17 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new day in the life, approved of God, ascended into heaven, blessings, by the right hand of God, counsel, crucified, dream dreams, exalted, faithful Christians, father in heaven, foreknowledge of God, glory to God, gospel truth, Hades, hell, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I will pour out my spirit, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, it shall come to pass, Jerusalem, jesus of nazareth, LOVE, men of Israel, mercies, miracles, New Testament, old men, Olt Testament, Pentecost story, preaching to the choir, privileges, prophesy, responsibility, see corruption, see visions, share His love with the world, sharing Christ's love, signs, Simon Peter's sermon, sincerity, slain, sons and daughters, spiritual light of Christ, the annals of Christianity, The Day of Pentecost, the eternal lake of fire, the fruit of his loins, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, the house of Israel, the Messiah, the pains of death, the patriarch David, the promise of the Holy Ghost, the resurrection of Christ, true believers, truth, Tuesday Mantra, upon all flesh, verve, whom God hath raised up, wicked hands, wisdom, witnesses, wonders, write it indelibly in our hearts, young men
Joel 2:28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
Welcome to another brand new day in the life friends! It means that God still has great plans for us to accomplish, other wise He would have taken us home.
Now we got through Monday with a smile, so Tuesday should be even easier, especially when it abounds with new mercies and blessings from our wonderful Father in heaven.
And even if the physical state of your day is rainy, or cloudy like mine, just remember that that physical aspect doesn’t really matter that much, because we ALWAYS have the brilliant spiritual light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ shining in our hearts. Glory to God!
And since today is Tuesday, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with plenty verve, sincerity and truth. 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.’
And that’s the gospel truth my people! What the world says and does, doesn’t define us. We are the beloved children of God! That’s who we are. And NOBODY can take that from us!
Please remember that. Let’s write it indelibly in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies. We are the beloved children of God! Never forget it!
But please remember too that those great privileges – a child of God, and a friend of Jesus – also carry a great responsibility; sharing Christ’s LOVE with the world. We cannot be true believers or faithful Christians until and unless we are doing that.
Oh I know I’m preaching to the choir, (smile) but sometimes even the choir needs preaching to. Now let’s get to our Bit. ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.’
Yes friends, we’re continuing with the Pentecost story, another great day in the annals of Christianity! Yesterday we began looking at Simon Peter’s great sermon on that most momentous day, and we’ll continue with the same today.
After quoting the prophecy of Joel and tying it into the Pentecost situation, he then declared: ‘Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of (attested by) God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.
Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked (lawless) hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up having loosed (destroyed) the pains (birth pangs) of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of (held by) it.’ (Acts 2:22-24)
Hey people, just imagine Peter pontificating to that crowd nuh. Then he went on to quote Bruh David from Psalm 16:8-11, where he talks about the Lord not leaving his soul or Jesus’ in hell.
‘Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher (tomb) is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne (Ps.132:11);
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell (Hades) neither his flesh did see corruption (Ps.16:10). This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself,
The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. (Ps.110:1) Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.’ (Acts 2:29-36)
Wow friends, Peter is surely on a roll! Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘2:22-36. The main point of Peter’s sermon is to prove that Jesus is both God and the Messiah (v.36). Peter seeks to prove this through Christ’s miraculous works (v.22), His resurrection (vv.23-32), and His sending of the Holy Spirit (vv.33-35).’
And some more scholarly explanations: ‘2:27. Hell is the word Hades and does not refer to the eternal lake of fire but to the intermediate state of the Old Testament dead. In the New Testament the term also refers to the grave. Peter states that David’s words of Psalm 16:10 are a prophecy concerning the immediate resurrection of the Messiah, of whom David is a type.’
Ah mih people, the Day of Pentecost was indeed a red letter day in the history of Israel, also in the annals of Christianity, marking the true beginning of the body of Christ, His church.
So please, as we go about our earthly business today, let’s contemplate the miraculous events that took place on that momentous day in Jerusalem, some two thousand years ago, and let’s also contemplate the part that the Holy Spirit has played, is playing and will play in our own lives, for that is indeed the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…the workhorse of the Holy Trinity…the Holy Spirit…
13 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a horse is a vain thing, a production line, a true believer, ascend up into heaven, bad luck, blessings, chastisement, darkness, deliver their soul from death, Elihu, ever-Loving, false hope, famine, fellowship, Friday chant, Friday the 13th, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, great in counsel, he considereth all their works, He fashioneth their hearts alike, hope, hung over, in Jesus' name, Jehovah, Job, keep them alive in famine, licentious behaviour, LOVE, loving kindness, lustful, make my bed in hell, man's strength, massa, mercies, mighty in work, miserable, omni-present, omnipotent god, omniscient, on our p's and q's, particular interest, party time, psalm 139, refreshed, renewed, shadow of death, sin, slave labour, sorrow, sowing of good seed, steadfast, strong, superstition, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the early rain, the eye of the Lord, the fruit of his doings, the multitude of a host, the night shineth as day, the rains came, the uttermost parts of the sea, the weekend, the wings of the morning, the workers of iniquity, Thor, thou art there, thunder, thunderous sound, thunderstorm, thy hand lead me, thy right hand hold me, tired, truth, upon them that fear him, whither shall I flee, wisdom
Psalm 33:15. He fashioneth their hearts alike (individually); he considereth (understands) all their works.
And it was Friday friends… and the rains came during the night…the early rain to water the dry and thirsty land, to irrigate the soil and make it more amenable to the sowing of good seed.
And during that time lightning flashed sporadically, while Thor also beat his drums furiously, having the thunderous sound roll across the heavens in a mighty show of his awesome power! (smile)
In other words friends, we had a big thunderstorm last night that provided much needed heavenly blessings for the earth, thus giving us a wet and cloudy Friday the 13th morning.
Yes it is one of those superstitious Friday the 13th days that happen every so often during the year, and many of us will be on our p’s and q’s desperately trying to do, or not to do certain things that cause bad luck on such days.
But precious people such belief is unworthy of a true believer in Jesus, because it’s just what it says it is – superstition – and can’t harm us in any way.
And you’d note that a majority of the working populace are still shouting out loud and clear; ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here! Forget about massa and his slave labour! It’s party time; we time to do what we want. Thank God ever so much for Friday’s oui!’
And again I have to warn us that lustful and licentious behaviour should not be the main aspects of our weekend, because that just digs us into a deeper hole of sin and sorrow. What we need are activities that are more in tune with our Friday Chant, which we’ll now proclaim with the appropriate sincerity and truth.
‘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, the basic reason for the weekend is for us to rest and rejuvenate ourselves through godly fellowship, so that we can be strong and steadfast when the new workweek rolls along, not a tired, miserable, hung-over mess like so many of us end up being on a Monday morning.
But enough of my haranguing, you’ll still do whatever you like. (smile) So let’s turn to our Bit, which gives us some insight into the wonderful workings of our ever-LOVING and omnipotent God. ‘He fashioneth their hearts alike (individually); he considereth (understands) all their works.’
Yes my brethren, our God has fashioned each of our hearts individually, we haven’t come off of a production line, where everything is the same. And on top of that, He takes a special and particular interest in every soul that He’s made.
Listen, as the psalmist continues after our Bit. ‘There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. A horse is a vain thing (false hope) for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.’ (Ps.33:16-19)
Yeh mih people, it’s all about the strength and LOVING-kindness of our magnificent God Jehovah, not about man’s strength which is sorely limited!
And as Job’s friend, Elihu says so eloquently in his chastisement of Job: ‘For his (the Lord’s) eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.’ (Job 34:21-22)
And as true believers, we all know that as gospel truth! The Lord looks down from His high heaven on all of us, and there’s no place that any of us can run or hide from His all-seeing, omniscient power. As Bruh David so wisely and wonderfully declares in Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God.
‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell (Sheol), behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me (fall on, hide me); even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee (is not dark to thee); but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ (Ps.139:7-12)
Oh what beautiful words of scripture, my people! Gospel truth in black and white! There’s nowhere we can run or hide from our Creator, as so many of us futilely try to do.
And we’ll end with these most appropriate words from Jeremiah’s prayer. ‘Great in counsel, and mighty in work (deed): for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.’ (Jer.32:19)
That says it all friends! Our God is continually looking down on us, checking our ways, so that He can meet out to us whatever we deserve. That means we just have to buckle down and live according to His will, if we want to receive His wondrous blessings and mercies. Much LOVE!
…why try to fight or hide from a God…who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent… that’s a fool’s wisdom…
09 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, as for me and mine, as fruitful as a vine, aura of love, blessed, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, children, common sense, compassion, confidence, countenance, Creator of the universe, darkness, delights in His commandments, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, faithful, faithfulness, friends, fruit of thy labour, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, grace, Hallelujah, happy, holy spirit, humble servants, impregnable fortress, invincible, iron sharpens iron, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, light, LOVE, mighty upon the earth, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, New Testament, obedient, Old Testament, olive plants, our Lord and Saviour, pass the test, peace, Praise ye the Lord, priority, proud, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, rest my case, rewards, righteousness., salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, test our faith, test our mettle, the church of jesus, treasure trove, true believers, trust, ungodly world, useful purpose, we will follow the Lord, wiles, wisdom
Psalm 112:1. Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
Ah mih people, once again the big day called Monday has come around … It’s come once more to test our mettle, our faith, to see if we have what it takes to successfully make it through this earthly pilgrimage!
But yuh know what friends? As true believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we do have the necessary parts, and we WILL pass that test of faith with flying colours! For our mettle is strong an impregnable as a fortress manned by God!
As the Good Book declares, in the wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.’ (Prov.27:17) Yes my brethren, that’s how the body, the church of Jesus Christ operates!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ’27:17. As the proper tool shapes and sharpens iron for its desired use, so a man sharpens his friend morally and intellectually by their personal friendship.’
Now I do hope we are all doing that, today and every day, and you’re not making me a liar when I proclaim it. (smile) But nonetheless, it’s Monday, meaning it’s time to rise and shine and make our way to our places of labour, wherever it may be.
And I know we’re only human, so we’re not always up to scratch on this the first day of the new work week, that’s why we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to wake us up, to raise our adrenalin levels and get us going to face the world with faith and courage. So let’s put down a good rendition today, make our choirmaster, Jesus, and all the hosts of heaven proud of us.
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!’
Glory be, mih breddren, that was magnificent! As Jesus enthusiastically twirled His baton, He looked back at the Father with a big smile on His handsome face and winked. As if to say: ‘That’s my people, and I’m oh so proud of them!’
Now friends, let’s go out into the evil and ungodly world that surrounds us and make Jesus really proud of us by being obedient to His will, being living examples of His gospel, salt and light to the world, so that others will see our joy and prosperity and come to Him for salvation and eternal life!
And today we have a wonderful Bit that holds awesome promises from our awesome God. ‘Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.’
And those words are ever so true my fellow believers! The righteous person; the one who holds our God in great awe and reverence and delights in His commandments will be truly blessed! Glory to God!
And the psalmist continues: ‘His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth (stands, lasts) for ever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.’ (Ps.112:2-4)
Oh my precious people, you see what is in store for the righteous person and for his descendants? Wealth and power, as well as the godly attributes of grace and compassion. Brother, what a treasure trove a man can reap by being obedient and faithful to our ever-faithful God!
And if you think that that isn’t true because it comes from the Old Testament, then listen to Jesus declare the very same thing in the New Testament. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) Yes people, when we make God and His kingdom our first priority in this life, then we’ll want for nothing!
Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that life will be all wine and roses, but it will be certainly better, with true peace and joy in our hearts and souls than if we were to follow the foolish fallen angel Beelzebub!
Now listen to a couple of other scriptures which declare the same thing, starting with the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. ‘Blessed are the undefiled in the way (the blameless), who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.’ (Ps.119:1-3) More gospel truth friends!
And we’ll end with these awesome words from Psalm 128 – The rewards of faithfulness. ‘Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands (fruit of thy labour): happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides (in the heart) of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.’ (Ps.128:1-4)
I rest my case people! Much LOVE!
…but as for me and mine…hn!…we will definitely follow the Lord…for that’s not only common sense…but wisdom from on high…
28 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, abundance, asaph, be acceptable in thy sight, clear direction for my life, come to know Jesus, courage, creativity, curse, devastating circumstances, disobedience, divine protection, everlasting love, family, favour, friends, fulfillment, gladness, glory to God, God was their rock, God's supernatural wisdom, gospel truth, he shall stand at the last day, health, honour, I am blessed, I know that my Redeemer lives, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, Lucifer, negative word, our Lord and Saviour, our part to play, prince of darkness, promotion, prosper, punishment, return void, self-control, self-discipline, succeed, success, supernatural strength, talent, the God of his fathers, the high god their redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the meditation of my heart, the mighty One of Jacob, the Old Testament, the words of my mouth, Thursday Blessings, Top o' the morn, truth
Job 19:25. For I know that my Redeemer (lit. Kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.
Well hello there you beautiful believers! Top o the morn! Don’t worry that it’s somewhat cloudy, our God will drive away the clouds from our lives and allow the bright sunlight of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to enter therein and calm all of our fears and sorrows.
Oh give Him many thanks and much praises my people for His wonderful ways to the children of men!
Can you imagine what our situation would be like if He was a harsh and judgmental God, like some of the many false gods that abound today, instead of the caring and compassionate Deity that He is? Crapaud would surely smoke we pipe!
Anyway, thankfully He is a most LOVING and kind God and showers us with blessings each and every day. And since it’s Thursday, and a blessing is not a blessing until it is spoken, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings over ourselves with plenty vim, vigour and sincerity.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Yes friends, sometime soon now blessings will just follow us and overtake us… Glory to God!
But as always, remember that we have our part to play in this relationship with Almighty God, so let’s get out there and do it this Thursday morning nuh; give others a chance to come to know Jesus and His everlasting LOVE.
And why are assured that we can do whatever is necessary to accomplish that task? Because as Job so boldly proclaimed in our Bit: ‘For I know that my Redeemer (lit. Kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth.’
Yes friends, Job didn’t know Jesus, the actual Redeemer, but he certainly knew the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who made him and cared for him, despite his then current devastating circumstances.
And yuh better believe he exuded a lot of faith with those words he solemnly and truthfully declared. I don’t know how many of us would be able to do and say the same things under similar circumstances.
Now all I want to do today is highlight some scriptures from the Old Testament that deal with the Redeemer, beginning with these memorable words of Bruh David from Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God. ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps.19:14)
Oh my people, we all know those words and say them fairly often, but is the sincerity there when we mouth them? For all of our sakes, I sincerely hope so, otherwise our prayer is meaningless.
Now listen to the psalmist Asaph, as he recounts Israel’s punishment for their disobedience, and their eventual turning back to God from Psalm 78 – A reminder of God’s goodness to Israel.
‘When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early (diligently sought) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.’ (Ps.78:34-35)
Oh my brethren, are we behaving like the Israelites of old, only turning to God when He slays us? I think we’re behaving worse than them, for they at least learned their lesson, even though their hearts still wasn’t right with Him.
Unfortunately though, in today’s world, even though the Lord slays us, not necessarily literally, but certainly figuratively, we are still so stubborn and hard headed that we refuse to turn to Him and keep on following the foolish ways of Lucifer, the prince of darkness.
That’s definitely not very wise my friends, since Lucifer is a fallen angel. But each individual is responsible for their actions and will pay whatever price He determines is necessary.
And Isaiah, while talking about the judgement of Babylon, declares thus: ‘As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.’ (Is.47:4.)
And that’s gospel truth friends, as we all found out when Jesus Christ redeemed us by sacrificing His holy and sinless life on the cross on our behalf.
And we’ll close with another scripture passage from Isaiah, this one, when he talks about Israel being restored to Zion. ‘And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.’ (Is.49:26)
Now, with those words of indisputable truth, speaking to our hearts precious people, lets go out today and do the Lord’s will with honour and gladness nuh, so that His Word does not return void. Much LOVE!
…without the timely redemption of our Redeemer…Jesus Christ…our mortal lives would have been of little significance…
25 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doer of the work, a forgetful hearer, adrenalin, attitude towards work, aura of love, Christian, complaining, confidence, death, enthusiasm, evil, followers of Christ, free from the law of sin, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, gospel truth, heart, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, lies, life in the Spirit, LOVE, mankind's fallen nature, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no condemnation, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, shall be blessed in his deed, sinful flesh, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the law of the Spirit, the perfect law of liberty, the principles of sin, the things of the flesh, the things of the Spirit, treasure, truth, ungodly world, walk after the flesh, whining, win souls for Christ, wisdom
James 1:25. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (in what he does).
Awright friends, it’s Monday morning, so let’s get up and get ourselves ready to go to work nuh. No whining and complaining about how we feeling sick and tired and otherwise. We know that we have to go back to work every Monday morning, so it behooves us to get ourselves together for that time.
And especially as followers of Christ, we shouldn’t be full of whimpering excuses for not wanting to work. Jesus is sick and tired of us and our less than Christian attitude towards work. So let’s throw all of that out the window, and instead sing a rich and moving rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one earthly choir, but sounding heavenly, with Jesus as our choirmaster, let’s sing: ‘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 was most excellent my people! Jesus was very pleased. Yuh see how we can come up to scratch when we need to, and when we put our hearts and souls in it. Now let’s go out into that wicked and foolish world and use that adrenalin that’s currently pumping through our veins and bodies to help us do what we’re supposed to do; win souls for Christ!
And we’re going to continue with the Bit of the last few days. ‘But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (in what he does).’
And that’s gospel truth! That’s the way our God operates; you do what He desires and He blesses you.
Now we’ll continue looking at some of the passages that the scholars referenced when they spoke about the ‘perfect law of liberty.’ ‘It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death.’ And one of the references for that was this one, where Bruh Paul talks to the Roman church about ‘Life in the Spirit.’
‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for (on account of) sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness (righteous requirement of) the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh, do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.’ (Rom.8:1-5)
Yeh friends, that’s as simple as it gets. Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of sin, through righteousness. But we have to give up the things of the flesh and live by the things of the Spirit if we want to accomplish that wonderful ideal.
Now here are a couple of notes from the scholars. ‘8:1. Many manuscripts omit “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” They don’t say why, but it seems that the sentence is better explained with those last few words.
‘8:3. Law…was weak: There is nothing inherently wrong with the law. The presence of sin renders the believer powerless to do what the law demands. The likeness of sinful flesh: Christ was truly human but not a sinner. (2 Cor.5:21).’
So my brethren, we see that the basic problem with mankind is his fallen nature, his sinful leanings based on the lusts of his flesh. That’s what Jesus came to correct through the righteousness of those who believe in Him, and live according to the law of His Holy Spirit, not in accordance with man’s fleshly lust.
And as Jesus said: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:21) That means if we are bent on seeking earthly treasure, then our hearts will be grounded in the world and the things of the flesh.
However, if, as Jesus desires, we are more concerned with seeking heavenly treasure, then our hearts will be set on the things of heaven, the things of Jesus, and we’ll be living by the law of His Spirit, not by that of man, and the prince of darkness, Lucifer.
And we’ll conclude today with that most important aspect of our Christian faith. Now let’s show the world as we go forth today, that our treasures and our hearts are indeed set on the things of heaven and not those of earth, for that is indeed true wisdom. Much LOVE!
…the treasures of earth are corruptible…but those of heaven are incorruptible…and thus much better for laying up…
16 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a god of judgement, a Jubilee Year of mercy, a personal relationship with Christ, a true believer, always forgives, barbecues, beer, benefit of the doubt, Bob Colaresi, disasters, drunk or sober mind your business, for He is good, for his mercy endureth for ever, frustration, get a toehold, give thanks unto the Lord, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, Granny's advice, hibernation, image of God, living in the lap, longing power, LOVE, Lucifer, magnanimous, mercy, motorbikes, Mt. Carmel, never leaves, pay lip service, Pope Francis, running to God, shortchange ourselves, Society of the Little Flower, sports cars, spring has sprung, strife, the heart is our centre, the heartbeat of God, tooling around, trying times, winter weather
1 Chronicles 16:34. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Well my people in the northern climes, this weekend’s temperatures are supposed to reach into the high teens… And all God’ people declared a loud and thankful ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
Yeh friends, I know the frustration that’s been running through our mortal souls for the last couple weeks, with the cold, unseasonable winter weather. But I think spring has finally sprung, and I know that you will be all out in the bright sunshine half-naked, tooling around in your sports cars, revving your motorbikes, getting your tans, and of course the backyards and decks will be crowded, with barbecues blazing, while the beer is being greedily chugged down in large quantities! (smile)
But please remember Granny’s advice; ‘drunk or sober, mind your business,’ because I know after the long winter hibernation, this sudden summer type weather can go to our heads and have us do foolish things, and thus allow Lucifer to get a foot hold in our souls, which is definitely not a good thing.
But enough of my rambling, I have something I want to share with you. I recently received a form letter from Fr. Bob Colaresi, the Director of The Monastery of Mount Carmel Society of the Little Flower – the Society that’s associated with St. Therese – and the opening paragraphs were so beautiful, I just had to share them with you.
The letter begins: ‘Beloved Friend, The heart is our centre. It pumps blood throughout. It beats with LOVE, longing and power. When we give our heart away, it signifies us giving ourselves away to someone.
In some ways our heart is who we are, especially as women and men created in the “image and likeness of God” Who is LOVE. We are created from LOVE, in LOVE and for LOVE. We believe in a God Who is recklessly in LOVE with us and longs for union.
Pope Francis has challenged the Church to celebrate a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Mercy is the heartbeat of God. For reasons hard to explain or understand we re-created a God of judgement.
Somehow we seem to forget the Good News: that God reveals Himself as Mercy and LOVE – the God who gives us the benefit of the doubt. The God Who is always present with unconditional LOVE – Who never leaves us and always forgives.’
Oh friends, what a wonderful description of our amazing God! But do we truly live like we are LOVED and shown mercy by our magnanimous heavenly Father? Of course not! Too many of us simply pay lip service to God’s LOVE and mercy, and only come running to Him when we find ourselves in a heap of trouble from which we cannot extricate ourselves.
But that’s certainly not wisdom for a true believer. For the true believer, living in the lap and luxury of God’s LOVE and mercy is an everyday, all day thing. It’s not something to embrace only when it suits our convenience, but we should be gloriously wallowing in it all the time, like pigs in mud. (smile)
That’s when we truly get all the benefits of being in a personal relationship with Christ. Otherwise we are foolishly shortchanging ourselves. And I don’t know about you all, but I definitely would like to receive all that God has earmarked for me, and the only way to do that is to live continuously in His LOVE and mercy, receiving stuff that we don’t deserve. That is true wisdom!
And when I went looking for a Bit to match the words and sentiments of Fr. Bob above, I came upon this sentiment of indisputable truth that was ever so appropriate. And it is also found in numerous places of the Good Book, which means it must be true and important. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.’
Now my brethren, if there ever was gospel truth, those words certainly qualify! And I simply cannot fathom why we are turning away from such a wonderful Deity in these turbulent and trying times. If there ever was a time for us to be running to God, it’s NOW!
Now when we are being rocked by so much strife and disasters, both natural and man-made. Just look at how Japan was turned topsy-turvy by two strong earthquakes in the last couple of days. Only with a strong and true belief in a powerful and living God can we find the strength and wherewithal to overcome that sort of thing. But this modern day, selfish, egotistic society is running away from God instead! Steups!
Ah Lord eh mih people! Sometimes I feel like I’m banging my head against a brick wall, all to no purpose, because people are not listening, they’re just too giddy, running behind the material things of the world. Anyway, that seems to be my cross to bear, so I’ll just have to bear it as best as I can. (smile)
Now let’s look at some of the times and occasions where our Bit can be found in the Good Book. The instance we’re using is found when Bruh David brought up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and the people celebrated and he wrote a glorious psalm of thanksgiving.
Then later on in 2 Chronicles, when Cousin Sol completed the Lord’s temple and dedicated it, the celebration was amazing. Listen to the Good Book describe it.
‘It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord.
So that the priests could not stand to minister (continue ministering) by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.’ (2 Chr.5:13-14)
Oh friends, we’ve run out of space and time, but yuh see what sincere praise and worship can do? It can cause our God to do miraculous stuff, because He just LOVES it when we praise and worship and glorify His Holy Name! That’s why He made us.
So in this Easter season, when God gave us the biggest gift of all, eternal life, through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, please let’s consider ramping up our praise and worship nuh, both as individuals and in fellowship, as the Church, the body of Christ. There could be no better reason. Then we’ll see our magnificent and magnanimous God do amazing and wonderful things in our lives! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing in this world…to beat God’s LOVING-kindness and mercy…ABSOLUTELY NOTHING…
13 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a hard row to hoe, alive and kicking, be not afraid, belief, blessings, Christian living, confess me before men, darkness, deny me bfore men, do what's right, doing Jesus' will, faith, fellowshipping, follow me, fooling ourselves, friends, glory hallelujah, God is good, God's goodness, gospel truth, harsh, have life abundantly, heaven on earth, hell on earth, I am halfway home, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, I'm so glad to be alive, if any man will come after me, kill the soul, laborious, let him deny himself, light, LOVE, loving kindness, many mansions in heaven, maturing in Christ, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, never to leave or forsake us, praying, put Jesus first, put up, reading the Bible, reprisals, sense of purpose, shut up, sincerity, spring-like weather, spunk, standing strong and steadfast, take up his cross daily, the breath of life, weather fluctuations, Wednesday Wail, with the Lord's help
Luke 9:23. And he said to them all, If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Well, well my people, it’s another bright, sunshiny day in the life! Let’s hope it’s at least a tad warmer than yesterday, as we hopefully move into true spring-like weather by the weekend. And all God’s people in the northern climes declared a loud ‘Glory Hallelujah!’
Yeh friends, the crazy weather fluctuations do begin to get frustrating after a while. However, the good news is that it’s Wednesday, and therefore we are bold to confess and declare our Wednesday Wail. So as one good wailer, let’s wail nuh mih breddren, with sincerity and a true sense of purpose.
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh friends, that was beautiful! I could hear the sincerity in our delivery. And why shouldn’t there be sincerity eh? We’re alive and kicking, doing our best to be Christ-like and mature more and more in our Christian walk of faith each day.
We know what Jesus has promised and what He’s already done for us, therefore we are standing strong and steadfast in His Word, doing His will and looking forward to the wonderful future He has planned for us, not only in the many mansions in heaven, but also down here on earth.
And yes my people, as Bruh David said, he don’t know what he would have done, had he not expected to see God’s goodness and LOVING-kindness down here. And Jesus also declared that He had come that we might have life, and have it abundantly.
So earthly living, though it can often be rough, is not meant to be a hell on earth, but more a heaven on earth! Therefore let’s get our minds focused on God’s goodness down here nuh, not simply on the rough spells we sometimes must go through.
Remember, life might not be fair, but God is GOOD my people, and if we live sincerely for Him, He will pour our His blessings on us.
And in light of all of that, it is imperative that we do as our Bit dictates. ‘And he said to them all, If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’
Oh precious people, I know that sounds somewhat harsh and laborious, but it really isn’t, because the essence of taking up one’s cross daily and following Jesus is simply living in His will; trying to do what’s right, reading the Bible, praying, fellowshipping, maturing, treating others as we want them to treat us. It’s just the everyday things of Christian living and discipleship.
Now, no one says it’s easy, but with God’s help it is doable, and yuh better believe, it’s always interesting. So please, let’s not allow the idea of taking up our cross daily, yes daily, turn us off. The important thing is to put Jesus FIRST in ALL that we do and say. For as He said yesterday, whoever puts anything or anybody before Him, is not worthy of Him. (Matt.10:36-39)
And today, He is telling the disciples to not be afraid of what man can do to them, because our heavenly father has us covered, so much so that even the hairs on our head are numbered. Sorry for those of you who have no hair. (smile)
So with truth, sincerity and power, Jesus declares: ‘Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered (veiled), that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the air, that preach ye upon the housetops.
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 soul and body in hell…
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.10:26-28; 32-33)
Ah mih people, it couldn’t be any clearer than that nuh. Don’t be afraid! Jesus said that numerous times to the disciples, and He’s still saying it to us today. But unfortunately we don’t seem to have the faith and belief and spunk that the disciples eventually gained, because we are not standing up as strong as we ought to for Jesus.
We are allowing the evil and ungodly world to just dismantle all that our Christian forefathers spent their lives building without a serious fight. We need to put up friends, or simply shut up!
And we’ll close with some interesting explanations from the scholars. ’10:32-37. Confess me means “Acknowledge that you belong to Me.” In reality, secret discipleship is a practical impossibility. Jesus constantly called for an open confession of Himself by His followers.
That our confession is to be before men clearly indicates that a public confession of true Christian faith is a virtual necessity. The warning whosoever shall deny me is a comprehensive historical aorist (no limitation) tense, referring not to one moment of denial (such as Peter’s), but to an entire lifelong resistance to Christ.
Therefore, a single act of denial does not make one unworthy of being a disciple, but a refusal to confess Christ at all, eliminates one from being a true follower of Jesus Christ.’
There we have it friends, in black and white! We cannot continually deny Jesus and expect to be His disciple. We must acknowledge Him without fear of reprisals. For He has promised to never leave nor forsake us, and to be a true believer, we must accept Him and His words as gospel truth. Otherwise, we’re just fooling ourselves, and that’s a real sad thing to do. Much LOVE!
…walking sincerely with Jesus is often a hard row to hoe…but hoe it we must…and with the Lord’s help…hoe it we will…
P.S. Late though it be, it’s value is still priceless. (smile) Much LOVE!
11 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accidents, almighty god, anguish, aura of love, bad weather, blessings, caring, confidence, conquerors, destruction, disdained, distress, drive carefully, enthusiasm, faith, faithful, fear, fools hate knowledge, friends, gospel truth, gusto, holy spirit, honey, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, lies, LOVE, mature believer, miserable Monday, mock, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morally dull, naive ones, naivete, personified, pour out my Spirit, practice, prophetess, public places, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, reproof, salvation, scorners delight in scorning, seek me, set at nought, simple ones, simpletons, simplicity, skill in living, snowy, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, study, taunts, terror, the fruit of their own way, them's the breaks, training, truth, ungodly world, wet, whirlwind, wiles, windy, wisdom
Proverbs 1:22. How long ye simple (naive) ones, will ye LOVE simplicity (naivete)? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
And then it was a wet, windy, snowy, slushy, icy, miserable Monday morning! Ah Lord eh! When is this nonsense going to end eh? I guess a certain amount of bad weather is allotted for every year, and since we didn’t get it when we were supposed to, while I was away, we’re getting it now that I’m back. Chuh! That’s exactly why I went away when I did.
Hn, hn! The Lord and His mysterious ways eh! But them’s the breaks friends, we just have to grin and bear it, because we don’t any other choice. We’ve got to work, and thus we have to get out on the roads in the nasty weather. So let’s leave home a little earlier than normal, and please, let’s take our time and drive even more carefully than usual, because in this kind of weather it doesn’t take much to cause fatal accidents.
And to help us on our faithful and fateful journey this morning, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with as much gusto and enthusiasm as we can manage.
As one heavenly choir 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!’
Oh friends, if that was how a heavenly choir sounds, then I surely don’t want to hear an earthly one! (smile) Now it wasn’t terrible terrible, but it surely did not come up to our usual standards. And you could see the disappointment on Jesus’ face as He tried His level best to get us to perform better. Let’s hope we do a whole lot better with His work out in the world.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, but first the verses that precede it, so we can put it into its proper context. ‘Wisdom crieth without (calls aloud in the street); she uttereth (raises) her voice in the streets (plazas). She crieth in the chief place of concourse (concourses), in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long ye simple (naive) ones, will ye LOVE simplicity (naiveté)? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?’ (Prov.1:20-22)
Ah my people, those are very good questions. Why you ask? Because wisdom is the number one attribute we all should seek, and not the world’s wisdom, but that of Almighty God. And what is wisdom, you further ask? Technically speaking it’s simply “skill in living.”
And one doesn’t obtain that by just being one of the boys. But one must apply oneself to its study and its practice. You can’t acquire any skill without study and practice. Why then do we think we can acquire that of living without going through the necessary training process eh?
And Cousin Sol is declaring that wisdom is out there, everywhere, shouting her head off for people to come and learn from her. Apparently back then not too many people were answering wisdom’s call, and unfortunately, not too many of us seem to be seeking it today either.
And the scholars have this to say about the whole dilemma. ‘1:20-33. Wisdom is personified as a prophetess calling in public places to everyone to come to her and learn. Three groups are especially singled out in the appeal: the simple ones, or untaught; the scorners, or scoffers; and the fools, or morally dull (v.22). The consequences of rejecting wisdom are immense (vs.26-28).’
And that is indisputable truth my brethren! But wisdom, like our God, is so caring and faithful that she continues to call out to the unwise ones in our midst…and there indeed a lot of us.
‘Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded: But ye have set at nought (disdained) all my counsel, and would (have) none of my reproof.’ (Prov.1:23-25)
Ah friends, we see it every day; the many scorners, simpletons and fools who refuse to acknowledge and accept wisdom as an enhancement for their lives. But as the old people would say, if you don’t hear, you’re going to feel. So when we don’t heed wisdom’s call, then we will pay the price. \
For wisdom has declared: ‘I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear (terror) cometh; When your fear (terror) cometh as desolation (a storm), and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early (diligently), but they shall not find me:
For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would (have) none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away (waywardness) of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity (complacency) of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (secure, at ease) from fear of evil.’ (Prov.1:26-33)
And that my people is indisputable truth! So please, as we go about Jesus’ business today, let’s all seek the elusive, but ever so necessary and important attribute called wisdom nuh, for it’s the mark of a true and mature believer. Much LOVE!
…wisdom, oh wisdom…thou art sweet like honey…how I LOVE thee and diligently seek thee…
10 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a clean heart, a prayer for cleansing, a right spirit, adultery, Alzheimer's, ascend up into heaven, awareness of God, Bathsheba, blessings, boomer generation, church, depart in peace, discernment, encouragement, eternally in God's presence, faith, fellowship, flee from thy presence, foolish, for our good, friends, Glen Campbell, God's directive, gospel truth, hardhearted, hellfire and brimstone, hide thy face from my sins, holy spirit, I will give thee rest, if I take the wings of the morning, iniquities, joy, like pulling teeth, LOVE, make me to hear joy and gladness, make my bed in hell, mercy, murder, my presence shall go with thee, night shineth as day, northern climes, obediently doing God's will, old-fashioned worship, other believers, praise, protective blanket, purge me with hyssop, rejoice, revitalization, Robert H Sculler, salvation, sanctuary, sinners converted, strong and steadfast, stubborn, thank you heavenly Father, the Lord's Day, the uttermost parts of the sea, thy hand lead me, thy right hand hold me, to face tomorrow, transgressors, Uriah, wash me, we can't run from God, whiter than snow, whither shall I go from thy spirit, wisdom, worship, youth
Exodus 33:14. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Awright my fellow believers, it’s the first day of the week; Sunday, the Lord’s Day, that means we need to be making our way to church at some stage of the day, to praise and worship and rejoice and fellowship with other believers. Now that’s not my directive, but our God’s. (Ex.20:8-11)
So if we want to be truly obedient then we will gladly do His will and don’t behave like it’s pulling teeth, like we’re being forced to go, and if we don’t, hellfire and brimstone might fall down on us. Now it just might… (smile)
But please remember friends, this is for our good, not for God’s. He already has all He wants, and whether we praise and worship Him or not, will not change His situation, but it will surely change ours.
So let’s stop being, stubborn, hardhearted and foolish and get ourselves to the Lord’s sanctuary, so that we can receive His blessings, mercy, encouragement, LOVE and revitalization to face tomorrow and the rest of the week strong and steadfast.
And all God’s children declared a loud and proud shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His Holy Name! All power and glory be unto Him!’
Ah mih people, what’s happening to our faith today eh? There seems to be more churches of different denominations, or no denomination, than ever before, but overall the total number of worshippers doesn’t seem to be increasing that much. What seems to be happening is that believers are leaving one church for another, so while some churches are packed to capacity, others are almost empty, especially of the youth of our society.
It also seems that the youth of today can’t handle the staid, dirge-like, old fashioned worship of the established churches, and when they do go to church are opting for the more modern, new-fangled style of worship. Now that is something the established churches will have to figure out if they intend to survive this boomer generation. They’ll definitely have to invoke God’s wisdom and discernment to fix that problem.
But enough preamble, let’s turn to our Bit. ‘And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’
Oh friends, whenever we sincerely seek the Lord and diligently try to be obedient to His will, His presence surrounds us like a warm, protective blanket in the heart of winter. Hn! Many of us could use one of those blankets right about now, as the cold weather refuses to depart in peace from the northern climes. (smile)
Now let’s turn to some scripture to corroborate the words of our Bit. Hear Bruh David from Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing – after Nathan the prophet had draped him up for his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah.
He cries out to God for mercy and cleansing, admitting his sin: ‘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 mine 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.’ (Ps.51:7-13)
Oh precious people, can you imagine the state Bruh David must have been in when he realized that God had marked his selfish and foolish abominations, after He had been so good and generous to him. Note his words in verse 11: ‘Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.’ He knew how essential it was to be in God’s presence, with His Holy Spirit leading him. Without those two things, he might as well be dead.
And on a more current and sadder note, I recently read in the newspapers about Glen Campbell’s losing fight with Alzheimer’s disease. We all remember him from his hit making days, with songs like ‘Rhinestone Cowboy, By the time I get to Phoenix,’ and my personal favourite ‘Gentle on my mind.’
Now, at age 79, he’s living in a memory care community in Nashville, apparently not even able to play the guitar anymore. How sad. But his wife Kim had this to say: ‘Faith has always been the central part of our relationship. I’m so pleased that as Glen has entered the later stages of this illness, it’s evident that he has retained his awareness of God.
There have been times when he’d walk over to the window and look at the beautiful trees outside, and he’d just raise his hands and say, “Thank you, heavenly father.” He could barely speak at all, but he could come up with “We’re so blessed,” or “Thank you heavenly father.”
That really comforts me to know that he has that sense of God’s presence in his life, that he’s not alone, even if I’m not right next to him.’
And all God’s people said, ‘Amen.’
Let’s hope and pray friends, that any of us who head down that sad and lonely road, will also feel the comforting presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, even though we can’t put it into words.
Now let’s end with these immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God. And every time I read the words or hear it spoken, I remember the most memorable reading of it I’ve ever heard, that by Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) one day from the Crystal Cathedral. The way he acted it out, it got stuck in my mind forever.
Listen to these most appropriate words. ‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, surely the darkness shall cover (fall on, hide) me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ (Ps.139:7-12)
And all of that is gospel truth friends! We can’t run nor hide from God, even if we are foolish enough to try. So please, today, let’s go about obediently doing His will nuh, for it’s in our best interest to do so. Much LOVE!
…to be eternally in God’s awesome presence…is why we were created…
04 Apr 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of the Most High God, aura of love, be likened unto the Lord, care, Christian, compassion, confidence, Creator of the universe, enthusiasm, eternal life, eternal separation from God, Ethan the Ezrahite, friends, from the rising of the sun, fun, glorious kingdom, God is to be feared, gospel truth, greater toronto area, holy spirit, humble servants, icy, inroads into the enemy's ranks, invincible, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, lies, lifts the needy out of the dunghill, Lord and Master of all, LOVE, meet the enemy in battle, mercy, might and glory, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pay me now or pay me later, peace, Praise the Lord, purpose of life, Rahab, raises up the poor, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, slippery, snowy, spiritual armour, spring, steadfast faith, the assembly of saints, the heathen, the Lamb's Book of Life, the Maytag man, the sons of the mighty, thy strong arm, trust, truth, ungodly world, wake up call, weary souls, wet, who can be compared to God, wisdom
Psalm 89:6. For who in heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?
Oh precious people living in the Greater Toronto area, please be careful as you go out to work this Monday Morning because it’s wet, snowy, icy and slippery! Ah Lord eh! I thought now was supposed to be spring. But I guess since we did not get much snow during the official winter season we’re getting some now.
As the Maytag man used to say in his advertisement; ‘Pay me now, or pay me later,’ intimating that one way or another you’re going to pay. It looks like the same thing with the snow; you might get away for a while, but eventually that white stuff will come back to haunt you when you least expect it.
So friends, please leave home even earlier than normal, and please take your time, look out for the other drivers, because ofttimes they are the ones causing the problems. End of sermon! (smile)
Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much verve and chutzpah. I know that the crappy weather will dampen your spirits, but we’ve got to rise above it and offer the sacrifice of praise with a fair measure of passion.
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!’
Ah friends, that wasn’t the greatest nuh. It wasn’t really bad, but it did not come up to the level of our recent renditions. Our choir master, Jesus wasn’t really displeased either, because He knows our frailties and our weaknesses and knows firsthand how we can wax hot and cold in relatively short periods of time. (smile)
Now let’s turn to our wonderful Bit. ‘For who in heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?’
Yes my fellow believer, we might not be able to sing well this morning, but we do know that the answer to that question is ‘ABSOLUTELY NOBODY!’
Ah friends, when will the rest of the world wake up and realize that eh? When Jesus comes back in His full might and glory? Unfortunately it will be too late then, so we have to issue them a serious wake-up call right now my people. Let the heathen know that Jesus Christ is Lord and Master of ALL, and only through Him will true salvation and eternal life be accessed.
Anyone not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will face eternal separation from God, and that is certainly the worse fate than can ever befall a human being. Now hear how the psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite continues after our Bit.
‘God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him. O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? Or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
Thou hast broken Rahab (Egypt) in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm. The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them.’ (Ps.89: 7-11)
And we all know that as gospel truth, so how can any other being be greater than our God eh? No way Jose!
And furthermore, from Psalm 113 – God’s mercies are many – the psalmist proudly proclaims: ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill (ash heap); That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He maketh (causes) the barren (childless) woman to keep house (dwell in a home), and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.113:2-9)
My sentiments exactly my brethren! A God who has mercy and looks down favourably on the poor and needy is definitely my kind of God!
Ah mih people, we’re going to end here today; make the message short and sweet. (smile) In any case, we know that our God is great, rather THE GREATEST, and greatly to be praised. We don’t have to prove that to anybody.
Nonetheless, let’s go out today, and by our words and conduct, let’s show the heathen how a child of the Most High, the One and Only God Jehovah operates out of LOVE, care and compassion, for it’s what our Lord and Saviour Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…to be a Christian…a servant of the Most High God…is the very essence and purpose of life and living…
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