The Third Sunday of Advent and Its Importance to the Season.

15 Dec 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 98:4.          Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise (break forth in song), and rejoice, and sing praise.

And it’s Sunday my fellow believers! The third Sunday in the church season of Advent, where we look forward to the birth of Christ and His Second Coming. On this the third Sunday though, called Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday, we simply rejoice, let all the joy spill out of our hearts souls, bodies and minds. Why? 

Because as this commentary tells us: ‘The third Sunday in Advent (Advent III) focuses our hearts on rejoicing at the arrival of God’s kingdom with the coming of Jesus. The third Sunday in Advent (Advent III) shifts from a tone of expectation of Christ’s coming to one of rejoicing at the arrival of God’s kingdom with the coming of Jesus.’ And what better way to let that joy spill forth than in ecstatic fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary. 

And today we’ll open our worship with the most-published hymn associated with Christmas in North America in spite of it not being a Christmas carol. It’s simply but oh so appropriately titled: ‘Joy to the World!’ It was written around 1719 by the English minister and Master Hymnist, Isaac Watts (1674-1748). And was supposedly based on Watts’ Christian interpretation of Psalm 98 and Genesis 3. But enough talk for now, let’s lift our voices in sweet sacrificial praise to high heaven, letting all the true joy from our hearts flow out in this up tempo, scintillating version of ‘Joy to the World!’ 

Singing: ‘(Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.) Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy. 

No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his LOVE, and wonders of his LOVE, and wonders, wonders of his LOVE.’ 

Wow! What sacrificial praise my people! Heaven was truly awakened and surprised by the level of joy in Jesus that emanated from us in the singing of that song. And why not eh? For it’s because of Jesus we have Christmas, Forgiveness of Sins, Salvation and Eternal Life! 

Now, earlier on we mentioned that the song was Watt’s interpretation of Psalm 98 and Genesis 3, and was not meant to be a Christmas song, as there was no mention of Christ’s immaculate conception or virgin birth but one celebrating Christ’s Second Coming. Somehow or the other though, it’s become one of the most popular Christmas tunes.  Psalm 98 is one of the Royal Psalms (Psalms 93-100), so called because they all emphasize God’s royal kingship in various ways. 

Psalm 98 especially emphasizes our joy in the face of God’s kingship over all the earth. And it bids us in no uncertain terms: ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed (revealed) in the sight of the heathen (Gentiles). 

He hath remembered his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS), and his truth (faithfulness) toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise (break forth in song), and rejoice, and sing praise.’ (Ps. 98: 1-4) 

Oh friends, that’s exactly what we ought to be doing; rejoicing, and singing praises to our great God, who has created us, LOVED us with an insatiable, unconditional, immeasurable and unbreakable LOVE, despite our disobedience and rebellion! And that’s the kind of emotion Rev. Watts tries to evoke in the first two verses of ‘Joy to the World. The Lord is come! Let earth receive her king; let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.’ 

As the scholars explain it: ‘The coming reign of the Lord on the earth is here celebrated as an event of great joy. Therefore three groups are called upon to rejoice: God’s people (vs. 1-3), the whole earth (vs. 4-6), and all of nature (vs. 7-9).’ Yes sir! All of the universe, all of God’s creation ought to rejoice when He comes back to fulfill His Millenium Reign on Earth! There are no ifs, ands or buts about that! But it just so happens that the song can also be associated with joy over the birth of Christ, another joyful occasion in the annals of man. 

And as per the third verse ‘No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.’ Watts is probably alluding to God’s curse on mankind, particularly Adam, after their fall from grace, found in Genesis 3:17-19. 

‘And unto Adam he (God) said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow (toil) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ 

Yes friends, that certainly gave us a tough row to hoe. But, as one commentary says: ‘this speaks of Christ’s blessings extending victoriously over the realm of sin, rather than to the psalm text. The cheerful repetition of the phrase “far as the curse is found” has caused this stanza to be omitted from some hymnals. But the line makes joyful sense when understood from the New Testament eyes through which Watts interprets the psalm. Stanza four celebrates Christ’s rule over the nations. The nations are called to celebrate because God’s faithfulness to the house of Israel has brought salvation to the world.’ 

And so it has my fellow saints; blessedly, so it has! There is no refuting that the world has been granted a reprieve from eternal separation from Almighty God by the most timely coming of Christ to earth to put God’s plan of salvation into action. First to the Jews, then to all the world! And as such all the world ought to rejoice and sing God’s praises for His mercy, grace and LOVE to the underserving children of men. Please, let’s concentrate on doing that this Christmas season, more than on the worldly aspects of it! Much LOVE!

…any coming of Christ to earth…is a cause for much celebration…

The Overwhelming Importance of LOVE in a Believer’s Life, as well as in the World!

20 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 14:15.       If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.

Then it was Wednesday; the middle day of our work week, where we endeavour to catch our second wind, and with a flourish, drive on towards the finish line on Friday! And I know that’s much easier said than done, but as disciples of Christ, we need to rise above the mundane challenges of the world, for that’s why we’re imbued with his Holy Spirit and all the other benefits we reap when we become a child of God and joint heir with Christ. And I believe we need a bit of reawakening and remembrance from the Word to encourage us; namely Bruh David’s words from Psalm 103 – Bless the Lord’s Holy Character. 

So please pray with me: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 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 lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103: 1-5) 

Ah friends, those are words and sentiments we should never forget, but always have first place in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, for it’s through the Lord’s grace and mercy that we have all the good things and benefits we enjoy. And let’s remember those things don’t come for free; they have been bought with an enormous price, the death of Christ Jesus! So we cannot afford to take them for granted, but are expected, as followers of Christ to be obedient to His will and His commandments. 

Remember His words: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) It’s as simple as that my fellow believers. If we truly LOVE Jesus, then we will keep His commandments. Unfortunately though, it seems that a lot of us don’t truly LOVE him, for we are not keeping His commandments, otherwise, our world would not be in the shambles and total chaos that it’s currently in. And the sad thing is that our world is lacking only one thing; that’s LOVE! And Jesus told us several times about the importance of LOVE in discipleship, as well as in life on a whole. 

Listen up to these instances. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35). Then later on He reiterates: ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’ (John 15:12) And even after that, Jesus still tries to implant the immense value of LOVE into our puny, stubborn minds, when He again says: ‘These things I command you, that ye LOVE one another.’ (John 15:17) 

And even John makes it plain in his fist epistle that LOVE should be first place in our hearts, when he writes: ‘For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning; that ye should LOVE one another.’ (1 John 3:11) But we are obviously not following Christ’s commandment because LOVE is the thing most lacking in our churches and our world as a whole. It’s so sad that the negative things like hate, anger, greed, jealousy, debauchery, etc. etc. are the ruling emotions in our world, with true LOVE running a pitiful last. And even when we do talk about LOVE, it’s merely a form of lust or expediency and not true brotherly LOVE. 

Yet, despite al of our disobedience and idol worship, and putting God anywhere but first place in our lives, we still arrogantly expect to reap the many wonderful benefits His LOVE provides. And that’s bold facedness at its zenith! And I guess we should continue with these verses of Psalm 103, which make things a lot plainer. 

‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy ( lovingkindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (lovingkindness) toward them that fear (reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (reverence) him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:6-14) 

Oh friends, Bruh David is trying to show us the many benevolent attributes of our great God, as well as the greatness of His mercy by not punishing us according to our sins, but instead removing them as far as the east is from the west, and also the greatness of His compassion on un us, as a father pitieth his children. 

Then he continues: ‘As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more (it is not remembered). But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (reverence) him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.’ (Ps. 103:15-18) 

Yes my fellow saints, the Lord’s a wonderful God, but in the long run it’s to those who reverence Him and keep His commandments. We won’t be rewarded for our blatant disobedience and sinfulness, although we will be forgiven if we repent and change the direction of our hearts. So all the sinful nonsense we’re carrying on with in this world, will only bring us hellfire and damnation, and eventual separation from Almighty God. But for those of us who choose to do our best to follow Christ, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 we endure right down to the end, then it’s been promised that that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, see you there! Much LOVE!

…only fools knowingly follow Satan…when it’s obvious…that Christ is the Answer…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 July 2020 Zechariah 4:6.

29 Jul 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zechariah 4:6.     ​Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
 

Well hello there mih lovelies! Greetings and salutations! It’s so good to come to you again in fellowship with LOVE and peace in Christ uppermost in our minds and souls! It means that the Lord has granted us another day to do His work down here on earth, to complete the plan He’s ordained since the beginning of time for our lives. And this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin admirably describes how our heavenly Father works in our lives when we are obedient to His will. It’s simply titled ‘The Task.’ 

Please pray with me: ‘Lord you give me a task So utterly impossible So totally beyond comprehension – The very thought of it Startles me. I want to run hide escape Anything, Lord. Then you electrify me You invade and permeate me You penetrate every fibre of me Until the task is accomplished By Your own magnificent power. Then You praise the performance Your creativity achieved And You reward me beyond expectation – As though I had done it All by myself. My Father.’ 

Now how wonderful is that eh? I’d say, most wonderful! (smile) That’s why I keep telling us about the magnificent and magnanimous God we serve. No other supposed deity would ever do such a thing; give you a tough task, then help you do it, then give you credit for it when it was done strictly under His watchful eye and mighty power! But that’s how the great God; Jehovah, Yahweh, I Am, whatever you choose to call him, operates! And that’s why I also can’t understand why we don’t live in greater obedience to Him, but foolishly prefer to run behind the things of the world. 

And our stupidity just boggles my mind, because He’s most faithfully promised that if we seek first his kingdom and His righteousness that all those worldly things we need…and much more too, will be given to us! Our problem is that we’re proud and greedy and impatient. We want it all, and right now, so we kill ourselves working for it, and sadly end up with no time to truly enjoy the worldly fruits of our labour. Now does that make sense my brethren? Obviously not! 

And even in these dangerous times of pandemic and strife, it’s still the worldly things for which we’re hungering, instead of being peaceful and calm and using this imposed time to come closer to our God, the One who LOVES unconditionally, and so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die, to be led like a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter, so that our sins could be paid for by His sinless blood. And yet still…we refuse to believe and obey… Ah mih people, I don’t know what else to say nuh to get us to truly embrace our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to do His works down here on earth as He so greatly desires. 

So let’s turn back to our poem and the Bible verse to which it’s associated. It’s a promise of our God to the prophet Zechariah, re His doing of difficult or seemingly impossible things. In a vision the prophet saw a golden candlestick and two olive trees and did not understand their meaning. The angel of the Lord told Zechariah. ‘This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Zech. 4:6) Oh friends, what a most wonderful promise! 

And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘4:1-14. The fifth vision, the golden candlestick and the two olive trees: The work of God (the rebuilding of the temple) would be accomplished through God’s leaders, Joshua and Zerubbabel, who would be enabled to perform their tasks by the Spirit of God….’ Ah mih people, that was not the first time that the Lord had used His Spirit to enable His followers to perform His work. How do you think that Nehemiah was able to rustle together the remnants in Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of the city in only fifty two days eh? (Neh. 6:15) It was through the Spirit of the Lord! 

And it’s a promise that the Lord made several times in the Old Testament. Hear Him to the prophet Hosea with his unfaithful wife. ‘But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.’ (Hos. 1:7) And then to the prophet Joel, our great God proclaimed: ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the (men) servants and the handmaids (maidservants) in those days will I pour out my spirit.’ (Joel 2:28-29)

 Oh what a marvellous promise! And we’ll go back to the scholar’s explanation of Zechariah’s vision. ‘…The vision indicates that future Israel will be a blessing to all the nations of the world through an abundant supply of the Spirit of God as the result of the coming of the Messiah, who will unite the offices of priest and king in Himself.’ 

And yes, that’s exactly what happened when Jesus came, and when He promised the coming of the Comforter. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you’ (John 14:16-17) 

And furthermore, Jesus reassured them.. and us: ‘But the Comforter, 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.’ (John 14:26) Ah my fellow saints in Christ, how beautiful is our Lord and Saviour eh! And it happened exactly as promised on the day of Pentecost, some fifty days after Jesus ascended to heaven, after telling them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. (Acts. 1:4) 

They were all in one place, with the same purpose in mind. ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like of fire, and sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4) 

Oh mih people, yuh think we God easy nuh! Not at all! He likes to show off His awesome power on behalf of His people, and since that momentous day of Pentecost, His Holy Spirit has dwelt within every believer, leading and guiding, comforting and renewing and helping us to live this earthly life in godly fashion! Wow! What more can we ask for eh? Not much! So let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail letting the world know of our awesome position in Christ Jesus! 

All together now, 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 we know for sure that if we hold our positions, endure to the end, then that promise will be kept, even more gloriously than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…to sincerely follow Jesus…that’s the ONLY way to live…   

P.S. Yes, it’s somewhat long…but oh so informative and reassuring! (smile) Much LOVE! 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 November 2019 John 3:16.

24 Nov 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 3:16.    ​For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
 

Ah friends, yesterday was beautiful; bright and sunshiny…and as always, also filled with the illuminating and reassuring presence of Jesus! Wow! That surely made it an extraordinary autumn day. (smile) The good thing though is that we’ve been promised another one like that today… Glory be my people! Let’s hope the weather forecasters are not wrong nuh, because Sunday is the worst day for any kind of precipitation, because we then conveniently use it as an excuse not to join other believers in the Lord’s sanctuary to praise, worship, give thanks and exalt His holy name.

And it is indeed a very handy and common excuse, so please don’t deny it. But yuh know what; rain, sleet or snow doesn’t stop us from going out to party. That just shows how high the Lord is on our list of priorities. He should be at the head of the list; as Jesus wisely advised: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…’ (Matt. 6:33) And if He’s not, then we will eventually have to answer, why not? Let’s stay in the moment though, we’ve come to praise and worship Almighty God and hear His Word, so lets commence in our usual fashion with a song.

But first, listen to how it became today’s song nuh. A couple of days ago, as I laid me down to have an evening nap, the thought of what song to use this Sunday suddenly flitted through my mind, and just as suddenly the answer came: ‘Because He Lives!’ That wasn’t even on my radar of possibilities, but it seems like the Lord wanted to hear that one today, and who am I to say Him nay eh? (smile) So let’s get it all together nuh and sing those wonderful words, penned by Bill and Gloria Gaither, outlining and praising Jesus amazing work on our behalf.

Now, in soulful, heartfelt and grateful harmony, let’s raise our voices to heaven on high, where Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand, advocating for us, and let Him know without a doubt, how much we truly LOVE and appreciate Him! ‘(Chorus: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future And life is worth the living Just because He lives.) (Repeat) God sent His Son they called Him, Jesus. He came to LOVE, heal and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. (Chorus)

How sweet to hold a newborn baby And feel the pride and joy he gives But greater still that calm assurance This child can face uncertain days because He lives And then one day I’ll cross the river I’ll fight life’s final war with pain And then, as death gives way to vict’ry I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives!  Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds my future And life is worth the living…Just because He lives. And life is worth the living…Just because He lives, And life is worth the living…Just because He lives.’

Oh friends, oh friends, that was such a moving rendition that it caused tears to well up both in the Father’s and Jesus’ eyes! And it just boggles my imagination to think that people don’t take Jesus seriously, but still abuse and blaspheme His holy name like they did way back  when He came to earth and gave His sinless life as a sacrifice for us, so that we could be reconciled to, made right with the Father!

That’s the major reason that He came, as He so eloquently declared in the scripture that we all know and cherish, but still don’t take seriously enough, otherwise there wouldn’t be as much sin and unrighteousness still existing in our world. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ That’s it right there in a nutshell friends! God’s LOVE and compassion for us sinful children was so great that He sacrificed the sinless life of His only Son to pay for our sins, for always and ever.

Jesus became the official sacrificial Lamb for ALL mankind, and that’s why the words of our song are so true! We can live now, without fear of the future, because His death and resurrection opened up a bright new, righteous world for us! He defeated hell, death and the grave so that we could be pardoned, and an empty grave and a downtrodden Satan are there to prove it! And it’s gospel truth that He came to LOVE, to heal and forgive, because we see it all in living colour in His ministry, both here on earth, and continuing in heaven above.

As He further declared: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) And so said…so done! And is it ever mightily reassuring to know that because Christ lives, our children don’t have to fear the uncertain circumstances of this life either? But the greatest part though friends, is on that fateful day, when we cross over to the other side, when we’ve left pain and war and all negative things behind, He’ll be there waiting for us with opened arms, sincerely declaring (steups!): ‘Oh welcome thou good and faithful servant…welcome home!’

That’s certainly worth all the negativity, all the ‘sufferation’ down here on earth my brethren! So please let’s be wise nuh; let’s do as He says and abide in Him, for His reasoning is flawless: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) Matter done! Much LOVE!

…to experience true victory…and real glory in eternity…one must hook one’s cart to Jesus’ horse…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 September 2019 Joshua 1:8.

07 Sep 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Joshua 1:8.    ​This book of the law shall not depart out of (be continually in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
 

What a crying shame it is friends when one can’t lie abed late on a cloudy Saturday morning because the various aches and pains in your aching body won’t allow you to find a comfortable position in that place that’s supposed to be one of quiet peace and refreshing rest! Hn, hn! 

Yeh mih people, getting old is nice in many ways, but not so nice in others. The wisdom and experience one accumulates, plus the ability to say most of what you want and get away with it (smile) is marvellous, but I can’t say the same for the many debilitating effects age brings to one’s body. However, we can’t seem to have one without the other, so I’ll just say thank you for the good parts and just grin and bear the bad ones. And that’s enough complaining for this morning! (smile) 

Let’s see what quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And I like this first one: ‘There is strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow.’ Now is that ever so true! 

We all know that regardless of what today brings, tomorrow will show up right on schedule, because that’s the way our great God and Creator planned it! That means we can always have hope and faith that tomorrow, the new rising of the sun, will bring a different and better outcome to our circumstances. So please hang in there…and have hope for tomorrow! 

Now hear this one: ‘Try to find pleasure in the speed that you’re not used to. Changing the way you do routine things allows a new person to grow inside of you. But when all is said and done, you’re the one who must decide how you handle it.’ That’s somewhat complicated, but it does contain some truth. In this world we’re usually creatures of habit and comfort, and nothing’s wrong with that, because we can’t have excitement all the time. 

But the same old, same old routine does get boring and frustrating if we don’t occasionally add a li’l zing and zest to it. That’s why every so often we need to take a risk, do something new and/or different, get out of our comfort zone for a spell, take a different way home from work, eat at a new restaurant, so we can add a touch of spice to our humdrum, mundane lives. 

But having said that though, we have to be careful that we don’t change just for change sake, which is what so many of us are doing these days. We use words like ‘this is the twenty first century; this is 2019, the Old Testament doesn’t matter anymore, etc.’ insinuating that because we’ve reached a certain level of time and space and evolution that things must necessarily change. But please note the old saying, that the more things change, the more they remain the same. 

And that’s gospel truth friends! If you really check it out, most of the things we’re doing, and the reactions we’re showing to the various changes in our world, the same things have been going on for ages, possibly just on a different level. So please, especially in these explosive times of social media and technological revolution, don’t change just for change sake, or because others are doing it. The Good Book containing the Lord’s wise and precious Word must still be our guiding light! 

And I’d like to take the last two quotes as one, because they are closely intertwined. Hear them: ‘When you fail, that is when you get closer to success.’ ‘Success will be within your reach only when you start reaching out for it.’ And they are both full of awesome truth since you generally don’t have success unless you have first failed, and you can only have success if you reach out for it. 

But what do we mean by success eh? Is it how the world terms it; the accumulation of power and fame and money and worldly glory, or celebrity status? Or is it how Jesus describes it; serving the lost, the poor and downtrodden, LOVING our God with all our being, and LOVING our neighbours as ourselves, overcoming evil with good and going the second mile when it’s not necessary? 

Whichever path we choose though, the results will still be the same: we won’t always succeed the first time, or even the fourth and fifth, and we’ll never succeed if we don’t try, and that means try sincerely and wholeheartedly, give our all! Anyway, here’s the best path to any kind of success at all. Obviously it comes from the Good Book, God’s direct words of wisdom and warning to His servant Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death. 

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be continually in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ 

Oh mih people, that’s Success 101 right there! And it hasn’t changed one iota since the Lord said them to Joshua! That formula for success remains constant forever because it’s God’s Word and his Word doesn’t change! And here’s something I LOVE about our God, although I don’t always appreciate it in my dealings with Him. (smile) 

He doesn’t just tell you something and leave you floundering, He often drives it home with another suitable and well placed nail, to oftimes encourage us, like He did there with Joshua, continuing thus: ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:9) 

And that’s after telling him basically the same thing two verses before. But He knew that Joshua would need a lot of strength and courage to lead the wayward and stubborn Israelites and that was His way of encouraging Him. And He does the same with us friends! The Lord will NEVER leave us alone and ‘unencouraged’ when He knows that we definitely need encouragement! Please remember that! All we have to do is call on Him in sincerity and truth and He will answer appropriately. 

Now let’s end with Jesus’ wise and faithful words on the matter of success. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) No truer words were ever spoken friends! And if we’re wise, we’ll take them to heart and sincerely and diligently put them into action in our lives! Much LOVE!

…following Jesus and His righteous ways…is the ONLY path to true success…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 July 2019 Joshua 1:8.

31 Jul 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Joshua 1:8.    ​This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
 

Aye friends, today looks like it’s an ‘achy, breaky day!’ Yeh the ole back’s aching some, but I believe that’s just because I spent too much time in the bed last night. I went to bed fairly early, by my standards, (smile) that’s why I’m up so early. But just like the weather that seems somewhat gray and cloudy, with no sunshine yet, but will eventually morph into a beautiful day, my old bod will eventually get itself together and become the wonderful human creation that the Lord created it to be! 

Wow! What faith and belief! (smile) But what else can I declare eh and be truthful to what I preach? It’s like the man said, doctor, heal thyself! I keep talking about positivity and faith, so I have to show it, if I want anybody to believe me. Anyway, here is one of the first quotations that I ever posted on my office wall, many, many moons ago, and now hardly ever notice it. What else is new eh? (smile)  

But as I was coming down the stairs just now to begin writing, the Holy Spirit just dropped it into my mind to share today. Obviously I don’t know where I got it from, or who reputedly wrote it, I just know that it’s the awesome truth. ‘A man, or woman, who is self-reliant, positive, optimistic, and undertakes his or her work with the assurance of success, magnetizes their condition. They draw to themselves the creative powers of the universe!’ 

You can’t dispute that friends, simply because it’s true! Anytime you begin a project, you must believe that it will be successful, or most likely it won’t be. That’s not to say that when you believe its success that it will automatically happen. It’s just that God aligned the creative powers of the universe to be more attuned to positivity than negativity. So the first step to success always depends on your thinking positive, successful thoughts. And if you don’t believe me, try it. (smile) 

But when we talking about success my brethren, there is only ONE WAY to be truly assured of it! And that’s the age-old words of the Lord to his servant Joshua, when He assigned him to lead the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ 

Oh my people, the Lord didn’t mince words, He spoke it out loud and clear: to have true success you must live by His Word! And that hasn’t changed one iota since then. Jesus even came and strengthened it, when He admonished: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.’ (Matt.6:33) 

So you see friends, true success comes not from struggling and fighting and being overworked, like the world thinks, but from simply living faithfully to God’s law. And I guess that’s why a lot of supposed Christians are not very successful, because we only give lip-service to God’s law and instead allow the bright, fancy baubles and worthless things of the world to distract us, even though we know better. 

Remember Jesus desired us to be in the world, but not a part of it. We can live comfortably in it, with His assistance, but we don’t have to do all that the world says or does! That’s the only way we will ever bring about any successful and sustainable change in this evil and ungodly world. But unfortunately too many of us believers are behaving exactly like the world wants us to. 

And sadly, oftimes, if you check out a crowd of people that supposedly contains Christians, you’d be very challenged to tell them from the unbelievers, because too many of them will be behaving like the heathen! And that’s just the reality of the situation; we talk a good talk, but don’t walk a good walk! That’s why the world is in such a terrible state. 

Can you imagine what a wonderful world we’d have if even a minority of believers would start truly behaving like believers? We’d turn the world upside down! We’d have Jesus’ LOVE Revolution running things, rather than Satan’s evil cabal that’s now in control. 

But friends, that all depends on believers working together and living by the Good Book. And unfortunately neither of those things seems to be happening at this time. There’s more division and disunity in Christ’s church than ever before, and the evil of the world is in the ascendance right now, and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. 

But let’s not give up hope my people! We can still make a big difference if we truly want to…and with Jesus as our guide and leader, remember, anything is possible. But we have to want to do it, and get together to do it, else it won’t happen! And that brings us right back to the Lord’s words to Joshua: ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:9) 

Oh friends, I just LOVE that verse, because it reminds me of God’s faithful promises, and thus builds my faith, makes me feel strong and able to do whatever He calls me to do! So today, let’s all draw strength and faith from it nuh, and promise ourselves to live a better Christian life than we’re now living. And there’s no doubt that all of us can come up higher in Christ’s playbook. So having said all of that, let’s go home now declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our wonderful position in Christ. 

All together now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And will it ever be glorious…just like Jesus promised! Much LOVE!

…the Lord God Jehovah created the world…through His Word…and He…will also have the Last Word…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 May 2018 Matthew 6:34.

05 May 2018 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 6:34.    Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.

Oh friends, it’s a glorious Saturday in my neck of the woods! And I have to chuckle as I say that because yesterday was somewhat of a nightmare. Early in the afternoon the weather cleared up, but a wicked windstorm then kicked up its heels, lasting until early evening. I believe that a hurricane force wind is around 110 – 120 km per hour… well this one was at least around 90 km per hour. 

I lay in my bed listening to it caterwaul through the neighbourhood, and it brought to mind the east wind that the Lord stirred up when He gave the Israelites quail because they were tired of angel food; manna. (smile) At some stages I thought it might blow away my roof, so much noise it was making up there. But thankfully, the only damage I’ve seen so far is a piece of my wooden fence blown down into the neighbour’s backyard. Thank You Lord! 

And since it’s Saturday, let’s take a look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his sincere efforts to inspire us for a better tomorrow. First up is this insightful quote. ‘Surround yourself with people who get you.’ 

And is that ever important my breddren! The only way to succeed is to have people around you who know what you are about, and are willing to work with you to achieve your ends. We can’t succeed by ourselves, neither with people working against us. That’s why it’s essential to build your inner circle ever so carefully. 

And the second quote says: ‘You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.’ That’s true too. It reminds me of our Tuesday Mantra. Technically speaking, earth is not our home, we’re only here for a short time, pilgrims passing through. 

Heaven is our real home, where we’ll spend eternity, so that’s where we ought to concentrate a fair amount of our efforts. And besides, how much control do we have over earthly things anyway? Not a whole lot. So why worry and hurry eh? 

And as usual, we’ve saved the best for last. ‘Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.’ And all God’s people said a loud and positive ‘Amen!’ 

Hn, hn! But we still bring forward the crappy stuff we did yesterday, as though it’s an accounting procedure. No friends, to a certain extent we ought to let yesterday rest in peace. It’s come and gone, and there is nothing we can do about it. So only the very important, ongoing stuff should ever be opened on a new day, as we bring a new and fresh level of enthusiasm and perspective to it. 

Jesus warned us: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ What wise words from our Lord and Saviour! 

In the same manner, we should not worry about what went on yesterday. Everyday will have enough problems of its own for us to handle, so why add unnecessary stuff eh? That doesn’t mean we should not to be concerned about important, life changing or rearranging things, but generally speaking we upset ourselves with way too much unimportant stuff. 

If we sit down and truly analyze a day’s proceedings, I’m sure we’ll find that half of what we agonized over when it was happening, did not deserve that level of concern. The best way to consistent living is to try and live in the here and now as much as possible. Deal with what’s currently on your plate. 

Have plans, but plans can change like…like…the weather. You know what I really wanted to say, but don’t need the hassle from my female associates. (smile). Consult the past, but mostly to learn from it, not to live in it. Treat each new day, like exactly what it is; a NEW DAY! That way, you’ll bring new insights and attitudes to it. 

Oh friends, earthly living is not easy, but as believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ, we have been given a blessed blueprint to make it as successful as possible; it’s called the Word of the Lord, the BIBLE! If we sincerely follow its statutes and ordinances, we will be successful. If we don’t, we won’t be successful. It’s as simple as that. 

And there’s no better paraphrase to all of that, than these wise words of Jesus. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) 

Yes my brethren, Jesus has no cause to lie or be unfaithful in His promises, so if He says the best way to live this earthly life is by first seeking God and his righteousness, then you know that’s so. Matter finish! Much LOVE!

…bring to each day…just what is necessary to keep it righteous…