15 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a repentnat heart, bringing glad tidings of good things, cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, discipleship, drew water piured it out before the Lord, Ebenezer, evil and disaster filled world, gather all Israel to Mizpeh, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, good ambassadors of your Word, hurry, I will pray for you unto the Lord, in god's eyes, Ithe beloved of god, let him deny himself, LOVE, our bunden duty, poured out in personal trust and submission, return unto the Lord with all your hearts, share His love with my neighbours, spread the gospel of peace, stone of help, take up his cross daily and follow me, thanks for life and health, the God of our forefathers, the Lord thundered with a great thunder, the walk of faith, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry
1 Samuel 7:5. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord.
And what does this Tuesday morning in mid-August look like in my area? Unfortunately, it’s opened cool, cloudy and dreary looking. But there’s yet hope for the sun to eventually shine. That’s because as long as we believers in Christ Jesus are alive, we have hope that any and everything is possible and can happen in the name of our marvellous and majestic Lord and Saviour. So, let’s give Him a shout of thanks and praise for His wonderful goodness to us, undeserving children of men.
Please pray with me: ‘Blessed Saviour, we thank you for life and health to see another day on this beautiful but somewhat troubled earth. We thank you for the salvation you provided for us through your sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary, and we faithfully promise to be good ambassadors of your Word during our lifetimes, to be people who spread your gospel of peace, bringing glad tidings of the good things you have to offer to all those we meet. We pray this in your strong and holy name! Amen!’
Yes friends, nothing is impossible for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and if we live faithfully for Him, we shall see all sorts of incredible and unbelievable things happen in our lives. But we must be prepared to make the occasional sacrifice for Him, like He did for us. The walk of faith is not a Sunday walk in the park, or all wine, roses and song, and it can be very difficult and discouraging, if you’re not prepared to make the necessary sacrifices.
And I guess the best way to remind us of that is by quoting Jesus’ requirements for discipleship. He plainly stated: ‘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) And that’s what we need to do each and every day that we’re alive, take up our cross and follow our Lord and Saviour, right to the ends of the earth!
So now that we know the elementary stuff of discipleship, let’s look again at the prophet Samuel, who epitomized the subject, long before it even became a household word. (smile) He didn’t have all the tools that we have, but he persevered with God despite his many problems and led his people Israel in the way of the Lord, unlike many of the judges before him, and the kings after him. It was Sameul who brought the children of Israel back to God when they were being harassed by the Philistines and lamented over the lack of God’s faithfulness to them.
The Bible tells us: ‘And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange (foreign) gods and Ashtaroth (images of Canaanite goddesses) from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’ (1 Sam. 7:3)
Oh my people, a return to worshipping the God of our forefathers, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is exactly what we also need to do today to cleanse our diseased, evil and troubled world. Put aside all the other false gods we now worship and sincerely pledge our hearts to Christ. For that is the only way our world will ever improve. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s check out the example of Israel when they did the same thing.
The Bible continues: ‘Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth (the images of the Canaanite gods and goddesses), and served the Lord only. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord. And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.’ (1 Sam. 7: 4-6)
Wow! What an evangelical event that must have been! Wish we could have something even half as big and powerful as that all over our world today, for it would make such a major, positive difference. And just to show that it was not all fanciful stuff. When the Philistines heard that all Israel was gathered at Mizpeh, they decided to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of the Philistine attack, they were deathly afraid, and they said unto Samuel: ‘Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited (confused) them; and they were smitten (overcome) before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them until they came to Beth-car.’ (1 Sam. 7:8-11)
And who says that crying out to our great God for help with a sincere heart doesn’t work eh? Only fools believe that! ‘Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer (stone of help), saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.’ (1 Sam. 7:12) After that, the Philistines didn’t bother Israel anymore, and they even regained the cities they lost in previous battles. The Good Library says it thus: ‘And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.’ (1 Sam. 7:14-15) Now that was only the beginning of Samuel’s time at the helm of Israel. Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll finish looking at his marvellous story.
In the meanwhile, here are some explanations from the scholars. They say that ‘The pouring out of water (7:6) symbolized a repentant heart poured out in submission and personal trust before God (cf. Ps. 62:8). And thunder was a sign of divine presence, the Lord often used thunder as a part of His military weaponization. Meanwhile Ebenezer means ‘Stone of Help.” The Israelites recognized that their victory really came from God. And the term Amorites is used here as a general term for all the various groups of the native Canaanite population. The Israelites at last achieved peace with both the Canaanites and the Philistines, due to the godly leadership of Samuel, Israel’s last judge.’
Mama oh Mama! If we could only have someone like Samuel today to stand before us in godly leadership! Our world would not be such an ungodly and evil place. But my fellow saints, we do have ourselves and the strength and direction of Christ Jesus, through the wondrous work of the Holy Spirit, so please, let’s do what we can in our own small sphere to improve the godliness of our wonderful world. That’s our bounden duty.
Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, let’s go out now and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…our evil and disaster filled world…needs ALL believers…working sincerely to turn it around…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
10 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a word to the wise, Advocate, all knees must bow, all tongues declare, Amen, Amos, answer, aura of love, belief, bounden duty, children of Jacob, confidence, contentment, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fellowship, friends, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, heed, holy spirit, hope, house of Israel, humble servants, humility, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, judgement, justice, King of Kings, lies, Lord of all, Lord of Lords, LOVE, meat and potatoes, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not the hour, nuff said, peace, personified by, power of prayer, prayer, problem, reality, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness, salvation, seed of Abraham, seek ye the Lord, smell the coffee, solution, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sufficient, the day, the kingdom of God, the Lord our god, the Lord's anger, the meek of the earth, trust, truth, ungodly world, wake up, waxing philosophical, wisdom, Zephaniah
Zephaniah 2:3. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgement (upheld his justice); seek righteousness, seek meekness (humility); it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.
And the revolving door revolves once more…and what does it open on …MONDAY! And the whole crowd goes wild, shouting: ‘Yay! It’s Monday once again! Time to go back out to work; to have a good time in this evil old world, witnessing for our Lord and Saviour, Leader and Field General, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, to whom all knees must bow and all tongues confess that He is indeed Lord of all, to the glory of our heavenly Father!
Wow mih breddren! What an opening on this chilly Monday morning in this Christmas season of 2018! (smile) And I know that’s not how it is with most of us, but that’s how it ought to be if we sincerely have Jesus in our lives and live those lives based on His wise advice. But since we are so imperfect, stubborn and ‘own way’ (smile) we will forever have problems getting ourselves together to go out and labour after having the short two days off on the weekend.
However, we have the solution and answer to that problem; it’s a li’l thing called prayer, in particular, one called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And believe me, it works wonders on mornings like these, lifting our spirits and helping us get ourselves together so that we can do our bounden duty, that which we spoke about in the opening passage.
Brother! What a way the ole fella waxing philosophical this morning. (smile) But enough of that philosophical stuff yes, it not getting us anywhere nuh. Instead, let’s delve into the reality of the situation, the meat and potatoes section and declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with how much ever enthusiasm we can muster.
Altogether now: ‘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!’ And again we say… ‘AMEN!’ Yeh friends, one more ‘So let it be,’ just for good measure. (smile)
Oh, the power of prayer my people! It’s awesome! Yuh see how yuh demeanour just changed after sincerely invoking the name of Jesus, our heavenly Advocate, to the Father? A feeling of peace and contentment and joy just suddenly enveloped you as the Holy Spirit did its marvellous job on the advocacy of the Son, and the orders of the Father!
And it all comes about through hope, through faith, and through belief in the One and Only True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as personified by His most wonderful Son, Jesus Christ! And yuh know what friends? In these last days, these difficult, evil and troubling times, I believe we need to find that One True God and hold on to Him for dear life, because things are not getting better, but worse.
And in a time like ours in Israel, the prophet Zephaniah had this dire warning for his deviant and defiant people, re the scope of divine justice. ‘Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgement (upheld his justice); seek righteousness, seek meekness (humility); it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.’
My people, those are words we should heed with as much alacrity as possible, because we know neither the day nor the hour when calamity shall befall us individually, as well as the overall world. And believe me, it will because of the disgraceful, disgusting, ungodly manner in which we’re currently living.
Yeh friends, the Lord is indeed long-suffering, but that doesn’t mean we can get away with wilful disobedience for ever. At some time His patience will run out, as it did on several occasions with Israel, and we will pay a hefty price, just like they did.
The psalmist reminded Israel of the Lord’s good works on their behalf, and by extension on our behalf too. ‘Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember the marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth. O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. He is the Lord our God: his judgements are in all the earth.’ (Ps.105:4-8)
Yes my fellow believers, the Lord’s word and judgements are all over the earth, because the earth is His; He made it and still controls it, and nothing happens without His allowing it. So let’s wake up and smell the coffee nuh, be wise and write these words of Amos the prophet, spoken long ago on the Lord’s behalf, indelibly in our hearts, spirits and souls: ‘For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live.’ (Amos 5:4) Nuff said! A word to the wise is sufficient! Much LOVE!
…before anything else…seek ye first the kingdom of God…and His righteousness…
07 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accolade, be gracious to me, believe god's Word, bread was buttered, burden, Christmas Season, come unto me, compassionate heart, confidence in princes, courage, curse, devastation, difficult situations, disbelief, distress, faith, find rest, foolishness, fragile, friend, gentle, get on our knees, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God of my righteousness, grace, have mercy on me, hear my prayer, heartbreaking pictures, heavy laden. give you rest, humble, I am meek, I called upon the Lord, in distress, labour, learn from me, loss of life, LOVE, lowly in heart, man after his own heart, mar the joy, mercy, momentary, my burden light, my yoke is easy, negative word, number one, offer prayers, prayer, prosper, self-control, self-discipline, set me in a large place, Southern California, succeed, take my yoke, talent, the great invitation, the greatest power on earth, the Lord answered me, the Lord God Jehovah, Thursday Blessings, time of need, trust, trust in man, trust in the Lord, wildfires, wisdom, yoke
Psalm 118:5. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.
Oh my people, what else is going to mar the joy of this 2017 Christmas season eh? I’m talking about the rampant wildfires that are currently raging through Southern California with a renewed vengeance. As the old people would, say, when it’s not one thing, it’s another. And that’s the truth.
The heartbreaking pictures of the sprawling devastation show us just how fragile and momentary our lives are. Can you imagine the terrible Christmas those people affected by those fires will spend? Ah Lord eh! Thankfully though, the loss of life doesn’t seem to be a major problem, for which we are very grateful.
Friends, please, let’s do what we can to physically help them, but most importantly, let’s get on our knees and sincerely offer prayers on their behalf, as prayer is the greatest power on earth.
And you know I wasn’t planning on using the Bit from the past few days today, but after writing that stuff above, I found that it was just so appropriate, that I had no choice. ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.’
That’s the best, in fact it’s the first thing those people should do; call on the Lord God Jehovah seeking His grace, LOVE and mercy in their devastating time of need. It’s first thing WE ALL should do when we find ourselves facing difficult situations, but oftimes it’s the last thing we do. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to turn to the Lord first nuh; if it’s a matter of trust or simple disbelief, but that’s what His word says.
Listen to His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, who else has offered such a magnificent and welcoming invitation eh? NO ONE ELSE! But yet we have problems in accepting it, and I really can’t understand why. All I can surmise is that we don’t truly believe God’s word, our faith isn’t strong enough, and we prefer to first put our trust in man, and leave God as a last resort.
But that’s utter foolishness my brethren! For as the psalmist so strenuously warns and reminds us in Psalm 118, a few verses after our Bit: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
How much clearer can that be eh friends? Not much. But what’s our usual first response when trouble comes? We run to the phone or text a friend, or google the problem on the Internet. And if none of that works, then we cry out to God for help and expect it to come immediately. But unfortunately friends, our great God doesn’t work like that.
He expects to be FIRST and FOREMOST in our lives, at ALL times, and in ALL situations! Anything other than that is unacceptable! Our first reaction should ALWAYS be to call on God, like Bruh David did in the opening of Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God.
‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress: have mercy on me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.’ (Ps.4:1)
Oh my fellow believers, as I keep reminding us, despite all his sinfulness and troubles, Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered, thus he continually called on the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And please note how he opens his prayer by acknowledging the righteousness of God, and then remembering all the times that the Lord had previously helped him, and then on those bases, pleading for help in his current calamitous situation.
We should be doing likewise in our time of adversity, but all too conveniently and foolishly we forget the times when the Lord helped us, and get angry when His help is not immediately forthcoming.
Friends, we can’t want a better example than Bruh David in terms of prayer and praise. He was a man just like us with a sinful nature, but he kept crying out to God in ALL situations, and wonder of wonders, the Lord called him a friend and a man after His own heart.
If we sincerely trust and rely on the Lord God Jehovah in ALL that we do, we too can look forward to being called a friend of God, and a man or woman after His own heart. To me, that is the greatest accolade we can ever receive in this life, and is something I’m trying to work toward.
But in the meantime I’m also going to enjoy the blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us, as listed in our Thursday Blessings. And since there is power in our words, let’s declare them with much enthusiasm, sincerity and truth nuh.
Loud and proud 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!’
Oh friends, what a magnanimous and magnificent God we serve! Give Him the thanks and praise He so rightly deserves, and follow His desires, as we go out and share those wonderful blessings with others today. Much LOVE!
…who is Number ONE in our lives…and who are we going to call on FIRST…the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…
16 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a new song, a pillar of cloud, a pillar of fire, all the earth shall worship thee, beneficial, blessed, bread and butter, caught up, Christians, cleave to the Lord, comfort, Creator, disappointed, eaxalted, end all, error, eternal life, exceedingly rejoice, excited in Jesus, exhortation, faithful readers, fear the Lord, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, goodness, heal our hurts, History, hold fast, honour, how awesome art thy works, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, Jesus, Jesus the only answer, joyful, judgement, justice, King of Kings, let the righteous be glad, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving kindness, make a joyful noise, manna, merciful giver, Moses, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, our be all, pains, part the Red Sea, Pharaoah, Praise the Lord, problems, rejoice, rejoice before God, righteous, righteousness, ruler of heaven and earth, salvation, Selah, sing forth the honour of his name, sing to thy name, sing unto God, stars of heaven, swear by his name, tendencies, testimony, the breath of God, the days of the week, the First and the Last, the greatness of thy power, thine enemies submit, this is the day the Lord has made, time of sorrow, under the weather, wailing, water from a rock, we will rejoice and be glad in it
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Oh friends, the ole fella’s somewhat disappointed this morning. First in myself, for writing that yesterday was Thursday when it was only Wednesday. And second because none of my supposed faithful readers saw it fit to write me and point out the error.
But all of that’s history now. It’s become a testimony; that one can get so caught up and excited in Jesus that you don’t even know the days of the week! (smile)
So what shall we do today? I guess we’ll just preach yesterday’s sermon today, beginning by wailing our heads off. There’s nothing that says we must wail on a particular day. For that matter we can do anything on any given day.
So let’s wail nuh. ‘Thursday, Thursday, Thursday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Thursday! Thursday, Thursday, Thursday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Thursday! 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!’
Yes my brethren, the day’s not as important as what we declare in it! And I’m sure glad to be alive on this Wednesday or Thursday, (smile) although I’m a tad under the weather, with a touch of the flu. But it’s certainly great to be alive, and I’m trying my best to keep my hands on the plough and look straight ahead to that glorious future with Jesus!
I sure hope that you all are feeling the same way too. If not, you’d be doing yourself a huge disservice, for Jesus is the ONLY answer to our problems! He ALONE can heal our hurts and pains, give us comfort in time of sorrow, feed us with manna from heaven, and bring us to salvation and eternal life!
Give Him some thanks and praise for His wondrous deeds on our behalf nuh! And all God’s people declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for He is our Be All and End All; the First and the Last; King of Kings and Lord of Lords; Ruler of heaven and earth! There is NONE else like Him! NONE worthy to be exalted above Him! All glory and honour be to Him!’
Yeh mih people, that’s how important Jesus is to us. And we’ll continue with our Bit, the same one from yesterday: ‘But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.’
Ah friends, if we’re Jesus’ people, and we’re righteous – well as righteous as we can be – then we ought to be glad and rejoice in the presence of our great and wonderful God.
As the psalmist so rightfully says: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24) It would be good, very beneficial, if we can remind ourselves of that fact each and every day my people.
Now let’s check out some more wonderful scripture passages that deal with praising Almighty God. Listen to the psalmist from Psalm 66 – The great works of God.
‘Make a joyful noise (shout) unto God; all ye lands: sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible (awesome) art thou in thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.’ (Ps.66:1-4)
Yeh friends, ponder that for a moment nuh! Now listen to Moses exhort the Israelites. ‘Thou shalt fear the Lord they God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave (hold fast), and swear by his name.
He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible (awesome) things, which thine eyes have seen. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with three score and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.’ (Deut.10:20-22)
Ah mih people, what mighty and awesome works the Lord our God did indeed do in the sight of those Israelites of old! Who else could part the Red Sea and allow them to walk across it on dry land eh, then swallow up the army of Pharaoh in a wall of water?
Who else could have led them through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night, assuring them of His presence and safety from their enemies? And who else could have given them water from a rock, manna and meat more than sufficient for their needs in the wilderness eh?
NONE but the mighty, ever-lasting and ever-living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! No wonder we praise and thank Him as much as we do!
Now let’s end with this exhortation from Psalm 33 – Praise to the Lord for His creation. ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for his praise is comely (beautiful) for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (shout of joy). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He LOVETH righteousness and judgement (justice): the earth is full of the goodness (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord.’ (Ps.33:1-5)
And indeed it is my fellow believers! So today, as we go about the Lord’s business, please let’s remember to be thankful and give Him praise for all that He’s done, is doing now and has promised to do in the future for us.
Remember, He is our Creator, our bread and butter, our calm in the time of storm, and the merciful giver of salvation and eternal life! Much LOVE!
…Christians are the most blessed people in the world…therefore they should also be the most joyful… P.S.
Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, you know the ole fella’s late night tendencies. (smile) Much LOVE!
13 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, Bruh Paul, charles stanley, Christ-like example, concern, Dr, Ephesians, for by grace you have been saved, forgiveness, free gift of grace, full of grace and truth, glory hallelujah, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's Riches at Christ's Expense, good works, grace, guidance, Hades, heaven, hell, his own received him not, holy spirit, in the eyes of the Lord, In Touch, it is a gift of God, lest any man should boast, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, my name's written in the Book of life, Noah found grace, not od works, not of yourselves, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, righteousness., salvation, Saul, saved through faith, spiritual birth, strength, thanks and praise, the Damascus road, the power to become the sons of God, the world knew him not, them that believe on His name, thw will of the flesh, unmerited favour, wisdom
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Aye Friends, in some parts of our world night is swiftly falling, while in others, day is slowly dawning, but be it known that the controlling factor in both circumstances is the hand of Almighty God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
So while some on the other side of the world are praying, asking for a restful and refreshing night of sleep, we on this side of the pond are giving thanks for being able to see the Son’s glorious light for another wonderful day.
And we’re also asking for strength, guidance and wisdom to do God’s Will as we go about our day, hopefully doing good like our Lord and Saviour Jesus did while He sojourned here on earth. Later on tonight, the situations will be reversed, but in His absolute wisdom, that’s just the way God planned it.
Now this past week on In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley, I heard a male quartet open the proceedings with a beautiful spiritual song that touched my heart mightily. (smile) Some of you who watch Uncle Charles might have also heard it. I don’t remember the verses of the song, but the chorus was so memorable that it stuck in my mind.
Please sing it with me. ‘Saved by grace. I have been saved by grace. My name’s written in the Book of Life. And my sins are washed away. Saved by grace. I have been saved by grace. It’s not what I deserve. But I have been saved by grace.’
One more time people, so that the truth of those statements can sink right down deep into our souls. ‘Saved by grace. I have been saved by grace. My name’s written in the Book of Life. And my sins are washed away. Saved by grace. I have been saved by grace. It’s not what I deserve. But I have been saved by grace.’
Yes Friends, it’s by God’s free gift of grace that we are saved, not by anything else! And yuh know what too? We absolutely don’t deserve it. But nonetheless, we have been saved by God’s grace.
‘And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Give the Lord much thanks and praise for His great LOVE and concern for us!’
Yuh better believe that too yes Friends, for without God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness we’d all be heading for Hades with Lucifer, with no chance for, or of redemption. Glory be for such a wonderful Deity!
Now let’s check out our Bit and delve a little more into the ramifications of the whole situation. (smile) ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’ That’s Bruh Paul telling it to the Ephesians plain and clear!
And the scholars offer this explanation re the Grace of God. ‘2:8. The grace of God is the expression of His goodness toward the undeserving. Grace means unmerited favour, and can be expressed by the acrostic “God’s riches At Christ’s Expense.” This grace is the basis of our salvation (1:7; 2:8).
Illustration: In salvation, men who deserve hell obtain heaven. This cannot be explained apart from God’s grace. When Paul (Saul) met the Lord on the Damascus Road, Paul was a persecutor of the church. Yet God made him one of the church’s chief preachers. Application: We need to remember that we are saved, given the Holy Spirit, and allowed to serve God – by His grace. (First Ref. Gen.6:8; Primary Ref. Eph.2:8; cf. Ps.139:1).’
Yes my brethren, the whole shebang has nothing to do with us, but all with God. As Bruh Paul continues after our Bit. ‘Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:9-10)
Now listen to the scholars’ explanation of those two verses. ‘2:9. The reason, in part, that salvation is not achieved by good works is to prevent men from bragging of having earned a place in heaven by themselves.’ ‘2:10. For verifies the assertion of man’s good works having no part in obtaining salvation.
Workmanship refers not our original or physical birth, but our spiritual birth: what we are spiritually in the good sense is due to God, not ourselves. Created in Christ Jesus unto good works means “having been (morally) re-created by Christ Jesus for good works”; that is, Jesus remade our spiritual lives so that we could then do good works.
The apostle’s thinking is this: since the Christian has been given spiritual life for the purpose of doing good works, there could have been no good works by him prior to conversion that would merit salvation. Good works follow – do not precede – salvation.’
And there we have it my people, some basic facts about that most wonderful attribute of God, called grace! Unfortunately though, not a whole lot of us seem to appreciate it, because we don’t hold God in high esteem. Many of us refuse to even believe that there is a God. I’m sorry for that poor lot, but there’s not a whole lot that we can do except tell them about Christ and live the way He wants us to live. Hopefully our Christ-like example will make a bigger difference than our talking.
And we’ll end with these moving words of John. ‘He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:10-14)
Oh Friends, that puts it all into a nutshell, so that we can see it at one glance. Please ponder all that we’ve said to day, so that we can improve our faith, our Bible knowledge and our righteousness as befitting true believers. Much LOVE!
…but Noah found grace…in the eyes of the Lord… (Gen.6:8)
27 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a rough day, all praise to the lamb that was slain for us, almighty god, Amen, and he heard my voice, Anselm's Quote, anxious, approach God's holy throne, Asa, ask, ask and it shall be given to you, ask for Your help, attitude of positive expectation, Azariah, believers in Jesus Christ, Bruh David, burdens, Calvary, Creator, cup of java, enjoy God's goodness, ever-generous God, expectant faith, fallen world, fearful, freedom, friends, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's goodness, God's Holy Will, good things of God, grace, he will be found of you, he will forsake you, Healer, heavenly Father, heavenly wisdom.the giver of success, hot cup of coffee, hungry hope, I cried unto the Lord, I will not be afraid, if ye forsake him, if ye seek him, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, it's up to us to look for God, joint heirs with Christ, knock and it shall be opened, lead and guide us, lighten our load, look forward to a brighter day, loving kindness, mercy, naysayers, needful times, new blessings, new mercies, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, option, our be all and end all, out of his holy hill, petitions, precious blood, provider, reaching out to God, reconciled, safely, saved children, seek and you shall find, smile, strength to bear our load, succour, superior personality, Thank you Father, thanks and praise, the Father's good graces, the Lord is with you, the Lord sustained me, the Spirit of God, the undeserving children of men, time of need, Tuesday, warning, we love and adore you, while ye be with him, wisely
Psalm 3:4. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Oh Friends, yesterday was indeed a rough day! I haven’t had one like that for a long while, and in truth, I don’t want to have another one for an even longer while! (smile) I guess though, that I was due for one of those rough and miserable days.
But the reality Friends, is that today is Tuesday; a brand new day, and I’m certainly looking forward to the brand new mercies and new blessings which the Lord prepares for us every day!
I’m still tired and a tad woozy (smile) but I am feeling better, although I could not get up to write an early Bit. However, I am waiting with hungry hope and expectant faith for all the good things that the Lord has in store for me today, and I would strongly advise that you do the same thing too.
And believe me, that first cup of java, tinged with some cough syrup, is certainly going down warm and soothing on the chest! (smile) Let the naysayers say what they want, but you can’t beat a hot cup of coffee on any morning, especially a cold one, and it is cold an snowy by me.
But enough of my woes, you have your own to contend with, and the only thing that’s going to help either of us, is reaching out to our Creator, our Healer, our Heavenly Father and generous Provider; the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
So let’s do that nuh. Please pray with me. ‘Heavenly Father, our be all and end all, Your grateful children come to you this morning bearing heavy burdens that we cannot carry. We sincerely ask for Your help, either for strength to bear them, or for Your LOVING-kindness to lessen and lighten our load.
We’re doing our best, but You know we can’t do much in our own strength, that’s why we’re looking to You this morning for grace, mercy and succour in our time of need.
We LOVE and adore You, and give You thanks and praise in our own simple way, and ask that You lead and guide us safely and wisely on this blessed day, as we make our way through this fallen world, trying to do Your holy will.
This we pray, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose precious blood that was shed at Calvary, enables us to confidently come to You with our petitions. Thank You father. Amen.’
And you know what my people? If you sincerely prayed that prayer, I truly believe that our gracious Father in heaven heard it, and is right now getting ready to act on it on all our behalves! So let’s all look forward to a brighter day! Glory to God for His goodness to the undeserving children of men!
And rather appropriately, here is my friend Anselm’s quote from yesterday that inspires for a better tomorrow. ‘An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of a superior personality.’
And that’s no lie, my brethren, for all successful achievers have a positive attitude and outlook on life! Our Bit today is also rather appropriate. It comes from Psalm 3, Bruh David’s prayer of confidence in God. ‘I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.’
And that’s exactly what we did earlier on my people; we cried out to our ever-generous God for help and succour in these very trying and needful times.
We have that option because we are believers in Jesus Christ, which has made us new creations, with the freedom to approach God’s holy throne of grace, since we are now reconciled to Him once more. We are now His saved children, joint heirs with Christ in the kingdom.
And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise to the Lamb that was slain for us, so that we could get back into the Father’s good graces!’
By the way, the second cup of caffeine is going down just as good as the first! (smile)
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that reinforce our Bit. And we’ll begin with the verses right after it. ‘I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps.3:5-6)
Oh Friends, I do hope that we can all say those things in sincerity, because until we can, we will always be fearful and anxious about our lives.
And from way back when, comes this warning of the prophet Azariah. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet (before) Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr.15:1-2)
Now my brethren, the matter couldn’t be stated any simpler or more straightforward than that! It’s up to us to look for God.
And we’ll end with these famous words of Christ that convey the same basic message. ‘And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Luke 11:9-10)
Yes Friends, it’s time we start seeking, asking, and knocking, if we want to enjoy God’s goodness! That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to be successful…one must seek the Giver of success…Almighty God…
P.S. Please be forewarned that tomorrow’s Bit may be even later than today’s because I have some stuff to do out of town that will push my whole schedule back. But please wait with baited breath, because it will be good – as always. (smile) Much LOVE!
07 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and he delivered me from all my fears, as for me and mine, as I was with Moses, ask and it shall be given to you, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, blessings, children of the Most High, circumstances, communication with God, deity, diminish the cold, encouragement, fear, fervent and continual prayer, forgiveness, frequent prayer, giving, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's LOVING-kindness, grace, half-way home, hell freeze over, hope, I sought the Lord, I will not fail thee nor forsake thee, jehovah god, Joshua, knock and it shall be opened, leader of the Israelites, LOVE, magnanimity, magnificence, mercies, no excuse for failure, O taste and see that the Lord is good, oersevrance, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, promise, rejoice and be glad in it, reverence, sacrificing Jesus, seek and you shall find, Son Jesus, sunshine, taking, thank you heavenly Father, the death of Moses, the Lord thy God is with thee, the sun is shining, they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing, this is the day the Lord has made, to eternity and back, trust, walk in god's will, we praise and bless your holy name, we will follow Jesus, Wednesday, words of wisdom, workweek
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Well hello there Friends and Neighbours, welcome to this big and beautiful Wednesday morning! But brother it’s cold as ever, just like the last two days were, probably cold enough to make hell freeze over too! (smile)
Hopefully though, there will be lots of sunshine, like we had yesterday, to sort of mentally diminish the cold, since it never seems as bad when the sun is shining. Hn!
However my people, today is Wednesday, which means we are half-way home through our work week, which I know is proving to be very difficult for some of us, being the first one of the year, and all that. But wherever you are, and whatever the weather situation might be there, I want us to remember a few salient facts.
Firstly, that this is the day the Lord has made, and regardless of our circumstances, we ought to rejoice and be glad in it, for that’s why the Lord made it. Secondly, we’re alive, that means there’s hope that all our situations will be bettered eventually.
And lastly, that today, new mercies, new grace, new forgiveness, and new blessings are being prepared in heaven to shower down on us all later on.
Wow! That’s the magnificence, magnanimity and LOVING-kindness of our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God!
And all the children of the Most High declared a loud and heartfelt: ‘Thank You heavenly Father! You are so good to us! We praise and bless Your holy name! And much much thanks again too for sacrificing Your One Son Jesus, so that we could have LOVING communication once more with You.
You are indeed the very best! We truly do LOVE You, and will endeavour to walk sincerely in Your will this new year of 2015; with Your help and encouragement of course! This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!’
Oh Friends, Jehovah God is such a wonderful Deity, that I don’t know what we’d do without His LOVING-kindness!
Now that segues very smoothly into our Bit: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’
Oh my fellow believers, that only proves what we’ve said above! Which other supposed god does stuff like that eh? None of them! They are only interested in taking, while the living, LOVING and very active God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is much more concerned with giving!
I don’t know about you all nuh Friends, but I’d much rather have a God that gives than one that takes. That brings us to our first scripture passage showing where and how the Lord quells fear in His obedient subjects, and that’s when He appoints Joshua as the leader of the Israelites, after the death of Moses.
Hear these wonderful words of encouragement and promise that the Lord told him back then. ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous… Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1: 5, 6a, 7a, 9)
What a display of encouragement my people on the part of our kindly and LOVING God! Three times in four verses, He tells him to be strong and of a good courage. With all of that, if Joshua obeyed, He couldn’t help but succeed!
Now listen to some further words of Bruh David on the subject, which ought also to enlighten us and boost our courage. ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear (reverence) the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear (reverence) him.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord.’ (Ps.34:8-11)
Oh my people, how can we not be encouraged when we hear those wonderful words from a man who lived them eh?
And we’ll close, as we like to whenever possible, with words from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself. Hear these challenging but righteous and very truthful words from the Master.
‘Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt.7:7-11)
Oh Friends, what beautiful sentiments from our Saviour!
Now here are some interesting and relevant notes on those verses from the scholars. ‘7:7-10. The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer.
Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
Oh my brethren, in light of those fateful and moving words from Jesus and the scholars, what more can a humble human like myself add eh?
Not much nuh, except to advise and encourage us to follow them, if we want to be successful down here on earth, as well as in heaven above, for they are indeed words of heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…hn!…we will follow Jesus…all the way to eternity…and back too… (smile) …that’s how much trust and faith we have in Him…
21 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, all things work together for good, anxiety, appealing to love in power, background, believe, believing, blessed, bounden duty, bring them to Jesus, buckle down, buoyed, calamity, Calvary, Christian, comfort, comforted, Corville Peters, eternal source of love, ever-faithful God, ever-LOVING God, everlasting guidance, evil, evil world, expected end, faith, faithfulness of our wonderful God, fear, foreground, forgiveness, friendliness, fulfilment, further God's glorious kingdom, God cares for us, God intereceding, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's mysterious moving, gospel truth, guidance, guided, have life more abundantly, healed, help, holy, holy spirit, hurting, hurts my heart, indisputable, Jamaican origin, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, joy, kindness, life haapens to even the best of us, Live at the Cross, living our lives to the full, LOVE, mercy, oh what a joy, omnipotent deity, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, peace, ponder, prayer, prayer is love in need, purpose, put our best foot forward, renew their lapsed committment, sacrificing His life, Scrip-Bit, search for me with all your heart, sinless, smile, stand strong and steadfast, sustenance, the affairs of my life, the called, the elect, the One and Only Living God, the strength, the thoughts that I think towards you, to them called according to His purpose, to them that love God, Top o' the morn, trust, try my best to live for Him, undeniable, watched, when you pray to me, wisdom, worry, you shall find me, you shall seek me
Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for Good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Well Friends, family, neighbours and strangers, top o’ this fine autumn Tuesday morn to all of you! And the question this morning is; are we living our lives to the full, is their sufficient joy and peace in our lives?
And if not, why not? Because that is one of the reasons our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave for coming to earth and sacrificing His holy and sinless life on our behalf; that we might have life, enjoy it more abundantly, without fear and worry and anxiety. (John 10:10)
And if we aren’t doing that, then something is seriously wrong somewhere in our lives. We need to investigate it and turn it around, sooner rather than later, so that we can get the full benefit of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross at Calvary.
And speaking of the cross, I heard a great line on the t.v. programme ‘At the Cross Live,’ last night that deals with prayer. And it says: ‘Prayer is LOVE in need, appealing to LOVE in power!’
Now isn’t that a wonderful definition? It certainly is! We, the folks of earthly LOVE, in need of sustenance and fulfillment down here, are appealing, are crying out to the eternal source of LOVE, our omnipotent Deity!
That brings me to a recent interesting happening in my life. Well every week I tape some religious programmes and watch them at my leisure. A couple months ago though, I suddenly saw this programme ‘At the Cross Live’ showing up as being recorded on my PVR.
Now I’d never even heard of the programme before, and so I queried myself as to what it was and how it came to be recorded? All of my immediate family members denied doing it, but Sunday after Sunday it showed up as being recorded. One day I finally decided to check it out…
And oh what a joy it’s been my people! It’s a late night, early Sunday morning Christian based talk show, or rather help line that comes on on one of the Christian t.v. channels. I don’t even know which one. (smile) A gentleman of Jamaican origin named Corville Peters hosts it, for two and a half hours from 1 to 3:30 a.m.
And Friends, what really grabs me about the programme is the sad state of some of the people who call in asking for help through prayer and guidance. Oh my fellow believers, there are innumerable numbers of our fellow man out there in this troubled world who are hurting in a terrible way!
Sometimes it just hearts my heart to hear the low, joyless, frustrated, painful lives they’re leading. And I must say that Corville does an excellent job of trying to comfort them and either bring them to Jesus for the first time, or renew their lapsed commitment to Him.
My point here people, is that if it wasn’t me, or any one of my family members who set the programme to record every Sunday morning – only for the first hour though – then it had to be the hand of our heavenly Father interceding in the affairs of my life, leading me to a programme that He desires me to watch!
That’s the only explanation I can come up with Friends. So how can I not believe eh, and with believing, try my best to live for Him? It just doesn’t make sense any other way.
So my fellow believers, I ask us all today, to please have faith, please stand strong and steadfast in the strength and LOVE and faithfulness of our wonderful God, because He does care for us, and is constantly moving in our lives in ways we might not understand, or even see.
But be assured that we are being closely watched, guided, blessed, comforted and healed by the ONE and ONLY LIVING GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
And I know that those sort of seemingly unexplainable situations don’t only occur in my life, but in the lives of ALL believers! All of us have undergone moments of thought and ‘ponderation’ – I just like the word because it conveys a higher level of pondering (smile) – when certain unexplainable happenings happen in our lives.
That’s God, my brethren, our heavenly Father, moving in our lives in His usual mysterious manner, to put into effect His just as usual mysterious purpose, so that He can successfully work out the plan, the good plan, the good thoughts that He has towards us, as verified in Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28.
Oh Friends, I might as well quote those scriptures and use one as our Bit, since I don’t have one as yet, and I’ve just been talking off the top of my head, (smile) allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me.
Oh my people, that’s the beauty of writing this Scrip-Bit! Most days I don’t know where the Lord wants to lead me, but when the time comes for writing, He ALWAYS guides me to something or some place, though not always without some effort on my part! That’s why I can sincerely talk about faith, trust and hope in His everlasting guidance.
Anyway, enough of my prattling, here are the scripture passages, beginning with Jeremiah’s great proclamation and promise on behalf of our ever-faithful, ever-LOVING God.
‘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). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken (listen) unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jer.29:11-13)
What wonderful promises my brethren! Promises on which we can stand steadfast and strong!
Now listen to Bruh Paul, as he corroborates Jeremiah’s promises to the early church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.28:8)
Yes Friends, that’s indisputable, undeniable, gospel truth!
Now here is an interesting explanation of that verse from the scholars. ‘8:28. To them that LOVE God is the human perspective. God is working all things together for good, but those who LOVE God are best able to appreciate that fact because they LOVE Him no matter what (cf. Job 13:15). To them who are the called is the divine perspective. Scripture often refers to believers as “the called” or “the elect.”
And yes my brethren, we are ‘the called, ‘the elect!’ So let’s go out into the unfriendly, evil world today, knowing that fact, being buoyed and encouraged by it, and thus putting our best foot forward, by showing friendliness, kindness, LOVE, joy, peace, mercy and forgiveness, to further God’s great and glorious kingdom!
That’s not only true wisdom, but also our bounden duty. So let’s buckle down and do it nuh! Much LOVE!
…if we sit and ponder for a moment…we’ll certainly see many instances of God moving in our lives…both in the background and foreground…
P.S. It’s late…and long… and I think certainly worthwhile… but life happens to even the best of us. (smile) Much LOVE!
29 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a standing O, Aaron, Adam and Eve, aura of love, Beelzebub, blessings, bondage, confidence, conquerors, consigened to the trash heap, Creator of the universe, death, deceits, destruction, destruction unto them, dismantling god, disobedience, evil, faith, fathom the gravity, foolish pride, friends, further God's glorious kingdom, Glory Halleujah, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, humble servants, I have redeemed them, inroads into the enemy's ranks, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, jobs, keep on pushing for Jesus, largesse, lies, look a gift horse in the mouth, Miriam, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, new wisdom, obeying God, Oh Lord God Almighty, one and only living God, Praise the Lord, prosperous, raise our passion for Jesus, raise the roof of heaven, rebellion, rejuvenation of spirit, reprisals, righteousness., shuddering with fear, sinful nature, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, stubborn, sunshine and saltwater, taunts, testify, therapeutic remedy, they have fled from me, they have spoken lies against me, they have transgressed against me, Tobago day, too big for their britches, trust, truth, uesful purpose, understand the reality, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, woe unto them
Hosea 7:13. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.
Oh Friends, these Tobago days are surely wonderful yes! (smile) And another one seems to be in the offing this blessed Monday morning. I don’t know if it’s my brother who brought them when he came, but he’s been dreading the cold even before he arrived. Hn, hn! However, so far, I don’t think he’s experienced one really cold day yet, for they have been mostly Tobago days.
Anyway, whatever the reason that God’s blessing us with such lovely weather at the end of September, let’s just enjoy it, be thankful and say, ‘Praise the Lord! Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes, let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. The only thing I’m missing now is the salt water, that great therapeutic remedy!
Chuh! But them’s the breaks, we can’t have everything we desire. And I know that someday soon, I’ll have both the sunshine and saltwater to cleanse and heal my aching body and bones. We got to have faith Friends! (smile)
So with all these good things we have going for us, let’s now raise our passion in, and for Jesus by bursting out in song, by sending up a marvellous rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, one that will raise the roof of heaven and also have Beelzebub shaking and shuddering with fear in his evil, muddy boots.
All together now, in loud harmonious voice! ‘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!’
That was wonderful, my fellow believers! We didn’t quite raise heaven’s roof, but we did get a standing ‘O’ from heaven’s host, and had the evil one quaking in his boots. Now let’s go out into the ungodly world that surrounds us and keep on pushing, pushing for Jesus!
Let us not allow our Creator and our God to truthfully say about us: ‘Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.’
Oh my brethren, I use to wonder how the Israelites could rebel against God after He had done so much for them. But having watched our once godly society change over the last thirty or so years, I can now understand it. Prosperity certainly breeds pride and self-centredness!
And that’s exactly what happened to both the Israelite and our societies: we got prosperous by obeying God, but then, foolishly, like Adam and Eve, we listened to the lies and deceits of the enemy which suggested that the prosperity was all our own doing and began dismantling Jehovah God from our society.
But Friends, that couldn’t be any further from the truth than disobedience won’t bring serious reprisals! The Israelites experienced it, several times too, and we’re now experiencing it too. The difference though, is that the Israelites were smart enough to eventually recognize from whence their largesse had truly come.
Right now though, I’m not sure that we have even begun to understand the reality, to fathom the gravity of our situation, much less to consider and find a way to change it.
Oh Friends, I keep telling us that the history books are full of societies who made it big on God’s back, but then got too big for their breeches and were then unceremoniously consigned to the trash heap of history by their omnipotent Creator.
And just as the Lord contended with Israel back then, unable to understand their disobedience, I believe He’s also contending with us today, asking the question: ‘O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants (bondage); and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.’ (Mic.6:3-4)
And yuh know what Friends, just like Israel was unable to testify against God with any serious slights, likewise we have no real grounds for rebellion and disobedience against Him besides a sinful stubborn nature and foolish pride.
So today my brethren, for the sake of our descendants, let’s cast off that unwise behaviour nuh, which is only leading us closer to death and destruction, and begin flaunting a new wisdom, like the Israelites did, return to sincerely serving and worshipping the One and Only Living God: He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Now that’s truly wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God…for it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth… (Deut.8:18a)
29 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a shock of corn, afraid of destruction, allergies, anxiety, arrogance, be at peace with the beasts of the field, be in league, behold the beauty of the Lord, blessing, chant our Friday Chant, come to thy grave in a full age, desperate yearning, disagree, dwell in the house of the Lord, Eliphaz, encouraging words, everlasting joy, evil schemes, evil way, faith, famine, fear, fellowship, fight, freedom from work, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, gentle reminder, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's goodness, has our back, hate, have a covenant, he shall redeem thee from death, in Jesus' name, in the time of trouble, joys, loss of interest, LOVE, love and cherish each other, lustful and evil things of the world, mercy, my hiding place, no evil shall touch thee, our heavenly Father, perverse mouth, plentiful, plots, preserve me from trouble, pride, prideful, proud, put that in your pipe and smoke it, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, right path, safe keeping, schemes., scourge of the tongue, secret place, shelter, smiley face, songs of deliverance, spirit of unity, strife-filled words, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanks for getting me through another week of work, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, the Lord is my light and salvation, the stones of the field, the strife of tongues, the upcoming weekend, thy descendants shall be great, trust, walk worthily of Jesus, wisdom, worry
Psalm 31:20. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (secret place) from the pride (plots and schemes) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday… the day that has morphed into one which the workers, as well as the non-workers, have come to look forward to with a desperate yearning. It’s a day we now glorify with the dubious moniker, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’
And though looking forward to Fridays, after which we get some freedom from work, isn’t in itself a bad thing, I believe that because we place such emphasis on it, we consequently end up with a loss of interest, and therefore productivity and enjoyment of the other days in the workweek.
So please, let’s cut back a little on the glorification of Friday nuh, and thus increase our joy and achievements in the more under appreciative days from Monday to Thursday. Why do you think the Lord made them all? It’s for us to enjoy them all!
And for those of you who think I’m mad, crazy, or just plain foolish and stupid for making that suggestion, I’m truly sorry for you all, because you don’t know the joys you’re missing by concentrating on the coming of Friday.
Anyway, we’re not here to fight and disagree, but to LOVE and cherish each other in Jesus’ name, so in the spirit of unity, let’s chant our Friday Chant, so that we can see the right and proper way to picture the upcoming weekend.
Chanting… ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now please let that guide us on the right path for the weekend. And our Bit for today is the same as yesterday. Today though, we’ll focus more on God’s safe keeping of His people, rather than the proud and prideful aspect which we concentrated on yesterday.
But before we get to that, allow me to quote one scripture on the prideful aspect that I didn’t get in yesterday. It comes from the wisdom of Cousin Sol. ‘The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward (perverse) mouth, do I hate.’ (Prov.8:13)
Oh my people, that’s just a gentle reminder of the distaste the Lord holds for the lustful and evil things of the world. Put that in your pipe and smoke it! (smile)
Wow! Is that really the first smiley face for the day? Chuh! We have to do better than that. Please excuse the sneezing, (smile) my allergies seem to be acting up.
And now our Bit ought to bring not only a smile to our faces, but rather a deep and everlasting joy to our hearts, souls, bodies and minds! ‘Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (the secret place) from the pride (plots and schemes) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues.’
Oh my brethren, that’s what happens when we place our sincere trust and faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! He shelters us from the plots, plans and evil schemes of wicked men, along with their strife-filled words.
What a joy and blessing it is to know that our heavenly Father has our back! That’s why Bruh David was ever adamant about it. Hear him from Psalm 27 – the Lord is my light and my salvation.
‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty (delightfulness) of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle, shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock.’ (Ps.27:4-5)
And now listen to his convincing declaration in Psalm 32 – the blessedness of forgiveness. ‘Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah.’ (Ps.27:7)
Oh my people, a body couldn’t get any surer and more convinced of God’s goodness, mercy and safe keeping than that!
Now let’s close with some thoughtful and encouraging words on the subject from Eliphaz, as he rebukes his buddy Job. ‘Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up, he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power (hand) of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. For thou shalt be in league (have a covenant) with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle (tent) shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin (find nothing amiss).
Thou shalt know also that thy seed (descendants) shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth (many, plentiful). Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it (for yourself) for thy good.’ (Job 5:17-27)
And that says it all Friends! Know it for yourself, for your good, that whatever happens, our great and wonderful God will look after us, through both the good and bad times! You can take that to the bank like money! (smile)
Now please let’s go forth this fateful Friday morning, the last one in August 2014, the one so fittingly before the long Labour Day weekend, and walk worthily of Jesus, for that’s all He desires of us, and furthermore, it’s wisdom at its everlasting best! Much LOVE!
…when Jesus truly comes into our hearts…He drives out all fear, worry and anxiety…
P.S. It’s long and late, but sweet, provocative, heartwarming and encouraging nuh! (smile) And would you believe that just as I was about to send out the Bit, the foolish, so and so computer froze on me, and I had to waste even more time on rebooting! Oh Lord eh! The trials we have to bear to do the Lord’s work! (smile) Much LOVE!
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