08 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: a future, a hope, a rewarder, a tree planted by waters, abiding love, action movement, affiction, believe that he is, bitterness, blessed is the man that trusts in God, blessings, boggles my imagination, calamity, christianity, diligently seek him, dramatic God, drought, easy row to hoe, evil, faithfulness, gall, glorification, goodness, grace, great is thy faithfulness, greatest rewards, heart problems, her leaf shall be green, his compassions fail not, hope, Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving-kindness, lustful pleasures, magnificent and magnanimous God, material things, mercies, misery, mysterious God, new every morning, omnipotent god, out of the woods, please God, promise, the Good Book, the leap of faith, the long and short of the story, the Lord's guidance, the salvation of the Lord, thoughts of peace, trials, tribulations, wait, we walk by faith not by sight, whose hope the Lord is, wine roses and song, with the Lord's help, without faith, wormwood, yielding fruit
2 Corinthians 5:17. (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Aye mih people, the ole fella’s here again – later than I had planned, but earlier than the last few days. (smile)
And I am feeling better, spiritually and physically. But I am certainly not out of the woods yet – though with perseverance and the Lord’s help I hope it won’t be too long or difficult a trip back.
Oh friends, I can never consider the goodness and LOVING-kindness of our magnificent and magnanimous God without feeling a deep, tender and abiding LOVE for Him! He’s been ever so good to me, that sometimes it just boggles my imagination.
Now don’t get me wrong, it has not always been wine, roses and song, there have been some serious trials and tribulations along the way, many of them unexpected and out of the blue, like this past week in the hospital with heart problems.
You know with that sort of stuff you usually feel a pain or something of the sort… well I have NOT felt a pain up to this day, just a constant shortness of breath. And thankfully I listened to the Holy Spirit that guided me to the hospital’s Emergency Department, otherwise I might not be alive to tell the tale today.
And come to think of it, this is the tenth year – can you imagine- ten years since I’ve been writing the Bit, and I certainly never expected to ring it in with heart problems in the hospital.
But our God is such a dramatic and mysterious God, that with Him anything is possible at any time. And you know what, somewhere along the line He is going to use this episode of my life for His glorification. I don’t know how, why or when – but that’s why He is God! (smile)
Ah mih breddren, I think I’ve gotten lost somewhere along the line yes, (smile) I don’t remember what point I was trying to make.
The long and short of the story though is that I could not have written the Bit for so long, especially if you knew how it began; with just a simple verse from the Good Book and maybe some inane comment from me, to where it is now.
But it was ALL the Lord’s guidance and doing my people! I took the leap of faith and He extended His faithfulness. That’s why, if nothing else, I can always proclaim His faithfulness. But the important thing is that one first has to take whatever leap of faith He is advocating.
Now that brings us to our Bit; a few simple but very powerful words: ‘(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)’ That’s the basic foundation of our great action movement – Christianity!
As the Good Book says: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) So you see friends, we have to faithfully believe in and diligently seek the Lord if we expect to reap His blessings, grace and mercies.
Listen to this wonderful promise relayed through Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
Now isn’t that just a marvellous promise from an omnipotent God? It certainly is! The question then is why don’t we supposed believers cling to it the way we ought to eh?
Is it that we don’t truly believe, or our faith level isn’t that high, and on top of it all the lustful pleasures and material things of this world obscure God’s wonderful and faithful promises?
And Jeremiah though he was used and abused in his prophetic ministry could still say: ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heath cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer.17:7-8)
Oh friends, Christians would be a whole lot better of in all respects if we would only take hold of the thousands of God promises in His Word and cling to them the way we cling to the foolishness of the world.
And we’ll end with some marvellous sentiments from Jeremiah’s Lamentations. ‘And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:18-26)
Oh my people, if Jeremiah could have been as abused as he was, and still have hope, faith and trust in the Lord, then why can’t we who have not faced such persecution do the same eh?
That’s a question we have to answer individually. Let’s hope we do it positively and soon, for we know not when our Lord and Saviour Jesus will return. And once He comes back, ALL bets are off! Much LOVE!
…following Jesus is not an easy row to hoe…but it provides the greatest rewards…that’s for sure…
15 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful garden, a branch, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, abide in Jesus' love, abundance, answered prayer, ask what ye will, be fruitful, bear much fruit, blessings, broken, cast forth, cast into the fire, Christmas Season, consideration, courage, courtesy, creativity, curse, diligence, disciples, energy, exceptional, faith, faithfulness, family, favour, fertilizing friendships, friends, fulfillment, gentleness, glorify the Father, good relationships, goodness, grow, guiding light, he that abideth in me, human strength, I am the vine, in Jesus' name, indisputable truth, it shall be done for you, joy, judgement, judgement seat of Christ, kindness, lines of communication, long-suffering, LOVE, LOVE each other, mature, meekness, morning rush hour, my words abide in you, negative word, overnight, P.S. I Love You, Paul's immortal words, peace, purists, relationship with Jesus, relationships, rewards, self-control, self-discipline, snow, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, takes time, talent, temperance, the agent of Jesus, the Father glorified, the fruit of the spirit, the same bringeth forth much fruit, Thursday's Blessings, truth, unique, vine, weed filled jungle, weeds, white christmas, withered, without me ye can do nothing, ye are the branches
John 15:5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Ah friends, like this snow business seems to be rather serious yes, because it visited us again last night. Chuh! Not as much as over the weekend, but enough to make life somewhat difficult in the early morning rush hour.
Some people might be happy with that, since it might mean that we’ll finally have a traditional white Christmas ten days hence.
Over the last few years, that hasn’t been as regular an occurrence as in days gone by, and some of the purists have been disappointed. But what to do eh? If it’s winter, then there’s a very real probability of snow. (smile)
Now here’s a timely reminder from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which says: ‘Friends are like a beautiful garden. They require regular care.’
And is that ever true my people! Unless we spend time fertilizing those friendships that we treasure, they’ll eventually grow weeds and disintegrate into what resembles a dilapidated and forgotten garden. We need to keep those lines of communication open with our friends, just like we need to keep them open to God.
So, especially at this festive and friendly Christmas season, let’s remember to reach out to our friends and family with whom we haven’t had any recent communication, so the beautiful garden we have blossoming with them, won’t be changed into a weed filled jungle.
Remember, without good relationships an important part of us goes missing and makes us less than whole. And talking about relationships, the most important one in our life is that which we have with Jesus.
Listen to Him explain it in our Bit. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’
And that is indisputable truth my people! For without Jesus as the leading and guiding light of our lives, we are able to do precious little in our own human strength.
Hear Him continue His discourse. ‘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.’ (John 15:6-9)
Oh friends, what a wonderful promise! If we abide in Jesus and He in us, then we’ll be His disciples, be fruitful and glorify the Father, and the Father will grant us our requests. How awesome is that eh!
But we need to remember that last proviso: to abide in Jesus’ LOVE! Just like the Father LOVED Him, and He LOVED us, we need to continue LOVING Him and each other. Without that LOVE shining forth my fellow believers, all that we claim to do for Jesus is of no account.
Now here are a couple of explanations from the scholars re those verses above. ’15:6. This refers to the judgement of the believers at the judgement seat of Christ (2 Cor.5:10).’
15:7. 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.’
And as we’re talking about bringing forth fruit for Christ, let’s just share Bruh Paul’s immortal words on the subject. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness (courtesy, consideration), temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal.5:22-23)
Yeh mih people that’s what is expected of us in terms of bearing fruit for Christ. And the scholars add. ‘5:22. The word fruit is significant for three reasons. (1) It means the result, the product, outcome, or effect produced by the Spirit in the believer’s life.
(2) Unlike “the gifts of the Spirit” (plural), only some of which are given to a Christian, each believer is expected to have all nine virtues composing “the fruit of the Spirit” (singular). (3) As fruit on a tree takes time to grow and mature, so the Spirit does not cultivate these values in the believer’s life overnight.’
Yeh, I know we’re complaining that that’s a lot of fruit to bear, but as the scholars say, it doesn’t grow overnight, or all at once, but like real fruit takes time, diligence and energy.
And as Jesus promised, if we abide in Him, and He in us, we will have the help of all heaven and earth to produce the fruit He desires of us. So there’s no need to worry; just stay close to Jesus, and all will be well.
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. Remember, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
In unison friends: ‘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!’
Wow! It couldn’t get any better than that my brethren! So let’s take it all to heart nuh, and put it into solid action. Much LOVE!
…the bearing of fruit for Jesus…it’s such a wonderful process…and the rewards are so unique and exceptional…
30 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a coward, a glorious future with Jesus, a part of our lifewalk, a youngster, according to His purpose, all things work together for good, an open heart, are called, arthritic bones, baffling, become like christ, believers in Christ, beloved, blasphemed, Christ's glory be revealed, Christ's sufferings, Christ-like, come first, conformed, crying out, deep cutting pain, difficulties, emotional trauma, escape the testing, evidence, evil, evil spoken of, exceeding joy, faith, fiery furnace, fiery ordeals, fiery trial, forgiveness, friends, frightens, get out of bed, glad, glorified, glory, glory hallelujah, God's people, God's will, goodness, grieves, growth, honesty, hope, hungry hope, I ask God to steady me, incredible lessons, insulted, joy, joyful note, loneliness, losing someone, LOVE, medication, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back at the past, One Year Book of Bible promises, out and about, overwhelming, pain, partakers, plead for help, positive, Praise the Lord, pray for it, praying, promise, pruning, rejoice, reproached, Ruth Harms Calkin, saltwater, some strange thing, strong faith, sunshine, sweet Tobago, teaching me, testing, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the children of men, the cross of Christ, the Garden of Gethsemane, the image of His Son, the Lord's plans, the spirit of glory, think it not strange, to them that love God, to try you, trials, tribulations, trying times, warmth, warning, we shall overcome, Wednesday Wail, willingness, without relief, yielding
1 Peter 4:12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
Oh my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, this morning the ole fella is pleading for mercy and forgiveness in accordance with our Christian faith. (smile)
Ah friends, it seems like I’ve forgotten that I’m no longer a youngster, and after being out and about a fair amount yesterday, I also had a pretty late night… or morning. Thus, I was unable to get out of bed at a decent enough hour to write the Bit.
And to make matters even worse, the arthritic bones are crying out some this Wednesday morning…. Oh for the warmth, the sunshine, salt water and LOVE of sweet Tobago! (smile)
But not to worry, between some man-made medication and the cross of Christ, we shall overcome all our difficulties.
And all God’s people said a loud and appreciative, ‘Praise the Lord for his goodness to the children of men!’
And now that I’ve gratefully received your mercy and forgiveness so graciously offered, (smile) here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, which I think is very appropriate for many of us in these trying times.
It’s titled ‘Fiery Trials.’ And it says: ‘God is teaching me incredible lessons regarding growth. I see with undeniable evidence that growth means pruning, and pruning means pain. I confess, I’m actually a coward about pain.
I certainly never pray for it. I don’t anticipate or look for it. I do only one thing. I ask God to steady me, since the Bible so clearly states that trials are a part of our lifewalk with Him. In all honesty I would prefer to escape the testing.
I don’t like the pain of emotional trauma, which can be so overwhelming and baffling. I don’t like the deep cutting pain that goes on and on without relief. The pain of loneliness frightens me, the pain of losing someone dear to me grieves me.
Nevertheless, I am praying for an open heart. I can’t begin to contemplate what fiery ordeals God may choose for my testing and growth, but I do long for my yieldedness to prove my willingness to be conformed to the image of His dear Son.’
Oh my precious people in Christ, I am sure that each one of us have thought and prayed something like that on numerous occasions when we’ve been put through our paces by Almighty God!
No, the testing is never ever very nice, but as believers in Christ, we do need to keep an open heart and try our best to yield willingly to the trials and tribulations that come against us. We obviously don’t know the Lord’s plans for our testing, but we must also remember that He’s promised to see us successfully through each and every one.
Please remember these great and promising words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28)
So friends, if you are one of those called by God, and you LOVE Him, then please believe that eventually He will work everything out for your good as He has promised.
And the promise for today’s ‘Fiery Trials’ writing is also our Bit, a scripture that we all know but DON’T LOVE! (smile)
‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.’
And a lot of us ask if Peter is mad or what! How can we not think it strange when those trials and tribulations suddenly come upon us, usually without any warning?
But here is Peter’s logic as he continues after our Bit. ‘But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
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 Peter 4:13-14)
Yeh mih breddren, it is hard to accept trials, moreover to rejoice in them is extremely difficult. But please remember they are come upon us for testing, we’re being put thought fiery furnace so that we may become like Christ.
That’s the main reason, and it follows that if we suffer in His name, then we will also be glorified when He is glorified. So please hang in there and don’t be afraid to ask the Lord for help.
If Christ could plead for help in the Garden of Gethsemane before undergoing His fiery trial of crucifixion, so can we. But the important thing to realize is that God’s Will must always come first.
It’s not easy, but like Jesus did it through hungry hope and strong faith in His Father, so can we with God’s ever-present help. Now let’s go home on a more positive and joyful note, as we wail our Wednesday Wail.
Wailing… as one: ‘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!’
Yes friends, instead of focusing on our trials and tribulations, let’s joyfully focus instead on the wonderful future we have to look forward to with Christ! That makes much more sense. Much LOVE!
…through the fiery furnace we go…but more Christ-like we come out…
P.S. It’s late, but great! (smile) Please keep on praying for our bubba Scotty. Much LOVE!
05 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful heart, alive and kicking, Anselm, aspires, awesome God, be counted, be not dismayed, bitter waters, Christ, Christians, comfort me, cynical thoughts, deliverance, destroy both body and soul, dwell in the house of the Lord, Egyptians, evil, faithful, fear not, fear thou not, fearlessly, feckless, fickle, focus on today, for His name's sake, foundation, friends, God's LOVE, good pleasure, goodness, green pastures, I am thy God, I am with thee, I shall not want, I will fear no evil, I will help thee, I will uphold thee, in the presence of mine enemies, information, information intake, inspires, invade our minds and spirits, Isaiah, Israelites, Jesus, kill the body, lies, little flock, LOVE, make each day count, make hay while the sun shines, Marah, mercy, miracle, misinformation, more value than sparrows, Moses, negative, paths of righteousness, personal growth, Pharaoh, positive, positive news, prevarication, promises, recompense, Red Sea, restores my soul, righteousness, salvation, save you, Scrip-Bit family, see the salvation of the Lord, social media, spend more time with God, stand still, steadfast, still waters, television, The Lord is my shepherd, the right hand, the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff, Top o' the morn, trusting, truth, vengeance, Zion
Isaiah 41:10. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Well top o’ the morn to you my Scrip-Bit family! Hope this missive finds you alive and kicking on this lazy, hazy Saturday. (smile) Life is short so we might as well enjoy it. We know not when our time will be up, so here is the first of two quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us to greater heights.
And first off he tells us: ‘Make each day count. We don’t have all the time in the world. So focus on today and do the things you really want to do.’ That’s exactly what I was saying above. It is imperative that we make hay while the sun shines!
And the second quote is also inspiring. ‘Reprogram your information intake. Program out negative and cynical thoughts from the media and society. Reduce your information intake. Then program in positive news and entertainment, more of your own thoughts and useful information such as personal growth tapes and books. Be selective and keep it positive.’
Ah friends, a lot of us certainly need to do that in this age of so much information and misinformation! Our world is going crazy with the wealth of information that’s now available. The problem though is that too much of it is negative and we can’t easily tell what is truth from prevarication to out and out lies. Therefore our minds are filled with lots of unnecessary and unproductive stuff, that’s why Anselm’s advice is so worthwhile.
We desperately need to clean up our minds; purge what’s not useful and negative, and then replace it with only useful, positive, godly stuff. Give the television and social media a break; spend more time with God, your family and yourself. That way we won’t be bombarded with all the nonsense that’s out there, seeking to invade our minds and spirits.
And last but not least, seek to raise our faith and trust in the God of our fathers. Believe what our Bit says: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’
Oh my people, why are so many of us supposed Christians still walking in deep fear of the world around us, when we have such awesome promises from our awesome God eh? We know He’s faithful to keep those promises and that He will work out everything for our good in the end, so why are we still so fickle and feckless?
As Job says, we have to learn to take the good with the bad. (Job 2:10) We can’t be fearful of every little hiccup in our lives. And this morning I want to bombard us with some ‘Fear nots’ in the hope that it will encourage us to stand steadfast and strong in the power of God’s Word.
Listen to Moses on the occasion of the biggest miracle of the time, when the departing Israelites were caught between the army of Pharaoh and the deep Red Sea. ‘And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.’ (Ex.14:13)
And as promised, Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea which parted and allowed the Israelites to cross over on dry land, but when the Egyptians followed, the two halves came together again and drowned Pharaoh’s army. Now one would think that after such a mighty miracle, the Israelites would have been trusting and steadfast forever. Hn! But in the wilderness, three days later, at the bitter waters of Marah they were complaining, wanting to return to Egypt.
Now hear Isaiah, as he talks about Israel being restored to Zion. ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ (Is.35:4)
And now, listen to these words of Bruh David that we all know and claim to LOVE and believe. ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the day so my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps.23)
Yeh mih people, if we believe all that Bruh David says there, then we should not be afraid of the vicissitudes of life. Then there’s Jesus to his disciples: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul….Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.’ (Matt.10:28,31)
Yes friends, ONLY the Lord can destroy body and soul, and we are much too valuable in His sight, for Him to destroy us, that’s why He sent Jesus to save us.
And we’ll close with a simple, but powerful statement of Jesus. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32)
How much more do we need eh my brethren, before we can truly stand strong and steadfast on the solid foundation of God’s eternal LOVE and ever-faithful promises eh? Steups! God alone knows yes! Much LOVE!
…it’s high time for those of us who call ourselves Christians… to FEARLESSLY stand up and be counted….
27 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ., abundance, an everlasting covenant, bask, bless and keep you, blessed, broken in Jesus name, but, call upon him, Christians, cluttered chamber, come ye to the waters, compassionate heart, consuming conviction, courage, creativity, curse, depth of need, divine protection, do our best, eat, enthusiasm, eternal glow, faith, fatness, favour, for he satisfieth the longing soul, freely, Gentiles, Glorious enough, goodness, grow, hath no money, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, health, hidden pretense, hunger, hunger and thirst after righteousness, I love you, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, labour, lavishly, let your soul delight, longing for christ, longing heart, mature, milk, negative word, not enough, One Year Book of Bible promises, our Lord and Saviour, positive outlook, possessors of the earth, priceless question, promise, promotion, rejoice, reneges, righteousness, rightful heirs, Ruth Harms Calkin, Scrip-Bit Friends, seek ye the Lord, self-control, shallow substitute, shining through the gloom, siritual food, spend money, spiritual poverty, strength, the light of Christ, the sure mercies of David, they shall be filled, thirst, Thursday Blessings, vacant hollow, wine, wisdom, without price
Matthew 5:6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Well a blessed Thursday to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and family! May the Lord indeed bless you and keep you safe today as you go about doing His work.
And let me ensure you that though it’s wet and dark and dreary in my little corner of the universe, I can still see the bright and brilliant light of the Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ shining through the gloom.
Likewise, whatever the physical characteristics of the day may be in your area, please be assured that the light of Christ is also shining through to you. You just have to accept it and bask in its eternal glow.
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that spoke to me and asked to be shared. (smile) It’s called ‘My Glorious Enough.’
Please read with me. ‘Oh, how I LOVE You, my Lord – But not enough. How I hunger and thirst for You – But not enough. How I rejoice in your inimitable goodness – But not enough.
Pour Yourself lavishly, dear God Into every vacant hollow Into every cluttered chamber Of my longing heart. Free me from every shallow substitute From every hidden pretense Until I shall know With deep, consuming conviction That You are my Glorious Enough.’
Isn’t that a beautiful prayer? It surely is! It just has us clamouring for God ‘s righteousness, because we know that in Him we have more than enough of everything.
And the promise for that poem, as well as our Bit for today is the wonderful Beatitude from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’
Now that’s definitely an awesome promise, and we know that Christ never reneges on any of His promises, but are we truly hungering and thirsting after the Lord and His righteousness?
Now that’s the priceless question? I do hope so, because it’s essential if we are to grow and mature as true Christians.
And the scholars explain. ‘5:6. These future possessors of the earth are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst after righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is proof of their spiritual rebirth.
Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled (Gr. chortazo) refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” (Ps.107:9).’
Yes friends, if we hunger and thirst after the things of the Lord, He will fill us with them. Even before Jesus came along, we had this promise from the Father. Hear Isaiah declare it.
‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat: yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance).
Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.’ (Is.55:1-3)
What an invitation my people! Let’s hope we are wise enough to accept it. For as the scholars tell us: ’55:1-7. God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come and eat and drink without money (or freely).
He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to all men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’
Oh friends, what a wonderful God we serve, it never ceases to amaze me! Where else can we go and get spiritual food and drink for free eh? Absolutely nowhere else!
Who else is prepared to make a covenant with us Gentiles eh? None but the amazing God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob!
And He did it through the heartbreaking sacrifices of His Son Jesus Christ! Now what more do we need to believe that He is truly sincere in His deep and abiding care, compassion and LOVE for us eh?
Anyway, my people, it’s imperative that we stay as close as possible to Christ as we can, if we want to enjoy all the benefits and blessings that He has to offer.
And speaking of blessings, today is Thursday, so let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings over ourselves, for remember that a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
Now with much enthusiasm and strong faith let’s do it: ‘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!’
Yea mih breddren! And now that we’ve been gloriously blessed, let’s go out and win back the world for Christ! Much LOVE!
…the deep longing for Christ in our hearts…should make us always want to do our best on His behalf…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness, it was just one of those late hockey filled nights. (smile) Much LOVE!
04 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant life, all the earth, chew slowly, china, Christians, cloth napkins, comfort, Daily Menu, eat desert, economic prosperity, enjoy life, enthusiasm, everyday miracle, faith, fresh flowers, fresh herbs, give thanks, glorious, good manners, good news of Jesus, goodness, great conversation, have Jesus in our lives, heads hung down, in the last days, invite someone, Jerusalem, joy, judge, learn war no more, Leila's, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, living in LOVE, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving kindness, make a joyful noise unto God, make his praise glorious, make love not war, martyrs, morose existence, mysterious ways, negative sentiments, out of Zion, Papa Joe's, plowshares, prepare every meal with love, pruninghooks, roti, savour every morsel, Selah, set a table, share His love, shoulders drooped, shout joyfully, silverware, sincerity, sing forth, sing to thy name, sing unto thee, spears, swords, the beloved of God, the bright light of Jesus, the day of the Lord, the friend of Jesus, the god of Jacob, the happiest people in the world, the honour of his name, the house of God, the law, the millennial age, the word of the Lord, tools of peace, Tuesday Mantra, war, wash your hands, weapons of war, worship
Psalm 66:4. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
Welcome to a glorious Tuesday morning friends! Oh I know it’s still dark outside as I write this, but I’m also sure that the bright light of Jesus is shining through the darkness, both physical and spiritual, bringing light and comfort to our hearts, minds, bodies and souls! What a wonderful Lord and Saviour we have my people. And there’s truly NONE like Him!
Oh, and what mysterious and fabulous ways He operates! Check out this small, everyday miracle that happened to me yesterday. I was down the street going to get a roti from the recent hot roti shop, Leila’s. But when I got to the little plaza where it’s situated, I discovered that Leila’s was closed on Mondays.
However, just across the plaza I saw a place called Papa Joe’s, with roti also on its menu. So I decided to check it out. When I entered, Papa Joe was attending to another customer, so I walked around looking at the décor.
And lo and behold on the wall I saw this black, marble like plaque with white italic writing on it, surrounded by a fancy white border, with a place setting of a fork on the left side and a knife and spoon on the right.
Obviously it piqued my interest and I went over to read it. And though I had the Duchess take a picture of it with her phone, I still felt the need to write it down. But now I’ve discovered that my description won’t do it justice, so I’m going to try and send an attachment.
And this is what I read: ‘Daily MENU Give thanks Fill a vase with fresh flowers Set a beautiful table Use fresh simple ingredients Use your best china and silverware Prepare every meal with LOVE Use fresh herbs Invite someone Practice good manners Wash your hands Use cloth napkins Chew slowly. Savour every morsel Have great conversation Eat desert Wash your own dishes’
Oh friends, isn’t that just beautiful! I certainly find so. And I believe the Lord meant me to see it so that I could share it with you today. It’s just a nice, easy, but wonderful way to live our lives!
However, we can’t do that if we don’t have Jesus in our lives, for it is only through Him that we can rise to such simple, but glorious heights. I hope the attachment came out properly and you shared my enthusiasm for it. (smile)
Now let’s do what we do every Tuesday; declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincerity, faith and mucho enthusiasm.
All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Glory be, my people! NOTHING can beat being a beloved child of God and a trusted friend of Jesus! Wow!
Now with all of that goodness and LOVING-kindness, why aren’t’ we Christians the happiest people in the world eh? I certainly don’t know. But we ought to be.
Sadly though, too many of us walk around with our heads hung down, shoulders drooped, with guilt and whatever in our spirits, behaving like martyrs, believing that we should not be happy, enthusiastic and enjoy life.
But that’s totally wrong my brethren, for Jesus said that He came so that we could have life and have it in abundance! (John 10:10)
That means we don’t need to go around sad and miserable to be considered a true Christian. In fact, as true believers, we should be doing what our Bit says: ‘All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.’
Now that’s how real Christians should behave. And the psalmist was even more specific and enthusiastic before our Bit.
He begins the psalm thus: ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto God, all ye lands. Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible (awesome) art thou in thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.’ (Ps.66:1-3)
Yeh friends, that ought to be the everyday behaviour of the true and devout believer, not a sad and morose existence. Now listen to how Isaiah characterizes the day of the Lord.
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
And many people shall go and say, come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks (pruning knives): nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.’ (Is.2:2-4)
What a blessed day that will be my people! And the scholars tell us: ‘The setting is the millennial age, when the nations of the world will come to the Holy City (Jerusalem) to learn the ways of God.
Christ Himself is pictured as the Judge who will direct the affairs of the nations during His millennial kingdom. Thus the weapons of war will be turned into tools of peace and economic productivity.’
Oh friends, how I look forward to that day; that day when war shall be no more! But why do we have to wait till then eh? We can start right now by pursuing peace, by spreading the good news of Jesus and living in LOVE with God and each other!
So I implore us today, to begin turning our weapons of war, our negative sentiments into tools of peace, LOVE, joy and economic prosperity, for that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…the motto of the true believer…make LOVE…not war…
P.S. Sorry friends, but I could not put the attachment in the Blog, so you will just have to rely on my description. (smile) Much LOVE!
19 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: attributes, aura of love, Christians, complaining, confidence, count the ways, Creator of the universe, dependability, don't want to work, enthusiasm, entitled, evil, faith, faithfulness, fear, fertile ground, friends, generosity, gentleness, gifts of the spirit, gladness of heart, glorious kingdom, goodness, handouts, holy spirit, humble servants, in prayer, inroads, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, John Kennedy, joy, kindness, lazy, lies, long-suffering, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, lusts, meekness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, passions, patience, peace, perks, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, sacrificial giving, salvation, self-control, spiritual armour, spread the gospel, steadfast faith, taunts, temperance, the fruit of the spirit, the lust of the flesh, the weekend, the world owes them a living, tranquility of mind, trust, truth, turn to God, ungodly world, useful purpose, virtues, walk in the Spirit, walking in the flesh, walking in the Spirit, what you can do for your country, wiles, work, worry
Galatians 5:16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
‘Monday, oh Monday! Oh how do I LOVE thee? Let me count the ways…’ (smile)
Ah friends, so many of us dislike Monday, and it’s such a wonderful day… And I hear all the steupsing and complaining of those who disagree with my praise of Monday. That’s because we haven’t handled the weekend right, or we just blooming lazy and don’t want to go to work, but yet still expect to enjoy all the perks of working.
Anyway, the long and short of the story is if you expect to eat, then you must work, as per Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. (2 Thess.3:10) Too many of us nowadays, including supposed Christians, feel entitled, are expecting hand outs and believe that the world owes them a living.
But the truth is my brethren, the world owes us nothing whatsoever! We owe the world, to try and make it a better place than how we found it. How did John Kennedy, the U.S President put it? ‘Consider not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’ And that’s how it ought to be!
Enough palaver though, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and get ourselves together to go out and make the world a better place.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That wasn’t bad at all my people, somewhat raspy, but it put a smile on the face of our choirmaster Jesus. And that’s the important thing; keeping Jesus happy with our earthly doings. And the very best way to do that is by being obedient to our Bit. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.’
Now yesterday we looked at what basically constituted walking in the flesh, today we’ll check out what it means by walking in the Spirit. Listen to Bruh Paul expatiate to the Galatians. (smile)
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal.5:22-23)
Yes friends, those are the attributes that a Christian is supposed to show when walking in the Spirit. And the scholars give us a lengthy explanation, which I feel compelled to share, since it will help our understanding of the situation.
‘5:22. The word fruit is significant for three reasons. (1) It means the result, product, outcome or effect produced by the Spirit in the believer’s life. (2) Unlike “the gifts of the Spirit” (plural), only some of which are given to a Christian, each believer is to have all nine virtues composing “the fruit of the Spirit” (singular). (3) As fruit on a tree takes time to grow and mature, so the Spirit does not cultivate these virtues in the believer’s life overnight.
LOVE is the willing, sacrificial giving of oneself for the benefit of another without thought of return. Joy is the gladness of heart. Peace is tranquility of mind, freeing one from worry and fear. Long-suffering is patience with others, the opposite of a short temper, a disposition quietly bearing injury. Gentleness is kindness. Goodness is generosity. Faith is dependability.’
‘5:23. Meekness is gentleness, that is courtesy and consideration in one’s relations with others. Temperance is self-control, that is, the ability to harness and control one’s passions and lusts.’
There we have it my people, a breakdown of the nine virtues that are associated with the fruit of the Spirit. Yuh see, a lot is expected of us Christians, because our Lord and Saviour, our indisputable Leader, Jesus Christ, expects excellence from His followers, not some wishy-washy, leggo-beast, compromising, sitting on the fence behaviour.
And we all know it’s not easy to come up higher in this evil world, but it doesn’t happen overnight. As the scholars remind us these virtues take time to grow and mature, as the Holy Spirit that dwells within us nurtures them.
So please, let’s not beat up ourselves if we are falling down in any virtue(s), because that does not help the situation. When we find we’re not measuring up to our true potential, let’s turn to God in prayer and ask Him for help in whatever area we’re lacking in.
You know He’ll never refuse us anything that makes us more like His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ. So let’s sincerely and faithfully work at those virtues as we go out and face the enemy today and everyday of our earthly lives. It’s oh so necessary, if we are to spread the gospel to the whole world and fulfill Jesus’ LOVE Revolution. Much LOVE!
…Christians ought to be fertile ground…so that the Holy Spirit can grow good fruit within them…
15 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious day in the life, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, abundance, assurance, be strong, be strong and of a good courage, blasphemy, bless the Lord, clear direction, communicating in prayer, compassionate heart, corruption, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, ears of the deaf, eyes of the blind, faith, family, favour, fear not, fearful heart, feeble knees, friends, fulfillment, fullness of joy, God loves unconditionally, God will come, God's goodness, goodness, greatness, health, hell, Holy One, hope, I want Jesus, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, jet-lagged, Lisa Bevere, LOVE, love all my children equally, love them uniquely, love us all the same, maturity, measure God's love, meditating on god's word, mercy, my heart is glad, negative word, number one priority, only begotten Son, pleasures for evermore, positive outlook, promises of God, promotion, rest securely in hope, self-control, self-discipline, streams in the desert, strong, strong will, success, supernatural wisdom, talent, the good plans of God, the one and only true living God, the path of life, the truth of God, the weak hands, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, tongue of the dumb, unbelievers, uniquely, vengeance, vim and vigour, wilderness
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
And then it was Thursday…another glorious day in the life! Yes friends, we are alive to face another day, to action the good plans God has for our lives. Isn’t that wonderful?
It surely is! Because there is no other God like ours; the ONE and ONLY, TRUE and LIVING GOD! He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – The Creator, the Provider, the Comforter, the Healer, the Redeemer, the Saviour, the Giver of Salvation and Eternal Life!
Wow! What a powerful and wonderful God we serve my people! He is a God full of mercy, grace, forgiveness, wisdom, compassion, long-suffering and understanding. So let’s wisely acknowledge Him each and everyday of our lives nuh; make Him the NUMBER ONE priority in our lives, because that’s what He desires and what He also deserves.
And having expounded the goodness and greatness of our magnificent God, listen to this story of His moving in mysterious ways. Recently a lady, Lisa Bevere, an international speaker and writer, was a guest on the Hour of Power Show. She claimed that one day after returning from a long trip, she was somewhat jet-lagged and fell asleep at her computer.
Realizing that she needed rest, she got up and went to her bed, but just as she was falling asleep she heard the Holy Spirit say, ‘I do not LOVE all my children equally…’ At that she jumped up and declared, ‘Wait, that’s blasphemy! You have to LOVE us all the same!’
And He said, ‘I don’t. Same would mean that one of you were replaceable. And equal would mean that my LOVE could be measured.’ He said, ‘I do not LOVE my children equally, I LOVE them uniquely!’
Now we won’t argue over it, but it’s certainly an interesting concept. We’re each uniquely made, that means there is only one of us, and we cannot be replaced, and neither can the LOVE of our amazing God be measured. We just know that it’s so great that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ as a sacrificial lamb for our sins, and He LOVES each and everyone of us unconditionally.
And yuh know what? Whether He LOVES us the same, equally, uniquely or whatever, it really doesn’t matter. As long as I know that He LOVES me, then that’s quite sufficient for me! Hope it is for you too.
That brings us to the ever-important aspect of our Thursday Blessings. Let’s declare them with joy, enthusiasm, and strong belief. For remember, a blessing isn’t a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone.
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!’
Way to go mih people! And that just enables us to put our Bit into action. ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
Yes friends, with those blessings under our belt, we can’t help but be strong and courageous in this sinful, ungodly and evil world! The problem though is to keep up that strength and courage, all, or at least most of the time. And that can only be done by hearing, reading, studying and meditating on the word, on the truth of God, and then by constantly communicating with Him through prayer.
And eventually, we’ll reach that stage of maturity where we can proclaim like Bruh David. ‘I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps.16:7-11)
Oh friends, what wonderful words of assurance in God’s goodness and mercy! If that doesn’t encourage and uplift us, then I don’t know what will. Nonetheless, listen to this awesome promise from our God, spoken through the prophet Isaiah, re Israel restored to Zion.
‘Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm (make firm) the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart (deer), and the tongue of the dumb (mute) sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.’ (Is.35:3-6)
Ah mih breddren, more wonderful promises from our magnanimous God! And what’s so great about those promises is that He can bring them to pass! No other supposed deity can do it, but our God can.
So let’s go out today full of vim and vigour nuh, strong, courageous, exuding much hope and faith in the mighty God we serve, so that the unbelievers will sit up and take notice and shout, ‘I want what they have! I want Jesus too!’ That’s my hope and prayer for us today. Much LOVE!
…only as a believer is strong, courageous, enthusiastic and faithful…will others seek what he has…
27 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a lust for power, acknolwedged my sin, an old friend, Anselm, anything is possible with our God, aspires to inspire, blessedness of forgiveness, blessing, callaloo, childhood toys, Christian faith, compassion, confession, cowfoot, curse, disbelief, disobeyed, dutch pots, faith, forgiveness, fun, glory, glory to God, god, goodness, gospel truth, grace of God, gungo peas, honour, hope, household chores, I can, I found it, I must, I will, inhibitions, iniquity, iron pots, Israelites, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, magnanimous, magnificent, material possessions, mercy, my past, New Goals, New Growth, new philosophy, obey his voice, Out with the Old, peace, pigeon pease, prayer, proper example, refreshing sea breeze, relaxation, repentance, rest, return unto the Lord, rocket science, seek him with all thy heart, seek the Lord thy God, sinful, soup, spiritual housekeeping, the floods, the good news of Jesus, the Lord's urging, thou shalt find him, Tobago, transgressions, trouble, try it yourself, turn thy captivity, ungodly, with all thy soul, worry, worrying
Deuteronomy 4:29. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Well mih people, it’s Saturday! What’s on the agenda for today eh? Hope it includes some fun, rest, and relaxation and not too many household chores. I don’t know about you all nuh, but I wish I could be in Tobago, enjoying the early morning refreshing sea breeze, biding my time to go up Calder Hall Road and get some of the soup from those three big iron (dutch) pots. (smile)
Oh friends, I still can’t get over the size of those iron pots nuh! Hn! I’ve never seen any as big before that, or since. But some pigeon (gungo) peas soup, or cowfoot, or even callaloo soup would certainly go down good this Saturday morning, even here in good ole Toronto.
But I guess I’ll just have to keep on dreaming about that until hopefully with the good grace of God I go back there next year – unless the duchess, under the Lord’s urging, decides to make some gungo peas soup today. Oh glory to God!
I know I won’t get any of the other two from her, because those are T&T specials and she is a Jamdown lady. (smile) I’ll just keep hoping though with a strong Christian faith, for anything is possible where our God is concerned.
Anyway, since it’s Saturday, I guess we should have a look at one of our friend Anselm’s quotes. He always aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this week there were several good ones, but this one was definitely the winner! It’s long so we only have space for one today. It’s called: ‘Out With The Old.’
And it says: ‘Last Week I threw out WORRYING, It was getting old and in the way. It kept me from being me; I couldn’t do things my way. I threw out those inhibitions; they were just crowding me out. Made room for my New Growth, Got rid of my old dreams and doubts. I threw out a book on MY PAST (didn’t have time to read it anyway). Replaced it with New Goals, Started reading it today.
I threw out childhood toys (remember how I treasured them so)? Got me a NEW PHILOSOPHY too, threw out the one from long ago. Brought in some new books too, Called I CAN, I WILL, and I MUST. Threw out I might, I think and I ought. WOW, You should’ve seen the dust. I ran across an OLD FRIEND, Haven’t seen him in a while. I believe his name is GOD, Yes, I really like His style. He helped me to do some cleaning and added some thing’s Himself. Like PRAYER, HOPE and FAITH, Yes I placed them right on the shelf.
I picked up this special thing and placed it at the front door. I FOUND IT – it’s called PEACE. Nothing gets me down anymore. Yes, I’ve got my house looking nice. Looks good around the place. For things like Worry and Trouble There just isn’t any place. It’s good to do a little house cleaning, Get rid of the old things on the shelf. It sure makes things brighter; maybe you should TRY IT YOURSELF.’
Amen, my brethren! Now doesn’t that sound like a very good idea for this Saturday morning? It surely does! A little spiritual housekeeping never hurt anyone. So let’s try it today ourselves nuh. By the way, the boldface type was my idea, not Anselm’s.
And yuh know what too friends, it jives so nicely with our Bit, like they were just made to run one into the other. (smile) ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’ Gospel truth my people, pure, unadulterated gospel truth!
And we do need to kick out some of the old stuff, like a lust for power, material possessions and other things of the world, like worry and trouble, when we sincerely go seeking God, because those things have no place in His realm. Now listen to our God’s conditions for restoration and blessing as spoken by Moses to the children of Israel.
‘And it shall come to pass, when all those things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind (remember them) among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity ( bring you back from captivity), and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.’ (Deut.30:1-3)
Oh friends, there’s no rocket science in that statement. If, or rather when the Israelites disobeyed God’s commandments and turned to worshipping idols and other pagan rites, He sent them into captivity all over the world. However, when they remembered His goodness and mercy and decided to return unto Him, He promised to welcome them with open arms.
My fellow believers, it’s the same thing the Lord our God is saying to us today. It’s not too late. If we stop trying to remove Him from our society and instead turn to Him with sincere confession and repentance, He is more than willing to forgive us. That’s how magnanimous and magnificent is the God we serve!
But my people it’s become a hard sell to bring others to Jesus, especially when we believers are not setting a consistent and proper example of Christian faith and behaviour. Remember, we are the only group that’s really concerned with the sinful and ungodly state of the world, and if we don’t lead by proper example, we can’t blame others for not wanting to get involved with Jesus’ LOVE Revolution.
And we’ll end with these immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness. ‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.’ (Ps.33:5-7)
So friends, it’s now left up to us to spread the good news of Jesus all around the world, but in a manner that brings Him glory and honour. Much LOVE!
…God’s word is real…many have lived to tell it…but many more have died in disbelief…
.
05 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful heart, a wasted life, accountable, another week of work, balance, be strong, circumspection, daughter of Zion, defense, each step I take, enthused, exalted, fear not, feasting, fellowship, free time, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, giddy, glorify God, Glory be, God will come with vengeance, God will save you, goodness, heartaches, humble, irresponisbility, just, lawgiver, LOVE, loving kindness, lowly, Palm Sunday, partying, pay a price, recompense, refeshed in soul, reinvigorated, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, responsibility, rested, riding upon an ass, righteous, righteousness, rode triumphantly, sacrifice, salvation, same old, slavery, sorrows, strength, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord is our judge, the Messiah, the person we become, the weekend, thy king cometh, total control, vengeance, weary, what a mighty God we serve
Isaiah 35:4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.
And then it was Friday, the favourite day of the working class! Thus the ringing out of declarations such as this, all over the world.
‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! At last that wonderful day is here! The start of the weekend and all the wonderful things we going to do during that time; like feasting, like partying hard…and whatever else comes to mind! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends oui; for this short escape from the new-fangled slavery! At last it’s Friday! Glory Be!’
Ah mih people, the weekend is the only li’l free time we have nowadays, so we obviously tend to, or try to pack so many different things into those couple of days off.
Consequently, we end up giddy and/or weary at the end of it, instead of rested, enthused and rejuvenated for another week of same old, same old. That’s why there has to be balance and circumspection in our weekend actions.
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a better perspective on how to use our weekly free time. Chanting: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes friends, it’s that fine balance of rest, fellowship and partying that we need to make the weekend truly a time of renewal. So let’s just pay better attention to our weekend activities nuh, and make sure we’re getting the essential things we need to glorify God in the new workweek.
Now here’s an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU! Poster.’ It says, ‘We can’t do much about our appearance, but we have total control over the kind of person we become.’
Now once upon a time the first part of that quote was oh so true, but now with the advances in plastic surgery and otherwise, it is possible for us to change our appearance if we desperately want to. However, the second part of the quote still holds true; we can totally control the kind of person we become.
The problem here though, is do we want to accept responsibility for the kind of person we are or have become? In this age of irresponsibility, we just like to blame others for everything that happens to us, while accepting little or no responsibility for our own actions.
But friends, this is not the way our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ operates in His kingdom. In Jesus’ world, everyone is held responsible and accountable for their own behaviour and actions. So if you’re a believer, you had better smarten up and begin taking responsibility, otherwise you’re liable to pay a substantial price for that irresponsibility.
Anyway, it’s time to turn to our Bit, that most encouraging and reassuring scripture. ‘Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.’
And that’s no lie my brethren! Our God has sincerely and faithfully promised to save us and to recompense us for our heartaches and sorrows. What a mighty and wonderful God we serve my fellow believers!
Now let’s hear some scripture that emphasize that promise. First up is this wonderful passage from Zechariah: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech.9:9)
Oh friends, we all know that wonderful promise was fulfilled when Jesus rode triumphantly through the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey, an animal of peace, on Palm Sunday!
And all God’s people loudly and gratefully declared: ‘All praise and honour and glory be to our great and awesome God for faithfully keeping His promise of the Messiah’s coming!’
Now hear Isaiah at the end of the chapter describing salvation for those who trust in God. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is.33:22)
And for sure he will do that my people! In fact he has already done it by sending Jesus to sacrifice His sinless and holy life to pay for our disgusting sins! Oh glory to God for His goodness and LOVING-kindness to the children of men!
And we’ll go home to these wondrous and reassuring words of the psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to Bruh David.
‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps.89:15-18)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, please, let’s never forget all of that, for our lives are based on it! Now let’s go forth and rejoice today, knowing that we are made strong and free through the righteousness and sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t know Jesus…then your life is being wasted…it’s definitely not being fulfilled as it should be…
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