13 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a guarantee of salvation, a new creation, a positive outlook on life, a significant undertaking, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, after you believed, all things are become new, avoiding wrongdoing, baptism, born spiritually, christianity, clear direction for my life, conflict of rules, courage, creativity, curse, down payment on our inheritance, enter in at the strait gate, eternal life, except a man be born again, faith, favour, forgiveness of sins, fulfillment, giving up our old way of life, God's Word, he cannot see the kingdom of God, holy spirit, if any man be Christ he is a new creation, Jesus Christ, lead and guide us, LOVE, mercy, negative word, Nicodemus, old things are passed away, perceives Christ in a new way, repentance, salvation, Satan, Satan bombards us with temptations, sealed for all eternity, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, self-control, self-disciplime, supernatural wisdom, take it all in stride, the BIBLE, the earnest of our inheritance, the gospel of your salvation, the importance of staying on the right path, the new life that Christ has planned for us, the paths of righteousness, the way God planned it, the wide gate that leads to hell, the word of truth, truth, underserved blessings, until redemption of the purchased possession, vital union with Christ, wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, wisdom
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. But can you imagine that the week is almost finished? It seems like it was only yesterday I wrote about it beginning. (smile) But that’s the way God planned it, so we just have to take it all in stride. And we can do that because He’s given us the tools to do so, if we sincerely pay heed to His Word and Holy Spirit that dwells within us to lead and guide us in the paths of righteousness.
Now, let’s look at this interesting verse from 2 Corinthians that describes in basic terms what happens when we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. Bruh Paul writes: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17) Now that’s something we all ought to know, accept and make happen. As the scholars explain: ‘When a man comes into vital union with the risen and glorified Lord, he is a “new creation” and perceives Christ in a new way.’
That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who came to Him by night to find out who He really was: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (spiritually, from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) That tells us right away that coming into union with Jesus is a significant undertaking. It’s easy to begin; simply asking God to forgive your sins and sincerely promising to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. But then the road gets somewhat difficult, because Jesus has His own rules and regulations, which very often conflict with those of the world.
No wonder Bruh Paul declares that when you’re born again, old things are passed away and everything then becomes new, for that’s how Jesus wants them to be, and He helps us make them so. The scholars tell us, ‘that indicates a decisive break with the old life at the moment of salvation.’ Yes friends, we have to let go a lot of our old life, the things we did, the places we went, and the people we hung out with, because those things prevent us from getting into the new life that Christ has planned for us.
And giving up our old way of life is not always easy to do, especially when Satan keeps bombarding us with temptations to revert to that old way. But if we are serious, and strong, we can resist the devil’s wiles through the power of the Holy Spirit that immediately comes to dwell in us at salvation, and by learning God’s Word from the Bible and putting it into practice. For this relationship with Jesus is a very binding and lasting one, as described by Bruh Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.
‘That we should be to the praise of his glory, (glorify God), who first trusted in Christ (Jews). In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, Which is the earnest (down payment, deposit) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.’ (Eph. 1:12-14)
So, Bruh Paul is pointing out that the Jews first believed in Christ, then the Gentiles, but there’s no difference between the two groups, because they are both under the umbrella of Jesus who’s sealed them as His for all eternity. Or, as this commentary informs us: ‘being “sealed by the Holy Spirit” signifies that God has marked believers as belonging to Him, and it’s a guarantee of their salvation and future inheritance.’
Now it’s important to note that we won’t lose our salvation if we revert to some of our old ways, but it’s oh so necessary to adopt the new ways that Jesus desires of us, so that we can walk hand in hand with Him. Remember how Jesus puts it in the gospel of Matthew? ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate (how narrow is the gate), and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt. 7:13-14)
And what does that mean? This commentary states: ‘The straight and narrow path” is an idiom that refers to a course of behavior that is honest, moral, and correct, emphasizing the importance of staying on the right path and avoiding wrongdoing.’ And this other commentary explains: ‘the gate that opens on the path to eternal life is “strait”—that is, narrow—since repentance and baptism in the name of Christ is the only gate. The narrow gate is contrasted with the wide gate that leads to hell.’
So, basically, the world says we can do about almost everything, that gives us much leeway, or a broad path. However, in Jesus’ kingdom, there are a lot of things that believers are not expected to do, which makes our path somewhat restricted, and the sinful nature of man draws many more of us to the wide and broad path that leads to destruction than to the narrow one that leads to eternal life. But as we said earlier on, God gives us tools to handle our every situation, and some of those tools we call our Thursday Blessings. So, let’s declare them right now nuh, so that we can activate them and keep on rolling even stronger in Christ.
As one sincere voice: ‘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 every day! Amen!’
And now that we’ve been strengthened with God’s undeserved blessings, it’s time for us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…If you’re born again…and don’t act somewhat differently than before… then something’s wrong, somewhere…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chosen generation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a special relationship with God, a thing of beauty, abstain from fleshly lusts, all God's creations, an holy nation, be led of the Spirit, Bible, bought with a price, bright sunshine on white snow, by your good works, called us out of darkness into His light, Christ's shed blood at Calvary, Christ's special people, Christians, come to know and love Christ, contrary to one another, do our bounden duty, faith, false believers, glorify God, glorify God in your body and spirit, God's Word, having honourable conduct, having your conversation honest, him shall God destroy, holy spirit, hurry, if any man defiles the temple of God, in god's eyes, in the day of visitation, Jesus Christ, keeping the old man at bay, know ye not, LOVE, mercy, moral life governed by the Spirit, not under the law, obtained mercy, pilgrims, proclaim the praises of Christ, renewing our minds, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, share the Love and friendship of Christ, speak against you as evildoers, strangers, the believer's moral life, the beloved of God, the enemy of God, the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, the friendship of the world is enmity with God, the people of god, The Spirit of God dwells in you, the temple of God is holy, the unsaved masquerading as saved, the whole wide world, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, untouched by man, walk in the Spirit, which ye have of God, wisdom, worry, ye are not your own, ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, your body is the temple of the holy Ghost
1 Corinthians 6:19. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
And then it was Tuesday, working time for all again. Thankfully, most of the serious clean-up has been completed after this weekend’s severe snowstorm. And it’s turned out to be another bright, sunshiny day in my neighbourhood, with the dazzling light of the sun reflecting so beautifully off of the white snow. It’s truly a thing of beauty, like all God’s creations, when untouched by man! (smile)
Now, yesterday we dealt with a somewhat touchy subject to some people, but a rather important one to God. So today, let’s clarify and expand on it nuh. It says: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile (destroys) the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which ye are.’ (1 Cor. 3:16-17)
According to scholars those verses refer primarily to the people of the local church and not so much to the individual believer. They say that ‘Paul seems to have in mind unsaved people who may or may not be in the assembly, but who are in fact false believers. The prospect for such a one is fearful.’ Now if the penalty for the unsaved masquerading as saved is fearful, what can be said about the price that the saved will pay if they defile their bodies, which is also the Holy Temple of God?
Bruh Paul lays it out quite clearly later in 1 Corinthians, when He again asked, but on an individual basis this time: ‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ (1 Cor. 6:19-20) So as the scholars say: ‘Not only is the local church a temple of the Holy Spirit, but the individual believer’s body itself is also a temple of the Holy Spirit.’
Yes friends, we are not our own, we do not belong to us, but to Jesus Christ who bought us with the enormous price of His shed blood on the cross of Calvary. That means we ought to keep our bought and paid for bodies as clean and wholesome as possible. And per being bought with a price, the scholars offer this interesting explanation. ‘The blessed fact that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit has two sides: one, that He is ours; the other, that we are His. The believer was purchased on Golgotha’s hill. The price paid was the blood of God’s only Son. (Acts 20:28). This has profound significance for the believer (cf.1 Tim. 4:10; 1 Pet. 2:9).’
Now, I’ll leave you to look up the first two references, and we’ll look at that from Peter, where he’s talking about believers being of a Holy Priesthood. He writes: ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people (Christ’s special people); that ye should shew forth (proclaim) the praises of him who hath called us out of a darkness into his marvellous light:
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation (conduct) honest (honourable) among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.’ (1 Pet. 2:9-12)
Oh my people, you know what all that says? Per the scholars: ‘The priesthood of the believer and his unique relationship to God are described by the terms a chosen generation … a royal priesthood … an holy nation. Thus, the New Testament church stands in a unique relationship to God as did Old Testament Israel.’ Now, isn’t that marvellous…we have a special relationship with God! But you know what that also means…we cannot defile our bodies which belong to God with too much sinful and carnal stuff. We’ll never be perfect like Jesus, but our job is to work as close to perfection as possible.
That means treating our bodies with holy respect as they now belong to God. And that’s why this warning from James is also very important. He writes: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4)
It could not get any clearer than that my brethren. If we choose to associate with the world, and live by its tenets instead of God’s, then we automatically become enemies of God, and that’s the worst thing that can ever happen to us, because in the long run we’ll be destroyed with all His other enemies, separated eternally from His LOVE, mercy and grace.
And here’s the last scripture passage for today on the subject of keeping our bodies, the temple of God holy and clean. Bruh Paul writes thus to the Galatians: ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so ye cannot do that things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ (Gal. 5:16-18)
And that’s a fact; if we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, then we’re not going to continually participate in all the things this sinful world considers right and good. As the scholars explain: ‘The Spirit-led person is not under the law. The Christian does not need the restraints of the law because his moral life is governed by the spirit.’ And all God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Amen!’
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that pledge, it now becomes our bounden duty to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…keeping our bodily temples clean…means constantly renewing our minds with God’s Word…while keeping our old man at bay…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciple of Christ, a living sacrifice, a society without discipline, abusing children, an incorruptible crown, an unruly mob, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, bring my body into subjection, chasteneth him betimes, crown of righteousness, discipline, disciplining our body, disobeyed your word, divine help, every man that striveth for mastery, faith, faith restored, God's Word, he that loveth him, he that spareth his rod hateth his son, humble ourselves, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, if any man will come after me, infallible truth, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, let him deny himself, live godly lives, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Monday morning debacle, Olympic Games, pray, present your bodies, running amok, self-control, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual tank refilled, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily, temperate in all things, the bullyboy, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the perfect will of God, the renewing of your mind, the righteous judge, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Corinthians 9:25a. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Ah friends, another weekend disturbing Monday to contend with! But we’re fully able to handle it if we’re true believers in Christ Jesus, went to church yesterday, had our spiritual tank refilled, our faith restored, and we got some decent rest last night. Yes, that’s all it takes to handle the bullyboy called Monday!
The problem though, is that so many of us don’t acquire the necessary tools for the job, the things we just recommended, therefore, come Monday morning we’re scrambling and rushing around helter skelter, frustrated and afraid of being late for work, especially with the maddening traffic jams that constantly clog up the roadways.
And the sad part is every week we complain, but come the long-awaited weekend we forget about the Monday morning debacle in our lives, and thus, never make the effort to improve the situation. But it all comes down to two words: discipline and self-control. Two words that are not adhered to very much in our modern technology and information-based society. No wonder the society is running amok with so much chaos and man-made disaster.
And since the Bible, the Lord’s Word is the Guidebook for our earthly journey, let’s see what it has to say on the subject nuh. Remember, the Lord’s Word is infallible truth, so whatever it says, we ought to believe and live by it. And there are numerous Bible verses on the subject. So, let’s look at few, some of which we already know, but don’t put into action. (smile)
And the first one comes from the wisdom of Cousin Sol, the supposed wisest man ever. In terms of rearing children, Cousin Sol advocates: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly).’ (Prov. 13:24) And that’s the gospel truth! Although nowadays our foolish society takes that to mean abusing our children. And thus, many parents don’t discipline their children, and it’s one of the reasons why our society is so undisciplined and godless.
But disciplining our children is an important aspect of parenthood, and there are many ways to teach them discipline, which they need to learn to become valuable members of the society. For a society without discipline is nothing but an unruly mob. And that’s where we’re heading today because, for whatever reason(s), we refuse to discipline our children. Nuff said on that. (smile)
Then there’s this scripture on disciplining our body from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown; but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (disqualified). (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
Yes friends, that’s also true. If we want to be good at anything we’ve got to train our bodies, discipline them so that they can perform at a high level. And we have the best example of that in the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris, where all the athletes trained to the nth degree, disciplined their bodies so that they could perform at the highest level possible, and hopefully win a gold medal, the highest honour in whatever sport they participated in.
Likewise, we believers in Christ need to train our bodies, so that we live the goldy lives that Christ desires of us, although our goal is a much higher and better honour than a mere perishable gold medal, that’s an imperishable crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to all who obey His will. (2 Tim.4:8)
So we’ve dealt with disciplining our children and our bodies, let’s turn to our minds now, with words from Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:1-2)
Oh my fellow believers, to live sincerely for God, or even be successful at anything, our minds must also be disciplined, turned away from the lusts and ungodly behaviour of the world. And I’m chuckling here, because I just remembered the activity that possibly requires the biggest and longest efforts of discipline and self-control. It’s being a true disciple of Jesus. He puts it thus: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23).
Now that’s something that requires lots of discipline, self-control, sacrifice, belly and backbone – every day! But like most things in this world, if we are serious about them and are willing to contribute the necessary effort, we can certainly do them, especially when the Bible assures us that we can do anything and everything through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)
But we first need to develop the discipline and self-control, which doesn’t come easily or overnight, but is oftentimes a long, hard and painstaking process. However, it always begins with prayer. So let’s take this opportunity through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and go to God for divine help, without which we’ll be totally lost.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And a word to the wise; unfortunately, that divine aid doesn’t start flowing until we begin to change our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…to do anything properly…demands discipline and self-control…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bring all the tithes into the storehouse, continually seek the spiritual side of life, God's Word, greed is a hell of a thing, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I am the way the truth and the life, Jesus is the Way Maker, LOVE, no man cometh unto the Father but by me, only a fool refuses the good life Jesus offers, open the windows of heaven, pour you out a blessing, put bread on our table, same ole same ole, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, share His love with the world, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, the help of the Holy Spirit, the Sermon on the Mount, the source of our livelihood, the source of true peace, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, there's no one as generous as God, tkae no thought for tomorrow, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry, you reap what you sow
John 14:6. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Well, it’s Tuesday now, a wet, dark day, and all the Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July festivities are over! It’s back to the same ole, same ole, unappealing, unexciting, dreary, tiring working life. But isn’t it amazing that we can party all day and all night and not get tired, but work a couple of days, oh brother, and like we’re so tired, we can’t even move, we just ready for the grave. (smile) I guess that’s the difference between doing things we like and things we don’t like, and maybe it’s also why so many of us don’t read God’s word and then live by it; we simply don’t enjoy reading or living by it. (smile)
But listen up here: we don’t like working but we go to work though, because we know that’s the source of our livelihood, the source of money or remuneration to put bread on our table, a roof over our head and clothes on our backs. Well reading and living by God’s word is even more important than that, because it’s the source of true peace, LOVE, joy, salvation, heaven and eternal life! And it’s quite okay not to read or live by it if you don’t desire those things…but if you do, then living for, with and in Christ is absolutely necessary.
Now here are a couple of Bible verses which I think solidify that argument. (smile) The first one is what Jesus said to Thomas, the doubting disciple, when he proclaimed not knowing the way to where Jesus was headed, that’s back to heaven. Jesus solemnly informed him. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) So, right there we see that if we don’t embrace Jesus and all that He stands for, we will NEVER be seeing the Father or entering heaven, like a snowball’s chance of surviving in hell. (smile)
And the next foundational scripture comes from The Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus pointed out how nature and its many creatures lived without having to worry about what to eat, drink or wear, neither where to lay their heads, because God knew exactly what they needed for their earthly sojourn. Then He told them, in very clear and explicit terms, what they needed to do. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:33-34)
Oh my people, that is ever such an important aspect of our Christian faith. We must continually seek the spiritual side of life, and to a greater degree than the material aspect. As the scholars explain. ‘The believer is to seek first the righteousness that is characteristic of God’s kingdom and then all these things (material things) shall be added unto him.’ In other words: ‘When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides. We need not even worry about tomorrow for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (vs. 34) This means that each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’
So friends, the two basic and fundamental aspects of the Christian life are first to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, the Way Maker and Light Bearer, the One who lights the way to heaven, and the second is to seek the spiritual righteousness of God. That means concentrate more on the spiritual aspects of our lives than the material because our God is a good, omnipotent, omniscient, all-knowing God, and therefore knows our every need and is very capable of providing them when we seek Him with our whole heart, body and soul.
It’s a simple philosophy friends. However, the inherent sinful nature we possess, plus the rampant evil and evil doers in our world makes it somewhat difficult to action. But then again, with the help of the Holy Spirit of God which dwells within believers, and our own persistence and perseverance, we can fight off the enemy’s evil wiles and schemes and do what is required of us. We just have to want to do it. And that’s the problem so many of us supposed believers have right now: we don’t want to do what God desires of us…but we do want to get all the benefits He provides!
Unfortunately though my people, it doesn’t work like that. In God’s kingdom, you reap what you sow. And as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) likes to add: ‘more than you sow and later than you sow.’ So, if you sow evil, down the road, you’ll get even more evil. And if you sow good, then down the road you’ll get even more good than you’ve sown. It’s like getting interest on your money. And believe me there’s nobody as generous as our great and faithful God!
Listen to how He puts it in Malachi, re the payment of tithes. ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shalt not be room enough to receive it.’ (Mal. 3:10) Yeh friends, that’s how generous our God can be.
That reminds me of when the Israelites were in the desert on their way to the Promised Land and kept complaining about the bland tasting manna with which the Lord was feeding them and wanted meat. So what happened? The Good Book tells us: ‘And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.’ (Num. 11:31) Can you imagine how many dead birds that was? A day’s journey on either side of the camp and two cubits high!
But greed is a hell of a thing my brethren, and the Lord doesn’t play that game at all, at all, at all. So, when the Israelites stood up all day and night and gathered the meat they had so craved and spread it around their tents, the Good Book declares (yesss!!!) ‘And while the flesh (meat) was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, (the anger of the Lord was aroused) and the Lord smote (struck down) the people with a very great plague.’ (Num. 11:33)
Yuh see what happens when we too craven, too greedy and ‘gravalicious’ mih bredrin? Our God is sweet and long-suffering and all that good stuff, but there comes a time when He says enough is enough, and believe me, as we see from the many examples of Israelite folly, He is a serious God, He doesn’t make joke. When He says something, He means it. So, I would advise us all to take whatever He says in His Word very seriously and do our best to live by it, otherwise we will indeed pay the hefty price of disobedience and unbelief, when He is good and ready. And believe me, that time will surely come!
Now for those of us who truly believe, and try our best to do His will, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the corollary to that is for us to now go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…only a fool…will refuse the good life that Jesus offers…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
27 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken and contrite heart, a broken spirit, a figment of our imagination, a fool's wisdom, agree to disagree, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, come together, devolve into anarchy, directions for earthly living, endemic strife, every idle word that men speak, fear God and keep his commandments, fomenting disagreement, forgive us and heal our land, God shall bring every work into judgement, God's Word, guidance and direction, hear our prayer, humble servants, in the day of judgement, it's talk that won the war, Jehovah Rapha, learn to live in unity, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obey God, repentance in our hearts, right motives, seriously disobeyed your word, sincerely seek your face, submission to God and His revelation, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the killing machine, the sacrifices of God, they shall give account for, this is the whole duty of man, thou desirest not sacrifice, to do justly and to love mercy, to walk humbly with thy God, turn from our evil ways, weapons of mass destruction, what does the Lord require of thee, whether it be evil, whether it be good, with every secret thing
Ecclesiastes 12:13. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Oh my brethren, let’s come together on this last Monday in September 2021 nuh! It’s the only hope we have of going forward in a relatively calm world. The anger scouring our world right now is tremendous and can lead to no good. There are too many divisive actions and responses to the many serious problems we face. Unless we at least agree to disagree and stop fighting each other on the important matters our world currently faces, the situation will just devolve into anarchy and full-scale violence.
The pandemic, the vaccines, climate control, worldwide poverty and endemic strife will never be settled through violence and bloodshed, which is where we are heading right now. As my Uncle Foster used to tell me: ‘It’s talk that won the war nephew.’ And he was quite right, for it’s in the peace talks after the war that everything’s really decided. So why can’t we have the peace talks before the war eh? Haven’t we been self-destructive enough over the last century, where we have killed more people than in all the wars of several centuries before?
The killing doesn’t prove anything, it just keeps the status quo going, where every few years we turn to killing each other again in a vain attempt to solve age old differences. And the next worldwide slaughter will most likely be the last one since we’ve improved our destructive methods like nothing else. The killing machine is our proudest and most significant area of expertise! Whatever’s happened to the peace and LOVE that so many of us romanticize in our societies eh? Is it really only a figment of our imagination? It certainly seems so, because right now those two attributes are totally lacking from the world scene.
We certainly have not spent half as much time on promoting peace and LOVE as we have on fomenting disagreement and building weapons of mass destruction, which has inevitably led to the vitriolic anger and hatred we’re currently spewing against our friends, families and neighbours. Whatever happened to the tenets of the Good Book eh, the Bible, God’s Word, His directions for living this earthly life? Obviously it’s no longer looked upon favourably. Instead, we are trying to remove it and God completely from our society, which is a fool’s wisdom and will never happen.
How many centuries have mankind tried to rid themselves of it eh, but it only becomes stronger and takes greater hold, especially since Jesus came to earth and showed us the true image of our heavenly Father and how much He cares for us, that He’d even allow His Son to die for us, while we were yet sinners. Yes friends, the Bible is God’s word to us, still fresh through all the ages, and if we’d but read it, we would find God’s wisdom on its pages. The amazing wisdom He desires His favourite creation to live by. Oh my people, what will it take for us to truly realize that there’s ONLY One Power and One Presence in this great universe eh: that of Almighty God, the Good Omnipotent!
And until we get it through our thick skulls that He created this universe and all therein, and will not allow it to be taken away from Him, so we had better learn to live in unity with each other and with Him, the sooner there will be some real semblance of peace and LOVE in our angry, hating, divisive world!
What then is the solution to our problems you ask? I believe the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us as simply and clearly as possible. He wisely declares: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) That’s the gospel truth friends!
Now hear this explanation from the scholars: ‘12:12-14. God has not answered every problem of life, but He has commanded man to live joyfully, responsibly, and wisely. Finally, the controlling factor of all life should be the fear (reverence) of God, that is, submission to God and His revelation (cf. Prov. 1:7). The certainty of divine judgement demands it.’
And that is not new news my fellow saints, it’s old stuff. Moses told the Israelites that in (Deut. 6:2, 10:12) and the prophet Micah reiterated it to them later on: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic. 6:8) Meanwhile Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51:16-17)
Yes, my fellow believers, that is what the Lord desires of His greatest creation; to come to Him humbly and in reverence, admitting His awesome sovereignty. And if you didn’t believe the prophets, then listen to Jesus, the Son of God. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37).
Now, if Jesus says there will be a day of judgement, then there will be one. And all our words and actions will come before Him, and we will receive our just deserts, be it rewards in heaven or eternal damnation and separation from Almighty God. Let’s understand and believe that there is a price to pay for all that we do that does not line up with God’s will.
Disunity is our biggest problem right now. Why can’t we see that eh? We desperately need to come together and get back to worshipping and reverencing Almighty God. And there’s no better time to start than right now. So let’s go to Him in prayer with our problems nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the Lord will search our hearts for the right motives and see how we keep our promises before answering our prayers. Much LOVE!
…the duty of man…to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…. (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)
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31 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: blessed with success, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, calamitous world, compassionate heart, conspiracy theories, Covid-19 pandemic, curse, disastrous year of 2020, dissemblers of truth, every idle word that men speak, faith, favour, follow Christ more eagerly and faithfully, God's Word, greed, in the day of judgement, irresponsible people, like a faithful fountain, low esteem, misinformation, more contagious, negative word, new variant of Covid virus, New Year's Eve, O generation of vipers, obedience should bubble forth from them, one resolution for 2020, out of the abundance of the heart, power hunger, prosper, scandalous happenings, self-discipline, succeed, the body of Christ, the Book of Truth, the church, the current apostasy, the God of many chances, the Holy Bible, the Lord spoke the world into existence, the mouth speaketh, the one real truth, the shepherds leading the flock astray, the tree is known by its fruit, they shall give account for, Thursday Blessings, true love in our hearts for Jesus, turning away from God, we can't serve God and mammon, wipe our slate clean, words have power
Matthew 12:37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Well finally, the last day of this disastrous and complicated year of 2020! And will there be any big New Year’s Eve parties? Of course! Not on the scale we are accustomed to seeing, but for sure there are enough irresponsible people out there, irresponsible enough to hold big, everybody’s welcome gatherings. No wonder the Covid-19 pandemic is spreading despite the arrival of some vaccines. And what do you think that irresponsibility will do for the new year of 2021 eh?
Will that improve our situation? Not on your life, for regardless of how many vaccines we have, if our behaviour doesn’t improve, we’ll be bombarded by more difficulties, especially with the new variant of the virus that appears to be more contagious than it’s early relative.
That means unless and until we wake up and get some real sense in our heads and forget all the nonsense, all the conspiracy theories and misinformation and lies and deceits that are floating around and turn to the ONE real truth in this fallen world, God’s Word, the Holy Bible, we will be forever be plagued with some kind of demonic illness or the other!
Now listen to these words of the man who wrote the Book of Truth nuh, Jesus Christ. ‘Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt (bad), and his fruit corrupt (bad): for the tree is known by his fruit.’ (Matt. 12:33) Oh my people, that pertains directly to us believers in this current calamitous world!
Are we being known by our fruit? Certainly! But the problem is what kind of fruit are we being known by eh, good or bad? And sadly, it’s for too much bad fruit, because followers of Christ are some of the biggest hypocrites and dissemblers in today’s world. Christians don’t behave like true Christians, but are more immersed in the things of the world that the things of God. and that’s why the church, the body of Christ, and Christ Himself is held in such low esteem in our current society.
We are not worthwhile ambassadors of our Lord and Saviour! That’s the simple truth friends. And if you want to dispute it, then go right ahead and fool yourselves, but the world knows us for what we really are…dissemblers of the truth, with too many of us sitting on the fence trying to be in both worlds at the same time, but remember Jesus said that we can’t serve God and mammon, or the wealth, the evil riches of this world at the same time. (Matt. 6:24) And furthermore, too many of us are being a part of the current apostasy, turning away from God, just like Bruh Paul warned Timothy of so long ago. (2 Tim. 3)
But hear these telling words of Jesus, not only to the Pharisees and the people of His generation, but even more so to us, in these final days of the church age. ‘O generation (brood or offspring) of vipers, how can ye being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.’ (Matt. 12:34) And isn’t that the living truth friends, whatever comes out of our mouths, is usually what’s in our hearts? But being the hypocrites that we are, we try to cover it up with falsehood and lies and innuendo, and half-truths.
But hear Jesus continue His monologue on the subject. ‘A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:35-37) Yes, my generation of vipers, we shall give account for all the idle, untruthful and ungodly words we’ve spoken.
Please remember that the Lord SPOKE the world into existence, so His words have power, and if we are His representatives, his ambassadors, that means our words also have power, but are we using those words of power in the right way, for good, and not for evil? That’s the trillion dollar question! And I’d venture to wager that too many of us supposed believers are not doing so.
Oh mih people, precious people of Christ, why is it so difficult for us to do right and good eh? Just take a good look at the church nuh, Christ’s body, His earthly bride. Its upper echelons are filled with more evil, greed, power hunger and scandalous happenings than even some principalities of earthly power. Every day you hear about some ungodly doings of Christ’s supposedly good and godly shepherds. And yuh know, it’s not the flock that’s crazy or evil, but it’s the shepherds that are leading them astray.
Now is that a bride Christ will be eager and anxious to come for? I doubt it. Sometimes I wonder if that’s why His Second Coming is taking so long. But anyway, for this coming year of 2021, let’s try and do better nuh. Yuh know we made one resolution for this year of 2020, that was to follow Christ more eagerly and faithfully and I don’t know whether we have actually followed it. Deep down though, I feel that we have not, for when the pandemic hit us, instead of being strong and faithful, too many of us simply fell apart.
But we have 2021 coming up, that means another chance to wipe our slate clean and begin again. Yes, our God is the God of many chances! Praise His holy name! And He’s still in the magnanimous blessing business, meaning we still have all those tools that He’s given us to work with. So let’s go home declaring (ah Lord eh!) those wonderful Thursday Blessings nuh, promising ourselves and Him, that with His awesome help, we will put them to better use this upcoming new year of 2021.
Altogether 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 it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share those blessings as generously and magnanimously with others, as the Lord has generously and magnanimously shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…if there’s true LOVE in our hearts for Jesus…then…like a faithful fountain…obedience should just be bubbling forth from them…
23 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: chip being put in our bodies, Covid-19 records, ease their suffering, for your purposes, forgive us, God's Word, heal our land, hear our prayer, humble ourselves, if ye love me, Jehovah Rapha, keep my commandments, keep them from the evil one, leave behind a setta garbage, lose sight of the real truth, mass confusion, misinformation, misunderstanding, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, natural disasters, our God doesn't change, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, racial protests, red stages of pandemic, religious strife, repentance in our hearts, sanctify them, set them apart, sincerely seek your face, the truth shall set you free, through your truth, thy word is truth, turn from our evil ways, ultimate truth, unfounded theories, vaccine will change our DNA, virgin whiteness, winter wonderland, ye are my disciples, ye shall know the truth
John 17:17. Sanctify them (set them apart for your purposes) through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Welcome to the winter wonderland! Ah friends, that white stuff made its first grand entrance into my area for this pandemic year of 2020! And every time you see the vast amount of angelic and virgin whiteness covering everything, you can’t help but think how beautiful it looks! That is until mankind dirties it. (smile) Yes, you know we spoil everything we touch. Just look at the mess we left on the moon; everywhere we go we leave behind a setta garbage.
And though the snow has stopped falling, with the temperature dropping overnight and freezing up stuff, it’s going to be a rough commute this Monday morning. So if you have to be out there in those unpleasant conditions, please be very careful, especially for the crazies. However, I do believe that the traffic will be somewhat less than normal because of the red stages of pandemic lockdown in the Greater Toronto and surrounding area, where the incidence of the Covid -19 has recently been heightened, setting new records almost every day.
And sadly, there is so much misunderstanding, misinformation and unfounded theories on the virus that our society is terribly conflicted about it. That means, even when we do get a vaccine that will ease the pressure, many people will refuse to take it for any number of reasons, including these two that are currently making the rounds; a chip is being put in our bodies to control us, or whatever is in the vaccine will change our DNA, and thus our lives.
Hn! How strange it is, that the more advanced our society becomes, the more we seem to question, disbelieve and come up with all kinds of ridiculous theories and truths, and eventually lose sight of the real truth: God’s Word. Like if there can be more than one truth eh? The truth is always the truth, it doesn’t change.
And how do we know that God’s Word is the ultimate truth eh? In the first place, Jesus, amongst other things said that He was the truth. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Then in that same chapter, when Jesus talks about the promise of the Holy Spirit, He tells the disciples: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him: for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ (John 14:15-17)
Yes friends, the Holy Spirit, another part of our Godhead, the Holy Trinity is also truth, and He dwells in ALL believers. And later on, when Jesus prays for the disciples, He says: ‘I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart for your purposes) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:15-17) So you see, however you take it, truth stems from our Godhead!
And furthermore, as Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) What more can I say eh mih people…to know truth you have to know Jesus, abide in Him and He in you, and then that glorious, that everlasting truth, the truth which changes not, like our God doesn’t change, will set you free, and bring peace, joy and eternal life to your spirit which is made in the magnificent image of our mighty God!
Wow! Isn’t that wonderful? It surely is! So now, let’s come to that same Godhead in sincere prayer, just like He desires us to, and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, place all our wants, desires and needs, cast all of our cares upon Him, because He cares for us.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
So what’s the next move now eh? To stand by our vow of repentance and abide in His word and truth, that He can heal us and our land! Much LOVE!
…only when one knows God…can one know truth…
19 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a discerner, a positive outlook, able to judge, all things are naked, any twoedged sword, burning like a fire, burns within me, cannot endure, challenges, challenging, Christmas, clear direction, constantly in your mouth, crooked places made straight, curse, darkness becomes light, disturbing, dividing asunder, drama, dramatic content, ethics, faith, favour, fulfillment, God's Word, gospel truth, intents of the heart, invigorating, jints and marrow, living, living word, make thy way prosperous, makes all things new, negative word, of soul and spirit, philosophy, piercing, power, powerful, promises, prosper, pungency, quick, sharper, succeed, the Book of All Books, the book of the law, the thoughts, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, weary with forbearing
Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner (able to judge) of the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.
Ah mih people, just six more days to that magical, mysterious, miraculous day we call Christmas Day! Wow! Can you imagine the stir it made in ole Bethlehem that Christmas Eve night when the angels came a-singing and a glorifying and exalting our new born Saviour? Anyhow, today we’re not dealing with the birth of Christ so much as the source from which we get that news: ‘The BOOK OF ALL BOOKS!’
Mama Mia! What a marvellous book is our Bible! And so it should be since it’s the Lord’s Word. No other tome has such drama, and in such abundance! The stuff written today pales in dramatic content, promises and story-telling. So let’s get to today’s poem of the same name from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I am overshadowed As I read Your living Word. What power, what pungency I find within its pages. It stirs me, burns within me It challenges me, invigorates me And often disturbs me. When I obey its commands The results are what You claim: Darkness becomes light Crooked places become straight The more I seek, the more I find. Within its pages, God I see beyond mere philosophy I see beyond a neat package of ethics. I crash head-on with a living Person The One who makes all things new. No other book can claim as much.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my fellow believers! No other book is as powerful, mind-bending and moving as the Word of God! I like how the author of the poem talks about its power, its pungency! And ALL of us who have read it, have found it to be at times, burning like a fire within us, like it was with Jeremiah when he lamented against God. ‘Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak anymore in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing (holding back), and I could not stay (endure it).’ (Jer. 20:9)
Yeh friends, that’s just how the Lord’s Word acts on us, especially when we get discouraged. We don’t want to deal with it, but it’s so powerful that it forces us to do so! And which one of us hasn’t found the Word to be ofttimes challenging, invigorating, and downright disturbing eh? NONE! And it will ALWAYS be so, because that’s the purpose of the Word; to challenge, invigorate and disturb us to come to and stay obedient to the Lord! And the great thing is that when we obey the Word, we find the results are exactly what it claims; light overshadows darkness, joy comes in the morning, crooked places are made straight, and we do find more when we seek more.
But unfortunately, and rather sadly, too many of us read the Word, know that it’s true, but still don’t follow it. Thus our lives are never as successful and prosperous as they can be. Please, please, I implore us to remember the momentous words the Lord spoke to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
Oh my people, my people, that is perhaps the most important, provocative, wise and revealing verse in all of the Good Book! It gives us the blueprint for successful and prosperous living in just a few words, and from the Lord Himself! What could be more enlightening eh? Absolutely NOTHING! But yet so many of us supposed believers refuse to take it seriously, or as seriously as we ought to. But friends and neighbours, please listen very closely to these words as found in the Good Book that rather frighteningly describe the true power of God’s Word.
‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner (able to judge) of the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart. Neither is any creature that is not manifest in (hidden from) his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (must give account to).’ (Heb. 4:12-13) Oh friends, please allow all of that to sink in deep into our souls nuh! The Lord’s Word is indeed living and sharp and very discerning, thus we have to pay serious attention to how we live it.
Hear the scholars: ‘4:12-13. For the word of God: The reason given for one’s careful scrutiny of his life involves the reality that God is intently scrutinizing it. His word is quick (living). This word is first in the Greek and is the emphasis. God’s Word is not old or archaic; it is alive. It is not inept or inactive; it is powerful (active). It reaches into the inner secrets of man’s mind to discern even his thoughts and intents. Likewise, God’s eye sees man as though he were naked, unable to hide behind excuses or pretense.’
Bubba! If that doesn’t shake us up to the reality of God’s ever searching, discerning and plumbing of all our thoughts and intentions, I don’t know what will nuh. All I can say now is let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has so generously granted us. In loud and sincere voice now, because they don’t come into play until we speak them out.
‘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 the thing to remember now is that those awesome blessings were granted to us so generously so that we can turn around and share them generously with others. So let’s do that nuh, especially at this Christmas season, the season of giving! Much LOVE!
…God’s Word…created the world…keeps it alive…and will in His time…destroy it…
18 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: casts the wicked to the ground, causeth the grass to grow, crapaud smoke we pipe, encyclopedia for living, fools despise wisdom, for the service of man, full of thy riches, get understanding, glorious future with Jesus, God's Word, halfway home, hands on the plough, he watereth the hills, herb, hoar frost, how manifold are thy works, infinite, lifteth up the meek, live by bread alone, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, not looking back, sendeth out his word, snow like wool, spectre of winter, stand before his cold, tender care, thank God, the beginning of knowledge, the breath of life, the earth is satisfied, the fear of the Lord, the fruit of thy works, the Good Book, the principal thing, understanding, upper chambers, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
Psalm 104:13. He watereth the hills from his (upper) chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
Well, I guess we can handle a li’l white amongst the dark and dreary grey of most of these winter days. Note, just a li’l snow like we got last night. And with the bright sunshine we also blessedly have, it just lifts up the whole spectre of winter. (smile) Yeh friends, you’d be surprised at how a li’l snow and some sunshine can brighten up your winter days. And I just looked to see where the Good Book had opened at this morning, and behold it was opened unto a most appropriate scripture, Psalm 104 – God’s preservation of nature.
And I read these wonderful words: ‘He watereth the hills from his (upper) chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth friends? Our great God looks after the universe, the nature He created with the LOVE and tender care of an expert, as well as a compassionate gardener. Hear how the psalmist describes it nuh: ‘He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: (sorry, not the herb you’re thinking about, but vegetation (smile) that he may bring forth food out of the earth. And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.’ (Ps. 104:14-15)
And who says that God doesn’t have man’s best interest at heart eh? No wonder the psalmist could later on proclaim: ‘O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches (possessions).’ (Ps. 104:24) And if you didn’t believe the last psalmist, then listen to this one, as he proclaims the greatness of our God and His amazing power, His omnipotence! ‘Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked to the ground.
Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp to our God. Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy (LOVING-kindness).’ (Ps. 147:5-11)
Yuh see that mih people? The Lord likes all that He’s made and expertly services them, but His first LOVE is those who seek Him, revere Him and put their sincere trust in His awesome power and mercy! Can we count ourselves amongst that blessed lot? I certainly hope so, for all of our sakes, otherwise crapaud certainly smoke we pipe! Now this bit of the psalm is for those of us who live in the wintry climes. (smile) ‘He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoar frost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels (fragments of food): who can stand before his cold?’ (Ps. 147:16-17)
And as always friends, the sad answer to that last question is ‘NOBODY!’ That’s simply because the created can never hope to stand before the awesome might of their Creator. That’s a lesson the foolish Lucifer never learned, to his sad demise, and too many of us are following in his stupid footsteps. But hear how the Lord melts the ice and connects to all that are in his fold. ‘He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters to flow. He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgements unto Israel.’ (Ps. 147:18-19)
Ah friends, the Word of the Lord is the encyclopedia for living! Knowing it and living it brings success. The opposite brings only failure. And Cousin Sol in his finite wisdom confirms it. ‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down dew. My son, let them not depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace (favour) unto thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.’ (Prov. 3:19-24)
Yes friends, wisdom is indeed the essence to this life. And is that possibly why so many of us don’t have sweet sleep at nights? As the scholars say: 3:19-20. Wisdom is so important that God Himself used it in creating the world.’ So if God used it to create us, the universe and all therein, who are we to do otherwise eh? But it’s all a cosmic cycle friends (smile) As Cousin Sol wisely advises: ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.’ (Prov. 4:7)
But then we ask, where can wisdom be found? Cousin Sol also provides the answer. ‘The fear (reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7) That says it all friends: We need wisdom to live this life successfully, but to get it, we need to begin by revering our Creator, who made us through wisdom, and keeps us going by the same. Ah mih people, why can’t we see that it all begins and ends with our omnipotent God eh?
Now for those of us who have gotten the picture, the truth, let’s declare (yeah!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our secure position in Christ. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Ah friends, we’ll never know just how glorious that future will be nuh until we experience it! Much LOVE!
…man cannot live by bread alone…but by the wisdom of God’s Word…
01 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of life, a helmet of salvation, a zeppo, able to stand, Advent, assurance of salvation, be strong in the Lord, breastplate of righteousness, celebrations, Christ my Saviour, Christ's coming, Christmas, comfortable lives, compromise, Dudley Tyng, fearful, fighting valiantly, George Duffield, girded with God's truth, God's Word, holy character, like a leaf in the wind, lit a fire in our bellies, loins, moral conduct, now, obedience, prayer, protective armour, put on, reign eternally, reignited our passion, repulse the fiery darts, schemes., sitting on the fence, soldiers of the cross, spiritual armour, stand up for Jesus, sword of the Spirit, the Christian faith, the gospel of peace, the king of glory, the Messiah, the noise of battle, the power of his might, the promises of God, the shield of faith, the victor's song, the whole armour of God, the wiles of the devil, time to fight, under Jesus' banner, victory, wavering, wishy-washy
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Well friends, it’s the first Sunday in Advent! And why is that important eh? Because in the church’s calendar, this is the time of year we begin preparing for Christ’s coming! Originally it seems like it was a time to think of Christ’s Second Coming, a cry for the Messiah to come back and take over the evil world. But apparently down through the years it got intertwined with the First Coming of the Messiah, what we call Christmas, so now we celebrate Advent by looking back nostalgically at the First Coming, while excitedly and expectantly looking forward to the Second One! Only in the Christian faith can we have such double celebrations my people! (smile)
Anyway, as we gather today in joyful fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary, to give thanks and praise and worship His Holy Name, we not going to open with an Advent hymn because I got a zeppo intimating that the Lord wanted to hear this particular tune, ‘Stand up for Jesus!’ I guess He’s feeling that believers are not being strong and steadfast enough in the faith. We’re being too fearful and wishy-washy, sitting on the fence, wavering like a leaf in the wind, and too ready to compromise so that we can go on with our comfortable lives!
Consequently, He wants us to get our acts together, get really serious about our cause, and like true warriors come out fighting valiantly under Jesus’ banner, even to the death, if needs be! So let’s raise our voices in strong and solemn song, as we sing these most excellent sentiments, but also truly fighting words, written in 1858 by George Duffield (1818-1888) in honour of his dear departed friend and leader, Dudley Atkins Tyng (1825-1858) in a tragic farm accident. It’s reputed that Tyng’s last message to his associates was for them to, ‘Stand up for Jesus,’ and this became the theme of Duffield’s song.
And to make it even more powerful, we going to do a scintillating, rocking Reggae version, a la Miss Carlene Davis. Wow! Rockers time mih people! (smile) So altogether now: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross! Lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory his army he shall lead, till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the solemn watchword hear; if while ye sleep he suffers, away with shame and fear. Where’er ye meet with evil, within you or without, charge for the God of battles, and put the foe to rout.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in his strength alone; the arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own. Put on the gospel armour, each piece put on with prayer; when duty calls or danger be never wanting there. (Bridge: Stand up, stand up, stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, stand up for Jesus, children stand up, Stand up, stand up, stand up for Jesus, children stand up.)
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; this day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song. To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; he with the King of glory shall reign eternally. (Extro: Stand up, stand up, stand up for Jesus, children stand up, Stand up, stand up, stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, stand up for Jesus, children stand up, Stand up, stand up, stand up for Jesus, children stand up….!’
Aye friends, I hope we truly meant what we just sang, because our world is desperate for somebody, for serious somebodies to stand up to the evil one in Jesus name! And it’s sad that we all know the scripture that characterizes that song, but we’re not putting it into full and proper use. Hear Bruh Paul as he articulates to the Ephesians, re the whole armour of God: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph.6:10)
As Christians we’re engaged in a spiritual battle from now until Christ’s Second Coming that we’re looking forward to this first Sunday in Advent. And there must be ‘no quarter given, no ceasefire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities.’ But to do that successfully, we have to stand strong, be strengthened in and through the Lord’s might and power. And this next verse is also of the utmost importance: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’
Yes my faithful brethren, no soldier worth his salt, goes into battle without armour, without protective gear. And since in this case our battle is not physical but spiritual, we need specialized protection: Our loins must be girded with God’s truth; the knowledge of the truth of God’s Word. Our chests must be protected by a breastplate of righteousness, holy character and moral conduct, through obedience to God’s truth. And then our feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We must be eager and willing to take on the satanic one and his demoniac cohorts, take the fight to him, and we get that from the gospel of peace, that frees us of any anxiety and fear.
Then we need the shield of faith so we can repulse all the fiery darts of the wicked one. That means taking God at His Word, believing His awesome promises, dispelling all doubt Satan might try to induce. And we must have a helmet; that of salvation; the hope of and assurance of salvation, the surety, that we’re saved. And you can’t fight without a sword, in this case the sword of the Spirit; the powerful and ever-conquering Word of God!
But along with all of that protective armour friends, we still need to use the most powerful tool in the universe; prayer! Without it, the armour is useless. So let’s hope all of this has lit a fire in our bellies, reignited our passion for Christ, so that we can become better soldiers in His victorious army! Much LOVE!
…Christians…put on your spiritual armour…the time to fight is NOW…
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