29 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . the fountain of wisdom, a faithful Creator, according to the will of God, against that day, and am persuaded, bounden duty, Bruh Paul, cease from anger, children of the Most High God, Christians, commit thy way unto the Lord, divine destiny, do no evil, eternal life, evildoers shall be cut off, for I know whom I have believed, for the which cause, forgiveness, forsake wrath, fret not thyself, God has chosen me, God has inscribed me in the palms of His hands, God's grace is sufficient, God's thoughts towards me, grin and bear it, Hurricane Patricia, I also suffer these things, I am forever linked to divine destiny, I am not ashamed, I belong to the God of the universe, I do know, kindness, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, my life has purpose and dignity, nail scarred palms of Jesus, One Year Book of Bible promises, praising my saviour all the day long, Rest in the Lord, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, sing and shout, that he is able, the assurance of salvation, the judgement seat of christ, the keeping of their souls, the life of the Son, the love of the Father, the magnitude of God, the object of His lavish love, the power of the Holy spirit, the very essence of our beings, them that suffer, this is my song, this is my story, those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, Timothy, to keep that which I have committed to him, wait patiently for him, wisdom
2 Timothy 1:12. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.
Well Friends, it’s a crazy Thursday morning in my neck of the woods. Yesterday we had the tail ends of the rain from Hurricane Patricia, and we might still get some more later, but right now we’re getting some of the tail end winds.
The wind’s a howling out there! I opened my front door just now to pick up the newspaper and the wind fought me to close it back. (smile) I surely am sorry for those who experienced Patricia’s wrath a few days ago. Please, let’s keep them in our prayers.
On a point of interest, my ole right knee is still acting up. Steups! I really don’t understand it nuh. They don’t usually ache for so long. I’ve taken painkillers, rubbed it with stuff, talked with the Lord about it, but still no relief. I guess I just have to grin and bear it and limp along, knowing that God’s grace is indeed sufficient for me to do whatever He desires.
And though I might not like it, I am comfortable with it, especially when added to these facts from the following excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is titled ‘I Do Know.’
Listen up my people: ‘There is much I cannot begin to fathom concerning the vast, indescribable universe created by our majestic God. There is much I will never comprehend. I want to sing and shout, (I was doing that the other night, (smile), so utterly overwhelmed I am with the magnitude of God.
But I do know with confident certainty that I belong to the God of the universe – the Creator of all that exists. I know that I, a mere mortal, am forever linked to divine destiny. I know that my life has purpose and dignity.
I know that God has chosen me as the object of his lavish LOVE; that his thoughts toward me are thoughts of kindness and mercy; that he has inscribed me in the palms of his hands. I know that all the LOVE of the Father, and the life of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit are freely, inseparably mine – now and throughout all eternity. This I do know!
Wow mih breddren! Do we know all of that? I surely hope so, for if we are truly children of the Most High God, it is imperative that we know those things!
How can we not know that we are linked to a divine destiny; that our lives have purpose and dignity; that Almighty God has chosen us to lavish His unconditional and everlasting LOVE on us; and all His thoughts towards us are of LOVING-kindness, forgiveness and mercy; and most surely we must know that He has inscribed us in the nail scarred palms of His wonderful Son, Jesus; and all that they have, the power, the life and the glory are ours from now until forever?
All of that is the very essence of our beings as Christians! Oh what a mighty, generous and wonderful Deity we worship my people! Give Him some well-deserved thanks and praise!
And the promise of scripture to which that message is attached is also our Bit for today. ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ Those are the words of Bruh Paul to Timothy, as he exhorts the young pastor to endurance.
And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘1:12. Persuaded (Gr. peitho): The perfect tense indicates that “I was persuaded in the past and remain so now.” That he is able to keep refers to the assurance of salvation which is committed…against that day, when we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ.’
Oh Friends, do we know whom we have believed? And is it the gracious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? And if we do, I hope we are not ashamed of Him, and are willing to testify loudly on His grace and mercy from the rooftops of every building.
And not only that, but also we are persuaded, confident, assured that He can do what He says; that is grant salvation and eternal life! To be true Christians we need to believe all these things and have them written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
And Peter admonishes, as well as encourages us thus: ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.’ (1 Pet.4:19)
And believe me Friends, if there is nothing else I can vouch for, I can vouch for the faithfulness of our creator, because I have experienced it throughout my life! Oh Glory to Him!
And we’ll end with these well-known, superb words of advice and confidence from Bruh David from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked.
‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:5-9)
Oh my fellow believers, as a Christian, that is the best advice you can ever get! So please, today, let’s take it all to heart and run with it nuh, putting it all into action in our lives, so that we can truthfully testify to God’s greatness and glorify Him in all that we do. For that is our bounden duty and the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…this is my story…this is my song…praising my saviour…all the day long…
15 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a make work programme, a meaningful day, a sense of urgency, a time for every purpose under heaven, accept with calmness, almighty god, an excuse for laziness, and rest awhile, busyness, calms my inner muddle, come aside into a deserted place, compassion, crumble under pressure, cuts through the confusion, distractions of life, faithfulness, God in the flesh, grin and bear it, have fellowship with God, health and well being, I am more patient, I needn't condemn myself, indolence, Jesus, Jesus was moved with compassion, laziness, like sheep without a shepherd, longevity, Moments of Leisure, more loving, more understanding, multiple demands, obedience, peaceful solitude, plan more wisely, prayer, purge our sins, rat-race, rest and recuperate, Ruth Harms Calkin, sloth, stress, thankfulness, the cross at Calvary, the multiple demands imposed upon me, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, there's no glory in a rat race, wisdom, work out for our good
Mark 6:31. And he (Jesus) said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Aye mih Scrip-Bit family! Welcome to a bright, beautiful and bountiful Tuesday in God’s great universe! All the elements are present for it to be another meaningful day in our lives.
So let’s make it one nuh, with prayer, obedience, faithfulness and thankfulness to Almighty God, who LOVES us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross at Calvary so that He could purge our woeful sins and allow us to have fellowship with Him once again. That ought to count for something now my people.
Unfortunately though, the noise persists outside of my house, for it seems as though they are finally digging up and paving the main road in my area. Oh what a miserable spring and summer it’s been with noise and all sorts of big machinery in the area supposedly fixing drains and culverts and lanes and what have you.
To my way of thinking, some of it didn’t seem necessary, and some people are of the opinion that it’s only a make work programme… What you say? You thought it was only in the West Indies we had that stuff! Well apparently not! And every so often the house vibrates from the noise outside. Ah chuh!
But like the tests the Lord puts us through, we just have to grin and bear it, knowing that it will all eventually work out for our good with well paved roads etc.etc. There it goes again, the shaking, the vibrating of my poor house. This time it only lasted for a few seconds though. Oh glory to God. I spoke too soon though, it’s back again.
Anyway, listen to this interesting poem from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘Moments of Leisure.’
And it says: ‘Lord, thank You For the moments of leisure And peaceful solitude I can legitimately snatch Here and there Without apologizing. Thank You for assuring me That I needn’t condemn myself When I spend some time Reading or resting Or shopping just for fun. Thank You for convincing me That there’s no glory In a rat race.
I’ve discovered, dear Lord That an hour or two “Away from it all” Calms my inner muddle And cuts through the confusion. Without a driving sense of urgency I think more clearly – I plan more wisely. I am more patient, more LOVING More understanding with my family.
I even accept with calmness The multiple demands imposed upon me. Thank You so much, dear God For the certain knowledge that Jesus (Who always obeyed the Father) Went apart from the crowd to rest. So must I!’
Oh Friends, is all of that ever so true! We do need to take some time apart from the crazy rat race that our society, our world has become in the last generation or so. If we don’t, the busyness and the numerous demands on our time and energy will certainly drive us crazy and bring us to our grave much earlier than we want to.
Notice how the stress factor has soared off the charts in the last couple decades. Before that stress was not a well-known, or rather an unknown entity, because people had lots of free time and other endeavours to relieve and release it. But with the coming of this communication and technological age it’s just become our worst enemy.
One very important proviso in this story though, is that we don’t use rest and leisure as an excuse for laziness and its other cronies. Rest if you must, but don’t abuse it.
And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘And he (Jesus) said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place, and rest a while; for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure (time for themselves) so much as to eat.’
Oh my brethren, we all know about those oppressive times, because we all have experienced them at some time or another! But sadly some of us are still experiencing them too often, and that is definitely not good for our health and well-being.
And you see Jesus‘ wisdom in calling His disciples apart to rest. They had just come back from a missionary journey and people were milling all around them, so that they had no time to rest, not even to eat. Yes Friends, sometimes we have to do that too today in our overly busy and zealous society, otherwise we’d just crumble under the pressure.
And the Good Book continues: ‘And they departed into a desert (deserted) place by ship privately (by themselves). And the people (multitudes) saw them departing, and many knew him (Jesus), and ran afoot thither out of all the cities, and outwent (arrived before) them, and came together unto him (Jesus).
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude) and was moved with compassion towards them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.’(Mark 6:32-34)
Oh Friends, yuh see that? Even though Jesus tried to get away from the multitude for some rest, they followed Him from all over, and even came to His disembarking point before Him! And Jesus, with a heart ever so filled with compassion had no other choice but to minister unto them, because they looked so lost and frail and feeble, like sheep without a shepherd.
However my fellow believers, let’s remember that that was Jesus, God in the flesh, and He had more parts than us, who are merely flesh, and when the busyness and distractions of this life bombard us, as they will do, we don’t always have to embrace them.
Sometimes it is necessary to show compassion, but then it’s also necessary for us to rest and recuperate, otherwise we won’t be able to deal successfully with the circumstances that surround us. Now that’s the wisdom of longevity! Much LOVE!
…there’s a time for every purpose under heaven…so rest if you must…but be careful it doesn’t turn into laziness…indolence…or sloth…
04 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a miserable experience, another week of work, Beelzebub, befuddled mind, corrections, dead in trespasses, divine punishment, ethnic groups, evil, faith, fellowship, for His great love, Friday chant, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Gentiles, God who is rich in mercy, God's power, going down the wrong path, going to bed early is for the birds, grace, grin and bear it, hostile to God, in Jesus' name, Jews, labouring for massa, lifestyles, LOVE, Lucifer, made alive, mercy, opposed to God, philosophies, preparing for a fantastic time, pull up our bootstraps, quickened, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, right perspective, Satan, sinful children, sinners, stubborn, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the children of disobedience, the children of wrath, the course of this world, the dictates and wishes of Satan, the gift of God is eternal life, the long and short of the story, the lusts of our flesh, the prince of power of the air, the rules of God, the straight and narrow path, the wages of sin is death, the weekend's here at last, the world system, through Jesus Christ our Lord, time for thought, unconditional LOVE, ungodly, values, walking in disobedience, wherewith God loved us, wicked, wisdom, with God's help, with the help of Jesus
Ephesians 2:4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.
Oh Friends, this going to bed early business is truly for the birds yes! Steups! I tried it last night – not that early, but earlier than my usual time – and was it ever a miserable experience.
Ah Lord eh! I got up several times during the night, turned and tossed, trying to find a comfortable position, but all to no avail. And being stubborn, I refused to get up, claiming I needed the rest as an excuse. Hn, hn! Well I got the rest, but I woke up feeling lousy, more tired than when I went to bed.
Ah mih breddren, what yuh going to do eh? Just grin and bear it and move on with the help of Jesus. And that’s my gripe for today. (smile) But wait nuh, today is Friday, isn’t it?
And the response to that question assured me that it was indeed Friday. ‘But what’s wrong with you boy? How come yuh don’t know today is Friday eh? Can’t you hear everybody shouting ‘TGIF. Thank God is Friday, and the weekend’s here at last? You’re possibly the only one not shouting that and preparing for a fantastic time! But later for you yes, we have preparations to make!’
And the throng moved away loudly mouthing ‘TGIF! Thank You Father God for Friday’s yes!’
Well I have been told, haven’t I? (smile) And I lay it all at the feet of going to bed early and getting up late with a befuddled mind. Anyway, to bring everything back into right perspective, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much enthusiasm and true sincerity.
‘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.’
Ah mih people, that ought to give us pause, time for a little thought on how we’re going to spend our weekend, the valuable couple days off from labouring for massa.
That brings us to our Bit, a simple sentence, but one chocked full of meaning and glorious importance. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us.’ Yes Friends, it all comes right down to God’s unstinting and unconditional LOVE for us sinful children.
The earlier verses of this chapter, which deal with grace and faith, have us looking real terrible. ‘And you hath he quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world (age), according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
Among whom also we all had our conversation (conducted ourselves) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath. (Eph.2:1-3)
And what does all of that mean eh my people? Listen to the scholars. ‘2:1. Quickened means “made alive.” In 1:19 Paul prays for his readers to recognize what God’s power has done in them. As part of the answer to this prayer, verses 1-10 inform them of some of the effects divine might has accomplished in them.’
‘2:2. Ye walked means “you lived.” The course of this world: The word course signifies the tendencies, thoughts, pursuits, deeds, and so on, that characterize the present period of history. “This world” (kosmos) means “world system,” that is, those philosophies, values, and lifestyles that are opposed to God and hostile to Him.
Before conversion the Ephesians used to conduct themselves in accordance with such ungodly values. The prince of the power of the air may be read “the ruler of the kingdom in the air.” They also used to live by the dictates and wishes of Satan.’
‘2.3. We all had our conversation means “we all conducted ourselves.” In contrast to “ye” in 2:2 which refers to Gentiles, note the “we” of this verse, which refers to Jews. In essence Paul admits, “We Jews were no better than you Gentiles – both ethnic groups were sinful.” Children of wrath refers to people subject to divine punishment.’
Oh Friends, I know that some of those explanations can be a bit taxing, but the long and short of the story is that before God shone His wonderful LOVE on us, we were all a bunch of unworthy and terrible sinners, regardless of our ethnic situation.
However, and very sadly and disappointing too, two thousand years after God showered His LOVE on us through Jesus, we are reverting to that same position, worshipping the ‘prince of the power of the air,’ Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, whatever you choose to call him.
And right now our world can again be termed as ‘children of wrath,’ because we are so wicked and evil and ungodly and deserving of divine punishment. It’s definitely not a nice picture we paint today my brethren, and we have to pull up our bootstraps very soon, if we don’t want to be victims of that divine punishment.
For believe it or not, divine punishment ALWAYS comes to those who insist on thwarting the rules of God and walking in total disobedience to His Holy will, as we are currently doing. History proves it.
So as we end today, please, let’s make it our first priority to check our individual lives and see where we may be going down the wrong path, the wide and unfortunate one, instead of the straight and narrow one that leads to Jesus, and make any corrections that are necessary, with God’s help of course. For that my brethren, is the true meaning of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…for the wages of sin is death…but the gift of God is eternal life…through Jesus Christ our Lord… (Rom.6:23)
03 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's voice, aura of love, be not rash with thy mouth, better you should not vow, boomerangs back on us, broken promises, but fear thou God, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, Caribana, clogged roads, confidence, Cousin Sol, enemy's taunts, enthusiasm, friends, futility abounds, glorious kingdom, God hath no pleasure in fools, God's good graces, gospel truth, grin and bear it, gusto, holy spirit, humble servants, in the multitude of dreams and many words, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, let not thy heart be hasty, let thy words be few, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, polluting vehicles, productivity, Province of Ontario, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, serve a useful purpose, social media, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, technological advancement, than you should vow and not pay, the multitude of words, the Preacher, think before we talk, thunder storm, to utter anything before God, traffic jams, truth, ungodly world, weary souls, when thou vowest a vow unto God
Ecclesiastes 5:7. For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.
Well Friends, the Caribana weekend is wrapping up today. Sadly though, it seems to be on a wet and watery note. Yesterday evening around six o’clock a powerful thunder storm hit the area, unleashing a fair amount of rain. It caught me on the highway, and the rain fell so hard that it sounded like pellets hitting the car. Eventually I had to turn up the music to hear it over the sound of the pelting rain. (smile)
And it’s still wet out there, don’t know if it will last all day though. I’m sure a lot of Caribana festivities suffered because of it, and more will suffer today if the weather continues on the negative side.
But look at it this way, here in the Province of Ontario many of us don’t have to go to work today, because it’s a local, civic holiday. Interestingly enough, different regions around the province call it by different names. So we can just curl up in bed with a good book or just go back to sleep if the weather stays foul. (smile)
However, many of our fellow believers around the country and the world have to get up and face the Monday morning music; getting out on the traffic clogged roads, regardless of the weather, and fighting their way to work. Ah Lord eh! You’d think that by now with all our brilliance and technological advancement we’d have designed a better system for getting to and from work.
Unfortunately traffic jams are still a way of life in most countries, and the developing ones are getting just as bad, for as the standard of life goes up, so do the number of polluting vehicles on the sub-standard roads. Billions of dollars are lost in productivity every year because of this unsightly and very inefficient way of getting to and from work.
But until some bright light comes along and improves it, we just have to grin and bear it and leave home a couple hours earlier than necessary to get to work on time. Steups! Anyway, to help those folks who have to get out to labour today, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle hymn with great gusto and plenty confidence nuh.
As one now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That wasn’t bad at all Friends. Hn! But I notice that every time we have a Monday where one group has a holiday and the others don’t , it’s always those with the holiday that sing the loudest, with the most gusto and verve! Can it be they are more enthused because they don’t have to go out and labour? Now that’s a very observant observation! (smile)
That brings us to our Bit, an interesting statement from Cousin Sol as the Preacher. ‘For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (futility abounds): but fear thou God.’ Ah mih people, both statements there are indisputably true! In this chapter of Ecclesiastes the Preacher is cautioning us against hasty vows.
Earlier on, he wisely advises: ‘Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business (effort or activity); and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.’ (Eccl.5:2-3)
Gospel truth Friends, gospel truth! When we get so busy with life we dream up all sorts of stuff, and oftimes talk too much, especially in this modern-day talkative society, where talk shows abound and social media is running rampant 24/7.
And Cousin Sol further cautions us; this time re vows in particular with God. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl.5:4-5)
Oh my brethren, I am sure that resounds with all of us, because at some time in our lives, in the heat of trials, tribulations or temptations, we have cried out to God: ‘O God, if you will only get me out of this situation, then I will do such and such!’ We make grand promises, many of which we are not able to keep in our own strength, and promptly forget about them anyway, when the Lord bails us out. But that is not the way to get into God’s good graces my people. As the Preacher advises, it would be better if we didn’t make any promises at all.
Now that whole thing about promises and vows is again a sad matter in our current society. Vows and promises no longer mean what they used to even thirty years ago. We make them now fully intending not to keep them. But you know what Friends? Broken promises usually turn right around and bite us when we least expect them.
Like a boomerang they come back to haunt us, and then we get all peeved, disappointed and angry at the perpetrators, conveniently forgetting the vows that we had insincerely made, and/or inconsiderately broken.
So Friends, it’s all up to us. We can bring less pain and disappointment on ourselves by thinking a little more before we talk, and not making promises that we can’t or don’t intend to pay, for our words are powerful and can create good or bad situations, which can greatly affect us. Much LOVE!
…for by thy words…thou shalt be justified…and by thy words…thou shalt be condemned… (Matt.12:37)
27 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and will forgive their sin, ashamed, ashes, branch, bubbling up in our hearts, burn as an oven, common sense, copying and pasting, curse, damnation, death, disaster, discipline, easy ways of getting by, Elijah, enter in at the strait gate, ephemeral dream, faithful God, fear my name, foolishness, frame evil, glory hallelujah, glory to God, Gramps Schuller, graven images, grin and bear it, grow fat, hard work, harness our dreams, heal their land, healing in his wings, heavenly citizenship, hope, Horeb, Hour of Power Devotional, identifiable quality, in the spirit and power, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, keep pushing ahead, laziness, leads to destruction, leads to life, live for Jesus, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, LOVE, make your doings good, Malachi, molten images, my people which are called by my name, patience, perseverance, plain, ploughing for Jesus, pray, promise, prophetic forerunner, return from your evil way, ringing in our ears, root, salvation, seek my face, shall humble themselves, shortcuts, sin, smite the earth, stall fed calves, straightforward, stubble, stubbornness, successful people, suffering, Sun of righteousness, the coming day of the Lord, the destructive path of sin, the Good Book, the Great tribulation, the law of Moses, the Life, the Light, the Lord of hosts, the Messiah, the New testament, the Old Testament, the power of patience, the transfiguration, the Way, then will I hear from heaven, theTruth, trample the wicked, trust in graven images, truth, tunr the hearts of the children, turn away from their wicked ways, turn the hearts of the fathers, ungodliness, walk after our own plans, warning, Wednesday, wisdom
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well Friends, it’s a cool, cloudy and windy Wednesday morning in my area…and still no signs of rain. Chuh! Yesterday we definitely needed some showers of blessings to cool the hot and humid day, but since we don’t control the weather we just have to grin and bear it. Hn, hn! Today won’t be as hot and humid though. Glory to God!
So since it’s Wednesday, the mid point of our workweek, it naturally implies that we have to keep pushing ahead, no looking back, for he who looks back is not worthy of ploughing for Jesus. And I come bearing tidings this morning re patience, something a whole lot of us need to learn in this very impatient world.
And I can vouch for that by the different dates on yesterday’s Bit. The top heading was right, the 26th, but the one later on was wrong, the 25th. How many of you noticed that eh? (smile) But that stems from laziness and trying to do it the easy way, by copying and pasting, rather than typing it out again. I obviously forgot to change the second date. Please accept my most humble apologies.
As Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H Schuller) says in his Hour of Power Devotional, patience is the single most identifiable quality of successful people. And that’s no lie Friends! This generation has grown up looking for too many shortcuts and other cheap and easy ways of getting by.
We refuse to adopt the discipline necessary to harness our dreams and see them through to fulfillment. The easy road my people, is certainly no remedy for true success. That ephemeral dream that we’re chasing always demands, patience, perseverance and hard work.
Listen to these words from Gramps Schuller. ‘The people who win in life are the people who have harnessed the power of patience. You can move a mountain, Christ said – but He didn’t say how long it would take.’
And that’s the absolute truth my brethren! Mountains are indeed moveable, but it takes time, patience and hard work to accomplish any dream, be it worthwhile or not.
Now without further ado, let’s get to our Bit, this one for the last time… and I hear relieved shouts of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ in the background. Yeh Friends, this has indeed been a long standing Bit, but as we said before, it’s a rather important verse of Scripture that determines our eternal salvation or eternal death and damnation.
‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ Ah mih breddren, it’s so plain and straightforward… but yet we refuse to accept it, or even consider it.
And we’ll get straight into the scriptures that deal with the last of the four things we need to do to have God act positively on our behalf; ‘and turn away from their wicked ways.’
Listen to Isaiah as he declares that suffering is a result of sin. ‘They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.’ (Is.42:17) That’s gospel truth my people! And put in simple, unequivocal language too.
And this next scripture is from Jeremiah, re the lesson from the potter. ‘Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil (am fashioning a disaster) against you, and devise a device (plan) against you: return ye now everyone from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.
And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices (according to our own plans), and we will everyone do the imagination (stubbornness) of his evil heart.’ (Jer.18:11-12)
Unfortunately Friends, that’s the same foolishness we’re talking today, as we recklessly head down the destructive path of sin and ungodliness!
Now hear the prophet Malachi, re the coming day of the Lord. ‘For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall (grow fat like stall fed calves). And ye shall tread down (trample) the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgements. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.’ (Mal. 4:1-6)
Oh my people, what another wonderful promise of our most faithful God, most of which has already been fulfilled with the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Now hear this excellent explanation from the scholars. ‘4:1-6. The coming day is the day of the Lord (or the Great Tribulation), which is in view of the birth pangs for the millennial kingdom. Sun of righteousness is a figurative representation of the Messiah. Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets. Both of them appeared at the transfiguration of Christ (Matt.17:3).
The Old Testament ends with the promise of the coming of Elijah, which the New Testament identifies as John the Baptist (Matt.3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23). John’s own disclaimer (John 1:21) was simply a denial that he was literally Elijah. Jesus, on the other hand, clearly stated that John the Baptist came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Matt.11:14; 17:10-13; Mark 9:11-13).
Malachi’s promise is quoted by the angel in Luke 1:17 as referring to the ministry of John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah. Therefore, the Old Testament ends in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah and His prophetic forerunner, John the Baptist, who appears in the likeness of Elijah.’
Yuh see friends, the Good Book was not, is not, a haphazard concoction by a group of fuddy-duddy old men, but a well laid our plan by the Creator. And for those of you who don’t know, Malachi Chapter 4, is indeed the last chapter in the Old Testament. (smile)
And we’ll end this series of messages quite appropriately with the warning and wisdom of the Messiah. ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
Oh my people, my people, please, let’s go out today with those wonderful words of wisdom and warning ringing in our ears, and bubbling up in our hearts, minds and souls, as we continue to live and work diligently and excellently for Jesus! For that’s wisdom at its very highest. Much LOVE!
…wisdom and common sense both cry out loudly…accept Jesus…for He is indeed…the Way, the Truth, the Life and the Light…and no one comes to the Father…achieves heavenly citizenship… but through Him…
P.S. Oh Friends, I know it’s long, but it’s beautiful, (smile) and a special, just for today! Much LOVE!
05 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a stronghold in the day of trouble, abundant life, aches and pains, adversity, all that glitters is not gold, allergies, arthritis, at thy right hand, awesome power, baubles and bangles, bright lights, broad is the way that leads to destruction, child-like desire, Christ is the gate and the way, contrasts, dangerous, death, defeating hell, deliverance, encouragement, enter in at the strait gate, eternal life, eternity, evil, facades, faith, false conclusions, false fronts, few there be that find it, fleshly pleasures, gang up on me, glorify our heavenly Father, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God will never leave nor forsake us, golden curtain, grin and bear it, harbinger of rain, hell, humble apologies, in thy presence is fullness of joy, jehovah god, Jesus, joy, live righteously, living for Christ, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, material things, merciful God, method of teaching, Most High God, my fortress, my god, my high tower, My Redeemer lives, my strength, O Lord my strength, One Year Book of Bible promises, personal experience, pleasures, pleasures for evermore, prisoners of hope, promises, promises of God, rain, reinforce, Ruth Harms Calkin, saved from mine enemies, sensible way, separation from God, Sermon on the Mount, sinful nature, surrender, the grave, the horn of my salvation, The Lord is my rock, the Promise of Abundant Life, the spirit is well, the things of the world, thou wilt show me the path of life, trials, truth, trying times, two man-rat can't live in the same hole, waiting arms, walking away from God, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wide is the gate, wisdom, wisdom in a nutshell, wise, worthy to be praised
Psalm 16:11. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Aye Friends, my most humble apologies for the Bit being this late. But it was just one of those mornings: I couldn’t roll out of bed as early as I wanted, and when I did roll out, all the aches and pains seemed to gang up on me, so I was moving around like a real old man for a while. Hn, Hn!
Don’t know if that’s the harbinger of rain or what, as some people seem to think, though we could certainly use some and it’s a tad cloudy outside. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes in the later days of one’s life, especially when you’re beset by the wonderful disease called arthritis.
And my lovely allergies have also decided to act up this morning. Chuh Steups! But realistically you’ve just got to grin and bear the adversity and trials, because you can’t do anything much about them.
However Friends, the important thing in all of that is that I know that my Redeemer lives! Glory to God! He died, was buried, then rose again from the grave, in the process defeating hell, Lucifer, death and the grave. Glory Hallelujah!
So though the body is aching and getting on in years, the spirit is well, it’s beautiful, and remains ever- young, and I can comfortably abide in all the great promises of Jehovah God, for I know from personal experience that He will faithfully keep them and never leave nor forsake me.
Wow mih breddren! As I keep saying, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! There’s none other like Him in the universe. And how could there ever be eh? No two beings could have such awesome power and exist together. As the old people would say, ‘two man-rat can’t live in the same hole!’
Hn, hn! Haven’t heard that one in some time, but it’s the absolute truth! And just to show what I’m talking about, check out this scene for May, from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
It’s titled ‘The Promise of Abundant Life.’ And it says: ‘Lord, you always bring ultimate good to those who LOVE you. May I never surrender to the false conclusion that you have no more for me than what I already have.’
Oh Friends, it’s ever so important that we keep our hopes up, be prisoners of hope always and forever, and never give up on the awesome potential and LOVING-kindness of our great and most merciful God!
For as the promise on which that poem is based, which is also our Bit, taken from a contemplation of Bruh David, where he wisely proclaims: ‘Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’
Mama Mia! Now why would I want to walk away from such a Deity eh? One who shows me the way to live righteously, in whose presence I find everlasting joy, and who has innumerable pleasures for me to enjoy from now until eternity?
Steups! I would be real foolish my brethren to walk away from such a wonderful God, especially when I know that He always keeps His promises.
But sadly, a lot of mankind are doing just that; walking away from Jehovah God right into the waiting arms of an evil and dangerous Lucifer. That’s a fool’s wisdom, my people. For what can Lucifer do for us that the Most High God can’t do eh? NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Nothing but fool us with some material things that don’t last and a few earthly and fleshly pleasures that will only have us end up in hell, and thus endure everlasting separation from Almighty God. Steups! And that’s the WORST thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
So why do we still insist on fooling around with the things of the world, of the prince of darkness eh my people? I really don’t know nuh. I guess it’s partly because of our innate sinful nature and our child-like desire for bright lights and flashy baubles and bangles, none of which really have any substance, but are simply false fronts, facades to hide the evil and non- substantive stuff that lies behind the bright golden curtain.
Remember Friends, all that glitters is not truly gold!
Now let’s check out some scriptures that reinforce the wisdom of our Bit. And we don’t have to go far, just a couple Psalms over to 18, where Bruh David is giving thanks for deliverance from his enemies. Listen to these wonderful words of faith and encouragement my brethren!
‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength. In whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:1-3)
Oh Friends, that’s the only wise way to live this earthly life! And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to Jesus, as He delivers His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.
‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
Oh my people, what more can I say eh? Not much, except to give us some thoughts on the subject from the scholars. ‘7:13-14. The closing section of the Sermon on the Mount presents two choices to the listener. These are presented in a series of contrasts: two ways (vs.13-14); two trees (vs.15-20); two professions (vs.21-23); and two foundations (vs.24-29). This was a common method of teaching in both Jewish and Greco-Roman thought.
Enter ye in at the strait gate (narrow) means that one must come through the narrow gate in order to reach the path that leads to eternal life. Though many are on the broad…way, that leadeth to destruction (eternal separation from God), the gate that leads to life is so narrow that few there be that find it. Christ Himself is both the gate and the way (cf. John 14:6), and God enables men to find that gate (John 6:44).’
Oh Friends, that’s heavenly wisdom in a nutshell! Please, pretty please, let’s go out and practice it nuh, let’s put it into action in this ungodly world, so that we can glorify our heavenly Father, and ensure that we won’t be separated from Him eternally. Much LOVE!
…sincerely living for Christ in these trying times…is the only wise and sensible way to go…
30 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pilot light, a spark of fire, absolute truth, act wisely, all praise and glory to God, all those things will pass, allergies, at the revelation of Jesus Christ, balmy shores, Baltimore, breathe easier, burst into flame, calamitous, Chile, Christian, complaining, dedication, disastrous state of our world, disciple, earthquake, elixir of sleep, Ethel Barrymore, Europe, first lady, frustrating, gird up the loins of your mind, glory to God, God will work everything out for good, good future, grin and bear it, grinning like a Cheshire cat, he that took me out of the womb, heartache, hope, hope to the end for grace, I will hope continually, imagery, internal muse, it takes fewer muscles to laugh than to cry, Jesus way, last day of April, laugh at yourself, laughter, lends hope and meaning to life, marvellous Saviour Jesus, Mediterranean ocean, mental and spiritual intoxication, migrants, Nepal, never to give up, old-timers, outward conduct, pain, perspective, positive action, practicing what I preach, proclaiming god's righteousness, righteousness., riots, sadness, salvation, Second Advent, spring into action, tempestuous, thou didst make me hope, Thursday, torment, truth, turbulent, volcano eruption, wars and rumours of war, when I was upon my mother's breast, while there's life there's hope, wisdom of heaven, you grow up
Psalm 22:9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.
Aye Friends welcome to this turbulent, tempestuous Thursday morning, the last day of April! It was just one of those nights. I don’t understand it myself. I went to bed a few minutes later than usual, but also got up several times during the night and couldn’t go back to sleep, couldn’t find a comfortable spot to set my aching body so that that beautiful elixir sleep could overtake it.
I guess many of you old-timers experience that at one time or the other. But it’s definitely frustrating, especially when you fall asleep at the time to get up. But you know what Friends?
It’s all a part of living this earthly life. And when you have that marvelous Saviour of ours, Jesus, walking with you, you can afford to grin and bear it, because you know that He knows what you’re going through, since He went through some serious pain and torment Himself, and that eventually He will work everything out for your good.
Glory to God, my people!
And as an adjunct to that, listen to this quote attributed to Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959), the screen and theatre actress, member of the prominent American Barrymore family of actors, whose distinctive style made her the ‘first lady’ of the American theatre. Ethel is reputed to have said: ‘You grow up the day you have the first real laugh – at yourself.’
And isn’t that the truth my brethren! Until we learn to laugh at ourselves, our mistakes, our troubles and our good times, we’ll never conquer the internal muse that tends to lead us to sadness and heartache and complaining whenever things don’t go our way.
As my One Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness reminds us: ‘It takes fewer muscles to laugh than to cry. We’ll breathe easier and deeper, and we’ll be much more content when we laugh… for laughter helps us to put things into perspective. It lends HOPE and meaning to life.’
And that’s the absolute truth Friends! But there are some things that we just can’t laugh at, like the destructive and disastrous state of our world. In the past couple weeks we’ve had hundreds of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean ocean, heading for the perceived balmy shores of Europe, in search of a better life than the calamitous one they had left behind.
Then there was the sudden eruption of a dormant volcano in Chile, combined with riots in Baltimore and a devastating earthquake in Nepal. Hn! And that doesn’t take into account the numerous wars and rumours of war, the seemingly never-ending strife that’s going on all over God’s beautiful planet.
Ah Lord eh! What a mess we’ve made of this wonderful Earth! But Friends, as we keep saying, while there is life, there is always HOPE!
That’s because our Creator has instilled that wonderful emotion in us from day one, as declared by Bruh David in our Bit. ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast.’
Yes my people, our great God knew the plans, the good future He had in store for us, so He made us with that little something termed HOPE, which causes us never to give up, never to simply lie down and die when times get rough, but to always have a spark of fire, like a pilot light going in our souls.
Now that’s a very good description of HOPE there my Friends, never thought of it before. But a pilot light never goes out, it just keeps burning quietly in the background; always ready to burst into flame when it’s needed. That’s the way HOPE operates in our souls; always there ready to burst into positive action, even though the surrounding circumstances might indicate differently.
So Friends, I’m here grinning like a Cheshire cat, because to muddy the waters even more, my allergies seem to have chosen this particular time to act up. There’s been a steady stream of sneezing and blowing for the last few minutes. But I’m practicing what I preach; I’m just grinning and bearing it all, because I know that all those things will eventually pass, fade away! All praise and glory to God!
Now let’s see what the scriptures have in store for us today, re that invigorating and renewing feeling called HOPE. And what better way to start than with these encouraging words of the psalmist, as he prays for help in old age.
‘But I will HOPE continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall show forth (proclaim) thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers (limits) thereof.’ (Ps.71:14-15)
Yes Friends, that’s exactly how believers are expected to behave; always HOPING, and always proclaiming God’s righteousness!
Now listen to Peter, the rock, 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.’ (1 Pet.1:13)
What marvellous advice my people!
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘1:13. The exhortation to set one’s HOPE involves an inward resolution. Gird up the loins of your mind: The imagery is that of personal discipline and outward conduct. Be sober (Gr. nephontes): Be free of every sort of mental and spiritual intoxication. The revelation of Jesus Christ is the Second Advent when Jesus returns to earth to set up his kingdom.’
Now Friends, it’s time for us to ponder all that we’ve heard this morning, to digest it, then act wisely on it all. That’s the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…gird up the loins of your mind…then spring into action…it’s the Jesus way…
23 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a feel good feeling, abnormal weather, all at once, assimilate, assurance, balmy times, bestowed, bounden duty, Bruh Paul, by the grace of God, climate change, constant level, cousin to happiness, dreaded white stuff, earthly life, ephemeral, essentail aspect, eternal life, faithful promise, fleeting feeling, fortuitous circumstances, friends, Glory be to God, grin and bear it, happiness, hard and trying times, harvester of souls, I am what I am, I can do all things through Christ, in all the wrong places, in Jesus' name, in our time of need, Jesus Christ, joy, live our faith, looking for the wrong thing, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, once in a while, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, people seeking happiness, ponder on, praye ye therefore, promise, proselytizing, readily access it, reap the harvest, revs up and down, send forth labourers into his harvest, set our hearts minds and souls to the task, shirt attention spans, smile, snow, Spread God's Word, sternity, summerish weather, the Corinthians, the harvest truly is plenteous, the labourers are few, the Lord of the harvest, the lost and unsaved, through God's grace, too much food to digest, truly love God, upper echelon, was not in vain, which strengtheneth me, write it indelibly, yo-yo
Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Aye Friends, can you believe that on this Thursday morning, the 23rd day of April, that there is a sprinkling of that much detested and dreaded white stuff on the cars and lawns outside? Mama Mia!
Snow at the end of April! Now it’s not much, but just the very idea that snow can be had in late April is ridiculous…and distressing too, especially after the beautiful summerish weather we had just over a week ago, with everybody gearing up for the continuance of such balmy times.
But the reality is that this past week has been cold and blowsy, with daytime temps not even reaching double digits. And in these days of climate change; of abnormal weather and temps at abnormal times, anything is possible. And like all the other stuff that we can’t change, we just have to grin and bear it bravely. (smile)
But on a more serious note Friends, last night on the late edition of the news, they featured a story that intrigued me; ironically, it both saddened and uplifted me, gave me hope. The story was about people seeking happiness. Hn!
Apparently there are now many groups of people around the world getting together to seek ways to be happy. That news saddened me because they are looking for the wrong thing in all the wrong places!
And what I mean by that is people are seeking happiness, which is merely a fleeting, ephemeral feeling that comes around once in a while through fortuitous circumstances, but it never lasts long. Happiness is an up and down situation, like a yo-yo, it revs up, then it revs down.
What they should actually be seeking is JOY, the long term, constant level, always present, upper echelon cousin of happiness. (smile) And sadly, not once did I hear any of those interviewed, or one supposed expert, talk about finding happiness where it is truly to be found, that’s in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To be technical though, Jesus doesn’t simply provide happiness, a feel good feeling, but He brings JOY, or a constant well-being to His followers.
So in the first place, those seekers of happiness ought to be searching for joy, not happiness. And in the second, they ought to be seeking it in, from and through Jesus Christ, the ONLY person who can truly provide that essential aspect of earthly life.
And the story brought hope to my heart because it showed another avenue, another field that’s open, one that’s just ripe for proselytizing by us faithful Christians. What a wonderful opportunity it gives us my brethren for talking about Jesus and showing those misguided folks the right way and place to find true JOY!
And as Jesus so rightly said a long time ago: ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt.9:37-38)
Oh Friends, we are the labourers of our time, and it is thus our bounden duty to get out there and gladly and joyfully reap the harvest of the lost and unsaved in Jesus’ name!
And we know we can do it, if we set our hearts, minds and souls to the task, because of our Bit, which assures, which guarantees that: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’
Glory be to our wonderful God my brethren for that assurance, that faithful promise! Yes my people, anything that falls under God’s will, He will enable us to do, if we so desire.
And as Bruh Paul wisely said in his first letter to the church at Corinth. ‘But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.’ (1 Cor.15:10)
Yes Friends, though Bruh Paul was possibly the hardest working missionary, harvester of souls, it was still only through God’s grace that he was successful. Let’s not forget that in our own labours, for whatever we do, regardless of how hard and diligent we work, true success will only come from God’s grace bestowed on us.
And on that poignant note we’ll end today’s message my people. There’s enough in there for us to ponder on, and I certainly don’t want to abuse our short attention spans by giving us too much food to assimilate and digest all at once. (smile)
Ah mih people, in these hard and trying times I know that it is difficult to keep our focus on Jesus and His kingdom, but if we truly want to see eternity, to spend eternal life with Him, we have to make the effort to live the way He desires.
And the wonderful thing about it all is that if our hearts and motives are true and pure, our magnificent and magnanimous God WILL enable us to do it. Let’s NEVER forget that promise! Let’s write it indelibly in our hearts and souls so that we can readily access it in our time of need! Much LOVE!
…what does our God desire of us…to truly LOVE Him…sincerely LIVE our Faith…and to diligently SPREAD His Word…
03 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a holy and just God, accursed of God, agony, And they crucified him, atonement, Beelzebub, behold thy mother, bondage, breathed his last, Bruh David, brutality, Calvary, casting lots, crown of thorns, crucifixion, dastardly deed, diabolical, disfigured picture of Jesus, Easter Sunday, Eli Eli lama sabachthani, embrace Jesus, eternal life, eyes of faith, Father forgive them, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit, fear, fellowship, for thy know not what they do, forgiveness, free from the bondage of sin, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, gave up the ghost, generous help, Golgotha, Good Friday, greed, grin and bear it, gruesome scene, heartache, horrific, hot noonday sun, inhumanity, injustice, jeers, Jesus' sacrificial death, judgement day, lifeblood, LOVE, Lucifer, lust for power, makes countless thousands mourn, man's inhumanity to man, minions, mockery, mocking, my god why hast thou forsaken me, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, parted his garments, picture of Jesus, Psalm 22:18, reconciliation, relaxation, rest, resurrection, ridicule, sacrifice, salvation, saviour jesus christ, scourging, Simon of Cyrene, sin and suffering, sin-bearer, sins, spiritual death, sufferation, take up our crosses and follow Jesus, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that it might be fulfilled, the beginning of something good, the prince of darkness, today thous shalt be with me in paradise, torment of sin, unconditional LOVE, victory over hell death and the grave, Woman behold thy son
Matthew 27:35. And they crucified him, and parted (divided) his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted (divided) my garments among them, and upon my vesture (clothing) did they cast lots.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! And one we call Good Friday to boot. How can that be though, when such a dastardly deed, such a great injustice, a crucifixion, was perpetrated on a holy and sinless man two thousand years ago? How can it be that we call such a day good eh, especially when it was no ordinary crucifixion, but a horrific and cruel one, filled with all sorts of unimaginable brutality and inhumanity?
That’s the epitome of our saying that man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands suffer and mourn! But I guess we call it good because it was the beginning, the initializing of some thing good. Without that sacrifice on Good Friday, there would have been no resurrection on Easter Sunday, no victory over hell, death and the grave.
And it’s also good in the sense that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave His life so that we could be free from the bondage of sin once and for all. We have to look at it that way Friends, otherwise it was just a brutal injustice.
And believe you me, Jesus paid a heavy, heavy price for our disgusting sins, for as we said above, it was no ordinary crucifixion, but a most cruel and heartless one, fuelled by fear and greed and the lust for power, the same things that are still controlling our world today.
Oh my people, please take a moment and consider the inhumanity that Jesus suffered before He even reached Calvary; the scourging, the spitting, the ridicule, the mocking, the slapping, the crown of thorns, the tearing of His flesh by the cruel whips with all sorts of sharp things attached meant exactly for that purpose.
In this modern day and age, although we’re still cruel, I don’t think we can truly capture the thoroughly disfigured and tattered picture of Jesus when He came out of Pilate’s place, then was given His cross to carry, though He could barely walk and His wounds were by then terminal. It was only a matter of time.
It’s a good thing that somebody had the bright idea to get Simon the Cyrene to help Him bear the cross, otherwise I doubt He would have made it to Golgotha that evil place of the skull, which we Christians now term Calvary, a much nicer name. Then being made to lie outstretched on two planks of wood and nailed to them with huge metal nails, in such a way that death would be painful and prolonged. Steups!
Can you imagine that gruesome scene Friends, of Jesus being put to lie down on the cross and nailed to it, then have it raised upright and what little lifeblood He had left, being set to drain slowly and painfully out of Him? And to make matters worse, they crucified Him between two common criminals. Chuh!
Ah mih people, can you look through your eyes of faith and see Jesus, all torn and tattered, just languishing up there on that cross in the hot noonday sun? Believe me Friends, it was definitely no little price that Jesus paid for the banishment of our sins nuh! That’s what you call real ‘sufferation.’ The Father really put it to Him.
In my humble opinion it did not have to be so cruel, but I guess it just goes to show how disgusting and diabolical sin is and was, and that the only way to truly get rid of it was by a serious sacrificial death of a sinless person. And unfortunately Jesus was the ONLY ONE who fit that description.
It also shows how serious the Father is and was about His dislike for sin, if He could allow such terrible atrocities to be performed on His only Son. If you think it hurts us, just imagine the heartache He must have felt nuh, seeing His Son go through so much agony, and knowing that He could stop it with a simple word, but also knowing that if He did, sin would then forever run rampant throughout His universe, with no end in sight, and the evil Lucifer would have won the war.
Being a holy and just God, He just could not allow that, so like we say, He just had to grin and bear it. And yet we still doubt His wonderful and unconditional LOVE for us!
What hurts too Friends, is that after that most expensive price Jesus paid for our forgiveness, for our reconciliation and atonement, for our salvation and eternal life, so many of us simply ignore Him, or don’t take him as seriously as we should.
That’s not only unfortunate my brethren, but rather foolish, for if we don’t embrace Jesus and all that He stands for then we’ll still end up in the pool of fire come the judgement day with the wicked Beelzebub and all his other minions, and His sacrifice would have been worthless.
Oh Friends, the Father sent His son to pay the price for our abominable sins because He did not want to lose even one of His most wonderful creations, mankind, to Lucifer. So why aren’t we being wise and truly accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour eh? That’s the multi-million dollar question?
Instead, we’re sadly moving away from Him in droves, embracing the worthless and sinful stuff of the world, foisted on us by the prince of darkness and his evil lackeys. That’s only going to bring us more sin and suffering, and it’s oh so foolish, when Jesus has already paid the price for us to be free from the bondage and torment of sin.
But yuh know what my brethren, Jesus was such a mighty and majestic man, that throughout it all He didn’t complain. He knew that that was the reason for which He was made man, and though He pleaded some with the Father to change the plans, deep down He knew that it was not going to happen, so again, like we all have to do at times, He just grinned and bore it.
He withstood the mockery and jeers and otherwise that were hurled at him while He hung there limp and helpless on the cross. The only sad words that reached His lips on the cross were as the Good Book says: ‘And about the ninth hour (noon) Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt.27:46)
Yes Friends, in that moment, as the scholars explain; ‘Here we have the high cost to Christ of His atonement for our sins, who was accursed of God as our sin-bearer, (cf.2 Cor.5:21; Gal.3:13) and suffered the agony of spiritual death for us.’
Ah mih breddren, as our Bit so sadly says too: ‘And they crucified him, and parted (divided) his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted (divided) my garments among them, and upon my vesture (clothing) did they cast lots.’ That prophecy comes from Psalm 22:18, words of Bruh David.
But you know what Friends, Jesus is so beautiful, that even on the cross He still reached out to us. He pleaded with the Lord; ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34) Then to one of the criminals who were crucified with Him and who embraced His sanctity as they hung there together, He sincerely promised: ‘Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.’ (Luke 23:43)
And to show how much He cared for His mother, the Good Book tells us: ‘When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he LOVED (John), he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.’ (John 19:26-27)
What’s left to be said eh, my people? Only this: ‘And when Jesus had cried with aloud voice, he said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost (breathed his last).’ (Luke 23:46)
Oh Friends, on this solemn Friday which we call good, and on which we didn’t even shout for joy, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ since most people are already off work, for it’s a public holiday in most places, let’s Chant our Friday Chant nonetheless as we spend the day in worship and ponder what the day means to us as a congregation, as well as individuals.
Let’s 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.’
Oh my people, it’s long and somewhat involved. (smile) But that’s what I was guided to write. I just hope it brings home to us the real hefty price that Jesus paid for our sins to be forgiven, and brings us ever closer to Him. Much LOVE!
…to all serious believers…today…let’s take up our crosses and follow Jesus…for that’s what he desires of us…
19 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rough note, a teaching tool, Abraham, Ark of the Covenant, asaph, begun a good work, being confident of this very thing, breath of life, Bruh David, come naturally, compalin, cramp, crushing, declare his glory among the heathen, easy life, Ethan the Ezrahite, faithfulness, friends, give thanks unto the Lord, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, glory in his holy name, glory to God, God's nature, great is the Lord, grin and bear it, hammering, hidden crevice, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord, image of Christ, impatience, inconveniences, inheritance, Isaac, Israel, Jacob, Lord have mercy, LOVE, loving kindness, make matters worse, make something out of nothing, Martin Luther, Master Builder, Master Potter, mea culpa, mercies, One Year Book of Bible promises, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, pain, promise, psalm of thanksgiving, reduce me to nothing, rejoice, remember His marvellous works, reverential awe, salvation, seek God's face continually, seek the Lord, sing unto the Lord, smile, steups, strangers, take it in stride, thanksgiving, the joy of the Lord, the Land of Canaan', the Lord always fufills His promises, the potter's wheel, touch not mine anointed, true followers of jesus, turned and tossed, unfortunate circumstances, waiting, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom, with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness, woes, working it out for our good, ye seed of Israel
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa! Truthfully, I don’t know what happened this morning. I went to bed at my normal hour, around two o’clock, expecting to get up by seven. Unfortunately though I got up after five to go to the bathroom and after that… Lord have mercy, I just turned and tossed, trying to find a comfortable position to ease the pain in my aching shoulders. Steups!
Somewhere along the line, I must have eventually fallen asleep because when I did open my eyes, it was after eight. And to make matters even worse, I got up with a cramp in my left thigh! Glory Hallelujah! What more can I say eh? (smile) And now I’m drinking a cup of caffeine that really doesn’t thrill me – not strong or sweet enough, but since I’m trying to cut back on my coffee and sugar intake, I just have to grin and bear it.
And those are my early morning woes! (smile) But yuh know what my people, I’m still very glad and thankful to be alive, regardless of my petty inconveniences. Lots of others have it much worse than you and I, so please let’s not complain too much when we’re beset by unfortunate circumstances.
Let’s just learn to take it in our stride, knowing that our wonderful God is looking after our every move. And though we might not understand how and why, He’s working it all out for our good. He has promised that and He ALWAYS fulfills His promises. So though the morning has begun on a somewhat rough note, I’m sure it will end up very well. Glory to God!
And my Friends, this morning I have a poem to share with you from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It describes us to a T. When I read it yesterday, I just had to laugh. It’s titled ‘What Is Your Schedule, God?’
And it reads: ‘Lord Many years ago Martin Luther said “It’s God’s nature To make something out of nothing. That is why God cannot make anything Out of him who is yet nothing.” In ways I had never anticipated, Lord Slowly but persistently You continue Your hammering and crushing In every hidden crevice of my life.
You seem determined to reduce me to nothing In order to make me something. I wonder… What is Your schedule, God? As You creatively continue To reshape and remake me How long will the process last? Lord, could You hurry a little?’
Oh Friends, doesn’t that sound just like us? The Lord’s trying to remake us in the image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, but it doesn’t happen easily or quickly, and having become accustomed to the easy life and impatience of our times, we can’t stand the pain or the waiting. We want to be a beautiful image of Christ, but we don’t want to suffer the changes or spend the time necessary on the potter’s wheel of the Lord.
And the promise for that poem is a rather appropriate one. ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil.1:6)
Yes my fellow believers, our God will continue whatever work He has begun in us until that day that Jesus returns in all His splendour and glory. So there’s no need to worry about what we’re going through, for we have a Master Builder and Master Potter looking after us.
That’s why Friends, we can confidently say like the Ethan the Ezrahite in our Bit: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
Yes my people, though it is indeed our duty to pass on the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness to the up and coming generations, our souls should be so full of the joy of the Lord that all those things should just come naturally to us.
And there’s no better example of that than Bruh David in his songs. Listen to this one, his psalm of thanksgiving, when the Ark of the Covenant was brought up to Jerusalem.
‘Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgement of his mouth; O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
He is the Lord our God; his judgements are in all the earth. Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; and hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,
Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot (allotment) of your inheritance. When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it. And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people. He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all the nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods.’ (1 Chr.16:7-25)
Oh Friends, we have to stop there, because the psalm is at least half as long again, and we don’t have the time nor space to capture it all. But it does show how Bruh David tied in all the different aspects of Israel’s dealings with their God. It was also a teaching tool, so that the people could learn of Israel’s history, something to be orally passed down to the generations, since writing and reading weren’t as universal as they are today.
Let us therefore remember Friends, not only the Lord’s goodness to Israel in their time, but also His LOVING-kindness to us in these trying days. And thus cause our voices to be raised in song, in thanksgiving for His everlasting mercies to us, His people, the flock of His pasture, so that others can hear it, and come to know Him like we do. That is indeed heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!
…to true followers of Jesus…singing His praises…ought to come naturally and constantly…as breathing His breath of life…
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