18 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a cautionary word, a man of understanding, a mesuring line, a moment of prayerful silence, a two way street, alive, all flesh, among the heathen, aroused from, be silent, be still, best friend, Br. Geoffrey Tristam, byproduct, cacphony, communications revolution, consciousness, conversations, deceit, distant, even a fool, exalted in the earth, friends, glad to be alive, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, God's answers, God's goodness, God's great earth, God's plan, gospel truth, halfway home, holy habitation, I love you, I will be exalted, in due time, is considered wise, Jerusalem, keeps silent, know that I am God, lack of listening, lies, list of demands, listen quietly, LOVE, monologue, more than we can handle, neighbours, not listening, not looking back, obits, our fondest dreams, prayer, promises, responses, Saint John the Eveangelist, silence is golden, silence., step back, still small voice, the breath of God, the wherewithal to perform His work, too much talking, uncommunicative, useless talk, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, Zechariah
Psalm 46:10. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
A hearty welcome friends and neighbours to another glorious day on God’s great earth! We are alive, that means the Lord has a plan for us to pursue and complete. That’s the reason why our names and pictures are not in today’s obits.
So let’s get ourselves together and remember God’s goodness and His promises to not give us more than we can handle, neither to give us a task without giving us the wherewithal to perform it.
And yes, my task right now is to write this Bit, but I don’t know what I’m going to write about just yet. However, I have no doubt that in due time the Lord will guide me to whatever He wants me to say.
And this might just be the first clue. A friend recently sent me this interesting quote on ‘Silence,’ by Br. Geoffrey Tristam of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist.
It reads thus: ‘If God seems distant or uncommunicative these days, maybe you’re simply not listening. God doesn’t shout: God’s first language is silence. Maybe in your prayers you are doing too much talking and not enough listening.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends? Too many of us go on and on, telling God what we think or want or need to do, but forget that prayer is supposed to be a two-way conversation. Then when we finish our monologue we just move on, unwisely not taking time to hear God’s answers to our list of demands.
Now asking God for stuff is not basically wrong, though we should not go to Him only for that purpose. However, when we’re talking to our earthly friends, we listen to their responses after we’ve made our point.
So why, when talking to our Father, our Creator and best Friend, we don’t take time to listen to Him eh? Remember, He is the ONE who can make our fondest dreams and wishes come true!
And as Br. Geoffrey notes, God doesn’t talk in loud words or noises, but mainly in silence. So if we want to hear Him, we have to listen quietly to hear the often still, small voice He uses in our conversations.
But yuh know what, this lack of listening doesn’t only occur when we come to God, but it’s also an unhealthy byproduct of our communications revolution.
There is so much talk being generated in our individual societies and around the globe that there isn’t much chance to listen amid the cacophony of lies, deceit and just plain useless talk that has taken over our world.
But here is a cautionary word from the Lord for us today in our Bit. ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.’
Yes friends, the Lord wants us to stop and contemplate that He is GOD! His power and strength are second to none, and regardless of what we do, He will be exalted throughout all the earth that He has created. So why don’t we stop for a moment, a moment of prayerful silence RIGHT NOW, and contemplate that info eh… (silence)
Oh my fellow believers, I have no doubt that some of us heard the Lord say something to us in that moment of prayerful silence. It might not have been a world beating idea, but possibly only something as simple and very heart-warming as ‘I LOVE you. I truly do.’And those simple statements have now raised our consciousness to a higher level.
But if we had not been silent, we would not have heard it. So there is usefulness in being silent. That reminds us of Cousin Sol’s statement in Proverbs. ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov.17:28)
Now hear these words from the prophet Zechariah when he had the vision of a man with the measuring line, come to measure Jerusalem to make it bigger and better. ‘Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of (aroused from) his holy habitation.’ (zech.2:13)
Yeh friends, when God is aroused, it’s best we step back and keep silent and hear and see His awesome words and movements.
Consequently, I implore us to remember that prayer is a continual thing, constant communication between our heavenly Father and us, therefore there is a great need for silence every so often in our busy days, so that we can hear the responses of our God, our guide and leader. That’s wisdom of the highest order!
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail with sincere enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And what a future that will be my brethren, throughout all eternity! Much LOVE!
…in certain situations…silence is certainly golden…
21 Jul 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a smooth path, another week of work, be of good courage, boundaries, breathe out violence, carnal lusts, Christian faith, eating and drinking, enjoy, faith, false witnesses, fear, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, give thanks, God bless, God's plan, good and faithful servant, I am thy servant, ignoring God, ignoring man and best, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, Lead me in thy truth, limits, LOVE, party time, persevarance, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, reverential awe, righteousness, see the light, sensible approach, serious consequences, servant, service, sincerity, singleness of purpose, smooching, summer's morn, teach me thy way, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, The God of my salvation, the goodness of the Lord, the joy of the Lord, the land of the living, the living God, thy spirit is good, trust, truth, unite my heart, wait on the Lord, walk in thy truth, walking out of God's will, weekend, whole hog
Psalm 86:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of purpose) to fear (have reverential awe for) thy name.
Ah mih friends, what can I say this beautiful summer’s morn eh? Nothing but God bless! Enjoy it and give thanks! (smile)
Yeh, we’re alive and hopefully going about God’s plan for our lives in a successful and productive manner, for that’s what He desires of us, each and every day He causes us to see the light.
Walking out of His will is downright foolish, and sadly a lot of people are planning to do that today, as their weekend furlough begins. Just listen to their shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes!
Mama Yo, the weekend is here, party time is here, plenty eating and drinking and smooching! We call it the just do what you want to do time, ignoring both man and beast! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui, otherwise we’d just go out we mind with worry!’
Oh my faithful brethren, it is quite all right to ignore man and beast, but ignoring God, as the weekenders are planning to do, is an entirely different matter, one fraught with serious consequences. Taking a break from work is fine, indeed it’s necessary and beneficial, but we have to pay careful attention to the limits to which we go.
Our Friday Chant provides a much more sensible approach to the weekend, so let’s declare it now nuh, in all sincerity and truth. ‘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.’
Yeh friends, that is more in keeping with our Christian faith; making sure that we have and respect some boundaries in our lives, and not just going whole hog after the carnal lusts of the flesh, which are so prevalent today.
And as we’ve been seeing for the last couple of days, declaring and adhering to the glorious words of our Bit is one way to keep us safely grounded in God. ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart (give me singleness of purpose) to fear (have reverential awe for) thy name.’
Oh precious people of God, if we approach the Living God of our fathers, sincerely and ask for His help and guidance, He will NEVER turn us down!
And Bruh David seems to have known that principle and used it quite often in His talks with the Almighty. Listen to him from Psalm 25 – A prayer for guidance and protection. ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all day.’ (Ps.25:4-5)
Ah friends, do we ever call on God in such sincerity? If not, then perhaps we should. It might just change our whole perspective and consequently our lives for the better. Now hear Bruh David again from Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation.
‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty (violence).
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (patiently and in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:11-14)
Yeh mih breddren, it all boils down to faith and trust and patient but expectant waiting with a big dollop of perseverance, when it comes to dealing with Almighty God. And we’ll close with this last entreaty from Bruh David from Psalm 143- Teach me to do thy will.
‘Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken (revive) me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off (put an end) to mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.’ (Ps.143:10-12)
And the most poignant words in all of that friends, are the last ones: ‘for I am thy servant.’ Unless we are prepared to be God’s servant, as well as our fellow man in God’s name, our cries for help will not be answered. Remember Jesus said He came to serve, not be served.
And also bear in mind the greeting of the lord in the parable of the talents: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.’ (Matt.25:23).
Let’s not forget our purpose today my brethren as we walk in faithful service to out Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!
…to faithfully serve Jesus…in any manner He desires…is our Christian calling…
16 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fine time, a modicum of circumspection, Absalom, another week of work, arrive late, buckler, Christ-like, Controller, crazies, Creator, cries, David, day of trouble, defense, deliverance, deliverer, encouragement, enemies, eternal life, fellowship, fortress, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, God's help, God's plan, headway, henchmen, high tower, honesty, hope of salvation, horn, I am helped, I will praise him, I will trust, in Jesus' name, let it snow, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, loving presence, mercy, moderation, my heart greatly rejoices, my heart trusted in him, my shield, naked trees, on which side his bread was buttered, our walk with Christ, party inside, passionate, physically, ponder, prayers, put our best foot forward, refreshed, refuge, relaxation, renewed, rest, Rock, salvation, Saul, saved from mine enemies, security, shield, sing of thy power, snow, spiritually, strong voice, stronghold, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanksgiving, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, The Lord is my strength, the northern climes, the protection of Almighty God, the weekend, the wind howling, times of trouble, Toronto, truth, warm nest, wisdom, with my song, worthy to be praised, zenith
Psalm 28:7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
And then it was Friday… And the snow not joking at all nuh friends; it had Toronto all snarled and tied up again yesterday evening and last night. Hn! It took one friend, several hours to get home in what would normally be a forty-five minute drive. But that’s the price you pay for living in the northern climes.
In my area though, the snow didn’t fall till later in the night, but the wind was a howling all day long! I wanted to go out the street, but when I heard the wind and saw what it was doing to the poor, naked trees, I decided to stay in my warm nest instead. What I wanted to do, could certainly wait for a better weather day. (smile)
And this Friday morning there are going to be more difficulties on the road again. So please my people, leave home early and take your time on the road. Watch out for the crazies! They say it’s better to arrive late, than not arrive at all.
And what amazes me, is that rain, shine or snow, nothing stops the weekenders from singing their li’l ditty. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday…and we have the weekend to we selves! As the song says, let it snow, let it snow, for all we care.
A fine time is going to be had by all! We can’t go outside, so we going to party inside! Thank God for weekends and Fridays yes!’
Ah mih people, the party life is nice for a little while, but it soon kills you, both spiritually and physically when you overdo it. What we need to do is to have a modicum of circumspection in our activities, like our Friday Chant says.
Let’s chant it now nuh, in strong voice, truly believing that what we’re declaring is the best way to handle the weekend. ‘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, that is indeed the best way to navigate our weekends; a little bit of everything, everything in moderation, because we need to be fresh, energetic and passionate come Monday morning. And how can we mange that eh?
Listen to our Bit from Psalm 28 – Bruh David’s prayer for God’s help. ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’
What a strong and unwavering declaration my fellow believers! Can we make such a declaration in all truth and honesty? We ought to, if we are true followers of Jesus Christ. Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered after doing so much running from his enemies, like Saul and his own son Absalom.
Yeh mih people, only because of his great faith and trust in the Lord God Almighty was he able to defeat or get away from his many foes. His cries and prayers in times of trouble had not gone unanswered; therefore he placed his ultimate hope of salvation in the hands of the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And so should we friends, because He is the ONLY ONE who can offer true salvation and a wonderful eternal life in His awesome and LOVING presence.
Now let’s check out some scriptures that corroborate our Bit, beginning of course with Bruh David’s famous words from Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance.
‘The Lord is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’ (Ps.18:2)
Oh friends, how good that makes a believer feel, knowing that the Lord God Jehovah is his strength and fortress, his shield and stronghold! Wow! It doesn’t get any better than that! How could it eh, when the Creator and Controller of the universe is your safe refuge and helps you fight your battles?
Now hear Bruh David again from Psalm 59, another prayer for deliverance, this time when Saul sent his henchmen to watch Bruh David’s house with the definite intent to kill him.
‘But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of trouble. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.’ (Ps.59:16-17)
More strong proclamation of God’s power and safe keeping my brethren! And you know, until we come to that point in our Christian walk, when we can sincerely declare those things, we’ll not be taking full advantage of all that God has provided for us.
Remember God’s basic plan for all of His people is to become as Christ-like as possible. Oh, He knows we’ll never attain to the level of Jesus, because He is God, but that doesn’t mean to say we can’t put our best foot forward and get as close as we humanly can.
And we’ll end with this verse of encouragement from Psalm 18: ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:3)
Yes friends, that’s wisdom at its zenith! So please, let’s take some time to ponder our walk with Christ today nuh, see how far along we are, and if we are making good headway, and as always, ask for God’s help. You know He’ll never refuse it. Much LOVE!
…there’s no better feeling of security…than walking under the protection of Almighty God…
13 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be of good courage, be strong and of a good courage, believed to see, Bible promise, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, captivated by, Christians, competitive goals, confession, courage, defeated by, enthusiasm, erred, eternal life, faith, fight the good fight of faith, Financial Adviser, foolish, fountain, friend of Jesus, futile, goading competition, God's plan, godliness, greediness, he shall strengthen thine heart, I am the light of the world, I had fainted, in the land of the living, Jesus Christ, joyful, keep up with the Joneses, life's goal, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, LOVE of God, LOVE of Money, lure of the world, lustful pleasures, material possessions, meekness, negatives, One Year Book of Bible promises, patience, pierced themselves, positive spirit, rich, righteousness, rotting carcasses, Ruth Harms Calkin, seek first, share His love, spiritual life, spiritual realm, strain, strayed from the faith, stress, the beloved of God, the goodness of the Lord, the lack of money, the light of life, the lure of money, the root of all evil, this is the day the Lord has made, trials, tribulations, true believers, truthful word of God, Tuesday Mantra, unbelievers, wait on the Lord, walk in darkness, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
Well friends, it’s Tuesday, the day after Monday. (smile) Hope you had a good Monday, but even if you didn’t, it’s time to let it go into the past where it belongs and greet today with new enthusiasm and faith, by declaring, ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.’ Yes my people, it’s the only way to keep a joyful, positive spirit in these end times.
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that’s ever so timely for many of us Christians, as well as unbelievers. It’s simply titled ‘Seek First.’
And it says: ‘O Lord How futile, how foolish To attempt to keep up with the Joneses On the gold-studded ladder of success. Even if we make it (Setting high, competitive goals) We awake one dismal morning To discover the Smiths have bypassed the Joneses So it starts again – the goading competition.
God, Your objective is far more rewarding. You want us to “keep up” with Your Plan For our individual lives. “Seek first the Kingdom of God” Is Your shining word to us. Forgive us for moments and days (Even months) When our LOVE of money Has exceeded our LOVE for You.
Please, God Be our Financial Advisor And deliver us from a thousand “if onlys.” May we never be defeated By the lack of money Or captivated by the lure of it.’
Oh my brethren, in this ever more greedy, selfish and competitive world, that is the path a lot of us are following; the lure of money and material possessions. But our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ has in no uncertain terms told us: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yes friends, if we first seek the spiritual realm, then the material will be forthcoming to us. And the Bible promise used for that poem is one we know all too well, but still neglect to follow properly. Listen up to these monumental words of Bruh Paul to Timothy.
‘And having food and raiment (clothing) let us be therewith content. But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many arrows.’ (1 Tim.6:8-10)
Oh my people, the world is strewn with the rotting carcasses of so many of us who have made being rich in money and material things our life’s goal. It’s certainly not a goal that’s worth striving after because it causes too much stress and strain and invites too many negatives in our lives.
However, as Bruh Paul continues to Timothy: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things: and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, where unto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) with a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:11-12)
Yeh friends, as true believers in Christ, that is the path we ought to follow. But unfortunately, the lure of the world, its material possessions, and lustful pleasures are so strong that we can easily get caught up in them. That’s why our Bit is so important in these times of much agitation. ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
It doesn’t have many words, but it says a whole lot in terms of our spiritual life. Without strength and courage we won’t be able to withstand the attacks of the evil one. And that spiritual strength and courage can only be gotten by having the truthful word of God dwelling securely in our souls.
As Jesus said: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) Oh my people, are we walking in the light of Jesus or the darkness of the world? For all our sakes, I sincerely hope it’s the latter, otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe (ours will be a very rough landing).
Now let’s look at a scripture that encourages us to seek the Lord’s strength. And nobody exemplified that more than Bruh David. Hear him: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:13-14)
Bruh David was anointed king of Israel in his teenaged years, but never got to sit upon the throne until many years later, after going through many trials and tribulations not of his own making. He only succeeded by staying strong in his faith in the God of his forefathers. And that’s the only way we will succeed too my friends.
Now let’s go home by declaring our Tuesday Mantra with lots of conviction and passion, because, without conviction and passion in our lives we are just like the living dead.
All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
So having said all of that, let’s now go out and behave like the beloved of God and share the LOVE of our friend Jesus with the rest of the world. That’s wisdom of untold dimensions! Much LOVE!
…the only fountain of true strength…is that which is found in Jesus…
06 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, bad habits, bake and saltfish, barren, belly and backbone, blessings, carcasses, celebration, childbearing age, Christians, chutzpah, confusion, corruption, courage, David, deceitful world, devotions, disobedience, dry season, encouragement, fallen nature, fellowship, friends, give thanks, glory hallelujah, God's plan, Goliath, good habits, gospel truth, Hannah, heart's desire, in the name of the Lord of hosts, Jesus Christ, laid back, lead us down the garden path, LOVE, lustful, mistakes, on which side his bread was buttered, peace, Philistine, praise, prayer, rain, rear their ugly heads, rearing to go, Samuel, Sarah, strength, Sunday, tambourine, the battle is the Lord's, the day of the Lord, the fowls of the air, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, The God of Israel, the Lord God Jehovah, the sanctuary, the spoken word, the vicissitudes of life, there is a God in Israel, thy way O God, Tobago, who is so great a God, wild beasts of the earth, William Somerset Maugham, wisdom, worship, wrong thinking
Psalm 77:13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?
Oh friends, it’s the day of the Lord, as celebrated by a majority of Christians! So I do hope that we have all gotten, or are in the process of getting our weekly celebration, gathering with other believers to worship and praise and give thanks to our great God and receive his encouragement and strength and peace and wisdom to endure the vicissitudes of life for another week! Praise His holy name, for He is indeed a great God!
Now please note that the Bit is not late. (smile) That’s just the way God planned it. You see I was up early this morning, participating in some devotions, then got ready and went to church.
And you know on this paradise island of Tobago, like everything else, church is also laid back and does take some time. I read the first reading and I shook my tambourine and sang as loudly as I could, given my current asthmatic condition! Glory Hallelujah!
Then I came home and had breakfast, some bake and saltfish, and the obligatory nap came after. (smile) Only thing is it turned into a little more than a nap, since I had not had a decent night’s sleep last night. So you see everything is indeed working out according to God’s plan; I’m up now bright and beautiful and rearing to go!
And talking about bright and beautiful, I see some dark clouds massing up over the southern horizon, seemingly portents of rain which we desperately need in this continuing dry season.
But I won’t hold my breath because over the last few days it has been particularly cloudy, but nary a drop of heavenly blessing has fallen. The strong winds seem to blow them away at the last minute. But then again that might just be God’s plan, and indeed His prerogative.
And this Sunday morning, or rather afternoon, I want to remind us of one thing; it’s a quote attributed to the renowned British playwright and novelist, William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965). He reputedly declared that ‘The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! We all have been plagued by habits, both good and bad, at some time(s) in our lives and unfortunately, or in some cases fortunately (smile) the bad ones were always the hardest to give up.
Now why is that eh? I suspect that it has something to with our fallen nature, because most of the bad habits are usually associated with the wrong thinking and beliefs of the lustful and deceitful world which we ofttimes seem to cherish more than the good habits of our wonderful God.
Now that’s just a reminder to be very careful of those bad worldly habits. When they come a calling, or rear their ugly heads in our lives, we need to resist them with every ounce of our beings, through prayer and fellowship, or else they will most certainly lead us down the garden path to more confusion and corruption in our lives than is necessary. End of sermon. (smile)
Now let’s turn to our Bit which espouses the greatness of our God Jehovah. ‘Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary (holiness): who is so great a God as our God?’
And for all true believers, we know that there is NOBODY as great as our God! As I keep asking, how could there be, when He is the one who created the universe and all therein basically through the spoken word. Who, or what, could be mightier than that eh, to just talk the world into existence?
NOTHING or NO ONE!
And we’ll continue looking at some scripture that proves our contention, beginning with the patriarch Abraham, who left his family at seventy-five years of age and wandered out into the unknown because of God’s promise to magnify Him if he obeyed His will. (Gen.12)
And we all know that God did magnify him, because today, thousands of years later, we talk about and worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And how about the Lord’s promise that Abraham would have an heir out of his own loins with his aged wife Sarah? (Gen.18, 21) Who but a great and mighty God could fulfill such a promise when one party was a hundred years old and the other ninety eh, both way past childbearing age?
The Lord God Jehovah is His name!
And again when the prophet Samuel’s mother, Hannah, beseeched the Lord to end her barren womanhood, because she was having a hard time with the mocking of her husband Elkanah’s other fruitful wives, what happened?
Having promised to give the child into His service, the Lord looked down with favour and granted her her heart’s desire, and made him a great prophet amongst his people. (1 Sam.1)
And who caused Bruh David to kill the mighty Philistine giant with five small stones and a sling shot (catapult) eh? Nobody else but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Now listen to these immortal words that Bruh David spoke to Goliath. ‘Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite (strike) thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.’ (1 Sam.17:45-47)
And it happened just as he declared it!
Oh friends, I have to chuckle at Bruh David’s belly and backbone yes! Wish we all could have a little bit of it. Just imagine this little runt of a shepherd boy, talking to the mighty Philistine warrior like that nuh!
But as I’ve always said, if nothing else, Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered, for despite all his mistakes and disobedience, he never forsook the God of his fathers.
Oh my people, this Sunday, please let’s take all the stuff we’ve talked about and diligently mould it into our minds, bodies and souls nuh, so that we can have the courage, the chutzpah of Bruh David, to stand up strong and declare our great God, when the enemy comes against us.
This I pray in Jesus name. Amen! Much LOVE my people!
…a believer’s bread is buttered on only one side…that of the Lord’s…
09 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a matter of faith, a true believer, almighty god, an easy row to hoe, and the body than raiment, anxious, automatic action, be careful for nothing, boring death, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, comfort, comprehend, discouragement, don't worry, exciting life, failure, faith, finite minds, glory, glory to God, God is still on the throne, God's plan, God's ways are higher than ours, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, his goodness to the children of men, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, I will move, in everything by prayer and supplication, in you I come alive, inner mental stability, insecure, insecurity, irresponsibility, is not life more than food, jehovah god, Jehovah-Jireh, legitimate concerns, let your requests be made known unto God, level of faith, Lord I want your heart to be in my heart, loving kindness, material needs, material things of life, outward physical provisions, pardon, personal example, power, powerless, promises, providence, reassurance, reverence, rightousness, rudderless, Sermon on the Mount, shame, sin, sinfulness, spiritual blessings of God, strength, success, take no thought for your life, Thank You Lord, thanksgiving, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is at hand, the Lord our Provider, the spirit of a man, the straight and narrow path, trust, walk in worry, weakness, wisdom, worry free
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Aye Friends, welcome to another day in the unfolding of God’s great universe! It is unfolding as it should. We might not think it logical or understand it, but all we need to know is that God is still on the throne, and still in control of what He made. His thoughts and abilities are way higher than ours, so our small, finite minds won’t be able to comprehend all that’s going on.
Be not afraid though, for everything is working to plan; God’s plan that is. Just rest in the comfort and reassurance of His tender, forgiving and merciful embrace and allow the Holy Spirit that dwells within you to lead and guide you on the straight and narrow path that leads to our heavenly Father. End of sermon. (smile)
And now, on this wet and cloudy Tuesday morning in my area, here’s a simple but powerful prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Shuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled ‘I WILL MOVE…’ I don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, because it doesn’t even look familiar to me. Hn! And I’ve been reading the book for several years now.
Anyway, please pray with me: ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
Oh my people, what true and wonderful sentiments! That’s just what I was saying earlier; putting your hope and trust in Almighty God is the only wise and sensible way to proceed in this mish-mash thing we call life. Without His involvement in our lives we are simply powerless and rudderless, aimlessly drifting on a tossing sea of sin and sinfulness, which augurs no good whatsoever to anybody.
But with Jehovah God in our lives, as Gramps Schuller so rightfully declares, we keep moving ahead in an exciting life, filled with hope, glory, strength and success!
And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Glory to God! Praise Him for His wonderful LOVING-kindness to the children of men!’ Yes Friends, that we certainly ought to do, for our God does deserve much reverence and thanksgiving!
And talking about reverence and thanksgiving, listen to our Bit, which details it marvellously for us. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’
Without a doubt my brethren, the wise way is always to bring everything to God in prayer with much thanks for all that He’s done and still doing for us.
And the scholars offer this information on our Bit. ‘4:6. Be careful for nothing means “don’t worry about anything.” The Lord’s nearness (v.5b) (‘The Lord is at hand’) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern.
The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in everything, “in every matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied with thanksgiving.’
Ah Friends, unfortunately too many of us don’t put that advice in to action, therefore we are worried and anxious about all sorts of things. I guess it depends on the level of faith to which we have attained; meaning the greater our faith, the more we submit or adhere to the programme.
Consequently we need to build our faith so that going to God with EVERYTHING in prayer with thanksgiving becomes an automatic action in our lives. And I can tell you from personal example, it works my brethren, it truly works!
You might not always get the answer you want, or even deserve, but if you follow the leading of God’s Spirit that dwells within you, you will seldom go wrong. It won’t always be an easy row to hoe, but it will be definitely interesting and worthwhile.
And in support of our Bit, let’s look at some defining scriptures. First up is Jesus’ profound pronouncement from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt.6:25)
And the scholars offer this splendid explanation of that verse. ‘6:25. Jesus now deals with the equally dangerous tendency of those who have few possessions: worry! Take no thought (Gr. me merimnao) means “Do not be anxious.” This word means to be so disturbed about material needs that we distrust God and are distracted from faithfully doing His will.
Anxious care is the direct opposite of faith. Therefore, even the poor are not to worry needlessly about what they should eat, drink, or wear. The question Is not life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? indicates that inner mental stability must come from the spirit of a man and not from outward physical provisions.
To set one’s heart on material possessions or to worry about the lack of them is to live in perpetual insecurity and to deprive oneself of the spiritual blessings of God.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people. That’s why so many of us are so insecure. We place too much emphasis on the material things of life; worry too much about them, and work too hard to acquire them. We do need them, but listen to Jesus further on the issue.
‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) And if you are a person of faith, a true believer in Christ, then you will understand that if you do the will of God, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider, will indeed provide for all our material wants and needs.
It’s all a matter of faith, my brethren. Believe and you will not worry, and will be amply provided for. Do not believe, then you will worry, be anxious and stress yourself out, and still not be sure of having all your needs met. And on that most important note, we’ll end today’s message.
Oh Friends, I implore us to have faith, or to raise the level of our faith, so that we won’t have the unnecessary worry and concern that comes with lack of faith. That is the wisdom of both heaven and earth. Much LOVE!
…why walk in worry…when one can walk worry free in faith…
09 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a state of choice, accepted Jesus, affection, battered, be wise, believe that Jesus is the Christ, blessed are those who have not seen me yet believed, bruised, clandestine visit, conversion, criticism, disrepair, Elijah, eternal life, evil doers, feed my sheep, God incarnate, God's plan, God's plan for our lives, God's word is truth, godless people, goodwill, gospel of John, Jesus keeps us afloat, lifeless, live our lives in union with God's plan, LOVE, man of God, meditate on God's Word, messenger of God, miracle, Nicodemus, Oh Jesus, only believe, options, pain, peace, Peter, prophet, Proverbs, read God's word, reception of god's message, revealed his glory, salvation, sanctification, sarcasm, seer, servant of the Lord, son of god, storms of life, strife, strong anchor, succour, the times of storm, the word of the Lord is truth, Thomas, thou art a man of god, thou knowest all things, Thursday, truly believe, truth, turning water into wine, unbelief, unbelievers, wedding of Cana in Galilee, wisdom of the world
1 Kings 17:24. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.
And then Friends, it was Thursday! The week’s moving right along as the Lord programmed it. Likewise, our lives are moving right along in union with God’s plan for them. The difference though between the days of the week and us, is that the former has no choice, so they have to move as He dictates.
But as God’s supposed greatest creation, we were given a state, an option of choice. We can choose to follow His plans for us or not. And unfortunately too many of us in the world are choosing not to follow God’s plan for their lives. That’s one of the major reasons why our world is in such a sad state of disrepair and strife.
Now my brethren, following our own plans, those of the world, or other people is definitely not a wise move on our part, because the best plan for each human life is the one that God has prepared for it from the beginning of time!
So please don’t allow the unbelievers, evildoers and other godless people to fool us into thinking otherwise, because in the long run, we are the ones who will suffer most for that mistake. When we live in union with God’s plan for our lives, they take on an entirely different character and quality; one of peace, LOVE and goodwill!
We have internal rest even when the storms of life are raging all around us. In other words, the strong anchor that is Jesus keeps us afloat and steady, whereas if we accept the foolish wisdom of the world, we’ll end up being thrown upon the rocks, battered and bruised, and even lifeless in the times of storm.
And the only way to know God’s plan for our lives is to talk to Him about it, read His Word and meditate on it. You will find succour for your pain and everything else that you need because His Word is TRUTH and nothing else!
As the widow in our Bit confirms to Elijah: ‘And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.’
And before we get into the scriptures for today, I want to share some interesting info from the scholars, re terms for those who do God’s work.
It’s a note for ‘1 Sam. 9:16-11. Three terms for prophet occur in these verses: Seer, which stresses the reception of God’s message; Prophet, which emphasizes that the messenger is truly called of God to pronounce His word to the people; and man of God, which underscores the messenger’s relationship to God. He is above all, God’s man.
Other terms include: “messenger of the Lord,” which reminds the prophet of his task of bearing God’s word and “servant of the Lord,” which underscores his task before God as called to serve.’
I do hope that makes our understanding of those terms a little clearer. Now what I want to do today is relate some scripture where people begin believing that Jesus was indeed Lord, and His words were absolute truth. I believe they all come from the gospel of John.
And we’ll begin at the beginning, which is usually the best place to start. (smile) That brings us to Jesus’ first miracle; turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. What a miraculous wine that must have been! I’d surely like to taste it! It must have gone down real smooth, as the governor of the feast remarked. (smile)
The Good Book informs us: ‘This beginning of miracles (signs) did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth (revealed) his glory; and his disciples believed on him.’ (John 2:11)
And per the scholars: ‘2:11. Jesus’ miracles always had a purpose. This miracle resulted in the manifestation of his glory (cf.1:14), and in his disciples belief in Him (cf.20:31).’
Then we have the nocturnal, clandestine visit of Nicodemus, the Pharisee and Jewish leader. ‘The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles (signs) that thou doest, except God be with him.’ (John 3:2)
Now the scholars surmise that Nicodemus came to Jesus: ‘3:2. By night: Probably he feared criticism. John refers several times to “fear of the Jews” (see 7:13; 9:22; 12:42-43; 19:38). Nicodemus accepted Jesus as a teacher and a rabbi from God who worked miracles, but Jesus was not impressed with the depth of Nicodemus’s belief or understanding. Many unbelievers still agree that Jesus was “a great man.”
Oh Jesus was indeed a great man, but even more than that, He was God incarnate!
Then we come to that time when Jesus spoke to the disciples saying: ‘These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs (figurative language): but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs (figurative language), but I shall show (tell) you plainly of the Father.
At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself LOVETH you, because ye have LOVED me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb (use no figures of speech). Now we are sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?’ (John 16:25-31)
I like the little touch of sarcasm in Jesus’ question: ‘So now you believe eh? What were you doing all along?’ (smile)
Next up is when Jesus got on Peter’s case about feeding His sheep. ‘He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, LOVEST thou me (do you have affection for me)? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time LOVEST thou me (do you have affection for me)? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I LOVE (have affection for) thee, Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.’ (John 21:17)
Peter admits that Jesus knows everything, including His LOVE for Him, so why the continued questioning?
And finally, we come to Thomas’ unbelief. Only when he saw the marks on Jesus body from the cruel wounds of His crucifixion, did Thomas believe. ‘Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through (in) his name.’ (John 20:29-31)
And the scholars explain: ’20:30-31. John tells us here he wrote this gospel for purposes of conversion, that ye might believe, and of sanctification, that ye might have life.’
Yes Friends, there is no mistaking that Jesus, was, is and will always be the Christ, the Son of God! And believing that will bring you salvation and eternal life, the greatest gifts ever bestowed on mankind! Wow! So please, let’s be wise and truly believe! Much LOVE!
…ONLY BELIEVE…and the rest will follow naturally…
18 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a death-blow, abundant mercies and blessings, acclamation, all should come to salvation, areas of wonder, barrier breaker, believers, blessings, break free, brought the sick into the streets, by products, carried away, christianity, come to know Jesus, Creator of the universe, destiny, discipleship, each one teach one, enlarge my vision, enthusiasm, esteemed, eventual goal, ever-LOVING God, every area of my life, evil, evildoers, evildoing, exalt Jesus, excited, expectant faith, experience god's favour, forgiving, friends, get the day up and running, glory hallelujah, God is fulfiling His purpose in my life, God's plan, hands of the apostles, healed, healing, hold their heads and bawl, hungry hope, in the offing, indisputable, Jesus Christ, Joel Osteen, joy, light, lights in a darkened world, limited mindset, lost to Beelzebub, LOVE, magnanimous, magnificence, magnified, make a difference, mass meetings, memorable time, merciful, mighty mover and shaker, mighty moving of the Holy Spirit, multitudes, mysterious ways, neck of the woods, our Lord and Saviour, peace, people being brought to christ, perilous times, positively exploit, potential, Praise the Lord, proselytize the whole world, rejuvenating the spirits, righteous, salt, salt to a tastless society, salvation, seeds of greatness, signs and wonders, Solomon's porch, talent, the Holy Spirit, the shadow of Peter, Today is my day, tormented, troubled, unclean spirits, uncontainable, unfathomable, ungodly world, uplifting Bit, upright, uproar, walk in faith, wisdom, with one accord, wonderful stuff, words and actions
Acts 5:12. And by (through) the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought (done) among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, excitement reigns, for it’s another brand new day of abundant mercies and blessings on the way down from heaven to us! Glory Hallelujah!
And if we’re not excited and looking forward to them with hungry hope and expectant faith, then we’re likely to miss out on a lot of good stuff that our great, wonderful, merciful, forgiving, magnanimous and ever-LOVING God has earmarked for us today! Wow!
And having said that, here is this acclamation from Bubba (Joel Osteen) that I shared with you some time ago. I had a couple of other things in mind to share, but I just happened to read Bubba’s before I began writing, and it just screamed out at me, ‘share me, share me, today is my day!’ (smile)
So here is ‘Today Is My Day.’ Let’s acclaim it together. ‘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 God’s people declared a loud and mighty ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
Wow Friends! What a way to get the day up and running! It can only help by knowing that Almighty God, our Creator and Provider has unknown and eternal blessings and seeds of greatness stored in us. Now it’s up to us to positively exploit those areas of wonder and magnificence.
Oh mih people, the ole fella’s getting carried away by his own rhetoric. (smile) But how can I not get excited when so much wonderful stuff is in the offing eh?
And then having the uplifting Bit that we have today, joy and enthusiasm are just obvious and natural by-products of it all. ‘And by (through) the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought (done) among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.’
And before we go any further, here is an interesting note from the scholars’. ‘5:12. Solomon’s porch refers to the colonnaded eastern wall of the temple courtyard. The early Christians commonly gathered here for mass meetings (cf. 3:11). Few places could better accommodate the thousands.’
Oh Friends, how I wish that in these perilous times we could have such a mighty moving of the Holy Spirit amongst us, for it would bring much needed joy, peace and LOVE to our very troubled, evil and ungodly world.
Now listen as the Good Book further describes the mighty moving of the Holy Spirit at that most memorable time. ‘And of the rest durst (dared) no man join himself to them: but the people magnified (highly esteemed) them. And believers were the more (increasingly) added to the Lord; multitudes both of men and women.
Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow (fall on) some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with (tormented by) unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.’ (Acts 5:13-16)
Oh mih breddren, what a mighty mover and shaker is our God! But can you imagine such a movement taking place today? Wow! What an uproar it would create! The evildoers would hold their heads and bawl like crazy, knowing that their evildoing was being dealt a death-blow!
And please Friends, don’t laugh, and/or think that the ole fell is going crazy – right, he’s already gone there – (smile), but that sort of stuff is happening in small pockets all over the world.
People are being brought to Christ everyday through healing and discipleship, just not on the immense scale that we would like to see, or that would make a significant difference. But the Lord is still moving in mysterious and unfathomable ways like He did in those early days of Christianity.
However, the important concern for each and every believer ought to be, what are we doing as individuals, supposed righteous and upright folks, about rejuvenating the spirits of those with whom we come into contact each and every day?
We cannot proselytize the world all at once, but if we just spread some peace and LOVE and walk in faith every day in our little neck of the woods, eventually the whole world will come to know, receive, LOVE and exalt Jesus.
And please remember, that’s His eventual goal: that ALL should come to salvation, and not even one single soul should be lost to that evil fool, Beelzebub.
Therefore Friends, in light of all that, let’s go out today, and with our godly, LOVING words and actions, be lights in a darkened world, and salt to a tasteless society, for that’s what our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ desires of us each and every day.
Let the mighty power of the Holy Spirit move mightily in us to day my people! For that is the indisputable wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…if each one would teach one every day…then God’s plan for salvation would soon be completed…
22 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accedptable to God, admonishing, arise from the dead, armour of light, awake, be not unwise, beautiful morning, beautiful morning in Paradise, blessed light of Jesus, character, charles stanley, children of disobedience, Christ's return, conformity, confront hypocrites, daily decisions, dark clouds, darkness, darkness of this world, deceive, desire to do God's will, dissipation, doing good, don't be drunk, earnestly, embrace outcasts, Ephesians, equip leaders, evil power, excess, exhortations, expose, filled with the Spirit, frivolity, fruit of the Spirit, giving thanks always, goal, God's little Acre, God's plan, goodness, hearts minds and souls, heavenly blessing, heavenly wisdom, hovering overhead, humbly, humility of Spirit, hustling pace, hymns, Jesus Christ, Jesus' 2nd coming, Jesus' work, joyous coming again, light, light in the Lord, long term basis, lord jesus christ, Lucifer, making melody in your heart to god, more like Jesus, morning splendour, obedience, onerous goals, partakers, patience, perseverance, poetic licence, ponder, priorities, psalms, rain, restore broken lives, reverence of God, righteousness., secret, seek God, serve others, shame, signs, spiritual songs, teach God's Word, the sun rose, time, time's moving fast, truth, understand the will of God, unfruitful works of darkness, vain empty words, walk as children of light, walk circumspectly, walk like Jesus, ways of a believer, We could handle this, works of darkness, write indelibly
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Well Friends, it’s another beautiful morning in Paradise! Wow! Since I’ve been here that’s been a recurring occurrence. (smile) And would you believe that I’ve already been here for almost a week? I left T.O. last Wednesday night.
Mama! Time sure is moving fast! A little too fast for my liking though. I need it to slow down some, to just an easy walk, so that I can properly enjoy my time on God’s Little Acre, rather than the hustling pace it seems all geared up for.
And by the way, I finally experienced my first rainfall since I arrived. Sometime last evening, while we were inside, we suddenly heard an unexpected loud, drumming kind of noise on the roof, and wondered if it was rain, so I went outside to investigate the matter. And behold it was indeed heavenly blessing!
However, after a minute or so, it stopped just as suddenly as it had begun. It wasn’t all that surprising, because over the past week, there have been numerous dark rain clouds in the sky, but nothing has ever happened. Apparently the strong breezes simply blow them away. Even when I went outside earlier this morning, there were dark clouds hovering overhead, but soon thereafter, the sun rose in all its earthly morning splendour.
Ah mih people, as the Duchess and I keep on saying: ‘We could handle this, yuh know – on a long term basis.’ (smile) And hopefully, one day we will, provided it falls into line with God’s plan for our lives.
But enough of my frivolity, let’s get serious with Jesus’ work. And this morning I found this note amongst my papers, which I’m being guided to share with you. It looks like something I scribbled down from one of Uncle Charles’ (Charles Stanley) sermons. It talks about the 7 Priorities of Jesus’ Daily Decisions.
And they are: (1) He sought the Father. (2) He embraced the outcasts of society. (3) He restored broken lives. (4) He confronted hypocrites. And did He ever! (5) He taught God’s Word. (6) He served others in humility of spirit. (7) He equipped leaders – providing training in obedience and a desire to do God’s will.
So Friends, if we want to be more like Jesus, bring our character into greater conformity with His, then we too have to make those things our priorities. They’re not onerous goals, but they do take time, perseverance and patience to build, obviously with God’s help. And who knows how much time we have left on this earth eh – either in terms of our personal lives, or Jesus’ 2nd Coming?
For as our Bit so wisely and rightly reminds us. ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
And as we saw yesterday, the night refers to Jesus’ absence from the world, when the evil power of Lucifer rules, while the day hails His joyous coming again. And without a doubt my fellow believer, from all the signs He’s given us, that day isn’t as far away as many of us believe.
And having heard Jesus’ serious pronouncement on the subject of His Second Coming yesterday, today we’re going to investigate some scriptures which encourage us to give up the foolish darkness of this world and wisely move into the blessed light of Jesus’ heavenly abode.
Let’s begin with some powerful admonishing and ‘exhortatious’ words (smile – poetic licence- it just sounded better) from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians, re the ways of a believer.
‘Let no man deceive you with vain (empty) words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest (known) by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear (reverence) of God.’ (Eph.5:6-21)
Oh Friends, I have to chuckle here because I never intended to use all of that scripture, but after reading it, I couldn’t find anywhere to break off and not lose the sense of the passage, since it all speaks so earnestly and appropriately to our Bit; being ready for Christ’s return, and the behaviour that’s necessary to achieve such a wonderful and important goal.
So please, let’s ponder all the stuff we’ve heard today, write them indelibly in our hearts, mind and souls, and walk accordingly, thereby bringing more righteousness to our lives and also improving our readiness for Jesus’ Second Coming. That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to be truly ready for Jesus…we must daily walk like He walked…humbly doing good…
17 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, actions, better example, bidding, blessing of the Lord, camels, chance, changing times, Christmas Season, comprehend, disappointed, discrepancy, divine appointment, divine decree, divulged his purpose, donkeys, draw nourishment, drives people crazy, embryonic ideas, ever-Loving, faithful and fulfilled prayer, faithfully, fellow believers, first and foremost, fits the needs, flocks, focused, forms, fully know, god, God's plan, gold, gold bracelets, gold nose ring, Gramps Schuller, guidance, hard done by, hearts, heavenly Father, herds, higher thoughts, inescapable truth, Isaac, Jesus Christ, Laban, lifeline, live our faith, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, luck, maidservants, makes rich, master, material welath, mature in Christ, menservants, Mesopotamia, methods, minds, mysterious ways, Nahor, no sorrow, notable impression, novel way, omnipotence, parameters, prayer, quench thirst, Rebekah, right direction, Rober H Schuller, selfish and petty requests, servants, shapes, shekel, sick, silver, sizes, souls, spread the word, the answer, the antidote, the Good Book, the power that pulls everything together successfully, tired of snow and cold, True LOVE, umbilical cord, unborn infant, uncertainty, undeniable truth, unfathomable, vice-versa, weather people, wife
Proverbs 10:22. The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Oh Friends, I don’t know about you all nuh, but I’m tired of the snow and cold already! And that’s only the first big snowfall and cold spell of the year. I guess I’m tired mainly because I had to be out and about in it all.
But here this, the weather people are forecasting above freezing temps and rain for later this week! That discrepancy and uncertainty is what drives people crazy and also gets them sick, because they don’t know how to properly prepare for the weather in these changing times.
However Friends, I also have the answer, the antidote for it all; prayer!
And like Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) describes it in his devotional for yesterday: ‘Prayer is the umbilical cord that allows you – with your embryonic ideas – to draw nourishment from a source that you, like an unborn infant, can neither see nor fully know or comprehend – God our heavenly Father! Prayer is the power that pulls everything together successfully.’
And that’s a novel but absolutely true way to put it my people! When I read it yesterday, I just knew that I had to share it with you. And would you believe that I’ve been reading that devotional for a number of years now, and that idea did not even sound familiar when I read it yesterday.
Ah Lord eh! Makes you wonder what I’m thinking about when I read them. (smile) I guess though, that I wasn’t mature enough in Christ for it to make a notable impression on me, before yesterday. But who knows, since our God moves in such mysterious and unfathomable ways with His higher thoughts and methods.
Anyway, the important thing is that I’ve finally recognized it, so let’s turn to our Bit. ‘The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’
More undeniable truth my brethren! For when our God blesses us, we know that we are blessed, and He doesn’t include any sorrow in it. Now maybe the sorrow will come before, or even after the blessing, (smile) but the blessings are usually blessings alone.
And we’ll continue from where we left off yesterday, with Abraham’s servant being sent to his master’s home country, Mesopotamia, to find a wife for Isaac from his brethren. And Friends, it’s not by luck or chance, but rather by divine decree and guidance, that Abraham’s servant ended up in the city where Nahor, Abraham’s brother dwelt.
Neither was it luck or chance, but divine appointment, that caused Rebekah to come out and fulfill all the conditions that the servant had desired of the Lord in prayer.
Oh mih people, yuh see the wonderful and inescapable truth of what we’ve been saying above, about prayer being the lifeline, the umbilical cord to God! The servant prayed faithfully, setting some parameters, and asking the Lord to send someone favourable to fulfill them.
And I like how the Good Book says that before he was even finished making his requests known to God, that Rebekah showed up. (Gen.24:15a) Oh my brethren, we can’t ask for a better example than that of faithful and fulfilled prayer!
And if you read what transpired afterwards, as I asked you to do yesterday, (Gen.24:16-25), you’d have seen Rebekah offer the servant drink, as well as offer to quench his camels thirst. And when she’d fulfilled her pledge, he gave her an expensive gold nose ring, weighing half a shekel, approximately $960.00, since a shekel of gold is worth around $1920.00. To that he added 2 gold bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight. Do the math my people.
And after he enquired about her family, she then ran home and told her family about the strange happening that had befallen her. That brought her big brother Laban out to meet the servant. And to make a long story short, (smile) they invited him to lodge with them. He graciously accepted the offer, and after the camels were looked after, they set food before him, but he refused to eat before he divulged his purpose. (Gen.24:28-33)
‘And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses (donkeys).’ (Gen.24:34-35)
What I want us to note here my fellow believers, is the difference in blessings. In the first scenario, the Lord showed the servant favour by granting his prayerful request, while in the second, He gave Abraham material wealth.
So not because our Bit says that the blessings of our God make us rich, it doesn’t necessarily mean material wealth. The blessings of our great and wonderful God can come in all shapes, sizes and forms, whatever suits His purpose. His omnipotence and LOVING-kindness don’t limit Him to any one kind of blessing.
And that’s something all believers ought to fully understand. Not because we pray for material wealth or any other kind of blessing means that we’ll automatically receive it. We’ll be showered with whatever fits the needs of God’s plan for our lives.
And until we fully understand and appreciate that point, we’ll always feel disappointed and/or hard done by our God. But we need to remember that God’s not there to simply do our bidding, to serve our selfish and petty requests.
On the contrary, we are here to serve His desires; to LOVE Him, to LIVE out our Faith, and to SPREAD His Holy Word! At times though, we seem to forget that HE is the MASTER, and we are the SERVANTS, not vice versa!
And on that oh so important remembrance, we’ll close for today. I don’t want to give us too much to ponder on, (smile) just enough to keep us focused in the right direction – on Jesus Christ, our ever-LOVING Lord and Saviour. Much much LOVE my fellow believers!
…this Christmas season…let’s show the world what true LOVE is all about nuh…by keeping Jesus first and foremost…in our hearts, minds, souls and actions…
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 