18 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a standing O, asaph, at the front lines, aura of love, calamitous, Caleb, compassion, confidence, conquerors, covenant, Creator of the universe, disobedience, enthusiasm, evil, evil minions, facade, faith, flatter with their mouth, forgat his works, forgiveness, from whence comes our help, glamorous, glitzy, glorious kingdom, God was their rock, God's children, God's goodness, good life, grace, his wonders that he had showed them, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, iniquity, into the breach, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, jobs, Joshua, joy, lip service, LOVE, Lucifer, lusting, manna, meat, meet the enemy in battle, mercies, miracles, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, on which side his bread was buttered, pageantry, pomp, Praise the Lord, prosperity, Psalm 78, Redeemer, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, soldiers, sought God, spiritual armour, spreading God's Word, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, the early bird catches the worm, the high god their redeemer, the Love Revolution, the Promised Land, the things of the world, the wilderness, turned away his anger, ungodly world, victorious army of Christ, we can't fool God, wiles, wrath, you will reap what you sow
Psalm 78:11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.
Once more friends, once more into the breach on this cold, frosty Monday morning in mid-January! As good soldiers in the victorious army of Christ let’s get a move on! Remember the early bird catches the worm. (smile) The LOVE Revolution calls! And like any good leader, our Field Marshall, Jesus Christ is already at the front lines reconnoitring the enemy’s positions.
So let’s not be found wanting in these crucial times nuh, let’s get on with the task bequeathed to us; that of spreading God’s Word, His faithful, unconditional LOVE, His tender mercies, His everlasting grace and His endless forgiveness!
And all of God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord!’
And with that bit of energizing, let’s take it one step further by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with even greater pomp and pageantry. (smile)
As one 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!’
Beautiful friends! That was beautiful! Jesus was in His essence as He conducted us. Heaven even gave us a standing O and called for an encore! Mama Mia! What a morning it’s turning out to be!
Ah mih breddren, we serve such a wonderful God that I don’t know how people can turn away from Him. But sadly they are doing it, and recently in droves too, lured by the glitzy and glamorous come on by Lucifer and his evil minions.
Unfortunately though, it’s only after they are caught in that evil web that they realize it’s all a façade, a trap from which it is very difficult to break free. They can’t do so without the help of Jesus, and it’s our job to win them back, as well as those who never believed, by the way we walk and talk and glorify His holy name.
That means we obviously can’t be like the Israelites of old, who turned away from God ‘And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.’
Now that is so mind boggling, I can’t even imagine it! Hn! In spite of all the miracles he did on their behalf, from down in Egypt to the provision of manna and meat in the wilderness, they still turned away from him. They must have been a really hard-headed and stubborn people – just like so many of us nowadays. So God, in His anger, slew some of them and made the lives of the remainder futile and calamitous. (Ps.78:33)
Now let’s listen in as Asaph continues his story in Psalm 78. ‘When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early (sought diligently) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.’ (Ps.78:34-35)
Ah friends, at last they smartened up and learned on which side their bread was buttered. I ‘ve been hoping and praying that the same thing can happen in our society today; that we can wake up and realize from whence comes our help, our prosperity and good life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be happening.
However, we cannot give up hope, for there’s no giving up in Jesus, we just have to continue talking our talk and walking our walk as we have been instructed to do, and the Lord will do the rest.
And Asaph writes on: ‘Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.’ (Ps.78:36-37)
Yes friends, the repentance wasn’t really true, it was just lip service. And I suspect that a lot of that is happening today. Many of us are merely paying lip service to God, while our hearts are truly lusting after the things of the world. Oh precious people, we can’t fool God, because He looks at the state of our hearts, rather than just listen to the words of our lying lips.
However, He’s such a wonderful Deity that Asaph tells us: ‘But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke (rebel against) him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.’ (Ps.78:28-41)
What a slap in the face eh! In spite of all God’s goodness, His chosen people rebelled against Him several times on the journey through the wilderness. But in His compassion and wisdom, He did not fully destroy them, just made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until all those who had come out of Egypt died. Not even Moses entered into the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the original lot who did so.
So my fellow believers in Christ, let’s remember that though the Lord might not destroy us for our constant disobedience, He will find other ways to make us pay. Much LOVE!
…whatever you sow…is exactly what you will reap…so you can’t sow disobedience and expect to reap salvation…
03 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a guide book to earthly living, a tie that binds, blessed is he that readeth, blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, bloodlines, commandments, covenant ties with God, depart from evil, DETERMINATION, do good, dwell for ever more, eternal life, for the time is at hand, glory to God, God's children, God's Holy word, God's timing, God's will, his seed begging bread, I have been young, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, in sync with God, Jesus sacrificed Himself, Jesus' sacrificial death, keep those things which are written therein, life and death, light in the darkness, like lost sheep, LOVE, marching as to war, meditate on God's Word, my mother and my brethren, Onward Christian soldiers, pay for our sins, Praise ye the Lord, ramifications of our actions, salvation, sit idly by, soldiers of Christ, take life by the horns, the BIBLE, the cross of Jesus, the generation of the upright shall be blessed, the gift of God, the Lord upholdeth him with his hand, the steps of a good man, these which hear the word of God and do it, they that hear the words of this prophecy, ungodly civilization, with the cross of jesus going on before, without a shepherd
Revelation 1:3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
‘Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle see His banners go! Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before.’
Oh Yes Friends, we are indeed soldiers of Christ, marching in to war with the enemy in this ungodly civilization in which we now live. And our banner is the mighty cross of Christ! Let us never forget that, for the cross is the difference between life and death for believers.
It is where Jesus sacrificed Himself to pay for our sins, and it is to it that we owe all that we are as Christians. Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross brought God’s gift of salvation and eternal life to sinful man.
Therefore let us rise up and faithfully fight the battles in which we are engaged on Christ’s behalf. We cannot just sit idly by and allow life to roll over us, we have to take it by the horns and make it bow to us.
For as one Peter Marshall supposedly said: ‘Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make things happen.’
Now that is quite true my people, but we have to take that with some advisement; namely making sure that what we are doing is God’s will, and also His timing. For if we get out of His will and timing, we will just make an unholy mess of things.
And the best way to ensure that we are in God’s will and timing is by following the wise advice of our Bit. ‘Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.’
Yes my people, God gave us His Holy Word, the Bible as a guidebook for our earthly living, so that we can always be in sync with Him. But to know when we are in or out of sync with the Lord, we have to read and meditate on His Word, and then follow its dictates. Otherwise we’ll just be like lost sheep without a shepherd, liable to go seriously astray in this evil and contentious world.
I’m sure that when you go on vacation, or anywhere new, and you’re given material describing your surroundings and what happens there, you look at it carefully so you can understand the ramifications of your actions.
Well the Bible falls into the same category; it explains what will and will not happen in your life, according to the decisions you make. Glory to God for showing us the way!
Now let’s check out some scripture that corroborates the contentions of our Bit, beginning with the words of Jesus. One day, while Jesus was teaching, the Good Book says: ‘Then came to him his mother and his brethren (brothers), and could not come at him for the press (the crowd).
And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without (outside), desiring to see thee. And he answered and said, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.’ (Luke 8:19-21)
Oh friends, I know that sounds somewhat harsh, especially from Jesus, but He is just trying to show that though family ties are important, covenant ties with God are much more important. As the scholars say: ‘Mutual obedience to God comprises a tie that binds more closely than mere bloodlines.’
Now here is Mark’s version of the same situation. ‘And he answered them saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren (brothers)? And he looked round about on them which sat about him (in a circle), and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.’ (Mark:3:33-35)
So Friends, we can clearly see that doing the will of God is our most important goal and action on this earth, because our Lord and Saviour said so!
Now listen to these words from Psalm 112, which support all that we’ve been speaking about. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth (stands) forever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.’ (Ps.112:1-4)
Oh my people, yuh see what happens when we read, meditate on and obey God’s Word! Our lives are blessed! Glory Hallelujah!
That brings us to the words of Bruh David in Psalm 37 – the true state of the wicked – where he boldly proclaims: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for ever more.’ ( Ps.37:23-27)
And what better note to end on my brethren! So as we go about our business today, let us take Bruh David’s wise advice nuh; let us depart from evil, and do good, so that we can live forever. Much LOVE!
…like children obey their earthly fathers…so too should God’s children…obey their heavenly Father…
03 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . the fountain of wisdom, be friendly, broken bones, children of the Most High God, Christian, considering thyself, crisis, divine invitation, dream, everything flows from One, forbearing one another, gentleness, glory hallelujah, God is faithful, God's children, gossip, heavenly blessings, hitching your wagon to a star, Hour of Power Devotional, if a man be overtaken in a fault, in the spirit of meekness, laugh, lest thou be tempted, long-suffering, LOVE, lowliness, meekness, mending, moral condition, moral ineptitude, one baptism, One Body, one church, one faith, one Father, one God, one hope, ONE Lord, one spirit, Oneness, our brother's keeper, our part to play, overstepping of divine boundaries, play, Praise the Lord, prisoner of the Lord, read, restore such a one, restore the erring brother, salvation, spirit of meekness, the bond of peace, the fruit of the spirit, the highest joy of life, the last days of summer, the music of the soul, the price of success, the road to happiness, the secret of youth, the source of power, the unfurling of the universe, think, unity of the Spirit, walk by the Spirit, walk worthy of your calling, wilful sin, work, ye which are spiritual, you can lead a horse to water, you can't make it drink
Galatians 6:1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken (caught) in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Well a beautiful Thursday morning to you my Friends and neighbours in these last days of summer 2105! And this past week has indeed been true summer days; hot and hazy. So much so that the parched ground is crying out for drink, for rain, for heavenly blessings to keep everything from drying up and being scorched to a dull and dead brown.
Ah mih breddren, it surely seems that these days when it’s not one thing, it’s another. Life doesn’t seem to flow along smoothly anymore, and our world just seems to lurch from one crisis to another.
Blessedly though, as children of the Most High God, we don’t have to be overly concerned about anything, because He has promised to look after us in whatever situation we may find ourselves. And we know that our God is a most faithful Deity.
However, we do have our part to play in the unfurling of the universe, and here are some worthwhile ideas from an anonymous Irishman from the Hour of Power Devotional, which I believe I might have shared long ago, but which today are definitely worth sharing again.
Listen closely. ‘Take time for work, it is the price of success. Take time to think, it is the source of power. Take time to play, it is the secret of youth. Take time to read, it is the fountain of wisdom. Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness. Take time to dream, it’s hitching your wagon to a star. Take time to LOVE, it is the highest joy of life. Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul’
Oh Friends, what wonderful advice! And if we would only take it and adapt it to our own lives, we would be so much happier and useful in these trying times. The sad fact though, is that most of us know all those things, but we just don’t put them into action and practice them, therefore our lives are not as worthwhile as they ought to be.
But as they say, ‘you can only lead a horse to water, you can’t make it drink.’ So despite all the wise and wonderful advice we might get, if we don’t accept it and use it, then technically speaking it’s useless.
That brings us to today’s Bit; an eloquent, though quite important aspect of our Christian beliefs. ‘Brethren, if a man be overtaken (caught) in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.’
Ah mih people, that is indeed a big responsibility, but one we need to seriously address nonetheless. And the scholars give us some interesting explanations.
‘6:1. In a fault (or, “by some transgression”). The sin in view is a deliberate overstepping of divine boundaries. Ye which are spiritual refers to those who walk by the Spirit (5:16), in whose life the fruit of the Spirit is found (5:22-23). The man who is overtaken by willful sin is also a Christian, but he has not been walking by the Spirit. The spiritual brethren are to restore the erring brother.
This word is used of mending fishing nets (Matt.4:21) and of people mending their ways (2 Cor.13:11). Restore means therefore to bring back a person to his former moral condition. The word was also used in secular Greek for setting broken bones, which has to be done gently. So the church is to restore the lapsed in the spirit of meekness (i.e. gentleness).
The grievous and sensitive wounds caused by sin must be handled delicately. Considering thyself: Those restoring the fallen must individually keep constant watch over their own lives. The spiritual man can be morally dragged down as he deals with the sin of his carnal counterpart.’
Yes Friends, to a certain extent we are our Christian brother’s keeper. We all ought to walk in the Spirit, but when we do fall, we must be assisted back to faith by our Christian brethren. But note though, in gentleness, not the harsh and brutal way that we tend to do it; severely criticizing the fallen brother or sister and spreading all sorts of gossip about them.
Most importantly though my people, when we are trying to help another, we must pay very careful attention to our own circumstances lest we get dragged down by the same moral ineptitude of those we are trying to help. And I know that many of us will claim that that can’t happen to us. But you would be surprised at how easily it can happen.
And we’ll end with some more pertinent words from Bruh Paul, this time to the Ephesians, re the unity of the Spirit. ‘I therefore, the prisoner of (in) the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation (calling) wherewith ye are called. With all lowliness and meekness (gentleness), with long-suffering, forbearing (bearing with) one another in LOVE;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.’ (Eph.4:1-6).
Yes Friends, there is only ONE of several things, and though we are individuals, we are all a part of that ONE, and we need to keep that ONE as tight knit, faithful and fruitful as we can. This therefore behooves us to walk in a manner fitting the divine invitation, (calling) which brought us to salvation.
And all of God’s children said, ‘Praise the Lord! Glory Hallelujah!’
So please, let’s go out today and do whatever it takes to keep that ONENESS in Almighty God. Much LOVE!
…everything flows from ONE…ONE God…ONE Saviour…ONE Holy Spirit…and ONE Body…the Church…
04 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a job, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a roof over your head, aches and pains, alive and kicking, appreciate our blessedness, bask in the glow, because of mine enemies, believing, bloodletting, bonday, clothes on your back, complacent attitudes, confidence, confuesed, deterioration of our society, dismantle, earthly sojourn, enemies in our society, energy, evil clutches, evil ungodly world, faith, fall for any nonsense, fellow believers in Christ, fight to keep what we have, figuratively, find grace in thy sight, food on your table, freedom to worship, freedoms, friends, frothing at the mouth, give their eye teeth, God never declines our requests, God's children, God's Word, grace, gracious, guidance, health issues, heavenly Father, homlessness, I am blessed, I will give thee rest, If I have found grace in thy sight, introspective, lead me in a plain path, Lenten season, let our voices be loudly heard, literally, lost, LOVE, loving, magnanimous god, Moses, my presecnce shall go with thee, no turning back, nourish, O Lord, omnipotent, our heavenly Father, petitions, petty inconveniences, pilgrim's journey, plowing straight ahead, poverty, Praise the Lord, Scrip-Bit family, serious action, short attention span, show me now thy way, smile, smug, stamina, stand up strong and steadfast, starvation, stay on the straight and narrow path, strength, take it for granted, take roots in our hearts, Teach me thy way O Lord, tell the world, tenaciously, that I may know thee, the body of Christ, the Father's way, the middle of the week, the providence of God, this nation is thy people, trying times, water, Wednesday, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God, wrongs
Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.
Aye mih Scrip-Bit family, it’s another beautiful day on God’s great earth! And all His children declared a loud and thankful ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes Friends, this is the day we call Wednesday, the middle of the workweek. And once we’ve gotten there, there’s no turning back, just plowing straight ahead with the providence of God!
It’s obvious that I woke up late. (smile) I went to bed late too. But unfortunately, these days the ole bod doesn’t have the stamina and energy to go to bed late and get up early, so please learn to put up with the varying times that the Bit arrives. (smile) Once I’m alive and kicking, it will get there, I just can’t promise that it will be very early.
Anyway, for whatever reason the Lord has, I woke up with my right knee aching this morning, so I’m sort of limping around until it decides to play right. And that’s one of the things I detest about my aches and pains; their inconsistency. I’ll be fine for a while, then out of the blue, for no apparent reason, various parts of my anatomy will start to act up.
But yuh know what my brethren? Our God is so wonderful that He also caused me to wake up singing the chorus to the reggae song, ‘I am blessed.’ Yes Friends, ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world, that I, I am blessed!’
Yes family, if you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food on your table, have a decent job to go to, and can also read this, then you are indeed blessed. So please sing the chorus with me. ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world that I, I am blessed!’
One more time, more enthusiastically and gratefully than the first. ‘We, we are blessed! Let’s tell the world that we, we are blessed!’ And again: ‘We, we are blessed! Let’s tell the world that God’s children are blessed!’
Oh my people, we are so blessed that we don’t truly recognize it and take it all for granted. But at least three quarters of the world, consumed by starvation, poverty, joblessness, homelessness and health issues, would gladly give their eye-teeth (smile) for what we have.
Yet we walk around with smug, complacent attitudes, complaining about small, petty inconveniences. It’s high time we stop doing that Friends, and learn to truly appreciate our blessedness, especially in this Lenten season, where we are supposed to be introspective, looking inside to see what areas of our souls and lives we can clean up.
Thankfulness for the great gifts we have and the freedom to worship Almighty God without fear of persecution should be ranked at the top of our list. But we have to work hard and stay faithful if we want to keep those wonderful gifts in these very trying times.
We just can’t assume that we’ll always have them, because there are enemies in our society who are just dying, frothing at the mouth to take them away.
So while we can bask somewhat in the glow of our blessings, we just can’t sit around, as we have been doing, and allow this evil and ungodly world to take away, to dismantle our blessedness. We have to fight to keep what we have my brethren!
That means we have to stand up steadfast and strong; let our voices be loudly heard all over the land, about the wrongs that are being done. And more importantly, as the body of Christ, we need to take some serious action to stop the bloodletting and deterioration of our society.
Our freedoms won’t handed to us on a silver platter. They were won by fighting fiercely and tenaciously for them, and we’ll only keep them the same way.
Enough of me now though, time for our Bit: ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
Oh Friends those are words and sentiments we can pray at the start of each and every day! They are that important because they take us to our heavenly Father to ask for His strength and guidance in our rough pilgrim’s journey. And that’s the only way we can handle our earthly sojourn with the strength and confidence we need.
If we don’t know the Father’s way, then we’ll get all confused and lost and fall for any nonsense that mankind proposes. And believe me, there is plenty nonsense in our world today just looking to grab us and keep us in bondage, both literally and figuratively. But when we look to the Father first and foremost, they will not be able to get us in their evil clutches.
And Friends, asking the Father for guidance is nothing new. Listen to Moses when the Lord appointed Him to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. ‘Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.’ (Ex.33:13)
A very reasonable request my people. And the Lord’s reply was: ‘My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ (Ex.33:14)
Oh my brethren, when we ask God for guidance and His presence in our affairs, He NEVER declines our requests! But after asking for it, we still need to have the faith that He’s going to intervene and make it all right. For without true faith, we can’t come before Him with our petitions.
‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) So Friends, it’s not just simply asking, but also believing that our requests will be heard and worked upon by our omnipotent and magnanimous God.
And I think I’ll stop there for today, don’t want to give us too much to ponder on all at once, for I know our short attention spans. (smile) So my fellow believers in Christ, please, let’s truly consider the words we’ve heard today nuh, and let them take deep and serious roots in our hearts.
Let’s also water and nourish them so that they will grow and help us stay on the straight and narrow path that leads directly to our most gracious and LOVING heavenly Father, for that is truly wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…God’s children need to stop simply talking faith…and rather take action…act zealously and faithfully on God’s Word…
03 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a small group of thoughtful people, anxiety, backbone, be ye therefore wise as serpents, belly, beware of men, blessed is the Lamb that was slain, brave the elements, brother shall deliver up brother, cave in, Christians, comitted citizens, death, doing Jesus' work, everything is possible, fear, fierce opposition, for a testimony, for my sake, freezing rain, Gentiles, give up, Glory Halleujah, God's children, going forth to spread God's holy word, gospel truth, harmless as doves, he that endures to the end shall be saved, I send you forth as sheep, ice storm, in the midst of wolves, Jesus, Jesus Christ, like true soldiers of God's army, Margaret Mead, persecution, perseverance, pilgrims, pioneers, promote Jesus, repercussions, scourge, snow, take no thought, the Holy Spirit, the Son of man, the Spirit of your Father, today is all we have, use it wisely, when times ger rough, winning souls for Jesus, wisdom, ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake
Matthew 10:16. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.
Well Friends, it’s a Saturday morning that’s calling for snow and rain and freezing rain! Wow!
Over these next two days like we’re going to run the whole gamut of weather problems. We really can’t complain too much though, because we’ve been fairly snow and rain free for at least a couple of weeks now. And besides that, we’re God’s children and a little bad weather doesn’t deter us from doing Jesus’ work. (smile)
Of course it could get fairly rough, like the ice storm we had last year, but even then, we brave the elements like true soldiers of God’s army. What wonderful designations we embrace my people; a child of God, and a soldier in His army! His army of pioneers and pilgrims, going forth to spread His holy Word all over the universe He’s created.
And in the remarkable words of our Bit, Jesus sends us forth, just like He did the first disciples, to do just that: ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.’
And the scholars tell us, re ‘Wise as serpents (cf. Gen.3:1). In the ancient Near East, the serpent was considered the wisest of beasts. A cautious wisdom was necessary to deal with the fierce opposition that the disciples would face.’
Yes my people, it is a wonderful honour to work for Jesus, winning souls for Him, or rather causing lost souls to come to Him for comfort and succour, salvation and eternal life! But unfortunately it is a job that can also entail severe repercussions. That’s why Jesus warned the disciples, and has the same warning for us.
‘But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against (to) them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought (do not worry about) how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you, in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over (through) the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.’ (Matt.10:17-23)
Oh my fellow believers, working for Jesus can indeed be a dangerous job. All the stuff that Jesus spoke about befell the disciples. They suffered serious persecution on Jesus’ behalf, and so will we, possibly not to the death, as they did, and some are still experiencing in some parts of the world, but serious enough to cause us to consider our options.
But when times do get rough, just remember Jesus’ advice: ‘Don’t worry about what you’ll say, for the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say.’ Yes Friends, the Holy Spirit is our guide and director, and He will not leave us helpless and defenceless when we stand up strong for Jesus!
And then we come to the most important part of His message; that those who endured, who withstood the trials and tribulations in His name would be saved. And all God’s children shouted a lusty ‘Glory Hallelujah! Blessed is the Lamb that was slain for us!’
Yeh mih people, we can shout all sorts of niceties now, but when the time of persecution comes, will we still sing that song? For all our sakes, I do hope so. It’s just that in these spoiled, selfish and easy living times, most of us have lost our belly and backbone, and cave in and give up under the smallest of trials.
But remember too, that we’ve promised that this year of 2015 will be one in which we will rise, without fear and anxiety, to each and every occasion to promote Jesus and His lifestyle.
Now let’s take a gander at some explanations of the scholars for those verses. ‘!0:17-22. Take no thought means “Do not be anxious.” (See Mark 13:9-13; Luke 12:11-12). It shall be given you promises that the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say in each situation they would face.
For my name’s sake: They would endure great persecution because of their identification with Jesus Christ. But he that endureth to the end shall be saved is a promise of perseverance, not a teaching that salvation may be lost. Rather, it indicates that those who are truly saved will indeed endure to the end.’
And that’s the gospel truth my people! If we persevere to the end, great shall be our rewards in heaven!
And I want to close with a very true and enlightening quote that’s rather appropriate to our situation. It’s attributed to Margaret Mead (1901-1978), the world renowned American anthropologist. And it says: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’
And she doesn’t lie Friends, for look at what a small group of twelve men started. It changed the world! And we are proud and grateful recipients of their commitment. Now let’s go out and do likewise, even though we Christians are in the minority, for with Jesus in the mix, anything and everything is possible. Much LOVE!
…today is all we have…so let’s use it wisely…
14 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: act wisely, actions speak louder than words, ask for the old paths, be strong and of a good courage, bones crying out, break free from a limited mindset, bring me out better on the other side, caring, characteristics of Jesus, Christ-like actions, Christian brethren, conquerors, created me to be uncontainable, Creator of the universe, death and destruction, destined to be a barrier breaker, disobedience, do according to all the law, doing good, eternal life, evil and ungodly times, example of our everyday lives, experience god's favour, fellow believers, find rest for your souls, friends, frightful times, glory hallelujah, God's children, God's promise, God's purpose for my life, God's Word, good news, I won't bear more than I can handle, inheritance, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, Joel Osteen, keep keeping on, living God, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, meditate on God's Word, Moses, my destiny, never to leave or forsake me, obedience, one of those days, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, persecuted, potential, Praise the Lord, problems, prosperity, salvation, seeds of greatness in me, sharing, sight of faith, significant lesson, stand in the ways and see, success, successful living, suffering, talent, thanks and praise, the gospel in action, the head and not the tail, Today is my day, trampled in the dust, victors not victimes, way ahead of the game, where is the good way, wisdom, with God's help
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Oh Friends, neighbours and fellow believers, it’s just one of those days… I went to bed late, got up early, feeling foggy, with all the ole arthritic bones crying out!
And to make matters worse, a tooth in my lower right jaw has suddenly begun acting up, which might necessitate a trip to the friendly dentist. (smile) Oh, my dentist is truly friendly. I’ve been going to him for over thirty years.
And what’s my response? A great ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes Friends, I’m giving thanks and praise, because if those are my biggest worries, then I’m way ahead of the game! Those are minor problems compared to those so many others are suffering, especially our unjustly persecuted Christian brethren in other parts of the world. Hope you are continually praying for them.
And my problems most likely won’t do me in, so I’m just going to keep on keeping on, in the holy name of our magnificent Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has faithfully promised never to leave or forsake me.
Now He never promised that I wouldn’t have problems, in fact He assured us that we would by simply believing in Him, but promised that He would not allow me to bear more than I can handle, and even then to help me go through them and bring me out better on the other side.
Wow! That’s why I can confidently say, like my Bubba Joel, (Joel Osteen): ‘TODAY IS MY DAY!
Yes my brethren, today is our day, so please affirm with me: ‘God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me.
Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision. Today, God is taking me places that I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today, I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’
And all of God’s children gave out a mighty shout of, ‘Praise the Lord!’
And now that we’ve affirmed all that, let’s go out and through sight of faith, make it happen…with God’s help obviously. Because through our great and wonderful God, we’re all conquerors, victors and not victims, the head and not the tail!
So please let’s behave in a suitable manner, one that embodies all those fine characteristics of Jesus; also doing good, caring and sharing, both emotionally and physically, like He wants us to do.
Oh my fellow believers, the best way to speak of Jesus is through the example of our everyday lives! For remember that actions speak much louder than words, and others are liable to come to Jesus much more through our Christ-like actions, than our good news words.
As they say, the gospel in action is a most remarkable tool, and so very hard to ignore. And that’s my little spiel for today! (smile).
Now let’s see what our Bit has to offer. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’
Oh Friends, that is such a powerful and meaningful scripture, especially in these rather evil and ungodly times! It was very apropos in Jeremiah’s time, and even more so in ours now. I heard Uncle John (John Hagee) preach on it last night, and though we’ve used it as a Bit before, it’s so relevant to our frightful times, that I was guided to use it again.
Ah mih people, those old ways and paths of our forefathers were so blessed by obedience to God’s Word that prosperity was a given!
My brethren, let’s listen to this most potent passage of scripture, and as we do so, let’s also embed it deep in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, for it’s the quintessential, the purest and most perfect direction for success and successful living.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance (you shall give as a possession) the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success, act wisely) whithersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein in day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:5-8)
Oh Friends, that says it all! The numerous new-fangled books on prosperity and success are totally unnecessary since we have God’s own direction for successful living.
Those are the old paths and way that we ought to tread and embrace if we want to be truly successful and prosperous! They have been proven over and over by numerous societies, who rose to greatness by following them.
But by the same token, when they have turned away from, forsaken the Lord God Jehovah, like we are currently doing, then their success and prosperity have been sadly trampled in the dust.
Please my fellow believers, I plead with us to learn that significant lesson today, and to put it into practice, for it is the wisdom of Almighty God Himself! And if we foolishly continue to not adhere to His commands, disobey His imperial dictates, then eventually, possibly sooner than later, our society will also crumble into dust and ashes.
Is that what we want to happen? I very much doubt it. Well then, let’s wake up and smell the awful stench of our disobedience nuh! Much LOVE!
…when new ways and new paths lead to death and destruction…the wise turn back to the old ways and paths…those of the living God…which lead to success and prosperity…salvation and eternal life…
08 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accoding to their deeds God will repay, adversaries, another week of work, baptizing, brought to Jesus, christianity, communication revolution, contemplative sigh, corrupt ways, corruption, diligently spread God's Word, enemies, enthusiasm, eternal life, even to the end of the world, ever-LOVING God, evil, fear, fear the name of the Lord, fellowship, Friday chant, from the rising of the sun, further God's glorious kingdom, generations, generous help, Glory be, God's children, God's Word, Hallelujah, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, I am with you always, I will make thy name to be remembered, in the name of the Father, incense, Internet, Jesus Christ, lethargy, looking up to heaven, lord of hosts, lost souls, LOVE, loving kindness, loving nature, magnificent, Malachi, mercies, my name shall be great among the heathen, observe all things I have commanded you, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, pandemic, praise, praise God, Psalm 45, purpose, recompense, relaxation, renewed and refeshed, rest, salvation, Scrip-Bit, servants of the lord, sincerely live our faith, suffering, teach all nations, Thank God is Friday, thanks, the Great Commission, the Lord's anger, the Lord's decree, the people shall praise thee for ever, the rising of the sun, the SON, the Sprit of the Lord, tired eyes, truly love our God, ungodly world, wisdom, worship
Psalm 45:17. I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
Well Friends, at last it’s that fateful day – Friday!
And surprisingly, instead of the usual raucous and joyful shouts, I hear a tired, contemplative sigh and a less than enthusiastic ‘Thank God is Friday yes… Don’t think I could have handled one more day nuh…Thank God is Friday oui…’ tired eyes looking up to heaven.
Yeh mih people, it’s been a short work week for many of us, but the tiredness from the recent Caribana celebrations lingers on. Hopefully then, this weekend we’ll take our Friday Chant a little more seriously than usual.
Let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes Friends, some of you will definitely understand this weekend, the need for rest, relaxation and fellowship! (smile)
And our Bit for today comes from the last verse of Psalm 45, a psalm dedicated to and celebrating the king’s marriage, where a powerful affirmation is made. ‘I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.’
Oh my people, I surely hope that we ALL know that that’s the major purpose of all God’s children on planet earth – to make His mighty and glorious name known to all and sundry, throughout each generation, and thus have the people praise and glorify Him right through eternity?
That’s the ‘Great Commission’ Jesus gave to the disciples, and consequently us, before He departed this earth. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe ALL things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
And it does us a whole lot of good to remember that every so often, so that we don’t fall into a perpetual state of lethargy and/or fear, and diligently talk to others about our omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present, magnificent and ever-LOVING God!
Now let’s check out a few passages of scripture which corroborate our Bit. Listen first to the prophet Malachi, as the Lord rebukes the priests through him.
‘For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen (Gentile nations), saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal.1:11)
Yes Friends, the Lord has decreed that His name, and holy, LOVING nature will be known throughout His universe! And you know that whatever He decrees, it ALWAYS comes to pass, in His time.
And right now we’re witnessing, thankfully experiencing a communication revolution like the world has never seen before, which makes it so much easier to spread God’s Word all over the entire world. And this Scrip-Bit message over the Internet is a perfect example of that.
And all God’s children gave out a joyful shout of ‘Glory be!’
Yes my brethren, God’s name and glory need to go to the ends of the earth, so that He can be magnified and the numerous lost souls out there brought to Jesus, so that they can receive the most wonderful gifts of salvation and eternal life!
Now hear the prophet Isaiah, as he warns Israel on national corruption and the consequent suffering thereof… Oh my, my! Isaiah must have been here checking out our time too, because corruption is so rampant all over the globe that it’s become pandemic.
Anyway, here is what Isaiah promises: ‘According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands (coastlands) he will (fully) repay recompense.
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard (banner) against him.’ (Is.59:18-19)
Oh Friends, I wouldn’t want to experience the Lord’s true anger nuh. But if we persist in our evil, ungodly, corrupt ways, at some stage of the game, we will certainly feel it.
And we’ll end with these wonderful verses from Psalm 113, which deals with the many mercies of our most wonderful God. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah), Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!’ (Ps.113:1-6)
And the correct answer to that my brethren is NOBODY!
So today, my fellow believers, let’s remember the greatness, the faithfulness, and the LOVING nature of our God and go forth in appropriate praise, thanks, and worship, so that we can bring everlasting glory to His name, as He desires, for that’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…the three do’s of Christianity…truly LOVE our God…sincerely LIVE our Faith…and diligently SPREAD God’s word…
19 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new man, acorn, all power to Jesus, an empty church has more room for God, appropriate time, believe in Jesus, believers, belittle Jesus, caught napping, Christ crucified, confidence, conquering hero, death has prevailed, discretion, earthly demise, Easter Sunday, eerie feeling, eternal life, eternal Son of Jehovah god, everlasting truth, evil counterparts, exhortations, eyes of faith, faithful happening, favourwalk safely, fear, fellow believers, foolish, Garden of Gethsemane, get understanding, get wisdom, glory hallelujah, God's children, God's Spirit, Good Friday, grace, Hades, heavenly wisdom, ignorant things, individual situations, It is finished, Jesus Christ, Jesus' people, keep thy foot from being caught, knowledge, life to your soul, listen, Lord and Saviour, lost sould, LOVE, mighty conqueror, name of Jesus, oak, obedience, paragon, Praise the name of Jesus, recipe for favour, safety, salvation, saviour jesus christ, something constructive, sound wisdom, terror, the clouds drop down dew, the Lord shall be thy confidence, trouble from the wicked, truth, understanding, understanding better than silver, unwise, victorious over death, when the trumpets call up yonder, wisdom, wisdom better than gold, you shall not be afraid, you shall not stumble
Proverbs 16:16. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
Oh Friends, it is finished! The deed has been done! Jesus Christ has been crucified! Death has prevailed!
How unfortunate you say. However, please remember that for a mighty oak to sprout from a comparatively tiny acorn, or any tree to sprout from its seed, it must be planted in the deep, dark recesses of the earth; it must die first. The same goes for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For Him to rise again, He had to undergo death first, and spend time in the shadows of Hades.
But fortunately, unlike a seed that sometimes has to spend a long time being dead, being buried in the earth, our Saviour only spent two days. Glory Hallelujah! He died and was buried yesterday, Good Friday, and He will rise on the third day; that’s tomorrow, Easter Sunday; a new man, a mighty conqueror, victorious over death and its evil counterparts!
And all God’s children boldly and loudly declared: ‘All power to Jesus, the eternal son of Jehovah God! He was dead, and was buried, but on the third day He rose again, victorious from the grave, to proclaim salvation and eternal life for the lost souls who believe in Him! Praise the Name of Jesus, our conquering hero!’
Ah mih people, what a paragon we have in Jesus! That’s why it surprises, and also disappoints me when others cry Him down, try to demean and belittle Him. I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on them because they are suffering from a terrible deficiency; meaning that they can only see as far as their physical eyes can shine, there are no eyes of faith in their souls, the only thing that allows us to believe in Jesus.
Let us pray for those unfortunate persons, that sometime before their earthly demise, they will wake up to the true reality of the situation and accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour before it’s too late.
And what shall we ponder on today eh? Oh yes, my people, there’s a faithful happening that’s worth the telling! (smile)
Two nights ago, I was watching and praying with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The church was semi-dark, only lit by a few candles. At one stage I was there all by my lonesome, and as always, that situation brings to my mind the saying that an empty church has more room for God. And at those times I tend to believe it, because when there’s a crowd in the church, the bodies seem to take up all the physical space.
But there’s a kind of eerie feeling, being all alone in a semi-dark church late at night, as though the rest of it is filled with God’s Spirit! He just has more room to wander, not obstructed by human bodies. Anyway, the last couple of times I watched and prayed with Christ in the Garden, the Lord whispered a word to my spirit, in an area in which I guess He figured I needed improvement.
One year it was simply ‘LISTEN!’ Now that I’m still working on. (smile) I don’t remember what the other year was, how sad, but this year it was ‘GET WISDOM, GET UNDERSTANDING! Hn, Hn!
Oh my people, what an imaginative and wonderful God we serve! Hence our Bit for today: ‘How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!’ And those are words of everlasting truth my people!
And that jewel from Cousin Sol can be proven quite easily by these other words of his: ‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.‘ (Prov.3:19-20)
Oh Friends, it says there that the Lord used wisdom and understanding to create the universe. Now if those two things were so important in God’s work, why shouldn’t they be just as important in ours eh?
No wonder in his exhortations to obedience, Cousin Sol solemnly warns: ‘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 people, my people, I would indeed be extremely foolish if I didn’t follow that recipe for favour and safety, especially after the Lord specifically put it in my spirit.
And please note my brethren that that was not meant for me alone, but for all of us; all of His people. He’s obviously seen the foolish, unwise, ignorant and evil things that are now preeminent in our world and is sending us a message to smarten up, to get with Jesus’ programme, so we don’t end up in the same God-forsaken place like the evildoers.
So Friends, let’s wake up and get with it nuh. We’re supposed to be Jesus’ people, that means we’re supposed to be wise, though we surely aren’t showing that in our everyday lives.
Therefore, let’s ponder our individual situations this Easter weekend, cause it’s a most appropriate time, and do something constructive about the negative and unwise things in our lives, for we certainly don’t want to be caught napping and wanting when the trumpets call up yonder. That’s heavenly wisdom my fellow believers. Please, let’s embrace it wholeheartedly nuh! Much LOVE!
…as my old mammy use to tell me…son, when you don’t hear…yuh going to feel…and feel hard too…and was she ever right…
P.S Please accept my apologies for a typo at the very top of yesterday’s Bit, (not for the Blog) where I wrote Luke 23:24a instead of Luke 23:34a. That’s if many of you noticed. (smile) Remember the ole fella’s only human, thus not perfect. Much LOVE!
16 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: avowed purpose, awe, Bible, business dealings, central theme, Christendom, Christian programmes, come to destroy, compassionate, defiling, dwell richly in our souls, exalt, faith, faith comes by hearing, fellowship, fire and brimstone, glorify, glory hallelujah, go in faith, go in love, god will go with you, God will guide you, God's children, good morning, grace, grateful, great importance, healthy, hear the Word, Jerusalem, Jesus, kernel statement, like persuasion, little ones, lost, lost sheep, LOVE, meditate on, never be afraid, one lost sinner, parting blessing, peace, perish, Pharisees, physician, ponder, power of God unto salvation, praise, presence, publican, reach out to others, rebuked, rejoices, repentance, reverence, righteous, sacrifice of praise, salvation, Samaria, Samaritans, save, save sinners, scribes, searching, searching Herdsman, self-righteous, shepherd context, show you believe, sick, sinners, steadfast, strong, Sunday, tax collector, teach, testify, thanksgiving, the Lord's Day, the Lord's goodness, the Son of man, the will of the Father, the Word of god, to seek, true, undeserving sinners, where two or three are gathered, worship, write indelibly in our hearts
Luke 19:10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Well a good Sunday morning to all you Friends and fellow believers out there in Christendom! It is the Lord’s Day, so please let’s treat it as such; with reverence and awe, with praise and thanksgiving, with worship and fellowship.
Let’s get out and fellowship with those of like persuasion… and even with those of a different persuasion, for once Jesus is the focus of our attention, we simply cannot go wrong. Remember He specifically said that wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, that He would certainly grace us with His wonderful presence. (Matt.18:20)
And if by chance, or design, you can’t get out to fellowship with other believers and hear the Word, then turn on your television set and tune in to one of the many Christian programmes where the Word is boldly preached and listen to it attentively. Because to know the Word, you must hear it, and how can you hear it without a preacher? (Rom.10:14-15) For as Bruh Paul proudly proclaims: ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom.10:17)
And just supposing you don’t have a T.V… Well then get out your Bible and read it aloud to yourself, for there’s plenty of power in the spoken Word. Note that God SPOKE the world and all therein into existence. It wasn’t any abracadabra, simi-dimi stuff. The important thing though my brethren, is that the Word of God comes into contact with your very soul, on this, His day.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’
And all God’s children gave out a loud and joyous shout of “Glory Hallelujah! All praise to the Lord for His goodness to us undeserving sinners.’ And well we should all be grateful and offer the sacrifice of praise my brethren, for without Jesus coming to search for and save us, we’d still be lost.
And I like how the scholars explain it. ’19:10. The words, seek, save, and lost all appear elsewhere in Scripture in a shepherd context. This verse may be taken as a kernel statement of the central theme of Luke. Jesus is the compassionate, searching Herdsman who seeks to save those who can by no means save themselves.’
We surely can’t my brethren! Now today I want to share some scriptures where Jesus states His avowed purpose in coming to earth. And He does it several times, in several different ways.
Let’s begin with when He talks about lost sheep. ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) Then He goes on to explain about a shepherd having an hundred sheep, but one gets lost and he leaves the ninety-nine and goes searching long and hard for the ONE LOST SHEEP, and rejoices greatly when he finds it. (Matt.18:12-13) ‘Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.’ (Matt.18:14)
Oh Friends, yuh see the great importance the Lord attaches to even ONE LOST SINNER! Consequently, if there had only been one single sinner in the entire world, the Father would still have sent Jesus to save him.
Now let’s turn to a time after Jesus had eaten with a publican (tax collector) called Levi. (Luke 5:27-29) The scribes and Pharisees are questioning Jesus as to: ‘Why do ye eat and drink with publicans (tax collectors) and sinners? (Luke 5:30) That’s because the Pharisees thought it was beneath them, defiling to have business dealings with tax collectors like Levi, much less to eat with them.
‘And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole (healthy) need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’ (Luke 5:31-32)
As the scholars explain: ‘5:32. Jesus is of course not dealing with the question of whether there are in fact righteous people who need no repentance. By ‘righteous’ He refers to the Pharisees, who thought they were righteous, and thus felt they had no need to repent. They were truly self-righteous.’
In any case, if you came to save sinners, then you obviously need to hang out with them, otherwise how would you teach and testify and bring them to repentance eh?
And we’ll close with this instance where Jesus is headed for Jerusalem, but while passing through Samaria is rejected by the people there. At this perceived slight, James and John want to call down fire and brimstone on the heads of the Samaritans. (Luke 9:51-54)
‘But he (Jesus) turned and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.’ (Luke 9:55-56)
Ah mih breddren, that’s enough stuff for us to ponder today, to meditate on and write indelibly in our hearts. Please, let’s allow the Word of God to dwell richly in our souls, for ‘it is the power of God unto salvation.’ (Rom.1:16)
And here’s a parting blessing I got from my church in Tobago. ‘Go now in Peace – Never be Afraid. God will go with you each hour of every day. Go now in faith steadfast and strong and true. Know He will guide you in all you do. Go now in LOVE, and show you believe. Reach out to others, so all the world can see. God will be there watching from above. Go now in Peace, in Faith and in LOVE.’ Much LOVE, my fellow believers!
…once you know Jesus…you can’t help but LOVE and glorify and exalt Him…
11 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: availability of our hearts, buffet, christianity, distress, embarassment, exalted above measure, for Christ's sake, glory in infirmitites, God's children, God's great world, grace, great things, human understanding, inwardly digest, Jesus Christ, joyous praise, Judaeo-Christian tradition, liseaux, living for Christ, LOVE, LOVE for God, LOVE for neighbour, magnanimous god, maturity in Christ, meditiate, mental or psychological distress, messenger of Satan, necessitites, opposition from adversaries, peace, perfect in weakness, persecutions, perseverance, personal feelings, physical affliction, power of Christ, Praise the Lord, promises, protective umbrella, religion, reproaches, revelations, sacrifice, self-emptying LOVE, sentiments, shame, short attention spans, Society of the Little Flower, spirituality, St. Therese, strength in weakness, suffer in God's name, suffering, taskmaster, temptations from Satan, the call of Christ, the Good Book, the million-dollar question, theology, thorn in the flesh, twofold commandment, wisdom
Acts 9:16. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
Oh Friends, it’s another beautiful day in God’s great world! And all God’s children declared a loud and joyous,’ Praise the Lord, for He is indeed a wonderful and most LOVING God!’ And He surely is brethren, no ifs ands or buts about that!
Anyway, to begin, I want to share these words from an introduction to a little booklet called, ‘A Journey of LOVE – Walking with St. Therese of Liseaux.’ That’s the patron Saint of the Society of the Little Flower run by the Carmelites. The intro is written by Fr. John F. Russell, and he says of St. Therese: ‘Her spirituality focuses upon the twofold commandment of the Judaeo- Christian tradition: LOVE for God and LOVE for neighbour.
To live out these commandments requires patience, perseverance, sacrifice and self-emptying LOVE in the manner of Jesus Christ. The outcome is holiness of life marked by joy, peace, maturity and courage, all characteristics of opening one’s heart to God’s grace. St. Therese’s story reveals a heart available daily to the LOVE and the call of Jesus Christ.’
Oh my people, all those things greatly concern us too, but the million-dollar question is if our hearts are ‘available daily to the LOVE and the call of Jesus Christ?’ Let’s hope so. And if they aren’t, then let’s come humbly before the Lord and sincerely ask for His help to make them so.
Now hopefully today will be the last day for this particular Bit. Hn, hn! But I’m not making any promises, (smile) since according to the Good Book it’s better not to promise than to promise and not make good on it. (Eccl. 5:5)
At times our Lord can definitely be a hard, but always fair, taskmaster, as He says of Bruh Paul: ‘For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’
And Bruh Paul did undergo a lot of ‘sufferation’ in his most valiant and awesome efforts to spread the good news of Christ’s gospel, as we’ve been seeing over the last few days. Today though, I want us to focus on some of his personal feelings and sentiments towards that ‘sufferation.’ And we’re going to start in 2 Corinthians, where he talks about the thorn in his flesh.
‘And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet (beat) me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought (pleaded with) the Lord thrice (three times), that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’ (2 Cor.12:7-10)
Mama Mia! Ah my fellow believers, can we echo Bruh Paul’s sentiments there? I don’t think many of us can. I certainly can’t. But I do know about the thorns of the flesh business, because over the years I’ve been plagued by several long term illnesses, like asthma, back and knee problems. And though the severity of each thorn eases up after a while, they don’t ever go away, so I’ve learned to be careful and don’t do certain things to aggravate them, or do them sparingly.
Now here are some interesting comments from the scholar’s on Bruh Paul’s problem. ‘Paul’s thorn in the flesh is characterized further as a messenger of Satan. Just what Paul means by this is not clear. Among the views suggested are (1) temptations from the Devil, (2) Paul’s opposition from his adversaries, (3) some intense bodily pain, (4) a recurring physical affliction such as eye trouble, or (5) even some form of mental or psychological distress.
Whatever the case, it was a tool of Satan, it was painful (‘thorn’), and it was accompanied by shame or embarrassment to the apostle. A fairly strong argument can be sustained in favour of the view that it was eye trouble (opthalmia). See also Acts 13:9; 23:1; Galatians 4:14-15; 6:11.’
Aye Friends, yuh think it easy living for Christ? Not really nuh, but it’s all very possible if we are serious about it and invoke the power of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. And by the way, I don’t think my thorns were, or are Satan induced, (smile) but more like the Lord’s doing to keep me under control, away from stuff that would spoil my testimony and show His strength in my weakness.
But my brethren I think we’ll stop here for today, since the rest of what I had planned to say will make the Bit too long, having in mind our busy lives and short attention spans. (smile) In any case we already have enough stuff to chew on, enough food for thought today. So please read, mark, meditate and inwardly digest the info so that we can raise the level of our maturity in Christ. And that is undoubtedly wisdom for all the ages; those past, present and yet to come!
It also looks like I was wise not to promise that today would be the last one for this Bit. (smile) So Friends, the Lord in favour, tomorrow we’ll continue with it. Until then, may our magnificent and magnanimous God bless and keep us safely under His protective umbrella, and may He grant us His peace that surpasses all human understanding, till we meet again, here on earth, or in the hereafter. Much LOVE!
…though it’s not easy to live for Christ…the fact of the matter is…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
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