03 Apr 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of purpose, aggravation, all ye that labour, an act of love, backsliders, believers in Christ, boredom, carry them in his bosom, Christians, come unto me, come with a strong hand, comfort ye, comfort ye my people, Corona virus, Disney is out of magic, double for all her sins, everyday is just the same, feed his flock, Friday chant, gather the lambs, gentle, gently lead, God is all we need, grin and bear it, heavy laden, her iniquities pardoned, her warfare is accomplished, his arm shall rule, hope, hugs and kisses, humble, I am meek and lowly in heart, I will give you reat, in the forefront of the battle, jehovah god, learn of me, life exist, like a shepherd, LOVE, Mecca is empty, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, New York doesn't stand up, no longer a fortress, not my masters, omnipotent help, pandemic, Paris is no longer romantic, power beauty money are worthless, puts humans in cages, received of the Lord's hand, restoring faith in you, saith your God, sinful world, sme old, smell the coffee, stand strong and steadfast, take my yoke, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the Chinese wall, the earth, the fly in the ointment, the great invitation, the weekend here, those that are with young, times of calamity, underfoot, wake up, workingman's song, you are my guests
Isaiah 40:1. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Well Friday’s rolled around again friends. What’s happening eh? I guess it’s the same old, same old. No work for most, too much for a few, and very little play for anybody. But for the foreseeable future, that seems to be the new state of affairs, so we’d better get accustomed to it. And since it’s Friday, let’s get straight to the workingman’s song, because he’s just dying to get a word in sideways. (smile)
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend here! But is not the same nuh, because there’s no work to go to, or come home from, and every day is just the same. So the weekend doh really mean nothing. Steups! It really playing havoc with mih mind yes. I can’t handle this every day is the same thing business. You can only do so much when yuh lockdown in a small house with small children and a tired wife. Never thought I’d miss going to the slave master work, but I do.
At least it use to give me a sense of purpose, like I was doing something useful. But now, what ah doing eh…with this Corona virus thing that shut down almost everything? Not a blooming thing! Ah tired watching tv…and besides all yuh see on the so and so television is more bad news about the virus, so why watch that and drive mihself more crazy than I already am eh? Steups! And ah can’t drink mihself stupid every day either. The children tired too playing with the same ole toys and driving deh mother mard.
And though the weather been nice this past week, you could only spend so much time outside because it still fairly cold, and yuh can’t go the park or anything so. Ah Lord eh! What we going to do? Ah guess we just have to grin and bear it and hope they find some cure for this bloody thing soon oui! Else we going to have a whole world of even madder people than before…for those who manage to survive it.’
And isn’t there a lot of truth in the workingman’s statements. Boredom and aggravation have begun setting in for many people. And being continuously locked up together is certainly going to cause problems in some families, especially the larger ones living in smaller homes. Being constantly underfoot is not something we humans handle very well. But we’d better learn to handle it, because this virus doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
And yuh know what? We believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ are the ones expected to be in the forefront of the battle, leading the way through our good and faithful example! Being fruitful examples of salt and light to a hopeless and disbelieving world! Yes friends, that’s what Jesus expects of us. And the first step in our battle is to talk to our great and merciful God, give Him thanks and ask for guidance and direction and divine relief from our misery. So let’s do so now by chanting our rejigged Friday Chant, in strong and confident, but humble voice.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. It’s been pretty rough…though not from work, but from all the confusion and havoc that the Covid -19 virus causing. We not accustomed to that Lord, and it really telling on us. But with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat this virus. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible.
And please use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, and also introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Yes mih people, it’s up to us Christians to stand up strong and steadfast, leading the way, so that the world can see what true faith looks like, and realize that it’s ONLY through Jehovah God that hope and life exist. And hear these words from our comforting Deity that speak to the bleak situation at hand: ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably (comfort) to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished (ended), that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.’ (Is.40:1-2)
Oh friends, ONLY through sincere trust in the Lord can we receive true comfort. Remember Christ’s Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Oh precious people of God, who else has ever had the parts to make such an offer eh? NO ONE BUT JESUS! Because He is the ONLY ONE who can make that offer come true! And that offer is still open, and is even more relevant in these disastrous times than ever. So please be wise and accept it.
And we’ll end with this interesting message I got through social media yesterday. A lot of it floating through the airways is nonsense, but I thought this was interesting enough to share. It reads: ‘I don’t know who wrote this, but it’s beautiful. We fell asleep in one world, and woke up in another. Suddenly Disney is out of magic. Paris is no longer romantic, New York doesn’t stand up anymore, the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty.
Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of LOVE. Suddenly you realize that power, beauty and money are worthless, and can’t get you the oxygen you’re fighting for. The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it’s sending us a message: “You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my masters.”
Yes friends, the world was fine until God made man and woman, and they in their stupidity chose to move away from their Creator. And it will be fine again if He removes us from it through this current pandemic. Throughout the ages, it’s always mankind who has been the fly in the ointment. Everything else unfurls as God planned it. And here’s how He’s planned it; thankfully with our benefit in mind:
‘Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:10-11)
Oh, how beautiful are all the promises of our wonderful God! So today, please, please, let’s be wise and take them sincerely and seriously to heart nuh, and thus move forward strong and steadfast, as He desires of us! Much LOVE!
…God is ALL we need…especially in the times of calamity…
02 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man lay down his life, aroma, can ever pluck me, character traits, come unto me, Comforter, confidence, dance before the Lord, depths of peace, for his friends, from his hand, give you rest, greater love, hath no man than this, heavy laden, heights of love, in the love of Christ I stand, in the power of Christ, joy, life death resurrection of Christ, my burden is light, my light, my song, my strength, my yoke is eays, no power of hell, no scheme of man, passes all human understanding, peace, praise, righteousness., sacrificial praise, sing, sinless life, soulful harmony, stands in victory, sweet-smelling savour, the great invitation, the Lord's sanctuary, the Prince of Peace, this gift of love, time for church, timeless theme, uplifting word, worship with our fellow believers, ye are my friends, ye do whatsoever I command you
John 15:13. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Sunday morning…time for church! Don’t let the inclement weather we have going in the G.T.A, or for that matter, good weather wherever you are, keep you away from darkening the doors of the Lord’s sanctuary this morning. (smile) Yes, good weather ofttimes can deceive us into not going to worship with our fellow believers, makes us feel we’d be better off doing something supposedly more enjoyable.
But pray tell me people, what can be more enjoyable than meeting with a number of people who share our beliefs, who encourage us, then join with us to sing, praise, and dance before the Lord our God, to hear His magnificent and uplifting Word, and consequently leave His sanctuary refreshed, renewed, and full of the joy, peace and confidence that only He can give! Nothing friends…Nothing! So let’s get the show on the road nuh, beginning as usual with the singing and praising and dancing.
And today’s song of praise is a fairly new Christian song that’s become quite popular over the years. It’s aptly titled: ‘In Christ Alone.’ The website Godtube tells us that the song was written in 2002, by Christian songwriters Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. According to Townend “The song came about in an unusual way. Keith and I met in the autumn of 2000 at a worship event, and we resolved to try to work together on some songs.
A few weeks later Keith sent some melody ideas, and the first one on the CD was a magnificent, haunting melody that I LOVED, and immediately started writing down some lyrical ideas on what I felt should be a timeless theme commensurate with the melody. So the theme of the life, death, resurrection of Christ, and the implications of that for us just began to tumble out, and when we got together later on to fine tune it, we felt we had encapsulated what we wanted to say.”
And did they ever encapsulate a whole lot of stuff about Jesus! So let’s sing it now like we really mean it nuh, letting heaven know that we’re truly grateful for our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let our voices convey the sacrificial praise our hearts feel, in sweet, soulful harmony.
‘In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song; This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of LOVE, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My comforter, my all in all— Here in the LOVE of Christ I stand. In Christ alone, Who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe! This gift of LOVE and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save. Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied; For ev’ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live. There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain; Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave He rose again! And as He stands in victory, Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me; For I am His and He is mine— Bought with the precious blood of Christ. No guilt in life, no fear in death— This is the pow’r of Christ in me; From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home— Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand…Till He returns or calls me home— Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand… Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand….’
And that’s for certain sure friends! In the amazing and awesome power of Christ we must ALL stand, because there has never been, and will never be another as magnificent and magnanimous as Him! As I keep saying He is indeed our EVERYTHING! Our hope, our light, our strength, our song, the cornerstone on which our faith is built, the ONE who walks beside and guides us through the worst times of drought and storm…
And don’t talk about LOVE…His is the greatest. As He said so simply and sincerely: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:13-14) And then He went out and laid down His sinless life, sacrificed it ever so selflessly for us, with the expectancy and anticipation that we would be His friends and do what He commanded us. Yes my fellow believers (steups!), Jesus didn’t just talk the talk, He walked the walk…on our behalf. He died that we could be alive and be reconciled to the Father; took our sins and gave us His righteousness…and so much more.
That’s why when Bruh Paul talks to us about the ways of the believer (steups!), we ought to listen and obey. ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in LOVE, as Christ also hath LOVED us, and hath given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor (aroma).’ (Eph. 5:1-2) That’s exactly what He did my people, and as followers of His, He expects us to be obedient to His commands, do our best to adopt His character traits, because you know the Father’s ultimate plan is to have us all become like His Only Son…well as close as our human flesh and nature will allow. (smile)
And we don’t even have time and space to touch on all the topics the songwriters touch on in our song. So we’ll just look at these last two; peace and comfort. Oh my my, Jesus is the Master of Peace: the peace that passes all human understanding! Here Him to the disciples nuh: ‘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.’ (John 14:27)
And Bruh Paul describes Him thus: ‘For he (himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us;’ (Eph.2:14) No doubt about that! He mashed up the old order and destroyed the enmity between Jews and Gentiles and made them to exist in One body, His church.
And when yuh talking about comfort friends, there’s no better place to find it than in Jesus! Here these extraordinary words from His Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28, 30) No one else can make that promise and keep it! That’s why I keep saying that Jesus is the ANSWER, for He has everything that you will ever need, both for this life and the hereafter! Please be wise and lean confidently, faithfully and reassuringly on Him! He won’t let you down! Much LOVE!
…The Prince of Peace…of Comfort…and of LOVE…Jesus Christ…
25 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a horse of a different colour, all ye that labour, believe on me, bread form heaven, casting all your care upon him, come out fighting for Jesus, come to our senses, come unto me, complaining, damnation, die on the cross, eternal death, evil enemy, focusing on, foolishness, for he careth for you, gentle in heart, going to hell, gospel truth, halfway home, hardhearted, having a better life with Christ, heavy laden, humble yourselves therefore, I am meek, I am the bread of life, I will give you rest, in a handbasket, in due time, in the desert, intrude in our affairs, Israelites, learn of me, life is a problem, manna, may exalt you, Moses, my burden is light, my hands are fixed, my yoke is easy, not looking back, ole hypocrites, problems, sacrifice, saints of Christ, securely on the plough, shall never hunger, shall never thirst, stubborn, stupidity, take my yoke upon you, the breath of life, the great invitation, the greatest offer, the trash heap, to pay for our sins, under the mighty hand of god, unto your souls, wake up, Wednesday Wail, ye shall find rest
John 11:28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Well hello there you beautiful saints of Christ! How goes it this Wednesday morning eh? Hope it all goes well. (smile) Yeh, I know some of you are steupsing and complaining because something, or someone is causing problems in your lives. But what yuh going to do eh? It’s just life! Life in itself is oftimes a problem.
No one said it would be easy or not be problem filled, but as believers in Christ Jesus, we do have the greatest problem solver the world has ever seen! Bless His holy name my people! And He’s invited us to bring ALL our problems to Him, lay them at His feet and He will resolve them, in His own time.
Listen to Him nuh, listen to this Great Invitation, that NO ONE else has ever deigned to offer, or can ever deign to offer because no one else has the parts to do those things, NONE but Jesus Christ! ‘Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my brethren, what’s there not to understand eh? That’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest offer ever made to mankind! But we’re so stubborn and hardhearted, we either don’t believe or are reluctant to let our problems go to some invisible spiritual Being. Peter said it best. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7)
Oh friends, that’s gospel truth! How could you ever doubt that Jesus cares for you when He made such a sacrifice on your behalf eh? Why else would He come down from heaven and die on the cross to pay for your sins and mine if He didn’t care? None of us would do anything like that unless we cared for somebody or something! So refusing to take Him up on His most wonderful offer is just pure foolishness and stupidly on our part.
We’re allowing the sinful and evil enemy to intrude in our affairs and keep us from having a better life with Christ. That’s not wisdom is it? I very much doubt it! Listen to Jesus again as He pleads with us to come to Him. I wonder why He’s pleading so much with us, if He doesn’t sincerely care eh? The foolish Israelites refused to believe Him despite all the signs and wonders that He did, and the truth He spoke.
Hear them nuh: ‘Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ (John 6:31) And the sad part is that their forefathers didn’t even appreciate the manna, but complained about it because it was plain tasting and didn’t taste like their food back in Egypt. The ole hypocrites and them!
‘Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven: but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then they said unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.’ (John 6:32-34)
Yuh see friends, like so many of us today, they weren’t interested in the spiritual side of life, but merely wanted the material aspects, like real bread to eat. But Jesus didn’t come to just give them belly-filling victuals for ever, but spiritual food for their souls. ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)
Yes friends, Jesus is the giver of life! As the scholars explain: ‘6:35. I am the bread of life means the bread that gives life. The life of which He speaks is spiritual and eternal.’ The fact of the matter is that Jesus also gives and takes physical life! So anyhow you shake it He is the one who controls ALL life!
So why are we so reluctant to accept and follow Him eh? I really don’t know. But we quick to follow the foolish Satan, who gives nothing but eternal death and damnation! We LOVE the glitzy, glamourous things he flashes in front of us, but they have no substance and are soon thrown in the trash heap. Oh my people, let’s wake up nuh, let’s come to our senses and see that Jesus is the ONLY wise and sensible way to go!
Just look at how our world is going to hell in a handbasket under the evil rule of the enemy nuh. Is that what we want for our children and grand-children? Certainly not! So please, please, let’s wake up and come out fighting for Jesus, for our children’s sake! That’s the ONLY way we will ever improve our world and defeat the enemy!
Now for those of us who have indeed received the message and taken it to heart, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our unchangeable position in Christ Jesus. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if you truly believe, then you will know that that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…to refuse Satan’s invitation is one thing…to refuse Jesus’…that’s a horse of an entirely different colour…
30 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a breath of fresh air, a parent's instruction, a prospector, accepting that offer, all ye that labour, always-lurking enemy, anarchy, apply thine heart to, basic rules, be merry, boundaries, can learn from him, candour, catch me when I fall, come unto me, do it all over again, do noting, eat drin, elbow grease, fellowship, frankness, Friday chant, from torture, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, he is meek and gentle, heavy laden, hide my commandments, his burden is light, his yoke is easy, I will give you rest, in Jesus' name, Jesus Christ, knowledge, lowly in heart, mash up the place, optimism, out of his mouth comes, party hearty, persevering, prospect for wisdom, receive my words, relaxation, release from jail, rest, reverential awe, right conduct, righteousness, seek it, slave master work, summer ending, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the fear of the Lord, the great invitation, the greatest healer, the Lord giveth wisdom, the workingman's song, tomorrow you die, understanding, winter weather, wisdom, working on me
Proverbs 2:6. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Aye friends, the ole fella must really be getting old yes, because believe me, the aches and pains and them seem worse today than they did yesterday. And the hard part is all I did yesterday was rest! (smile) However, not to worry, because I have the greatest healer in the world working with and on me, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And He’s also offered the Greatest Invitation ever offered: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28)
And yuh better believe friends I’m accepting that invitation yes…in fact I’m running as fast as I can towards Him, not even thinking about falling down, because He’s also promised to catch me when I fall, to have angels guard me so that I don’t hurt myself! Wow! What a wonderful Saviour we serve and worship my people!
And hear this li’l note of advice nuh: I’d highly advise that you run to Him with all haste too, if you have any problems whatsoever burdening you down, because He specializes in that sort of thing: His yoke is easy and His burden light! And we can learn oodles from Him, cause He is meek and gentle and lowly in heart! Glory to our great God mih faithful breddren!
And even the ordinary workingman who isn’t as schooled in the ways of Almighty God knows that He is mighty and majestic, as he declares in his weekend song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The day He release we from jail, from slavery and torture in the slave master work! When He gives us a couple of days rest and relaxation, to do whatever we want; just relax and do nothing, or party as hearty as we want, to eat drink and be merry, just in case tomorrow we die!
And with August coming to an end, which means summer is also drawing to a close, I just think that this weekend we going to mash up the place, inviting everybody over, partying enough – can you ever party enough though (smile) – just in case we don’t get another chance to do so before the cruel and harsh winter weather sets in! Oh thank God for Fridays and weekend yes!’
And don’t you just LOVE the workingman’s optimism and candour? His frankness is like a breath of fresh air in this stale and evil world! Oh yes, he does go overboard somewhat, but he’s not restrained by righteousness as we are. But our Friday Chant is still best for us believers, as it sets some boundaries for us, to help keep the always-lurking enemy out of our souls.
Let’s chant it now nuh, with sincerity and pride: ‘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!’
Yuh see mih people, we too can have rest and relaxation, as well as fun and fellowship! We just have to be careful not to give the ole devil a chance to invade our righteous and godly souls. (smile) That’s called wisdom friends! And we get it by seeking it from Almighty God.
As Cousin Sol, in the role of a wise father, so wisely says in Proverbs: ‘My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide (treasure) my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding: Yea, if thou criest after knowledge (discernment), and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.’ (Prov.2:1-6)
Ah mih people, what words of wisdom! And how yuh think Cousin Sol acquired all that wisdom eh? Because he sought it and searched for it like treasure, and the Lord gave it to Him! He certainly didn’t come by it just so. But had to put some elbow grease in his efforts to acquire it.
And likewise, so do we have to seek and search for wisdom my brethren, cause it’s essential for living a righteous and godly life, but it’s just not handed out freely, some effort, along with some faith must be put into our search so that we can truly appreciate it. Yuh know how they say we never truly appreciate something unless we work for it. The same goes for wisdom friends! And the only place to get that most valuable commodity is from Almighty God.
As Cousin Sol says earlier on: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov.1:7) Yes friends, knowing and recognizing the ‘amazingness’ of God is the beginning of ALL wisdom!
However fools, and those who foolishly associate with Beelzebub, despise it, since they have to abide by certain rules and regulations. But no organization, society, or whatever have you, can last for any length of time without some basic rules and regulations, otherwise there’d be simply anarchy, with everybody doing as they please, especially in this greedy and selfish world.
So in closing, I’m asking us, pleading with us to be wise. Do like the scholars suggest: ‘2:1-22: The conditions for obtaining wisdom are given first: one must earnestly seek it, as a prospector would search for gold (vs. 1-4). It is not an undirected search, however, since the parent’s instruction is the basis. The consequences of obtaining wisdom are then listed (vs.5-22): knowledge of God (vs.5-8) and right conduct (vs.9-22).’
Yes friends, let’s go out today and prospect for wisdom nuh, armed with the fear and knowledge of God and right conduct. And we’ll surely find it if we’re sincere and persevering in our search! Much LOVE!
…one cannot be wise without knowing Jehovah God…for it’s from Him…that ALL true wisdom comes…
09 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good soldier of Christ, a party animal, all ye that labour, arguments, Casting down imaginations, closer to home, come unto me, comfessesth, easy pickings, entangles himself, every high thing, exalteth itself, false arguments, false prophets, fill your mind, Friday chant, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, go overboard, God's Word, godly wisdom, heavy laden, I will give you rest, in Jesus name, is come in the flesh, Jesus Christ, lined up with, LOVE, mighty through God, monkey do, monkey see, not carnal, of the flesh, our mind is the battlefield, powers of darkness and evil, pulling down of strongholds, refreshed in soul body and mind, set boundaries, slave driver, spiritual world powers, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the affairs of this life, the knowledge of god, the Lord will meet all our needs, the spirit of the antichrist, the things of Christ, the truth of Jesus, the workingman's song, through His riches in glory, try the spirits, we do not war after the flesh, we walk in the flesh, weapons of our warfare, work is good, zest for life
2 Corinthians 10:3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh.
And then it was Friday…the one after the Caribana long weekend…and mucho prayers are being sent up to heaven giving thanks for making it through this rough and tiring though short workweek! So what else is new eh? Heaven is always bombarded with more prayers when things are rough with mankind. And I guess that’s how it was meant to be since Jesus invited us to: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt.11:28)
I don’t know if He meant tired from too much partying too, (smile) but I’m sure that whenever we call on Him, for whatever reason, He will NEVER turn us down, once our prayers are sincere. So please keep crying out to Him in sincerity, whatever your needs are, because Bruh Paul also promised that the Lord will meet all our needs according to his riches in glory through Christ. (Phil.4:19)
So now that we’ve straightened that out, (smile) let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say for himself today. As always, he’s really enthused about the weekend. ‘TGIF! Thank God for Friday yes mih breddren because it’s the start of the weekend! Yeah! My time to do whatever, whenever and however I like! No slave driver in mih life for at least two big days! Wow! Thank the Lord for that yes! Work is good, but like too much of everything else, too much of it is no good!
Well…possibly except for partying…Oh yes, I am a party animal, but I try not to overdo it, try to set a half decent example for the children, because yuh know they quick to do what they see you do, rather than what you tell them. As the old saying goes, monkey see, monkey do. Anyway, enough philosophizing…is Friday…and we starting the party right here and now…regardless of what the slave master think or say! Lift them high friends…and thank God for Fridays and weekends!’
Ah mih people, you have to enjoy the workingman’s zest for life though he tends to go somewhat overboard. He’s not a bad philosopher either. (smile) But his limits are just too far out for those of us who sincerely believe in Jesus. We set boundaries a li’l closer to home than he does. So let’s hear what our weekend song, our Friday Chant sounds like nuh, as we proclaim it to all and sundry in full voice and sincere hearts.
‘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 friends, as followers of, and true believers in Christ, we have to be somewhat more cognizant of the world around us and how the enemy is operating because we are in a big battle with the spiritual world powers of darkness and evil, so we can’t afford to be footloose and fancy free like the ordinary workingman. And that’s the gospel truth as Bruh Paul so wisely informs us:
‘For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations (arguments), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ and having a readiness to revenge (punish) all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.’ (2. Cor.10:3-6)
Yes my fellow saints, I know that’s a mouthful and might be somewhat obscure and incomprehensible to some of us, (smile) but here’s what the scholars have to say about it, hope it will help you to better understand Bruh Paul’s teaching. ’10:3-5. Though we walk (live) in the flesh (in a body), we do not war (fight) after (according to) the flesh (human standards): The first phrase of verse 5 looks back to verse 3 and expresses the manner in which believers conduct spiritual warfare. It is by casting down (destroying) imaginations (false arguments), such as Paul’s opponents have raised.’
And believe you me, in these troubled and insecure times, there are so many false arguments, theories and doctrines floating about from so many false teachers, that if you’re not careful, and are not solidly grounded in the Word you can easily fall for any and all of them. That’s why it’s so important for believers to read, know, meditate and understand God’s word, because it’s the truth, and nothing but the truth! Anything that varies from it is of the enemy!
As John says in his epistle: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:1-3)
Oh friends, the spirit of the antichrist is surely with us today. And though John gives us a rough benchmark to test the theories that come against us, whether they acknowledge that Jesus actually came to earth in the flesh or not, we still have to be very careful of what we let into out thinking, because the enemy is so deceitful and treacherous, he uses all and any method to deceive.
And remember too that it all begins in our minds, our thinking. He tries to disrupt our thoughts because our mind is the battlefield, and what sticks there, shows up in our behaviour and values. That’s why Bruh Paul emphasized ‘bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ Our thoughts have to be lined up with the truth of Jesus, else we’ll be easy pickings for the enemy.
That’s why Bruh Paul also encouraged Timothy thus: ‘Thou therefore endure harness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.’ (2 Tim.2:3-4)
Likewise friends, we can’t afford to get entangled in the affairs of the flesh and this ungodly, evil world, we need to concentrate on the things of Christ, and suffer whatever is necessary for His sake, so we can be good soldiers in His LOVE Revolution! Much LOVE!
…fill your mind with God’s Word…then there won’t be any space for the enemy…what godly wisdom… (smile)
09 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all our problems, all ye that labour, awesome truth, bargain basement, beats so imperfectly, Calvary's cross, celebrating the Lord's day, come unto me, crapaud yuh pipe, each restless heart, eternal life, feel like a million dollars, give you rest, glimpse eternity, glory train, goor weather, great invitation, he may abide with you forever, he will send you another comforter, heavy laden, I am filled with wonder, I am still, I am strong, I can stand on mountains, I will come to you, I will not leave you comfortless, I will pray the Father, Jesus is the answer, lagniappe, last train to heaven, let not your heart be troubled, lifter of our heads and spirits, more than I can be, my heart burdened be, my soul is weary, no life without its hunger, not as the world gives, peace, Pentecost Prayer Breakfast, personally testify, prince of peace, the cares of this world, the strong shoulders of the Master, to walk on stormy seas, wait in silence, walk on water, when I'm on your shoulders, when troubles come, wishy-washy, You Raise Me Up
John 14:16;18. And I will pray the Father, and he shall send you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever… I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
And finally, like we will have some good weather with bright, warm sunshiny days! Glory Hallelujah! And do we ever deserve it after the rotten winter and spring we’ve had. And now you can’t use the rain as an excuse not to go to church today either, (smile) though some of us will spend more time trying to come up with some fanciful excuse than if they had just gone to church in the first place.
I don’t know how we can skip church without a good reason nuh. How we can miss the fellowship, the worship, miss hearing the Word, and thus miss having our hearts, bodies and minds renewed with the Lord’s confidence and assurance. Anyway, our Pentecost Prayer Breakfast yesterday morning was good – not as many people as expected – but whoever was there had a rollicking time; eating drinking, praying, singing hymns and just being filled with the joy of the Lord.
Our guest speaker was also an interesting personality, the pastor from the nearby Eden United Church. He made an astounding but quite disturbing revelation; re, the church he attended down on the East coast as a young boy. In those days the choir was large and the congregation in the hundreds. However, on a recent visit, the choir had less than a dozen people, and the congregation not more than fifty.
And that seems to be something that’s happening in many of the old, mature churches, because I found the same situation some years ago when I visited my old parish of St. Andrews back in Tobago. For whatever reason, when they do go to church, the younger generation are ignoring the older churches. But that won’t stop us from celebrating the Lord’s Day in the style to which we’re accustomed. (smile)
And we always begin the proceedings with a song of praise and exaltation. And today’s song is one we all know and LOVE, the anthem in our Pentecost Prayer Breakfast yesterday; ‘You Raise me Up.’ And does Jesus ever do that! So let’s open up our golden pipes (smile) and sing sweetly to heaven my brothers and sisters in Christ. As one heavenly voice now:
‘When I am down and oh, my soul so weary When troubles come and my heart burdened be Then I am still and wait here in the silence Until You come and sit awhile with me. (You raise me up so I can stand on mountains You raise me up to walk on stormy seas I am strong when I am on Your shoulders You raise me up to more than I can be) x 2.
There is no life, no life without its hunger Each restless heart beats so imperfectly But when You come and I am filled with wonder Sometimes I think I glimpse eternity. You raise me up so I can stand on mountains (You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains) You raise me up to walk on stormy seas (Walk on stormy seas) And I am strong when I am on Your shoulders Oh, You raise me up to more than I can be.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ raises us up to certainly much more than we can ever be in our own strength! And isn’t it wonderful to know that when we’re burdened with the cares of this evil world that if we just wait quietly for Him, He’ll come and sit beside us and raise us up, raise us so high that we feel like we’re standing on mountain tops!
He empowers us so much, that we can even walk on water…and not just calm waters either, but stormy seas! Wow! What a lifter of our heads and spirits is our friend Jesus! And when we can’t walk on our own, He carries us on His shoulders, and we feel like a million dollars!
Now I can personally testify to being carried on His shoulders the many days I can’t put one foot properly in front of the other! (smile) And do I ever feel strong then, because I know I’m riding on the strong shoulders of the Master, of the World’s Creator, the Rock, the true foundation! Give Him thanks and praise my people!
Oh friends, Jesus is so wonderful that He not only sacrificed His sinless and holy life on Calvary’s cross to pay for our abominable sins, but He also offers us rest and peace and comfort from our troubles. Listen to these awesome offers nuh, beginning with the Great Invitation:
‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ (Matt:11:29-30) You couldn’t get a better invite than that anywhere mih breddren!
Now hear His magnificent offer of peace: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And all of that is simply in keeping with His glorious title of the ‘Prince of Peace!’
But hear the crowning glory: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall send you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever… I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’ Glory be my people!
And Jesus did just that in the upcoming Pentecost season where He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within His followers to lead and guide them into all truth and to enable them to successfully do whatever is necessary to fulfill His will! From what other source can you get all of that wonderful stuff eh? From nowhere else but Jesus! He provides all-in one shopping! Shopping of the highest quality too, not no wishy-washy, cheap, bargain basement, shoddy stuff!
So there’s simply nothing left to say friends: Jesus is the ANSWER! Yes, He is the answer to ALL our problems! And as a lagniappe, He throws in eternal life with Him in heaven if you LOVE Him and obey His commandments! (smile) So how can you go wrong associating with Jesus eh? NEVER!
So friends, please wise up and get on His glory train to heaven right soon nuh, because it can leave at any time, and it’s definitely going to be the last train to heaven! And if yuh miss it, then sorry…crapaud smoke yuh pipe! Much LOVE
…Jesus can return for His church at any time…so it’s wise to accept Him…and all that He has to offer…RIGHT NOW…
26 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a song of praise, all that labour, Amazing grace, as I live from day to day, but couldn't find, come unto me, Crying in the Chapel, deceitful world, find the way, gentle, get down on your knees and pray, give I unto you, go to pray, harmonious songbird, heavy laden, holy spirit, humble, humble people, I prayed the Lord, I will give you rest, I'd grow stronger, I'm happy with the Lord, I've searched, in limbo, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the answer, learn from me, let not your heart be troubled, lighten our souls, lightning, live and work for Jesus, meek, my burden light, my peace I give unto you, my yoke is easy, neither be afraid, no way on, not as the world giveth, our Lord and Saviour, peace, Peace i leave with you, people are of one accord, Satan, simplicity, take your troubles, tears of joy, the great invitation, the Lord's Day, the meaning of contentment, the Sabbath, thunder, to gain peace of mind, to sing and praise the Lord, to the chapel, touching, truth, truthful, unburden your heart, we gather in the chapel, weighed down, with a vengeance, your burdens will be lighter
John 14:27. 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.
And the rain fell with a vengeance, for much of the day! And it wasn’t the measly drizzle we’d been getting for the last li’l while, but full blown showers accompanied by booming claps of Thor’s thunder and threatening bolts of fiery lightning! The sun would come out for a li’l while and you’d think, ‘Yes, the rain’s over!’ But that would be a wasted thought, for shortly thereafter the rain would come pouring down again. Chuh!
And that’s the worst kind of rainfall, because it just leaves you in limbo, never knowing what it’s going to do! But the good thing is that was yesterday, Saturday, today is Sunday, a different day completely, so let’s hope the weather will be different too. (smile) And it looks different, bright, but with some scudding clouds.
But even if it’s the same, please, don’t let us allow it to stop us from gathering in the Lord’s sanctuary to celebrate His day, the Sabbath, to give Him praise and thanks, to hear His faithful and wonderful Word, and receive His enabling blessings, without which we can’t successfully navigate the storms and trials of this earthly life. And as always, we’ll begin the celebrations with a song of praise and worship to lighten our souls and prepare our hearts to hear His Word.
And today’s song is a fairly new one, written in the second half of the 20th century, by one Artie Glenn, but was popularized by one Elvis Presley. So let’s get serious, soulful and sincere as we raise up our voices in praise and thanksgiving to heaven, through the words of ‘Crying In The Chapel’ It’s a soulful morning friends, so let’s feel it in our hearts and souls and trill as one harmonious songbird. (smile)
‘You saw me crying in the chapel, The tears I shed were tears of joy, Now I know the meaning of contentment, And I’m happy with the Lord. Just a plain and simple chapel, Where humble people go to pray. I prayed the Lord that I’ll grow stronger, As I live from day to day. I’ve searched (I’ve searched) and I’ve searched, But I couldn’t find, No way on earth to gain peace of mind.
But now I’m happy in the chapel, where people are of one accord (One accord). Yes, we gather in the chapel, Just to sing and praise the Lord. Oh you’ll search, and you’ll search, but you’ll never find, No way on earth to gain peace of mind. Take your troubles to the chapel, get down on your knees and pray, Then your burdens will be lighter, and you’ll surely find the way, Yes, you’ll surely find the way!’
People oh people! Such simple but heartrending words of absolute truth! Wow! And we sung it so sweetly that all heaven was moved to tears! Don’t you just like it when we move all heaven to tears? Of course, because it means that we’ve done something, touching, sincere and truthful! That calls for another ‘Wow!’ this auspicious Sunday morning.
But on a serious note though, it’s certainly amazing how the sentiments in such a short and simple song could be so true. For example; the tears many of us shed when we go to church are usually ones of joy, because something happens within our souls and spirits and we’re lifted up, we become contented through the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through us and renewing and refreshing us.
And yuh know what? We don’t have to go to no big cathedral to search for God and pray, because we’ll find Him just as well in a simple chapel, where the folks are humble, because that’s one of the requirements of coming to Him in prayer. And we not asking for a whole lot usually – well some of us are (smile) but simply to grow stronger each day as we live in the presence of God’s amazing grace.
And yuh better believe that there is no other way of finding peace on this ungodly earth than through the auspices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! That’s for sure! As He unambiguously told the disciples, and consequently us: ‘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.’
Yes friends, the peace we get from Jesus is nothing like what this world has to offer; it’s an out of this world kind of peace, that ONLY He possesses and ONLY He can bestow! And that’s why we end up being contented and cry tears of joy in the chapel! And the best piece of advice there is to take ALL your troubles to God’s sanctuary, or really anywhere quiet and convenient, get down on your knees and pray; unburden your heart before Him, and He will lift your burdens and show you the way.
Just listen to Jesus as He makes this wonderful offer to ALL those who are weighed down and burdened nuh. We call it the Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek (gentle) and lowly (humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
How can you ever beat that offer eh friends? Nobody has ever offered anything even close to it. And yes, I do know that when things seem too good to be true, they usually are, but that’s in the lying and deceitful world of Satan, not in Jesus’ realm! He is God and has no cause to lie! And better still, He also has the power to perform whatever He promises! All praise and glory to His Holy Name! That’s why this song, ‘Crying in the Chapel’ is so perfect in its simplicity and truth!
Oh how I wish more of us supposed believers would take hold of the simplicity of Jesus’ message and just run with them! It would make all of our lives so much easier. Our Lord and Saviour is not a complicated man, and His pronouncements are not complicated either. All He asks of us is to believe and obey! Is that so hard to do my people? Not at all!
So this Sunday morning, let’s take a serious and sincere stand nuh promise ourselves to just live and work for Jesus, in whatever manner He desires of us! That’s the unadulterated, God-given wisdom of heaven, by which earth should be guided! Much LOVE!
…to whatever question you might ask…Jesus is the answer…
25 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ask me twice, belief in Jesus, burden is light, calling, Christian experiences, come home, come unto me, commandments, damnable situation, deathbeds, doing as He asks, Dwight L Moody, earnestly, eternal life, find rest, flushed with excitement, forgiveness, gentle, get a word in edgewise, get soulfull, gospel truth, He's waiting, hearts a flutter, heavy laden, heed not his call, holy word, hugging, humble, I am meek, I will give you rest, Jesus is calling, John, kissing, labour, learn from me, linger, listening to Jesus, LOVE, lowly, material possessions, mercies, money in the bank, New Testament, o sinner, on the portals, pardon, pleading, rot, shadows, sincere hearts, sing praise, Softly and tenderly, Sunday morning, take my yoke, tears of joy, tenderly, the gift of fellowship, the great invitation, the house of God, the prodigal son, toil, totally exhousted, watching, Will Lamartine Thompson, wisdom, worshipping God, you who are weary
Matthew 11:28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Sunday morning coming down, heading for the house of God, with hearts a flutter, souls and bodies flushed with excitement to hear His holy word, sing praises unto Him, and thank Him for the gift of fellowship amongst believers. What can be better than that eh friends? Nothing really! For sincerely worshipping God in company with other believers is one of the greatest experiences a Christian can attain on this earth!
You really can’t put it into words, you have to be there to see and experience it for yourself. So let’s have joyous fellowship this morning nuh, beginning with some praise and worship, through a hymn written in 1880 by Will Lamartine Thompson (1847-1909). And it’s one we all know and LOVE!
And according to Wikipedia, Evangelist Dwight L Moody liked it so much, that once when he was in the hospital and Thompson came to visit him, he declared: ‘Will, I would rather have written “Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling” than anything I have been able to do in my whole life.” Now that was truly praise for the song, because Moody did do a lot of good and godly things in his life.
But nuff talk now, the Father and the whole host of heaven are waiting to hear our song of praise and thanksgiving. So let’s get soulful and trill it up in rich, harmonious voice and sincere hearts, causing tears of joy to flow down the cheeks of those up there. ‘Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me; see, on the portals He’s waiting and watching, watching for you and for me.
(Refrain: Come home, come home; you who are weary come home; earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, O sinner, come home!) Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, pleading for you and for me? Why should we linger and heed not His mercies, mercies for you and for me? (Refrain: Come home, come home…O sinner, come home!)
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, passing from you and from me; shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming, coming for you and for me. (Refrain: Come home, come home…O sinner, come home!) O for the wonderful LOVE He has promised, promised for you and for me! Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon, pardon for you and for me. (Refrain: Come home, come home; you who are weary come home; earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, O sinner, come home…come on home!)’
Yes friends, we certainly stirred up the emotions this morning with a wonderful, soulful rendition of that marvellous hymn! Brother, the words are so realistic – I never really paid them that much attention before, but they do tell the story of Jesus and our sinful souls in living colour!
And He’s just standing at the door waiting for us to come home to Him, like how the Father had an eye out for the Prodigal Son and ran and met him as soon as he came into sight. Hugging and kissing him, and not letting him get a word in edgewise. Yes mih breddren, that’s how Jesus is anxiously waiting to greet us!
And yuh know most of us are weary and tired with this evil old world, so why are we tarrying and lingering when Jesus is calling us to come home eh? Let’s wisely heed His mercies, His promises, His pardon nuh for all the sins we’ve committed. There’s no better solution to our dark and damnable situation than that! And time’s flying by, not waiting on us, shadows are gathering and deathbeds are in the offing, so why not accept Jesus’ wonderful offer to come home to Him eh? No good reason whatsoever!
And friends, I don’t know what scripture Johnson used to write that hymn, but believe me, I don’t think there’s a better and more appropriate passage in the Good Book than the Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Yeh friends, if you don’t know anything else about Jesus, that passage of scripture ought to have you looking towards Him for some answers to your sorrowful situation. How can you not consider it eh? No other supposed deity is so earnestly and tenderly calling you to come into their fold like Jesus is doing. All the other supposed deities want a whole lot of stuff from you, but all Jesus wants is your LOVE and your belief in Him. Yuh better believe He won’t have to ask me twice! (smile)
So friends, what’s stopping you from coming to Jesus eh? Whatever it is, please don’t let it, because it’s not worth passing up Jesus’ invitation! Nothing on the face of this earth is worth that! Remember, the earth and all therein will pass away at some time or the other, in the Father’s time, but the LOVE and mercy and pardon and forgiveness enshrined in Jesus, which leads to eternal life will NEVER pass away!
That’s gospel, gospel truth! It’s better than having plenty money in the bank or plenty material possessions, because those will rot and be destroyed over time, but faith and trust and belief in Jesus will last for eternity. So please, please, I implore you, come to Him today nuh; relieve yourself of your heavy burden and get some fruitful rest.
Jesus is simple, but powerful, and also kind, LOVING and gentle! There’s so much you can learn from Him. And as He says, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. That means you will not be asked to bare any heavy loads or toil till you’re totally exhausted.
And John says it thus in his first epistle: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3) And if anybody should know about Jesus’ commandments, it would be John, who spent so much time with Him and wrote so much of the New Testament. So don’t take my word for it, take John’s! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom is listening to Jesus…and doing as He asks…
15 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a miraculous task, a rewarder, Abraham, act, activate, all that labour, Anselm, assurance, beleive it, believe that he is, call for help, Christ's sacrifice, come unto me, conviction, dormant forces, early to bed, early to rise, evidence, faith, find rest, friend, future hope, gentle, give you rest, God spoke the world into existence, gospel truth, heavy laden, hope, humble, I am meek, impossible to please God, intercession of Christ, is already there, learn from me, like to become, lowly in heart, moves mountains, my burden light, my yoke is easy, not by sight, patience, perseverance, present realities, reality, realization, recuperate, righteousness, saved by hope, see it to believe it, see yourself, seek him diligently, sense of proof, sight, sleep in, substance, take my yoke, the glorification of saints, the great invitation, the New testament, the resurrection, the return of Christ, the Word of god, them's the breaks, then see it, things hoped for, things not seen, transform your dream, truths, two short days, unseen realities, unto your souls, wait eagerly, walking with Jesus, we walk by faith, what you want, wisdom, without faith
2 Corinthians 5:7. For we walk by faith, not by sight.
And then it was Saturday; the day so many of us use to sleep in. I tried to do it, but it didn’t work, the aches and pains were too powerful. Hn! I went out yesterday evening, came home tired and went to bed early, so the body responded by being up early too. But them’s the breaks! What’s the saying? Early to bed, early to rise!
So here we are, another week of work is over and we need to recuperate in just two short days. And it’s only if and when we’re walking wholeheartedly with Jesus that we can accomplish such a miraculous task. So please check Him out. He’s anxiously awaiting your call for help.
And you can see that by the wonderful offer of His Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Ah people, what an invitation! There’s never been any like it, and will never be another like it, because Jesus is the only Being who can promise such stuff and actually provide it. Glory to His Holy Name!
Now since it’s Saturday, we ought to look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us, but unfortunately I only received one this week. But it certainly is interesting and good enough for us to build around. So here it is: ‘The more you see yourself as what you’d like to become, and act as if what you want is already there, the more you’ll activate those dormant forces that will collaborate to transform your dream into your reality.’
And that’s the gospel truth friends! But you know why? Because as true believers in Christ: ‘We walk by faith and not by sight.’ Glory be mih people! It’s our faith in Christ Jesus that allows us to see the things that are not as the things that are. We don’t first have to see something to believe it. We believe it and then we see it! Glory to God!
That’s why we have those magnificent verses of scripture from Hebrews that tell us: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible).’ (Heb.11:1-3)
Yeh friends, it’s faith that moves mountains; faith that allows us to believe what we don’t see, it’s through faith we believe that God spoke the world into existence from nothingness! And when we have great faith it can be counted to us for righteousness, like it was for Abraham.
And then later on in Hebrews 11, we have that other famous verse on faith: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6)
Oh my brethren, only through faith can one believe that God, the ephemeral, spiritual, almighty Being exists, because you can’t see nor touch Him. And I’d be amiss if I didn’t share the scholars’ thoughts on the subject.
‘11:1. Verse 1 is not so much a definition of what faith is, as it is a description of what faith does. (cf.11:6). Two truths concerning its activity are stated here. First, faith provides substance (Gr. hypostasis). Though broad in its usages, this Greek word normally has the meaning of “assurance” in the New Testament (cf.3:14; 2 Cor.9:4; 11:17) and this seems to be the best sense here.
Second, faith provides evidence (Gr. elegchos). It is evidence in the sense of proof that results in conviction. The difference between assurance and evidence would be minimal were it not for the phrase qualifying each: of things hoped for and of things not seen. The first involves future hope; the second involves present realities that are unseen.
The first includes the hope of the resurrection, the return of Christ, and the glorification of the saints. The second involves unseen realities, such as the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s sacrifice and the present intercession of Christ in heaven. Hope is faith relating to the future; conviction is faith relating to the present.’
Ah friends, I hope (smile) that that li’l treatise on faith helps you to understand it better. And to end, we’ll get some more immortal words from Bruh Paul, this time to the church at Rome, on the subject of hope. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (wait eagerly) for it.’ (Rom.8:24-25)
Exactly my fellow believers! If you can see something, there’s no reason to hope for it. But if you can’t see it physically, then there’s all the reason to hope for it! So let’s wisely hope for all the good things we can’t see nuh, and through faith, believe that we have them and with perseverance wait eagerly for them! That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…you can’t have faith…unless you first have hope…
14 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a term of reproach, accept His invitation, another person's perspective, Anselm, aspires to inspire, be brave, bitter rivals, bounden duty, burden is light, capacity to run, come unto me, compassion, cynical, empathy, excitement, experience, figurative, followers of Jesus, for a better tomorrow, fulfilling the commandment, Gentile ancestry, gentle, great is thy faithfulness, grow in Christ, heavy laden, his compassions fail not, hot summer's day, humble, I am meek and lowly in heart, I will give you rest, individual prisms, insult, joy, judgemental, labour, learn from me, life is short, live on the safe side, LOVE, love thy neighbour, material, new every morning, not consumed, nothing can substitute experience, objective experience, old fogies, pampered, parable, per Jesus' example, provocative, reality, repulsive, selfish people, shone a poor light, step out of our comfort zone, suffering mankind, take my yoke, take risks, the ability, the Good Samaritan, the great invitation, the Lord's mercies, time's not waiting on us, to fully experience life, turn to Jesus, ultimate truth, understanding life, use the time, wealth, wisdom, wisest decision
Lamentations 3:22-23. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Ah mih Scrip-Bit breddren another hot summer’s day is in the offing… But what do we expect eh? It’s summer! It’s supposed to be hot! We’re just a bunch of pampered, selfish people, who only want it to be the way we want it! It’s a good thing though that our God thinks differently. (smile)
Anyway, it’s Saturday, so let’s get going with some really interesting quotes this week from our friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.’ And that’s no lie friends, for all the material wealth in the world cannot be compared to the figurative wealth, talking about wisdom and experience and simple joy that one gets from living a full and productive life.
That brings us to this next quote that’s tied up with the first. ‘Life is short and the older you get, the more you feel it. Indeed, the shorter it is. People lose their capacity to walk, run, travel, think, and experience life. I realize how important it is to use the time I have.’
And is that ever so true! When we’re young, energetic and supple, we feel like time is there waiting on us, like we have oodles of it. But the older we get, the more restricted our bodies become and we realize that time’s not waiting on us, and we need to use whatever we have left in a big way. The old fogies like me, will recognize the ultimate truth in that statement. (smile)
Therefore, one has to ‘Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.’ That also relates back to our first quote, because we all know that a life lived on the safe side does not produce any real joy and excitement, just a bland, so-so existence, and that’s not the kind of life that Jesus died for us to have.
We were put down here to experience life, not merely go through the motions. That means we need to step out of our comfort zone and take some risks every so often; for that’s the only way we will ever grow, both in Christ and in the living world.
And the last quote is rather eye opening: ‘Empathy begins with understanding life from another person’s perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It’s all through our own individual prisms.’
Yes friends, if we could only see life through another’s eyes, we would not be as judgemental and cynical and repulsive and repugnant as we are. And only when we try to understand another’s position or circumstance can we have that wonderful trait called empathy, which is just another name for compassion.
That brings us right to our Bit. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’
h mih people, it’s the Lord’s empathy towards us that has us breathing and experiencing another day in His world! That’s what Jesus had for us, that’s why he came and died to pay for our sins, and it’s the same thing we need to have for others, even though they may be different in many or all respects from us. And I want to finish the scriptures on compassion today, so let’s get right to it.
And the first scripture comes from a parable of Jesus, one we all know and talk about but don’t practice nearly as much as we ought to, else life would not be as bad as it is. (smile) That’s the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Levite and the priest, supposedly good and religious people, passed by the wounded man on the ground with nothing but a mere glance.
Regardless of what excuses they might have had for their behaviour, in Jesus’ eyes, they were heartless, unsympathetic people. ‘But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.’ (Matt.10:33) And we all know the story of how he looked after him, took him to an inn and paid for his recovery.
And the scholars offer a good explanation of the situation surrounding the parable. ‘10:33. Jews and Samaritans were bitter rivals (John 4:9). The Samaritans were despised for having at least partially Gentile ancestry (due to Assyria’s conquest of Samaria in 721 (B.C) and for having a different worship centre (Mount Gerizim; John 4:20).
Thus Jesus’ parable was highly provocative. Samaritan was to Jesus’ hearers automatically a term of reproach. To portray a Samaritan as fulfilling the commandment (see v.27) (LOVE thy neighbour as thyself), but Jews as circumventing it, would be a supreme insult to the listening lawyer (v.25) and to the rest of the audience.’
Unfortunately though my brethren, that’s exactly how a lot of us supposed believers behave, while unbelievers offer more empathy, sympathy and compassion to their fallen brethren. And just like it shone a poor light on the priest and the Levite, it likewise shines a poor light on us. So let’s try and be more supportive of others nuh, regardless of their race, creed or class, because that’s what Jesus asks of, and expects of His followers.
And we’ll end this series of messages on compassion with the most important scriptures of them all on the subject; Jesus’ Great Invitation to a suffering mankind. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, my people, what a magnificent offer! No one else has ever offered such an invitation besides Jesus, because NO ONE else had, or has the ability to keep it! So please, I implore us, in these crazy times, let’s turn to Jesus and accept His invitation nuh, it’s the wisest decision we can ever make. And furthermore, let’s also try and get others to do the same, for it’s our bounden duty as followers of Christ! Much LOVE!
…the Christian life is all about…compassion…compassion…compassion…as per Jesus’ example…
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