22 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burning desire in our souls, a fountain of life, a new song in my mouth, a place of refuge, a sense of purpose, a shout of praise, adrenalin, aura of love, come up over our problems, complaints, confidence, confidence in man, confidence in princes, Creator of the universe, destiny, disappointed, enthusiasm, faithful help of Jesus, friends, further God's glorious kingdom, glory, God endures from generation to generation, grace, groans, here today gone tomorrow, holy spirit, humble servants, ignite our spirits, in good hands, in the fear of the Lord, it is better to trust in the Lord, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, keeping lives and families together, kindle a fire, lies, light up the universe with song, lord of hosts, LOVE, loving god, lustful appetites, moans, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mortal man, Oh Lord God Almighty, omnipotent god, proud, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the breath of life, the duty of man, the first, the last, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the snares of death, them that walk uprightly, trust, truth, ungodly world, vim and vigour, weary souls, whimper, wicked taunts, wiles, wisdom, wise decisions, zenith
Psalm 118:8-9. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
Oh Friends, that day that many of us have been dreading, and a few of us longing for, is finally here! Yes, it’s Monday! Give the Lord a shout of praise for that nuh!
And you better believe that the shout was a mere whimper in comparison to the moans and groans and complaints. (smile) That means that many of us still did not prepare properly yesterday for today, consequently the whining is plentiful this Monday morning.
But my people we have no choice, if we want to eat and have a roof over our heads, then we must work. So let’s be up and at ‘em nuh. Let’s have the sense of purpose that Jesus had, and desires all His followers to also have, whereby we come up over our problems with His faithful help, rather than endlessly whine and complain.
And to assist us in doing that, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much vim and vigour. Let’s kindle a fire, a burning desire in our souls to get out there and do His bidding. As one harmonious body now, let’s light up the universe with song:
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Not bad at all Friends, not bad at all! Sufficient to ignite our spirits and cause the adrenalin to bubble up and flow like a lively stream just skipping along delightedly over its bed unconcerned, not worrying where it was going, or how and when it would get there, because it knew that it was in in good hands, the hands of its Creator. So too should we be my people.
And with that we’ll segue into our Bit. ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’
Yes my brethren, confidence is a helluva thing, and it’s oh so important where we put it, and where we get it from! And the psalmist is definitely right when he declares that the Lord God Almighty, our Creator and Provider, is the most appropriate personage in whom to place our trust and confidence, rather than in mortal man, be they lowly or powerful.
And it’s a very logical conclusion since mortal man does not control the universe, has no effective control even over his own destiny. He’s here today and gone tomorrow, blown away in the wind and forgotten, like the dust from which he was formed. He has no control over the breath of life in his finite body, which was breathed into him by the infinite Jehovah God, His Maker.
So why should we put our confidence and trust in such a flimsy and unsure body eh? Meanwhile, as the scriptures tell us, the Lord, our omnipotent God, endures from generation to generation. He was the FIRST, and He will be the LAST! No doubt about that my fellow believers!
Now let’s check out some scriptures that wisely advise us to put our trust and confidence in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And we’ll get the ball rolling with some wise words from Cousin Sol. ‘In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart (turn one away) from the snares of death.’ (Prov.14:26-27)
And in my humble existence Friends, I can find nothing to dispute the truth of those words.
Meanwhile, the sons of Korah staunchly declare in Psalm 84: ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12)
Oh my brethren, in my three score and odd years, I’ve found no reason to doubt those words either.
Now listen to Bruh David expound on God’s goodness and power from Psalm 40 – praise for answered prayer. ‘And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee (recounted): if I would declare them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps.40:3-5)
Now Friends, if we have a powerful and trustworthy Deity like that looking after our affairs, then why should we trust relatively powerless and unwise mortal man eh? No reason whatsoever my people.
But unfortunately, a lot of us can’t believe what we don’t see and/or feel, and are also greatly influenced by the lustful appetites of the world. Therefore we still put our sincere trust and confidence in wicked mortal man, though we are disappointed by him most of the time.
Oh Friends, if we ever hope to turn this evil and ungodly world around, then we have to start making wise decisions. And the first and wisest of them all is to stop trusting in untrustworthy man and begin trusting in a faithful and LOVING God. That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…to trust…to trust…and yet to trust in Almighty God…that is the duty of man…
17 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Advocate, belief, believed, Bruh Paul prophet Joel, compatible truths, contradictory., courage, deliverance, disciples, divine sovereignty, drama, embodiment of the Word, Emmanuel, encouraging scripture, eternal life, fallen world, focusing on Jesus, furthering of the gospel, glad tidings, good news of Jesus' gospel, good things, heard, high priest, holy spirit, how beautiful are the feet, indwell all believers, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, knowledge, live our lives in faith, Love our God, make disciples of all nations, mount Zion, Nobody comes to the Father but through Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, paradoxical, Pentecost day, Peter, poignant, powerful, preacher, prince of peace, principles, radio, Redeemer, responsibility, salvation, salvation is of the Lord, shall be saved, Spread God's Word, standing strong in faith, technological age, television, the gospel of peace, the Great Commission, the Life, the one and only superstar, the Truth, the Way, those who preach, truth, universal proclamation of the gospel, whoever shall call upon the Lord, wireless communication
Romans 10:13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Halfway home Friends, yes we halfway home this Wednesday morning! So please, just hang in there by standing strong in faith and steadfastly focusing on our Lord and Saviour, the Prince of Peace, our Emmanuel, our Advocate, our High Priest and Great Redeemer!
And we all know that to be Jesus Christ – the ONE and ONLY SUPERSTAR in this great universe; the ONE who looks after all our needs!
So let’s take courage and continue to sincerely LOVE our God; faithfully LIVE our lives as He desires, and SPREAD His true and holy Word, so that others can hear it and also come to salvation and eternal life.
And my brethren, just in case you’ve forgotten, or are simply taking it for granted, please remember that Jesus is the magnificent embodiment of the Word, the Way, the Truth and the Life! NOBODY comes to the Father but THROUGH HIM!
Now having set the stage, let’s get on with the drama, (smile) our Bit: ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Ah Friends, what a very poignant, powerful and encouraging scripture!
There, Bruh Paul is quoting the prophet Joel, just as Peter does in his most moving sermon on the day of Pentecost, (Acts 2:21) when the Holy Spirit came to earth to indwell ALL believers from that time henceforth.
Joel says it thus: ‘And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered (saved): for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance (salvation), as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. (Joel 2:32)
Now here’s a note the scholars’ have posted, re our Bit. ’10:13. Whosoever: As chapter 9 stressed divine sovereignty in salvation, this passage stresses the human responsibility. Scripture does not view these two principles as paradoxical or contradictory, but as mutually compatible truths.’
And why should they be incompatible eh, since salvation is of, or comes from the Lord, while accessing it is a human responsibility?
Anyway my fellow believers, though it’s all well and good to have people call upon God’s name and be saved, there are also a few equally important questions, as Bruh Paul so rightly points out: ‘How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’ (Rom.10:14-15)
My sentiments exactly! (smile) Yes Friends, people can only call on the name of the Lord to save them after they have heard the good news of Jesus’ gospel preached. And that entails a preacher explaining it to them, which therefore means that we need preachers to go out to those who have not heard the Word and deliver it to them.
For remember, that is the Great Commission that Jesus gave to the disciples, and consequently us, before He left this earth and ascended back to heaven.
‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:19-20)
So my brethren, it’s our bounden duty to teach those around us the Word, and send out others to all nations to broadcast the good news of Jesus, because that’s the only way they will ever hear it, and thus have the most wonderful option of salvation and eternal life.
Fortunately for us, in this technological age, it doesn’t depend entirely on sending out preachers, but we can transmit the Word all over the world by means of radio, television, and all the new-fangled do-dads of wireless communication. The world has never been ripe like it is right now for us to get the Word out my people.
And we’ll close with some important info from the scholars re verses 14-15 above. ‘10:14-15. In presenting the universal proclamation of the gospel, Paul presents the reasons why a universal proclamation is necessary: First, because the call must be preceded by faith; second, because faith must be preceded by hearing.
This shows that knowledge is essential to belief. Faith must have a valid content; third, because hearing requires a preacher; fourth because preaching requires being sent. The One who sends is God. Salvation is completely from God.’
Words of indisputable truth my people! So today let’s contemplate what part each of us has to play in the furthering of the gospel, whether it be close to home or far away, whether it be through personal appearances or by technological means.
But remember, we are all supposed to be, and even more importantly, act as disciples of Christ, which means being involved in spreading the good news of Jesus, wherever, and to whomever we have the opportunity.
So let’s get with it nuh, for Jesus is depending on us to spread His Word, so that not even ONE soul will be lost, and that ALL will come to salvation and eternal life. Much LOVE!
…in this fallen world…there’s no greater…or more important news that needs to be universally proclaimed…than the gospel of Jesus Christ…
16 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all praise and thanks to God, allergies, awesome, better late than never, blessings, boggles my imagination, born again, born of water and the Spirit, brought men to christ, Bruh Paul's conversion, by faith in christ Jesus, Calvary, children of God, christ jesus, church at Corinth, comforting, compliance with God's word, condemn the sinner, conversion, covenant, curse of the law, Damascus, declared righteous, divinely intended purpose, endowed us with physical life, enter into the kingdom of god, eternal life, ever so faithful and kind, ever-Loving, evil, externalism, faith, Galatians, generous, glorious, Glory Halleujah, God's Spirit, good, good measure, gung ho, healing, helping, holy, holy spirit, internalism, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, just, justified, keeping our focus on God, Law of Moses, learning, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, magnanimous, manifestations, medication, mercies, minister of the New Testament, miracles, Mosaic covenant, Nicodemus, our sufficency is of God, precious blood of Jesus christ, reconciled, redeemed, righteousness., runny nose, schoolmaster, sleep inducing, spiritual blessings, Stephen, sufficient of ourselves, teaching, that which is born of the flesh, that which is born of the spirit, the flesh profits nothing, the Holy Spirit, the letter kills, the spirit gives life, Triune God, true believer, truth, ultimate wisdom, understanding of the scripture, wisdom, words of jesus, worker bee
John 6:63. It is the spirit that quickneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Aye Friends, the ole fella’s in a bit of a rough shape this Tuesday morning. Last night my allergies, or the cold, or some similar malady had me sneezing and sniffling with a runny nose thrown in for good measure. (smile)
So I took some relief medication, which though it eased up the nasal situation, it was also sleep inducing, which therefore made it somewhat difficult to get up at an early hour. But as they say, better late than never! (smile)
And the ole fella’s up now, gung ho and ready to go; not a hundred percent fit, but feeling much better than when I went to bed last night, or rather early this morning. (smile) All praise and thanks to our ever-Loving, healing and comforting God!
Ah my people, when I consider all the blessings and mercies that our magnanimous and generous God daily bestows on us, it just boggles my imagination and fills my heart, body, soul and mind with the urge to greatly praise Him! He is ever so faithful and kind…
But I don’t really need to tell you all that eh, because if you’re a true believer, you will already have discovered that by the way He operates in your own life.
And all God’s children gave out a loud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise be to Jehovah God, who has redeemed us from sin, and reconciled us to Himself, through the precious blood of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that was shed on Calvary’s hill for our benefit!’
And isn’t that a most glorious and awesome truth my brethren? It surely is!
Now let’s have a look at some more wise and truthful words, words of Jesus, in our Bit. ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’
And we saw yesterday where it was God’s Spirit that actually endowed us with physical life. (Gen.2:7) And that Bruh Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, as well as Stephen’s wisdom and miracles were figurative manifestations of the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives.
I guess we can compare the Holy Spirit to the worker bee in a hive; He is the one who carries out the actual work or deeds in our Triune God.
Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the church at Corinth: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able (sufficient as) ministers of the new testament (covenant)’ not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.’ (2 Cor.3:5-6)
Words of absolute truth my brethren!
And the scholars explain that last verse thus: ‘3:6. The new testament (lit. New Covenant) is both new in time (not being inaugurated until Christ – Matt.26:28; Luke 22:7-23; 1 Cor.11:25; Heb.8:8) and new in quality (providing better spiritual blessings than did the old Mosaic covenant).
Letter, but of the spirit: This expression corresponds to the thought of verse 3 contrasting “ink” with the “Spirit.” The contrast is between the externalism inherent in the Old Covenant and the internalism inherent in the New Covenant.
The letter killeth: Since certain Jews in the assembly at Corinth were concerned with Paul’s defection from Moses’ law, Paul here explains his position. The best the law could do was condemn the sinner.
It is not here implied that the law of Moses was evil. On the contrary, it is holy, just, and good (Rom.7:12). This can be asserted because it brought men to the end of themselves to Christ (Gal.3:24).’
Oh my people, I sincerely hope that gives us a better understanding of the scripture, because that’s what we’re all about with the Bit; learning, teaching, helping to understand God’s Word and keeping our focus on Him.
And please check out the scriptures mentioned in the scholars’ explanation, because they offer a wealth of information. I just did, and consequently was inspired to quote the last scripture reference, that from Galatians.
‘Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified (declared righteous) by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a school-master (tutor), For ye are all the children (sons) of God by faith in Christ Jesus.’ (Gal.3:24-26)
Yes Friends, as the scholars say: ‘3:25. After one’s conversion to Christ, he is no longer under the curse of the law, as it has fulfilled its divinely intended purpose.’ That is, bringing us to the point where we become children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Oh, I know I digressed there for a moment, but I just thought it necessary to interject those verses so that we could come to a better understanding of Bruh Paul’s words. And we’ll close with some more awesome words from Jesus, re the second part of our Bit: ‘the flesh profiteth nothing.’
Listen to Him expound to Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes); and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:5-8)
More truth of the awesome, indisputable variety my people!
Now let’s take a few moments to ponder all that we have spoken about today, then try, with the help of God obviously, to make our lives better and brighter by bringing them into compliance with God’s Word and the wonderful plan He has for each human life He has created. That is the ultimate wisdom of the universe! Much LOVE!
…oh what a magnificent blessing it is…to have the Holy Spirit of God dwell within us…to have Him continually lead and guide us in righteousness…to have Him strengthen us with true faith and trust in Almighty God…then finally bring us to eternal life with our wonderful Lord and Saviour…Jesus Christ…
15 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a living soul, adrenalin, aura of love, awesome power of the Holy Spirit, breathed into his nostrils, Bruh Paul, children of God, complaing, confidence, conspiracy, do the work of Jesus, eternal life, fear, feeling vulnerable, fellowship, further God's glorious kingdom, Glory Halleujah, God formed man of dust, god moves in mysterious ways, hard for thee to kick against the pricks, heirs of God, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, lead and guide, lord god almighty, LOVE, miserable, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, quaking in our boots, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, Saul, shackles of the flesh, sons of God, spirit of adoption, spirit of bondage, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, sure conquerors, the apostle Stephen, the breath of life, the Creation Story, the flesh profits nothing, the highest calling, the spirit gives life, uncertainty, ungodly world, wonders and miracles
John 6:63. It is the spirit that quickneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Awright Friends, it’s mighty Monday! The day that constantly has us quaking in our boots, feeling vulnerable, miserable, whiny, complaining and disgusted with the working life. But you know what? We have a power that’s mightier, much much mightier than Monday; the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells each of us. ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ And when we allow that Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, we can overcome anything that comes against us.
As Bruh Paul says so eloquently to the church at Rome: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, the heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.’ (Rom.8:14-17)
So my fellow believers, let’s throw off the shackles of the flesh that only bring fear and uncertainty, and instead, as children and heirs of God, allow the Spirit of God to rule in us this chilly mid-September morn. And if we had planned properly yesterday, that wouldn’t be too hard to do today. (smile) But since so many of us did not do so, to help us get up to speed this morning, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto, in total harmony.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That was beautiful Friends! So beautiful that it brought tears of joy to Jesus’ eyes. Wow!
Now let’s keep the adrenalin from the power of the Holy Spirit going full blast, and get ourselves out into the work-day world and diligently do the work that Jesus has assigned us to do. For as Jesus says in our Bit: ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’
Yes my brethren, it is the Spirit of God that promotes life, both literally and figuratively. And we have the best literal example in the Creation Story, where the Good Book declares: ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen.2:7)
Oh what a mighty force is the Spirit of our God my people! For it is by His Spirit that we were first imbued with physical life. That brings us to a couple of figurative examples of the Spirit’s power. In Acts, when the apostle Stephen was doing all sorts of wonders and miracles, the Jews couldn’t keep up with him. ‘And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.’ (Acts 6:10)
So they did the age old thing; set up a conspiracy against him with false witnesses and eventually had him stoned to death, with the consent of Bruh Paul, who was then known and feared as Saul, the destroyer and persecutor of Christians.
And how wonderful and marvellous is our God, whose sense of humour and drama are unmatchable, for it is the same Holy Spirit that worked on Saul to turn him from a destroyer of Christians to the greatest evangelist of all time. Hn! How ironic eh.
We all know the story of how on his way to Damascus to seek out and persecute more Christians, “suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (goads). And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.’ (Acts 9:3-6)
And Bruh Paul got up from the ground blind, and had to be led to Damascus by his men. ‘And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.’ (Acts 6:9)
Yes Friends, our God does move in mysterious ways through the power of His Holy Spirit, His works to perform!
And remember that same Spirit that was in Bruh Paul is also in us. And we know what wonderful and powerful work the Spirit led him to do. So in like manner, let’s allow the Holy Spirit of God that dwells within us to lead and guide us to do great works in Jesus’ name today nuh, for that is the highest calling to which we can attain. Much LOVE!
…we never know to what heights we may attain…when God’s Spirit is leading the way…
08 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a quick pick me up, alive and kicking, aura of love, Bruh Paul, Christian life, comfortable living, complaning, computers, detrimental behaviour, diligence, evil, family, fervent in spirit, glorious kingdom, grounded in God, heritage, holy spirit, homelessness, humble servants, jehovah god, Jesus, Jesus Christ, laziness, lest thou come to poverty, LOVE, love not sleep, loves pleasure, luxurious living, meet the enemy in battle, moaning and groaning, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, Oh Lord God Almighty, open thine eyes, physical movement, Proverbs, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, sedentary lifestyle, seek ye first the kingdom of God, servants of the lord, serving the Lord, short term remedy, sit down never says get up, slothful, spiritual armour, spirituality, spiritually dead, steadfast faith, TGIM! Thank God it's Monday!, thou shalt be satisfied with bread, Timothy, trust in God, ungodly world, wealth, widow, wisdom, worship
Proverbs 20:13. LOVE not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday, that wonderful first day of the work week! And some industrious, well prepared believers began singing: ‘It’s Monday, it’s Monday; time to go to work and make some money, spread some good cheer around and show them Jesus! TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday… and I’m alive and kicking!’
Yes Friends, those individuals were obviously well prepared to meet the coming work week, because their Sunday revolved mainly around God, family, rest and worship. Their spiritual selves have been made ready to deal with whatever comes against them in the next few days.
It’s not they won’t have problems, but since they grounded themselves in God on the first day, that grounding will enable them to rise up over those problems with assurance that Jehovah God is working with them.
Therefore: ‘No weapon that is formed against them shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against them in judgement they shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is.54:17)
Unfortunately though my brethren, many of us did not take the time to prepare ourselves positively yesterday, so today we’re a mess; tired, moaning and groaning and complaining about having to go to work. However, there is a short tem remedy, a quick pick me up for that – our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
So let’s get into it with all the gusto we can muster. As one earthly and harmonious choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein!
We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih people, that sounded somewhat hoarse and scratchy, (smile) but nonetheless it served its purpose, jump starting our engines, and getting our adrenalin flowing. So now let’s make the most of it and get a godly move on nuh.
That brings us to our Bit, a rather appropriate one for what we’ve talked about so far. ‘LOVE not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.’
Truer words have seldom been spoken my fellow believers! Or as the old people would say; ‘sit down never says get up.’ If we are lazy and not industrious, like to lie around and not work, then we shall indeed come to poverty; that could be financially or in our relationships, even our health and our basic attitude towards life.
And it certainly does not reflect a godly or righteous lifestyle! Remember Jesus is all about doing constructive and productive stuff, and His followers ought to be of the same ilk.
This modern day society though, with its wealth and comfortable living, with appliances and gadgets to do many things that humans had to do by hand until recently, certainly lends itself to a more lazy and sluggish lifestyle.
Just think about the proliferation of computers and other communication toys, where we spend more time sitting on our fannies playing with them than physically moving around, like we did before their introduction. That lack of physical movement has obviously contributed to our sedentary lifestyle and thus to the epidemic of obesity that’s currently plaguing our Western world.
What did Bruh Paul tell the church at Rome on the subject? ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another; Not slothful in business (lacking diligence); fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.’ (Rom.12:10-11)
Yes my people, believers ought to be diligent in all walks of life!
Meanwhile Cousin Sol reiterates our Bit in a slightly different form in the following chapter of Proverbs. ‘He that LOVETH pleasure, shall be a poor man: he that LOVETH wine and oil shall not be rich.’ (Prov.21:17)
It’s hard to argue with those statements my Friends, as we see them lived and acted out in reality and truth in our society all the time. If we concentrate on laziness, pleasure and generally unproductive behaviour, eventually we’ll be brought to nought. And believe me, that’s not a very nice or pleasant situation to find oneself in, since it can lead to things like homelessness and other detrimental behaviour.
And we’ll end with this tidbit from Bruh Paul to Timothy re widows. ‘Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate (left alone), trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure (indulgence) is dead while she liveth.’ (1 Tim.5:5-6)
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘5:5. A widow deserving of church aid is desolate (has no family to care for her); trusteth in God (lives the Christian life faithfully); continueth in supplications (constantly prays for her support and for the church’s ministry).
5:6. This may be paraphrased, “But the widow who indulges in luxurious living, though physically alive, is spiritually dead.”
Yuh see Friends, the very real danger of living a lazy, riotous, pleasure-filled, unproductive life will eventually bring us to our knees, with the very real possibility of killing us, both literally and figuratively.
That’s not the lifestyle ordained by Jesus for His followers, so please let’s smarten up nuh, let’s get serious about living a true and faithful life for, and in Jesus, because that’s the highest standard of wisdom there is. Much LOVE!
…seek ye first …the kingdom of God and His righteousness…
07 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Adam's fall from grace, all the days of my appointed time, almighty god, an appointed time, an emergency to meet God, art of waiting, baptized with the Holy ghost, beehive-like activity, Bruh Paul, Day of Pentecost, Emergency, expectant faith, faith, family, father of patience, fellowship, first day of the week, first fruits of the Spirit, focus on God, get our priorities in order, give thanks, go go mentality, God's omnipotence, God's promises will be faithfully fulfilled, habakkuk, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, hope, hungry hope, if a man die, jehovah god, Jesus, Job, keep the Sabbath holy, light, LOVE Revolution, my refuge is in God, patience, patience is a virtue, persevarance, refresh our attitudes, regain physical and spiritual strength, rest, righteousness., salt, salvation, Selah, shall he live again, sing praises, suffers birth pangs, Sunday, the Good Book, the Sabbath Day, the vision, to everything there is a season, trust, truth, waiting, waiting on god, will I wait till my change has come, wisdom, worship
Job 14:14. If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.
Okay mih people, we’ve come full circle, it’s Sunday, the first day of the new week! Time to fellowship, worship, sing praises and give plenty thanks to our wonderful God!
Remember Friends, that the way we treat today, the way we prepare, will have an immense impact on the other six days of the week. If we prepare well, then the rest of the week will flow smoothly. So let’s be sensible and get our priorities in order today nuh.
As the Good Book proudly proclaims: ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’ (Ex.20:8) That means focusing on God, family, worship and rest, as much as possible today, given the 24/7 beehive-like activity of our current society.
Much as we would like to, we simply can’t shut down everything like the old days, but that doesn’t mean we can’t lay aside many of our supposedly oh so important activities. We like to claim that everything needs doing today, right now, but in reality that isn’t true. It’s just the natural go, go, go mentality of modern society that has us trained that way.
Just look at how we react when an emergency crops up; we immediately drop everything else and concentrate on that, leaving the supposedly so very important activities untended for hours, sometimes even days. Then when the emergency is over, we come back and pick up those activities where we left them off.
I guess then the best way to handle the Sabbath in the right way, is to consider it an emergency; an emergency to meet and greet our great Creator, so that we can refresh our attitudes, regain both our physical and spiritual strength to face the world without fear and trepidation for the following six days.
If God, in His omnipotence, could rest from His labour for one day after creating the universe, why can’t we feeble, finite humans do the same eh? And that’s all I have to say on the subject! (smile)
So let’s now turn to our Bit: ‘If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.’
Waiting, my Friends, waiting on Jehovah God is everything! As Bruh Paul said to the Galatians: ‘For we through the Spirit wait (eagerly wait) for the hope of righteousness by faith.’ (Gal.5:5)
And the scholars’ explain that verse thus: ‘5:5. Through the Spirit means that by the Holy Spirit’s help, which is obtained by faith, believers wait for the hope of righteousness, that is, live the Christian life awaiting the consummation of their salvation.’
No doubt about it my brethren; if we believe in God, then we will wait on Him and His perfect timing. And as Bruh Paul also informed the church at Rome: ‘For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain (suffers birth pangs) together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for (eagerly awaiting) the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait for (eagerly await) it.’ (Rom.8:22-25)
What Bruh Paul is basically talking about here is the senseless pain we’ve been made to suffer through Adam’s fall from grace, and the waiting we’re doing for us to be redeemed in body.
And not only on heavenly things must we learn to wait, but also on earthly things. It takes time to build, to grow, to put together anything at all, and in the process there’s always a period of waiting, which this current society doesn’t do well at all, with its gung ho, always on the go, now for now approach. But that’s why patience, the art of waiting, is called a virtue, and why Job is called the Father of patience.
Now hear these wise and wonderful words of Bruh David from Psalm 62: God only is my rock and my salvation. ‘My soul (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken).
In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62:5-8)
Words of absolute truth and wisdom my people! Now listen to how the Lord instructed the prophet Habakkuk, when He told him to write the vision of his prophecy on stone tablets. ‘For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ (Hab.2:3)
Yes my fellow believers, all things promised by Almighty God WILL come, when He considers the time to be right! Our part is to do our best and hang in with hungry hope and expectant faith till the God appointed time.
And we’ll close with one of the most direct and important instructions of waiting in the Good Book; that from Jesus to the apostles before He ascended into heaven.
‘And being assembled with them (the apostles), commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5)
And we all know that some forty days later, at the feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended ‘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 as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2-4)
And from that time on Friends, the Holy Ghost has indwelt EVERYONE who believes, who puts their trust and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. What more can I say eh my people?
It’s now up to us to follow through with a strong passion and focus on the things of God, led by the Holy Spirit, be the figurative salt and light of this ungodly and evil world, so that Jesus’ LOVE Revolution will prevail, and God’s great wish will come true – that ALL will come to salvation. Much LOVE!
…to every thing…there is a season…and a time…to every purpose under heaven… (Eccl.3:1)
06 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all the days of my appointed time, conviction, Creator, deliver their soul from death, depths of despair, dilemma, faith, fear, Footprints, footprints in the sand, friends, God's promise, gracious help, heart-broken, holy spirit, I carreid you, I will never leave you, if a man die, interesting poem, Job, lamenting, last scene of my life, left to our own devices, live a righteous life, LOVE, Magaret Fishback Powers, mind games, naked and forlorn, need, never leave or forsake us, on the alert, peace and joy, promise, Psalm 33, questioned the Lord, reverence, seeking God's kingdom, serious setbacks, shall he live again, sorrow, stand strong and steadfast, testings, Thank You Lord, the enemy trying to deceive us, the God of his fathers, the Good Book, the Lord is good to those who wait on him, the Lord is my portion, the salvation of the Lord, the Son of man, trials, tribulations, Triune God, troublesome times of my life, true believers, trust, unprotected, wait on the Lord, walk and talk with me, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, when I needed you most, when Jesus comes again, will I wait till my change has come, wisdom
Job 14:14. If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.
Oh Friends, on this glorious though rainy Saturday morning, after one of the few truly hot and humid summer days yesterday, (smile) I want to share an interesting poem with you. I don’t know if I have ever shared it before, but even if I did, it must have been long ago, and it’s certainly worthy of sharing again.
It’s titled FOOTPRINTS by Margaret Fishback Powers. The first time I saw it was in a condensed form on a pamphlet, a tract issued by some Christian organization, and they claimed the author to be anonymous.
Then later on, I don’t remember how, I came into possession of a book called ‘Footprints: Scripture with Reflections Inspired by the Best-LOVED Poem’ put together by Ms. Powers. And since then, every day I read a few of the scriptures she has compiled, with suitable commentaries on them.
Now here is the poem. ‘Footprints: One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
“Lord, you told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don’t understand why, when I needed You most, You leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I LOVE you and will never leave you, never ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints it was then that I carried you.’
Ah mih people, how many of us have had some such experience eh? Countless numbers! Because every day some situation arises where we feel completely naked and forlorn, unprotected, left alone to our own insignificant and insufficient devices. But don’t believe that lie Friends, for it’s only the enemy trying to deceive us into thinking that way.
Our wonderful God has promised NEVER TO LEAVE OR FORSAKE US, AND He is EVER-FAITHFUL! So why in the time of our deepest sorrow and need, will He not be with us eh? Lucifer is just trying to play mind games with us.
Please, ALWAYS remember that the Holy Spirit of our Triune God dwells within us, and thus is ALWAYS with us! There is no need to search the sand for His footprints, for whenever we are down and out, out of our depth, then He picks us up and carries us to safety.
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my fellow believers! I don’t know how many times in a day that sentiment is brought home to me by one incident or another.
And believe you me, there’s been many a time that I have been forced to utter a humble, ‘Thank You Lord for carrying me today! Without your precious and gracious help, I couldn’t have made it through those rough spots I encountered today.’
Yeh mih people, it’s certainly not easy to live a righteous life on this ungodly earth. But if we sincerely place our trust and faith in our Creator, He will enable us to do it. That’s His promise, and He’s NEVER yet broken one!
Our faith though needs to be strong. Just look at Job, who suffered such serious setbacks for no apparent reason at all. And though he wasn’t a happy camper, and longed for death, he still did not lose that strong trust and conviction in the God of his fathers, as he recounts in our Bit.
‘If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.’
That should also be our attitude my Friends. And you’ll notice in the Good Book that many of the great names mentioned there had great trials and tribulations, but they stood strong and steadfast and waited for the Lord to deliver them. Listen here, as the psalmist praises the Lord for His creation in Psalm 33.
‘Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear (reverence) him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.’ (Ps.33:18-22)
Yeh Friends, our souls find such peace and joy when we rest in and wait on the Lord!
Now hear Jeremiah. Though he’s suffering and heart-broken, in lamenting his situation, he still has the faith and wisdom to acknowledge: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:24-26)
Oh my brethren, when we are in the depths of despair, are we comforted by thoughts such as those? We ought to be, if we are true believers.
Now let’s end with some special advice form Jesus Himself, when He taught that man’s first priority should be the seeking of God’s kingdom. ‘Let your loins (waist) be girded about, and your lights (lamps) burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
Blessed are those servants , whom the lord (master) when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat (eat), and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.’ (Luke 12:35-38)
Yes Friends, Jesus warns that we must constantly be on the alert, waiting expectantly for whenever He comes. Are we ready, are we alert?
What if He comes today, right now, will He find us waiting, ready and able? For all our sakes, I surely hope so, for that will mean that we’re indeed true believers! Much LOVE!
…be ye therefore ready also…for the Son of man…cometh at an hour…when ye think not… (Luke 12:40)
02 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: agrarian, Bishop of our souls, Bruh David, calling, calm and collected, calm interior, caring, carry them in his bosom, cast all our cares on god, cried, deep down inside, destiny, disappointed, feed his flock like a shepherd, forgiving, gather the lambs with his arm, Gentiles, gently lead those that are with young, God has good plans for our lives, God will never leave nor forsake us, good shepherd, grace, green pastures, grieved, guidance, heavenly blessing, heavenly Father, hireling, holy spirit, hope faith, I am the good shepherd, I shall not want, I will fear no evil, in the strength of the Lord, inner peace, inspiring, internal peace, Isaiah, Jehovah Raffa, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, Jewish society, Jews, Joel Osteen, labour day weekend, Lakewood church, lay down my life for my sheep, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, loving, majesty, merciful, mercy, moaning and groaning, moral of the story, omnipotent, one fold, one shepherd, paths of righteousness, personal testimony, plans of hope and a good future, problems, promises, quiet peace, restores my soul, sad, sheep going astray, shepherd, shepherd his flock, sleep deprived, sorrow, sorrow and heartache, soul searching, still waters, storm clouds, tearful Tuesday, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord's peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding, the wolf, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, Triune God, trouble, trust, Tuesday, turmoil, unforseen role, unscathed, uplifting, valley of the shadow of death, winds of the storm, word portrait, words of jesus, wreaking havoc
Isaiah 40:11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Oh Friends, it’s Tuesday – tearful Tuesday! That’s because of the many tears we’ll shed this morning, having to get up and go out to work, tired, sleep deprived, moaning and groaning, after the long, loud, lusty and lustful Labour Day weekend. (smile)
Don’t worry my brethren, the ole fella’s in the same boat. I shed a few tears my self just now when I had to get up to write the Bit, after only about three hours of sleep. But having cried out for LOVE and mercy and grace, I’m facing up to my task, assured of heavenly blessing and guidance to complete it in a worthwhile manner.
And I just want to comment here, give a personal testimony, on some thing I heard my Bubba Joel (Joel Osteen) say this weekend. He claims he wasn’t the least bit interested in being the pastor at Lakewood Church after his father went to be with the Lord some ten years ago.
He was quiet happy being in the background looking after the television aspect of the ministry. However, deep down inside, he felt that it was his calling, his destiny, and once he accepted that unforeseen role, despite all the problems surrounding it, he experienced an inner peace within himself that he just could not understand.
But it was the Lord’s peace; that peace that surpasses all human understanding.
On hearing that, it just brought back to my memory the surprising and unexpected peace I also experienced when my mother Molly died three years ago.
I was in California at the time, on a short vacation, the first time I’d left the country in some four or five years, and was most surprised and disappointed when I got the news of her passing, without me even having a chance to say a formal goodbye, and she, just a couple days before telling me that she wasn’t yet ready to go home.
But soon thereafter, I unexpectedly found myself at a point of quiet peace with situation. The Lord put a couple of understandable though not necessarily wonderful reasons in my heart for His action.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I was disappointed, sad and cried and grieved and everything else. But deep down inside I didn’t have the turmoil that usually comes with those kinds of situations. I remember remarking to myself how calm and collected I was, despite all the sorrow and heartache surrounding me.
I now realize that that was indeed the peace of God which passes all human understanding, which allows us to have a calm interior, while the winds of the storm are wreaking havoc all around us on the outside.
And the moral of the story is that when the storm clouds of trouble and sorrow surround us, it is indeed possible to have internal peace, if we turn to our wonderful God and cast all our cares upon Him, as He so generously advises. ‘Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’(1 Pet. 5:7)
He will certainly keep ALL of His promises; of never leaving nor forsaking us, of having good plans for our lives, plans of hope and a good future, to also bring us through the fire suitably changed but unscathed, working it all out for our good in His time and manner.
No wonder Isaiah likens Him to a shepherd in our Bit, for a true shepherd cares for and looks after his flock with total concentration. ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those with young.’
Oh my fellow believers, what a wonderful word portrait of our great Provider, Jehovah Raffa!
And there are lots of scriptures that describe Him as a shepherd because the old Jewish society was agrarian, and best-understood stuff couched in agricultural terminology.
Now let’s look at some of those scriptures that portray our omnipotent, LOVING, merciful, most caring and forgiving God as a shepherd. And the obvious scripture to begin with are the words of Jesus Himself, of whom Isaiah was prophesying, when he made the claims in our Bit.
Jesus unequivocally declares to His listeners: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling (hired man), and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so knoweth I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
And other sheep I have (Gentiles), which are not of this fold (Jews): them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (John 10: 11-16)
Oh Friends, how much more convincing and eloquent can Jesus be eh? Not much. He says it all right there.
Meanwhile Jeremiah in his prophecy declares: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles (coastlands) afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.’ (Jer.31:10)
And Micah, in talking of the deliverers from Bethlehem, tells us: ‘And he shall stand and feed (shepherd his flock) in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.’ (Mic.5:4)
Then Peter declares it thus: ‘For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop (Overseer) of your souls.’ (1 Pet.2:25) There he is quoting Isaiah 53:5-6.
And we’ll close with the most famous scripture passage, re the analogy of God to a shepherd. Hear these beautiful, soul-searching, uplifting and inspiring words of Bruh David: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures (pastures of tender green grass): he leadeth me beside still waters (waters of rest).
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps.23:1-4)
Oh my people, please take heart, for despite all the troubles that surround us, all the fires we must pass through, our wonderful heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our helper and comforter, are always around us, leading us to green pastures filled with restful, sweet tasting and rejuvenating water.
So today, please put all your trust and faith and hope in our Triune God, who watches over and protects us like a true shepherd does his sheep. Much LOVE!
…when the Good Shepherd, Jesus comes a calling…His sheep will recognize His voice…and heed His righteous and comforting call…
01 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24/7 regime, abuse rights, all for nought, ambassadors, appreciation, aura of love, Bangladesh, be not afraid, benefits, blessings, christ-like attributes, conditions, confidence, conquerors, cuts in wages, disciples, employees, encouraging, enthusiasm, forefathers, freedoms, fun and frivolity, garment industry, good tidings, group of fellow workers, he shall gather the lambs with his arm, heartless, holy spirit, humble servants, inhumane treatment, invincible, irresponsible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, Labour Day, Labour Movement, Labour Organizations, lead those that are with young, lies, lift up thy voice, LOVE, low wage countries, Monday, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, money machine, obedient, Oh Lord God Almighty, oppressive, outsourcing, paid a hefty price, qualms, reassuring, reflection, regressing, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, reverence, rough times, social consciences, spiritual armour, stand strong, standing 'O', steadfast faith, strikes, taking advantage of the working man, the flower fades, the grass withers, the word of God shall stand forever, tribulations, ungodly world, Unions, wasted effort, wisdom, with God all things are possible, working conditions
Isaiah 40:11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Oh my people, it’s Monday – Labour Day Monday!
That means many of us fortunately don’t have to go to work today. But it’s not simply a day to party and carry on either. It’s a day that calls for a certain amount of reflection, reverence and lots of appreciation and gratitude to our forefathers who paid a hefty price, even to the extent of their lifeblood, to fight for the rights and freedoms which we now have in the workplace.
Many a head was physically bashed in by the cruel Pinkerton private force as they were hired in the early days of the Labour Movement to put down strikes and other calls for a more humane, fair and equitable workplace. So please don’t go taking for granted those benefits and other freedoms we now enjoy at work. Neither should we abuse those hard fought for rights, as so many of us are doing today.
Doing any of those irresponsible things shows no respect whatsoever for the rough times and tribulations our forefathers so bravely faced, so that we could work a more respectable eight hour day, five days a week, for a decent wage, under decent conditions, instead of twelve and fourteen hour days, six and seven days a week, for a mere pittance and in disgusting conditions.
Remember the big uproar over the wages and conditions of employment created by the recent rash of fires in the garment industry in Bangladesh? Well less than a hundred years ago that was the situation that existed in the West. And don’t fool yuh fat; the heartless, oppressive, money machine will be only too glad to take us back to those bad, old days.
And if you look closely, you’ll see that they are underhandedly preparing the way, through all the recent outsourcing of production to the low wage countries, the drastic cuts in wages, in employees, benefits and working conditions.
So for you young ones who think the workplace is simply an arena for fun and frivolity, I’d strongly suggest that you wake up from your fairy tale world, and read about the terrible conditions that workers faced before the advent of Unions and other Labour Organizations, and the harsh and inhumane treatment they suffered to bring us to where we are right now.
And with the actions above now in place, means we’re slowly regressing, which further means that we have to stand strong as a group of fellow workers, or else we will eventually find ourselves right back where our forefathers were, for the rich and powerful have no social consciences, and therefore no qualms about taking advantage of the ordinary working man.
So this Labour Day, please seriously consider your role and position in the workforce and how all we’ve said currently affects you. Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to give a boost to the spirits of those who have to go out and labour under the now 24/7 greedy regime.
All together now, in harmony, unison and full voice: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That was most excellent Friends, even heaven clapped and gave us a standing ‘O’!
But yuh know what, unless we now go out into the world and display those Christ-like attributes, it will all be wasted effort, all for nought!
And sadly we don’t have much time for our most encouraging and reassuring Bit which deals with acquiring comfort through trust in the Lord.
Listen to some of the verses preceding it. ‘The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever. O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord your God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him.
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is.40:8-11)
Oh my brethren, what encouraging and reassuring scripture! Wow! It’s almost too good to be true! However, with our great and wonderful God, unlike with man, whatever the situation, there’s always the possibility that it’s true, because with our God, all things are possible!
Now let’s go out today and make Jesus proud; let’s be true and obedient disciples and ambassadors, as He desires of His followers. Much LOVE!
…when one truly knows Jesus…one’s heart is filled with unspeakable joy and LOVE…LOVE for God, his neighbour and himself…
27 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abide in me and I in you, accumulation of wealth, backsliding, bear much fruit, celebrity status, Christ's power, cypress, divine plan, dress for success, evil world, faith stimulates success, faithfulness, forgiveness, gentleness, glory hallelujah, goodness, gospel truth, green fir, holy spirit, hope sustains success, Hosea, I am the vine, idols, Jesus as our guiding light, Jesus as our partner, Jesus Christ, Jesus' word as our guidebook, joy, kindness, long-suffering, LOVE, love sanctifies success, meekness, mercy, mid-week Wednesday, my father glorified, our sufficency is of God, peace, power, Prayer for Success, prudent, riding shotgun, righteousness., saving grace, saviour jesus, self-control, showing by example, strength, strife, success, success as the world sees it, temperance, the fruit of the spirit, the number one ingredient for true success, the transgressors shall stumble, the warm and loving presence of jesus in our hearts, the ways of the Lord are right, true believers, ungodly times, what I am is more important than what I do, wild wild west, wisdom, wise, worthy ambassadors of Jesus, ye are the branches, ye can do nothing without me
John 15:5. 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.
Aye Friends, is mid-week Wednesday! That means we’re halfway through the workweek. Only a couple more days to go before some freedom time…
And all God’s people prayerfully declared: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Thank You Saviour Jesus! Thank You for all you’ve done, all you’re presently doing, and all that you’ve promised to do in the future! Right now we need some more of your LOVE, mercy, saving grace and strength to keep persevering and walking worthy of You.
Please enable us to be worthy ambassadors of your kingdom as we face the evil world that surrounds us. Help us to be in it, but not of it, as You desire. This we pray in Your glorious name! Amen.‘
Now here is what we can do to help ourselves. Here is a prayer for success from Dr. Robert Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. I believe I’ve shared it already, but that was probably a year ago, and no prayer is ever too trite or unimportant not to be prayed again. And I believe we need this one right now.
Please pray with me: ‘As I become a success with your help, Lord, let me never forget that what I am is more important than what I do. Faith stimulates success. Hope sustains success. LOVE sanctifies success. So I cannot and I dare not succeed without your power, peace and pressure in my life, Jesus Christ. Amen.’
Yes Friends, in a nutshell, we need all those things to be successful, but remember the Number One ingredient for true success, is the warm and LOVING presence of Jesus in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds.
Regardless of what the world advocates, without Jesus as our guiding light and His Word our principal guidebook, we’ll never obtain true success.
That’s why Jesus drilled it into the disciples’ heads: ‘Now ye are clean through (because of) the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
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 15:3-5)
And that’s the gospel, gospel truth my people! Without Jesus in our lives, we can’t do much at all. That’s why it’s so necessary to stay close to Him, to consult with Him through the Holy Spirit that indwells us, as to how to go forward successfully with the divine plan He has for each of our lives.
And we’re not talking about success as the world sees it, with the physical accumulation of wealth, power and celebrity status, but as Jesus sees it, with righteousness, LOVE, mercy and forgiveness, because that’s the only real, true and lasting success there is; everything else fades away eventually.
Bruh Paul describes our helplessness thus to the Corinthians. ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing of ourselves: but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor.3:5)
And no truer word has ever been spoken my brethren! That’s the gospel truth in another nutshell! (smile)
And Jesus went on to warn: ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:6-8)
And we all know that the fruit Jesus is talking about here, is what Bruh Paul so vividly describes to the Galatians: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith (faithfulness), Meekness, temperance (self-control); against such there is no law.’ (Gal.5:22-23)
And we shall end with some wise and choice words from Hosea when he entreats Israel to return to the Lord, as we very much need to return to Him today, in these sad, strife-filled, ungodly times.
Thus says the Lord: ‘I will heal their backsliding, I will LOVE them freely; for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots in Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine, the scent (remembrance) thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir (cypress) tree. From (In) me is thy fruit found.
Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall (stumble) there in.’ (Hos.14:4-9)
Yes Friends, the only way to bear good fruit is to have Jesus as our riding partner, have Him riding shotgun for us, as they did on the stagecoaches in the days of the wild, wild West, where a man with a big shotgun rode upfront, beside the driver as protection from marauders.
In fact, life today certainly resembles the days of the Wild West, where law and order was very difficult to keep, where everybody taught it right to do their own thing.
So my people, let’s get out there and show them what true believers are really like nuh, by living with Jesus in our hearts, and showing by example, the fruit of the Spirit that we’re successfully bearing. That’s wisdom of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…to dress for success…you must have Jesus residing in you…
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 