26 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of peace, acceptable to God, actively pursuing peace, against them that do evil, approved of men, be as wool, be devoured with the sword, be not overcome of evil, be red like crimson, be white as snow, be willing and obedient, but righteousness peace and joy in the Holy ghost, cease to do evil, christianity, condemned, deceit, deepen my breath, defend, delivers them out of all their troubles, depart from evil, do good, dwell for evermore, eat the good of the land, end of sermon, evil shall slay the wicked, faith, fall short of the grace of God, follow after the things which make for peace, follow peace with all men, fomenting strife, for our own benefit, from before mine eyes, guilty, He keepeth all his bones, he that desires life and loves many days, his ears are open unto their cry, holiness, holy spirit, I marvel to think, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, judge the fatherless, keep thy tongue from evil, laze around, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, learn to do well, lest any man fail, let not your good be evil spoken of, let us reason together, looking diligently, LOVE, make hay while the sun shines, many are the afflictions of the righteous, many be defiled, mercy, none of them that trust in him shall be desolate, overcome evil with good, plead for the widow, put away the evil of your doings, quiet my soul, raise our hopes dreams and faith, relax my muscles, relieved the oppressed, reprove the oppressor, salvation, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, seasoned instruction, seek justice, seek peace and pursue it, slow my thoughts, spend some intimate time with the Father, teach you the fear of the Lord, thank you for this tenderness, that he may see good, that I may know you all the more, the BIBLE, the face of the Lord, the kingdom of god is not meat and drink, the Lord and His word dont ever change, the Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart, the Lord redeems the soul of his servants, the Lord's loving-kindness, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, the remembrance of them from the earth, the reverence of the Lord, the righteous cry, the root of bitterness springing up trouble you, they that hate the righteous shall be desolate, things wherewith one may edify, thy lips from speaking guile, to cut off, truth, upgrading our witness for Christ, vindicate, wash you make you clean, wisdom, without which no man shall see the Lord, ye refuse and rebel, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your sins be as scarlet
Psalm 34:14. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
And then it was Saturday, our lazy-day Saturday, where we don’t have to do anything but laze around, if we so desire. (smile) And since it looks like it’s going to be another hot and hazy day, even with a promise of rain in the afternoon, the wisest thing is to stay inside and enjoy the calm and peace of an air conditioned situation. (smile) And to help us do just that, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Ah friends, just offering up the words bring a sense of peace and quietness, and when the Lord replies with His LOVING-KINDNESS, then it will be even better. So let’s raise our hopes, our dreams and faith as we spend some quiet, intimate time with the Father, this last Saturday in July 2025. Yes my brethren, July will be finished in less than a week’s time, so let’s make hay while the summer sun still shines by upgrading our witness for Christ. End of Sermon!
And as we promised yesterday, if God spared our lives today, we’d continue looking at the remainder of Psalm 34, as the scholars called it, the section of ‘seasoned instruction that can stem from such a deliverance,’ like Bruh David had from Saul and the Philistines with the Lord’s help. And that section begins thus: ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit) Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps. 34:11-14)
Yes my people, if we want to learn the reverence of the Lord those are some of the things we need to do; don’t speak or do evil, but do good and seek peace, and pursue it. As Bruh David says in Psalm 37: ‘Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.’ (Ps. 37:27) And as Isaiah proclaims on the Lord’s behalf: ‘Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgement (justice), relieve the oppressed (reprove the oppressor), judge (vindicate or defend) the fatherless, plead for the widow.’ (Is. 1:16-17)
Now those are the things we’re supposed to be doing rather than doing evil and fomenting strife like we’re doing today. And it’s certainly interesting how Isaiah continues that passage. ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is. 1:18-20)
It’s laid out plain and straightforward my people. If we are obedient to the Lord’s word, we will prosper, if not, we shall be destroyed. And we can see evidence of it in the many heart rending problems that the Israelites faced when they disobeyed God, so why do we think it will be any different today eh? The Lord and His Word don’t change.
And as per peace, let’s note, it’s not only a matter of seeking peace, but actively pursuing it, looking for it, going out of our way to find it and make it happen! Bruh Paul in his epistle to the Romans, also warns us: ‘Let not the your good be evil spoken of: for the kingdom of God is not meat (food) and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify (build up) another.’ (Rom. 14:16-19)
And later on the author of Hebrews also encourages us to: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see God. Looking diligently lest any man fail of (fall short of) the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.’ (Heb. 12:1-5) So friends, we see how very important the pursuit of peace is in the believer’s life. And if we don’t actively seek it, we can cause a lot of problems in both our lives and the lives of others.
Then Bruh David continues explaining why we should fear the Lord and do good. ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off (destroy) the remembrance of them from the earth.’ (Ps. 34:15-16) Yes my brethren, the Lord dislikes evil, and has promised to destroy it and all memory of it from His world. Now, we don’t want to be amongst those that are destroyed, do we?
Obviously not! Then listen and inwardly digest these marvellous words of the rest of the psalm. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of contrite (crushed ) spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned or held guilty). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (condemned or found guilty).’ (Ps. 34:17-22)
Oh my fellow saints, that’s what we have to look forward to when we fear the Lord, do good and not evil, and sincerely pursue peace! There’s nothing better to be gained in all the world! So please, let’s spend some time today contemplating those scriptures and seeing how they fit into our current lives. It can only be to our own amazing benefit. Much LOVE!
…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom. 12:21)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a figure of shame and reproach, abundance, all is right in God's world, an horn of salvation, be saved from our enemies, Bible, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, blessed with sunshine, bounden duty, Christian, Christmas, courage, creativity, curse, faith, fear came upon all that dwelt round about them, go before the face of the Lord, good cheer, good will to all, he spake and praised God, his tongue loosed, holiness, holy spirit, hypocrites, immaculate conception, in the days wherein he looked on me, in the house of his servant David, in the shadow of death, Jesus Christ, joy, lifts the spirits, LOVE, makes one feel, mercy, Messiah, negative word, prosper, redeemed his people, remained speechless, remember his holy covenant, repent ye, righteousness, salvation, seen a vision in the temple, self-control, self-discipline, serve him without fear, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, she brought forth a son, strong winds, succeed, supernatural wisdom, talent, the birth of John the Baptist, the dayspring from on high, the hand of all that hate us, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Lord had showed upon her great kindness, the people waited, the season of warmth, they rejoiced with her, thou child, thus hath the Lord dealt with me, to give light to them that sit in darkness, to guide our feet in the way of peace, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, to prepare his ways, truth, waxed strong in spirit, what manner of child shall this be, wisdom, Zacharias
Luke 1:76. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Ah mih people, at long last we have been blessed with some sunshine this Thursday morning. However, some of the glow has been removed, because it’s cold and tinged with some strong winds, that came up during the night and are still going strong right now, harassing the naked trees to do a dance many of them cannot do, therefore a lot of broken branches litter the ground. But as I keep saying, sunshine is the important element, for it lifts the spirits, makes one feel that all is right in God’s world! (smile)
And be that as it may, let’s continue with the Christmas Story, re the Birth of John the Baptist. Yesterday we left off where the angel Gabriel commanded Zacharias, John’s father, to become dumb, unable to speak until the birth of his son, because he had not believed his good news. (Luke 1:20) The Bible then tells us: ‘And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried (delayed) so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration (service) were accomplished (completed), he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.’ (Luke 1:21-25)
Yuh see again friends, how big a deal it was for women to bear children back then! Otherwise, their lives would be rather miserable, with all sorts of jests and jeers made towards their barren state. And even the husbands being ridiculed for having a childless wife. No wonder so many women cried out to the Lord to correct their barren state, and like Hannah, Samuel’s mother, promising all kinds of things, if He did. (1 Sam. 1) Anyway, we know that when Elisabeth was five months pregnant, her cousin, Mary, Jesus’ mother, who had recently received the news of her immaculate conception, came and spent three months with her, then went back to her own home.
The Bible then continues: ‘Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins (relatives) heard how the Lord had shewed great kindness upon her; and they rejoiced with her.’ (Luke 1:57-58) Yuh see how the ole hypocrites an’ dem come out of their lair because she had finally born a son. Before that, she was just a figure of shame and reproach, through no fault of her own. Ah Lord eh! But the best is yet to come.
Luke continues the story by saying: ‘And it came to pass, that on the eight day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to the father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.’ (Luke 1:59-64)
Ah friends, what drama we find in God’s Word! But so it should be, when He is in fact the creator and greatest perpetrator of drama! And what happened when Zacharias finally spoke after months of being dumb? The story goes: ‘And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings (things) were noised about (discussed) throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up (kept them) in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.’ (Luke 1:65-66)
The Lord certainly knows how to get our attention. For as the scholars explain about the statement above, Fear came: ‘The working of God produced a unique sensation among a people where not even a prophet had spoken for centuries.’ The Lord made sure that the people knew that His infallible and ever-faithful hand was involved in John the Baptist’s birth.
And He didn’t stop there. No. The Bible continues: ‘And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began (through the ages): That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware to our father Abraham. That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:67-79)
Oh friends, for a man who hadn’t spoken a single word for months, Zacharias sure had a mouthful to say. By then he obviously believed the words of the angel Gabriel and was being used by God to further prophesy the fulfillment of His covenant of a coming Messiah, with His people Israel. John would be the one to go before that Messiah, to light the way, to prepare the people for His coming.
And Luke ends the story thus: ‘And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing (manifestation) unto Israel.’ (Luke 1:80) And we all know what happened when he finally appeared on the scene, coming out of the desert like a wild man, crying out, ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 3:2) And so it is my people, therefore, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, so that we can activate them and use them to do God’s work here on earth like John did, with his blessings.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s Christmas time…the season of warmth…of joy and good cheer…so let’s spread it around…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be wise choose Christ, Bible, blessing and cursing, choose life, climate change, etenal life, eternal separation from God, everlasting life, faith, free from righteousness, god, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, holiness, howling winds, hurry, I call heaven and earth, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, made free from sin, mercy, not to condemn the world, pay for our rebellious ways, pay me now or pay me later, rian, righteousness, salvation, servants of sin, servants to God, set before you life and death, share His love with my neighbours, storms and tornadoes in the U.S., that both thou and thy seed shall live, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the beloved of God, the gift of God is eternal life, the goodness grace and mercy of God, the wages of sin is death, the world through him might be saved, to record this day against you, trust my freind Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, worry
Deuteronomy 30:19b. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live.
Well friends, yesterday was a crazy day in my neighbourhood. First there was rain early in the morning, then the winds just howled through the area all day, into the night, and is still carrying on out there, although thankfully, not as badly as it did yesterday. Brother! At one point in the evening, I went out to sit on my porch, but could only stay a short while because of the wind’s ferocity. The poor trees were dancing like crazy all day, with little respite from the wind storm. At one stage this morning I had to close my bedroom window as the wind was causing the aluminum blinds to bang loudly against the woodwork, disturbing my rest.
But it could be worse, much worse, as many people down in the U.S are finding out with all the storms and tornadoes that are currently tearing their areas apart. And it’s heartbreaking to see the awful wreckage these natural disasters are causing. Call it climate change, or whatever you choose, but it’s certain that our weather patterns have recently changed, and are still changing, much to the dismay of many. Where there was once rain, there’s now drought, and where there was once drought, there’s now flooding.
It’s all turning around, and I don’t know how much is our fault, but we do share a part of the blame for the ungodly and disgraceful manner in which we’ve treated our wonderful planet. And as the man so rightfully said, ‘You can either pay me now or pay me later, but the price later will be much higher than the one today.’ And that’s exactly what we’re seeing now, the high price of our earlier selfish and greedy decisions concerning our planet; not making sufficient plans to keep it clean or to clean it up after we’ve despoiled it.
And it’s the same way in our relationship with God. We will pay a hefty price for our rebellious ways, either right then or later, especially after He was generous and LOVING enough to send His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die a substitutionary death on our behalf, so that He could forgive our sins and reconcile us to Himself. For remember ‘the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.’ (Rom. 6:23) That means that whoever sins will be rewarded with death, but since Jesus paid our sin debt in full through His dying on the cross, we have been given a chance to come back to God’s secure fold if we believe in and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome. ‘For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.’ (Rom. 6:20-22) Yes my fellow believers, when we were servants to sin, all we had to look forward to was death, or eternal separation from Almighty God, but with the acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we now are servants of God and have holiness, righteousness and eternal life to look forward to.
But just like we were foolish not to take care of our planet and are now paying a price for it, likewise we can be foolish not to receive Christ as Lord and Saviour and eventually pay a hefty price for that unwise decision. Please note these very instructive words of Jesus. ‘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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
That, my friends, says it all, and says it very clearly! Why? Because as Jesus continues: ‘He that believeth on him (the Son) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18) It’s as simple as that. Jesus came to earth and died so that we could have a second option besides eternal separation based on our abominable sins. However, to receive this second option, eternal life with God, one must believe in the Son, and accept Him as Lord and Saviour.
That means the decision is still ours, the Lord is not usurping the free will that He gave us. He’s only saying that if you don’t believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, then you will still be in violation of His rules and regulations, still be a sinner, and thus will still be liable to death or eternal separation from Him. That’s the wonderful goodness, grace and mercy of God my brethren! He LOVED us so much, and did not want to see us perish under the burden of our sins, that He devised a plan whereby we could be forgiven; that’s getting His only Son, His sinless Son, Jesus Christ to die and bear our burdens, pay the price for our sins, once and for all time.
However, to avail oneself of that option, one has to believe in and accept the Son as your Lord and Saviour, and live the way He desires. Rejection of that option means that you are right back where you started… an awful sinner, only worthy of death and eternal separation from the omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God of the universe. Remember what Moses said to the Israelites: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
Likewise friends, the Lord is giving us the same choice today, that between eternal life with Jesus, or eternal death with Satan. The choice is all ours. So please, let’s be wise nuh, and choose Christ, so that we and our seed can live forever. And for those of us who have already made that wise, monumental decision, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that declaration, it means we now have to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…God will never abuse His gift of free choice…but He does expect us to make wise choices…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hot time, a modicum of circumspection, a quality of life, all partied out, as common, birthright, Blessed are the peacemakers, blessings, deceit, diasater, drunk or sober, Esau, evil for evil, fellowship, firstborn, flow like water, follow peace, fornicator, Friday chant, gobble gobble, godly, Granny's warning, guile, holiness, hot and hazy day, in the land, keep thy tongue from evil, Kingston, live peaceably with all men, mind our p's and q's, mind them for us, mind yuh business, no man shall see God, overcome evil with good, party fuh so, profane person, profanity, relaxation, repay no man, responibiltiy, rest, slae driver, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanksgiving, the children of God, the devil, The eyes of the Lord, the righteous, the workingman's song, treat something sacred, Turkey, wise, with all men
Hebrews 12:14. Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Welcome to another hot and hazy day in Kingston, Jamaica my dear people! I don’t know if it’s just cloud cover, dust from factory outputs, or a combination of both, but the haze they generate keep preventing me from seeing the nearby harbour and the distant mountains properly! But yuh know what? I’ll take it over the cold weather every time! (smile) And I hear that you all might be having snow, lots of it, for Thanksgiving next week. Hn! Just make sure it’s all gone by the time I get back oui! (smile)
But it’s Friday all over the world, and what happens on a Friday? Working people sing their weekend song of short freedom. So let’s hear what the workingman has to say today nuh. And as always, he’s quite vocal: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The weekend, the weekend! Mama Yo! Is party fuh so! From tonight, right back to Monday night! Might’n be even able to go to the slave driver work on Tuesday nuh, cause ah all partied out…
And so it should be, because is Thanksgiving weekend, so we have to give plenty thanks for all we have…and giving plenty thanks involves having plenty parties. So we can all shout: ‘Party! Party! Party!’ Yeh it’s going to be a hot time in the land this weekend, what with all the gobble gobble (turkey) on the table, the pumpkin pie and what have you! And the drinks going to flow like water too! Yuh better believe that! Brother, the Lord surely not going to be able to say we not thankful nuh! Give Him thanks for Fridays and weekends that we have a li’l freedom to do we own thing!’
Yeh friends, it’s all meet and right to celebrate and give thanks for our many blessings, but as believers in Christ Jesus, we can’t be like the ordinary workingman and go way out on the limb, we have to remember Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, ah beg yuh, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ And yuh better believe if we don’t mind our p’s and q’s the devil going to mind them for us, getting into our business and screwing them up even more than we already doing. That’s why our Friday Chant is not as ebullient and effusive as the workingman’s song. We take a somewhat more serious look at the situation.
So please chant with me now nuh in all sincerity: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Yeh friends, let us enjoy ourselves, but with a modicum of circumspection, as butler Jeeves would say.
And following on from that, we come to where we left off in the scriptures yesterday, re Hebrews warning against disobedience. The author wisely tells us: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail (fall short) of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane (godless) person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat (food) sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited (wanted to inherit) the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.’ (Heb.12:14-17)
And what does all of that mean? Hear the scholars: ‘12:15. Root of bitterness accurately portrays the nature of bitterness. First it is hidden, but when it is discovered its noxious roots have spread and it springs up as something much bigger and more destructive (cf. Deut.29:18).’ That’s gospel truth friends; the roots of bitterness spread far and wide and fast like a cancer! ‘12:16-17.Profane person: This profanity (Gr. bebelos) involves far more than one’s speech; it is a quality of one’s life. The author sees this quality exemplified in Esau, even though Esau was not a vile man. In fact, he was less of a crook than his brother Jacob.
The author accurately focuses on the one area that revealed Esau as profane – the selling of his birthright. To “profane” is to regard something as unhallowed, to treat something sacred as common. Being totally concerned with his temporary and material needs, Esau gave them priority over his rights as the firstborn son and his responsibilities as the heir to the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant. (Gen.25:29-34). The result in Esau’s life was that afterward, when he wanted the blessing, he was rejected. He repented with tears, but the situation was irrevocable.’
Ah mih people, many of us like to take the easy way out, then regret it, and try to turn it around, but unsuccessfully. It’s like burning a bridge behind you, then wanting to go back the same way you came. That’s ofttimes impossible. So please let’s think before we act nuh, and thus not get ourselves in those untenable and often irreversible situations.
As Bruh Paul said to the church at Rome: ‘Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation). Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men… Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:16c-18, 21)
And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then listen to Bruh David from way back when: ‘What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.’ (Ps.34:12-15)
What more can I say eh mih people? Not a whole lot. Bruh David and Bruh Paul said it, so who am I to say them nay eh? So let’s be wise and sensible and godly and do like they advise us nuh, because anything else will just bring disaster. Much LOVE!
…blessed are the peacemakers…for they shall be called…the children of God…
P.S. The first of the big parties, the Gala, is tonight. So as the man said…Party fuh so! But with Granny’s warning in mind. (smile) Much LOVE!
23 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all is calm, all the days of our lives, child, Christ the Savior is born, Christ's birth, Christmas, christmas eve, dayspring, dwell in the land, Father Abraham, fly by night, forerunner of Christ, fountain of life., from heaven afar, glories stream, great light, heavenly hosts, heavenly peace, holiness, holy covenant, holy infant, holy night, horn of salvation, in thy light, Isaiah, John the Baptist, LOVE, Love's pure light, Messiah, messianic deliverance, Mighty Deliverer, prepare his wasy, radiant beams the dawn, redeeming grace, righteousness, servant David, shepherds quake, Silent Night, sing Alleluia, sleep, son of god, the face of the Lord, the prophet of the Highest, the shadow of death, upon them light hath shined, virgin mother, walked in darkness, without fear, Zechariah
Isaiah 9:2. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
And then it was Sunday…Christmas Sunday…Yay! Just imagine friends, only two more days and it’s here; one of the biggest and best days ever in the history of mankind; the day when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born! Glory Hallelujah! Give the Father much thanks and praise for sending His only Son as a human to dwell amongst us and show us His holy ways!
And as always, when we gather in His sanctuary on a Sunday we open with praise and worship, exalting His name and softening our hearts so that we can receive His holy Word. And today we’re singing that magnificent and well-known, traditional Christmas hymn, ‘Silent Night’ (“Stille Nacht” in its original German).
‘The song was originally a poem written by pastor Joseph Franz Mohr and composed by his friend Franz Xaver Gruber in early 19th century Austria. Pastor Mohr desperately needed a carol for the Christmas Eve midnight mass that was only hours away, and he hoped Gruber – a school teacher as well as the church’s choir master and organist – could set his poem to music; he composed the melody in just a few hours on that Christmas Eve.
The melody used today (a slow, meditative lullaby or pastorale) is slightly different from Gruber’s original (a moderato tune in 6/8 time and siciliana rhythm), particularly in the final strain. The English translation we most frequently sing today was written and published by Episcopal priest John Freeman Young in 1859, who translated three verses of Mohr’s original six.’
So now that we know something about the song’s origins, let’s sing it with heartfelt praise and gratitude nuh. As one earthly choir now! ‘Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright Round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant, so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night, Shepherds quake at the sight; Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!
Silent night, holy night, Son of God, LOVE’S pure light; Radiant beams from thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth. Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright Round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant, so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.’
Yes my faithful brethren, our Saviour’s birth changed the world like nothing before it ever has! As the prophet Isaiah declared long before it happened: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’
Yes my people, Christ’s birth brought the light of heaven to earth where many were living in darkness and evil. And unfortunately, two thousand years later, too many of us are still living in darkness and evil!
And Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, when he had regained his voice, after being struck dumb for not believing the angel Gabriel’s promise of a son in his old age, (Luke 1:11-20) also spoke of God’s redemption of His people, on the day that John was presented to the Lord.
‘And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation (a Mighty Deliverer) for us in the house of his servant David; As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant.; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.’ (Luke 1:67-75)
Yeh friends, please note those provisos: ‘serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness, all the days of our lives.’ God’s promises weren’t any fly by night stuff; they had a definite purpose behind them!
And if you don’t believe, then the scholars point us to ‘1:73: See Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-6; 22:15-18).’ Yes friends, that’s a list of the promises God made to Abraham, every one of which He kept! Please check them out for yourselves. I just did!
But Zechariah was not done with prophesying. Having spoken of Jesus, he turned to his son, John: ‘And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day-spring (Messiah) from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:76-79)
That’s why John is known as the forerunner of Christ; he was sent to prepare the way for Christ’s coming. And the scholars give an interesting explanation of ‘1:78: Dayspring means “dawn” and figuratively refers to the coming of the Messiah. The clause should be translated, “Dawn from heaven will visit us.” That is the Messiah from heaven will come to help us. God’s messianic deliverance is often expressed as the bursting forth of a great light.’
Ah mih people, this Christmas season, as we celebrate Christ’s birth, please, please let’s allow that great light to burst forth in our lives nuh, so that we can be delivered out of all the darkness that currently covers us! Much LOVE!
…for with thee is the fountain of life…in thy light…shall we see light… (Ps.36:9)
P.S. Yeh, it’s somewhat late, but I had to go to church first…And anyway, it’s still enlightening! (smile) Much LOVE!
05 Oct 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: attitudes, awareness of pitfalls, baby and all, be dislocated, before the eyes of the Lord, boundaries, brings joy, celebrate, circumspection, conversation, days off with pay, do it all over again, down will come cradle, dying, eats away, entitled to enjoy, fellowship, fighting, follow peace, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, glory to God, goess to far, he ponders all his goings, healed, hear a word behind thee, holiness, in Jesus name, in soul body and mind, inherent danger, invite the enemy, Jesus on our side, joyful smiles, juiciest fruit, keep your eyes fixed, lame, let all thy ways be established, lift up the hands, make straight paths, more brittle, no man shall see God, our own bootstraps, ourselves to blame, out on the limb, party hearty, ponder, pull ourselves up, refreshed, relaxation, remove thy foot from evil, renewed, rest, sinful soul, spiritual strength, steadfastly on Jesus, stooped, tears, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the bough breaks, the feeble knees, the fruits of our labour, the Holy Spirit's advice, the ordinary workingman, the path of thy feet, the slave massa's eyes, the ways of man, thieving, this is the way, turn not to the right nor to the left, two short days off, unbridled carnal living, upcoming weekend, veer off the straight and narrow, walk ye in it, week of work, weekends
Proverbs 4:26. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
And I can see all the joyful smiles and hear all the joyful conversation simply because it’s Friday, and the working population has only the upcoming weekend on their minds. What a way our attitudes can change from one day to the next, when something that seems good is on the horizon. Wish we could have that joyful attitude come next Monday morning. (smile)
And there is no stopping the ordinary workingman come Friday morning, for he will sing his song, come hell or high water. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday mih breddren! The weekend come…and while it brings joy to our lives, it brings tears to the slave massa’s eyes, because he has to pay us for not working for two whole days! Glory be!
You wouldn’t know how that eats away at his thieving sinful soul. But God is good…and fair too. And after plenty fighting and dying we finally get some days off with pay. Wow! And as always, we going to party hearty and celebrate that fact, because we entitled to enjoy the fruits of our labour! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
Ah friends, the workingman does make some good points in his song, but just goes too far out on the limb in pursuit of the ripest, juiciest fruit. Yes my brethren, there is inherent danger in pursuing that at the edge of the limb, it’s liable to break more easily, because it’s usually smaller and more brittle out there. And when the bough breaks, you’ll fall, and down will come cradle, baby and all. (smile)
And as that pertains to our Christian faith walk, it means allowing the enemy to get into our lives and settling in to spoil them, and have us walk away from Jesus, rather than with Him. Now that’s one thing we definitely don’t want to happen, and the best way to avoid it is to stay away from what appears to be the juiciest fruit at the edge of the limb.
We need to erect some boundaries as to how far we’re going to go, so that we don’t invite the enemy into our lives. That’s why our Friday Chant is different from the workingman’s song, with more circumspection and awareness of the pitfalls of unbridled carnal living. So let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh, with even more enthusiasm than the workingman, because we know that we have Jesus on our side. Glory to God!
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Ah friends, to live sincerely for Jesus means always being aware of the world around you and its constant efforts to make you succumb to its evil ways. But we’re blessed, for Jesus’ Holy Spirit that dwells within us warns us of the pitfalls. Oh, we don’t always pay attention to, or take heed to the Holy Spirit’s advice, so we have no one else to blame but ourselves, when that unwise attitude gets us into trouble.
That’s why Cousin Sol warns us in our Bit and beyond: ‘Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov.4:26-27) And that jells nicely with these words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Isaiah. ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is.30:21)
Yes friends, anytime we veer off the straight and narrow path that Jesus advises us to follow, we will hear His Holy Spirit calling us back to it, for the broad way of the world only leads to eventual destruction. As Cousin Sol further declares: (Chuh! Spelled it wrong again). ‘For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth (weighs, observes) all his goings.’ (Prov.5:21)
So please don’t foolishly believe that we can do stuff that the Lord doesn’t see, because His eyes are always on our goings and comings. That’s why we have to pay close attention to the warning against disobedience in Hebrews: ‘Wherefore lift up (strengthen) the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way (dislocated); but let it rather be healed.’ (Heb.12:12-13)
And the scholars explain: ‘12:12-13. Some of the runners of verse 1 have grown so weary that they have become stooped and need spiritual strength to be straightened up again. They must be given help, yet they themselves also must strengthen their paths by avoiding obstacles that would spiritually trip them up.’
Yuh see friends, neither the Lord, nor our fellow man can or will do everything for us. At some stage of the game we need to strengthen ourselves, pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and set out eyes firmly on that straight and narrow path.
And here’s a fitting end from Hebrews to today’s message. ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb.12:14) So let’s be wise and try our best to do that nuh my people! Much LOVE!
…there’s only ONE way to stay on the straight and narrow…keep your eyes fixed steadfastly on Jesus…
02 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a giant our Jesus, a quandary, a wave of his hand, a wise place, aimless conduct, all eternity, all have sinned, Aretha Franklin, being justified by his blood, believe in God, blood, break his own heart, broke his heart, Calvary, cleansing, come short of the glory of God, enemies, entrance to heaven's throne room, eternal life, eternal salvation, fellowship, for sin atone, foreordained, forgivenss, glory, God loved us, gold, Hades, hard currency, have a good ole time, healing, hear God's word, holiness, humility, I'll overcome, I'll reach my home, joy in God, justice, justified, lighten up our spirits, LOVE, Lucifer, make me whole, makes me white as snow, mercy, mired in sin, much more then, my hope, my pardon, Nothing but the blood of Jesus, patience, peace, perishable things, perseverance, power, praise, purged with blood, received the atonement, reconciled, redeemed with corruptible things, remission, renewing our spiritual lives, righteousness, Robert Lowry, sacrifice, salvation, sanctified, saved by his life, saved from wrath, shedding of Christ's blood, silver, sing, sinless blood, soften our hearts, still effective after two thousand years, the faithful singing praises, the Lamb of God, the Lord's Day, the Lord's House, tradition, truer words were never spoken, uplifting visit, vain conversation, wash away my sin, welcome, without blemish, without spot, without the shedding of blood, worship, yet sinners
Romans 5:9. Much more then now being (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Welcome, welcome to the Lord’s Day my faithful breddren! And we all know what that means: an uplifting visit to the Lord’s house, to sing and praise and worship and fellowship, hear His Word and just have a good ole time renewing our spiritual lives! Wow! There’s nothing like the faithful together singing the praises of our great and wonderful God my people!
If you saw Aretha Franklin’s funeral on Friday, you’d have seen how praise and worship can light up the spirits of a crowd of believers. So today, in anticipation of hearing God’s Word, let’s soften up our hearts and lighten up our spirits by singing praises to our God in this old and much LOVED hymn ‘Nothing but the Blood of Jesus,’ written by Robert Lowry and published way back in 1876.
So let’s sing it like we really mean it nuh. All together now: ‘What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain: Oh! precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.) For my pardon, this I see, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; For my cleansing this my plea, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain)
Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Now by this I’ll overcome; Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Now by this I’ll reach my home, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Glory! Glory! This I sing; Nothing but the blood of Jesus, All my praise for this I bring, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Refrain) Nothing but the Blood…Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.’
Ah mih people, truer words were indeed never sung or spoken, for ALL that we are is based on the blood of Jesus shed at Calvary! Without that shed blood we’d still be mired in sin for now and all eternity. As the Good Book says: ‘For all have sinned and, come short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23)
In short friends, it means that ONLY the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross of Calvary can wash away my sins, cleanse my soul, allow the Father to pardon me. In Him ONLY, can I find peace and hope, righteousness, salvation and eternal life! Glory to God!
Christ’s blood is the most powerful element that ever washed this earth! It atoned for our sins; justified us, sanctified us, reconciled us, made us righteous and gave us entrance to heaven’s throne room! Oh my, my! What other substance on earth can do, or could have done all of that eh? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE! Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
In it there is power, forgiveness, LOVE, humility, healing, patience and perseverance, so much so that after two thousand years it is still as effective as ever. Wow! The blood of Jesus! We even plead the blood of Jesus in tough times, confidently calling out to the Father for mercy because of the shed blood of His Son! But enough of me spouting off, (smile) let us quote a few scriptures that show the importance of Christ’s blood in our lives.
And the first one that comes to mind is one that we all know: ‘The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29) And that He did! Then Bruh Paul elucidates to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth his (demonstrates his own) LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then now being (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom.5:8-11)
Ah friends, it seems quite complicated, but it’s really quite simple: God LOVED us so much that it broke His heart to see us headed to Hades with Lucifer, so He decided to do something about it. The only problem was that because of His holiness and justice, He couldn’t just pardon sin with a wave of His hand. Our sin had to be paid for, for want of a better term, in hard currency, (smile) and that currency under the Old Covenant was animal blood.
As Hebrews reminds us that through Moses, the Lord commanded the Israelites to continually shed animal blood as short term atonement for their sins: ‘And almost all things are by the law purged (cleansed) with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.’ (Heb.9:22) So there had to be blood shed if the Lord wanted to reconcile us to Himself. And besides, the blood had to be sinless blood, and unfortunately His Son was the ONLY One who fit that bill.
No doubt the Lord found Himself in a quandary, but He LOVED His greatest creation so much that He decided to break His own heart and offer up His one Son as the perennial sacrifice for our sins! Now if that isn’t LOVE, I don’t know what is. Hear how Peter puts it. ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible (perishable) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition from your fathers.
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.’ (1 Pet.1:18-21)
Yeh mih breddren, that’s the only wise place to place one’s faith and hope! Much LOVE!
…the shedding of Christ’s blood paid for our sins…and His resurrection pays for our eternal salvation…what a giant is our Jesus…
25 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 3 Canal, all things are possible with christ, Anselm, as much as lieth in you, aspires to inspire us, awesome hope, can't move forward, clean house, depends on you, disgraceful characters in the Bible, don't be ashamed of your story, done thee no wrong, find a business, follow peace, for a better tomorrow, groceries, high flying ideas, holiness, humongous house, if it be possible, inspire others, it's Saturday, Jesus, keep up with the Joneses, laundry, live peaceably with all men, look after children, looking back at our life, meddle in affairs, meddles with strife, no man shall see God, not belonging to him, not let it foment, not trying is failure, our leader, prince of peace, raises the negativity, risk failure, sleep in, stop minding other people's business, strife, strife makers, strive not with a man, take it prayerfully to Jesus, takes a dog by the ears, takes two to cause strife, there's something good in every day, two be four apartment, we're alive, with all men, without cause, working for Jesus, yeast
Romans 12:18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.
‘Awright, awright…it’s Saturday and you want to sleep in…so who’s stopping you eh?’ the husband angrily declares from his perch on the couch. The wife shakes her head and looks at him in amazement. ‘Yuh really bold face enough to ask that question?’ she finally shouts. ‘Yes, ah bold face enough to ask it, so why don’t you answer it eh?’ he retorts.
‘Well lemme tell yuh why ah can’t sleep in on a Saturday morning: first of all it have laundry to do; then there’s groceries to be made. You want to chock your tail full of food, but you’d never say let me face the store and buy some. Then there’s the children to look after…and this humongous house to clean…’
‘Whoa, whoa there mih lovely…’ the husband cuts in. ‘Doh tell me nothing about humongous house nuh! Remember I was quite comfortable in the li’l two be four apartment. But it was you an yuh high flying ideas, who wanted the big house, who wanted to keep up with the Joneses. So don’t tell me no nonsense about house too big to clean now nuh…’
Ah friends, it sounds humorous when you read it, but it certainly isn’t. Steups! In how many houses are those kinds of arguments repeated each week eh? Way too many! And after a while they only cause strife and resentment between the partners and allows the enemy to creep in and spoil the show. That’s definitely not what we need my brethren.
Remember one of the acclamations I included in the recent list was one that says: ‘I WILL NOT tolerate strife in my life!’ It’s oh so important that we don’t, and somehow or the other we have to find ways to not let it foment in our households and lives. The only serious way to handle it is to take it prayerfully and humbly to Jesus! But remember you still have to do your part to avoid or lessen it, because it takes two to cause strife.
Anyhow, later for this strife business. It’s Saturday, so let’s look at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. First up is this: ‘If you try, you risk failure. If you don’t, you ensure it.’ There is some truth to that friends, for it’s only when you try something that you can fail. And if you don’t try, then you still fail, because you haven’t tried. (smile) Not trying is considered failure.
And the next quote tells us: ‘You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep rereading the last one.’ That should be obvious. If we keep looking back at our past life, we’ll never be able to move ahead with the bigger, brighter and more beautiful one that Jesus has planned for us.
That brings us to ‘Don’t be ashamed of your story it will inspire others.’ And that’s no lie my brethren! Just look at the shady, deceitful and disgraceful characters the Lord used in the Bible to do His great works? Check out Jacob, the swindler; Matthew the tax collector; Bruh David the murderer and adulterer; and Bruh Paul the murderer! Their stories have all been told to inspire us in one way or another. And so will ours be to others.
And the final quote says: ‘Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.’ And that’s the gospel truth friends! There’s no day that’s completely bad! There’s always something good in it to redeem it, even if it’s just the fact that we’re alive. That means we have the awesome hope, that living and working for Jesus will make tomorrow a better day. So brighten up, remember ALL things are possible with and through Jesus!
That brings us back to the matter of strife in our lives and our Bit, the wise words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.‘If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men.’ That includes women too! (smile)
Ah mih breddren, just look at our world nuh; it’s just strife filled all over. It’s so much easier to pinpoint the areas where there’s little or no strife than the ones with a whole lot. And if the world is strife-filled, then it’s only logical to assume that a lot of our homes and individual lives will also be strife-filled. But that’s not the life that the Lord planned for any of us.
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs. ‘Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no wrong.’ (Prov.3:30) But there’s so much strife that’s’ flying around that has no real basis for it? Too much!
And Cousin Sol also gives us this bit of wisdom in Proverbs on the subject. ‘He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.’ And oh, so many of us meddle in affairs that don’t concern us! We have an opinion on everything and everyone, although we don’t know the half of the story.
But friends, like 3 Canal said so long ago in their song: ‘If you don’t have no business, then get some business, and stop minding other people’s business nuh!’ Words to live by mih bredden!
And we’ll end with these wise words from Hebrews: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb.12:14) Ah friends, with those wise words in mind, let’s begin today to rid our lives of strife and live as peacefully as we can with everybody. Our Leader Jesus, is known as the Prince of Peace, so how can we, His followers be strife makers eh? Much LOVE!
…strife in our lives…is like yeast in bread…it causes the negativity to rise up…
21 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a high priest, a matter of faith, a name above every name, a prayer for solutions, a rewarder, a sucker, action our declaration, after the order of Melchizedek, agony, an addict, an easy row ro hoe, as a man, assuring me, atoning for sins, bearing God's wrath, by the things which he suffered, cleansing our sinful souls, consequences, death of the cross, difficulties, diligently seek him, dr robert h schuller, Eternal Friend, eternal life, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, experiencing tough times, faith, Father, found in appearance, gently falling rain, God's tools, grace, he humbled himself, heaven's economy, heavenly blessings, help soothe, Helper, holiness, Hour of Power Devotional, hurry, Jesus christ is Lord, learned he obedience, LOVE, lured back to sleep, made perfect, making the right decisions, my commitment, obedience, obedient unto death, over my destiny, perks, persevered, physical pain, salvation, share His love, solve the problems, sombre looking morning, son of god, soothing sounds, spiritual hurt, strife filled souls, sufferation, take command, the author of eternal salvation, the Father's love, the living truth, this fallen world, though he were a Son, to grow in Christ, to the glory of God the Father, trials, tribulation, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, weight of the world's sins, why hast thou forsaken me, worry
Hebrews 5:8. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.
Hello there my fellow believers! Grace and the Father’s LOVE to you! It’s a wet and somewhat sombre looking morning in my area, but I guess the Lord felt we needed some heavenly blessings. I don’t know when the rain began, but it had to be late because I did not get to bed until 3.30 this morning.
And I’m sure you can guess the resultant consequences… when it was time to get up, I got lured back to sleep by the soothing sounds of the gently falling rain. Hn! I guess I’m just a sucker, an addict to the siren-like call of falling rain. (smile) But I can think of plenty worse things to be a sucker for, or and addict to than soothing rainfall. I look at it as one of God’s tools to help soothe our disturbed and strife filled souls and spirits. Good excuse eh! (smile)
Anyway, here is something I think we need this Tuesday morning. It comes from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. I’m pretty sure I’ve shared it before, but it’s one of those things that we need to hear over and over again before it truly takes root in our souls. It’s called ‘A Prayer for Solutions.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord thanks for assuring me that you’ll solve the problems if I’ll exercise the faith and make the right decisions! Forgive me for waiting for all difficulties, real or fanciful, to be resolved before deciding to make my commitment. I confess I have too often allowed problems instead of possibilities to take over leadership of my life – to make my decisions – and take command over my destiny. I know, now, what faith is, Lord! It’s making the right decisions before I see solutions to all the problems! Increase my faith! Amen.’
Ah friends, that’s the living truth! In this fallen world, we’re too often driven to wait and see what happens before we make a decision, when in heaven’s economy, we’re supposed to feel and believe it before we see it. As Gramps Schuller indicates, it’s all a matter of faith. And the more faith we have, the better we’ll be at making right decisions at the right times.
But the tough part of the situation is that faith only comes by experiencing tough times. And though we all want more and better and stronger faith, very few of us want to experience the tough times to get it. But unfortunately to grow in Christ, we must undergo some of the trials and tribulations He went through. That brings us to our Bit, a scripture passage that just touches my heart. ‘Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.’
Yeh friends, though our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ was the Son of God, as a man, He still had to learn obedience, and the only way he could do that was by ‘sufferation’. And on that subject, Bruh Paul told the Philippians: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:8)
Ah mih breddren, our Saviour didn’t have an easy row to hoe in atoning for our sins, in cleansing our sinful souls with His shed blood and finally bringing us to salvation and eternal life. But He persevered in the Father’s plan, though it meant He had to suffer a lot, taking ALL the sins of the world, past, present and future, on His shoulders on the cross. No wonder He cried out on the cross at the ninth hour: ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? Which is being interpreted (translated), My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Mark 15:34)
And it was not so much from the agony of the physical pain that Jesus cried out, but more so of the spiritual hurt, the separation from His Father. It was the first and only time that they had ever been separated, but with the whole weight of the world’s sins on His shoulders, the Father, in His supreme holiness, could not very well cozy up to Him.
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation. ‘15:34. Mark preserves the Aramaic form of Jesus’ outcry, which calls Psalm 22:1 to mind. (Bruh David’s cry of the same words). Some mistook His (Jesus’) words, (v.35) (thinking He called Elijah). Even in the midst of bearing God’s wrath for sin, Jesus still calls Him, my God. His agony does not overcome His faith.’
Oh my people, is our faith strong enough to overcome whatever trials and tribulation we go through and still consider God our Father, Helper and eternal Friend? I certainly hope so for all of our sakes. Because that’s the only way we will learn obedience, and God will do wonders in our lives!
And we have the magnificent example of what the Lord did in Jesus’ life for His obedience, even unto death on the cross. The author of Hebrews continues after our Bit: ‘And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto ALL them that obey him. Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.’ (Heb.5:9-10)
And Bruh Paul takes it one step further, when he declares: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Yuh see friends, our wonderful God is indeed a generous rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and are obedient to His will. Will you seek Him today and be obedient to whatever He asks of you? I sincerely hope so. Now for all of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In loud and proud voice now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ And if we were sincere in that declaration, then we now have to go out and action it, like Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…being obedient to God’s will isn’t always easy…but the rewards are always worth it…just look at the example of Jesus…
P.S. Hearing the rain falling on the window behind me. Can’t wait to get breakfast and go back to bed. One of the perks for being obedient. (smile) Much LOVE!
27 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: assurance, audacity, be glad, blood, boldness, celebration, Christ the solid rock, Christian praise, cleanness of my hands, comfort, covenant, darkness veils, day of my calamity, delighted in me, delivered me, deliverer, do our part, edifice crumbles, fall in our laps, faultless stand before the throne, flood, fortress, fruitful results, guiding light, high tower, holiness, hope, horn of my salvation, I will trust, immortals words, indisputable truth, Jesus' blood, kept the ways of the Lord, lean on Jesus' name, LOVE, many waters, mine enemies, my anchor holds, my god, my hope, my stay, my strength, oath, partnership, reap what we sow, receptive to the Word, recompensed, right hearts, righteousness, Sabbath, saved, secure foundation, sincere spirits, sinking sand, stony hearts, stormy gale, stronghold, support me, the goodness of God, The Lord is my rock, the Lord's blessings, this is the day the Lord has made, took me out, trumpet sound, unchanging grace, we will rejoice, worthy to be praised
Psalm 18:2. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).
Ah mih people, it’s that day again, the Sabbath! That means it’s time for celebration as well as holiness. And we can begin by joyfully declaring, as the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
And while we do that, we can also be wending our way to the Lord’s house to fellowship with other believers, to offer up sincere prayers, worship and give thanks for all the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, as well as to hear His word and regenerate our confidence. Wow! What an awesome God we serve my brethren!
And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with song, to loosen up our stony hearts and make them more receptive to the Word. Today’s song is an old but wonderful hymn titled ‘My hope is built on nothing less,’ written by Edward Mote back in the 19th century. And on a point of interest, have you ever noticed that many of our beloved hymns were written way back when.
Maybe it says something about the level and intensity of Christian praise and worship back then. Anyway, let’s sing, with raised voices and truthful hearts. ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in ev’ry high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the ‘whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.’
And isn’t that the indisputable truth my fellow believers! The only real safe and secure foundation on which to build is on Christ, our Rock and our Saviour. Anything else is merely sinking sand, and it’s only a matter of time before the whole edifice erected thereupon crumbles.
That’s why Bruh David could stand up and declare our Bit with utmost confidence, and so too can we many thousands of years later. ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’
Ah mih breddren, mih breddren what immortal words of comfort and assurance! And if we have Jesus as our guiding light, then we too ought to be able to declare them with audacity and boldness, for Jesus is indeed all those things to those who sincerely and truly believe in Him.
And if Jesus is so mighty then, Bruh David is indeed right to declare after our Bit. ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:3) And he did call upon the Lord, and the Lord saved him. (Ps.18:.4-16) Friends, yuh see how much time and trouble our Lord took to save Bruh David from his enemies? It’s the same way that He will save us if we call on Him with right hearts and sincere spirits.
Hear Bruh David again: ‘He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented (confronted) me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay (support).
He brought me forth also into a large (broad) place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.’ (Ps.18:16:21)
Oh my people, none of us have as many enemies or problems as Bruh David had back in his day, and if the Lord saved him out of them all, why would He refuse to do the same for us if we bow down and faithfully worship Him and keep His will eh? No reason whatsoever!
That means it’s all up to us. If we want to see the goodness of God, then we have to do the things that will produce it. We can’t just sit back and expect it to fall in our laps. So let’s get serious and do our part of the partnership nuh, if we want so see fruitful results.
Remember, we only reap what we sow. And if we don’t sow righteousness and LOVE, we won’t receive the Lord’s blessings. Much LOVE!
…For who is God…save (except) the Lord…or who is a rock…save (except) our God… (Ps.18:31)
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 