwise all our outward actions are false and hypocritical.
And the Bible Promise for that poem comes from Psalm 57 – Bruh David’s Prayer for deliverance when he fled from Saul in the cave. ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.’ (Ps.57:11)
Yes mih breddren, that’s exactly what we need to happen in this evil world! But that can only begin and remain steadfast when we do as our Bit advises. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’
Oh friends, oh friends, as Christians, we can’t successfully fight the evil spiritual forces that exist in this world without the protection of the Lord’s spiritual armour. And before we get into the whys and wherefores of all that, let’s check out this explanation of our Bit by the scholars.
‘6:11. Put on (Greek ingressive aorist imperative)??? denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”): Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’
So you see my fellow believers that our situation is dire! In order to fight a good fight, we need to put on our spiritual armour IMMEDIATELY! And then stand strong against the enemy’s evil schemes, not giving an inch of the ground we’ve won!
Oh, I know some of you are not taking me seriously, but this not my message, but Bruh Paul’s from the Lord our God! And he explains, as he continues after our Bit.
‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.’ (Eph.6:12)
Oh people, that is one of the things we Christians badly need to realize and understand; we’re not engaged in a flesh and blood war, but a spiritual encounter against the powerful forces of evil that exist in the high places of our world. And until we fully understand that, all our efforts will be in vain.
You have to fight fire with fire, which means you can’t fight a spiritual battle with flesh and blood, but with spiritual elements. And the first strategy in any battle is to arm oneself with the proper weapons of war, hence the need before all else for our spiritual armour.
Now here is some useful info from the scholars on that least verse. ‘6:12. Wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian.
Flesh and blood refers to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world-rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’
Yuh see friends, the battle is being fought both on an individual basis as well as collectively. Once you proclaim yourself a Christian, then the evil spiritual hordes will automatically come against you. However, when we are dressed in our full battle armour and have Jesus as our Leader, we are guaranteed success! Glory be!
And we’ll go home with further encouragement by loudly declaring our Wednesday Wail with the utmost sincerity and truth. Let’s wail: ‘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!’
Oh my people, our Jesus is oh so wonderful! There’s absolutely no doubt about it! Much LOVE!
…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
26 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2017, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, a rejoicing church, a strong will, abiding in, abundance, and again I say rejoice, as in a glass, beholding, blessings, bountiful, challenging, changed, clear direction, cloudy day, courage, covenant, creativity, curse, decisions, divine protection, faith, faithfulness, favour, from glory to glory, fulfillment, generous, glory to God, goals, God is able, God's peace, grace, health, heavenly Father, honest, hope, hypocrisy, Jesus Christ, just, King James version, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, lovely, make all things new, make me clean, make me real, meditate, mercy, miraculously, mirror, negative word, New Year, noble, of good report, omnipotent god, open face, praise, praiseworthy, pray, priorities, productive, promises, promotion, prosper, reflect his glory, reflecting, Rejoice in the Lord always, renovate me, revitalized, Ruth Harms Calkin, self-control, self-discipline, self-righteousness, sham, simplistic, strength, strife filled, succeed, success, talent, the face of Moses, the glory of the Lord, the God of peace, the Most High God jehovah, the New Covenant, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the right activities, the right things, the same image, the SON, the Spirit of God, the spirit of the Lord, the very depth of my being, think, Thursday Blessings, to all and sundry, transform my fears, transformed, true, trust, unveiled, vibrant faith, virtue, whatsoever things, wisdom, work in me
Philippians 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Aye mih people, I don’t know what has happened to the sun nuh, because we haven’t seen it in my area for about two weeks now. Today seems to be another wet, cloudy day. And even when the days weren’t wet, very few, they were still cloudy.
But yuh know what? We’ve seen the SON every single day! Glory Hallelujah!
Rain or shine He shows up right on time to help guide us through another blessed day that His heavenly Father has granted us on this bountiful, though somewhat strife-filled earth! And for that faithfulness we are eternally grateful!
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that seems rather appropriate ‘For This New Year.’
Please pray with me. ‘O Lord God You are able. Able to make me clean Without self-righteousness and sham. Able to make me real Without hypocrisy. You are able To give me wisdom In all my priorities My decisions, my goals. You are able to transform my fears Into vibrant faith And quiet trust.
You are able To make this present year The most challenging The most productive Of all my life. So for this new year I covenant with You, dear God. Please work in me To the very depth of my being. Renovate me Transform me For You are able – miraculously able To make all things new.’
And that He certainly is my brethren! Our omnipotent God can make all and everything new through His miraculous powers!
And in this new year of 2017, that’s already a month old, we all desperately need cleaning up and being revitalized. And that can only happen through the auspices, the grace and mercy and LOVE of the Most High God Jehovah!
So let’s hope and pray that He does an awesome work of revitalization in us this year of 2017. And the promise of scripture for that poem is 2 Cor, 23:18.
The New Living translation boils it down thus: ‘As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.’
I’m sorry though, that translation, in my opinion falls way short of the beauty and majesty of the King James Version. ‘But we all, with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed (being transformed) into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’
Now friends, that speaks to me much more than the first version. That’s what I don’t like about some of these new translations; they just lose the whole ‘wonderment ‘ of the old language, by making it so simplistic. But that’s just me.
And the scholars tell us this about that verse. ‘3:18. Beholding as in a glass: The term ‘beholding’ can have the sense of “reflecting.” 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.’
Now I certainly like that: the longer we live, the more we become like Christ! Glory to God!
And I do hope that we have enough space and time for our Bit, which is enhanced everyday by the promises of the Lord’s Word. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’
Yes my fellow believers, a rejoicing church is what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ wants to see. That’s why He sacrificed His sinless life for us, and if we don’t show our sincere appreciation by being glad and joyful, then all He did was just a waste of time.
Now let’s continue Bruh Paul’s speech to the Philippians, from where we left off yesterday. ‘Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things.
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil4:8-9).
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘4:8-9. Finally could be rendered “in this connection,” since verses 6-9 are related: verses 6 and 7 tell how to obtain God’s peace; verses 8 and 9 tell how to keep it. In order to keep God’s peace, the readers must occupy their minds with the right things (v.8) and busy themselves with the right activities (v.9).’
It couldn’t be put any simpler friends, though it’s not always easy to do in this negative, evil and selfish world. However with the untold blessings and promises and help available from our awesome God, we can do it.
Now let’s begin doing it by declaring our Thursday Blessings with much verve, enthusiasm and belief. Remember a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
As one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And having blessed ourselves, let’s go out now and bless the many others in this world of great ‘sufferation’ who desperately need it. Much LOVE!
…Christians must not withhold blessings…but be like Christ…be generous to all and sundry…
29 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dose of Jesus, a dose of reality, a modicum of circumspection, a sense of balance, accuracy, aspirations, assessment of difficulties, associating with Jesus, balance, be afraid, be anxious for nothing, be gracious to you, be of good cheer, benediction, blueprint, care, changing circumstances, Christ, circumspection, Comforter, compassion, despair, doing my own thing, dreams, drive me crazy, earthly living, encouraging, encumber ourselves, facts of today, favour, fellowship, finite minds, fortunes, Friday chant, function at a high level, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, give you his favour, give you peace, goals, Guide, harmony, hopes of tomorrow, i have overcome the world, in Jesus' name, in me ye might have peace, Jesus, keep your hearts and minds, let not your heart be troubled, lift up his countenance on you, living in the past, LOVE, make his face shine upon thee, maturity, moderation, Moses, my peace I give unto you, navigate, nose to the grindstone, not as the world giveth, passeth all understanding, peace, Peace i leave with you, prayer, reality, reassuring words, refreshed, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, respect for reality, rest, Robert H Davies, semblance of balance, signs of maturity, slave master, soul body and mind, stress, sufficient fun, supplication, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanksgiving, the depths of despair, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God, the weekend, tribulation, trying times, vicissitudes of life, virtual reality, wisdom, working people
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
So it’s Friday! And all over God’s great earth, working people are celebrating! They are ecstatic that the weekend is upon them, and are joyfully singing: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! When this working day is done, my time will be my own! No more slave master to drive me crazy, to keep my nose to the grindstone! I’ll be free! Doing my own thing! Glory Be! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah friends, we all know how important the weekend is for most of us, trying to get things done that we couldn’t do during the work week. But we can’t afford to encumber ourselves with too much of our own activities either, for we’ll just continue the stress of the workweek. The weekend is a time when we must recapture some semblance of balance in our lives.
So let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better idea of how to achieve that balance. All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, we must find some way to get rest, relaxation and fellowship into our weekends if we want to be able to function at a high level the following week. And in keeping with that philosophy, here’s an interesting quote from one Robert H Davies. In checking though, there were so many people with that name, I couldn’t figure out which one said it.
Nonetheless here it is. ‘One of the signs of maturity is a healthy respect for reality – a respect that manifests itself in the level of one’s aspirations and in the accuracy of one’s assessment of the difficulties which separate the facts of today from the bright hopes of tomorrow.’
Yes friends, a healthy dose of reality is what a lot of this world needs right now, especially with all the huge emphasis we’re currently placing on what is called virtual reality. Today, if true reality hits some of us in the face we won’t even recognize it! (smile)
But we do need to be more mature and sensible about what has gone before, what’s happening today, and our prospects for the future. We must stop living in the past, learn to accept the present, and refrain from painting too bright a future, which when it doesn’t come to pass will only drag us down into the depths of despair.
Goals and dreams are great to have, but we must temper them with a modicum of circumspection, of reality, otherwise they can mess up our lives. Essentially what we need in our lives, especially in these trying times, these rush and push days, is a proper sense of balance.
And you know what my people, that can only be accomplished with a big, wonderful dose of Jesus: of His LOVE, His peace, His care and compassion! And nowhere is that more readily seen and available than in the words of our Saviour, as highlighted in our Bit.
‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’
Ah friends, what encouraging and reassuring words! Jesus was there telling His disciples of the necessity for Him to go away so that the Holy Spirit, our Guide and Comforter could be sent to us.
Now obviously it takes some maturity in the Christian faith to accept those words of Jesus at face value. But it’s the only way that we can truly handle the vicissitudes of this life, our changing circumstances and fortunes. Only through the peace and harmony gained by associating with Jesus, can we ever successfully navigate the stormy seas and strong winds of this life.
And please note the priestly benediction that the Lord gave Moses for the children of Egypt way back when. ‘The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee (look on you with favour), and give thee peace.’ (Num.6:24-26)
Yeh friends, without the peace and favour of our wonderful God moving in our beings, our lives will never be stable and successful.
Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the Philippians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:4-7)
Oh precious people of God, what a moving and encouraging set of scriptures! Through constant prayer and thanksgiving we are able to invoke the wonderful peace of God, that’s always close by, through the Holy Spirit! A peace that our finite minds can’t even understand, but we can surely feel it.
And we’ll end with these reassuring and triumphant words of Jesus. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Friends, as true believers in Christ, let’s therefore go forth today, and everyday, holding those words of enduring truth in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, so that we can successfully navigate our way through this evil and ungodly world, for that is wisdom to the nth power!
Much LOVE!…Jesus is the blueprint for successful earthly living…so let’s copy as much of His style as possible…
10 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sailor band, Ash Wednesday, ashes, bacchanal, buss-up shirt, Carnival, Christian, christianity, church, computers, copy and paste, disunity, esteem, fellowship, focus on Jesus, friends, frustrations, fulfill ye my joy, glory hallelujah, goals, happiness, I'm not looking back, I'm so glad to be alive, Jesus Christ, joy, lack of harmony, laziness, Lent, let this mind be in you, living in harmony, LOVE, mas, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my own strength, needs of others, of one accord, our best days are still ahead of us, pan side, pride, problems of others, put our noses to the grindstone, Scarborough, selfishness, strife, the breath of life, the Lord carried me, to a glorious future with Jesus, Tobago, trust, truth, united in spirit, values, waste of time, Wednesday Wail, which also was in Christ Jesus, wisdom, without partiality
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.
Ah Friends, laziness is a hell of a thing yes! How many of you noticed yesterday that the top heading had one date and the bottom one another eh? Computers make it too easy for us sometimes. This copy and paste thing can do serious damage if we’re not careful. My sincere apologies to those of you who noticed. I aced it this morning though, got them both right! (smile)
So the bacchanal done now mih people; Carnival over and we now into the godly season of Lent. Let’s hope that we extinguished all our energy and frustrations during the Carnival period and are now ready to settle down to a serious time of consideration and ‘ponderation’ on God and all that He stands for, because this is the season for it.
Now, as per activities, yesterday, after finishing my buss-up shirt, I went down to Scarborough to see some local mas. Hn! We got down there about two o’clock, only to find the streets empty, not a mas in sight.
We walked up to where they were supposed to be judging the bands, but could not get a seat out of the sun because they had private tents, or tents with no seats, so we walked back to a closed up café or chicken joint, that had an awning over the front, the same place we were last year.
This time there were no chairs in front, apparently the owners got smart after last year, but there were a few benches by the side, we put one under the awning and limed there until we left around five thirty.
At two thirty, no mas had appeared, so I told the duchess if none appears by three o’clock we would leave. Luckily, about ten to three a sailor band with about a dozen people, of whom I knew about four, came down the road, passed the judging stand and eventually ended up liming right by us.
As the afternoon progressed about five bands eventually passed up in front of us, and I saw a few other people I knew, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. As usual though I could not see a pan side on the road to jump with. Ah Lord eh, what has mas come to eh, when there’s no pan on the road? Steups!
One friend there kept telling me how the pans usually come out after six o’clock, but who knows if what he said was true, and I definitely wasn’t hanging around to find out. So the duchess and I walked back to the car, not too far really, but it was a bit difficult, and the Lord ended up carrying me.
I definitely couldn’t make it on my own strength, even with my cane. And who says our God isn’t a great and caring God eh! I certainly won’t because there are many days without His help, I wouldn’t make it through. Anyway, enough about me and mas.
Today is Ash Wednesday. Hope those of you so interested went to church and got your ashes. I was too tired to get up, and the service in my area was too early, six a.m. But I think there is one at six p.m. tonight. I might check that out. And since it’s Wednesday, then we need to declare our Wednesday Wail with much gusto and sincerity.
As one now, let’s wail: ‘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!’
Oh my people, it’s so good to be alive on this Ash Wednesday, and alive in sweet Tobago too, that I can die from the happiness! (smile) But then we need to put our noses to the grindstone and focus our every thought on Jesus, keep looking ahead to the wonderful future He has planned for us, not at the past as so many of us unfortunately do.
Ah my fellow believers, what is past has gone, and believe me, our best days are still ahead, out in front of us, if we keep hanging sincerely with Jesus. But as our Bit tells us, we can’t be like Jesus unless we first think like Him. ‘Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.’
And today I want to share some explanations from the scholars on the 2nd to 4th verses of the chapter. ‘Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind.’ (Phil.2:2) Then he continues talking about the need for no strife and pride, selfishness and being our brother’s keeper.
The scholars offer these explanations: ‘2:2-4. Fulfill ye my joy (or, “Make my joy complete”). Paul rejoiced over the Philippians (1:3), but his happiness was incomplete, owing to some disunity and lack of total harmony among them. The Greek equates what, to Paul, constitutes “complete joy” with the readers being likeminded. This means “living in harmony” with one another. That is, the Philippians can “fulfill” the writer’s “joy” by living in harmony among themselves.
But what does such harmonious living entail? Beginning in verse 2 and continuing through verse 4, six participles spell out and clearly define what it means to “live in harmony:” (1) having the same LOVE toward one believer as shown toward another, without partiality; (2) being of one accord; that is, they are to be united in spirit; (3) of one mind; that is, the whole church is to have the same values and goals;
(4) let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, for selfish ambition or conceit; (5) let each esteem other better than themselves, that is, each is to regard his fellow Christian as more important than himself; and (6) look…every man also on the things of others; that is, each is to be just as concerned for the needs and problems of his brother as he is for his own affairs.’
Oh friends, oh friends, that’s exactly what Christianity is all about, living in LOVE and harmony with and for each other! It’s what Jesus taught, and how He lived! But are we doing that today? Hn! Definitely not as much as we should, else our world and our Christian fellowship would not be in the bad shape they are in.
So today, on this Ash Wednesday of 2016, please, let’s sit down and consider, ponder the way we live, and try, with God’s help obviously, to bring it more in line with the Christian principles outlined above nuh. For that my brethren, is the indisputable wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…oh how good and precious it is…when brethren live together in true harmony…
18 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, acknowledge God in all thy ways, and lean not unto thine own understanding, as for me and mine, at odds with God's direction, be not wise in thine own eyes, blueprint for living a godly life, calamity, cast into the lake of fire, comfort, common sense, compassion, cry out to God for help, depart from evil, disobedience, ever-faithful God, fear the Lord, friends, give generously, glory hallelujah, glory to God, goals, God's plan for our lives, Hades, he shall direct thy paths, health, health to thy navel, honour the Lord with thy substance, how to live to purpose, humble yourself before God, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, joy, living God, LOVE, Lucifer, made in the image of God, magnificent and magnanimous God, marrow to thy bones, masterpiece of man, miracle, no way Jose, our heavenly Father, pay a price for disobedience, personal experience, possessions, praise his holy name, Praise the Lord, prince of darkness, rule the roost, sinful desires, sinful souls, singing praises to God, sufferation, the breath of life, the first fruits, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, top dog, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust in the Lord with all thy heart, truth, understanding, usurp God's kingdom, wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell the roses, we move and have our being, we will follow the Lord, wealth, wisdom
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Well Friends, yesterday was another beautiful day in my area; lots of sunshine and blue skies, with unseasonably warm temperatures, and above everything else, a most magnificent and magnanimous God, controlling it all!
Oh, Glory to God! What more can I say eh? Not a whole lot, because my vocabulary is limited when coming to singing the praises of God. And in any case, ‘Glory to God’ says it all.
Yes my people, He is indeed the God in whom we move and have our being. The very breath of life that percolates through our frail and finite bodies comes from Him, and to top it off, we’re also made in His likeness, His wonderful image. What a miracle!
And all God’s faithful people declared a loud, proud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord! He is indeed a great God! The One who gives us everything we need to live this earthly life; health, wealth, comfort and joy, LOVE and compassion, wisdom and understanding. Glory Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name!’
Oh Friends, our heavenly Father is indeed a most wonderful God! In fact, He is the ONLY true and living God in existence! All other supposed deities are dead, but He is most certainly alive and kicking, and running the marvellous universe He created, the way He desires, with no one to tell Him yay or nay! (smile)
And one of His most important rules is that we, His most important creation, live and LOVE the way He does. But unfortunately too many of us refuse to do so. We’re more interested in living and LOVING the way our naturally sinful souls desire, which is most often at odds with God’s direction.
And if we don’t look sharp, we’ll pay all sorts of harsh and hefty prices for our disobedience.
Anyway, here is an interesting quote that addresses the matter somewhat. It’s attributed to Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), one of the significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He reputedly declared: ‘The great and glorious masterpiece of man, is to know how to live to purpose.’
And there’s a lot of truth to that statement my brethren. To live a successful life we must set proper goals and also take good care of ourselves, all in accordance with God’s plan for our lives. However many of us in today’s sinful, ungodly world don’t care about God’s plan for our lives, so we do our own thing. Then when the ‘sufferation’ comes, we quick to run to God and cry out for help!
But life doesn’t work that way my people. God’s Word wisely tells us in our Bit: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.’
That my Friends, is one of the most significant and important passages of the whole Bible! If you follow that and nothing else, you will never go wrong, for it encompasses everything. In this chapter of Proverbs, Cousin Sol is exhorting us to obedience to God, because our God takes it very seriously.
Now hear how he continues after our Bit. ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.
Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov.3:6-10)
Oh my people, my people, those 6 verses (5-10) are the everlasting blueprint for living a godly life! Humble yourself before God, don’t be too proud, let Him guide you, and then give generously of your possessions to His cause. Oh Friends, it’s so simple that we think it couldn’t be true. But believe me, it is true, and I’m talking here from personal experience.
Instead, we foolishly follow the worldly lusts and dictates of Lucifer. But my brethren, if Lucifer was so smart, he would not have tried to usurp God’s kingdom, and he’d still be top dog, the number one angel in heaven. But no, he wanted to be king and rule the roost, so he rebelled against the Father, the same senseless thing that so many of us are doing in this current age.
But how can the created ever overthrow the creator eh? Not in this life, or any other! Granted, Lucifer is now the top dog, but in the darkness of Hades and in this sinful world which will eventually be destroyed and he and his minions cast into the lake of fire.
So Friends, if that is where you want to end up, you just have to keep on following the sinful desires of our nature and the lusts of this evil world, ruled over by the prince of darkness. But that’s not wisdom, common sense or the plan that God has in mind for any of us.
Remember the words He spoke through Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
Now my brethren, after hearing that wonderful promise from our ever-faithful God, how can we ever go and get seriously involved with Lucifer eh? Steups! No way Jose!
But everybody has to make their own decision, and I guess, though we may all speak the same language, we don’t necessarily have to think alike. Just look at the wicked, evil, war-like, greedy, ungodly, vengeful state of our world nuh. How could you ever want to be involved with those who are running it eh?
Oh my people, let’s smarten up nuh. Let’s ask God for the wisdom to make right and good choices, and stop depending on our sinful nature and limited mentality, for as James says, He gives it liberally to all who ask and without reproach too. (James.1:5)
So Friends, let’s wake up and smell the roses, the coffee, or whatever it takes to follow the Lord God Jehovah nuh, for that is the essence of wisdom and common sense. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will follow the Lord till our dying day…
27 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rubber band, a word of advice, Abraham Lincoln, age, aging, almighty god, and all these things shall be added unto you, can add one cubit unto his stature, cast into the oven, Christmas Season, common sense, concentrate on following Christ, crying out for respite, do not worry about tomorrow, earthly lives, eternity, feel anxious, filled with the Word, following Christ more closely, goals, is not life more than food, knowledge of God, lie down and rest, life affirming choice, lilies of the field, lose elasticity, LOVE, lustful things of the world, make a difference in the world, matter finished, maturity, negative, New Year's resolution, nuff said, O ye of little faith, one can never go wrong by choosing Jesus, pack a lot of life, ponder the direction of our lives, positive, promises of Almighty God, righteousness., Saturday, seek God first, seek ye first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, smart money, Solomon in all his glory, staying young forever, strive, sufficent unto the day is the evil thereof, the body than clothing, the fowls of the air, the Gentiles, the grass of the field, the life in your years, the things of God, the years in your life, things of the world, turning back the clock, ungodly, wisdom, worry, your heavenly Father feeds them
Matthew 6:33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
And then it was Saturday! Another exciting day in the Christmas season Friends! (smile) Oh I know that many of us are tired from all the Christmas activity and just want to lie down and rest. Well what’s stopping you eh? Just do it.
If the body and soul are crying out for respite, then it’s your duty to give them respite. They can’t continue being stretched and stressed out without losing their power and elasticity. Like a rubber band, the more you stretch and pull them, the loser and less effective they become.
Anyhow, here’s an appropriate quote from my Friend Anselm, that’s meant to inspire you for a better tomorrow. And this one comes from Abraham Lincoln. It’s simple but full of wisdom. All it says is: ‘In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.’ And that’s oh so true my people!
Now here is Anselm’s take on the subject. ‘It doesn’t matter how long you live, but how much you lived during the time that you were here. So many of us get caught up with age and aging and forget that it’s not about turning back the clock or staying young forever, but trying to get the best feeling that you can out of each moment of your life.
Abraham Lincoln was known for being handy with words, so it’s no surprise that he was able to make a quote like this, especially since he was able to pack a lot of life in his 56 years.’
Now how much life are we willing to pack into our years eh? It all depends on us my people, for we choose the kind of life we want to live, be it positive or negative, filled with the Word and promises of Almighty God or with the ungodly and lustful things of the world.
And the smart money my brethren is always on the things of God, because they have more intrinsic value and last longer than the shallow, bright but flimsy and flaky things of the world.
That’s why Friends, I’m encouraging us on this last Saturday in 2014, to sit down and quietly and seriously ponder the direction of our lives. Let’s check on how we spent this past year. Did we do a good, bad or indifferent job? Did we make even some small difference in the world around us? Did we reach the goals we set?
And most importantly, did we make any headway in our New Year’s Resolution of following Christ more closely? Have we grown in maturity and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour? Remember, that is the ONLY real resolution you need to make, because once you concentrate on following Christ, everything else falls into place.
For as Jesus so rightly says in our Bit, which is taken from the Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt.6:33-34)
Yes my fellow believers, when we seek God FIRST, He makes everything else fall into place for us. Now that doesn’t mean we don’t have to work and pay attention to things, but that we don’t need to strive and worry and feel anxious about our lives and livelihood.
As Jesus reminded the disciples before our Bit. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, for what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought (worrying) can add one cubit unto his stature (height)?
And why take ye thought for (worry about) raiment (clothing)? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed (clothed, dressed) like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.’ (Matt.6:25-32)
Matter finished Friends! Jesus spells it our like it is. If our heavenly Father can look after the things of nature so well, why wouldn’t He look after us, His most important creation, just as well eh? Even Cousin Sol, in all his worldly finery, was no match for the simple lilies of the field.
So my people, the life affirming choice is now ours to make. Please, I implore us to use the great wisdom and common sense that’s at our disposal to make the correct one, for the colour and tenor of our earthly lives, as well as where we spend eternity depends on the choice(s) we make today. Nuff said. Much LOVE!
…a word of advice…one can never go wrong by choosing Jesus…
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