07 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, A journey of love, a positive outlook, abundance, accept, accomplishes His will, allow your love, amend, blaspheming, blessed, broken, by might, by my spirit, by power, ceiled houses, centre my life, change our sinful ways, charles stanley, cherish your love, clear direction, compassionate, compromise, consequences, consider your ways, courage, creativity, curse, cursing, declare blessings, desires, disobedience, divine protection, earthly lusts, embrace, empowerment, examples, expensive price, family, favour, fellowship, forgiving, friends, fulfillment, God doesn't change, God's plan for our lives, God's presence, God's work, good, guidance, Haggai, health, hefty price, in the name of Jesus, lead, let go, lie waste, LOVE, meditation, merciful God, negative word, obey God, panelled, Pentecost, power in the Word, prayer, profitable, promotion, prosper, reading the Word, rebellion, remove God, repent, responsibilities, return to His fold, ruins, saith the Lord, self-control, self-discipline, sinful, smarten up, St. Therese, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, take note, talent, tardiness, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the Lord of hosts, the obits, the power of God's word, the time is not come, Thursday Blessings, to face up to responsibilities, ungodly, unrepentant, walk in your steps, wisdom, working relationship, Zerubbabel
Zechariah 4:6b. Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.
One more day, yes, one more day!
Oh my fellow believers we’ve been blessed with one more day to carry out God’s plan for our lives. So please let’s use it right nuh, since we don’t know if we’ll be granted any more. Tomorrow we might just wake up and read our names in the obits. (smile)
So we need to make the very best use of today, for that is all we have. And let’s begin, as we should, by asking the Lord for His lead, guidance and ‘enablement’ to successfully work His wonderful plan.
Let’s pray this powerful prayer taken from a Devotional, Discovering God’s Presence in LOVE – A Journey of LOVE, Walking with St. Therese of Lisieux. I believe I’ve shared this prayer sometime ago, but as we say, when it’s nice you have to do it twice, if not thrice. (smile)
Please pray with me. ‘Jesus, I desire above all else to centre my life in you. Only you can give me the courage to face up to my responsibilities, to be compassionate and forgiving, to let go of what is not important and to embrace what is important.
I am called to accept and to cherish your LOVE for me and to allow your LOVE to go out from me to all your people. Help me to walk in your steps without compromise, and to be open to your presence in all of the people I meet. I make my prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.’
Yes my fellow brethren in Christ, we can only do God’s work with His empowerment. And having asked for God’s guidance, let’s now declare the power of God’s Word over our lives by enthusiastically and sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings.
All together 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!’
Yes mih people! How good and profitable it is to declare blessings over our lives and of those around us, because there’s awesome power in the Word!
As our Bit so wisely tells us, it’s ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.’ And that’s gospel truth friends! Since Pentecost, we’ve had the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us, and it’s through that wonderful Spirit of guidance and LOVE that God accomplishes His will.
But we have to listen closely to it’s leading for any success to be had. And that’s where so many of us go wrong; thinking that we’re listening and following God’s Holy Spirit, when in actual fact we’re following the earthly lusts of our flesh and our own thinking.
And that can get us into some serious trouble. It’s therefore very important that we develop a close and excellent working relationship with our God, through consistent prayer, meditation, reading of His word and fellowship with other believers so that we can understand the moving of the Holy Spirit within us. Remember, not everything that seems right is right, and even if it’s right, it might not be good for us.
Now let’s get a little background on how and why our Bit came to be. ‘In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, (Jazadak) the high priest saying,
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled (panelled) houses, and this house (the temple) lie waste (to lie in ruins). Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.’ (Hag.1:1-5)
Yeh friends, the people were living in good houses while the Lord’s temple lay in ruins! Obviously the Lord didn’t take too kindly to that. Hear the scholars’ explanation.
‘1:2-6. Ceiled houses refers to ceilings panelled with fine woods. Such a practice was common for the residences of kings (cf. 1 Kin.7:7; Jer.22:14). In contrast, the Lord’s house lay in waste. The command Consider your ways, is issued five times throughout the course of this prophecy (vv.5,7; 2:15, 18).
It is a plea on the part of God for the people to take note of what they are doing, and amend their ways accordingly.’ Oh my people, our great, faithful, LOVING, forgiving and merciful God is saying the exact same thing to us today: ‘Consider your ways.’
Just look at how we’re living nuh; sinful, ungodly, unrepentant, cursing and blaspheming as though He doesn’t exist. We’re trying our level best to remove His from our society, so that right now it’s all about what we want, as the world and its ungodly lusts and desires drive us.
That’s not right friends, the Lord is still on His throne, sadly looking on at all we do, and if we don’t smarten up, repent and return to His fold sometime soon, then we’re going to pay a rather expensive price for our disobedience and rebellion.
That’s just the way it has been, as we can see from the numerous examples in the Good Book. Our God hasn’t and doesn’t change, so if we don’t, there will be a hefty price to pay.
Please, I beg, I plead with us to remember that, and thus, in heavenly wisdom, change our sinful ways! Much LOVE!
…as uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) says…the best way to live this life…is to simply obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…
P.S. Sorry for the tardiness of the Bit, but I went our yesterday evening, so it ended up being an exceptionally late (or early) morning. (smile) Much LOVE!
03 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham Isaac and Jacob, adversity, atrocities, bad, beating pan, bites the dust, blood cancer, Cabinet Minister, campus politics, Caribbean, close to his chest, condolences, count on it, countenance, cursing, death, deceit, defeated, double heart, earthly body, enjoy life, escapades, eulogy, evil doers, evil tendencies, faithful promise, falsely, flattering lips, fraud, fun-loving, furnace, godless days, going out of style, good, hell, help, History, idly, inconsistent mind, indifferent, iniquity, innocent smile, Irvine Hall, Jamaica, judge, keep them preserve them, Lambretta scooter, lord god almighty, Lucifer, mastered the art, meet his Maker, mischief, Mona, mortality, neighbour, oppression, partying, Patrick Manning, Playboys Steel Band, played his cards, political administration, political ambitions, pride, Prime Mister, pure, purveyors, rest in peace, safety, save me, settle all debts, shy, silver, spiritual realm, the children of men, the faithful fail, the godly man ceases, the grave, the grim reaper, the needy, the poor, the words of the Lord, there is no god, this generation, tried in a furnace, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago, trouble, truth, unafraid, University of the West Indies, vanity, wickedness, wrongs
Psalm 12:2. They speak vanity (idly, falsely) every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with double heart (an inconsistent mind) do they speak.
‘And another one bites the dust…!’
Yes friends, another of my university mates shed his earthly body yesterday and moved on to meet his Maker in the spiritual realm. We’re talking about the Rt. Hon. Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning, (1946-2016) ex-Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. The cause of death is reputedly acute myeloid leukemia (blood cancer). That now leaves only a few of us. (smile)
It’s strange though that when one of your classmates dies, how it gets you to thinking of your own mortality. But unfortunately there’s not much we can do about it, so we might as well enjoy life to the best of our ability, for when the Grim Reaper calls, we have no option but to go.
Well what can I say about Paddy Manning eh? I met him way back in 1966 when we were both freshmen on the University of the West Indies (U.W.I) campus in Mona Jamaica, where we lived in the same Hall of Residence, Irvine Hall. Paddy was always pleasant and friendly, full of jokes, emitting that shy, innocent smile on his round, boyish face that the ladies seemed to like.
Over the three years there we became decent friends and associates. We did have some fun times together; engaging in a couple of escapades, partying a fair amount, beating pan in the Irvine Hall Playboys Steel Band, and riding his Lambretta scooter around the campus and the surrounding Mona environs.
At that time nobody really knew that Paddy had political ambitions, for he always played his cards close to his chest and never got involved in campus politics as some other well-known political animals did. The one instance most people might remember is when he ran for Hall Chairman and lost.
But other than that, Paddy was just an ordinary fun-loving young man like most of us, so I was most surprised when I heard that he had gotten involved in politics.
Unfortunately, the last time I saw him was around 1983, he was just a regular Cabinet Minister then, and sadly, I didn’t visit T&T for some thirty years after that, so we never got a chance to hook up. In the last couple of years when I went down there I tried to see him, but he was either too sick to receive visitors or was off the island.
Obviously I can’t say anything about his political administration since I wasn’t living there during that time, but I did hear stories, good, bad and indifferent. I won’t judge him because that’s not my place.
I will end my little eulogy though with a rather appropriate statement from another school and band and roommate of his, William Lau. ‘Whatever one’s opinion, Patrick’s place in Trinidad and Caribbean history is set.’
And that no one can deny my friends. My sincere condolences go out to his family. Rest in peace, Paddy mih brother!
Now let’s turn to our Bit, from Psalm 12 –A plea from Bruh David against the wicked. But first let’s set the scene with the verse that comes before it. ‘Help, Lord (save me); for the godly man ceaseth: for the faithful fail (disappear) from among the children of men.’ (Ps.12:2)
And if that isn’t the gospel truth in these abominable times, I don’t know what is! Yeh mih breddren, godly and faithful men and women are going out of style, or have already gone out of style in these evil, godless days.
And Bruh David continues: ‘They speak vanity (idly, falsely) every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with double heart (an inconsistent mind) do they speak.’
More indisputable truth precious people! For lies and falsehood and fraud and double speak and flattery are what emanate from most mouths in this day and age. The evil tendencies of man are highlighted in these troublesome times.
But please note Bruh David’s sure statement as he writes on. ‘The Lord shall cut off (destroy) all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud (great) things. Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?’ (Ps.12:3-4)
Ah friends, what foolish and ignorant people are they? For they obviously don’t know that their lips are not their own; that there entire body and all their possessions belong to the Lord God Jehovah who made heaven and earth and all therein!
Now listen to the psalmist from Psalm 10, as he prays for the overthrow of the wicked. ‘The wicked through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts (he thinks; There is no God)… He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity (trouble). His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud (oppression): under his tongue is mischief (trouble) and vanity (iniquity).’ (Ps.10:4, 6-7)
Oh friends, it surely seems like the psalmists are writing about our current world and the atrocities that are taking place in it. If they thought that mankind was evil and wicked back then, those of today have mastered the art, and can certainly teach them a thing or two about evil and wickedness.
But what those followers of Lucifer don’t realize is that the Lord God Almighty, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is still on His throne in the high heavens, watching down on them only waiting for the right moment to pounce on them.
And Bruh David spells it out thus: ‘For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety (for which he yearns) from him that puffeth at him.’ (Ps.12:5)
Yes friends, the Lord will eventually settle all debts and wrongs that the poor and needy and righteous have suffered. How do we know that? Bruh David tells us. ‘The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.’ (Ps.12:6-7)
That’s a faithful promise and heavenly truth my brethren! We can count on it! So let’s faithfully go out to church this Sunday morning, unafraid of the evil-doers that lurk around us, and joyously praise and worship our Creator, for that’s what He expects, and also what he deserves. Much LOVE!
…Jesus Christ has already defeated hell, death and the grave…so there’s no need to be afraid of evil and its purveyors…
28 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abhor, affectionate, avenge not, be patient in tribulation, belief, bless, bounce our heads, brotherly LOVE, caring, Christian's conduct, circumstances, cliques, condescend, curse not, dissension, dissimulation, divisions, does not hold back, Dr, epitome, evil for evil, evildoer, expects to win, faith, faithful believers, falls apart, Father of Positive thinking, fervent in spirit, fuss and fume, genuine, good, gossip, headaches, heap coals of fire, heartening, help, honest, hope, hospitality, humble, hypocrisy, I am the beloved of god, instant, life, live peaceably, LOVE, loving, low estate, lustful nature, mind not high things, motivators, necessity, needs, negative attitude, Norman Vincent Peale, overcome, pacifism., patient, persevering, positive manner, power, prayer, reassuring, recompense, rejoice, rejoicing in hope, repay, rest, revenge, rush and push, saints, sense of shame, shame, share His love, sinful, slothful, speak well of, starting point, steadfast in prayer, success, take everything to God in prayer, take it by the tail, the proverbial wall, the service of love, the winner's crown, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unfeigned, unfriendliness, ungodly world, vengeance is mine, weep
Romans 12:12. Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing (steadfastly) instant in prayer.
Welcome to another beautiful day in God’s great realm my people!
Regardless of what our individual circumstances might be, we need to look upon everyday that we’re alive as a beautiful one, that’s the only way we will get through it without too many unnecessary headaches.
Negative stuff will come against us, whatever we do, so there’s no need to add to it with a negative attitude of our own. Life happens to all of us, but it’s the ones who take life by the tail and deals with it in a positive manner that gets the winner’s crown.
And now I want to share an interesting quote from the Father of Positive Thinking, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) on that most wonderful of emotions and attitudes, ‘HOPE.’
Dr. Peale is reputed to have said that, ‘Hope is the great power that can move you to success. Why? Because when a man expects to win, he does not hold anything back, but gives his project all that he’s got. Most people fail not because they lack ability, intelligence or opportunity, but they fail because they don’t give it all they’ve got.’
Now that ‘s packed full of truth my brethren! For hope is one of the most powerful motivators in God’s great world. It’s the starting point of everything we want or plan to do. Without hope, why begin anything eh?
And furthermore, without hope, we can’t even have faith, which is what keeps us going during the hard times. So please, let’s never lose hope, because then it will be so much easier to lose faith, and then everything falls apart.
Now let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with a whole lot of enthusiasm, energy and sincerity. Let’s say it like we truly believe it.
As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now ain’t that something truly wonderful friends? It surely is! For what can be more heartening and reassuring than being beloved by Almighty God, and also being a friend of Jesus, and getting to share His LOVE with a godless world? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
That means there’s nothing for us to worry about. We don’t care what others say about us, we don’t have to rush and push to just barely get by. No my fellow believers, in our strong and steadfast belief and faith in Jesus Christ, all of that is worked out for us.
So let’s not fuss and fume and bounce our heads against the proverbial wall when troubles come against us. Please remember who and whose we are, and just take everything to God in prayer!
Enough sermonizing now though, (smile) let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing (steadfastly) instant in prayer.’
Yes friends, as faithful believers in Jesus, those are some of the things we’re required to do! It’s a part of Bruh Paul’s sermon to the Roman church re the service of LOVE to All.
Earlier on, he sets the stage by saying: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.’ (Rom.12:9)
And what does all of that mean? The scholars explain: 12:9. Without dissimulation (lit. “without hypocrisy”). The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional (exercise of will) caring for others, loving faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
Unfortunately though people, we are seeing less and less of that in not only the local churches, but also the church as a whole. That’s why there is so much dissension, which ultimately leads to divisions. Contrary to God’s word and desire, cliques, gossip, unfriendliness and hypocrisy abound in today’s church.
Why is that eh friends, when we’re supposed to be the epitome of true LOVE, caring and compassion? The only reason I can come up with is that we allow the enemy to raise up our sinful, lustful nature, which causes us to think and act like the evil and ungodly world that surrounds us.
But Bruh Paul is advocating the exact opposite. ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another. Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent in spirit; serving the Lord…
Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints (fellow believers); given to hospitality. Bless (speak well of) them which persecute you; bless (speak well of), and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one to another.
Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the humble). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation). Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things).
If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.’ (Rom.12: 9-11,13-20)
Ah friends, it’s all laid out there for us; the basic application of our Christian faith! What more can I say eh? It’s up to us now to put it into action.
And we’ll end with this explanation from the scholars. ’12:19-21. Give place unto wrath: Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 to show that only God has the right to avenge, and He certainly will avenge.
Heap coals of fire on his head (cf. Prov:25:22). This may refer to a sense of shame or remorse engendered when we treat an evildoer kindly. Paul is discussing personal, not national enemies. He is not teaching pacifism.’
So friends, let’s ponder all that we’ve said today nuh, and see how it is reflected in our own lives, and then ask God to help us fix whatever is wrong. He will NEVER turn us down, or away. Always remember that. Much LOVE!
…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom.12:21).
P.S. Excuse the lateness. I don’t understand it. I went to be earlier than usual, but still had a hard time getting up. (smile) Guess the body needs more rest than I’m giving it. Much LOVE!
02 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abide, abundance, agents, almighty god, ambassadors, answered prayer, awesome plan, badge of honour, baton, bear fruit, before men, believer, blessed, blessing, browbeat, cast forth, charles stanley, chide, clear direction, come up higher, commandments, communication, compassionate heart, conviction, courage, creativity, curse, disciples, divine protection, earthly work, emptiness, encourage, family, favour, filth, foment revolution, friends, fulfillment, glorified, glorify your Father, glory hallelujah, good, good works, gospel of Jesus, gospel truth, health, holy spirit, human form, In Touch Devotional, Job, joy, let your light shine, lost, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, mire, negative word, open our eyes, pass the baton, passion, positive outlook, power, presence, promise, promotion, prosper, purpose, resources, running rampant, self-control, self-discipline, sense of unrest, sheep in the wilderness, sinful, speak blessings, stir up LOVE, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, talent, the next generation, the works of God, Thursday Blessings, umbrella of christ, unloving, uplift, wicked, wickedness
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Oh my wonderful brethren in Christ, another blessed day has been granted to us to spread the good news, the marvellous gospel of Jesus! Glory Hallelujah!
And by diligently doing so, we will therefore increase the power and presence of Jesus’ LOVE Revolution, the movement that’s currently taking both the known and unknown world by storm!
Yes friends, just imagine our God’s thinking and imagination nuh, where He draws up this awesome plan to send His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ down to the earth to stir up, to foment revolution; a LOVE Revolution!
You know my people, that was all Jesus came to do; to stir up LOVE amongst the world’s rather wicked, sinful and UNLOVING population.
He enlisted agents, disciples and ambassadors to help Him do it, because as a man, in human form, He could not spread it all Himself. He could only be in one place at a time. But once He returned to heaven, He sent his Holy Spirit to dwell within those ambassadors, to enable them to do His holy will.
And what a wonderful job they have done! But now, two thousand years later, that badge of honour has been passed down to us to carry on the spreading of the gospel, and then pass the baton down to the next generation, our children.
Unfortunately though friends, I don’t think we’re doing such a good job nuh, otherwise our world would not be getting deeper and deeper in the mire of filth and wickedness that’s running rampant throughout it.
But the good news is that I’m not here to chide or browbeat us, because that’s not Jesus’ way. I’m here to uplift and encourage us; to help open our eyes and allow us to come up higher in our earthly work for Christ.
And to help us do that this first Thursday morning in June 2016, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings with much conviction and passion.
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!’
Yes my fellow believers, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s spoken over someone, so please, let’s remember to continually speak blessings over our friends, families and neighbours and thus keep them covered under the majestic, widespread umbrella of Christ.
And all of that will only help us adhere better to the command of Jesus in our Bit. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
Now that is our basic job on this earth my friends, the general purpose for which we were made. And we can only accomplish it properly if we stay in constant touch with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, because it is He who enables us, gives us the strength and direction to perform the tasks assigned to us.
As Jesus so bluntly told His disciples: ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath LOVED me, so have I LOVED you: continue ye (abide) in my LOVE. If ye keep my commandments; ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my father’s commandments, and abide in his LOVE.’ (John 15:6-10)
Yes friends, if we abide in Jesus and His words in us, we can ask whatever we will and it will be done for us.
As the scholars explain: ‘In my name, means “as My agent.” The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus will (cf. 16:23-26). The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God.’
So you see friends, to do the work of God, we need to enlist the aid of God. And we’ll end here with an appropriate word from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) on prayer, found at the beginning of the In Touch Devotional for June.
He declares: ‘When we fail to make prayer a priority, we will begin to feel an emptiness in our heart, accompanied by a strange sense of unrest and uneasiness. In contrast, when our prayer life is active, the weight of these burdens will be lifted by the mighty hand of God.’
And that’s the gospel truth my people! Prayer is our method of communication with Almighty God, and if we don’t actively participate in it, we won’t reap all that we can from the wonderful association with our Creator.
So today, please, let’s ponder our prayer lives, and see whether they are up to scratch, and if not, sincerely ask the Lord to help us, because without good communication with the Father, we’ll truly be like lost sheep in the wilderness. Much LOVE!
…oh what joy it is…for a believer…to be in constant touch with Jesus…
26 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a godly life, a positive outlook on life, abundance, anxiety, believers, belly and backbone, belt, bounden duty, broken, challenge, Christian foundation, courage, creativity, curse, direction for my life, divine protection, doubt, eagerness, family friends, favour, fulfillment, generously gifted, girded, girt about, God's protective armour, godly armour, good, health, hoighty toighty, holy character, I am blessed, in the name of Jesus, indispensability of prayer, Jesus Christ, knowledge, loins, LOVE, moral conduct, negative word, obedience, opportunity, peace, perseverance, prayer, praying, promises, promotion, prosper, put on the whole armour of God, quench, ridicule, righteousness, saints, Satan, schemes., Scrip-Bit family, self-control, self-discipline, serve our Lord and Saviour, shod, sinful world, sitting ducks, soldier, spiritual belt, stand, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural strength, supplication, talent, the breastplate of righteousness, the devil, the fiery darts, the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the preparation of the gospel, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the wicked one, the wiles of the devil, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, trust, truth, waist, watching, willingness, wisdom, ye may be able to stand
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Greetings and salutations my wonderful Scrip-Bit family on this glorious Thursday morning! It’s another most worthwhile opportunity for us to serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in this evil and ungodly world.
In fact, it’s not a choice, but our bounden duty as believers, and we only heap ridicule on Jesus’ holy name if we don’t pursue that challenge as we ought to.
And there’s no time to lose, so let’s get busy and declare our Thursday Blessings that will feed our faith, uplift us, and give us the wherewithal to go out and face the enemy with much needed belly and backbone.
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!’
Oh glory to our wonderful God my precious people, for He has generously gifted us with all that we need to succeed in this sinful world! Now let’s go out and succeed…
But first we need to do this absolutely necessary thing as directed by our Bit: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’
Yes friends, without God’s protective armour, we’re just like innocent, naïve, sitting ducks for the enemy. He’d be all over us in no time at all. That’s why Bruh Paul seriously warned us about wearing God’s armour at all times.
And I’m going to repeat the verses of yesterday about what the spiritual armour of God consists of, because I want to share some very useful info from the scholars on the subject. And don’t get hoighty toighty with me now because you think we’re wasting time by repeating those verses. (smile)
Friends, we can never hear those verses enough since they are a major part of our basic Christian foundation and the deeper we write them into our souls, the better off we will be.
Now hear Bruh Paul pontificate. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked (one).
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18)
Listen to the scholars now: ‘6:14-17. The whole armour of God consists of six pieces. (1) Truth (v.14a) is a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word (cf.4:21). The ancient soldiers loins (waist) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place.
Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by his spiritual “belt” or his knowledge of the “truth” of Scripture.
(2) The breastplate of righteousness (v.14b) may be read “the breastplate which is righteousness.” It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (righteousness).
(3) Preparation of the gospel of peace (v15) means “eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.” That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called caligae on his feet, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the Devil and take the fight to him.
Such “eagerness” to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent.
(4) The shield of (which is) faith (v.16) means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan.
(5) The helmet of salvation (v.17a): Since the readers are already Christians (2:8), they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as “the hope of salvation” that is, the certainty (assurance) of salvation.
(6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v.17b): The Greek term rendered “word” is not logos, referring to the whole Word of God, but rhema, referring to certain portions or selected verses of Scripture.’
And that takes care of the basic armour of God. But we’re not done yet my people. Listen to these other explanations from the scholars.
‘6:18. Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks.
In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
And thus ends this refresher course on the armour of God! (smile) Oh friends, I know that some of the explanations might be somewhat confusing, but if you take your time and concentrate on what you read, you will understand what’s been said.
And above all, please note the indispensability of prayer! Without it, the armour of God is ineffective. Now may the Lord bless and keep us as we go forth clothed in His protective armour, totally backed up by sincere prayer! Much LOVE!
…no Christian soldier goes out to battle without his godly armour…and prayer…
03 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to your faith, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, blessings, breath of life, confidence, faith, fellowship, friends, glory hallelujah, good, goodness, gospel truth, Guide, happy in Jesus, holy spirit, I'm not focusing on the past, Jesus Christ, joy, lack, LOVE, lusts of the flesh, mercy, Micah, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, Nahum, obey, promise, resolution, reverence, righteousness., surrender, to a glorious future with Jesus, trials and tribulations, trust, truth, we walk by faith not by sight, Wednesday Wail, wine roses and song, wisdom
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Oh friends, can you believe it’s already the third day of February? How come eh? And it just started a couple days ago… (smile)
Yes mih breddren, time is not waiting on us, and it just seems to be flying by faster and faster. We just celebrated New Years, now we’re about to celebrate Valentine’s day. Hn!
And talking about New Year’s, now is as good a time as any to check and see how we’re doing with our New Year’s resolution, that of following Jesus more closely than we did before. I do hope that we have not already forgotten about it, otherwise our lives will not improve.
And the good thing about that resolution is that when we fulfil it, everything comes together for good in our lives. We don’t have to worry and be anxious for anything, for as we saw yesterday in Jesus’ words, when we seek His righteousness, then all that we need will be provided by our heavenly Father.
What a wonderful promise my people! Please let’s take it to heart and truly begin to seek the righteousness of God, so that we can be blessed nuh.
Anyway, it’s Wednesday, which means we need to declare our Wednesday Wail. So let’s wail nuh friends, with sincerity, truth and feeling! As one now: ‘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!’
Oh my people, I definitely do appreciate the breath of life that’s flowing through me this morning! And how could I not, as I look out at the waves of the sea rolling in to shore and admire the beauty of the land that surrounds me?
Plus, I am feeling somewhat healthier than when I got here a week ago…Steups! A week’s gone by already! Chuh! The time’s definitely flying by too fast for my liking yes! And I hear the North Country is having almost summer like temps…good for you!
And having declared our Wednesday Wail, please my people, let’s keep looking forward nuh, focusing on Jesus, and the glorious future He has planned for all those who sincerely seek Him. As His supposed followers, that is what we’re expected to do.
Unfortunately though, many of us, for one reason or another, are not doing such a good job of it. And I believe that most of our doubts, fears, anxieties and lust for the things of the world stem from a basic lack of true trust in our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
For if He says to seek Him first and everything we need will be granted to us, the only reason I can come up with for us not doing so, is that we don’t truly believe or trust Him.
And even before Jesus came to earth, His kinsman, Bruh David enthusiastically voiced it in our Bit. ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’
Oh friends, I don’t see how much simpler or straightforward God’s word can be nuh! All we need to do is surrender our lives to His plans for them, and all will be right with us.
One of the problems I suspect is that when we surrender, we expect to live a life of simply wine, roses and song. And when we don’t, when we experience trials and tribulations instead, we lose the enthusiasm for God and revert back to the ugliness, lustfulness and ungodliness of the world.
But I remind us friends, that Jesus said we would indeed suffer, have trials and tribulations, from just believing in Him. But as true believers, we were to be of good cheer, stay strong and purposeful, because He had already overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Now there again is where the element of trust comes in. If you don’t trust, then most likely you won’t believe, and vice versa. But that’s what required of us. As Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Cor.5:7) Yeh friends, in Jesus’ realm, you have to believe it before you see it, while the world only believes after they see it.
Remember what Jesus told the two blind men when He healed them? ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’ (Matt.9:29) And that’s the gospel truth friends! According to the level of our faith and consequently trust, that’s how our lives will unfold. The greater the faith and trust, the more blessed we’ll be.
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that reinforce our Bit, beginning with this verse from Psalm 34 – The Lord heareth the righteous. Bruh David boldly and truthfully proclaims: ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him.’ (Ps.34:8-9)
There again we have it; trust and reverence will cause NO lack!
Now listen to Micah, the prophet of olden times. ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.’ (Mic.7:5)
Now that might be taking it a bit far, because we do have to have some measure of trust in our close friends and spouses, but by the same token we need to keep some things close to our chests and only reveal to God; the ONLY ONE we can fully trust.
And we’ll end with the words of another old time prophet, Nahum, who righty and truthfully declares: ‘The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.’ (Nah.1:7)
And that’s indisputable truth friends! So please, let’s go out today, walking in the Lord’s goodness and mercy, because He knows that we sincerely revere and trust Him. Much LOVE!
…trust and obey…for there’s no better way…to be happy in Jesus…than to trust and obey…
04 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a shout of praise, a sovereign God, almighty god, an empty religious profession, arrogant, beautiful summer's day, benefit, blessings, but fear thou God, Caribana Monday, celebration, communication with our heavenly Father, count the apples in a seed, count the seeds in an apple, Cousin Sol, created the heavens and the earth, every secret thing, evil, family thing, fear God, fear the Lord thy God, fertile idea, festivities, foresight, futility abounds, give God a shout of praise, glorify God, glory to God, God makes a way for us, God provides for our every need, God shall bring every work into judgement, good, Gramps Schuller, humble obedience, in the multitude of dreams and many words, judgement, keep his commandments, keep the commandments of the Lord, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, loving kindness, meaningfulness, mercies, Micah, Moses, our lifeline to God, pilgrim's journey, proud, reconciled, rocket science, salvation, sincere prayer, stubborn, the BIBLE, the children of Israel, the conclusion of the whole matter, the Good Book, the Guidebook of Life, the party's over, the Preacher, the ups and downs of life, the whys and wherefores of life, time to call it a day, to do justly, to love mercy, treasure in heaven, truth, unconditional LOVE, unlimited possibilities, vows, walk humbly with God, walk the straight and narrow path, welfare, what doth the Lord require of thee, when there seems to be no way, wisdom, wise words, worship
Ecclesiastes 5:7. For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.
Ah Friends, it was Caribana Monday, so the ole fella had to celebrate, which meant a late night – early morning scenario! Well it wasn’t any real celebration, just doing my family thing a little later than usual.
Anyway, Caribana Monday did turn out to be a beautiful summer’s day after all! Glory to God! That means most of the festivities planned for the day were able to go ahead and the day wasn’t spoiled for the many out of town visitors and our residents who look forward so much to the weekend, and the Monday holiday in particular.
However, as the song says, ‘The party’s over my friends, time to call it a day,’ time to get up and go out and labour on this fine Tuesday morning that has been specially prepared for us with many new blessings, and mercies. Give God a shout of praise and thanks for His wonderful goodness to us undeserving children of men!
And all God’s children loudly declared: ‘All praise and glory to our great and wonderful God who makes a way for us when there seems to be no way, and who provides for our every need, when we come before Him in humble obedience! Amen.’
Now here’s a li’l something from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional. He calls it ‘POSSIBILITIES UNLIMITED.’
And it goes like this: ‘I can count the seeds in an apple. But, Lord – you alone can count the apples in one seed! Some things are impossible, Lord! It’s impossible for me to see immeasurable, unlimited possibilities in one fertile idea. Praise the Lord. Amen.’
And that’s solid truth my people. We can see the small, finite stuff, but only Almighty God who created the heavens and earth, in His great wisdom and foresight, can see the unlimited possibilities in any given idea. Glory to God!
Consequently, we need to come before Him in sincere prayer and humble obedience for Him to point out the numerous possibilities in each fertile idea with which He has blessed us.
Oh, we can possibly envision a few in our own strength, but to get the real gist and gumption, (smile) of what He desires of us, we have to have serious communication with our heavenly Father.
In all of that though Friends, we still need to consider the wise words of our Bit. ‘For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.’ Everlasting truth that my people!
And the scholars explain this section about hasty vows thus. ‘5:1-7. The emphasis on the passage is on the folly of an empty religious profession before a sovereign God: God is in heaven, and thou upon earth. God expects sincerity and meaningfulness in worship. He is not impressed with foolish vows…’
And believe me Friends, we do make a lot of foolish vows to God, especially when we are caught up in the heat of a moment’s anguish and concern. But long, long ago, Moses exhorted the children of Israel with the Lord’s desires.
‘And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day, for thy good (benefit or welfare)?’ (Deut.10:12-13)
Yes my brethren, we need to ALWAYS remember that whatever our God commands, in the long run is for OUR benefit and welfare, not for His. I think we often lose sight of that most important fact, and thus murmur and complain unnecessarily when He asks us to do certain things.
Please remember that the Good Book is OUR lifeline to God, our guidebook, so that we can walk the straight and narrow path and eventually come to the throne of the Most High, reconciled and headed for salvation throughout eternity.
In His great and unconditional LOVE for us, He designed it so that we could find answers to whatever questions we might have down here on this frail and fallible earth. And many of us have problems we can’t solve because we don’t, we simply refuse to read that awesome Guidebook of Life!
But how can we know what God desires of us eh friends, if we don’t read His Word eh? We simply can’t. That’s why so much emphasis is placed on personal reading of the Bible. But as usual, too many of us are too proud, stubborn and arrogant to read it, preferring to decipher the whys and wherefores of life in our own strength.
However my people, that is undoubtedly a fool’s wisdom. What better way could there be to understand the ups and downs of life than through the words of the One who created life in the first place eh? None whatsoever!
And these words of Micah from times bygone, aptly paraphrase what the Lord expects of us. ‘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 (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:8)
Yes Friends, it’s that simple; not rocket science or any other great mind exercise; do good and righteous deeds and walk in humble obedience before Him.
What’s so difficult to understand about that eh? It might not be always easy to put into action, but we do need to understand what is required of us before we can consider doing it. And I believe that’s where many of us fall down; we simply don’t understand, or refuse to understand God’s requirements for this pilgrim’s journey called earthly life.
And we’ll give the last word to Cousin Sol in his capacity as the Preacher. ‘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 says it all Friends! So please, let’s be wise nuh, and go out and do just that, so that we may glorify our Great God and lay up storehouses of treasures in heaven for us to enjoy at a later date. That is true and simple wisdom. Much LOVE!
……be not hasty…consider thy words and thy works…before a just, holy and righteous God…
P.S. Would you believe that just when I was ready to send out the already late Bit, my trusty sidekick, my desktop computer froze on me, and I had to reboot it? Ah Lord eh! The trials and tribulations we have to endure in this life eh! (smile) Much LOVE!
16 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all praise and thanks to God, allergies, awesome, better late than never, blessings, boggles my imagination, born again, born of water and the Spirit, brought men to christ, Bruh Paul's conversion, by faith in christ Jesus, Calvary, children of God, christ jesus, church at Corinth, comforting, compliance with God's word, condemn the sinner, conversion, covenant, curse of the law, Damascus, declared righteous, divinely intended purpose, endowed us with physical life, enter into the kingdom of god, eternal life, ever so faithful and kind, ever-Loving, evil, externalism, faith, Galatians, generous, glorious, Glory Halleujah, God's Spirit, good, good measure, gung ho, healing, helping, holy, holy spirit, internalism, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, just, justified, keeping our focus on God, Law of Moses, learning, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, magnanimous, manifestations, medication, mercies, minister of the New Testament, miracles, Mosaic covenant, Nicodemus, our sufficency is of God, precious blood of Jesus christ, reconciled, redeemed, righteousness., runny nose, schoolmaster, sleep inducing, spiritual blessings, Stephen, sufficient of ourselves, teaching, that which is born of the flesh, that which is born of the spirit, the flesh profits nothing, the Holy Spirit, the letter kills, the spirit gives life, Triune God, true believer, truth, ultimate wisdom, understanding of the scripture, wisdom, words of jesus, worker bee
John 6:63. It is the spirit that quickneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Aye Friends, the ole fella’s in a bit of a rough shape this Tuesday morning. Last night my allergies, or the cold, or some similar malady had me sneezing and sniffling with a runny nose thrown in for good measure. (smile)
So I took some relief medication, which though it eased up the nasal situation, it was also sleep inducing, which therefore made it somewhat difficult to get up at an early hour. But as they say, better late than never! (smile)
And the ole fella’s up now, gung ho and ready to go; not a hundred percent fit, but feeling much better than when I went to bed last night, or rather early this morning. (smile) All praise and thanks to our ever-Loving, healing and comforting God!
Ah my people, when I consider all the blessings and mercies that our magnanimous and generous God daily bestows on us, it just boggles my imagination and fills my heart, body, soul and mind with the urge to greatly praise Him! He is ever so faithful and kind…
But I don’t really need to tell you all that eh, because if you’re a true believer, you will already have discovered that by the way He operates in your own life.
And all God’s children gave out a loud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise be to Jehovah God, who has redeemed us from sin, and reconciled us to Himself, through the precious blood of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that was shed on Calvary’s hill for our benefit!’
And isn’t that a most glorious and awesome truth my brethren? It surely is!
Now let’s have a look at some more wise and truthful words, words of Jesus, in our Bit. ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’
And we saw yesterday where it was God’s Spirit that actually endowed us with physical life. (Gen.2:7) And that Bruh Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, as well as Stephen’s wisdom and miracles were figurative manifestations of the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives.
I guess we can compare the Holy Spirit to the worker bee in a hive; He is the one who carries out the actual work or deeds in our Triune God.
Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the church at Corinth: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able (sufficient as) ministers of the new testament (covenant)’ not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.’ (2 Cor.3:5-6)
Words of absolute truth my brethren!
And the scholars explain that last verse thus: ‘3:6. The new testament (lit. New Covenant) is both new in time (not being inaugurated until Christ – Matt.26:28; Luke 22:7-23; 1 Cor.11:25; Heb.8:8) and new in quality (providing better spiritual blessings than did the old Mosaic covenant).
Letter, but of the spirit: This expression corresponds to the thought of verse 3 contrasting “ink” with the “Spirit.” The contrast is between the externalism inherent in the Old Covenant and the internalism inherent in the New Covenant.
The letter killeth: Since certain Jews in the assembly at Corinth were concerned with Paul’s defection from Moses’ law, Paul here explains his position. The best the law could do was condemn the sinner.
It is not here implied that the law of Moses was evil. On the contrary, it is holy, just, and good (Rom.7:12). This can be asserted because it brought men to the end of themselves to Christ (Gal.3:24).’
Oh my people, I sincerely hope that gives us a better understanding of the scripture, because that’s what we’re all about with the Bit; learning, teaching, helping to understand God’s Word and keeping our focus on Him.
And please check out the scriptures mentioned in the scholars’ explanation, because they offer a wealth of information. I just did, and consequently was inspired to quote the last scripture reference, that from Galatians.
‘Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified (declared righteous) by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a school-master (tutor), For ye are all the children (sons) of God by faith in Christ Jesus.’ (Gal.3:24-26)
Yes Friends, as the scholars say: ‘3:25. After one’s conversion to Christ, he is no longer under the curse of the law, as it has fulfilled its divinely intended purpose.’ That is, bringing us to the point where we become children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Oh, I know I digressed there for a moment, but I just thought it necessary to interject those verses so that we could come to a better understanding of Bruh Paul’s words. And we’ll close with some more awesome words from Jesus, re the second part of our Bit: ‘the flesh profiteth nothing.’
Listen to Him expound to Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes); and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:5-8)
More truth of the awesome, indisputable variety my people!
Now let’s take a few moments to ponder all that we have spoken about today, then try, with the help of God obviously, to make our lives better and brighter by bringing them into compliance with God’s Word and the wonderful plan He has for each human life He has created. That is the ultimate wisdom of the universe! Much LOVE!
…oh what a magnificent blessing it is…to have the Holy Spirit of God dwell within us…to have Him continually lead and guide us in righteousness…to have Him strengthen us with true faith and trust in Almighty God…then finally bring us to eternal life with our wonderful Lord and Saviour…Jesus Christ…
30 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a li'l jig, a walk of faith, Aloha, Aloha Friends and neighbours, awe inspiring god, awesome wisdom, backbone, balanced, belly, brought men to the end of themselves, Bruh Paul, condemn the sinner, contented, Corinthians, covenant, curb that negative attitude, danced off into the sunset, daunting tasks, everyday lives, externalism, faith, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, get a grip, God's Word, godly knowledge, good, holy, holy spirit, insight, internalism, just, living for Jesus, LOVE, magnanimous, ministers, missing out on god's goodness, Mosaic Law, Moses' law, omnipotent, our sufficiency is of God, patience, persecuted the church, perseverance, ponder, positive, power, power and authority of Jesus, put it into practice, put on blinders, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, satisfied, setting a good example, skills, soul body and mind, spiritual blessings, sufficent of ourselves, Thank God it's Friday, the enabling of Christ, the grace of God, the law kills, the least of the apostles, the New testament, the Old Testament, the resurrection of Christ, the right way to live, the spirit, the spirit gives life, time to be about Christ's business, trust, was not in vain, week of work, weekend, what a shame, winning souls for Jesus, wisdom of heaven, with the Lord's help, worthy, your faith is worthless
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Aloha Friends and neighbours! It is Friday…
And all the people just began dancing a li’l jig and chanting: ‘Friday, oh Friday! Thank God it is Friday! The stupid work soon finish, then the fun shall begin! Friday, oh Friday! Thank God it is Friday!’
And then they danced off into the sunset, just chanting the chorus: ‘Friday, oh Friday! Thank God it is Friday! Friday oh Friday…’
Ah mih people, what a hold Fridays and the weekends have on us eh! Some of us just live for that time. Monday to Thursday isn’t important, simply doesn’t exist for some people. They put on their blinders on Monday morning then drift through the week, only taking them off on Friday.
But my Friends, that’s not the right way to live. We need to have some balance in our lives, not necessarily esteeming some days more important than the others, for good things as well as bad things can happen on any day whatsoever.
And remember too that during the work week we’re supposed to be out in the world living our lives for Christ, setting a good example, letting people see in us the wonderful benefits that can be derived from a walk of faith with Him.
We shouldn’t be just drifting through it, as though we don’t have a care in the world. It’s a serious time my brethren; a time to be about Christ’s business, winning souls for Him.
And so, to try and curb that negative attitude, (smile) let’s chant our real Friday Chant nuh. 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.’
Now doesn’t that sound a little more positive and balanced, as it should be? It surely does!
And don’t tell me you can’t adopt that more rational and balanced attitude, because then you’ll be negating the very power of our Bit; the affirmation of the awesome power, the omnipotence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!’
That’s a blanket power and authority in Jesus my people! And if you don’t practice it, your faith is worthless!
Remember, as the scholars told us yesterday, it is God who ordered Bruh Paul’s various situations and gave him the strength to be satisfied and contented in all of them, regardless of how trying and perplexing they were. And our wonderful, omnipotent and magnanimous God also does the same for each and every believer today.
It is through Him that we get the power to do most things here on earth. So if you don’t believe and practice that tenet, then you’re missing out on a whole lot of God’s goodness. What a shame Friends!
Now let’s look at some scriptures that corroborate our Bit. In 1Corinthians where Bruh Paul is talking to them about the resurrection of Christ, he declares to them: ‘For I am the least of the apostles, that I am not meet (worthy) to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.’ (1 Cor.15:9-10)
So you see my brethren, although Bruh Paul wasn’t what mankind would consider worthy of being an apostle, because of his earlier brutality towards the church, God in His awesome wisdom, transformed him and used him to do His work.
And Bruh Paul also in his wisdom recognized that although he worked harder than the other apostles, it wasn’t his doing really, but the grace, the power, the enabling of Christ that gave him the necessary skills, patience, perseverance, backbone and belly to perform the daunting tasks he performed.
Oh Friends, I can’t help but say it: What a most awe inspiring and magnificent God we serve and worship!
Now hear Bruh Paul again, this time in his second missive to the Corinthians. Here he’s talking about ministers in the New Testament. ‘And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
Who also made us able (sufficient as) ministers of the new testament (covenant); not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.’ (2 Cor.3:4-6)
And the scholars explain that last verse: ‘3:6. The new testament (lit. “New Covenant”) is both new in time (not being inaugurated until Christ – Matt.26:28; Luke 22:7-23: 1 Cor.11:25; Heb.8:8) and new in quality (providing better spiritual blessings than did the old Mosaic covenant).
Letter, but of the spirit: This expression corresponds to the thought of verse 3 contrasting “ink” with the “Spirit.” The contrast is between the externalism inherent in the Old Covenant and the internalism inherent in the New Covenant.
The letter killeth: Since certain Jews in the assembly at Corinth were concerned with Paul’s defection from Moses’ law, Paul here explains his position. The best the law could do was to condemn the sinner. It is not here implied that the law of Moses was evil. On the contrary, it is holy, just, and good (Rom.7:12). This can be asserted because it brought men to the end of themselves, to Christ (Gal.3:24).’
Oh Friends, I hope that helps you to understand what Bruh Paul is talking about, and please check out those scripture references, for they will definitely give you greater insight into the subject. I know that many of us dislike, or rather are too lazy to check out the references, (smile) but believe me, they do help, and I try to check them before I write them down.
Anyway, I guess that’s enough for today. Don’t want to encroach too much on your weekend thoughts and plans. (smile) But please do ponder the stuff we’ve spoken about, and as much as possible, obviously with the Lord’s help, do get a grip on the aspects on which you are not up to scratch, for that is indeed the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…our godly knowledge and wisdom will not improve…until we spend more serious time in God’s Word…then put it into practice in our everyday lives…
23 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new day, Advocate, all glory to Jesus' name, blessings, blessings to impart, calm my troubled heart, Calvary's cross, Christian faith, comfort, conclusion, discretion, Easter Season, encourage and strengthen our faith, every secret thing, evil, faith, favour, fear, fear God, forgiveness, foundation tools, get understanding, get wisdom, giant of a man, God shall judge every work, God's arsenal of tools, God's favour, good, grace, importance of wisdom and understanding, in time of need, instruction of wisdom, inwardly digest, Jesus Christ, Jesus is alive, Jesus' shed blood, keep God's commandments, LOVE, mark, my heavenly Friend, my hungry soul to feed, my King, my priest, my prophet, My Redeemer lives, my soul's complaint, new mercies, our Lord and Saviour, power of wisdom, read, Redeemer, resurrection, reverential awe, silence all my fears, stay close, stray from the straight and narrow path, sweet joy, the busyness of life, the Preacher, the ways of the world, the whole duty of man, triumphant from the grave, truth, understanding is better than silver, ungodly world, uplifting words, walk in obedience to God's Word, wipe away my tears, wisdom, wisdom is better than gold, wondrous presence, words of solid advice
Proverbs 16:16: How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver.
Oh Friends, it’s Wednesday; a new day! I certainly hope you’re all looking forward to the new blessings, mercies, grace and forgiveness that our wonderful God has planned for us today!
And all God’s people declared a loud and lusty: ‘But of course! Everyday we look forward to our God’s new favour, as we try to walk in obedience to His Word!’
Oh what a great following we are my Friends. (smile) But by the same token, sometimes we get carried away by the ways of the world and stray from the straight and narrow path that’s connected to Jesus.
And as the Easter season begins to fade, many of us tend to either forget about what it means, or simply lessen its importance as the busyness of life gets in the way. That’s why this morning I was led to remind us that Jesus is wonderfully still alive, and also of what He’s done, currently doing and promises to do in the future in the lives of all His followers.
So here are the words of one of our favourite Resurrection Hymns, My Redeemer Lives. Let’s read or sing them aloud, so that they can take firm and solid root in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, thus continually reminding us of the wonderful Lord and Saviour we have in Jesus Christ.
A Saviour so in LOVE with us, that He paid for our detestable sins with His shed blood on Calvary’s cross, and is still out there working, pleading and advocating on our behalf. Wow! What a giant of a man and God!
Now let’s sing, or read out loud, these beautiful, uplifting words; words to encourage and strengthen our faith. In perfect harmony now Friends.
‘I know that my Redeemer lives; What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives, He lives, who once was dead; He lives, my ever living Head. He lives to bless me with His LOVE, He lives to plead for me above. He lives my hungry soul to feed, He lives to help in time of need.
He lives triumphant from the grave, He lives eternally to save, He lives all glorious in the sky, He lives exalted there on high. He lives to grant me rich supply, He lives to guide me with His eye, He lives to comfort me when faint, He lives to hear my soul’s complaint. He lives to silence all my fears, He lives to wipe away my tears
He lives to calm my troubled heart, He lives all blessings to impart. He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend, He lives and LOVES me to the end; He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing; He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King. He lives and grants me daily breath; He lives, and I shall conquer death:
He lives my mansion to prepare; He lives to bring me safely there. He lives, all glory to His Name! He lives, my Jesus, still the same. Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives, I know that my Redeemer lives!’
Ah mih people, how wonderful is our Jesus! And I surely hope that that gave us all a mighty lift, as we focused on Jesus and His unparalleled actions on our behalf.
And wonder of wonders, it all flows so smoothly into the wise advice of our Bit: ‘How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!’
And my brethren, by now, there should be no doubt in any of our minds as to the absolute truth, the indisputable veracity, (smile) and the ultimate wisdom of those words!
Now hear another of Cousin Sol’s proverbs on the subject: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.’ (Prov.15:33) More words of solid advice and truth my people!
And Friends, don’t for one moment believe that Cousin Sol is the only one who sings the praises of God’s wisdom. Listen to Jeremiah, as he too extols the power of wisdom in God’s arsenal of tools.
‘He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.’ (Jer.10:12)
And mih people, Jerry thought that that was so nice, he wrote it twice. (smile) Chapter 51:15. In fact, Chapter 10:12-16, is exactly the same as Chapter 51:15-20. Please check it out.
And we’ll end this series of messages on the humongous importance of wisdom and understanding in a believer’s life, with these pertinent words from the Preacher.
‘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)
Oh my people, what a fitting end to this message. It’s all there in black and white (sorry – blue and white) for us to see, read, mark and inwardly digest!
Let’s not be like the foolish men of this evil, ungodly world and refrain from accepting and inculcating the foundation tools from which our Christian faith springs. Much LOVE!
…oh wisdom…oh understanding…please fill my heart today with your wondrous presence…so that I may stay always close to my Redeemer…my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…
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