09 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new day, a quick wave, a sigh of relief, a stranger, abuse, action, afflict my soul, Another new year, arrive so quickly, beloved of God, between errands, blame, books, broken resolves, cause me to hear, cause me to know, Christ's kingdom, clothed me, clothes, cluttered, coffee with my neighbours, cupboards, do thy will, drawers, drink, exhausted, failures, faith, first working day, followers of Christ, food, for thy name's sake, forgiveness, friends, God's power, good intentions, heartwarming, helping the poor, humbly, hungry, hurry, I am thy servant, I lift up my soul to thee, in prison, in the morning, in thee do I trust, January of last year, land of uprightness, letters unwritten, loving-kindness, Monday, motives, my friend Jesus, naked, needy, never invited, never read, notes, one more request, one of the least, One Year Book of Bible promises, procrastination, revive me, right hearts, Ruth Harms Calkin, save, servant-hood, servants of god, serve, share His love, sick, steal in so sliently, the goats, the most, the sheep, the way I should walk, thirsty, thou art my God, thy spirit is good, trust, Tuesday Mantra, we don't rest, worry, year of love
Psalm 143:8. Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Awright friends, it’s Tuesday…and we happy! Why? Because we’ve gotten past Monday. (smile) Poor Monday takes so much blame and abuse in our society because it is the first working day of the week, and everybody breathes a sigh of relief after it’s over.
But we have the whole thing wrong yes. Monday is supposed to be the best and easiest day of the week because we’re coming off of two days rest. Every day after that is supposed to get harder rather than easier. The problem is that we don’t rest over the weekend, therefore it’s difficult to get the body and spirit moving for work on Monday, and we end up blaming it for all our many woes. (smile)
But be that as it may, listen to this take from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that admirably describes so many of us. It’s titled ‘Another Year.’
Please read with me. ‘Another new year! How did it steal in so silently? How did it arrive so quickly? So many things I determined to do in January of last year are still completely undone. So many notes and letters still unwritten. Friends I planned to entertain were never invited.
The books I planned to read haven’t been opened. The cupboards and drawers I hoped to clean are still cluttered with things I don’t need or use. Clothes I no longer wear still crowd my closet. I planned to have coffee with our neighbours, but often I managed no more than a quick wave between errands.
If only I could have held on to the old year a little longer! But the old year is gone. I must put it away with all its failures and broken resolves. There is no way I can reclaim even one week of last year. I see that the road to good intentions is wide and circular. I’ve walked around it until I am utterly exhausted.
I confess my failures, my procrastination. I know God, in his graciousness will forgive me. I have one more request. I pray for God’s power to keep my forgiveness up-to-date.’
Yes friends, good intentions are great, if we put them into action, otherwise we just keep aimlessly going round the same mountain, like the Israelites in the wilderness. And way too many of us are guilty of all those things we read above, basically a combination of laziness, procrastination and busyness. And it’s not hard to do in the extra busy society in which we now live, where everything is go, go, go.
But the only way we’re going to overcome those failures and disappointments is by sincerely turning to God and putting the leading of our lives in His most capable hands. For once He is in control of our lives, we won’t be as busy-oriented as the world wants us to be, and He definitely won’t put more on our plate than we can handle. And whatever He puts there, we are assured we can handle it, because He gives us the wherewithal to do so! Glory Be!
That’s the beauty of sincerely partnering with Almighty God; He controls it all! And the Bible Promise for that writing is also our Bit for today. ‘Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.’
Oh my people, what beautiful words of prayer from Bruh David! Just right for every time we open our eyes to a new day. What better decision is there to start a day than to ask God for His LOVING-kindness and direction so we can do His will, because we have placed our entire trust in Him? None my brethren! None!
And Bruh David continues: ‘Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me (I take cover in thee) 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.143:9-12)
Yeh friends, excellent words, but of no use unless we show the action that comes with that last, all important line: ‘for I am thy servant.’ Until we are involved in real servant hood to Christ, all our words are useless, for that’s where the truth of our faith shows up.
That’s how and why Jesus came the first time: to save and to serve. He came humbly, helping the poor and downtrodden, the sick and needy, and until we begin doing the same, with right hearts and motives, we won’t be classified as servants of God.
Remember what Jesus said about separating the sheep and the goats: ‘For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me:
I was in prison, and ye came unto me…And the king shall say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt.25:35-36,40)
Yes my faithful followers of Christ, until we begin helping the least, we will never be the most in Christ’s kingdom. And there are a whole lot of needy out there to be helped, so please let’s make this Year of LOVE, also one of servant hood nuh, for you can’t truly have one without the other.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In sincerity and strong voice: ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and action those statements. Much LOVE!
…oh how beautiful…how heartwarming it is…to share Christ’s LOVE with others…
25 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a difficult time., above not beneath, aches and pains, aging, alive and kicking, be not drunk with wine, begins a good work, believe, brand new, Christians, coming against me, completion, confession of sins, conquerors, death, dissipation, doctor heal thyself, doctor's appointments, doing my thing, encourage myself in the Lord, excess, faith, filled with the Holy Spirit, filling of the Spirit, giving thanks always, glorious future with Jesus, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's power, halfway home, hands on the plough, he restoreth my soul, hell, holy spirit, hymns, indelibly in our hearts, inevitable, Jesus by our sides, lift my level of passion for life, looking straight ahead, LOVE, Lucifer, major renovation, making melody in your heart, medical institution, negative stuff, no control over, not the tail, not turning back, numerous problems, pass through the fire, prayer, psalms, refuel my spirit, relationship with god, serious butt, sincerity, singing, speaking to yourselves, spiritual man, spiritual songs, standing strong in faith, surrender, thank God, the breath of life, the grave, the head, the spirit would sag, traffic jam, trust, truth, utmost importance, victory, Wednesday Wail, wirte god's promises
Psalm 23:3a. He restoreth my soul…
Awright mih breddren, the ole fella is alive and kicking; kicking some serious butt too on this somewhat cloudy Wednesday morning in the fall of 2017! Glory to God!
Oh my aches and pains are still there, and whatever’s wrong inside is still wrong, but my spirit has been rejuvenated. More glory to God!
It’s just that lately so many things over which I had no control have been coming against me, that it was only a matter of time before the ole bod, the spirit and soul got tired.
When you suddenly find out that what you thought was improving, wasn’t really improving, while other things were still going wrong, and you’re constantly moving from one doctor’s appointment or medical institution during traffic jam hours, it does make for a difficult time.
Oh, I’ve been going along quite okay despite the numerous problems, not given up hope and standing strong in faith, but in the face of all that negative stuff, it was inevitable that the spirit would sag some.
However, after writing yesterday’s Bit, I just decided to refuel my spirit, lift my level of passion for life higher, bring it back to a level that allows me to function with more authority and energy. As the saying goes, doctor heal thyself, with me it was spiritual man, refuel thy spirit. (smile)
I’ve decided that like Bruh David did, to encourage myself in the Lord some more. Let the aches and pains, and whatever else is wrong, do their thing, I won’t let them stop me from doing mine. They will obviously slow me down, but that’s fine, once they don’t stop me completely.
I know the Lord’s doing a major renovation in me, and it’s not going to be easy, but I also know that if he begins a good work in me, then He WILL see it through to completion.
Plus He won’t give me more than I can handle, and will also help me pass through the fire unscathed, so that when I come out on the other side, I’ll be brand new! Glory Hallelujah!
That brings us to our simple but oh so important Bit from that great psalm of Bruh David, ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ ‘He restoreth my soul…’
Yeh friends, the Lord does just that when we surrender all our aches and pains and whatever is bothering us to Him. But we also need to trust and believe and write God’s promises indelibly in our hearts and souls, so that when life comes against us, we’ll be able to use them to stand steadfast and strong.
Let’s remember that we’re the head and not the tail; above and not beneath; sure conquerors with Jesus by our sides. In fact, He’s already given us the victory over hell, death, the grave and their evil keeper Lucifer. But it all takes a magnum of faith, especially in these pretty evil and ungodly times.
However, please remember Bruh Paul’s admonition to the Ephesians: ‘And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Holy 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.’ (Eph.5:18-20)
Yeh friends, that’s the only way we can remain strong and grow in the LOVE and knowledge of God. And here is an interesting explanation from the scholars on the ‘Fullness of the Holy Spirit.’
‘5:18. The words be filled here mean “be continually filled,” emphasizing that the fullness of the Spirit is a repeated experience for believers. When a person is drunk with an alcoholic beverage, his walk, talk and sight are controlled by alcohol.
God desires that the minds of Christians be controlled by the Holy Spirit so that they will walk in the Spirit, speak on behalf of God, and understand the things of God. Because people are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit, but the filling of the Spirit occurs when the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.
Illustration: As we establish our relationship with God through confession of sins (1 John 1:9) and yield to Him (Rom.6:13), we can be filled with the Spirit if that is our desire (Matt.5:6) and prayer (Luke 11:13). Application: Every Christian should be filled with the Spirit in order that he may have God’s power to serve Him. (Acts 1:8) (First Ref. Ex.35:31; Primary Ref. Eph.5:18; cf. 1 John 2:27.)’
Ah my people, it’s of the utmost importance that in these last days, we allow the Holy Spirit of God to get more of us! Please check out those references above, they give great insight into the use and power of God’s Spirit.
And to help us improve in our use and value of the Holy Spirit, let’s go home vociferously declaring our Wednesday Mantra with all truth and sincerity. ‘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 that future WILL indeed be glorious friends! Much LOVE!
…it’s time for God’s Spirit to be lifted up in us… so that we can better do His work and will…
P.S. Please excuse the tardiness of the Bit. I just got up late, and even then thought it was 7.45, when it was 8.45. What to do eh? Aging is a helluva thing! (smile) Much LOVE!
22 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionat heart, a touch of spring, against the wiles of the devil, anxiety, belieivng God's promises, breastplate of righteousness, broken, Christian, conquer, contend with satan, control, convoluted reasoning, curse, Daily Bread Devotion, deceit, divine protection, doubts, eagerness, evil schemes, fear, feet shod, fiery darts, free gift, girded your loins, God's armour, God's grace and mercy, God's LOVE, God's power, gospel truth, greater, gusto, hidden from God's sight, in Jesus' name, invincible, lies, mere mortals, negative word, nothing, nugget of gold, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, perseverance, powerful opponent, praying always, quench, rebuke, saints, self-control, self-discipline, sincere belief, spiritual armour, stronger, summer, supplication, sword of the Spirit, take the fight to Satan, take up the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand, the best defence is offence, the devil, the evil enemy, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the Word of god, Thursday Blessing, too hard for, trust, truth, watching
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Well mih friends and family, it seems the ole fella was a tad late when he said yesterday that summer would be with us in a couple of days. Hn, hn! Apparently summer has officially been with us for three days now. (smile)
And my excuse, which by the way I’m sticking to, is that I don’t remember it being on the 20th of June, but more like the 22 or 23. Just goes to show you ought to check your calendar before you make such statements.
But be that as it may, let’s hope we have a good summer season, one worthy to be called summer; not too hot, but hot enough to make one know that it’s summer…if you follow my convoluted reasoning. So far it has been somewhat mild, with a touch of spring still present, but it’s still early days yet.
And before we get into today’s sermon (smile), here is a nugget of gold, one of the little snippets that appear at the end of each day’s Daily Bread Devotion. It says: ‘Nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Nothing is greater than God’s LOVE. Nothing is stronger than God’s mercy and grace. Nothing is too hard for God’s power.’
Now if ALL of that isn’t gospel truth, then I don’t know what is! Our God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, which means He is all-powerful, all seeing and everywhere! You can’t beat that friends!
And He has so generously granted some of His awesome power to us mere mortals, but we need to accept it, to graciously receive it, because there’s nothing we can do to work for or deserve it. It’s just His wonderful free gift.
Now one of the things we’re talking about here is the power to rebuke and successfully conquer and control the evil enemy, who desires to take over our lives and turn us away from sincerely worshipping the One and Only True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
So let’s bring in our Bit and continue our conversation from yesterday. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’
And we’re going to repeat the verses that contain the description of God’s spiritual armour, so that we’ll have them right in front of us and not have to turn elsewhere to find them.
‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your loins) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one).
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18)
Now yesterday we explained up to the breastplate of righteousness, so today we’ll continue the scholars explanations with the third piece of God’s armour: ‘Preparation of the gospel of peace (vs.15) which means “eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.”
That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called ‘caligae’ on his feet, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the Devil and take the fight to him.
Such “eagerness” to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from the anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent.’
Oh friends, how wonderful is that eh? The gospel of peace frees us from fear and anxiety and allows us to courageously battle Satan. But please note one important point, we ought not to sit back and let the evil Lucifer come against us, we must take the fight to Him, battle him on our terms, on our turf. As they say, the best defence is offence.
And the fourth piece of God’s armour is ‘The shield of (which is) faith (vs.16). And that means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will prevent one from doubts induced by Satan.’
And that’s awfully important my fellow believers, for Lucifer is the father of lies and deceit and doubts, and if we’re not very careful and have a strong faith and trust in Almighty God, he can easily deceive us into thinking and doing the wrong things.
Now time and space have run out against us, so we’ll have to continue this tomorrow. And I look at it as God’s mysterious working, not giving us too much stuff to ponder in one sitting. So please think seriously on what we’ve said to day, while we walk gratefully in God’s LOVE and mercy.
And to end it all on a magnificent note, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings with much gusto and sincere belief. In unison now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And since blessings were meant to be shared, let’s go out and joyfully share them nuh, as Jesus so avidly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…having on God’s armour…makes us all invincible conquerors…
27 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: another week of work, at the presence of the God of Jacob, at the presence of the Lord, be thankful, Black Friday, commercialism, cut costs, Cyber Monday, debauchery, debt, deliverance, door crashers, Egypt, fellowship, foreign language, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, God's power, going their own way, in Jesus' name, Israel, Israel his dominion, Jordan was driven back, Judah was his sanctuary, laid off, licentiousness, LOVE, nothing to fear, one true God, perspective, profit, refreshed, relaxation, remember the Lord, renewed, rest, sale hounds, sales, saved you from your troubles, signs and wonders, strange language, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the bottom line, the Exodus, the flint into a fountain of waters, The God of Israel, the Lord God Jehovah, the moneyed class, the mountains skipped like rams, the sea saw it and fled, the world must take notice, tremble thou earth, turned the rock into a pool of water, wisdom
Psalm 114:7. Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.
Well Friends, it’s Friday…Black Friday! And the voices sing out loud and clear: ’TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Black Friday, and we going down to the sales and buy to our hearts delight. Oh thank God for the weekend and Black Friday. Mama Yo! What a time it will be!’
Ah mih people, how sad that sounds. Another contrived day of commercialism; the Friday after the U.S thanksgiving is now widely known as Black Friday. It has nothing whatsoever to do with a Friday that falls on the 13th of the month, but all to do with an avalanche of supposed sales that have people rushing to the stores to buy stuff that they mostly don’t need or cannot afford.
I’ve been receiving flyers for this most inauspicious occasion all week long. Steups! And the behaviour of these sale hounds is oftimes very disgusting, especially over the door crashers. People have been trampled in the mad rush to get into the stores first, so they can have a chance at the door crasher. It has finally become true to its name
Ah Lord eh! What’s next eh? Don’t you know? Cyber Monday! Monday coming! That’s the online version of Black Friday. Chuh! And yuh know what, these arranged sales usually hook the people who can least afford them, and they get into a set of debt and further problems.
And sometimes I wonder how these business people expect the populace to buy their expensive stuff when so many are not working, when everyday you hear more people are being laid off to cut costs.
Yes Friends, it’s all about the bottom line; the moneyed class doesn’t care about the workers and how they fare, they are just interested in profit, at whose demise doesn’t really matter.
Anyway, enough of my griping. I’m sure some of you reading this are all caught up in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday scenario too. (smile)
It’s Friday, so let’s chant out Friday Chant as though we truly mean it. As one chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that is the kind of perspective we ought to have on Fridays and the weekend, not sales madness or other debauchery and licentiousness. (smile)
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.’
Oh my brethren, that sentiment comes from an obscure psalm, Psalm114, superscripted; ‘God’s power demonstrated in the Exodus.’
Sad to say, but I’ve never noticed it before this morning while looking for a suitable Bit, and I’m sure many of you are the same. That’s because it’s not a well-known psalm, nobody talks about it. But precious people, the Lord God Jehovah obviously wanted to bring it to our attention this Black Friday morning. (smile)
So, since we don’t know it, let’s hear what it says nuh. ‘When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language (having a foreign language): Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion. The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven (turned) back. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest (fled)? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back (turneth back)? Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; Which turned the rock into a standing (pool of) water, the flint into a fountain of waters.’
And that’s all there is to Psalm 114. It doesn’t sound as majestic and moving as some of the others that we’re accustomed to, but it is still important, in that it reminds us of the Exodus of the Jewish people out of Egypt and the mighty deeds that the Lord our God did to get them out.
Now listen to the scholars take on it. ‘Psalm 114. A highly poetic description of the Exodus, this psalm emphasizes both God’s power displayed (vv.3-6) and His provision supplied (v.8). The God of Israel’s deliverance (vv.1-2) is still their God (v.7), the implication being that He can still unfurl His power. The world must therefore take notice.’
Oh Friends, the sentiments contained in those last two sentences are of immense importance to us today. The Lord God Jehovah is still our God today, have no doubt about it! And His awesome power is still available and still being put to good use, and the world ought to take suitable notice.
Unfortunately though, the world is not taking notice of God’s might and power and are simply going their own way. Foolishly, they are not noticing the signs and wonders that are happening all around them, indicating that the Lord still reigns and still has the power to move mountains, seas, and whatever have you.
Thankfully though my fellow believers, we know better than that. We recognize the One True God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who created the world and still controls it, contrary to the thinking of the heathen.
So please, as we go about out business this Black Friday, let’s remember that the Lord of Hosts is still on His throne and still in control, and is still LOVING and caring for us, so we have nothing to fear. That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…remember the Lord…when He saved you out of your troubles…and be thankful…
04 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a miserable experience, another week of work, Beelzebub, befuddled mind, corrections, dead in trespasses, divine punishment, ethnic groups, evil, faith, fellowship, for His great love, Friday chant, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Gentiles, God who is rich in mercy, God's power, going down the wrong path, going to bed early is for the birds, grace, grin and bear it, hostile to God, in Jesus' name, Jews, labouring for massa, lifestyles, LOVE, Lucifer, made alive, mercy, opposed to God, philosophies, preparing for a fantastic time, pull up our bootstraps, quickened, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, right perspective, Satan, sinful children, sinners, stubborn, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the children of disobedience, the children of wrath, the course of this world, the dictates and wishes of Satan, the gift of God is eternal life, the long and short of the story, the lusts of our flesh, the prince of power of the air, the rules of God, the straight and narrow path, the wages of sin is death, the weekend's here at last, the world system, through Jesus Christ our Lord, time for thought, unconditional LOVE, ungodly, values, walking in disobedience, wherewith God loved us, wicked, wisdom, with God's help, with the help of Jesus
Ephesians 2:4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.
Oh Friends, this going to bed early business is truly for the birds yes! Steups! I tried it last night – not that early, but earlier than my usual time – and was it ever a miserable experience.
Ah Lord eh! I got up several times during the night, turned and tossed, trying to find a comfortable position, but all to no avail. And being stubborn, I refused to get up, claiming I needed the rest as an excuse. Hn, hn! Well I got the rest, but I woke up feeling lousy, more tired than when I went to bed.
Ah mih breddren, what yuh going to do eh? Just grin and bear it and move on with the help of Jesus. And that’s my gripe for today. (smile) But wait nuh, today is Friday, isn’t it?
And the response to that question assured me that it was indeed Friday. ‘But what’s wrong with you boy? How come yuh don’t know today is Friday eh? Can’t you hear everybody shouting ‘TGIF. Thank God is Friday, and the weekend’s here at last? You’re possibly the only one not shouting that and preparing for a fantastic time! But later for you yes, we have preparations to make!’
And the throng moved away loudly mouthing ‘TGIF! Thank You Father God for Friday’s yes!’
Well I have been told, haven’t I? (smile) And I lay it all at the feet of going to bed early and getting up late with a befuddled mind. Anyway, to bring everything back into right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much enthusiasm and true sincerity.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Ah mih people, that ought to give us pause, time for a little thought on how we’re going to spend our weekend, the valuable couple days off from labouring for massa.
That brings us to our Bit, a simple sentence, but one chocked full of meaning and glorious importance. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.’ Yes Friends, it all comes right down to God’s unstinting and unconditional LOVE for us sinful children.
The earlier verses of this chapter, which deal with grace and faith, have us looking real terrible. ‘And you hath he quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world (age), according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
Among whom also we all had our conversation (conducted ourselves) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath. (Eph.2:1-3)
And what does all of that mean eh my people? Listen to the scholars. ‘2:1. Quickened means “made alive.” In 1:19 Paul prays for his readers to recognize what God’s power has done in them. As part of the answer to this prayer, verses 1-10 inform them of some of the effects divine might has accomplished in them.’
‘2:2. Ye walked means “you lived.” The course of this world: The word course signifies the tendencies, thoughts, pursuits, deeds, and so on, that characterize the present period of history. “This world” (kosmos) means “world system,” that is, those philosophies, values, and lifestyles that are opposed to God and hostile to Him.
Before conversion the Ephesians used to conduct themselves in accordance with such ungodly values. The prince of the power of the air may be read “the ruler of the kingdom in the air.” They also used to live by the dictates and wishes of Satan.’
‘2.3. We all had our conversation means “we all conducted ourselves.” In contrast to “ye” in 2:2 which refers to Gentiles, note the “we” of this verse, which refers to Jews. In essence Paul admits, “We Jews were no better than you Gentiles – both ethnic groups were sinful.” Children of wrath refers to people subject to divine punishment.’
Oh Friends, I know that some of those explanations can be a bit taxing, but the long and short of the story is that before God shone His wonderful LOVE on us, we were all a bunch of unworthy and terrible sinners, regardless of our ethnic situation.
However, and very sadly and disappointing too, two thousand years after God showered His LOVE on us through Jesus, we are reverting to that same position, worshipping the ‘prince of the power of the air,’ Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, whatever you choose to call him.
And right now our world can again be termed as ‘children of wrath,’ because we are so wicked and evil and ungodly and deserving of divine punishment. It’s definitely not a nice picture we paint today my brethren, and we have to pull up our bootstraps very soon, if we don’t want to be victims of that divine punishment.
For believe it or not, divine punishment ALWAYS comes to those who insist on thwarting the rules of God and walking in total disobedience to His Holy will, as we are currently doing. History proves it.
So as we end today, please, let’s make it our first priority to check our individual lives and see where we may be going down the wrong path, the wide and unfortunate one, instead of the straight and narrow one that leads to Jesus, and make any corrections that are necessary, with God’s help of course. For that my brethren, is the true meaning of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…for the wages of sin is death…but the gift of God is eternal life…through Jesus Christ our Lord… (Rom.6:23)
08 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Another new year, bitterly cold morning, blessings, broken resolves, call out to Jesus, cause me to hear thy loving-kindness, cause me to know the way I should walk, cry out, declare God's doings, direction, exalt the Lord's name, failures, friends, God is in the midst, God is our refuge and strength, God shall help, God will empower us to do what He asks, God's forgiveness, God's graciousness, God's power, grace, great is the Holy One of Israel, grin and bear it, humble, I lift up my soul unto thee, in thee do I trust, Isaiah, Israelites, January of last year, makes us uncomfortable, mercy, Moses, muddy the waters, my neck of the woods, no need to worry or be afraid, obedient, Praise the Lord, prayer, procrastination, prosperous, reverent, Ruth Harms Calkin, shout, surrender, thanksgiving for god's mercies, the city of god, the essence of the scripture, the Most High, the old year is gone, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the road to good intentions, trust, wisdom, worshipful attitude
Psalm 143:8. Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Ah Friends, it’s another bitterly cold and windy morning in my neck of the woods! Wow! Like winter is finally here to stay! But at least we can be thankful that there is no precipitation to further muddy the already muddy waters! (smile)
As usual though, all we can do is grin and bear it and continue with whatever tasks God has put before us. Don’t forget that He WILL empower us to do whatever He asks of us. So there is no real need to worry or be afraid. And it’s just a little cold weather, no big thing. (smile)
Now this morning I have a rather interesting and most likely very appropriate story to share with you. It comes from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
This one is titled ‘Another Year’ and says: ‘Another new year! How did it steal in so silently? How did it arrive so quickly? So many things I determined to do in January of last year are still completely undone. So many notes and letters still unwritten. Friends I planned to entertain were never invited.
The books I planned to read haven’t been opened. The cupboards and drawers I hoped to clean are still cluttered with things I don’t need or use. Clothes I no longer wear still crowd my closet. I planned to have coffee with our neighbours, but often I managed no more than a quick wave between errands.
If only I could have held on to the old year a little longer! But the old year is gone. I must put it away with all its failures and broken resolves. There is no way I can reclaim even one week of last year. I see that the road to good intentions is wide and circular. I’ve walked around it until I am utterly exhausted.
I confess my failures, my procrastination. I know God, in his graciousness, will forgive me. I have one more request. I pray for God’s power to keep my forgiveness up-to-date.’
Oh Friends, how true that story is of so many of us who are caught up in the busy lifecycle of this busy and fractured world! After reading that yesterday I just couldn’t pass up sharing it with you. And I’m sure that many of us, to whom it so appropriately applies, are now chuckling at its wisdom and truth.
But I want to point out two very important things in it. Firstly, that despite all her foot dragging, the author acknowledges God’s graciousness and knows without a doubt, that she will be forgiven for it. And secondly, her prayer for God’s power to keep her forgiveness on track.
Oh my people, many of us badly need to come to God for all kinds of forgiveness but are hesitant and afraid to do so for whatever reason. But until we surrender all our worries and problems to Him, our lives will not be as full and prosperous as they can be.
Now the promise attached to that story was ‘Let me hear of your unfailing LOVE to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer.’ (Ps.143:8) That’s the version from the New Life Translation (NLT), but we will use the King James Version as our Bit this morning.
I don’t know why, but I’m just partial to the King James Version in most of the scriptures. (smile) Anyway, the KJV spells it out this way: ‘Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.’
Oh Friends, that just sounds more poetic and soulful to me than the NLT version, which sounds sort of commonplace and pedestrian. (smile) But that’s just me.
The important thing though is that we get the essence of the scripture, which is basically crying out to God for His grace, mercy and direction, as we put our whole and entire trust in Him.
And remember my people, until we do that, our lives will never be completely fulfilled. There will always be a little something missing that just nags at us and makes us uncomfortable.
And we’ll check out now, a couple of scriptures that verify our Bit. The first one comes from Psalm 46 –God is our refuge and strength- which He is indeed.
‘There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles (dwelling places) of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved (shaken): God shall help her, and that right early (at the break of dawn). (Ps.46:4-5)
Yeh Friends, our great and wonderful God is wherever we are, and will certainly help us in our time of need, and very early at that. That’s His promise, and we can be assured that He will fulfill it!
Now listen to Moses as he warns the Israelites. ‘For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.’ (Deut.23:14)
Oh my people, our God is always around us, but we need to be obedient, humble and reverent if we want to enjoy the full scope of His blessings!
And we’ll end with this most encouraging scripture from the prophet Isaiah, re Thanksgiving for God’s mercies. ‘And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings (deeds, works) among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ (Is.12:4-6)
Oh my fellow believers, I couldn’t say it any better than that! However, I’m asking us to sincerely embrace that worshipful attitude and trust in Almighty God this new year of 2015, so that our lives can be more fulfilled and prosperous, as He would have them. That, my people, is indeed true wisdom! Much LOVE!
…whatever the problem…call out to Jesus…don’t be afraid…for He is there waiting to help us…but WE have to call…
19 Mar 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after God's heart, alive and kicking, atonement for sins, believe, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed the Lord, brimming with energy, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, disbelief, enthusiasm, eternal life, everything belongs to God, evil world, exalted, excited, exhortation, faithfulness, for ever and ever, fragance of God's knowledge, genuine faith, God will always make a way for us, God will never give us more than we can handle, God's power, God's wisdom, good news, greatest blessings, greatness, grumpy, head above all, heavenly Father, honour and glory, immeasurable, in god's hand is power and might, in the blink of an eye, Jesus, Jesus' gospel, joy, kingdom of god, leap of faith, Lord and Saviour, Lord god of Israel, LOVE, loving kindness, majesty, marvels and miracles, modern technology, my spirit came alive, noised abroad, not ready to face the day, only wise God, praise God's glorious name, Praise the Lord, prayer, reconciliation, rejuvenation, riches and honour come from God, salvation, see god work wonders, selfless sacrifice, Spread God's Word, tests, Thanks be to God, thanksgiving, the glory, the Great Commission, the kingdom, the Lord's faithfulness, the power, the Son of God, the work of the Holy Spirit, thine is the kingdom, time in prayer, tired, to all and sundry, triumph in Christ, victory, willing to do God's bidding, wine and roses, wisdom, wonder of wonders, word of caution
Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s excited this morning! Why? I really don’t know, because there’s nothing to be really excited about except being alive and kicking!
The story though, is that I woke up sort of early this morning, feeling tired and not ready to face the day, so I went back to bed. I got up an hour or so later, still somewhat tired and grumpy – and don’t you dare say that’s normal (smile) – but I could not afford to give in to my tired feelings and go back to bed, for the Bit would be even later than it already was going to be.
But wonder of wonders, after spending some time in prayer with our heavenly Father, my spirit just came alive, and now I’m brimming with energy, enthusiasm, joy and LOVE, ready to face the evil world that we dwell in!
Now that rejuvenation could only have come through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. As I keep telling us, our God’s not foolish, His wisdom is immeasurable. He knew that I had to write the Bit, and couldn’t do a decent job if I was feeling low down and grumpy, so He rejuvenated my spirit!
And as Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to (leads us in) triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (fragrance) of his knowledge by us in every place.’ (2 Cor.2:14)
Oh Friends, our God is such a wonderful Deity! Please don’t ever doubt it! He never leaves us in the lurch, especially when we cry out to Him in genuine faith. But the problem though my brethren is that we first have to BELIEVE; to BELIEVE that He is a helper of those who truly seek Him.
And that’s where a lot of us falter… we don’t truly BELIEVE.
Now do you think I could have been writing the Bit going on 8 years now on only my strength? No way Jose!
And you all know how I laughed in disbelief when the Lord first broached the idea, pleading my lack of knowledge etc. etc. But the Lord persisted, and I finally agreed to do His bidding.
And my people, over the years, as I have tried my best, I’ve seen the Lord’s faithfulness in helping me to do His bidding. And now, now I’ve reached a point where I have NO DOUBTS whatsoever as to the Lord’s faithfulness and LOVING-kindness to those who are willing to do His bidding!
But we first have to make that leap of faith. And I challenge us to wisely make that leap of faith today, RIGHT NOW, if you sincerely want to see God work wonders in your life!
Now one word of caution; don’t get the idea that it will be all wine and roses when the Lord begins to work in your life. Hn! On the contrary, it might get more difficult as He tests us to see if we truly want to be a part of His kingdom.
But please remember that He will NEVER give us more than we can bear, and WILL ALWAYS make a way for us to handle the situation, even when there seems to be no way. I can vouch for that.
And all this ties in quite nicely with our Bit, immortal words of Jesus on prayer: ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’
Yes Friends, only if the kingdom, the power and the glory are truly the Lord’s, can He work marvels and miracles in our lives! So to see and experience one side of the equation, you must sincerely believe the other!
And nobody’s said it better than Bruh David, when he exhorted his people in thanksgiving and prayer. ‘Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.’ (1 Chr.29:10-14)
Oh mih people, mih people, could Bruh David excite a body and spirit with prayer or what! I guess that’s why the Lord called him a man after his own heart.
So even before Jesus, the Son of God declared it, Bruh David recognized that the universe, the power and the glory were all God’s, and penitently noised it abroad. So too my fellow believers, ought we to noise the kingdom of God abroad to all and sundry.
And fortunately it’s never been easier to do than in these times of modern technology, where information can be transferred and transmitted to those in faraway places in the blink of an eye. Yes my brethren, we are the first generation that’s physically able to comply with Jesus’ Great Commission and spread the Word to ‘ALL NATIONS.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
So please, let’s get ourselves together and joyfully spread the good news of Jesus’ wonderful gospel nuh; of His selfless sacrifice, His atonement for our sins, His enabling of reconciliation with the Father, and the wonderful promises of salvation and eternal life! Wow! Those are indeed the GREATEST BLESSINGS that the world has ever known!
And we’ll close with some appropriate words from Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the ONLY WISE GOD, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Tim.1:17)
And all God’s people gave a mighty shout of joy, which resounded across both heaven and earth. ‘Praise the Lord God Almighty! For His is indeed the kingdom, the power and the glory!’
Much, much LOVE, my fellow believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
…unless you truly believe in God’s power…you won’t ever see it working in your life…
13 Oct 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leap of faith, anger, assurance, backsliders, bless, bring others to Christ, Bruh David, contrition, covenant, dive in heart first, encouragement, encouraging, faith, fasting, friends, God is full of compassion, God is gracious, God's glorious majesty, God's glory, God's kingdom, God's power, heavenly wisdom, iniquities, Israel, long-suffering, loving kindness, merciful, mercy, obedience, obeisance, pardon, patient teacher, personal relationship with Christ, personal testimony, project our faith, redemption, rend your heart, repentance, reverence, saints, seek the Lord, shout of praise, sins, slow to anger, step up to the plate, takes two to tango, terrible mess, testify, the Good Book, The Lord's the greatest., trust, truth, unbelievers, undeniable truth, unrighteous man, wicked man, wisdom, word to the wise
Psalm 145:8. The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion: slow to anger, and of great mercy.
Oh Friends, our God is definitely the greatest yes! And I’m saying that for the umpteenth time because yesterday, after writing that I had nothing to say, was bereft of words, He kindly informed me that believers ALWAYS have something to say. And when I didn’t understand, like a patient teacher, He gently explained that whenever our mental apparatus shuts down, we can always testify.
Obviously I chuckled at hearing that information, but people, there is logic to it. We might not be able to come up with any new, fanciful stuff to enthral our listeners, but our personal testimony, what the Lord has already done in our lives, and is currently doing, doesn’t change or ever grow stale.
And in fact, personal testimony is the best way to project our faith, to bring others to Christ. We can know the Good Book from cover to cover, but that information is useless to all and sundry unless some aspect or aspects of it are occurring in our lives. That’s why it’s called a personal relationship with Christ.
The tough part though is that you cannot find out what Jesus is all about until you get personally involved with Him. That’s where faith and trust come in – plenty of both. And that’s why they call getting involved with Jesus a leap of faith! You don’t know what’s going to happen, because He has different plans for each of us, but you’re nonetheless willing to dive in heart first.
As they say, you can’t learn to swim in shallow water, it must be deep enough for you to manoeuvre properly. So anyway, we now know that when our word source dries up, we can testify. (smile)
That brings us to our warm, wonderful and most encouraging Bit. ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion: slow to anger, and of great mercy.’ And all God’s people gave Him a big shout of praise!
But that’s not all Friends, for Bruh David continues: ‘The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.’ (Ps.145:9) Even more assurance there Friends!
But here’s where our endeavours come in. ‘All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power, To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.’ (Ps.145:10-12)
Now that’s where we have to step back and view the reality of the current situation my brethren. Are we, God’s saints, speaking of His majesty and power, of His glorious kingdom, and also letting men know about His mighty acts down through the ages?
I strongly believe that we’re not doing it to the best of our ability, otherwise there wouldn’t be as many backsliders and unbelievers, and consequently our world wouldn’t be in the terrible mess that it’s in.
Now let’s turn to some scripture that confirms our Bit. The psalmist in Psalm 130 – My soul waiteth for the Lord – says with much wisdom and truth. ‘Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ (Ps.130:7-8)
What glorious words of encouragement, my brethren! There’s certainly no doubting them!
Meanwhile, Isaiah, in chapter 55, God’s free offer of mercy to all, he also reassuringly declares: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:6-7)
Then, in one of the many instances when Israel was backsliding, the Lord commanded Jeremiah: ‘Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause my anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger (remain angry) for ever.
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers (favours to foreign deities) under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.3:12-13)
Please note Friends, that it’s all well and good to come back to God, but we must acknowledge our transgressions with sincere repentance, and He will know it by searching our hearts.
And here are two verses from Psalm 86, where Bruh David is entreating the Lord to teach him to pray. ‘For thou Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee… But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.’ (Ps.86: 5,15) Bruh David certainly knew what he was talking about from personal experience.
Now listen to Joel, with a call to fasting and more repentance. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. And rend (tear) your heart, and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness (LOVING-kindness), and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm.’ (Joel 2:12-13)
Ah mih people, NO OTHER GOD shows such grace and mercy towards repentant sinners!
Now here’s a note from the scholars I think we should share. ‘2:12-13. The customary way a Jew showed his grief was to tear his outer garment. This external sign could be meaningless. The tearing of the outer garment is useless, unless the heart is broken in repentance and contrition.’
And that’s the undeniable truth Friends! So though our God is wonderful, with all those glowing attributes, we still need to show Him true reverence, obeisance and obedience. For as the old people would say; it takes two to tango. We can’t expect to reap all of God’s goodness without doing our part. But sadly that’s the way a lot of us, supposed believers behave.
We must remember Friends that we’re in a covenant relationship with Almighty God, our Creator, Controller and Provider, and right now we need to step up to the plate and become better keepers of that covenant, for we are definitely backsliding. And as we’ve seen in all our scriptures, the Lord is only too willing to forgive and forget, if we turn back to Him in sincere repentance and heartfelt contrition. That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
01 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alcohol, blacked up, blood of jesus, brilliant sun, Caribana, Caribbean Carnival, celebratory times, cleansing, confession of sins, deceived, dissipation, drunk with wine, drunkenness, enmity, eternity, excess, father in heaven, fellowship with God, filled with the Spirit, filling of the Spirit, fire water, God's mysterious ways, God's power, good weather, Ham, happiness, holy spirit, imbibed, intoxication, Japheth, Jewish Proverb, King and Queen of Carnival, nakedness, Noah, on behalf of God, proverbial wisdom, recrimination, salvation, Shem, showers of blessing, spilled blood of Jesus, strife, suffering, the things of God, the will of the Lord, undisciplined, vino, violence, walk circumspectly, wine, wisdom, wise living
Proverbs 20:1. Wine is a mocker, strong (intoxicating) drink is raging (arouses brawling): and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Oh Friends, oh Friends I really don’t know where my head was this morning nuh; somewhere up in the clouds, I guess. But I can assure you it wasn’t clouded with fire water, though I probably need a shot to set me straight now. (smile) Thanks Cher for setting me straight.
Please ignore the first version of Today’s Bit, and I humbly and sincerely apologize for putting the wrong date. And would you believe that I usually check the day and date box at the bottom right hand corner of the computer before I start writing the Bit. Sometimes I even laugh at myself for doing it. Obviously I didn’t do it this morning, when I most needed it.
And today is Thursday, the first day of August 2013…and it’s raining. So what, you ask? Well let’s hope that it’s simply showers of blessing and cleansing, and by the time the dawn breaks, the rain will disappear and a big, bright, brilliant sun will appear above the horizon.
Remember Friends, it’s Emancipation Day in T&T, and Independence Day in J.A, as well as Caribana Weekend, the biggest weekend in T.O! Sorry, it’s Scotia Bank Carnival Weekend in T.O! The rights to the name Caribana have been in litigation for a few years now, and I guess the old administration has prevented the new one from using the title of Caribana.
Anyway, the major part of the festivities begins tonight with the King and Queen of Carnival Show in Lamport Stadium. And since Lamport is an open air stadium, with no roof, we need good weather so that the festivities can go off properly. And the ole fella is looking forward to the Pan Contest on Friday, so the rain cannot be falling during the day time.
Now let’s offer up this prayer for a good and clean Caribana. ‘Oh Father in heaven, we sincerely pray that you will allow the Caribana celebrations to go off without any serious problems. That everybody will have a good time, and their will be no aftermath of violence and recrimination. We pray this on the power of the spilled blood of Jesus at Calvary. Amen.’
And after writing that preamble, I opened the Good Book to seek a Bit, and lo and behold Friends, it opened amidst the proverbial wisdom of Cousin Sol, and the first words my eyes fell on were: ‘Wine is a mocker, strong (intoxicating) drink is raging (arouses brawling): and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.’
And I just had to laugh, because God was obviously moving in one of His many mysterious ways, letting me know He wanted that verse of scripture to be Today’s Bit, to serve as a warning in these celebratory times against imbibing too much fire water, which causes us to become undisciplined and fall easy prey to Lucifer. The scholars suggest that ‘Wine is personified as a mocker because it deceives those who partake of it. It is contrary to wise living.’
But before we get into the Bit, let me share and interesting Jewish Proverb, which says: ‘From happiness to suffering is a step; from suffering to happiness is an eternity.’
And isn’t that the awful truth my people! We move from happiness to suffering so easily and so quickly that it boggles our minds. But moving from suffering back to happiness… Hn! That’s a completely different story. It indeed seems to take a lifetime.
And here’s a good example that ties in with our Bit, of how suffering can crop up out of the blue and spoil our lives. It comes from Noah’s story. ‘And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent’ (Gen. 9:20-21)
And we all know the results of that indiscretion. Ham, one of Noah’s sons, saw him naked, then went out and told his two brothers, Shem and Japheth, who took a robe, backed into their father’s tent and covered him without looking at his nakedness. Now when Noah recovered from his drunken spell and heard what had happened, he cursed Ham and his Canaanite descendants, cursing them to be forever servants of the other two brothers. (Gen. 9:22-29)
Now I find that somewhat unfair, because if Noah had not imbibed too much vino and blacked up, his nakedness would not have been exposed.
And the scholars have this note on vs.21: ‘Noah had been so faithful to God that it is unlikely that he did this deliberately. His drunken condition may have been a totally unexpected result of the changed environment after the Flood.’
I don’t buy that excuse. I’m sure Noah must have drunk wine before the flood and knew its grave potential. But who knows eh? His drunkenness did cause strife and enmity within his family. And unfortunately my brethren, drunkenness is still destroying families up to this day, possibly more so than in Noah’s time.
Meanwhile, listen to Bruh Paul’s warning to the church at Ephesus on the subject. ‘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.’ (Eph.5:15-18)
And we’ll end with some wise words from the scholars. ‘5:18. The words, ‘be filled’ here mean ‘be continually filled,’ emphasizing that the fullness of the Spirit is a repeated experience for believers. When a person is drunk with an alcoholic beverage, his walk, talk, and sight are controlled by alcohol. God desires that the minds of Christians be controlled by the Holy Spirit so that they will walk in the Spirit, speak on behalf of God, and understand the things of God.
Because people are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit, but the filling of the Spirit occurs when the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.
Illustration: As we establish our fellowship with God through confession of sins (1 John 1:9) and yield to Him, (Rom.6:13), we can be filled with the Spirit if that is our desire (Matt.5:6) and prayer (Luke 11:13).
Application: Every Christian should be filled with the Spirit in order that he may have God’s power to serve Him. (Acts 1:8). First Ref, Ex.35:31; Primary Ref, Eph. 5:18; cf. 1 John 2:27.)
Friends, please check out those scriptures for they are very interesting and revealing. Now let’s go out and be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and not the fire water that Lucifer offers. That surely is wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…instead of turning to drink to drown his sorrows…man should turn to the Holy Spirit of God…for wise guidance…in every circumstance…
07 Jul 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afflicted soul, ashes, break forth as morning, comfort zone, downtrodden, drought, exploitation, faith, faith in God, faith in others, faith in ourselves, fasting, god moves in mysterious ways, God's LOVE, God's power, homeless, hungry, in prison, insensitivity, light, little miracle, LOVE, loving kindness, miracle moment, musical heaven, naked, our God is magnificent, personal testimony, pointing of the finger, poor, repairer of the breach, righteousness., sackcloth, saving faith, selfishness, share wealth, sharing, sick, Society of the Little Flower, strife, the glory of the Lord, the path of faith, the way to prosperity, thirsty, undo heavy burdens, watered garden, who do we think we are, wickedness, worldly lusts and desires
Matthew 25:35-36. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, as I keep saying, our God is indeed a magnificent and mysterious God yes! He constantly bends over backwards to help us, and in the process, amazes us with His LOVING-kindness. Now here’s a personal testimony to His goodness.
Yesterday morning I was listening to some music on the R&B channel of the t.v and my mind happened to focus on a song I had heard about a week before. The song had taken my heart by storm then. I even considered calling my young daughter and asking her to get it for me, as we had been big fans of the artiste in the early stages of his career. But as the Lord would have it, I didn’t call her.
Then yesterday morning, a couple of minutes after the tune flashed through my mind, I heard the opening bars of this music that caught my attention, and when I looked up at the screen, lo and behold, the title of the song that greeted me was, ‘Who do we think we are?’ by John Legend, featuring Rick Ross. And yuh better believe mih people, that the ole fella was immediately transported to musical heaven, because that was the tune I had just thought about!
And they say that our God isn’t good and doesn’t move in mysterious ways to satisfy us? Nonsense yes! He certainly does!
Aye mih young D, I hope you got the message. (smile) Cousin John has a tune out that the yuh ole father truly, truly likes, and you know when he likes a tune, he just goes crazy over it, regardless of what anybody else thinks.
Anyway Friends, enough about me and my little miracle moment, though as I keep reminding us, it’s in the small, sometimes seemingly unimportant things that our God shows His favour, works His miracles. So please pay attention to the small things in your life, because that’s where we often encounter stuff that truly opens our eyes and thus builds our faith.
And talking about faith, here’s an excerpt on the subject from an article by Father Bob Colaresi, the Director of the Society of the Little Flower, St. Therese, taken from the 2013 summer issue of their magazine, Between Friends.
He begins the article thus: ‘This Year of Faith is a call to deepen our lives as followers and friends of Jesus. We continue to be invited to walk the path of faith: faith in God’s presence, power and LOVE, faith in other people, and faith in our selves as the dwelling place of God. Jesus constantly said to everyone He healed: “Your faith has saved you!’
And that’s the undeniable truth my brethren! Our faith is what keeps us going on. But then part of that faith is to show it in good works in action, as specified by our Bit: ‘For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’
Yes my people, those are the things our Lord, Saviour and Leader, Jesus Christ expects of His followers. And today I want to highlight a few scriptures that show those were very important things to our God, long before Jesus ever came to earth in human form. Listen to Isaiah, as he talks about true religion in Chapter 58.
The Israelites were fasting and doing other stuff to get God’s attention, but not with right hearts and motives. Thus God admonished them: ‘Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact (exploit) all your labours (labourers).
Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite (strike) with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens (bonds of the yoke), and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal (share) thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out (homeless, wandering) to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health (healing) shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward (rear guard). Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth (pointing) of the finger, and speaking vanity (wickedness); And if thou draw out (extend) thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity (from darkness), and thy darkness (gloom) be as the noonday.
And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought (dry places), and make fat (strengthen) thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee (offspring, descendants) shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths (streets) to dwell in.’ (Is.58:3-12)
Oh Friends, after reading that section, I just had to include the whole thing, because it just encompasses all that our Bit talks about. So yuh see, is from long time now that our God has been trying to teach us that to help the poor and downtrodden, to share our wealth with the less fortunate is the way to prosperity and His LOVING-kindness.
Then Jesus came and preached the same message. But have we learned that lesson yet? Not really, because we still insist on concentrating on our selfish, worldly lusts and desires, instead of helping the way too many unfortunate souls in our wealthy societies.
Oh my brethren, there are so many who desperately need our help, but are not getting it because of our insensitivity. But to be a true believer and follower of Jesus, we cannot let insensitivity capture and take over our souls. We have to be sensitive to the needs of others, whatever they may be, and try to help ease their burden, as Jesus desires of us. Otherwise we’re not true followers of Christ, plain and simple. Selah.
Yes Friends, food for thought. Take a moment and ponder it. By those guidelines, are you a true believer? And if not, why not? Much LOVE!
…talk is cheap…but taking action…means stepping out of our comfort zone…and that’s the mark of a true believer…
SCRIP-BITS 