10 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenaline, aura of love, be not proud, catastrophe, confidence, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fellowship, friends, give ear, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, hear ye, holy spirit, Holy Week, humble yourselves, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, Judah, lies, LOVE, loving-kindness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our hearts are right, Palm Sunday, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the flesh is weak, the Lord has spoken, trust, truth, ungodly world, wisdom
Jeremiah 13:15. Hear ye, and give ear, be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.
Ah mih people, I do hope we had a good Palm Sunday, and did not overdo it with too much rejoicing, (smile) for today is Monday and also the beginning of Holy Week. That means we need to get up and go out strong to work as well as be ready to go prayerfully into Holy Week and all the wonderful aspects of our faith that happen at the end of it.
And the Lord knows that although our flesh is weak, our hearts are in the right place. So let’s get a move on by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn which hopefully will get our engines started and our adrenaline richly flowing.
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!’
Now that wasn’t a bad rendition at all my people, but certainly not good enough to make all heaven stand up and rejoice. So now that we have the adrenaline flowing, let’s go out into the evil world and do our ambassadorial duties much better than our singing nuh. (smile).
That brings us to our Bit. ‘Hear ye, and give ear, be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.’ Yeh friends, it’s ever so important for us to hear and pay serious attention when the Lord speaks.
And what did He say: ‘Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.’ (Jer.13:16)
Oh my brethren, are we giving God the glory He so richly and rightfully deserves? I don’t think so nuh, because our world has become so evil and ungodly that a whole generation doesn’t even know Him. Such was the state of Judah in Jeremiah’s time. And the Lord used parable- like lessons through Jeremiah to teach them of their backsliding and the possible consequences if it continued.
Listen to what comes next: ‘But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive. Say unto the king and to the queen (mother), Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down (collapse), even the crown of your glory.’ (Jer.13:17-18)
Yes precious people, we need to step back and take a serious look at our society, what is currently happening and what can possibly happen because of our ungodliness and prideful walk.
Hear the scholars. ’13:15-17. A third illustration (parable-like lesson) concerns a weary traveller in danger of being overtaken by the falling darkness of night. Such was Judah. It must renounce all pride and give God His rightful glory before the final darkness of national catastrophe engulfs it.’
Oh friends, I couldn’t put it any better nuh. The darkness of night has overtaken our world so horribly, that darkness is all some of us know. Light, the bright burning flame of Jesus many of us have never encountered. Fortunately though, we believers, like Jeremiah, have been given the task of bringing Jesus’ light to this darkened world.
We are the ambassadors, the modern- day equivalent of the disciples that Jesus instructed: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
Now that is our task for today my fellow believers. So let’s get out there with diligence, hard work and excellence, perseverance and LOVING-kindness and do what we’ve been commanded to do nuh, like faithful and obedient ambassadors. Otherwise, our ungodly and wicked world is very liable to collapse around us in God’s wrath. And we wouldn’t want that now would we? Much LOVE!
…in a world full of darkness…only God’s people can bring light to it…
08 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a choice, a noble life, adhere to God's law, adversity, an adventurous life, Anselm's quotes, attitudes, blessed individuals, complaining, cringing, desired heaven, distresses, do business, dwarfs the problem, essential nature of our lives, flipping channels on the remote, for his goodness, go down to the sea, gospel truth, habit, happy, He maketh the storm to calm, hidden opportunity, inebriated, into the sauce, Jesus as our captain, Lake Ontario, loving kindness, massive waves, men would praise the Lord, miserable, mount up to heaven, mutiny, opportunities for us to grow, our christian walk, pain, personal testimony, prayer, problems, remain calm in any storm, Rochester, run errands, Saturday, shivering of the timbers, sipping something cold and frosty, situations, sleeping in, snoozing on the couch, standing strong, tailor-make, the Edmund Fitzgerald, the grace of God, the stormy wind, the waves thereof are still, the works of the Lord, to the depths
Psalm 107:29. He maketh the storm to calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Well friends, it’s Saturday and there’s work to be done around the house, errands to run and shut in people to visit. Wow! For some of us it doesn’t seem like a day off at all, and we’re tempted to go to our place of employment, where we don’t work half as hard. (smile)
But for some blessed individuals, it’s a much easier go; just sleeping in late, snoozing on the couch, idly flipping the channels on the remote, watching golf and baseball, hockey and basketball, while sipping something cold and frothy and drowsily but sincerely saying, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes mih people, some do have it easier than others. But since it’s Saturday, we also have to check out some of our friend Anselm’s quotes for this week. And he does have some excellent ones this week.
Listen to this first one. ‘Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity.’ And that’s gospel truth my brethren! Problems are in fact opportunities for us to grow. Note that it’s only when we face adversity that we mature, especially in our Christian walk.
And this next quote follows on naturally. ‘We can’t escape pain; we can’t escape the essential nature of our lives. But we do have a choice. We can give in and relent, or we can fight, persevere, and create a life worth living, a noble life. Pain is a fact; our evaluation of it is a choice.’ There again friends, we can’t escape pain or problems, but we can choose how to handle them; either by cringing and complaining, or by standing strong and using the adversity to our benefit.
And this one also segues nicely to the one before. ‘You cannot tailor-make the situations in life but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations.’ It’s all about attitudes my people; our attitudes to our problems can either make or break us. And this last quote just wraps it up nicely. ‘Being miserable is a habit; being happy is a habit; and the choice is yours.’
Oh is that ever so true my fellow believers! The choice is all ours. That means if we want to have a fairly happy and peaceful life we must choose attitudes that relate to happiness and peace. Remember with Jesus as our captain, we can remain calm in any storm.
Now listen to the psalmist as he tells his story. ‘They that go down to the sea in ships; that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm to calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then they are glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.’ (Ps.107:23-30)
Ah friends that reminds me of a personal testimony to that situation. One day, some thirty something years ago, I ended up on a boat with some friends and coworkers who were headed for Rochester on the American side of Lake Ontario. To cut a long story short, going across the day was sunny and beautiful and we finally got to the American side, but up to now we haven’t reached Rochester. (smile)
Through the obvious presence of the brown girl in the bottle and several strong imbibers, arguments broke out about continuing down the American coast to Rochester or returning to Toronto. The captain and owner of the boat eventually decided to come back to Toronto. This was about four o’clock in the afternoon.
But lo and behold, on our way back a serious storm rose up against us and we could barely make any headway against it. And yuh better believe that prayer, for the first time in many a day, was forthcoming from several of the inebriated imbibers. It’s a good thing I wasn’t into the sauce that day, so I was able to help the skipper, while the others were rolling around, hanging on, giving drunken orders and praying.
Now that day I learned a couple of lessons. The first one is that Lake Ontario can be very dangerous. I would be passing along the shore and see it kicking up and steups at it, saying it was nothing like the ocean I was accustomed to, and wondering how big ships like the Edmund Fitzgerald could sink and get lost in it.
But friends, that night I learned otherwise. For when the boat, I guess it was around fifteen feet long, mounted up the massive waves, I saw the good Lord in his heaven. (smile) And when it hit back down to the depths, between those waves, I felt the shivering of timbers! And that was the second lesson I learned; the actual feeling of shivering timbers. Before that night I had only read it from books.
And believe me there was even mutiny amongst the group. For when we finally reached land on the Ontario side, somewhere around Cobourg, still many miles from our starting point, we had to stop for gas. At that point, some of the more inebriated ones wanted to use their money to take a taxi home, instead of chip in for the gas.
But eventually cooler heads prevailed and we all came back together, arriving at our starting point around three o’clock in the morning, having left their around ten a.m. the previous day. And believe me, that was only a synopsis of the whole story. Like my family didn’t know where I was, hadn’t seen or heard from me for at least 20 hours, and the captain’s wife had the coast guard out looking for us.
Can’t say I haven’t led an adventurous life – but with the grace of God always surrounding me! That’s why I can totally agree with the psalmist when he declares: ‘Oh that men would praise (give thanks to) the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), to the children of men!’ (Ps.107:31) Much LOVE my brethren!
…without God…where would men be eh…so let’s give Him lots of thanks and praise nuh…and faithfully adhere to His law…
05 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great God, alternative facts, atonement, blasphemed, Christ crucified, Christians, communication, con men, covetousness, deceived by their own teaching, deceptive words, denying the Lord, destruction, destructive ways, evil spoken of, exploit you, false doctrine, false prophets, false teachers, glory hallelujah, glory to God, gospel truth, guilty of blasphemy, halfway home, heresies, hot flashes, judgement, lying, medical appointment, morning noon and night, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, not turning back, pernicious, Praise the Lord, quality of life, study the word, talk a good talk, the breath of life, the Good Book, the way of truth, the Word of god, to a glorious future with Jesus, Toronto, traffic problems, unorthodox teachings, Wednesday Wail, without rhyme or reason
2 Peter 2:2. And many shall follow their pernicious (destructive) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (blasphemed).
Ah mih people, once more I have to go into the great city of Toronto for a medical appointment. That’s why you’re getting this so early. (smile) Ah Lord eh!
The basic problem though with these Toronto appointments is that when they are too early, you experience traffic problems going in, and have to leave home earlier than really necessary. And when they are too late, you experience traffic problems coming out.
But it’s all for my benefit, so I can’t really complain, especially about this particular one, which hopefully will deal with the hot flashes I’ve been having for a couple of years now. Glory to God!
Oh mih breddren, the ole fella will be ever so grateful if those come from where I don’t know, without rhyme or reason, morning noon and night hot flashes can be put to rest!
And please don’t tell me nonsense about women have hot flashes all the time, as one female doctor told me. That might be true, but the reasons behind theirs and mine most likely differ. As far as I was concerned, she took my problem too casually and wasn’t about to do anything about it, so I just stopped going to her.
And strangely enough, it’s another female endocrinologist that I’m seeing now, but she seems to have much more respect for my quality of life and is seriously trying to improve it. Praise the Lord! But enough about me, let’s turn to the word.
And before we get to our Bit, it will be rather informative to study the verse before it, as Peter pontificates on false prophets and teachers.
‘But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly) shall bring in damnable (destructive) heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.’ (2 Pet.2:1)
And yuh know what friends? That untenable and unfortunate situation still exists today! There are lots of false prophets and teachers amongst us, teaching all sorts of false doctrine, setting themselves up for destruction.
Then comes our Bit. ‘And many shall follow their pernicious (destructive) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (blasphemed).’
Now sadly too, those words are still true. Too many of us are being taken in by these false teachers and are thus being guilty of blasphemy. It’s not a joke friends, but a real serious matter, for our eternal lives depend on whom we follow, what we learn and what we believe.
So the next verse is also very important. ‘And through covetousness shall they with feigned (deceptive) words make merchandise of (exploit) you: whose judgement now of a long time lingereth not (has not been idle) and their damnation (destruction) slumbereth not.’ (2 Pet.2:3)
Oh my people, we are indeed seeing all of that stuff happening today, possibly even more than in Peter’s time, because our world is so much larger and communication is so much easier and more widespread.
But listen to the scholars take on those verses. ‘2:1-3. The opposite of true revelation is the message of false prophets and false teachers who deceive God’s flock and bring in damnable heresies. These heresies (unorthodox teachings) include an open denial of Christ Himself.
Denying the Lord that bought them indicates that Christ’s atonement potentially extends to all men, including these false teachers who reject Him. Therefore, they will experience destruction because they themselves will be deceived by their own teaching and continue to reject the way of truth.’
What a bam-bam friends! Being destroyed by your own teaching! But it’s happening all around us; people are teaching all sorts of stuff and they don’t seem to match, so something must be wrong somewhere.
I’m therefore pleading with us my brethren, to please be very, very careful whom you listen to and follow, for there are a lot of smart con men around, who talk a very good talk. But basically, if they don’t teach Christ crucified (1 Cor.1:23) and their words don’t line up with those of the Good Book, then don’t listen to or follow them.
And that is also why it’s so imperative that we read and study the word for ourselves. If we know the word, then no false preacher or teacher can easily fool us. But so many supposed Christians don’t truly know the word of God, that the smooth talking false teachers and prophets are easily fooling them. Ah Lord eh!
When the most powerful man in the world is constantly lying and calling them ‘alternative facts,’ what else can you expect from the lower echelons eh? But as strong and true believers, who know the word, we will not fall for those lies of the evil led blasphemers. And instead, we’ll go home now confidently proclaiming our Wednesday Wail.
In full voice and strong sense of purpose now, let’s wail! ‘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, our God is a great God, and we are truly looking forward to a great future with Him. Praise His Holy Name! Much LOVE!
…our best days are still out ahead of us…with Jesus in heaven…and that’s the gospel truth…
25 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after God's heart, adultery, bane, Bathsheba, blameless, boon, broken spirit, Christian, Christian maturity, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, compare yourself to others, confess our sins, confessions, contrite heart, evil, failed God, focus on you, God is faithful and just, God of my salvation, gospel truth, guilt, holy spirit, iniquity, inner renewal, joy, justified, light, loving-kindness, magnanimous god, motivate yourself, motivations, Nathan, pleas, positive feelings, purge me with hyssop, rejected by God, restored to God's service, righteousness, sacrifices burnt offering, salvation, self-worth, sensitivity to sin, serve, tender mercies, things we take for granted, to forgive our sins, transgressions, truth, uplifting questions, vibes, wash me, what makes me happy, whiter than snow, wisdom, worship
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Well my people, it’s that day we call Saturday; a boon for some, a bane for others, depending on how you choose to spend it. And there will be no trivialities this morning, (smile) we’ll get straight to our friend Anselm’s quotes because he has a couple of interesting long ones. He’s been really out to inspire us this week with a title of ‘How to Motivate Yourself:’
The first one says: ‘Compare yourself with yourself. Not with others. Comparing what you have and your results to what other people have and have accomplished can really kill your motivation. There are always people ahead of you. Most likely quite a bit of people. And a few of them are miles ahead. So focus on you. On your results. And how you can and have improved them.’
And that’s gospel truth friends! The worst thing you can do to your self-worth is to compare yourself to others because there will always be people doing better than you, and as Anselm says, that can likely kill your get up and go.
And he continues with the motivational theme by advising: ‘Ask uplifting questions in the morning. Here’s what you do; every morning ask yourself five empowering three-part questions this way: What am I ______ about in my life right now? What about it makes me _______? How does it make me feel? Put in your own value in the blank space.
For instance, a couple of my questions are: What am I happy about in my life right now? What am I excited about in my life right now? It’s important that you really feel how it makes you feel. When I think about the last part about what makes me happy right now I really feel it. These morning questions are great because the way they are set up makes you recognize things you take for granted and then they really get you to feel those positive feelings.’
I can find no fault with that friends, because we always need to have positive vibes in our lives, and the best way to do that is to concentrate on the things for which we are truly thankful, the things and /or people who bring a flood of light and joy into our lives. That’s why we keep saying when we hit the rough times to remember the good things that God has done for us in the past, don’t just concentrate and mope on the negative things you’re currently going through.
So my people, when things aren’t so good, look up to heaven, rather than down to hell. The Lord’s on His throne, in full control of His universe and He will hear your sincere pleas and confessions and answer them. As our Bit so truthfully says: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
And if you’ve reached a decent stage of Christian maturity, you ought to know and believe that and put it into practice. Now listen to one of the most sincere and heartfelt confessions of sin found in the Good Book; that when the prophet Nathan confronted Bruh David with the sin of his adultery with Bathsheba.
Hear Bruh David cry out to the merciful and forgiving God of his fathers from Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightiest be justified (found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen (brought forth) in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desireth truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou desirest not burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’(Ps.51:1-17)
Ah friends, what a pouring out of the soul! Bruh David knew where his bread was buttered and realized that he had screwed up mightily with Bathsheba. Now here are some insights into the psalm from the scholars.
‘Psalm 51. The psalm gives expression to why David was “a man after God’s own heart”: he was not perfect, but he had a sensitivity to sin that few knew about. Notice especially the use of the first person singular: mine iniquity, my sin (v.2), my transgressions (v.3), and so on. The first two verses are an introductory petition, rich with meaning in the use of four figures for forgiveness. After confessing his guilt (vs.3-6), David prays for inner renewal (vs.7-12), and promises thanksgiving and ministry (vs.13-17).
This passage clearly teaches that those who have failed God may be restored to the service of God. The prayer take not thy Holy Spirit from me (v.11) need never be offered by a New Testament saint, since the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian permanently (1 Cor.6:19). David’s cry here may reflect only the fear, not the reality of losing the Spirit, and being rejected by God. Thus, he asks God to restore the joy of his salvation, not salvation itself.’
Ah mih people, I hope we can take comfort from Bruh David’s words, and not be afraid to come to God with EVERY problem, EVERY sin we feel deep inside, knowing that sincere confession and true regret will bring forgiveness EVERY time. For that’s the magnanimous and merciful and forgiving God we serve and worship. Much LOVE!
…a broken spirit…a contrite heart…that’s all God’s looking for…
17 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accumulation, alcohol, an eagle, believersdeath, binge drinking, calypso, Christians, corrupt, eternal life, fly away, follow me, Friday chant, Fridays, fun, generous help, give to the poor, glorious kingdom, God's work, good, gospel truth, great possessions, green, heaven, Jeeves, Jesus, keep the commandments, Lent, leprechauns, luck of the Irish, Mammon, maturity, moth and rust, need, overwork, P.G. Wodehouse, partying, poverty, relaxation, rest, rich, riches, ruin, sell, serve God, shamrocks, sorrowful, spiritual death, St.Patrick's Day, steal, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the lure, the weekend, thieves, treasure in heaven, treasures, warning, wealth, wings, wisdom, worldly wealth
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.
Well a Happy St.Patrick’s Day to you my brethren! I do hope that you all enjoy the luck of the Irish in all that you do today, with your green clothes and green food and drink! (smile)
And you know what? St. Paddy’s day could not have fallen on a better day than a Friday for the working populace because it gives them even more reason to sing: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! St. Paddy’s day to boot! Going to wear me green clothes and drink up me green beer and have a real good time this St. Paddy’s weekend!
No slave driver to tell me what to do! Just me and mih shamrocks, and mih li’l leprechauns partying all weekend long! Who say we shouldn’t thank God for Fridays and weekends eh?’
Ah mih people, can you imagine the raucous behaviour today all over the world, and not only by the Irish diaspora, in celebration of St. Patrick, Ireland’s Patron Saint, credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland?
What I mostly remember about St.Patrick’s Day growing up in T&T is that it was the one day during Lent we heard calypsos on the radio and you could eat and drink and party hearty. Otherwise, Lent was drink dry and calypso non-existent on the radio.
I guess to a certain extent that’s why the binge drinking of alcohol is so popular on St. Paddy’s Day. Anyhow friends, regardless of what day it is, binge drinking is never a good idea. So let’s chant our Friday Chant and show them the kind of behaviour that’s most appropriate for the weekend 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.’
Yes mih people, the best way to handle the weekend is with ‘a modicum of circumspection,’ as Jeeves the Butler in the P.G. Wodehouse books would say.
It’s obvious we can’t take the licentious behaviour to the limit every weekend or else we’d soon waste away and be good for nothing at all.
But as true believers, we are expected to do God’s work here on earth, which means we cannot let our bodies and minds go to waste by carnal and lustful behaviour.
That brings us to our Bit, Jesus’ words of everlasting wisdom from His Sermon on the Mount. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.’
But sadly friends, despite that serious warning of Jesus, a lot, too many of us, including Christians, still fall for the lure of worldly wealth and oftimes kill ourselves trying to accumulate it.
That’s definitely not a wise path to follow my people, for it only leads to death and destruction. Yes my brethren, the purposeful accumulation of worldly wealth can sometimes lead to physical death, but it ALWAYS causes spiritual death, since we can’t serve God and mammon at the same time.
Listen to these wise words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘Labour not (do not overwork) to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.’ (Prov.23:4-5)
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! It’s much easier to accumulate earthly wealth than to keep it.
Now let’s look at the interaction between Jesus and a young, rich ruler. He came to Jesus and asked: ‘Good Master (Teacher) what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he (Jesus) said unto him, why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt (want to) enter into life, keep the commandments.’ (Matt.19:16-17)
The fellow asked Jesus which one? Then Jesus listed the Ten Commandments. ‘The young man saith unto him, all these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be (want to be) perfect, go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.’ (Matt.19:20-21)
Oh friends, don’t look down scornfully on the young man, because most of us would have behaved the same way. Just look at how much material wealth there is in our world today, but yet the great amount of need and poverty.
If the rich would just give up a little of their wealth for the benefit of others, there’d be little or no poverty in our world. But the mantra of this world is ‘me, myself and I.’ Steups! It’s all first person singular!
Anyway, that’s the sermon for today. (smile) But please, let’s ponder on all that we’ve discussed, then ask God for help to come up a little higher each day nuh. That’s the only way to improve our spiritual maturity. Much LOVE!
…be careful…earthly wealth can ruin your heavenly life…
15 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful way to live, a glorious future with Jesus, a plan for my life, a winter wonderland, accumulation of things, almighty god, bangles, benefits, brought nothing, can carry nothing out, commitment to Jesus, confortable life, dissipate, dr robert h schuller, draw my life, early spring, earthly treasures, enthusiasm, facades, faithful service, fill me with your love, follow Christ, For Renewal, forgive my sins, get stolen, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, happiness, harmony, harmony with your plan, heaven, Hour of Power Devotional, I give my life to you, idolize, Jesus Christ, Jesus offers, joy, last for eternity, late winter, lay not up earthly riches, LOVE, Lucifer, made rich, main focus, meritorious benefits, Mother Nature, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hang up, no real substance, no thieves in heaven, northern climes, not looking back, Paul, pretty baubles, rewards, ruin, security, sense of purpose, shoddy stuff, steal, take my life, the breath of life, the glory, the things of heaven, thieves break through and steal, things of the world, through prayer, Timothy, treasures, trust in God, values, Wednesday Wail, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where your treasure is, winds, winter storms, wisdom, your heart will be
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.
Welcome friends, to a winter wonderland! Hn! We all thought we were in for an early spring, but Mother Nature had other ideas; we’re in for a late winter!
Yes, for the last couple of days severe winter storms have been raging all over the Northeastern and Central parts of North America. We seem to be rather lucky in my li’l neck of the woods with only a few inches, but parts of the U.S have two to three feet of snow, and the winds have been constantly howling.
Now that’s why I don’t like to be in this country for March; the winds always seem to be colder and more powerful in March. And it doesn’t seem to be over yet. But that’s what you get for living in these northern climes.
Anyway, here’s a li’l something from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional to bring us in from the cold to God’s warm and everlasting LOVE. (smile) It’s titled ‘For Renewal.’
Please pray with me. ‘Almighty God, it is a beautiful way to live to know that you are there with a plan for my life, and through prayer I can draw my life into harmony with your plan. I know, God, that your plan for my life calls for me to follow Christ.
Jesus Christ, I give my life to you. I’ve never done it before. That has been my problem. That has been my hang up. O God, I give my life to you now. Take my life, Jesus Christ, and make it yours. Forgive my sins. Fill me with your LOVE. You are doing it now and I thank you. Amen!’
Yes my brethren, there’s nothing better than making a commitment to Jesus for the first time, or renewing it for the umpteenth time! The important thing is that we make a commitment to live the way Jesus wants us to live, for that’s the only wise and sensible way to live this earthly life.
Lucifer and his evil world offer lots of pretty baubles, bangles and fine looking things, but they are only façades, they have no real substance and only last for a short while, and they can also get stolen.
On the other hand Jesus offers eternal stuff, stuff with real substance and value, which will last for eternity, and there are no thieves in heaven. Glory Be!
That brings us to our Bit, a seminal teaching of Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal.’
That’s exactly what we were just talking about friends. Concentrating on storing up earthly treasures does not bring true joy and happiness, for eventually you will die and leave it all behind for someone else to dissipate.
Bruh Paul said it to Timothy thus: ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (1 Tim.6:7)
Now that doesn’t mean we should not save or purchase nice things and try to live a comfortable earthly life. The problem occurs when we let that be the main focus of our lives, when we idolize the things of this world rather than the things of heaven.
And Jesus continues after our Bit: ‘But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will you heart be also.’ (Matt.6:20-21)
Oh friends, that last sentence is indeed a mighty one! Gospel truth indeed! For wherever our treasure is stored that’s where our hearts will be leaning and looking towards. You’ll notice that when we concentrate on storing up earthly treasures our hearts are constantly aimed at the earthly stuff.
However, if we concentrate on storing up heavenly rewards, then we spend most of our time concentrating on those things that bring heavenly benefits.
Now listen to this interesting explanation from the scholars. ‘6:19-21. The attention of the believer is directed towards treasures in heaven. The term treasures implies the addition or accumulation of things.
The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven). The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather rewards for faithful service, as is illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’
Ah mih breddren, as we’ve already said accumulation of earthly things should not be our main focus of this life, but rather the stocking up of rewards in heaven through godly service down here on earth.
And anyway, when you get to heaven, all the stuff you sought down here either won’t be necessary, or they will be of better quality than the shoddy stuff we have down here. (smile)
Now listen to these telling words from the sons of Korah, from Psalm 49 – Trust in God, not wealth. ‘Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend with him.’ (Ps.49:16-17) And that’s the ultimate truth friends!
Now let’s go home pondering all that, while invoking our Wednesday Wail with much enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose.
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!’
Yes my fellow believers, though we’re going through storms in our lives, both physical and emotional, we’re still glad to be alive and are looking forward to a glorious future with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Now that’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…only in and through Jesus…can we find true joy and security for ever…
14 Mar 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer in Jesus Christ, a persoanl faith commitment, a storm of wind, a struggle, afaid, beloved of God, calm, cancelled flights, cold, come to grips, commands, commitment, cough, decision, disciples, doing your best, everlasting truth, excellence, failure, faith, faithful, friend of Jesus, glory hallelujah, God works in mysterious ways, gospel truth, He maketh the storm a calm, heart problems, hurry, in the midst of them, Jesus Christ, Luke, M.R.I, marvelled, maturity, mighty works, neck of the woods, notice of cancellation, perish, rebuked the wind, reeling, share His love, snow, storms of life, the answer to everything, the Good Book, the New testament, the only one, the other side, the person of Christ, the raging of the water, the real McCoy, the sea of Galilee, the water, the waves are still, the wind, they obey him, trappings, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unfavourable conditions, what manner of man is this, where is your faith, with Jesus on our side, witnessing, wondered, working them out for our benefit, worry
Psalm 107:29. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
And then the snow came…white and plentiful! (smile) Yes friends, it does look beautiful out there, with the area all covered in white. It began yesterday afternoon and is scheduled to go in to tomorrow, Wednesday.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at the airport. They haven’t even gotten around to cleaning the lanes in my area as yet, so much of the white stuff has fallen. And it’s not only snowy but cold too. The temperature in my neck of the woods is around minus 11 Celsius. Hn!
And the best part of the whole scenario is that I am scheduled to go into the big city of T.O. for an M.R.I. on my heart this morning at 11:15. Well what do you know? That doesn’t seem to be happening nuh!
With my supposed heart problems, I’m definitely not going to fight the treacherous roads and weather to go into the city. And they can charge me the hundred dollars for not giving them 2 business day notice of cancellation, which I’ll fight anyway.
And on top of all that, I’ve been fighting a cold all weekend, which today has morphed into a cough. So I obviously can’t go and lie quietly in their disgustingly loud machine for the half an hour or forty-five minutes that it takes.
Now don’t get me wrong, I do want to get the procedure done, but not under these unfavourable conditions. End of tirade! (smile)
And before we get into our Bit, here’s an interesting quote from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. It says: ‘If you are doing your best, you won’t have to worry about failure.’
And that’s gospel truth friends! Once your mind is focused on excellence, you won’t have time to consider failure. And if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, then that’s even more of a gospel truth, because with Jesus on our side we can’t fail!
We might make mistakes and feel like failures, but since with Jesus there is no giving up, and since failure only comes when you give up, then through pure logic, true believers never fail. Ah mih people, I know it’s a tad convoluted, but it’s all true. (smile)
Now here is our Bit which resounds with everlasting truth. ‘He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.’
Yes my fellow believers that’s indeed what our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ does! Yesterday we read about the metaphorical stuff before our Bit about sailors drunkenly reeling around in storms on the sea, today we’ll read about the real McCoy.
Listen to Luke’s account in the Good Book. ‘Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he (Jesus) went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over to the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled (filling) with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him (Jesus), and awoke him, saying, Master, Master, we perish.
Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered (marvelled), saying one to another, What manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’ (Luke 8:22-25)
Ah my people, it was the same God-man who created the wind and the water, so obviously when He spoke to them they would listen to Him! And Jesus is asking us the same thing today: where is our faith in Him in the midst of all our storms of life?
Do we run afraid to Him, or are we faithful enough to believe that He is already in the midst of them with us, working them out for our benefit?
Now the latter just shows more maturity, but the important thing is that we come to Him in all aspects of our lives, be they stormy or not. For He is the ONLY ONE who can truly calm anything that’s happening with us.
And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘8:23. The Sea of Galilee is surrounded by mountains. High winds sweep down suddenly from these heights, whipping up the sea.’
‘8:25. It was a struggle f or the disciples, as for others, to come to grips with the person of Christ. Witnessing His mighty works helped, but a personal faith commitment still had to be made. The decision would not have been an easy one.’
No my people, it would not have been easy for those disciples way back then, seeing this ordinary looking man calming the wind and the sea.
It’s still difficult for many of us today, even knowing what we know, with all the trappings of the New Testament and the teachings down through the last two thousand years. Imagine their dilemma nuh!
And we’ll go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra in all sincerity and truth. 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!’
Oh precious people, how wonderful it is to be the beloved of God and the friend of Jesus! Glory Hallelujah! Now let’s go out and share it with the world as He desires nuh! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is simply the answer to …EVERYTHING…
P.S. I just called the hospital and cancelled my appointment, and they didn’t charge me the hundred dollars. Glory to God! Only thing is that the next available appointment is in May. But who knows, by then I might not even have a heart problem, the way our mighty God works in mysterious ways. (smile) Much LOVE!
11 Feb 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after God, anger, Anselm's quotes, be jind one to another, be renewed, biggest heart, bitterness, blessed talent, born again, Christians, clamour, communication, competitive, corrupt, could do better, created in righteousness, debtors, debts, deceitful lusts, edifying, Ephesians, even as Christ forgave you, evil speaking, faith, father in heaven, foolishness, forbearing one another, forgive, forgiving one another, God for Christ's sake hath for given you, gospel truth, grieve not the Holy Spirit, hardest working, hearers, if any man have a quarrel against any, if you don't have anything to say, in the spirit of your mind, Ironman, jack of all trades, Jesus' vocabulary, lazy boy, malice, meaningful, medical malaise, minister grace, motivated, pain is temporary, pinnacle of their profession, practical guidelines, praying, put away from you, put off the old man, put on the new man, quitting is forever, sealed, shut up, so also do ye, social media, talented, tenderhearted, the day of redemption, this too shall pass, trespasses, true holiness, walk of faith, wrath
Colossians 3:13. Forbearing (bearing with) one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Sorry that the Bit is a tad on the late side friends, but I had an Ironman’s Breakfast to go to early this morning at the church. And like every time I go out I seem to come back tired, so I had to rest a spell. Chuh! I’m tired of being tired yes!
The great thing about this Ironman side though, is that none of us are under fifty…and possibly older. What a hoot! But we do get done the things we need to get done. And that’s the important thing.
Now since today is Saturday, let’s contemplate a few of our Friend Anselm’s quotes of this past week. And this first one is very interesting and meaningful to many of us. ‘If I have something to say, I want it to be meaningful.’
Oh friends, so often, especially in this world of social media, we talk such foolishness; stuff that doesn’t deserve to be even thought about, much less spoken! Where has the wisdom gone of if you don’t have anything sensible to say, shut up? I guess that we all feel that what we’re saying is sensible. I beg to differ.
This second quote is also interesting and pertains very nicely to our Christian faith. ‘Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.’ And isn’t that gospel truth! As Christians, we’re taught that ‘this too shall pass.’
And that better had be true, because that’s what I’m counting on in these days of medical malaise. (smile) But under no circumstance are we ever to quit, for quitting does not exist in Jesus’ vocabulary. Every time we fail or fall, we’re to get right back up, and with God’s help, continue pushing forward.
And the last quote says: ‘A lot of times I find that people who are blessed with the most talent don’t ever develop that attitude, and the ones who aren’t blessed in that way are the most competitive and have the biggest heart.’
Now that is ever so true! I’ve seen it happen over a lifetime, where the most talented are the least motivated, and the ones that rise to the pinnacle of their profession, are usually the least talented but hardest working.
Some might even dare to put me in that category, especially my High School Principal, who liked to write on my report card: ‘Lazy boy, could do better.’ But I don’t think I’m that talented in any particular area. I’m more a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy. (smile)
Anyway, here is our Bit for today: ‘Forbearing (bearing with) one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.’ And this is definitely the last day for it. I just never got in all I had to say yesterday.
Now we’re going to quote some of Bruh Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, per the new life in Christ, when we’re born again. ‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts;
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.’ (Eph.4:22-24)
Yes friends, when we receive Christ, we’re to renounce our old way of living, and renew our minds with the things of God, constantly improving, getting stronger in our walk of faith.
Then Bruh Paul offers some practical guidelines on how to throw off the old man and put on the new. Here are a few of them. ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for edifying, that it may minister grace unto hearers.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:29-32)
Yeh mih breddren, those are just some of the things we need to work towards when we become Christians. And please notice how Bruh Paul ends the exhortation; with the tenet on forgiving.
Ah mih people, forgiving in our Christian faith is so important, that I’ll end this series on it by reminding us of some of Jesus’ words on the subject.
‘And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught (anything) against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ (Mark 11:25-26)
That says it all my fellow believers. So until we meet again tomorrow, the Lord in favour, please let’s get serious about practicing forgiveness nuh, because however we mete it out, that’s exactly how it will be meted back out to us. Much LOVE!
…and forgive us our debts…as we forgive our debtors… (Matt.6:12)
25 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and again I say rejoice, Annie A Zeidman, avenge, awesome attributes, be anxious for nothing, be like Christ, beneath His hand, brothers and sisters in christ, charity, Christian, compassion, Controller, Creator, encourages, exceeds one's ability to understand, faith, focusing on a glorious future with Jesus, forgiveness, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's extensive repertoire, gospel truth, grace, graciousness, guards, homeless, I am halfway home, I shall not want, I'm not turning back, imminent coming, irresponsibility, joyful, judge, lack, legitmate concern, LOVE, marvelous days, mercy, moderation, my hands are on the plough, passeth all understanding, positive bunch, prayer, prayer in everything, reasonable person, Rejoice in the Lord always, rejoices always, requests, Scott Mission, serve humbly, sheltered dwelling roofed with joy, soldiers, specail peace, spiritually, strength to serve, strife-filled world, supplication, thanksgiving, the breath of life, the Lord God Jehovah, the Lord is at hand, The Lord is my shepherd, the peace of God, to know Him best, understanding, war alarm you, Wednesday Wail, worrying
Philippians 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Welcome friends to another marvelous day in God’s extensive repertoire of marvelous days! (smile)
As always, He was up bright and early to blend all the necessary ingredients, like grace, mercy, compassion, LOVE, forgiveness and understanding so that He could offer us just the kind of day He had earmarked for this Wednesday January 25th 2017.
Wow! What a wonderful Deity we serve and worship my people! As we keep saying, there’s none other like Him! How could there be eh? No two beings could possess all those awesome attributes in such amazing quantities!
And in consideration of all that, let’s pray this wonderful prayer written in 1968 by Annie A Zeidman, co-founder of the Scott Mission in Toronto, a Christian non-denominational charity for the homeless.
‘May the Lord grant you Special grace to LOVE Him, special strength to serve Him, special peace in Him to rest, special faith to know Him best. May no war alarm you, may no evil harm you. May your sheltered dwelling stand, roofed with joy, beneath His hand.’
Oh friends, isn’t that just beautiful! And we just prayed it for each other. Glory to God!
And all of that just enhances our ability to do what Bruh Paul calls for in our Bit. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.’
Oh what a joyful and positive bunch of people we Christians are eh! (smile) And so we should be, because we have the Lord God Jehovah, Creator and Controller of this great universe providing all our wants and needs for us!
As Bruh David confidentially proclaims in Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (lack).’ And that’s the gospel truth my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ!
Now here comes the proviso after our Bit, from Bruh Paul. We must rejoice, however: ‘Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.’ (Phil.4:5)
And the scholars explain that verse thus. ‘4:5. Moderation means “graciousness” or “sweet reasonableness.” The believer who is at peace with his fellow Christian (v.2) and who rejoices always (v.4) is indeed a gracious, reasonable person.
The Lord is at hand means two things. First, His return to earth is near. His imminent coming as judge encourages the Christian to be “gracious” unto all men, for He will judge the believer for all of his actions toward all people, and will avenge all wrongs committed by others against him.
Second, the “Lord is at hand” spiritually. The Lord’s being presently near should free the Christian from fear and anxiety. Hence the command of verse 6.’
And verse 6 says: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil.4:6)
And this is what the scholars have to say about that verse. ‘4:6. Be careful for nothing means “don’t worry about anything.” The Lord’s nearness (v.5b) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern.
The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in every thing, “in any matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied with thanksgiving.’
Now when we do all of that, what happens eh? ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:7)
Wow mih brethren! What an awesome promise if we follow the Lord’s word!
Now hear the scholars. ‘4:7. The peace of God is that tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. “Peace” which passeth all understanding means (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; and (2) God’s peace far surpassing one’s own understanding of the problem, and his ability to cope with and solve it.
Shall keep means “shall guard.” This is a military term for a sentinel standing guard duty. As Philippi was guarded by a Roman garrison, and its citizens were accustomed to seeing soldiers protecting the city, this word would be especially appreciated by the readers.’
And so it should still be greatly appreciated by us today my fellow believers, for the Lord, or His Word, NEVER changes! And do we ever need release from fear and anxiety in this crazy, strife-filled world of today.
However, since we are true believers and don’t fear, then we can thankfully go home now faithfully and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail.
All together 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!’
Now let’s put all those statements in to true action nuh, because that’s the only way others will recognize us as true followers of Christ. Much LOVE!
…to serve humbly…is to be like Christ…
21 Jan 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: America first, Anselm, arena of strife, aspires to inspire, before me, being forth food out of the earth, Bless His Holy Name, bombast, bread, bridges to rebuild, Donald Trump, dwell in the house of the Lord, eaxlt, enemies, failed, for the service of man, god is still in control, God's will shall prevail, goodness and mercy, gospel truth, he watereth the hills, herb, hoopla, I shall not want, illuminate your path, in the presence of mine enemies, joy, judgement, justice, lack, make his face shine, maketh glad the heart of man, Most High, my cup runneth over, my horn, National Cathedral, no giving up, obnoxious, oil, perish, positive difference, practical wisdom, Praise the Lord, prayer, President of the U.S.A., promises, protests, reflection, rejoice and be glad, remain calm, reward, righteousness., rude, show of power, strenghteneth man's heart, strength, stress, surround yourself, terror, the earth is satisfied, the fruit of thy works, the grass to grow, the Holy One of Israel, the horn of a unicorn, the Lord God Jehovah, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord's goodness and mercy, the straight and narrow path, thou anointest my head with oil, thou preparest a table, tried, try again, wild ox, wine, wisdom, Women's March, workers of iniquity
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack).
Well friends, all the hoopla is now over; Donald Trump is now the President of the U.S.A!
Thankfully he wasn’t his usual rude and obnoxious self, but his bombast was still front and centre, and when he declared that America would come first, it touched off protests all around the world.
The divisiveness was very apparent in America too, although there didn’t seem to be as many rival clashes of protesters and supporters as expected. However, the Women’s March on Washington today, could tell a very different story.
And the irony of it all is that while the March is happening, Trump will be at the National Cathedral, a few miles down the road, at “a service of prayer and reflection.”
Let’s hope he prays fervently and sincerely and reflects wisely, because he has so many bridges to rebuild with people he has needlessly turned into enemies, that it won’t be easy for him to make a positive difference.
However, we still need to pray for him and the U.S, so that the world will not descend further into an arena of strife and terror. Remember too, that our mighty God is still in control, and that His will will prevail.
Now on a lighter note, here are some quotes from our friend Anselm, this past week. You know he aspires to inspire us to greater heights. The first one says: ‘True joy comes from doing what we’re suppose to be doing, and knowing that the reward will come in its own time.’ There’s no disputing that my people.
Then he tells us to ‘Surround yourself with people who illuminate your path.’ And that is the gospel truth! You need people around you who are godly and wise, and can help you walk the straight and narrow path.
Now hear this bit of immediate practical wisdom. ‘Today, I will not allow myself to stress over things I cannot control. I declare, “I will remain calm.” And is that ever important in this stress filled world.
And finally: ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.’ Yes my people, in Jesus’ vocabulary, and therefore ours, there’s no giving up! We just have to keep on trying, regardless of how many times we seem to fail.
And we can do that only because of our Bit: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack).’ Yes friends, only because of the Lord’s goodness and mercy can we keep getting up when we fall down. And smile nuh mih people, today is the last day for this Bit…at least I think so. (smile)
So let’s get right to the second to last verse of our wonderful and encouraging Psalm 23. ‘Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.’ (Ps.23:5)
What a show of power filled with beautiful promises! Only our Lord God Jehovah can do that sort of thing! Now here these words from the psalmist from Psalm 104 – re God’s preservation of nature.
‘He watereth the hills from his (upper) chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb (vegetation) for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.’ (Ps.104.13-15)
And if that doesn’t touch your heart, then listen to these words from Psalm 92 – Praises for the Lord’s goodness. ‘But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn (strength) shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn (wild ox):
I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.’ (Ps.92:8-12)
Oh the wonderful promises of our great God! If we’d only take them seriously, our lives would be so much better. And more words from the Psalms, this time Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David: a contemplation of Ethan the Ezrahite.
‘Justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) are the habitation (foundation) of thy throne: mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth shall go before thy face. 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.89:14-18)
Ah my fellow believers, after hearing all of those wonderful promises, there is only one way we can end. And that’s with the last verse of Psalm 23, which encompasses it all.
‘Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-kindness) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ (Ps.23:6)
And all of God’s people declared a loud and proud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! For He is indeed worthy to be magnified and exalted! Bless His Holy Name! For there is none other like Him!’ Much LOVE my brethren!
…godly wisdom dictates…that man should rejoice and be glad in the Lord God Jehovah…his Creator and Provider…
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