12 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive and kicking, believers in Jesus Christ, constant cry, diligently, earthly problems, energized, find me, fruit, give a stranger one of your smiles, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God's goodness, God's great earth, gold, hard times, honour, I love them that love me, in the beginning, inherit substance, Jesus Christ, judgement, justice, loathe, looking back at the past, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, our best days are still ahead of us, potential, riches, righteousness., sacrilege, seek me early, seeking God, silver, sunshine, the breath of life, the obits, this is the day the Lord has made, to a glorious future with Jesus, treasures, uplifted, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wealth, Wednesday Wail, what a shame, wisdom, words of wisdom
Proverbs 8:17. I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.
Oh my beautiful believers in Jesus Christ, once again we’ve been blessed to see another day on God’s great earth. Wow!
A lot of others haven’t been so favoured. If you look in the obits, you’ll see their names there, but thankfully ours aren’t included. That means our heavenly Father has more wonderful and daring plans in mind for us to accomplish in His large and most excellent portfolio.
And the best way to initiate those plans is by declaring up front: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’
Yeh friends, if we don’t appreciate and rejoice in the day that we’ve been blessed with, our names might as well have been included in the obits, because we’re just wasting God’s time and goodness. And what a shame that would be!
Anyway, it’s Wednesday, and yuh know what that means? It’s wailing time! So let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with lots of enthusiasm, faith, trust, truth and whatever else it takes for these sentiments to truly blossom in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
Wailing 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!’
Oh my faithful brethren, many of us are facing hard and difficult times, but I’m sure none of us are ready to go over to the other side just to get rid of our earthly problems. Well the next best thing is to grab on securely to the plough that Jesus has offered us, look straight ahead and plough like we mad! (smile)
We can learn from all the stuff that’s gone on in our pasts, but we must not let them weigh us down any further. A new day is dawning, our best days are still ahead of us, that’s why the Lord has left us down here.
So please, let’s be truly thankful nuh for God’s breath of life that still has us alive and kicking, and look forward with patience, but also eager anticipation to the glorious future that our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ has promised us. Chuh! Anything less would be sacrilege.
Yeh friends, the ole fella seems to be in fine form this morning. (smile) But we all know that what I’m saying is gospel truth, we’re just too lazy, scared or whatever to get in the real groove with Jesus.
And before we get into our Bit, I’m going to give us one small, but very important task to do to show that we truly LOVE Jesus. It comes from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. And it simply says: ‘Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.’
Now that isn’t so hard to do eh? At least it shouldn’t be. And we all know it’s true, it works, because we have all been energized and uplifted with a kind word or a smile from someone we didn’t know. Now I won’t know if we did our today task, but God will. Nuff said!
Now here is our interesting Bit from the Proverbs of Cousin Sol, as he tries to teach us about wisdom and its everlasting nature. ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’
Ah mih people, what undeniable words of wisdom about wisdom! (smile) And yuh know what? Seeking wisdom in this earthly life is really all about seeking God. Now hear some of the things we’ll find when we LOVE and seek after wisdom.
‘Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable (enduring) riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead (walk) in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgement (justice): That I may cause those that LOVE me to inherit substance (wealth); and I will fill their treasures.’ (Prov.8:18-21)
Now why would anybody in their right mind not seek after wisdom eh? She provides honour and riches; enduring riches to boot! Riches that will last, unlike that gleaned from the world. She walks in righteousness, provides fruit that is better than the best gold and silver, and justice is her middle name!
And she causes all those who seek and LOVE her to get wealth. Hn! True wisdom encompasses EVERYTHING my people! Once we sincerely seek her, we don’t have to seek for anything else, for she provides all that we need to live a good life. Ah friends, seeking wisdom is like seeking God! You cannot go wrong on either count!
And we won’t get into it here, but wisdom is and was so important, that before the Lord even made the world, wisdom was in His toolbox. ‘The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.’ (Prov.8:22-23)
Yeh friends, wisdom was around long before the earth was. So why are we so loathe to seek true wisdom eh, the kind that comes from God and not man? Who knows!
But please let it be said, that until we truly seek and acquire godly wisdom, our lives will not be fulfilled to their godly potential. Much LOVE!
…seek me, seek me…is the constant cry of wisdom and our God…
08 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a family to feed, adventurous, awe-inspiring, backbone, be of good cheer, believe also in me, belly, bring all things, Christian, come again, economy falters, effort, ever-LOVING God, evil ungodly days, faith, faith in action, faithful believers, fellowship, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, get by, getting me through another week, hard times, i have overcome the world, I leave with you, if it were not so, in Jesus' name, In my Father's house, in my name, Jesus Christ, lead and guide, let not your heart be troubled, many mansions, merciful, middle ground, moderation, monetary incentive, mortgage to pay, my peace I give unto you, negative emotions, not as the world giveth, Oral Roberts, party, peace, permeate our souls, perspective, preaching, prepare a place for you, promise, prosper, purpose of faith, raise the level of our faith, receive you unto myself, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, resentment, rest, satisfying, sinful world, soul body mind, sow, stand strong against the enemy, staring you in the face, steadfast, stress, stressful, stressful week, take up the slack, teach you all things, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanks, the Blessing of the Holy spirit, the bottom line, the christian motto, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, the pull of partying, the weekend, there ye may be also, think on them, to your remebrance, tribulation, trust, trust in jesus, truth, unchristian behaviour, unemployment, weekend activities, where I am, wicked ways, wisdom, ye believe in God
John 14:1. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
And then it was Friday! And obviously there is joy in the work place at the upcoming weekend; the couple of days off from work.
And all around the workers are joyfully declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and slave work done! It done like dinner! The weekend party starting from this evening and going straight through! The weekend is the greatest time! Thank You Lord for Fridays and weekends!’
Ah mih people, it’s understandable how the workers long for the weekend after a stressful week of work, but that doesn’t mean we have to go to the other extreme, where we party the whole weekend away. There needs to be some moderation, some middle ground in our weekend activities. So let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us a much better perspective on the situation.
Chanting: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes friends, that’s a much better, much more reliable and sensible way to use those two precious days off. But I guess I will have to be preaching that until I die, (smile) because the pull of the partying is getting stronger and stronger as the days get more stressful.
And believe me, they are getting more difficult as the economy continues to falter and people lose their jobs, all to the glory of the bottom line, and the remaining ones are expected to take up the slack for no monetary incentive. That type of situation will obviously cause resentment and stress!
But friends, as faithful believers in Jesus Christ, we must not allow those two negative emotions to permeate our souls and drag us down to unchristian behaviour. Now that’s not easy to do when unemployment and other hard times are staring you in the face.
You’ve got a family to feed and clothe, a mortgage to pay, car payments to make, and all the other numerous things we need to do to just get by in this society. Note, we not even talking about prospering, but merely getting by. So you can imagine the effort and faith it takes for one to prosper as a Christian in these evil and ungodly days.
That’s why our Bit today is so important in a believer’s life. ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.’
Oh my people, these days we badly need to raise the level of our faith, our trust in Jesus, so that we can stand strong against the enemy and his wicked ways. But we also need to see that faith in action.
As Oral Roberts is reputed to have said: ‘I don’t care how much faith you have, I care about how much faith you release.’
And friends, that’s the basic purpose of faith: having it doesn’t mean much unless you release it. Faith in action is the Christian motto. So if the world is stressing you out today, please take hope and raise the level of your faith by seriously trusting in the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Hear how He continues after our Bit. ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwellings): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ (John 14:2-3)
Oh what a wonderful promise my brethren! Our Leader has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven, then come back and take us to live with Him! Hn! It’s promises like these my faithful believers that we need to sow deep down in our souls and think on them when times and things come against us.
Now listen to what Jesus says later on in that same chapter, as He promises the blessing of the Holy Spirit. ‘But the Comforter (Helper), which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye LOVED me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.’ (John 14:26-28)
Oh my brethren, I know all of that is easier said than done, how difficult it is to raise up the necessary faith when the evil world is banging on your door. But that’s what we need to do, and besides, we also have the wherewithal to do it.
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would remind the apostles of all that He spoke to them about, and it’s also the same way He operates in our lives, leading and guiding us in wisdom and truth. It is therefore very essential that we pay special attention to what the Holy Spirit says to us.
Nothing’s easy in this life friends, but we already have all that we need to conquer it planted deep down in our souls, we just need to ask the Lord to raise up whatever we need to overcome our negative circumstances. And you know our merciful and ever-LOVING God will answer our prayers if we come to Him in humility and sincerity.
Now let’s close with another faithful and awe-inspiring promise of our Lord and Saviour. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Please believe Jesus’ promises my people, because that’s what gives us the belly and backbone to stand strong and steadfast against the enemy in this wicked and sinful world! Much LOVE!
…living for, and following Jesus is not easy…but it sure is satisfying and adventurous…
26 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Sunday walk in the park, a witness, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, all hail the glory of God, apathy, be of good cheer, blessed, bring forth his fruit, commandments, covenant, debauchery, fellowship, Friday chant, friends, fun, glad to be alive, glorious kingdom, hard times, heavenly goodness, his leaf shall not wither, humble servants, i have overcome the world, in due season, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, licentiousness, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, LOVE, meditate, meditiating on God's word, misuse our body, Moses, nothing to lose, obedience, Pentateuch, perspective, ponder, rebellion, rebellious against the Lord, recuperate, relaxation, renewed and refreshed, rest, soul searching, statutes, stiff necked, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the ark of the covenant, the breath of life, the One and Only True God, then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, thou shalt have good success, truth, ungodly living, ungodly world, walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, weekend break, whatever he does shall prosper, wisdom, wise, worship other gods and idols, ye might have peace, ye shall have tribulation, you may prosper
Joshua 1:8b. …for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, although the ole fella didn’t get to bed until four o’clock this morning, hence the lateness of the Bit, he’s still so glad to be alive this last Friday in June 2015, that he doesn’t know what to do with ‘imself! Hn, hn!
And talking about the last Friday in June makes me shake my head in wonder, asking if June is already finished when it just began the other day? (smile)
Ah mih people, the breath of life is so precious that I’m surprised at how so many of us don’t appreciate it and just waste it away in ungodly living or simple apathy.
Anyway, I know you all are waiting for me to say it so that you can shout it out. So here goes. Aye Friends, all yuh know is Friday…?
And the loud shout rises up: ‘But of course! That’s why we’re exclaiming TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! All hail the glory of God for helping us to see the week through successfully, even though some hard times were involved. Thank God for this weekend break! And furthermore, we going to use it wisely!’
Wow mih brethren, I am proud of you for that tad of wisdom! (smile) But still, since all of us might not feel that way, and consequently want to use the weekend for debauchery and licentiousness, let’s chant our Friday Chant to give us some perspective on the way to truly use it.
As one harmonious chanter 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 Friends, the weekend is not to further tire out and misuse our body with ungodly living, but to rest it, to let it recuperate so that we can go back out next week and further God’s kingdom amongst the heathen and ungodly hordes.
And today we’re going to continue with our wise, soul searching Bit from yesterday. ‘…for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’
And that’s something we all want to have. But how do we do it eh? By seriously and sincerely meditating on God’s Word and then keeping His commandments and statutes found therein.
Oh it’s definitely not a Sunday walk in the park, but as Jesus so assuredly said to the disciples. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Those words of assurance still pertain to us today my people, and though being of good cheer in the midst of our troubles is not easy, it is indeed possible when our hearts, minds, bodies and souls are filled with Jesus and His awe inspiring Word. It’s all about the Word, my Friends!
Now let’s look at some scripture which proclaim that sentiment of absolute truth. While Moses was writing the last book of the Pentateuch, (the first five books of the Bible) Deuteronomy, he exhorted the people to obedience, showing them all that the Lord had done for them.
Then he commanded them in no uncertain terms. ‘Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.’ (Deut. 29:9)
Then when Moses was finished writing Deuteronomy, the Good Book declares: ‘That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death?’ (Deut.31:25-27)
Ah Friends, Moses knew his people! And was he ever right, for though they had the law of God ensconced in the ark, they still made a mess of their lives, turned from the God of their fathers several times to foolishly worship all sorts of other supposed gods and idols.
And unfortunately my brethren, that is exactly the state that we are in today. Numerous people are foolishly turning away from the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD to worship all sorts of other nonsense! Why can’t we understand that it is only when we praise, serve and worship Jehovah God that a land, a society, and a people truly prosper for long periods of time eh?
And we’ll end with these wonderful words of advice and assurance from Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder, by talking to oneself) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)
Ah Friends, what more can I add to that eh? Nothing really, but to advise us to keep walking with the Lord God Jehovah, if we want to be successful in this earthly life and consequently the one hereafter.
And for those of us who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, then I highly recommend that you give Him a try, for you have absolutely nothing to lose and a whole lot of heavenly goodness and wisdom to gain. Much LOVE!
…to sincerely follow Jesus and His Word…is the wisest…most sensible…and most blessed thing a human being can ever do…
28 Oct 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fate worse than death, a good time, a sorrowful day, a wake up call, all praise and thanks be to god, barricaded, better late than never, circumstances, comes as a thief in the night, communication, corrupt governments, cower, cowering with fear, crapaud smoke we pipe, destruction, disturbed young man, doing zilch, early mornings, eating and drinking, elected representatives, Ethel Barrymore, fear, filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with the passion of Jesus Christ, found wanting, fragile, Glory Halleujah, hail of gunfire, Hall of Honour, hard times, hilarious, how quickly our circumstances can change, Islamist extremist movement, Jesus Christ, Jesus' 2nd coming, judge the world, last generation, late nights, Leaders, legislators, lives, LOVE, marrying and giving in marriage, merciful and magnanimous God, Noah, obedience, Ottawa, Parliament Hill, perpetrators, poignant, prayer, pursue our interests, Quebec, radicalized, rainy Tuesday morning, relationships, senseless violence, separate the lost and the saved, seprated from our heavenly Father, sudden loss, suddenness of Christ's coming, tenuous, the ability to move on, the day of the Lord, the days of Noah, the death of me, the flood, the great Protector, the Great tribulation, the LOVE of Jesus, the milennial kingdom, the more things you love, the more you enjoy, Thessalonians, to remedy the problem, tragedies, tragic ending, uncertain, unprepared, violent and troubled times, violent behaviour, War Memorial Statue, watch therefore, wisdom, you know not what hour your Lord comes
1 Thessalonians 5:2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of our Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Oh Friends, it’s a beautiful, though rainy Tuesday morning! Wow! We’re alive! And even more importantly we’re filled with the Holy Spirit; filled with the passion of Jesus Christ! Glory Hallelujah! All praise and thanks be to our merciful and magnanimous God!
Consequently, there ought to be a joy, an unspeakable, indescribable joy in our souls! The LOVE of Jesus, and LOVE in general ought to be pouring out of our hearts, souls, minds and bodies!
And if sadly it isn’t, then something’s seriously wrong my people! We need to rectify that most undesirable situation RIGHT AWAY, through prayer, communication and obedience to Almighty God!
Now here is an interesting quote attributed to Ethel Barrymore ((1879-1959) the renowned America actress, member of the renowned Barrymore family of actors. She says: ‘The more things you LOVE, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you have left when anything happens.’
And that’s logic and truth personified my people! The wider the variety of our interests, the greater the enjoyment, and ability to handle loss or difficult times.
As the One More Day Devotional tells us: ‘Now is a good time for us to pursue our interests and to nurture both new and old relationships. We understand so well how easily and quickly our circumstances can change.’
And that sudden loss, the unexpected tragic ending was brought home to us so forcefully and graphically last week by the senseless violence that took place in this our fair country of Canada.
In the Province of Quebec, one disturbed young man ran over two military officers with his car, killing one and seriously wounding the other.
A couple days later, an even more ridiculous, scary and unfortunate incident occurred in Ottawa, the country’s capital. There, another disturbed young man shot two soldiers guarding the War Memorial Statue on Parliament Hill. One of those soldiers also died.
The young man then drove the short distance to the Parliament buildings, with all our elected representatives ensconced therein, and indiscriminately opened fire in the Hall of Honour of the main Parliament building.
Ah Lord eh! What is our world coming to eh Friends? It was somewhat poignant and hilarious to see pictures of our worthy representatives barricaded behind locked doors, cowering with fear under desks etc. I do hope that will serve as a wake up call for them to get serious about running the country properly and stop the nonsense they’re now doing.
Unfortunately though, the two perpetrators of the violence died in a hail of gunfire. So we don’t have the opportunity to find out exactly what went was happening with them, what brought on this outrageous and violent behaviour.
It’s alleged that the ever-growing Islamist extremist movement had radicalized them. But no one knows anything for sure. And Friends, unfortunately there are so many disturbed young people in our world today, that it makes me wonder about its future.
And sadly, the inefficient, crooked and corrupt governments, at all levels, are doing zilch to try and remedy the problem! They talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk. As I said before, I do hope that those incidents provide a wake up call for our leaders and legislators.
Ah mih breddren, it all just goes to show how tenuous, how fragile and uncertain our lives and circumstances are, especially in these violent and troubled times. However, it doesn’t mean that we have to cower in fear and anxiety, because we have Jesus, our great Protector, ALWAYS walking hand in hand with us.
And thus we can confidently say: ‘Tragedies and hard times will affect me, but I know I have the ability to move on.’
That brings us to our most appropriate Bit, Bruh Paul’s fateful words to the Thessalonians, which he prefaces with: ‘But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.’ (1 Thess. 5:1-2)
Yes my people, our wonderful Lord and Saviour can return at any time! Are we ready? What if He should come TODAY, RIGHT NOW? Are we ready to embrace that fateful moment? For all our sakes, I certainly hope so! For if not, then crapaud smoke we pipe! We’ll be eternally separated from our heavenly Father. And that’s a fate even worse than death!
Hear this explanation from the scholars. ‘5:2. The day of the Lord is an all-encompassing term to describe the period that begins with the Great Tribulation, and includes the second coming of Christ and the millennial kingdom. This Old Testament expression is here identified with the ‘parousia,’ (time of reckoning) already introduced. It will begin unexpectedly (cf.Matt.24:37).’
Yes Friends, the operative word there is ‘unexpectedly,’ which means we have to be prepared at ALL TIMES!
Now listen to Jesus expound on the subject. ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were. So shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of man be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ (Matt.24:36-42)
That’s indeed wisdom for the ages my fellow believers!
And the scholars have this to say about that passage. ’24:39-42. The observation that the people of Noah’s day knew not the severity and suddenness of the coming destruction indicates that this last generation will be totally unprepared for the coming of the Son of man, the return of Christ to judge the world. (See 2 Thess.1:7-8)
The reference to two being in the field or at work at the time of Christ’s return implies the suddenness of His coming to separate the lost and the saved.’
Ah Friends, the situation couldn’t be stated any plainer than that! So please let’s do the wise thing today nuh, RIGHT NOW; let’s get ourselves together, so that whenever the Lord chooses to return, WE WILL BE READY! Much LOVE!
…for those who are found wanting when Jesus comes again…it will indeed be a sorrowful day…so in all wisdom…let’s not be found wanting…
P.S. These late nights and early mornings will be the death of me yes! (smile) But better late than never! Much LOVE!
05 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spirit being, abandoned, all the days of my appointed time, another occasion to party, chanpion his cause, Christian behaviour, confidence, days off, degredation, depths of degredation, eagerly, entreprenurial class, everlasting, evil doers, eye have not seen, face our trials, faith, fellowship, fortitude, fret not, Friday chant, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, future generations, generous help, Glory Halleujah, God has humiliated Job, grace, grave injustice, hard times, I know that my Redeemer lives, I will wait till my change come, if a man die, in Jesus' name, in my flesh shall I see God, indisputable, inherit the earth, Isaiah, Job, joyous shouts, judge him favourably, men have not heard, menial work, Old Testament, patiently, pity, pleading for pity, posterity, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, Rest in the Lord, resurrected body, resurrection, shall he live again, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the weekend, the working class, them's the breaks, tribulation, truth, vacations, vindicate, wait, wait patiently for the Lord, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, what god has prepared, wisdom, words of faith, worms destroy this body
Job 14:14. If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.
Yes Friends, it’s the big one, the big day, Friday!
And joyous shouts were heard all around the world from the working class: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and no more work after this for two whole, big days! Glory Hallelujah! Thank God is Friday!’
Ah mih people, what a life eh, when we have to be so happy to get a couple days off from work! But them’s the breaks in this modern society. And we in the West are still very fortunate, for in many other parts of the world the workers don’t have that luxury of days of and vacations, etc. etc.
So please let’s appreciate what we have and work hard to keep it, because if we don’t, we’ll certainly lose it with the return to menial work and working conditions that the current entrepreneurial class is trying to restore.
Anyway, to keep us in line, in some form and fashion, let’s chant our Friday Chant. All together 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 brethren, that’s how we ought to view the weekend, instead of seeing it as just another occasion to party!
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is certainly an interesting one, voicing some of Job’s deepest thoughts in his day of tribulation. ‘If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.’
Ah mih people, though Job longs for death, he is still willing to wait and experience whatever hard times he faces, until that blessed day comes. Are we willing to do likewise – face our trials with grace and fortitude till the day of our departure from this life comes? We ought to.
And as per Job’s question: ‘If a man die, shall he live again?’ Here is the answer, which Job himself gives later on in chapter 19, when he states his faith.
‘For I know that my Redeemer (kinsman) liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day (at last) upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.’ (Job 19:25-26)
Oh my people, what powerful words of faith from a man undergoing serious tribulation! Oh, how I wish that we could all be so staunch in our faith! (smile)
Now I never planned to include these scholars’ notes nuh, but after reading them, I figured I’d be doing us all a grave injustice by not including them.
’19:23-27. God has humiliated Job (vv.8-12), his friends and relatives have abandoned him (vv.13-20), and he has been reduced to pleading for pity (vv.21-22). But from the depths of degradation he expresses his confidence that if his case could only be recorded for posterity, future generations would judge him favourably (vv.23-24).
Furthermore, he knows confidently that he has a Redeemer (v.25, Heb. go’el), One who will champion his cause and vindicate him. The Redeemer is more than an arbiter (9:33) or a witness (16:19) but a Kinsman-Redeemer, and the Hebrew word is in fact used often of God (Ps. 19:14; Is.41:14, etc.).
In my flesh (v.26) speaks of a resurrected body. Though it may also be translated “apart from my flesh,” as a spirit being, the emphasis of the original means “from the standpoint of my flesh,” in my resurrected body. Here then is clear evidence of the Old Testament belief in the resurrection of the human body.’
Now that is quite a mouthful, but I believe it gives us great insight into Job’s beliefs, and is also a powerful example of true Christian behaviour and character. So please pay serious attention to it my brethren.
And in keeping with our goal of seeking relevant scriptures on waiting on God, let’s look at a couple that highlight that fact. Up first is a fairly well known passage from Isaiah, re a prayer for help.
‘For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God (any God), beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.’(Is.64:4)
And we’ll close with some powerful and famous words of Bruh David from Psalm 37, where he elucidates on the true state of the wicked. ‘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: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:7-9)
Oh my fellow believers, what wonderful words of indisputable and everlasting truth!
So let’s go out today and show our great wisdom by putting them into practice nuh. It will certainly warm the cockles of Jesus’ heart! Much LOVE!
…to wait…to wait…and yet to wait patiently and eagerly on the Lord…that is the purpose of man…
12 Feb 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: above the heavens, acknowledgement of God's power, appreciate God's awesome power, arch-enemy, arrows, assistance, awesome wisdom, base purposes, be above all the earth, bewtween a rock and a hard place, biography of souls, Bruh David, calamities, cherish, cold weather, Comforter, confidence in God, contemplation, cry unto god, danger, Daniel in the lion's den, David Thomas, daytime temps, difficulties, exalted, feel the pain, forgive, furnace of blazing fire, glory, god, God's goodness and mercy, good things, gospel truth, hard times, Healer, hear my plea Lord, heartfelt words, hiding in a cave, hounds me, human frailties, inopportune times, Jesus, living example, maturity, merciful, mercy, nature of the beast, need a break, our end all and be all, personal well-being, prayer for deliverance, precipitation, predicament, promotion, propitiation for our sins, Psalm 57, radiant pages, refuge, remembering God's goodness, reprieve, reproach, sacrifice, Saul, save me, selfishly using God, shadow of thy wings, shallow, sharp sword, snaps at, snowfall, spears, strengthen our faith, suffer, the sons of men, tongue, trials, tribulations, trust, truth, unselfish and noble actions, wilderness, with Jesus' help
Psalm 57:5. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
And the extremely cold weather rolls on my Friends! Thankfully though, without any further precipitation, for there’s nowhere left to pile it. It’s already piled high everywhere since the last snowfall.
But these constant daytime temps of minus double digits are a bit much. We can understand it at nights, but for heaven’s sake, in the daytime we need a break Lord! Hopefully the Lord will hear my plea and answer with some reprieve from this unusually cold weather.
Anyway Friends, I got up sort of early this morning, but just could not get out of bed, so the Bit will be a tad late, not as late as yesterday though. (smile) You all have to feel the ole fella’s pain and give him a bligh, a break.
As this quote, attributed to one of our many David Thomas’ so eloquently states: ‘Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.’
Oh yes my people, that is the gospel truth! It’s exactly what Jesus did when He unselfishly and very nobly gave His sinless life as a sacrifice, as propitiation for our disgusting sins. And that’s exactly how He wants all His followers to behave; noble and unselfish.
It’s not always easy to do, but with Jesus’ help we can certainly do more than we’re currently doing. And here’s and easy one to begin your day right; forgive the ole fella for his human frailties. (smile)
However, we also have a wonderful Bit – sorry, all of them are wonderful! ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.’
Oh my brethren, those heartfelt words come from Bruh David’s Michtam (Contemplation) while hiding in a cave in the wilderness from his arch-enemy Saul. And I guess he had lots of time for contemplation.
Psalm 57 is a prayer for deliverance. And please note my fellow believers, as always, Bruh David begins his prayers with acknowledgement of God’s power, His goodness and mercy and his own trust and confidence in the Almighty.
‘Be merciful unto me O God, be merciful unto me; for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast (passed by). I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up (snaps at or hounds me). Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.’ (Ps.57:1-3)
Oh my people, is that the way we begin our prayers, by acknowledging the power and majesty of our heavenly Father, by remembering the good things He’s done for us in the past and letting them strengthen our faith and trust that He will continue to look after us in the future?
Well if we don’t, then we ought to. That shows God that we are truly trusting, we’re not shallow and only interested in our personal well-being, we know and appreciate His awesome power and capabilities.
And just as a living example, how would you feel if one of your children, or anybody you cherish continually came asking for help without some admission of your previous assistance and goodness to them eh?
Would you be pleased if they just jumped right in and said they wanted this and needed that? I doubt it. The same way our heavenly Father needs to see that we’re not just selfishly using him for our base purposes.
And although Bruh David is in serious danger, it’s only after he acknowledges the God of his forefathers, that he states his predicament in the verse before our Bit: ‘My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.’ (Ps.57:4)
Then he proclaims our Bit: ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.’
Yuh see Friends, even though Bruh David’s life is on the line, he’s between a rock and a hard place, he still trusts and exalts the name of the God of his fathers.
Chuh! I was just further delayed for almost ten minutes by my security company wanting to update some stuff, then needing to shut down and restart the computer so that the updates could take effect. These things always seem to happen at such inopportune times, but that’s the nature of the beast.
Anyhow, like we trust our security companies to get it right with our computers, do we trust and exalt our great God when difficulties and hard times come against us, like Bruh David did?
We ought to, because He’s the ONLY ONE who can truly bring us out of our troubles, unscathed, the way we like to come out of them, like He did Daniel in the lion’s den, (Dan.6:14-28) and his buddies in the furnace of blazing fire. (Dan.3:8-30)
But we must remember that that’s not always possible, for some of these trials and tribulations are tests to see if we can hold up under the strain of life, if our maturity is such that we’re ready for another level of promotion.
But if we are bruised and battered, please remember that our God is also the greatest Comforter and Healer there is, ever was, and ever will be. And He WILL NEVER leave us to suffer unnecessarily.
And with those words of awesome wisdom, (smile) we’ll end today’s message. Much LOVE!
…the God of heaven and earth…our Creator and Provider…is our end all and be all…we need no one else but Him…
11 Jul 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend in Jesus, a-whoring, anger, believe in Jesus, benefits, bless the Lord, blessings, busyness, disasters, disbelief, do God's will, everything to God in prayer, evil ways, faith, faithful promise, fear, forgiveness, gladness, God's LOVING-kindness, hard times, healing, human failings, maturity, mental and emotional radar, needless pain, negative stuff, new blessings, obey God, Old Testament, one true God, petition God, petty differences, positive stuff, praise, pride, privilege to carry, prosperity, rejoice and be glad, salvation, satisfy us with mercy, sins and griefs to bear, something for nothing, souls of humans, summer, thanksgiving, the Good Book, true believer, truth, turn away from God, unified body of Christ, walk in God's ways, wisdom, worship
Psalm 90:14. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Aye Friends, how are we this summer Thursday morning in July eh?
Hn! Summer! Steups! Believe me it feels more like spring or fall in my neck of the woods. And I can say that because around 4 a.m I went for a walk to clear my mind – and I sure got it cleared in a hurry by the brisk wind and rather cool temperature. I even had to shorten my intended walk, because it must have been in the mid teens.
But none of that really matters nuh Friends, when we’re all being chased down and pursued this morning by numerous new blessings and God’s LOVING-kindness, as so faithfully promised by the Good Book!
And I surely hope that they will soon catch up to us and overwhelm us with positive stuff. So much so that the negative stuff won’t even show up on the screens of our mental and emotional radar.
Oh I know it seems a lot to hope for, but that’s where out faith and level of maturity in Jesus come in. The Lord’s promised those things to those who believe on His Son, so it’s up to us receive them by faith now, if we truly believe.
And I want to share the first verse of an old but still popular hymn that will help us to do just that. ‘What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer! O, what peace we often forfeit. O, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.’
Now my people, that’s one of our major failings today. For one reason or another, we don’t take our problems to God in prayer, although He begs us to do so. I don’t know if it’s pride, the stupid and false kind, fear, busyness, disbelief, or some combination of them all, but that’s definitely not a wise move on our part.
I’m therefore imploring us, starting today, RIGHT NOW, to take EVERYTHING to the Lord in prayer – and BEFORE you take it anywhere else too, because that’s the wisdom of a true believer in Christ!
And now that I’ve said my piece, (smile) let’s turn to out Bit: ‘O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.’
And doesn’t our Bit jibe ever so well with what we were saying before – turning to God in prayer?
Moses, the author of Psalm 90, knew that only the Lord God Jehovah could grant true mercy and bring gladness to the souls of humans. But before we can get that gladness and mercy, we have to do our part, that’s walk in His ways and do His will.
Though our God is merciful and bounteous, there’s no getting some thing for nothing, although that’s the prevalent approach in our current society. Getting much more of whatever the world offers, than we’re willing to give, is a motto that too many of us live by.
Unfortunately though Friends, our God doesn’t operate like that. We have to walk in faith, with praise, worship and thanksgiving, otherwise our blessings will dry up. And you can see that already happening from the sad state that our world’s currently in. Blessings are indeed drying up, but disasters are multiplying, because of our turning away from God.
And as we said yesterday, Moses wasn’t the only one who recognized our human failings and petitioned God for mercy. In Psalm 85, God has removed his anger from Israel, the sons of Korah say it thus: ‘Turn (restore) us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger towards us to cease.
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Wilt thou draw out (prolong) thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people will rejoice in thee? Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.’ (Ps.85:4-7)
Yes my brethren, we need to come to God with petitions like that, but we also have to change our evil ways, if we expect the Lord to hear us and grant our petitions. Until we do that, all the petitions in the world won’t make any difference.
You’ll notice throughout the Old Testament that whenever Israel obeyed God, they prospered, but whenever they went a-whoring after other gods, they fell on extremely hard times. Well that’s exactly what’s happening to us today Friends, and we’ll only return to prosperity when we return to truly worshipping the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
And here are some appropriate ending words from Bruh David on the subject, taken from Psalm 103, Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s… Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers (servants) of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps.103:2-5, 21-22)
Oh my fellow believers, those are words of absolute and eternal truth! But we need to get ourselves together as one, unified body in Christ to make them come true. Fighting each other over petty differences and being more interested in the things of the world more than those of heaven will get us absolutely nowhere.
And we can only get together by truly pursuing LOVE for God and LOVE for each other as Jesus told us to do. So do we really want mercy and gladness all our days?
Well then, let’s do the things that will bring them to pass nuh! Let’s truly live for Jesus, do what He desires of us! Otherwise we’ll just keep on falling, going downhill, until we end up in Hades. And I’m sure we don’t want that. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…for the price of disobedience…is awfully high…
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