25 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deceitful world, against their parents, all for Jesus, all we do, association with Jesus, be thankful, be wise as serpents, Behold, beware of men, Bombay Bhel Indian Restaurant, brother, celebrate, children shall rise up, close to home, deliver you, discrimination, dring, eat, endureth to the end, exploded a bomb, fellowship, foolish reason, for a testimony, for my name's sake, for my sake, four days of labour, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, get a break, get into our souls, Glory be, good weather, harmless, hated of all men, identification with Jesus, in Jesus name, in that same hour, innocent as doves, innocent people, it burn him, like leggo beasts, live in fear, LOVE, Lucifer, lustful song, lustily singing, mind body and soul, Mississauga, never leave nor forsake, no manly parts, not enough boundaries, not wine and roses, party, pay for that holiday, persecution, persevere, projectiles, promise of perseverance, ps and qs, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, scourge you, send you forth, shall be saved, sheep in the midst of wolves, take no thought, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the father the child, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of your Father, the weekend, the workingman, to death, to the end, too much leeway, unfair massa, video surveillance, week of work, what you speak, wolfish world, your generous help
Matthew 10:16. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.
Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful! That’s the only way I can describe yesterday friends. It was more of a summer than a spring day, with the heat from the sun radiating somewhere in the mid-twenties, suitably accompanied by a cool, brisk breeze. And today seems like it’s going to be more of the same. Glory be!
Oh I know you folks who live in the tropics are accustomed to that kind of weather all the time, but we poor northerners have to be thankful and celebrate when we get it, especially after the strange winter weather we’ve just had. (smile)
But unfortunately all is not wine and roses, for it seems that two misguided men went into a Bombay Bhel Indian Restaurant in my city of Mississauga last night around 10.30 p.m and exploded a crude bomb of projectiles injuring about 15 people, some of them critically. Ah Lord eh! They were obviously well covered from head to foot, so that the video surveillance couldn’t detect them.
Obviously they had no manly parts, injuring innocent people for whatever foolish reason. I don’t know exactly where this particular restaurant of the chain is located, but it certainly doesn’t feel good when these sorts of things begin happening close to home. We can’t allow those fools to have us live in fear though, so let’s keep on going with God and hope the powers that be catch them soon.
Now it’s Friday and the workingman is out there lustily singing his lustful song. (smile) ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! And it come quickly this week because was only four days of labour for that greedy and unfair massa. And I know how it burn him to pay us for that holiday, but we do get a break here and there.
But enough about massa, is the weekend and we time, so let’s get on with enjoying it nuh. And the good weather is providing so many more options for doing that. So eat, drink and party like leggo beasts’ mih people! For who knows whether you’ll be around tomorrow! Hn, Hn! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
So what do we believers have to say to that eh? Too much leeway, not enough boundaries! It’s only allowing Lucifer to get into our souls and destroy them. And we counter with our Friday Chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh friends, we always have to be on our p’s and q’s when we live and work for Jesus because there is nothing the enemy likes more than to get into our souls and spoil our witness. That brings us to our Bit, a strange but interesting pronouncement of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to His disciples. ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent) as doves.’
Oh my brethren, to be wise but innocent is not an easy task to accomplish in this evil, very wolfish world! But if Jesus says to do it, then it must be doable and He will give us the wherewithal to do it.
But Jesus does warn: ‘But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against (to) them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up take no thought how or what (do not worry about) what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt.10:17-22)
Yes faithful believers, we’re living in a very deceitful world and thus need to be very careful of whom we pick as our associates. Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘10:17-22. Take no thought means “Do not be anxious.” (See Mark 13:9-13; Luke 12:11-12; 21:12-19) It shall be given you promises that the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say in each situation they would face.
For my name’s sake: They would endure great persecution because of their identification with Jesus Christ. But he that endureth to the end shall be saved is a promise of perseverance, not a teaching that salvation may be lost. Rather, it indicates that those who are truly saved will indeed endure to the end.’
There we have it friends: We will face persecution and discrimination because of our association with Jesus. But we need not worry about what to say or do, because the Holy Spirit that dwells within us will advise us. And we just need to hang in, to truly believe, to persevere in His name right to the end.
Remember, Jesus has promised never to leave nor forsake us once we stay true to Him, and if we believe, we’ll grab hold of that promise so tightly we’ll never loose it. Much LOVE!
…all we do…must be all for Jesus…
08 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a good-looking day, a modicum of circumspection, acquainr thyself with God, be at peace, Beelzebub, better late than never, boundaries, call upon me, carousing, defense, disaster, drinking, earthquakes, eat drink and be merry, eating, Eliphaz, enthusiasm, exaltation, fires, Friday chant, furthering God's kingdom, gain a foothold, glorify, go overboard, good weather, he shall hear thee, heartbreaking situation, hurricane Irma, hurricanes, I will deliver thee, in Jesus' name, in the day of trouble, in thine heart, invitation, Jesus, Job, lay up his words, lift up thy face to God, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, man's best bet, men are cast down, natural disasters, omnipotent god, pay thy vows, pray, prayer, problems, pureness of hands, raveages, refreshed, relax, renewed, repented, return to the Almighty, save the humble, sensible solution, soul body and mind, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Caribbean, the Good Book, the innocent, The Israelites, the law, the light shall shine, the most powerful force, the weekend, the workingman, thou shalt glorify me, time of need, trouble, warnings, week of work, work, worry
Psalm 50:15. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Oh friends, it’s shaping up to be a good-looking day in my neighbourhood, and the workingman was out early singing his song. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And soon, no more work! It’ll be a beautiful weekend, with all the good stuff happening; like eating and drinking and carousing, paying no mind to the problems that surround us.
God gave us the weekend so that we could relax and enjoy it, not to work or worry. So that’s exactly what we going to do. Eat, drink and be merry! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Ah mih people, a lot of what he says is true; God did give us the weekends to rest and relax, but not to go overboard. Remember, we need to have certain boundaries that we don’t cross and thus allow Beelzebub to gain a foothold in our lives. A much better incantation would be our Friday Chant, which contains those boundaries.
Let’s declare it now nuh, with the same enthusiasm that the workingman declared his song. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, we always have to be cognizant of what comes after the weekend. Otherwise, come Monday morning, when we have to go back to work, we’ll be too tired and wasted and of no use to either God’s kingdom or ourselves. That’s why ‘a modicum of circumspection’ is always necessary my brethren.
But unfortunately, today, many of our fellow men around the globe won’t have the luxury of enjoying good weather or the weekend, because of hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes or some such natural disaster.
Please, let’s remember to pray for them sincerely. We can’t help them all with money or other worldly stuff, but we CAN help them all with PRAYER, the most powerful force in the universe.
What a heartbreaking situation it is to see your fellow man suffering the ravages of disaster, like Hurricane Irma is causing down in the Caribbean, and you can’t do much to help them physically. But as true believers we can call on our great God to help them in their time of need.
Our God said it: ‘And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ Yeh friends, that’s the faithful invitation of our omnipotent God! And in these very trying end times, it’s the most sensible solution we can ever consider.
As we keep saying, who knows whether all the numerous disasters occurring around our planet right now are warnings from God? They might be, as well as they might not be. But the wisest path we can take is to consider them warnings as our sinful and ungodly world plunges down to hell with one unwise step after another.
Oh friends, please take note of the Israelites, who, when they found themselves in trouble for turning away from the God of their fathers, repented and turned back to Him, and he welcomed them back with opened arms. We desperately need to do the same.
Listen to this scripture where Job’s friend Eliphaz after accusing him of sin, implores him to repent. ‘Acquaint now thyself with him (God), and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law (instruction) from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles (tents). Then shalt thou lay up gold as (in the) dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defense (gold), and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up (exaltation); and he shall save the humble person. He shall deliver the island of the innocent (the one who is not innocent): and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.’ (Job 22:21-30)
Oh my people, there it is, the solution for all our problems, written in the Good Book ages ago, and nothing about it has changed. So what are waiting for eh?
Come on Christians, we need to up the ante in these disastrous times and get Jesus’ LOVE Revolution running full steam ahead. That’s the ONE and ONLY answer to our lost and ungodly world! Much LOVE!
…in times of trouble…man’s best bet is to…PRAY…
P.S. Please accept my apologies for the lateness of the Bit. Though I went to bed early, by my standards, (smile) some new medication kept me bogged down for longer than I expected. But better late than never! Much LOVE!
09 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doer of the work, a fool's wisdom, a forgetful hearer, a man of action, a sense of balance, a tight rein, added unto you, all winter long, an unquenchable fire, anxieties, be ye doers of the word, belief, blessed, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, changes, Christians, cloistered up, come to faith in jesus, comfort, common sense, cross at Calvary, darkness, deceiving, deliverer, evil, faith, faithfully, for the better, forces of nature, fortress, founded on a rock, fractured souls, frustrations, God willing, good news, good weather, heareth my sayings and doeth them, high tower, Higher Power, hope, horn of my salvation, impregnable rock that's jesus, Jesus Christ, laid the foundation on a rock, liberating effect, LOVE, material things, my buckler, my god, my strength, not hearers only, observing his natural face in a mirror, our Lord and Saviour, peace, pent up anticipation, positive, rearranges, redeem, regenerating quality, renewed strength, righteousness., Robert Venniga, rocket science, rough economic times, salvation, Sermon on the Mount, shield, sick, sinful souls, spiritual beliefs, steadfastness, stirs up, strong foundation, stronghold, subastantial structure, the Good Book, the Mosaic Law, the perfect law of liberty, the royal law, the ruin, the solid rock that's Jesus, the teachings of Christ, to bounce back, to kill our faith, torrential mode, tranquility, troubled, trust, truth, understanding, ungodly world, uplifting, when the dust settles, whosoever cometh to me, wisdom
Luke 6:47. Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like.
Well Friends, a good Saturday morning to all of you fine believers! It looks like it’s going to be another fine day in my area, and there’s a sense of pent up anticipation all ready to burst forth with the approach of the good weather. And how can you blame us after being cloistered up in clammy houses all winter long eh? All the pent up frustrations and anxieties are now being obviously let loose like a horse that’s been held on a tight rein for a long time.
That leads me to a comparison of good weather to faith. In particular this quote by Robert Venniga from my One More Day Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness, which I shared with you some time aback. It says: ‘Faith has a powerful effect in helping people recover a sense of balance, tranquility and hope.’
And isn’t that the absolute truth Friends! Just like good weather has a positive and uplifting and liberating effect on our spirits, so does faith bring peace, steadfastness and hope to our fractured souls.
You know we tend to lose faith in rough economic times, when we’re sick, or troubled about some problem we just can’t seem to solve. But the good news Friends, is that after a while, when the dust settles, we usually tend to bounce back with a renewed strength in our spiritual beliefs.
As the Daily Meditations say: ‘My belief in my Higher Power may have diminished for a while, but I take comfort in knowing that belief is always there.’ More glorious truth my people!
Once we believe, once we have that strong foundation in Jesus Christ, it’s very difficult to lose it. It might dim for a while, but it will never go out, because it has a regenerating quality built into it. And Jesus explains the quality we’re talking about, after prefacing it with our Bit. ‘Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like.’
Ah mih people, what a great day in our life, possibly the greatest, when we come to faith in Jesus, and truly acknowledge Him as our Lord and Saviour. I don’t think there is any other feeling that compares to it, because it just stirs up, rearranges, changes everything for the better in our lives.
Now hear Jesus describe the person that believes in Him. ‘He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded on a rock.’ (Luke 6:48)
Oh my people, my people, yuh see what faith in Jesus does for us. Though the forces of evil and darkness come against us, and though they threaten to kill our faith, they cannot, because our faith in Jesus is an unquenchable fire! Once it’s lit, it cannot go out. And that’s what happens when we build the foundation of our lives on the solid rock that’s Jesus!
Bruh David joyfully declared: ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (my rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’ (Ps.18:2) Now Friends, that is exactly what Jesus is to those who sincerely follow Him. And when you join those glorious ranks, you show your wisdom and common sense.
Unlike the other character Jesus talks about ‘But he that heareth , and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.’ (Luke 6:49)
Ah mih breddren, it’s so sad that so many people in today’s evil and ungodly world choose to build their lives on a foundation of mere earth and not on the impregnable rock that’s Jesus! That’s as the Good Book says, a fool’s wisdom! How can we build any substantial structure without a strong foundation eh? It must fall sooner or later when the forces of nature come against it in torrential mode.
And that’s all the material things of the world have to offer; a foundationless life. And yuh know mih people, it’s not like Jesus doesn’t provide the material things of the world that we need, because He clearly says in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
So why do we refuse to listen to Him eh? And it’s not like there aren’t many wealthy Christians in the world. So I don’t know why we find it so difficult to put our trust and faith in the One who died on the Cross at Calvary to redeem our sinful souls. Steups! Ah Lord eh!
And we’ll end with some spirited words on the subject from James. ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding (observing) his natural face in a glass (mirror): For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (in what he does).’ (James 1:22-25) It’s all plain and straightforward my brethren, no rocket science involved. Just hear the word and faithfully do it.
And the scholars have this to say about that last verse. ‘1:25. The perfect law of liberty probably refers to the teachings of Christ and His apostles. This law is perfect, since Christ brought to completion the teachings and work of the Mosaic Law (cf. Matt.5:17-20; Rom.10:4). It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death (Rom.8:2-3; Gal.5:1, 13). James also describes it as the royal law (2:8) for it is the law of the messianic King (cf. Gal.6:2).’
And it would do us all good to check out those references, since they will increase our understanding of the scriptures. I just did, and they do verify the scholars’ contentions. Well Friends, until tomorrow, God willing, please walk in peace and LOVE with Almighty God. Much LOVE!
…to be a true follower of Jesus…one must first hear His Word…then put it into action…for above all else…Jesus is indeed a man of action…
01 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: alienation, balanced lives, belief in Jesus, blasphemed, blessed, bring God into the mix, Christ's Second Coming, Christian, company, dangerous, desolate, divisions, divisiveness, ease the pressure, ever-faithful God, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, evil, evil cohorts, exalted, falsely, for Christ's sake, Friday chant, gather together as one, generous help, glorified, glorious kingdom, God's mysterious ways, God's promises, good weather, Halloween celebrations, harbinger, hate, heathen lands, heavy load, herald, interesting, Jesus Christ, Jesus is Lord, jesus name, Lord and Saviour, loving kindness, Lucifer, mental and emotional persecution, merciful and healing God, monotonous, need to belong, no problems, obedience, persecute, persecution, personal testimony, physical persecution, pipe dream, prayer, prisoners of hope and faith, reality, relaxation, reproach, rest, revile, right perspective, separate, showers of blessing, slander, slaving for massa, Son of man, spirit of glory, stand steadfast, steady diet, stewards of God's grace, suffering, sufficient fun, take it in stride, tedious, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the church's history, the greatest tool in the universe, the weekend, trials and tribulations, unfortunate brethren
Matthew 5:11. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Oh Friends, what a glorious day this Friday 1st of November 2013 will be…! Albeit possibly in other areas of the world, just not in my neck of the woods, because we’ve had rain since early yesterday morning. It’s not like we’ve been inundated with heavenly showers of blessings, but more like a steady diet of drizzle and wind, with the occasional heavy downpour.
That certainly put a damper on the Halloween celebrations yesterday! Now was that our God moving in one of His mysterious ways? Hn! Who knows? It makes me wonder though. (smile)
But yuh know what, I’m still going to join those shouting, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday,’ because Friday is the herald, the harbinger of those two momentous days known as the weekend, those days of no slaving for massa.
And you never know, what can happen, my area can be flooded later with sunshine and 15 degrees weather, if the weather people are right. And because we’re such strong prisoners of hope and faith, we will believe for good weather later on. (smile)
For now though, let’s celebrate Friday, by graciously chanting our Friday Chant, which gives us the right perspective on how to handle the weekend.
As one 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.’
Yes mih people, on the weekend we need to get our lives in balance, in sync with both our worldly and godly obligations, so that we can be fully prepared to go back out on Monday and began the cycle all over again. I know it’s tedious and monotonous, but when we cheerfully bring God into the mix, we are able to handle it with NO PROBLEMS. (smile)
And I sincerely hope that we’ll still be smiling after reading today’s Bit: ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.’
Yeh mih breddren, just because we’re believers in Jesus Christ, we will be reviled, persecuted and have all manner of evil done to and against us!
The scholars explain it thus: ‘5:11. Again, Jesus warns that men shall revile you, and persecute you. This became true during His own ministry, in the lives of the apostles, and throughout the history of the church. The persecution spoken of here is twofold. First, it involves a physical pursuing of the persecuted, and second, a personal attack of slander against them.’
Oh Friends, being a Christian is often a rather heavy load, as we can see from all the persecution that fellow believers are suffering in other lands. Now we will suffer some here for calling Jesus our Lord and Saviour, but nothing like the ‘sufferation’ of those in the heathen lands.
So please let’s make it a daily matter to pray for those rather unfortunate brethren, pray that our merciful and healing God will both ease their suffering and give them the strength to stand steadfast and true in their belief in Jesus. As we said yesterday, that’s the least we can do for them.
And remember again that prayer is the greatest tool in God’s universe. So let’s not stop until all God’s children are free to serve and worship Him as they please, in their own lands.
And on a point of interest, here’s how Luke records that Beatitude. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach (revile) you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.’ (Luke 6:22)
Yuh see Friends, it’s not only physical persecution that believers must suffer for Christ’s sake, but also things like alienation, and separation from other men’s company. And sometimes the mental and emotional persecution are worse than the physical kind.
But since we were all made by God with this great need to belong, Jesus has provided His holy church as a refuge for all those who believe in Him, to gather together as ONE, so that we can fellowship together and thus ease some of the pressure from our earthly trials and tribulations.
And though right now, that oneness is more like a pipe dream than a reality, taking into account all the divisions and divisiveness currently reigning in Christ’s church, we still have places where we can meet and talk, pray and worship and celebrate the goodness and LOVING-kindness of our great God.
So my people, I’m imploring us to hang in there when things get rough, as they oftimes do and certainly will. Please hold on tightly to all the wonderful promises that our ever-faithful God has given us. Remember too, that He is faithful, even when we are not.
Now here are some encouraging words from Peter, as he talks about us being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet.3:14)
And all God’s children gave a mighty shout of: ‘Let the name of our great God be praised and glorified!’
Yes my fellow believers, when we are persecuted for Christ’s sake, we need to take it in stride, for He’s suffered so much for our sake. And because He was obedient to the Father, He was lifted up, exalted above all else in the universe.
So ‘That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:10-11)
Likewise my believing brethren, when we stand strong in the face of all that Lucifer and his evil cohorts throw at us, the Lord God Almighty will also exalt us.
Please believe it today, and let’s write it deep in our hearts, minds and souls, let it strengthen our faith, for the days they are becoming more dangerous and desolate, as the Second Coming of Jesus approaches. Much LOVE!
…knowing Jesus…and living for Him…doesn’t necessarily make life easy or hard…but it surely makes it interesting…that’s my personal testimony…
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…
03 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anxiety, awesome universe, barbecues, be not afraid, christianity, comfort, covenant, doubt, fear, feed his flock, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, gather the lambs, generous help, gently lead, good shepherd, good tidings, good weather, guys and dolls, human incarnation of God, Jesus, lawnmower blues, lawnmowers, like a shepherd, live our faith, living God, Love our God, Messiah, one true God, promises, relaxation, rest, security, spirituality, spread His Word, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the weekend, trust in God, truth
Isaiah 40:11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
And then it was Friday – a seeming summer Friday to boot! And all the workers around the world, declared a loud and joyful, ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! Praise the Lord! The weekend’s here at long last!’ Ah Friends, I can imagine what this first warm weekend in the north country will be like; the barbecues will be flaming, the guys and dolls will be out in their summer wear, half-naked, the hot rods have already been going, and so too have my nemesis, the lawnmowers. Chuh! It never fails, just when I lie down to rest, during the day, some lawnmower around the area starts up its irritating noise, and I get up using some expletive deleted language. Sometimes its even my own lawn- maintenance person, but that doesn’t make me feel any better, possibly worse, since it’s right close to my bedroom window. Anyway, I’m thankful that the good weather is here, and for that I can, and will suck up the lawnmower blues. (smile) And more than ever, today, with the wonderful weather in the offing, we need to chant our Friday chant to keep the right perspective of the weekend in front of us. So let’s chant with a right heart and clean spirit. ‘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.’ And now that we’ve set the right tone for the weekend, let’s look at one of the greatest promises that God has made in our Bit. But first a little background. This chapter is titled, ‘Comfort through trust in God.’ And that’s exactly where our best hope for comfort and security lies my people! Isaiah felt the prophecy so keenly that he began the chapter thus: ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.’ (Is.40:1) Yes Friends, the prophet saw a day of salvation coming for God’s people. Then he goes on to lay out this vision: ‘O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him.’ (Is.40:9-10) Now what other God is bold and confident enough to declare those mind-boggling things eh, my people? NONE other than the ONE TRUE and LIVING God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Creator and Controller of this awesome universe! But He’s not done there, He declares in our Bit: ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ Oh my brethren, don’t you just shake your head in awe and wonder at the prophecies that were made in the Old Testament and then were fulfilled in the New, with the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Hundreds of years before John began crying out in the wilderness re the making straight the crooked and rough places for the Messiah’s coming, the Lord promised that His people, those in serious covenant with Him, would be fed and well looked after by His shepherd, when the time was right. And two thousand years ago, the time became right. Jesus, the human incarnation of God was born, gave us the good news of the gospel, then died for our sins, and rose from the grave to give us salvation and eternal life. And all God’s people declared a mighty shout of ‘Praise the Lord, for His goodness to the children of sinful men!’ So why do we keep on doubting the Word of God eh? Everything that’s been prophesied there, beside the Second Coming of Jesus, has been fulfilled. And there’s no doubt that the Second Coming will happen in God’s good time. Yet doubt and disbelief still linger in the hearts of many of God’s people, because we listen to the heathen who cry down God’s Word with a loud voice. Oh Friends, the volume, nor the insistence doesn’t dictate the truth nuh! So though many are up in arms against Jesus, and cry out vociferously against Him, that in no way denies the truth of His Coming to earth and His shepherd-like duties towards the people in covenant with His heavenly Father. Even Jesus described Himself in those terms. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that He did Friends! So today, let’s release and remove any doubts, fears or anxieties that are preventing us from truly accepting and holding on to God’s great promise of a good, kind and LOVING shepherd in our lives, because we have already seen and experienced Him…and His name is Jesus Christ. More on this tomorrow, God in favour. Till then, please let’s do our bounden duty and truly LOVE our wonderful God, diligently LIVE our Faith and faithfully SPREAD His Word. That’s the wisdom of a true believer. Much LOVE!…promises, promises, promises…unlike man…ALL of God’s come true…
02 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Almighty God is sovereign, christian conduct, control our destiny, counsel of the Lord, dependence or ourselves, fundamental doctrines of christianity, God in favour, God overrides, God willing, good weather, if God will, if the Lord will, include God in plans, inner circle, man's plans, mortal inadequacy, old bones, omitting God, our own strength, Praise the Lord, spirituality, the Good Book, the will of the Lord, veritable truth, wisdom of a fool
James 4:15. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
‘Hot town, summer in the city. Back of my neck, getting dirty and gritty.’ Yes Friends, that’s how it was yesterday afternoon in my area. The sun was shining brightly, and actually giving off heat. When I first came out side and felt the heat of the sun on my face, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. Mama Mia! It felt so good! And I ended up outside most of the afternoon, doing some physical chores, then lounging on my back porch for the first time this year, suitably attired in my shorts and t-shirt. Wow! What a change! The day before I was showering in hot water to try and ease the aches and pains in the old bones, but yesterday it was cold water all the way to wash away the sweat and cool down the body. Like we’re finally getting some good weather, as it’s supposed to be sunny and warm, in the high teens for the rest of the week. And all God’s people in the north country declared a solemn, but happy: ‘Praise the Lord! It’s about time!’ (smile) Yes Friends, it’s surely time that the Lord granted us some decent warm weather up here in the north, but it’s also time that we begin cleaning up our Christian conduct, this in reference to our increasing dependence on ourselves, our own strength, where James appropriately scolds us. ‘Go to (come) now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit). Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’ (James 4:13-14) Ah mih people, what fools we make of ourselves, when we believe we have the wherewithal to control our destiny. That’s the wisdom of a fool. For as our Bit wisely informs us: ‘For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.’ And isn’t that the veritable truth! Hear the scholars. ‘This, or that: This verse teaches that God does have something for Christians to do and that they should plan accordingly. James condemns only elaborate planning that omits God. (cf. Prov.16:9)’ And that’s exactly where we fall down my brethren; omitting our great and wonderful God from all our big and bright plans! For when we turn to Proverbs 16:9, as the scholars point out, what we read is: ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ Similarly in Proverbs 19:21, Cousin Sol informs us: ‘There are many devices (plans) in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’ Yes my fellow believers, we can scheme and plan as much as we want, but Almighty God is sovereign over every move we make. Please, let’s remember that, and always include God in our plans, from the very start too, if we don’t want to face too much heartache and disappointment. As you’ll notice, whenever I say we’ll continue stuff the following day, I always include, either ‘God willing,’ or ‘God in favour.’ That’s because I’m not sure if it will be God’s will for me to be around the next day, or even if He will want us to continue with the same stuff from the day before. So it’s always wise to add the proviso, be it God’s will. Now let’s look at some scriptures that create the appropriate mindset, that of including God in ALL of our plans. And we’ll begin in Acts 18, when Bruh Paul passes through Ephesus. The Good Book declares: ‘When they desired (asked) him to tarry (stay a) longer time with them, he consented not; But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep the feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.’ (Acts 18:20-21) Please notice the three most important words in that scripture my brethren, ‘if God will.’ For without God we can do nothing of much worth, and the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray when we leave God out of the planning. Now listen to Bruh Paul again, this time in his first missive to the Corinthians. ‘But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.’ (1 Cor.4:19) Again, the important words in that passage are, ‘if the Lord will.’ Oh my people, it’s always about the will of the Lord for dedicated Christians, since we surrendered our will to Him when we accepted His Son, Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. And we’ll finish with some appropriate words form Hebrews, where the author desires to talk about the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. He then declares: ‘And this will we do, if God permit.’ (Heb.6:3) Yes Friends, we shall all do what we shall – if God permits it. Let us not forget that, and therefore take God into our inner circle and lay our plans before Him, for His approval. Or better yet, ask Him to show us His plan for our day and our lives, so that we won’t be too disappointed or ashamed by trying to live on the strength of our mortal inadequacy. That again, is wisdom at its highest level. Much LOVE!…man plans…but God overrides…
15 Mar 2012
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: Amen, glorify, god, God's timing, God's wonders, good weather, Holy Name, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, praise, righteous, sea and sand, spilt blood, worthy, worthy praise
Psalm 41:13. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.
Oh Friends, it didn’t take long for the crazies to come out of the woodwork; the fast, loud cars and loud music, the motor bikes, and the skimpy clothing. As though summer’s really here. But I guess when the weather inhibits one from doing those outdoor things for long periods of time, then the first, or any opportunity at all, is not to be disregarded. And you certainly won’t hear me complaining about the beautiful weather, cause it’s what my arthritic bones need. Now we’re only missing the sea and sand. (smile) And I’m not worried about that either, because I know in God’s good time, I will certainly get that too. I even went for a walk yesterday afternoon on my wonky knees. Wow! Wonders never cease, but daily they increase! And Friends, if we sit down and really look at out lives, we’ll find that that is the gospel truth! With each passing day the Lord does more wondrous things in our lives. For that, let’s give Him some thanks and praise: ‘Oh Lord God Jehovah, we the undeserving children of men, do praise and glorify Your Holy Name, and give You much thanks for looking after our earthly needs. We pray that we will keep on being faithful to You, as You are to us, and that our communion with the Holy Trinity will continue right through to eternity. On the precious, spilt blood of Jesus, Your wonderful Son and our Saviour we pray this. Amen!’ Yes Friends, if the Lord wasn’t looking after us, imagine how much more difficult our circumstances would be. That’s why it’s so important for us to stay under the protective umbrella of His LOVING-kindness, His mercy and forgiveness, and at all and any appropriate time give Him the thanks and praise for which He is eminently worthy. Praise like our Bit staunchly proclaims: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.’ Please note the two Amens. That shows how truly heartfelt Bruh David’s blessing is. Those words eventually become a doxology; a church formula for praising God. The psalm itself is about abuse and assurance: ‘Blessed is he that considereth the poor (helpless, powerless): the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing (sick bed): thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness (restore him in his sick bed).’ (Ps.41:1-3) Oh my people, how can we not be eternally grateful to a Deity who treats us with such tender mercies eh? And Cousin Sol follows in Bruh David’s footsteps in Psalm 72, The reign of the righteous king, one of only two Psalms he wrote. The other is Psalm 127. In Psalm 72, Cousin Sol joyfully declares: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.’ (Ps.72:18-19) Now those two men certainly had lots to be thankful for, just like we have, and they voiced their pleasure and their trust in the God of their fathers publicly and vociferously! Oh Friends, are we doing that too? Are we giving our great and gracious God public and enthusiastic thanks for all His wondrous works on our behalf? I sure hope so, else we’d be short-changing our wonderful Lord. And that’s one thing we never want to do, because if He ever stops blessing us, then ‘crapaud will truly smoke we pipe;’ much more calamity will certainly befall us. Ethan the Ezrahite, in Psalm 89, his great contemplation on God’s sure promises to Bruh David, also invokes the blessing on God at the end. ‘Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.’ (Ps.89:52) Note again, not one, but two Amens. Then in Psalm 106, Israel sins against God’s LOVE, the psalmist ends with the same message: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord. (Hallelujah).’ (Ps.106:48) And most fittingly, the last Psalm, #150, is one that encourages praise, and ends with a slightly different but still reverent form of the doxology: ‘Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness…Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. (sing Hallelujah).’ (Ps.150:1-2, 6) Oh Friends, right in that last, simple verse is the eternal hope for our future. Our future depends entirely on our praise, thanks, reverence, glorification, worship, appreciation and obedience to our God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I cannot stress enough the importance of doing those things which please Him. So today, please, let’s all take some extra and some special time, especially in this Lenten Season, to show God that we really and truly do LOVE and appreciate Him. It’s the least we can do, in return for all that He’s done, and is still doing for us. Much LOVE!…all our God asks of us…is true reverence and undying LOVE…
SCRIP-BITS 