06 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: beating pan, believers in Christ, but to save the world, Christ-like, Christian, common sense, evil, fallibility, fellowship, fetes., fragile, friends, from the bottom of my heart, generous heart, glory to God, go to waste, God is good, God sent not His Son to condemn the world, hanging out, hope, humanity, Jesus Christ, Johnny Reid, joy, kind, laziness, lectures, lost, LOVE, mark of a true Christian, memories, need, neighbour, one day at a time, panacea, passing away, passion, peers, resolution, sacrifice, say hello, shake a stranger's hand, sincere, smile, taxes, the grim reaper, the shelter of God's arms, truth, try and change the world, zeppo
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Ah mih people, it’s a somewhat rough Saturday morning because when I opened my e-mail this morning I got some info re the funeral service of my old University pardner, Paul Emmanuel Lawrence. Just like I opened my e-mail a couple of weeks ago and found out about his unexpected passing.
But what to do eh friends? Not much really, we just have to move on, while enjoying the memories we made with each other. That’s what memories are for, so please be sure to make some good ones. As Johnny Bristol says in his old song; ‘Memories don’t leave like people do. They always stay with you. Whether they’ve been good or bad. They’re never something that you had.’
And we had plenty good ones, Pablo mih brother; whether it was beating pan, going to lectures, fetes, just hanging out on the campus, or going down to your home in Montego Bay, or going to other places which I can’t mention. (smile). Anyway mih brother, you certainly had a kind and generous heart, and you’re no doubt giving free rein to it now in heaven too. Till we meet again on that great day. Much LOVE!
Yeh friends, it’s not easy when your peers are passing away, because it suddenly makes you think about your own mortality. But that’s the only thing we’re sure about in this life, for sometimes you might be able to get away from taxes, but you can never cheat the grim reaper. So let’s just live life and enjoy it under the shelter of God’s mighty arms.
And I’d now like to apologize for a typographical error on yesterday’s Bit. Hn! That’s just giving it a nice name, but it really stemmed from pure laziness on my part. I don’t know how many of you noticed that the heading of the Bit said the Bible verse was ‘Psalm 40.4’ when the actual Bit came from 1 Peter.
That’s because I simply copied the previous day’s heading and then forgot to change. And somehow I never notice these things until after I send them out. But it only goes to show the ole fella’s humanity and fallibility. (smile)
Ah mih people, life can be rough, but please remember that our God is good! Now here is how I had planned to open today’s Bit until I got those e-mails about Pablo’s funeral. It’s a song that I shared some time last year, and while partying out on my patio last night with the duchess I happened to play it, and got the zeppo that it was time to highlight it again, because the times they are a getting worse and Christ’s people need another wake up call.
So here are the words of Johnny Reid’s marvellous, motivational and inspirational song starting with the chorus ‘Today I’m going to try and change the world. Gonna take it one day at a time. I’ve made my resolution, opened up my eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world.
I’m gonna say hello to my neighbour, going to greet him with a smile, and shake the hand of a stranger, sit and talk to him for a while. Gonna tell someone I LOVE them, from the bottom of my heart. (chorus) Today I’m gonna try and change the world….
Gonna make sure my children know right from wrong. Never turn my back on those in need, always gonna try to see myself through another’s eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world. I made my resolution, opened up my eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world.’
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, that’s just what Christ is calling us to do; to make a serious resolution to change the world with His help, because it desperately needs changing! So please let’s join together today to do that nuh! And all it takes is one day at a time!
Hear the wonderful sentiments nuh: say hello to our neighbour, greet him with a smile. That’s not difficult to do, and a simple hello and a smile can ofttimes mean so much to others. Then shake a stranger’s hand and exchange a few words with him or her. Wow! What a Christ-like act! And remember friends, our God has a welcoming heart for strangers as we see all through the Bible. That means we too must have a welcoming heart towards strangers.
Oh, then tell someone we LOVE them from the bottom of our hearts! Mama Mia! What can be more Christ-like and endearing than that eh my brethren? Nothing really, if our greeting is sincere! And I just LOVE this next sentiment: make sure my children know right from wrong!
Oh my people, that is the basic panacea for what ails our world! We’ve not done a very good job on that front at all, otherwise our children would not be so lost and fragile that they can fall for all the nonsense the evil world has to offer. And it’s not too late my people. Remember while there is life there is ALWAYS hope, hope in Jesus, who can do ALL things!
And hear this other strong point of Jesus nuh; never turn my back on those in need! Oh fellow believers in Christ, that’s exactly what He did when He came down here from heaven to save us from the fiery halls of Hades; He offered us help in our time of need! Now it’s only appropriate that we should do the same for our fellow man.
And this last sentiment will help us to do all of them; try to see ourselves through the eyes of another person. Oh Glory to God my people!
When we can truly do that, and let it control our actions and emotions, then we are indeed being truly Christ-like! For we never truly know what others are going through and why they behave the way they do. So let’s stop being as judgmental as we now are nuh, because it’s the mark of a true Christian!
Oh friends, it’s obvious that the passion is flowing through the ole fella this morning, (smile) so please, I implore us, let’s not allow it to go to waste nuh, because it will also be a sad waste of Jesus’ sacrifice. As our Bit so wonderfully proclaims, in Jesus’ own words: ‘For God sent not his Son into world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’
Oh my people, if God sacrificed His Son to save us, why can’t we sacrifice a little of ourselves to help save our children, our neighbours, our friends, our families and our badly suffering world eh? That is just simple common sense in a heart beating for Christ! Much LOVE!
…let’s open up our eyes…and make that resolution…to try and change the world…one day at a time…TODAY…
04 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, bless the righteous, blessed is he who trusts in God, blessings, carry them in his bosom, Creator, darkness, difficult, enthusiasm, evil, faith, favour, feed his flock like a shepherd, fellowship, find our way home, friends, gather the lambs, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God is good, God's help, godless world, gospel truth, grace, graeful thought, Heartstrings, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, joy, lead and guide, lead those that are with young, losing my way, LOVE, Lucifer, make things right, minions, need God, no good thing, O Lord of hosts, obeying God, out of sorts, perfect prayer, promises, provider, raised to heaven, rejecting God, rejoice, respects not the proud, ringing in our hearts, rude, sense of direction, shout for joy, stand strong, such as turn aside to lies, surrender, Thank You God, the chicken and the egg, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the tug of God's heart, them that walk uprightly, thou protecteth them, true believers, trust, truth, ungodly world, unmannerly, wisdom
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Oh friends, the ole fella is a bit out of sorts this morning. Chuh! Nothing’s really wrong nuh, I just got up late and somewhat tired. My enthusiasm seems to be a tad low, but not to worry, by the time I am finished writing, I’m sure the Lord will raise it back up sky high! Oh glory to the wonderful God we truly serve and worship!
And with that I’ll share a most appropriate prayer from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s called ‘Heartstrings’ and says: ‘Lord, with no sense of direction I’m forever losing my way. Please tie a string From Your heart to mine So that even in the darkness I’ll feel the tug of Your heart and find my way home.’
Oh my people, there’s no better way to find our way home in the darkness than with our heartstrings attached to those of Almighty God, our Creator and Provider!
And the Bible promise to which that is attached is none other than: ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is.40:11)
Oh what a beautiful promise my brethren! And since we know that our great God ALWAYS keeps His promises, there is no need to fear, if we hold close to, hang tight to Him. Glory Hallelujah! But it all depends on us. We must do our best to rise to whatever occasion that besets us.
Now here is a paragraph from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional that wraps up all of that rather nicely.
He says in no uncertain terms: ‘God is good! Yes, He is! No matter what has happened, God is there for you. And as hard and as crazy as it may sound, when the walls collapse and the world tumbles in, and when it looks like everything that we’ve LOVED is lost, that’s the time to say, “Thank you, God!”
Oh friends, we all know that that is difficult to do when everything is falling down around us, and we’re at a loss as to what to do to make things right again. But as Gramps Schuller says at the end of the day’s devotion: ‘Believe me – that’s when you need to most to say, “Thank you, God.”
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers, because it’s in our greatest time of need that we truly need God, we need to thank Him for all that He’s done for us before, and for all that He’s promised to do. Being rude and unmannerly, or rejecting Him, won’t endear Him to us, or encourage Him to help us. But praise and thanks will!
Then we’ll show that we are indeed true believers. Yeh mih people, I know it’s not at all easy to do, but Christ’s earthly life wasn’t easy either, but He handled it all with timely help from His heavenly Father. The same is expected of us, His followers.
And as I’ve been saying over the last few days, it all comes right down to the state of our faith; how much we believe, and therefore surrender and trust our lives to Him. For as our Bit so wisely and truthfully declares: ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’
And all of us who sincerely try to implement that in our lives, know that that is indisputable truth! But it’s not always very easy to do, that is why we also need God’s help to stand strong and stay attuned to Him. I guess it’s like the chicken and the egg; which came first? We need to trust and obey God to be blessed, but we can’t truly trust and obey Him without His help. That’s where our faith and belief comes in.
Ah mih people, trusting and obeying God in this increasingly evil and godless world is becoming more difficult with each passing day. But as true believers, it’s just something we HAVE to do, because who else is going to try and change our world back eh?
Certainly not the evil minions of Lucifer who are holding the trumps right now. That’s why we also need to gather together regularly and pray for strength and guidance, as well as constantly raise up individual prayers for ourselves and each other.
And as I just so happened to read today in my One More Day Devotional for People With Chronic Illness; ‘A simple grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer.’ That’s a quote attributed to one Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. And it’s oh so true friends because gratefulness is truly revered in heaven.
And that brings us right back to the giving of thanks, of saying ‘Thank you God,’ when rough times befall us.
And on this last day for this particular Bit – and I hear some of you release a ‘thank you God’ sigh. (smile) But right there we have a part of our problem; where we need to hear a new bit of scripture every day, when we haven’t even fully digested the one before.
However, let’s end with some scripture passages on trust, beginning with these from Psalm 84 – Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. A psalm of the sons of Korah. ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12)
And hear these immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection. ‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest (protecteth) them: let them also that LOVE thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass (surround) him as with a shield.’ (Ps.5:11-12)
What awesome words of faithful promise my people. So let’s go out today, and every day, with them ringing in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls nuh, so that we will trust and obey, and faithfully and steadfastly do God’s will for us on this beautiful planet Earth. Much LOVE!
…we cannot truly work on God’s behalf…until we truly trust Him to lead and guide us…
06 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2016, a negative outlook, a positive attitude, abundant life, blessed, blessedness, by their fruits you shall know them, come together in Christ, come up over our problems, confession, deceit, drought of summer, effects of unconfessed sin, faith without works, forgiven, forgiveness, God is good, godly, good graces of God, gospel truth, guile, I acknowledge my sin, I am halfway home, I will confess my transgressions, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, jump for joy, life is not fair, LOVE, mine iniquity have I not hid, moan and groan, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, personal witness, platitudes, ponder our sins, pray, repentance, Scrip-Bit family, Selah, separate the sheep from the goats, step up to the plate, take them to god in prayer, the breath of life, the happiness of the forgiven man, thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, thou mayest be found, to a glorious future with Jesus, transgression, troubles, true believers, unconfessed sin, unhappy lives, vitality, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, works
Psalm 32:5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
And then it was Wednesday! How yuh going mih Scrip-Bit family? Hope the new year is progressing smoothly and that you are managing everything nicely through the good graces of our wonderful God.
It’s going to be an awesome year, this 2016! So with that in mind, let’s all perk up and seriously come together in Christ and do His works nuh, works that are necessary to show ourselves as true believers.
Remember Jesus said, by their fruit ye shall know them, (Matt.7:20) and the past few days we’ve been reading James, who declares that faith without good works is meaningless. That means we have got to come up over our problems and inject more of our faith into the things we do and say.
And we can begin today by declaring our Wednesday Wail. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah Friends, doesn’t that just lift your spirits? It surely does mine! I am glad to be alive, and looking forward, not backward….and oh…the promise of that glorious future with Jesus just makes me want to jump for joy and shout His wonderful name! (smile)
Oh my people, we all know that life is not fair or easy, but God is good, and our attitude towards life is what separates the goats from the sheep. Some of us bring a positive attitude to it and therefore have more enjoyment, despite the many problems we all face.
Meanwhile, others portray a negative outlook, and thus live shallow, meaningless, miserable and unhappy lives. That is not the kind of life Jesus died for us to have. He sacrificed His holy and sinless life so that we could have life and even have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
The problem though is that we have to step up to the plate with good attitudes to embrace that abundant life. It doesn’t just come up on its own. And good attitudes don’t just spring up on their own either. We need to come to God for help in achieving them.
That brings us to our Bit, taken from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness. ‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.’
This is Bruh David at his best. As the scholars declare: ‘Psalm 32. The psalm describes the blessedness of forgiveness as no other does. This is the theme of especially the first five verses, which include the happiness of the forgiven man (vv.1-2), the physical and psychological effects of unconfessed sin (vv.3-4), and the simple remedy of confession to obtain God’s forgiveness (v.5).
On this basis David can experience prayer (vv.6-7), divine instruction (vv.8-9), and personal witness (vv.10-11).’
Now that’s all true my people, but I want to point out one thing here, though the remedy of confession might be simple, it certainly needs to be sincere, if we expect our sins to be forgiven. We just can’t go to God and ask for forgiveness, if we don’t feel it in our hearts, because that’s the first place He’s going to look, not just listen to the platitudes that we mouth.
Anyway, let’s get into the Psalm. ‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not (does not charge his account with) iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit).
When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (my vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.’ (Ps.32:1-4)
Yeh friends, yuh see what happens to us when we live with unconfessed sin? We moan and groan all day long, the Lord’s hand is heavy upon us, and our vitality is sapped like the summer’s drought. So living with unconfessed sin is not a very wise thing to do.
And today would be a very good day for those of us who feel old and dried up and miserable and can’t get ourselves together, to consider what sin(s) we might be withholding and go to God and confess them.
Oh my brethren, I can tell you from personal experience that when you get any sin at all off your chest, you feel like a million dollars compared to how you felt before. Bruh David learned that the hard way, as no doubt some of us are doing.
But there’s absolute truth in our Bit my people, so much so that it’s worth repeating again.‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.’
And there’s no better time than right now, the start of this pivotal year, for us to go to God and spill out our hearts to Him in all sincerity and truth. Friends, our Creator and Provider is waiting for us to come to Him in sincere repentance.
As Bruh David says after our Bit. ‘For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. (Ps.32:6)
Gospel truth that, my brethren! So please, today, let’s take a few minutes to ponder our sins, our troubles, whatever is wrong in our lives and then sincerely take them to God in prayer nuh. For that is wisdom at its absolute best. Much LOVE!
…a life filled with unconfessed sin…is no life at all…
14 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, awaken interest in Jesus, away in a manger, Christmas time, confidence, conquerors, Cousin Sol, Creator of the universe, cry up a storm, dash thy foot against a stone, enthusiasm, evil, exuberance, faith, faithful promise, friends, generous help, get on with the programme, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God is good, God's perfect timing, he shall give his angels charge over thee, heartfelt prayer, holy spirit, humble servants, I will deliver him, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, Joseph, joy, keeping lives and families together, lies, life's not fair, Lord Jesus asleep in the hay, LOVE, Mary, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no evil shall befall thee, peace, perfect harmony, prayer, put a smile on your faces, reignite the fire in our spirit, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, remove the frowns, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., rise and shine, serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, tears of joy, the birth of Jesus, the lowing of cattle, thou shalt not be afraid, thou shalt not stumble, thy sleep shall be sweet, thy steps shall not be hindered, truth, ungodly world, walk safely, warms the cockles of my heart, when thou goest out, when thou runnest, wiles, wisdom, words of wisdom
Proverbs 4:12. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened (hindered); and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Well Friends, Monday has rolled around again…Glory to God!
Oh lighten up nuh mih people, put a smile on your faces and remove the ungodly frowns I’m seeing there, simply because it’s Monday and you have to go out and earn a living. Nobody ever said that life was easy or fair, but we know for sure that our God is good! In fact He’s not just good, but He’s most wonderful! Glory Hallelujah!
So if you are one of His children, just rise and shine, and get on with the programme without complaining. And to help us do that, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in perfect harmony, with much enthusiasm and exuberance, so that we can bring a smile to Jesus’ face and have the whole of heaven singing along with us.
Here goes: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih people, that was excellent! Jesus was pleased and all of heaven sang along with us. Oh glory to our great God!
Now here’s an interesting thought I had yesterday morning as I found myself singing the hymn: ‘Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay. The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky And stay by my cradle til morning is nigh. Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever, and LOVE me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, And take us to heaven, to live with Thee there.’
Ah my precious people, what a simple but heartfelt prayer! Anyway, as I was singing that, I suddenly wondered what kind of baby Jesus was. Was He the fractious, colicky, miserable, always crying type, needing to be constantly held? Or was He as sweet and serene as the hymn says?
Most newborns would certainly cry up a storm if they had animals around bleating and lowing. But not our Lord and Saviour Jesus. Awakened by the lowing of the cattle in His birthplace, the manger, He just lies there quietly, not crying, but just gurgling softly as Mary and Joseph look upon Him with wonder and tears of joy spilling from their eyes and hearts.
Personally, I believe it was the latter scenario, a foreshadowing of the peaceful and LOVING adult that He was to become. Just a delicious thought for us to ponder on at this Christmas time Friends, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. (smile)
And at last it’s time for our Bit. ‘When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened (hindered); and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.’
And all we’re going to do today is check out some more scriptures that reaffirm the truth of our Bit. Listen to the psalmist as he confidently declares in Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and a fortress. ‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place); There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder (cobra): the young lion and the dragon (serpent) shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.’ (Ps.91:9-14)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, what a powerful and faithful promise from our great God and Creator! No one else can truthfully make it, because they don’t have the power!
Now let’s end with these marvellous words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘My son, let them not depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace (favour) to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov.3:21-26)
Oh my brethren, doesn’t it just warm the cockles of your heart and reignite the fire in your spirit when you read those wonderful promises of scripture? Well it surely does mine!
And for all of your sakes, I sincerely hope that it does awaken your interest in Jesus as you go out to meet the infidel in battle this morning, for it is the wisdom on which our great faith is based. Much LOVE!
…promises, promises, promises…ALL God’s promises will be fulfilled…in His perfect timing…
12 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a born again life, a lifetime process, a night owl, ancient seals, at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, be filled with the Spirit, be nor drunk with wine, blessings, British type weather, Bruh Paul's prescription, call upon me in the day of trouble, dissipation, entangled by the tentacles of this evil world, excess, faith, faithfulness, false and deceptive deeds, giving glory to God, giving thanks always, giving thanks and praise, God is good, Gramps Schuller, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, I can feel my heart opening like a heavy door, I can hear old chains break, imprisonement, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, in the fear of God, is any among you afflicted, is any merry, It is a good thing to give thanks to god, joyful scripture, learn to know God, let him pray, let him sing psalms, let us make a joyful noise, let us rejoice and be glad in it, life's not fair, LOVE, loving kindness, making melody in your heart to god, maturity in Christ, mercies, miracles, O come let us sing unto the lord, offer unto God thanksgiving, our christian walk, our final earthly breath, pay thy vows, Philippi, praise and thanksgiving, proclaim the good news of His salvation, sang praises unto God, Silas, sing unto the Lord a new song, speaking to yourselves, spiritual and emotional walls, the darkest hour, the day that our Lord has made, the Ephesians, the footsteps of Jesus, the joy of a soul being saved, to the rock of our salvation, trust, wisdom
Psalm 95:1. O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation.
Ah Friends, these late nights and early mornings going to be the death of the ole fella yes! But I’m just naturally a night owl! (smile) I awoke earlier on, looked at the clock and decided it was time to get up, but then thought I’d just roll over and soak for a while.
Hn! But it seems that I fell asleep again, and it was almost an hour later that I finally finished soaking. Hn, hn! What a life eh!
Then I discovered that today, Thursday, was another British type weather day; constant drizzle. Yesterday afternoon turned out beautifully though, with bright sunshine. Let’s hope that today will do the same.
But regardless of how the day turns out, it is still the day that our great and wonderful God has made, filled with plenty new blessings and mercies, so let us rejoice and be glad in it, as we were meant to do.
Now here is something I’ve been trying to share for about three days now, but was thwarted by the Holy Spirit every time. I guess I wasn’t meant to share it until today. So here it is, something from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled ‘LEARN TO KNOW GOD.’
That’s something we all need to do my people! So please pray with me. ‘Dear Jesus, I’ve got to know you better. Please help me! I can feel my spiritual and emotional walls crack. I can hear old chains break. I can feel my heart opening like a heavy old door whose ancient seals have just begun to break.
I can sense the footsteps of Jesus walking into my life. I am beginning to experience the joy of a soul that is being saved, a life that is being born again. Thank You, Lord! Life’s not fair, but God is good. Amen.’
Yes Friends, our God is definitely good, no doubt about it! So hopefully, if we prayed that prayer sincerely, at whatever level of maturity in Christ that we are currently at, we will soon hear new doors opening and feel Jesus beginning to move at a higher level in our lives.
For remember, it’s all a lifetime process, and we never finish learning and maturing until we take our final earthly breath. And to help us do that, in terms of the praise and thanksgiving aspect, we’ll continue our series of messages along those lines.
And our Bit once again wisely invites us: ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation.’
Oh Friends, there’s nothing better in this life than giving thanks and praise to our most wonderful and ever-LOVING God! Why? Because that’s one of the main things we were created for!
But unfortunately we have relegated it to the back parts of our Christian walk. You don’t hear believers singing as often and as joyfully as we once did, because we have been caught up in, entangled by the tentacles of the evil world and all its false and deceptive deeds and teachings.
But today my brethren, we’re going to attempt to correct that with some joyful scripture. Here is Bruh Paul’s prescription to the Ephesians ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
Yes my people, we should always be in thanksgiving and praising mode, regardless of our circumstances. Remember how Bruh Paul and Silas reacted during their imprisonment in Philippi? The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard.’ (Acts 16:25)
Yes Friends, even in one the darkest hours of their lives, they were praying and singing hymns, giving glory to God. And you know what happened; an earthquake came and broke down the prison gates, but none of the prisoners fled, which all led to the saving of the jailer and his family, and no doubt some of the other prisoners also. (Acts 16:26-34)
So you see my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, there is no telling what our God will do when we praise and glorify Him, even in our saddest times. James says it quite right. ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? let him sing psalms.’ (James 5:13)
And Asaph, in Psalm 50 – God is the judge – tells us what our God desires of us. ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ (Ps.50:14-15)
Yes Friends, whenever we sincerely and faithfully call upon our God, we give Him a chance to deliver us, and thus glorify His Holy Name. And we’ll end with these beautiful and most assuring words from 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 works of thy hands.’ (Ps.92:1-4)
Oh my people, my people, please, I’m imploring us to ramp up our acts of praise and thanksgiving to our God and Creator, regardless of our circumstances.
Why? Because when we come to Him in praise and thanksgiving, it gives Him an opportunity to work miracles in our lives and thus raise the level of our faith and trust. It’s wisdom at its best! Much LOVE!
…O sing unto the Lord a new song…sing unto the Lord…all the earth… sing unto the Lord…bless his name…show forth (proclaim the good news of) his salvation…from day to day… (Ps.96:1-2)
15 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed day, admonishment, all-knowing, all-powerful, alleviate, as sheep having no shepherd, because they fainted, bounden duty, Christ has no hands feet or tongues but ours, Christ's work, compassion, courage, diligent, diligent workers, dissatisfaction, eat corn dogs, eternal life, eternally separated from God, ever-present, forgiveness, friends, glory hallelujah, God is good, good news, good to the last drop, Gramps Schuller, great abundance, halfway home, harvesters, He was moved with compassion, heart-broken, heathens, His church, His earthly body, Jesus, Jesus is depending on us, Jesus' sacrificial death, joyful, keep on ploughing straight ahead, King of the universe, life isn't fair, LOVE, loving kindness, Mama Mia, mercies, missionaries, monetary contributions, no turning back, onerous, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, pain, persevering, prayer, reapers, reconciliation, resurrection, ride the Ferris wheel, ripe to hear the Word, saviour jesus christ, scattered abroad, sorrow, soul-satisfying, spiritual harvest, spring like day, strong foundation, sunshine everlasting, the Creator and Controller of the universe, the Great Commission, the harvest truly is plenteous, the judgement day, the labourers are few, the Love Revolution, the lustful things of the world, the middle of the workweek, the unsaved, the wonderful sunshine of Jesus, they were weary, truth, unconditional LOVE, Wednesday, wisdom
Matthew 9:36. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Ah Friends, it’s Wednesday, the middle of the workweek, we’re halfway home, so no turning or looking back now, just keep on ploughing straight ahead! And it’s also supposed to be a beautiful, spring like day, with temps in the mid teens and sunshine everlasting. Wow!
And for us believers it’s going to be an even brighter day, because along with the physical sunshine we’ll also have the wonderful sunshine of Jesus shining forth from our lives. Glory Hallelujah!
That means it’s going to be a real blessed day my people, for when you add all of God’s mercies, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness that He’s prepared especially to shower down on us today… MamaMia! I don’t know if we can handle it nuh. (smile)
And today we’re going to get going with an interesting, humorous but also true quote of a couple days ago from my friend Anselm. And it says: ‘Life isn’t fair. A fair’s a place where you eat corn dogs and ride the Ferris wheel.’
Now that’s absolutely true my brethren. But the wonderful thing about it all, is that our GOD IS GOOD… GOOD TO THE VERY LAST DROP! And there’s no denying it. So the world not being fair doesn’t cause us much anxiety, since our Good God is the Creator and the Controller of the universe.
We are the children of the all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing King of the universe. And all God’s people said a most grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’
And yuh know what too Friends, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ needs us to do His earthly work, to spread the good news message of His sacrificial death and wonderful resurrection that now allows reconciliation with the Father and eternal life for all who believe on Him. Wow! What an awesome job my people.
But as Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) says in His Hour of Power Devotional: ‘Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today. He has no feet but our feet to lead us on the way. He has no tongues but our tongues to tell us how He died. He has no help but our help to bring us to His side.’
Oh Friends, that’s absolute truth! So you see how important we are to Christ’s work here on earth? It all depends on us. And after He’s done so much for us, how can we justify not being diligent and persevering in our work efforts on His behalf eh? We simply can’t!
And I’ve shared that message before, but it’s ever so important that I thought it worth sharing again, since we’re not doing Christ’s work as diligently, enthusiastically and truthfully as we should.
Ah mih people, Jesus is depending on us, His earthly body, His church with strong foundation, built on the rock of His powerful Word, to stir up the LOVE Revolution that will unite the entire world in His everlasting, unfathomable and unconditional LOVE! That’s why he gave the Great Commission (Matt.28:19-20) to the disciples, and consequently to us.
That brings us to our rather appropriate Bit: ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’
Yes Friends, our Lord and Saviour was heart broken when He saw so many people going astray; like lost sheep, with no shepherd to guide them. ‘Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38)
Oh Friends, that’s another admonishment for us to go out and reap a plentiful harvest, because the unsaved are still out their in great abundance, possibly more so today than in Jesus’ time. That means He’s still heartbroken to day, and only we, His true and faithful followers can alleviate His pain and sorrow.
And as the scholars tell us: ‘Verses 37 and 38 constitute one of the great missionary passages of the New Testament. Jesus pictures the world as a great spiritual harvest in need of labourers to gather it into the storehouse.’
Yes my brethren, there are many heathens to be harvested, and there’s lots of space in the storehouses of heaven, but sadly, there are not enough reapers, harvesters and diligent workers to do the job satisfactorily. And if you read between the lines, that’s a slight on us, a mark of dissatisfaction with way we’re doing, or rather not doing, our bounden duty here on earth.
Oh Friends, I know that we can’t all be missionaries to the far-flung parts of the globe, but we can help send some there through monetary contributions and sincere prayers. But we can also do the same job, the job we are called to do, right in our own homes and neighbourhoods, where there are oodles of people who still have never heard of Jesus, and thus have never had the opportunity to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.
Remember Friends, we will all have to stand before Christ, come the judgement day. And when He asks why we didn’t talk to this one, or that one, right in our area, who was ripe to hear the Word, and unfortunately has since been eternally separated from God, what are we going to answer eh? The truth hopefully; that we were too busy with the lustful things of the world? Steups!
That’s certainly not going to cut it my people. So please, let’s get serious nuh, right in our own areas, let’s be diligent and persevering about reaping the plentiful harvest that’s out there to put in Jesus’ storehouse, so that none will be lost, and thus suffer the worst fate a human being can – that of eternal separation from Almighty God!
Remember too Friends, that Jesus has nobody else but us to do it. So let’s show some wisdom and courage, and just do it nuh. Much LOVE!
…after all Jesus has selflessly done for us…His earthly work should not be perceived as being onerous…but rather…joyful and soul satisfying…
29 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dip in my water hole, adrenalin, bout of coughing, buffet, cell phones, decadent food, faithful God, full moon, giving thanks, God is good, Good Samaritan, grocery shopping, gvet our mojo together, I will be with thee, it will not scorch thee, LOVE, Magdalena Grand hotel, magnanimous Creator, Mama Mia, mea culpa, my adventures in Paradise, omnipotent, panoply of stars, roar of the surf, rough shape, sim cards, smile, superman, the beauty of nature, through the rivers, water lapping, when thou passest through the waters, when thous passest through the fire, wine and roses
Isaiah 43:2. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the fire kindle upon (scorch) thee.
Well Friends and neighbours, as I write this at roughly 4 p.m. T&T time; that’s an hour ahead of the north country, I can only laugh, well not really laugh, but chuckle silently, because if I laugh I’m afraid I’ll start a bout of coughing. Hn, Hn!
Anyway, this is day two of my adventures in Paradise…. And there have been many already –not big dangerous ones, but the small, mostly time consuming, annoying variety. Well let’s begin at the beginning.
Oh, first let me apologize for not putting the Bit verse at the top of yesterday’s Bit, although everyone should have recognized it. But I got interrupted while writing it, and by the time I came back, my laptop was dead and I had to hunt around in all the confusion to find the power cord.
Then having found it, my anxiety, or rather my anxiousness (anxiety tends to have a negative connotation while anxiousness is positive) to get it out took over and I did not review it as closely as I should have. Mea culpa, mea culpa. (smile)
But let’s cut to the chase now. Yesterday after I left you, the duchess and I went out to a nearby mall to change some money and buy sim cards for our cell phones. We accomplished the former, but not the latter. One place had none, while the line up in the other was too long. But since we had a land line at home the cell phones weren’t a necessity.
We also bought some of the Colonel’s fare, a big bottle of pop and some ice-cream – lovely, decadent food to tide us over until we went grocery shopping later in the day. I just wanted to have a dip in my water hole and get some sleep before I did anything else.
Well the water hole adventure was something else! Firstly it’s completely stone covered at the top, which I could see, but once I got into the water, it was still mostly stones at the bottom. And I don’t mean gravel-like stuff, but real stones which made it hard to keep your balance, and since the tide was out, I had to go out further than I desired to even get into the low level of water.
I was quite surprised because I bathed there at least twice last year and I would have certainly remembered it if it had been that bad. But it was the saltwater that my mind and body had been craving and clamouring for all along, so I just lay there and let the waves lap over me for about half an hour.
But lo and behold, when I was ready to leave, I got up, not without some effort, but because of the uneven stone bottom I couldn’t find my balance, so I fell back down in the shallow water on my left elbow. No damage done though. Obviously I chuckled, thinking it only to be an aberration.
But the next time I stood up, the same thing happened. That time I fell on my right side. Thankfully, no damage done still. The chuckling then wasn’t so carefree. I realized that I had a problem. I solved it though by moving closer to the shore line on my hands and bottom in the water, for there wasn’t enough water to swim.
Finally, the third time I stood up, I was able to catch my balance and make my way gingerly back to the shore where I had left my slippers. By the time I got there though, I thought that the soles of my feet would be thoroughly lacerated, but through the Lord’s help and the medically wonderful salt water they were not. Ah Lord eh!
So back at the ranch I had my decadent food and went to sleep. But a couple hours later when I got up, neither the duchess nor I felt like going grocery shopping, so we decided to leave it till this morning. We had enough stuff to get us through. So we just unpacked and lazed around, trying to get our mojo together, then went to bed shorty after eleven.
Unfortunately though, around 3 a.m. I woke up with a serious bout of coughing and wheezing. The first sign that my superman day was over. (smile) But when that subsided, I went outside and sat on the deck…
Oh Friends, was that ever beautiful! A panoply of brilliant stars covered the blue sky, with a three quarter full moon adding its bright light. The breeze was strong and cool and had the leaves and trees dancing to up an upbeat tempo, not forgetting the night creatures who were singing their wonderful songs of praise to their omnipotent and magnanimous creator!
Wow! It almost blew my mind. And when you added the roar of the surf off to my left breaking over the reef, then that same water lapping much gentler at the shore in front of me, I forgot all sense of sickness. It was truly a time of peace and harmony!
I sat out there for about half an hour, sometimes giving thanks and otherwise just admiring the beauty that’s nature and silent communing with my Creator and my God. I came back in around 4 o’clock and went back to bed without too much trouble.
However when I got up around nine thirty this morning, it was a whole different story. I felt lousy and tired, the cough began acting up again, and I realized that my superman day was over. I wasn’t really as strong and healthy as I had felt yesterday. I guess it was just the adrenalin and the emotions that were making me feel that way.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, the duchess and I finally got ready to go out shopping, only to find the left front tire of the car flat. Mama Mia. Can you imagine the consternation? We had just had an argument over some petty stuff, then the land line at home wasn’t working. Earlier on I had made a call which turned out to be the wrong number, and thereafter I could not get a dial tone.
So there we were, at odds with each other, no telephone, no car, and nobody around to ask for help. The duchess finally decided she was walking up the street, about a quarter of a mile away, to the Magdalena Grand Hotel to get something to eat, while I fiddled around, like Nero when Rome was burning. (smile)
I finally realized too that I had to walk, after asking two groundskeepers if they had a phone I could use and getting negative answers from both.
But Friends, as I keep saying our God is a good and great God. He realized that I was not in fit shape to walk up the street in the hot sun, so just as I was exiting the compound a good Samaritan showed up in the person of a gentlemen in a car also about to leave, who gave me a lift.
Turned out that he had lived in Canada for a number of years, but now had returned home for good. We picked up the duchess along the way, dropped her off at the hotel, then I went to the office where I got another car and returned to the hotel. By this time I was really feeling lousy, and walking all over the hotel looking for the duchess didn’t make feel any better.
Several people had seen her, but none could say in what direction she had finally gone. At last I decided that she must have gone back home, although I had told her to wait there for me. But as I was exiting the hotel, a lady pointed her out to me, over on the left hand side of the entrance, next to a cafe, under an umbrella having coffee.
The long and short of the story is that she couldn’t get anything to eat in the hotel before noon, lunchtime, and she finally found the café outside selling coffee and cakes. By then I was in such poor shape I decided we’d just stay there for the twenty minutes until noon, have lunch and then come back home, which we did.
The buffet was wonderful, but I wasn’t able to do it justice. That means I was really sick. I’m feeling somewhat better now, but still not up to scratch, and it’s 26 degrees outside. So I’m staying home till the sun goes down. Didn’t plan on making this so long, but that’s what came out, and I don’t have the energy to go back and edit it now. (smile)
And our Bit says it all: ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the fire kindle upon (scorch) thee.’
Ah mih people, I am in somewhat rough shape, but I’m not troubled nor worried. I am happy, knowing that this too must pass. Our faithful God has promised it, and He is indeed faithful who promised. Got to go out shopping now.
Much LOVE!…living a godly life isn’t just wine and roses…but it does have great rewards…
06 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a second chance, act on, affliction, almighty god, be of good courage, be persistent, Beggars alley, begging Peter to pay Paul, believe, change of address, conceive, corruption, endure our afflictions with patience, faithfulness, fall asleep at the wheel, God is always faithful, God is good, God will never forsake us, He will perfect establish and strengthen us, Higher heights, I am cast out of thy sight, I sought the Lord, in due time, Jonah, life is good, look toward thy holy temple, loving kindness, mercy, my soul fainted within me, Nineveh, our task is to take hold of God's grace, out of the belly of hell, Poverty Lane, prepare to achieve, sacrifice, salvation is of the Lord, the Lord delivered me from all my fears, the Lord heard him, the Lord saved him out of all his troubles, the Lord's never late, the voice of thanksgiving, this poor man cried, Tuesday, unlimited potential, upscale community, vomited Jonah on to dry land, wait on the Lord, without grwoing weary, worthless idols
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Well Friends, it’s Tuesday! How was the first day back at work in this new year of 2015 eh? I do hope that it was not too strenuous and you did not fall asleep either literally or figuratively at the wheel, that you took it in full, complete and victorious stride. (smile)
For remember that our task here on earth is to take hold of the grace of our wonderful God to endure our afflictions with patience, without growing weary, knowing that in the due process of time, He will perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us.
We must learn to wait on the Lord with His perfect timing and be of good courage, for He will always come through for us… and in time too, for He’s never late!
Now hear this quote from my Friend Anselm with one of his daily quotes, Inspiring You for a Better Tomorrow. This one talks about a change of address, and it might sound familiar, because I believe I have shared it before. But anyway, it is still a good message to hear and accede to, especially at the start of this new year.
Listen up: ‘This is my change of address notice for 2015. I have moved out from 1 Beggars Alley, located at 2 Poverty Lane at the corner of Bleak and Buster Circle. As of today, I have a brand new home. My new address is: Living Well on 3 Abundance Drive, located at the corner of Blessings Street and Prosperity Peak.
No longer will I allow myself to travel on Begging Peter to pay off Paul route, located at a dead end Intersection called: I Don’t Have, it connects with Borrowers Junction. I no longer hang out at Failure’s Place, near Excuses Avenue, next to Procrastination Point.
I’ve moved on to an Upscale Community called Higher Heights with unlimited potential and opportunities for me to succeed. Look at me, each day that I’m awake, I am thankful to be a product of my new environment. All my clothes are tailor made. I’m dressed in life’s finest.
Let me introduce you to all of them: Conceive, Believe, Act on, Have Faith, Be Persistent, and Always be Prepared to Achieve. Life is good because God is good! Care to change your address?’
Oh my people, that’s an interesting question, and I do hope that all of us would jump up and shout an emphatic ‘Yes!’ because so many of us do need to change our addresses, to move up to Higher Heights from Beggar’s Alley and Poverty Lane.
And so we come to our Bit: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears’
Oh Friends, that is exactly what will happen, if and when you sincerely seek the face and ear of Almighty God! He will NEVER let you down, or leave you in the lurch, for He’s promised that, (Heb. 13:5) and we all know that God is ALWAYS faithful to His promises.
Hear what Bruh David said in a couple of verses later. ‘This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.’ (Ps.34:6)
Glory be, my people! He just verified our Bit! And today we’ll look at a couple more scripture passages which lend verity, veracity, credence and truth to it. (smile)
We’ll begin with Jonah, who tried to run from God, having disobeyed God’s command to go and preach the truth to the sinful city of Nineveh. In God’s wise plan, Jonah ends up in the belly of a big fish.
Please note that the Lord didn’t merely destroy him for His disobedience, but gave him a chance to make matters right between them. And Jonah eventually comes to his senses and makes good use of that second chance.
The Good Book relates it thus: ‘Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine (because of my) affliction unto the Lord, and he heard (answered) me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst (heart) of the seas; and the floods compassed me about (surrounded me): all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then said I, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth (deep) closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms (foundations, bases) of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about (closed behind) me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption (the pit),
O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in (went up) unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities (worthless idols) forsake their own mercy (LOVING-kindness).
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.’ (Jon.2:1-10)
Wow Friends! Imagine that nuh; having to undergo such affliction before we truly come to our senses and sincerely seek Jehovah God!
But sadly, that’s what happens to us in real life. When things are good, we don’t remember or have any use for God. It’s only when affliction and disaster strike, that we rush to our heart’s door and let Jesus in, where He’s been knocking the whole time. And then we expect Him to work miracles on our behalf right away.
That’s not right my brethren, but our God is such a magnanimous and merciful Deity, that whenever we do cry out to Him in sincerity, He hears and answers us. Now hear are some interesting notes on those verses from the scholars.
‘2:1-9. Jonah’s prayer is poetic in form and has three movements, each beginning with a rehearsal of the prophet’s impossible situation, and each culminating in an expression of his faith in spite of his impossible circumstances. The first movement is in verses 2-4. The second movement is in verses 5 and 6. The third movement is in verses 7-9.’
Ah my people, please allow Jonah’s story – first his disobedience and then his undying faithfulness and courage, to stir us up today, and keep us in strong communication with Almighty God, so that we don’t stray too far from the remaining flock of His verdant pasture. That is wisdom of the highest order!
I know that we promised two sets of scriptures, but time and space have run out on us. So, God willing, we’ll continue in this same vein tomorrow. Till then, please walk safely with Jehovah God as our most able guide and veritable embodiment of our strength. Much LOVE!
…walking closely with Jesus…is such a beautiful, beautiful thing…
28 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anguish, ask God's divine guidance, bargains, bargainse, Black Friday, business people, cannot be bought with money, common sense, crown of life, Cyber Monday, desire, discomfort, drawn away by his own lust, drive, encouragement, enthusiasm, enticed, enticing, eternal life, every gift comes from above, every man is tempted, evil, fellowship, firstfruits, fleshly lust, forgiveness, fraudulent, Friday chant, fun, gift, glorious kingdom, God is good, God is immutable, God tries the saints, God's promise, god's redemption of man, gospel truth, grace, greed, greedy, hold our heads and bawl, James, Jesus Christ, joy, LOVE, loving kindness, lust brings forth sin, mark of a true believer, material things, mercy, mistakes, patience, peace, price we have to pay, promise, psychological ploys, Red Thursday, redemption, relaxation, resentment, sales, salvation, shopping blitz, shopping day, sin, sin brings forth death, spooked deer, take it to God in prayer, temptation, tempted of god, tempted with evil, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Father of lights, U.S Thanksgiving, ungodly attitudes and actions, variation, waith for hours, warning, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wisdom, wise decisions, worldwide trend
James 1:14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (desire), and enticed.
And at last it was Friday…! And all the people joyfully shouted: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday; Black Friday!’
‘But wait nuh mih breddren, what Friday is this eh, Black Friday?’ you ask with a confused frown. ‘But it’s not the 13th…’
‘Oh no, not the old mythical Friday the 13th, but the new Black Friday; the excessive shopping day after the U.S Thanksgiving celebrations.’
‘Ah Lord eh!’ you shake your head in disbelief.
Yes my people, it’s another day of supposed sales and bargains that only breeds greed, anguish, resentment and all sorts of ungodly attitudes and actions, where we line up in the cold and dark, hours before stores open, then rush like spooked deer through the doors to buy stuff that we don’t really need, and very often cannot afford.
But the evil and greedy business people have found, or rather created, another day to lure us into their businesses to spend money we don’t have. And now, unfortunately, it’s a trend that’s going worldwide. In Canada businesses are doing their own thing too to try and stop the enormous amount of cross border shopping.
One business even had something it called ‘Red Thursday.’ Steups! And next Monday is now being called cyber Monday, where on-line shopping is the name of the game. And then they will put on the Christmas blitz. We are being constantly bombarded with advertising for all sorts of bargains, which are usually fraudulent.
Oh Friends, why don’t we rush down to God’s house like that eh, where everything is free? And instead of giving away, wasting our hard earned or non-existent money on physical stuff that rots and is easily destroyed, we receive LOVE, joy, peace, mercy, grace, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life; things that cannot be bought with money!
And sadly, even if they advertised church services like they do these supposed sales, very few of us would show up, and even fewer would have the enthusiasm, drive and patience to wait for hours in discomfort until the doors opened.
But we can only try to avoid people falling prisoner to the lure of sales and cheap bargains. And one of the tools we use is our Friday Chant. So let’s chant it nuh, with the same enthusiasm and energy we have for the sales we’ll head out to later in the day. (smile)
As one voice 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.’
Ah mih people, I can only hope and pray that we use a little common sense and wisdom and don’t get in foolishly over our heads in whatever we do today. No doubt many of us will hold our heads and bawl when we realize the mistakes we’ve made. But that’s the price we have to pay when we don’t think before we act, neither do we take everything to God in prayer and wisely ask for His divine guidance and help.
That brings us to these most appropriate words of James. ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried (have been proved), he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.’ (James 1:12-13)
And all of that is gospel truth Friends, as are the words of our Bit which follows them. ‘But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (desire), and enticed.’
And that is exactly what’s happening to us with these sales! The business people are pandering to our natural fleshly lust for material things, and through psychological ploys are enticing us to come and buy what we don’t need or can afford.
And as James continues: ‘Then when lust (desire) hath conceived, it bringeth forth (gives birth to) sin: and sin, when it is finished (full grown), bringeth forth death.’ (James 1:15) Indisputable truth my brethren!
And James ends with a solemn warning, as well as words of consolation and encouragement. ‘Do not err (be deceived) my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firtsfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:16-18)
And the scholars offer these words of explanation: ‘1:17. Three great principles are presented: (1) God is the Father, or Creator, of the heavenly bodies. (2) As their Creator, He is certainly more stable than they. With God there is not even the slightest change; He is immutable. (3) God is only good – and always good.
This third principle relates verse 17 to the preceding context. It answers the implication of verse 13 that God may sometimes tempt man to evil. Though God tries the saints (John 6:6; Heb.11:17), He never tries with evil intent so as to tempt them.’
‘1:18. All the redeemed are God’s firstfruits in that they are the first step in God’s redemption of all creation (Rom.8:18-23).’
So Friends. Let’s go out this Black Friday morning filled with the Spirit of God that will lead us to make wise decisions, even in the midst of plenty psychological bombardment and enticement. That’s the mark of a true believer! Much LOVE!
…though God doesn’t tempt us…He does allow us to undergo trials to test our mettle…but in His LOVING-kindness, He also helps us to handle them…O what a wonderful God we serve and worship…
24 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a price to pay, acknowledge God in all thy ways, all praise and thanks be to god, Bruh David, Cousin Sol, David, faithfulness, gentle rain, God is good, goodness, harm, he shall make smooth and straight your paths, heinous sins, life isn't fair, LOVE, lullaby, sacrificed his only son Jesus, selfish indulgences, Solomon, soothing sounds, stress and strain, the goodness and faithfulness of God, the living is difficult, the throne of Israel, unfairness of life, wet summer's morn, wisdom, wise sentiments, wise words, wonderful god
Proverbs 3:6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.
Oh Friends, it’s Tuesday, and the living is a tad difficult! (smile) Yes, on this wet summer’s morn, the ole back’s a aching, because I lay in bed too long. I refused to get up when the Lord first called.
But how can a body be expected to get up so early in the morning with the very mellow, soothing sounds of a gentle rain, a veritable lullaby (smile) falling outside one’s open window eh?
Chuh! It’s just not fair! No, it truly is not. But whoever said that life was fair eh? There is a price to pay for all our selfish indulgences. However, please remember that despite the unfairness of life, our great God is GOOD!
All praise and thanks be to Him, who willingly sacrificed His ONLY Son, Jesus Christ to pay for our heinous sins! That’s how much He LOVED us back then, and still does to this very day!
Sadly though, we don’t return that LOVE near as much as we should. And that, my brethren, is something we ought to work hard on correcting. Why? Because not LOVING our wonderful God, as we should, is only causing us unnecessary stress and strain, and even great harm.
That’s why I want to continue with our Bit from yesterday; the everlasting wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight or smooth) thy paths.’ What awesome wisdom Friends!
And there was no one who understood those words better than Cousin Sol, because those wise sentiments were first instilled in him by his father Bruh David, when he passed on the throne of Israel. Bruh David was able to do that because he himself had experienced the goodness and faithfulness of God throughout his own life.
Now hear Bruh David’s words to Cousin Sol, as he encourages him to build the temple of God. And please note that this was in front of all the people of Israel.
‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect (loyal) heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now, for the Lord hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.’ (1 Chr.28:9-10)
Oh Friends, are we instructing our children and grand children in like manner? I certainly hope so. Although it doesn’t seem so, since this young generation appears to have no reverence or time for the things of God, but are truly fascinated and deeply involved in the harmful things of the world.
And if that’s so, then we the parents are the ones to blame. I heard somebody say recently that our generation is trying so hard to provide the things we didn’t have for our children, that we have no time to teach or provide them with the things that we did and still do have.
And that’s gospel truth my people! We put so much effort into getting them the unimportant things of this world, that we have no time left, and apparently inclination too, to instruct then in the things of God. How sad my brethren…
Now here is an interesting note from the scholars re Bruh David’s encouragement to Cousin Sol. ’28:9-10. Although David’s charge to Solomon that he serve…the Lord with a perfect heart (cf. Matt.5:48) and a willing mind (cf. Ex.35:21,29) was directed primarily at his son, his point was doubtless not lost on the assembled congregation (cf.29:9).’
And that’s very true, for 29:9 says: ‘Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect (loyal) heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.’ (1 Chr.29:9)
Yes my fellow believers, the people gave willingly towards building God’s sanctuary. I wish we could day that about today’s believers, because getting anything from too many of us to do the Lord’s work is like pulling teeth without anesthetic.
But those are the same ones who expect to see the Lord’s work done with the necessary pomp and ceremony and honour and glory. Ah Lord eh! But that’s another sermon for another day. (smile)
And now we’ll close with the wisdom and reverence that Cousin Sol showed after Bruh David so wisely instructed him in the ways of God. ‘In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead (be king in his place).
Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like dust of the earth in multitude (as numerous as the dust of the earth). Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.’ (2 Chr. 1:7-12)
Oh Friends, neighbours, fellow believers, unbelievers, of whatever faith or non-faith you are, yuh see how our great God deals with those who come to him with humility and reverence, knowing that they can do nothing of any great magnitude without Him, but in and through His great mercy, LOVE and power, ALL things are possible!
And all God’s people gave a joyous shout of: ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise His awesome and glorious Name!’
Now my brethren, since we’re still alive, it means we still have hope. So please, for our children’s sake, let’s all try to undo the wrong we’ve so foolishly done them nuh, and instead imbue them with the wisdom of reverence and faithfulness due to Almighty God. It’s still possible with the Lord’s help. Much LOVE!
…for without me…ye can do nothing… (John 15:5)…with men this is impossible…but with God…ALL things are possible… (Matt.19:26)
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