02 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, Adam, advanced civilization, adversity, all voices cry Lord, asap, be ye holy, blessed, boost his ego, by one man's disobedience, by the obedience of one, celebration for mMay, conforming to former lusts, dance the maypole, devoured with the sword, disobedience, drowning in, eat the good of the land, eternal life, example of obedience, found in appearance, Garden of Gethsemane, God is awesome, gospel truth, grace, greed, halfway home, hodgepodge, hope to the end, humbled himself, I am holy, Israelites, keep his word, looking straight ahead, many shall be made righteous, many were made sinners, Matt Chandler, midway point, mire, my hands are on the plough, not my will, obedience, obedient, obedient children, obedient unto death, pestilence, poor relationships, poverty, prepare your mind for action, quicksand, rebel, refuse, salvation, sickness, sin flooded the world, sky high, smarten up, sober, suffering, the bondage of sin, the breath of life, the cross at Calvary, the death of Jesus, the fat of rams, the Garden of Eden, the highest position, the mouth of the Lord, the revelation of Jesus, to hearken, to obey is better than sacrifice, to whom all knees will bow, too macho, total obedience, trials, Village chruch, Wednesday Wail, willing
Isaiah 1:19. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
And then it was Wednesday; the midway point of the work week… And we’re getting a li’l bit earlier everyday with the Bit. (smile) Hope within the next few days we’ll be back to an early morning Bit. And when are we going to dance the Maypole eh people? Wonder if some of the young people even know what that is.
It’s a celebration for the month of May. You have a tall decorated flagpole with long ribbon streamers attached at the top, and then everybody takes a ribbon and dances around it to form an intricate pattern all the way down the pole. I remember going to May fairs as a boy in High School, but usually thinking myself too macho to dance the maypole. That was something for girls.
Now here is a li’l something from Matt Chandler, lead Pastor of the Village Church, a Southern Baptist Church in Texas. He tells us that ‘God is awesome. He doesn’t need us to be awesome. He needs us to be obedient.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth friends?
All our magnanimous and magnificent God really wants from us is obedience to His law. If we’d only practice greater obedience, we’d be surprised at how blessed we’d truly be. But we insist on choosing our own areas of obedience. However my brethren, our God wants total obedience from His people. Not some obedience here, and some obedience there, like a hodgepodge of obedience and disobedience.
And friends, the Lord made His intentions clear a long time ago to the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah in our Bit. ‘If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.’ That’s fairly simple and straightforward eh my fellow believers.
And the corollary to that is the next verse: ‘But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is.1:20) And it’s not like the Israelites, who were found to be disobedient several times did not suffer by the sword and all kinds of pestilence.
I don’t know why we think that the Lord isn’t going to keep His word. He kept it with the Israelites and He’s going to keep it with us too, as our disobedience level is riding sky high. Can’t we see all the unusual things that are happening in our society? And even though we’re the most advanced civilization ever, we’re still flailing along in a mire of poverty, sickness, greed and poor relationships.
A lot of our trouble stems from our disobedience. The Lord is not going to allow us to continue the way we’re currently going forever, so we need to smarten up as soon as possible, if we want to get out of the quicksand that we’re slowly drowning in.
Now let’s look at some important scriptures that tell us about obedience. And we’ll begin at the beginning, with the words of Bruh Paul to the Roman church. ‘For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.’ (Rom.5:19).
Yeh friends, by Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, sin flooded the world, likewise by the sacrificial death of Jesus, on the cross at Calvary, grace, salvation, and eternal life were provided by our Lord to overcome the bondage of sin.
And more words from Bruh Paul, this time to the Philippian church, pertaining to Jesus. ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:9)
Oh my people, there’s no better example of obedience than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Though He was God Himself, once He took the form of man, He didn’t try to boost His ego or importance here on earth, but gave total obedience to His heavenly father. Even when He tried to get out of going to the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane, He finally gave in and said, ‘not my will, but thine,’ acknowledging the Father’s supremacy.
As Hebrews tells us: ‘Though he (Jesus) were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of salvation unto all them that obey him.’ (Heb.5:8-10) Yeh people, Jesus learned obedience just like all of us do, through suffering, through adversity and trials. That’s the only way to learn it. And that’s why the Father elevated him to the highest position there is; the one to whom all knees will bow, and all voices will cry Lord to the glory of the Father.
Now listen to this last scripture from Peter in his call to Christian dedication. ‘Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind (prepare your mind for action), be sober, and hope to the end for the grace (rest your hope fully upon the grace) that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
As obedient children, not fashioning (conforming) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct). Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.’’ (1 Pet.2:13-16)
I can’t say anything more friends, except to lead us in our declaration of our Wednesday Wail, which tells the world our strong and obedient position in Christ.
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!’
And we can’t even imagine how glorious that future will be, because our minds are too small and finite! Much LOVE!
…to obey is better than sacrifice…and to hearken than the fat of rams… (1 Sam.15:22b)
10 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful morning, a man's life, adversity, Anselm, be merry, be thankful, became poor, beware of covetousness, can't do it all, Christians, consisteth not, covet not, covetousness, detracts from the cold, drink, eat, evil, example of Jesus, faith, for your sakes, get so proud, God's graciousness, gospel truth, greed, grow, have too much, hunger after, hunker down, Jesus' warning, lay up treasure in heaven, lays up treasure, learn from our mistakes, lesson, life is short, mature, nasty nature, never strong enough, parable of the rich fool, part of the answer, pay as you go, plenty, prosperity, pursue what you want, refuse to ask for help, relationship with god, rich towards God, rough times, sad state of affairs, seed of every failure, seek God's kingdom, seeking more worldly stuff, shining forth brilliantly, take heed, take thine ease, tax our well-being, the abundance of things, the grace of our Lord, the Greek, the SON, the Sun, the ungodly, theJew, thou fool, umbrella of adversity, you don't need help
Luke 12:15. And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Come on friends, it’s a beautiful morning, so let’s go outside for a ride nuh! Oh, I forgot that it’s still somewhat chilly in my neighbourhood. (smile) But when the Sun and the SON are both shining forth so brilliantly it detracts from the freezing cold and you don’t even notice it.
Hn! And I hear some of you mutter in the background: ‘Good for you! You might not notice the cold, but I certainly will.’ Ah mih people, life is short, so why not enjoy as much of it as possible eh? A li’l cold never kill anybody yet! ‘That’s what you say,’ comes the reply.
Anyhow, we won’t argue over such trivial things on such a beautiful day. (smile) Let’s simply agree that it’s a beautiful Saturday morning, and therefore time to check out what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his attempt to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Hear this first one: ‘You are never strong enough that you don’t need help.’ And that’s gospel truth my friends and fellow believers! Regardless of how strong we become, we’ll ALWAYS need the help of others, simply because we can’t do it all on our own. So please, don’t ever get so proud that you refuse to ask for help, because that’s what family, friendship and fellowship are for.
And the second quote says: ‘There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.’ More gospel truth my brethren! For in the seed of every failure lies a part of the answer to our improvement. As they say; we must learn from our mistakes. And it only makes sense. If we do something one way, and it fails, why do it the same way again eh?
And as Christians, we know that we only learn, mature and grow under the umbrella of adversity. When times are good we don’t grow or mature as much because everything is fine and there’s nothing much to tax our mental, spiritual and physical well-being. But when times are rough, we need to hunker down and figure out how to make them smooth again.
Now here comes the last quote: ‘Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.’ More gospel truth people! But unfortunately, in our current society; too many of us are not thankful for what we have. We keep on wanting and seeking for more worldly stuff, without ever considering being thankful for what we already have.
And don’t be surprised, it’s not only the ungodly who do that, many Christian brethren do it too. We simply hunger after things, then quickly forget them once we possess them. That’s a sad state of affairs. The problem might just be that we simply have too much. I’m sure if we had half as much as we do, and it was incredibly difficult to get any more, like how it is for the greater portion of our world, we’d certainly be thankful for the little that we had.
But prosperity and plenty in today’s world, just doesn’t seem to lead to thankfulness, as it should. Thus Jesus’ warning in our Bit, from His parable of the rich fool. ‘And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’
Ah friends, that’s oh so true, but too many of us don’t seem to realize it, as we continue to run down the world’s wealth, despite the inherent problems contained therein. As Jesus described the rich fool who had so much and only thought of himself, wallowing in his worldly wealth and contemplating how to increase it.
‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:19-21)
Now the scholars offer an interesting explanation of all that. ‘12:21. Here Jesus brings out the meaning of verses 16-20. Notice that what Jesus calls for follows quite logically out of his own example (2 Cor.8:9), as well as out of God’s graciousness toward all who seek Him (Rom.10:12). Jesus is not speaking of a pay-as-you-go faith, but of participation in a relationship in which God already provides what He wishes His people to give back to Him.’
Meanwhile, to clarify that explanation, I’ll quote those verses listed above. The first one talks about Jesus’ example. ‘For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.’ (2. Cor.8:9)
And the next one refers to God’s graciousness to all men. ‘For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.’ (Rom. 10:12) Yes friends, God is rich and generous to all who come to Him in sincerity and truth, and we don’t need to run down the world’s fallible wealth, because God will provide sufficient to meet all our needs when we honour and obey Him.
And you know what happens when we die and leave great wealth? Some of the worst fights erupt over their dispossession. That’s when the real nasty nature, the evil and greed of mankind truly comes out, and the lawyers end up getting most of what we left behind. So please let’s be wise and seek God’s kingdom first, and lay up treasure in heaven rather than down here on earth nuh. Much LOVE!
…be thankful…and covet not …
01 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: add insult to injury, all knees bow, all things consist, angelic beings, authorities, awesome glory, before all things, believing, black up, boundaries, by himself, Christian faith, Colossian heresy, control, dominions, drink up mih liquor, each step, eat down the place, exaltation, fellowship, first-born, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, greed, incompetence, inhumane behaviour, injustice, invisible, Jesus Christ, make a decent living, overboard, party like no tomorrow, pay homage to angels, pittance for pay, powers, pre-eminent Christ, principalities, prosperous world, purged our sins, ranks of angels, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, rulers, sat down, sins, slave labour, slaving finish, song of freedom, strife, studying the Word, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the brightness of his glory, the enemy, the express image of his person, the means of livelihood, the right hand of the majesty, the tempter's grasp, the weekend situation, the word of his power, thrones, thumb mih nose, upholding all things, visible, week of work, workingman, worship
Hebrews 1:3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Ah yes friends, we’ve finally progressed to the magical day called Friday… And the workingman will most definitely remind us of that fact as he vociferously declares his song of freedom. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday, and slaving finish for this week! The next couple days is mih own to do with exactly as I please. And brother, yuh better believe I’m going to do just that!
Wow! I’m going to eat down the place, if I want to; drink up mih liquor until ah black up and tumbling down; party like there was no tomorrow, and just thumb mih nose at the massa till Monday morning roll around again. Whew! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes, otherwise I’d just go crazy with this slave labour and a pittance for pay!’
Unfortunately my brethren, the ordinary workingman is finding it increasingly difficult to make a decent living in this prosperous world through the greed, incompetence and inhumane behaviour of those who own and control the means of livelihood. And sometimes you can’t really blame him when he goes overboard because the rampant injustice and strife in our society is more than enough to drive a body crazy.
Luckily for us, we belong to the Christian faith, where our Leader Jesus Christ applies boundaries to our behaviour, so we don’t go overboard and fall into the tempter’s grasp. That’s why our Friday Chant is so different to the workingman’s song. So let’s chant it out now nuh, and thus give us the better picture of how believers ought to handle the weekend situation.
In chorus 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 my fellow believers, we ought to put Christ first and get ourselves ready for another week of work, rather than add insult to injury by beating down our bodies even further and giving the enemy control of our lives. And for all of our blessings and good tidings, we have to thank our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as our Bit says:
‘Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.’
And today we are going to delve a li’l deeper into verses 16-17 of Col.1, where Bruh Paul talks about the pre-eminence of Christ, to help us understand the full significance of our Bit. ‘For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in (on) earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities (rulers), or powers (authorities): all things are created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by (in) him all things consist.’ (Col.1:16-17)
The scholars then explain thus: ‘1:16. This verse provides the reason Christ is called the “first-born” in verse 15. Paul’s rationale is this: Since by him were all things created, then, (1) Christ must have existed before the universe, and (2) He must be greater than all He made. Thrones…dominions…principalities…powers all refer to angelic beings (cf. Eph.1:21; 3:10).
“Thrones” refer to angels who sit on thrones as rulers; “dominions” refer to domains or kingdoms over which these heavenly beings reign; “principalities” refer to rulers, and “powers” refer to angelic monarchs who wield regal power. Since Christ created these various ranks of angels, He is supreme over them.
Striking a blow at the Colossian heresy advocating angel worship (2:18), this text forbids Christians to pay homage to angels or other heavenly beings created by God.’ And re ‘1:17. By him all things consist: That is by Him all things are held together; Christ now preserves all that He made in Creation.’
Yeh friends, Christ made it all, and now holds His creation together, as He sits at the Father’s right hand advocating on our behalf. So let’s remember that and thus keep everything in its proper perspective: Christ is Creator, Lord and Saviour, and the ONLY ONE deserving of worship and exaltation, not angels or any other beings He has made.
Tomorrow we will touch some more on the angel situation, but for today, let’s ponder what we’ve said and keep believing, keep studying the Word and living it out successfully in this evil world, in Jesus name, I pray. Much LOVE!
…to whom eventually shall all knees bow…and all lips declare His awesome glory…JESUS…
28 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a fool is considered wise, a fool's wisdom, Anselm, behind you, cheap thing no good, Christian's mantra, Christians, communication, Confucius, deceitful, disgusting, distance yourself from people, divine programme, divinely led, do God's will, don't waste words, enthusiasm, falling apart, fraud, friend, generosity, generous, getting, give, giving, giving of oneself, good measure, good thing no cheap, greed, Guide, hoarding, holy spirit, homelessness, if they care, it shall be given, joy, keeps his mouth shut, know where you stand, lead, lendeth to the Lord, LOVE, material wealth, men give into your bosom, on your side, pity upon the poor, poor economic conditions, positive heart, poverty, pressed down, purging, rampant, reap what you sow, running over, senseless talking, shaken together, silence is golden, silence., sleep in, talents, talk behind your back, the richest man in the cemetery, the same measure you use, time, treasures, wisdom
Luke 6:38. Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured to you again.
It’s a brand new day friends, so rise and greet it with joy and enthusiasm! Oh yeah! It’s also Saturday, which means some of us want to sleep in. Well then sleep in with joy and enthusiasm! (smile)
The important thing is that we have the joy of Jesus in us in whatever we do or don’t do. Let His wondrous Spirit simply lead and guide us wherever He may want us to go. But sadly, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us is a problem for many believers.
We either can’t decipher what He wants us to do, or simply don’t want to go where He wants to lead us. But friends, as Christians, the Holy Spirit is our divine guide here on earth, so if He is not leading us, then we’re not being divinely led. As simple as that!
So please, let’s get wise and ask the Lord to help us understand when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, so that we can faithfully and trustingly follow Him, and thus do God’s will. Now let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his noble intention to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
This first one says: ‘Don’t worry about those who talk behind your back. They’re behind you for a reason.’ And I guess that makes sense. If people need to talk behind your back, then that means they have no parts, and you have no use for them.
That leads us to this quote: ‘Sometimes you just need to distance yourself from people. If they care, they’ll notice. If they don’t, you know where you stand.’ And is that ever so true my brethren! These days people are so deceitful and disgusting that we have to be very careful about whom we associate with.
And sometimes the Holy Spirit will just lead us away from those who don’t fit into our divine programme. And as the quote says, ‘If they care they’ll notice.’ And if they don’t, then you’ll know they were never on your side in the first place.
And emotionally, that can be tough, but as our next quote comforts: ‘Sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling into place.’ Yeh, so if you seem to be losing people from your inner circle, it might actually be a good thing.
The Lord might just be purging the ones you don’t need anymore to rise up and do His will. So ‘Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.’
Remember the age-old saying that silence is golden, and Cousin Sol’s words that even a fool is considered wise when he keeps his mouth shut. And right now, with the ease of worldwide communication, too much useless and senseless talking is indeed a problem.
However, it is an important, though difficult lesson for us to learn. Sometimes it’s just best to shut up! And finally: ‘Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful … that’s what matters to me.’
Yes friends, as true believers, material wealth, in and of itself, should not matter that much to us, but what it enables us to do for others is important. And it’s so good to go to bed at night knowing that you have helped someone in need.
There’s no better feeling in the universe than giving of oneself, one’s treasures and talents and time to others! That’s why our Lord and Saviour, our Leader, Jesus Christ warned us about giving in our Bit.
‘Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured to you again.’
Yeh mih breddren, the manner in which we give, the measure we use to give, that’s the same measure and manner that will be used to give back to us. So if we give with a generous, positive heart, then others will give back to us with a generous, positive heart.
However, if we behave like Scrooge and give grudgingly, that’s exactly how we will be treated. It’s all about reaping what you sow my brethren. In God’s economy, you don’t reap more than you sow, unless it’s with true generosity.
Notice Cousin Sol’s words from Proverbs. ‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.’ (Prov.19:17)
Unfortunately though my people, in this modern society the emphasis is on getting, rather than giving. We all want to know what we can get, instead of what we can give. No wonder that greed and fraud and hoarding are so rampant in our society, which leads to a lot of poverty, homelessness and poor economic conditions.
And nowadays, we’re always searching for something of good value, hoping to pay little or nothing for it. But friends, that’s a fool’s wisdom! As Confucius is reputed to have said: ‘Good thing no cheap, and cheap thing no good!’ (smile)
So in general, the value of what you receive, will equal the amount you pay for it. So please, let’s stop thinking about always getting nuh, and concentrate on giving instead. That’s the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…to give…to give….and yet to give again…that should be the Christian’s mantra…
20 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's spirit, a safe journey, a strong wind, afflictions, as a roaring lion, back-breaking labour, believers, billowing, boundaries, chink, christ jesus, close to God, confirm, cut offs, devour, dominion, draw near to God, each step I take, establish, eternal glory, eternal life, evil henchmen, faith walk, fellowship, flee from you, footholds, for ever and ever, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, glory to God, go overboard, gospel truth, grace, greed, Guide, have so little, heavenly breath, hold tight to Jesus, hope, in Christ's name, in Jesus' name, in the world, insight, invade, James, Jesus Christ, Jesus' philosophy, keeping the enemy at bay, laze about, lies, life's waterways, limits, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Lucifer, make you perfect, mates, of no use, party, phenomenal speed, pilot, reinventing itself, relaxation, resist in the faith, resist the devil, respecter of persons, respite, rest, sails, salvation, seeking whom he may devour, sensible prayer, settle, share bounty, slave work, sleep, sober, spiritual armour, strengthen, submit to God, suffered, temptation, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the devil, the God of all grace, the poor getting poorer, the rich getting richer, the straight and narrow path, toeholds, vigilant, walk with god, walks about, week of work, weekend, wiles, workingman, your adversary
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Ahoy there mates! How are your sails holding up today eh? I do hope that they are full and billowing with a strong wind so that you can be pushed smoothly along life’s wide and plentiful waterways.
And if Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour is breathing His powerful heavenly breath upon your sails, then you can be assured of a safe journey. It won’t always be smooth sailing, for life is never completely calm, but you will reach your destination safely. With Jesus as your guide and pilot, I can guarantee you that!
And as most of us know, (smile) it’s Friday, so it’s no surprise to hear the workingman singing his song. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Massa slave work soon done, then my time is all mine! Glory to God! Ah going to party and sleep and laze about … then party and sleep and laze about some more…all weekend! Thank God for Fridays and weekends, for the short respite from back-breaking labour for li’l pay!’
Ah mih people, the ordinary man’s life is getting harder though our society is prosperously reinventing itself at phenomenal speed. Why is that eh? In an age of so much, so many have so little…
And it doesn’t seem to be getting better though millions of voices are crying out for help. In fact it seems to be getting worse, for the rich are indeed getting richer and greedier, while the poor are getting poorer and falling further behind, if that is at all possible.
Ah Lord eh! When will mankind ever learn to share his bounty with others eh? I guess not until Jesus comes to set up His eternal kingdom and greed and such negative things are removed from His world.
Anyway, for believers, we do have HOPE… lot’s of it, and we just need to hold tight to Jesus and we’ll be okay. Now let’s refute the workingman’s song with our own Friday Chant. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
And that’s a more sensible prayer, one in keeping with Jesus’ philosophy. It doesn’t allow us to go overboard in any area of our lives, but does it’s best to keep us on the straight and narrow, where we can have rest, enjoyment and fellowship, while being rejuvenated in body and soul, so we can start out strong next week.
Wise, faithful believers will tend towards that guideline, while the unwise will want to overdo the partying and lazing around aspect, then come Monday morning and time to go back to work, they are of no use to themselves or anybody else.
Boundaries, friends, boundaries, limits, cut offs, are very necessary in a believer’s life, for if we go too far, we’ll simply allow the enemy to gain footholds, toeholds, etc, in our lives, a situation that is totally unacceptable.
Hence our Bit for today: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet.5:8-9)
And that is the gospel truth my brethren! Lucifer and his evil henchmen are constantly on the lookout for ways to invade a believer’s spirit and thus get him or her off of Jesus’ program of salvation and eternal life. Even the teeny, ‘weeniest’ chink in our spiritual armour will have them salivating.
And remember that Lucifer and his bandits are no respecter of persons, they attack everybody, especially believers. So please don’t think that you are alone in facing and experiencing temptation. It’s a worldwide game.
Now here is some invaluable insight from James into keeping the enemy at bay. ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you…’ (James 4:7-8a)
Yeh friends, keeping the enemy at bay involves two basic actions; vigorously and continuously resisting him, while drawing ever closer to God. They are not always easy actions to perform, but if we’re serious about our walk with God, and sincerely ask for His help, we can do it.
And why are we sure of that? Peter explains. ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:10-11)
Oh friends, I know we’ve heard this message over and over again, but it’s one we need to repeatedly hear so that we can stay on the right path, to remember that the enemy is always lurking, trying to bring us down to his unholy level.
So today, I implore us to pay serious attention to our faith walk, stay close to God, and not give the enemy any chance whatsoever to devalue it. I pray this in Christ’s name. Amen! Much LOVE my brethren!
…be on the lookout…always…for the enemy’s wiles and lies…
28 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a liar, a parable, and not faint, blessings, bring us close together, calamitous circumstances, commandments, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, curse, devastation, disaster, enter not into temptation, fall has finally fallen, feuding, foolish people, forgiving, Garden of Gethsemane, God is our only true help, greed, heavenly advocate, help, hurricane Maria, keepeth not his commandments, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, loving-kindness, lust for power, men ought always to pray, merciful, negative word, North Carolina, our Lord and Saviour, power of prayer, pray, preoccupations, prosper, purge the evil, rebuild, recover, Redeemer, religious intolerance, righteous lives, rumours of wars, sacrificed His sinless life, safe not sorry, self-control, self-discipline, sensible headway, share blessings, Sovereign ruler, strife, succeed, talent, temptation, the flesh is weak, the spirit is willing, Thursday Blessings, to this end, topsy turvy world, trust in jesus, truth, ungodliness, warmongering, wars, watch and pray, wild fires, wisdom, wise advice of Jesus
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
So friends, like fall has finally fallen! (smile) Yes, it’s still dark out at 7 a.m, it’s somewhat chilly, only 13 degrees, and yesterday I finally saw a set of fallen dry leaves merrily dancing in my driveway! That alone indicates to me that the weather has changed, or is changing.
Anyway, North Carolina is still feeling the wind and water effects of hurricane Maria with plenty shoreline flooding, as she makes her way northward and out to sea. Ah Lord eh friends, it certainly has been a devastating couple of months in so many places from so many forces!
And so much disaster has befallen us in the south and east, that we have forgotten that out in the west, where the devastation first began, they are still daily battling wild fires. Please, let’s continue to pray for them and help in any way we can, as we try to recover and rebuild on this side of the continent.
And my biggest prayer is that this set of calamitous circumstances will truly bring us close together, as we help each other. Also, that it will eventually lead to us realizing that God is our ONLY true help in this uncertain world, which will further lead us to wisely embracing His LOVING-kindness once more, as the Sovereign Ruler over our society.
In other words, we will purge the evil from our midst and go back to trying to live righteous lives, under His merciful and forgiving umbrella. That’s the ONLY thing that makes sense in this topsy-turvy world my brethren!
Right now we need the biggest LOVE Revolution our planet has ever seen if we’re to make any serious and sensible headway in our society. Just look at the number of wars, rumours of wars and bitter strife that’s taking place in our world, despite the overwhelming disasters in almost every part of the planet.
One would think getting together to alleviate those disasters would be the prime target of all nations. Hn! But no, feuding, warmongering, greed, religious intolerance and lust for power still seem to be our major preoccupations!
What a foolish people we are! And yet we boast about mankind being God’s greatest and wisest creation! Steups! What a joke!
Anyway, let’s turn to our Bit, which tells us the basic thing we need to do in this life, if we’re to succeed and prosper. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’
Yeh my fellow believers, that’s the wise advice of our Lord and Saviour, our Redeemer and heavenly Advocate, the ONE who sacrificed His sinless life for us. So if we say that we believe in Him, then we ought to do what He says.
And John tells us right up front: ‘He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:4)
Unfortunately my people, that means we have a whole lot of liars in our society since so many of us don’t keep Christ’s commandments, although we claim to be believers! But that’s another story for another day! (smile)
Today we’re concerned with prayer and praying. And in Jesus’ most strenuous and difficult moments, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before His crucifixion, what was he doing? Praying to His heavenly Father. So Jesus knew the power of prayer and consistently practiced it.
On that momentous night, He also uttered another serious warning on the subject. His inner circle of disciples were supposed to be watching and praying with Him: ‘And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Matt.26:40-41)
That’s oh so true friends, but not too many, or not enough of us consider those words today, and that’s a major reason why our society is so awash in evil and ungodliness. So please, let’s consider them more than we do right now nuh. It’s all for our benefit, not God’s!
And if we sincerely believe and trust in Jesus, then let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. Remember there is power in the word, and speaking it only enhances that power.
So in unison, emphatically and enthusiastically: ‘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!’
Glory be mih people! Now let’s go out and share those blessings as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…to be safe and not sorry…watch and pray…
16 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer in Jesus Christ, a perfect world, a state of crisis, be thou envious, boundaries, burdens, Christians, disasters, drink, eat, evil, evildoers, exalt thee, fellowship, fight for power, final resting place, Fret not thyself over evildoers, Friday chant, fun, glorious kingdom, God's greatest creation, greed, heartwarming, heavenly Father, homelessness, hurt's one's heart, immense role, in Jesus' name, in time of trouble, inherit the land, iniquity, Jesus Christ, job losses, joblessness, joyfully declare, looking over yuh shoulder, measly pennies, our Lord and Saviour, outsourcing, party, peace, personal aggrandisement, poverty, refreshing reaction, relaxation, rest, righteous, salvation of the righteous, shake we bodyline, sickness, slave labour, slave master, strength, strife, technology, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanks and praise, the blameless man, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the rich getting richer, the upright, the weekend, the wicked destroyed, the workers of iniquity, the workingman, transgressors, trust in God, unfeeling way of life, wait on the Lord, warmongering, wars
Psalm 37:1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Ah mih people, it’s Friday and the ole fella doesn’t know what to write… Imagine that nuh! (smile) But I have no doubt that the Lord will lead me where He wants me to go eventually.
Our world is in such a state of crisis that it doesn’t even make sense to talk about the wars and strife that are rife all over, neither the disasters, natural and man made that also abound.
Steups! It does hurt one’s heart when one sees all the unnecessary nonsense that’s going on; the greed, the fight for power and personal aggrandizement, and the evil methods being used to accomplish those evil ends, especially when we can’t take any of it with us to our final resting place.
Oh, I know we cannot, or will never live in a perfect world, but it certainly doesn’t have to be as warmongering and evil as it currently is.
Such a beautiful world that God made for us to enjoy is going to waste as we rush headlong instead to foolishly destroy it …and in the aftermath, God’s greatest creation – mankind. Though sometimes I seriously wonder about that designation.
So sometimes it’s heartwarming to hear the ordinary workingman not pay too much attention to the numerous ills of our world and simply and joyfully declare: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday…and the weekend is here at last. No more slave labour for a few measly pennies, and no evil slave master continually looking over yuh shoulder.
Is we time now! Time to do exactly as we please… to party hearty, eat, drink and shake we bodyline to endless music! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Yes friends, that goes to the extreme, and we as Christians need to have boundaries, but it’s such a simple, refreshing reaction to our unfeeling way of life, where there is so much poverty, sickness, homelessness and joblessness.
In fact, almost every week in this supposed enlightened, sophisticated and brilliant age, fewer and fewer people are able to sing the workingman’s song, because of constant job losses to technology or outsourcing to cheaper production locations.
But everyday, we read about the rich getting richer. Oh, I know it’s in the Bible. But does it have to be so extreme, where one percent of the world controls ninety something percent of its wealth? Definitely not!
Blessedly though, we Christians have the wonderful God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to turn to at all times, be they times of crisis or times of joy and prosperity!
And on Fridays we declare our Friday Chant, loud and proud: ‘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.’
It’s short and simple too my brethren, but it does recognize the immense role that our heavenly Father plays in our lives, gives Him the thanks and praise that He so rightfully deserves.
And isn’t it interesting and amusing that from not knowing what to write about at the beginning, I’ve written so much! Hn, hn! But that’s the way our great God moves; in rather mysterious ways sometimes.
And finally we come to our Bit, which reassures and gives us confidence to keep keeping on in the way of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, regardless of how the world goes. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.’
Words to live by my brethren, although they are not always easy to put into effect. But listen to how Bruh David ends the psalm. ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off (destroyed), thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay (native green) tree.
Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect (blameless) man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps.37:34-40)
That says it all friends! If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then those words of faithful promise ought to lighten your worldly cares and have you singing for, and with joy, each and everyday of your life! Much LOVE!
…when we sincerely trust in Jesus…the burdens on our souls are truly lightened…
04 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, accumulation, anger, blessings, choice, cold spells, contribution, curse, divine protection, earthly wealth, freely give, freely you have received, give and it shall be given to you, good measure, greed, greedy, hatred, it is more blessed to give than to receive, it shall be measured to you, lends to the Lord, Lucifer, men give into your bosom, negative repercussions., negative word, pressed down, promotion, Province of Ontario, resentment, running over, self-control, shaken together, shortsighted, shortsightedness, strife, success, the Arctic, the same measure you use, treasure in heaven, war
John 6:38. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure ye mete (use) withal (with that) it shall be measured to you again.
Welcome friends to a somewhat cloudy and chilly Thursday morning in my area; no brilliant sunshine like yesterday. And if that isn’t bad enough, we’re supposed to be having a sizeable amount of rain today and over the next few spring days.
Hn! Spring days you say? Well in the next few days of May, our friendly province of Ontario is forecasted to be hit with cold spells that haven’t been seen around this time for decades. The temps are not even forecasted to reach double digits. Yeh!
And some northern parts of the province might also see a few fluttering flakes of the white stuff. (smile) Yes friends, snow in May! These days anything is possible yes! Meanwhile, they are having problems up in the Arctic with stuff up there melting too fast.
And yet, there are still people who adamantly refuse to believe that something is seriously wrong with our weather patterns. But until the big boys, those in government and industry, stop being greedy and shortsighted, and truly decide to look into the problem, it will just continue to get worse.
The sad part is that it might not affect us in this generation, but our children and their children will surely inherit another problem caused by our shortsightedness and greed.
Ah mih people, unfortunately there’s not much most of us can do about the big aspects of the problem, but we can all make a contribution by doing the little we can, diligently and sincerely. That’s all Jesus asks of us.
Now let’s turn to our Bit; immortal words of Jesus that ought to be making a big positive splash in our world, but unfortunately are not.
‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure ye mete (use) withal (with that) it shall be measured to you again.’
Oh friends, if we’d only follow those simple but true principles, our world would be such a wonderful place!
But instead we concentrate on greed and accumulation of earthly wealth, which only breed strife, anger, hatred, resentment, war and a host of negative repercussions. Steups! But that’s how mankind uses the choice that the Lord his Maker has given him.
Anyway, let’s look at some scriptures that highlight the act of giving, beginning with the words of Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again (does not repay): but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth.’ (Ps.37:21)
Yeh friends, that’s just the way the righteous operate; according to the principles of Jesus! Now hear Cousin Sol. ‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.’ (Prov.19:27)
Remember my faithful followers, that Jesus came to save the lost, the sick, the poor, the prisoners and those in bondage, so anytime you help any of those lost souls, you are helping the Saviour, and He will always repay your help.
And then there are these fateful words of Jesus, as He sends out the disciples on a missionary journey. ‘Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils (demons): freely ye have received, freely give.’
Ah mih breddren, please let us pay serious attention to those last two instructions, for many of us receive free stuff, but refuse to give freely, instead wanting to hoard it all for ourselves. That’s not Jesus’ way my people, that’s Lucifer and the greedy world’s way!
And we have a most vivid example of how difficult it is to give of our earthly wealth. Listen to Jesus’ reply to the young, rich ruler who wanted to know what he had to do to enter heaven.
‘Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be (want to be) perfect, go and sell 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.19:21-22)
Yeh friends, we all want to have much treasure stored up in heaven, but right now we’d much prefer to have it here on earth. We can’t have it both ways people. Now hear this last scripture, one from Bruh Paul, as he addresses the Ephesian elders.
‘I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than receive.’ (Acts 20:35) Gospel truth friends!
And with that quote of our Saviour Jesus Christ, we can now go home sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings. All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone or something, let’s go out and bless others, as we have been blessed nuh! Much LOVE!
…sincere giving…brings generous blessings…
03 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, as he purposes in his heart, Corinthians, give and it shall be given to you, give as you are able to, give more of yourself, glory to God, God LOVES a cheerful giver, good measure, greed, grudgingly, hem and haw, I'm halfway home, I'm looking straight ahead, indiscriminate giving, LOVE, my hands are on the plough, of necessity, one's investment., one's return, poor widow, poverty, pressed down, principle of God's world, reflection of god's actions, self-aggrandizement, shaken together, the blessing of the Lord, the breath of life, the same measure ye mete, this is the day the Lord has made, to a glorious future with Jesus, to get more out of life, truth, unrestrained giving, we shall rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, you reap what you sow
Luke 6:38. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure ye mete (use) withal (with that) it shall be measured to you again.
And then it was Wednesday; a bright and sunshiny day! Glory to God! No more cold and dreary-looking rain filled days!
What a wonderful and blessed day it is, when the Sun and the SON are both shining brightly in a cloudless blue sky! All spirits are uplifted and we are proud and courageous to say: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’
Yeh friends, we ought to rejoice regardless of the physical appearance of the day, but it so much easier to do when the day is warm and beautiful.
And to set things right, (smile) I’ll just hit us here with a li’l wisdom from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster: ‘To get more out of life, give more of yourself.’
And that’s indisputable truth my people! It’s a simple principle of God’s world; you want more, then give more. It’s just like the more you sow, the more you will reap.
But unfortunately, we live in a greedy society, consequently, a lot of us want more, and much more too, but we refuse to give any of what we already have. That’s why we have so many problems in acquiring the more we want and there is so much fraud and deceit in our dealings with each other.
And it’s not like we don’t know about the law of giving, because our Leader, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ spelled it out very plainly for us, when he dwelt amongst us, some two thousand years ago.
And His words of wisdom are today’s Bit. ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket). For with the same measure ye mete (use) withal (with that) it shall be measured to you again.’
What’s so difficult to understand in that statement eh mih breddren? Nothing really. It’s just that we allow the mores of the world; greed and self-aggrandizement, to dictate our behaviour instead of Jesus’ words.
And thankfully, I won’t get into any sermon on the matter. (smile) We’ll just go through the Good Book and refresh our memories with some of its thoughts on giving.
And we’ll begin way back in Deuteronomy, when Moses instructed the Israelites thus: ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’ (Deut.16:17)
Please note the parameters my people; ‘as he is able…which the Lord hath given thee.’ So it’s obvious that you can’t give what you don’t have, but out of the little that you do have, you can give something.
And that brings us to Jesus’ contention when He sat in the temple watching people offer money for God’s work. ‘And Jesus sat over against (opposite) the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites (a small copper coin worth 1/8 of a cent), which make a farthing (a Roman coin). And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them,
Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance (surplus); but she of her want (poverty) did cast in all that she had, even all her living (her whole livelihood).’ (Mark 12:41-44)
Yeh friends, it’s not necessarily about how much we give, but also how our giving pertains to our abundance. The widow cast in all that she had, while the rich put in only of their surplus. God obviously will value her offering more than those of the rich.
As the scholars remind us: ’12:43-44. God does not measure giving by conventional human standards.’ So, in future, let’s remember that when we hem and haw about how much to give. (smile)
Now hear Cousin Sol’s take on the subject. ‘He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.’ (Prov.28:27)
Now we have one more factor to this whole giving scene, so listen to Bruh Paul as he educates the Corinthians of the topic. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (generously) shall also reap bountifully (generously).
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver.’ (2 Cor.9:6-7)
Yes friends, it’s not only how much you give, but also the attitude with which you give! Hear the scholars. ‘9:6. One’s return is determined by one’s investment. The passage doesn’t suggest indiscriminate giving, but it does denote “unrestrained” giving.’
9:7. Cheerful giver: The giver is to have a willing heart and a sincere desire to participate in the offering. Giving is not a joke. It is serious business, but it is a delightful experience all the same.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren? When we give generously and willingly we experience a rush of godliness! So let’s prayerfully ponder our giving habits today and see how we can improve them nuh.
And we’ll close by sincerely and harmoniously declaring our Wednesday 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!’
And that’s all we need friends! Much LOVE!
…generous and willing giving…is a reflection of God’s actions towards us…
11 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a child of God, accursed, Achan, Ai, Babylonian, beloved of God, cancer, chemo, consequences, covenant, covetousness, darkness, deceived, destroy, disobey God, friend of Jesus, give glory unto God, glory, God's Word, gone but not forgotten, greed, heavenly Father, honour, inconvenience, Israel, Joshua, judgement, light, look for light, magnificent and magnanimous God, our number will be called, pain, partied up a storm, pay serious attention, praise, preparedness, reared its ugly head, remission, rest in peace, scourge, seen the light, share, share it with the world, sinned, stolen, stumbling, thanksgiving, the great beyond, the grim reaper, the light that's Jesus, the shadow of death, the spoils, this is the day the Lord has made, transgressed, Tuesday Mantra, victim, we will rejoice and be glad in it, your feet stumble
Jeremiah 13:16. 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.
Oh friends, welcome to a cloudy spring day in my neck of the woods. I was planning to rev us up with all sorts of good things, like it’s not the physical aspect of the day that really counts, but what we do with the day in Jesus’ name. And to invoke that well-known verse of Psalm 118 – ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’
However, when I opened my e-mail I was greeted by some sad and bad, but also in a sense good and comforting news. My priest, Father Jeff, had written to inform me that one of my friends and fellow parishioners, Jacqueline Kitson had passed away this morning.
And she fell victim to none other than our current scourge, the death-maker called cancer. What hurts some is that she was hospitalized a few days ago and I had promised to go and see her, but everyday I was either too busy, or not feeling up to scratch myself. But I spoke to her on the phone yesterday and promised faithfully to come today.
Ah Lord eh! The good news scenario though is that she is now home with her heavenly Father and not suffering the pain and inconvenience that she’s been enduring over the past couple of years. She might have been small in stature, but had a big and strong heart, fighting the dreaded scourge every inch of the way.
I remember the Sunday mornings during this last winter when I would pick her up and take her to church, she was always bright and positive in spite of her illness, bravely enduring the long trips to Toronto for the chemo and other treatments.
And for a while there during the latter part of the year she seemed to have been in a stage of remission; eating fairly well, putting on some weight and looking better than she’d done for a few months. She even got out to the church’s annual dinner and dance last fall and partied up a storm. Everybody was glad to see her dancing and enjoying herself.
But the cancer reared its ugly head again a couple of months ago and this time she was not able to fight it off. Rest in peace Jackie my friend. You are gone but not forgotten. You will always remain in our hearts and thoughts until we meet again in the Great Beyond!
That’s why my brethren it’s ever so important to heed the admonition of our Bit: ‘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.’
Yes friends, we need to pay serious attention to God’s word at all times, for we know not when our number will be called up yonder. And it would be very unfortunate and damaging to our eternal situation if the grim reaper were to appear before we’re quite ready.
We need to be always in a state of preparedness my people, looking continually to the light that’s Jesus, and giving our magnificent and magnanimous God all the glory and honour, the praise and thanksgiving that He so rightfully deserves.
Walking in continual darkness does not become a child of God, for children of God have seen the light and gloriously acknowledge it!
And we have a good example of God’s judgement when the men of Ai defeated the forces of Israel, and Joshua bewailed the Lord for the defeat. (Josh.7:1-9)
‘And the Lord said unto Joshua, get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing (things devoted to the Lord), and have also stolen, and dissembled (deceived) also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed (devoted to destruction): neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.’ (Josh.7:10-12)
Yeh friends, contrary to popular opinion, our God is not a joking God, as Israel found out when they disobeyed His commands. So the long and short of the story is that Joshua searched all the people, until he came to one man named Achan.
‘And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment, and two hundred shekels of silver; and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted (desired) them, and took them; and behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.’ (Josh.7:19-21)
Yuh see friends, all of Israel suffered because of one man’s greed and covetousness. And what became of Achan and his family? ‘And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.’ (Josh.7:25b)
It’s not easy my friends, but it’s very worthwhile to remember that disobedience to God’s commands always have consequences, very serious ones too.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, with much enthusiasm, faithfully believing what we say.
‘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 now it’s time to go out and put it all into action my brethren! Much LOVE!
…only the light of Jesus…can prevent us from stumbling in the darkness of this world…
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