27 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ambassadors, apathy, ascension, aura of love, benefits, birth, blessed, blessed be the Lord, blessings, brand new day, breath, cast out, children of God, Christ, christianity, church of Jesus, circle the wagons, confidence, conquerors, darkness, death, dim, disaster prone, disciples, displeases Jesus, do good, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil powers, faith, fear, flavour, flavourless life, forgiveness, frail and mortal bodies, frogiveness, get our act back together, glorious kingdom, God of our salvation, God's Word, good for noting, good news, grace, great commission, heal wounds, heavens and the earth, hidden, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, humbly ask, illuminate the darkness, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice, jobs, lies, light, LOVE, lust, make Jesus proud, makes a mockery of, mercy, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Oh Lord God Almighty, praise, preservative, proud and faithful, put God first, quality of life, Red Letter Day, regroup, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renaisance, renewed vitality, resurrection, revival, rise up victoriously, salt, salvation, selfless sacrifice, shining examples, sit up and take notice, spiritual armour, spread the gospel, steadfast faith, straight and narrow path, strength and guidance, sufficiently, surrender our all, thanksgiving, the day the Lord has made, things of the world, trodden underfoot, troubled world, true meaning, turn around, undesirable situation, ungodly world, walk obediently, we shall rejoice and be glad, well enough, while there's life there's hope, wiles
Psalm 68:19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Aye mih people, it’s Monday, a brand new day! And like every day that there’s breath in our frail, mortal bodies, it deserves the same opening sentence of praise and thanksgiving, namely: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we SHALL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Psalm 118:24)
So as proud and faithful children of God, let’s rise up this Monday morning, the first day of the new work week, with supreme faith and confidence in our great, most wonderful and faithful God, asking for His strength and guidance to go out today and face the evil, ungodly world in which we live. And we’ll do that by boisterously, but also harmoniously singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
All together now, let’s make both the heavens and the earth sit up and take notice. ‘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!’
Oh Friends, that was an awesome rendition! We got a standing ‘O’ from the angels in heaven. Jesus beamed with delight, and the Father was seen to be tapping His toes and keeping time to the riddim with His right hand on the arm of His throne. Mama Mia!
So let’s take this excitement and enthusiasm out into the imperfect world today and do good, like Jesus did, when He walked this earth two millennia ago, for that’s what He desires of us. As He said, we’re to be His disciples, His ambassadors here on earth, the salt and light, shining examples of His grace, mercy, LOVE and forgiveness. (Matt.5:13-16)
And these troubled times certainly call for us to exhibit those heavenly and godly qualities more than ever before. Our salt has recently been losing its flavour, and our light has indeed been dim, because we have been hiding it under a bushel, a basket. But my fellow believers in Christ, what’s the purpose of having flavourless salt and hiding our light eh?
None whatsoever! The salt is supposed to add flavour to our food, act as a preservative, melt coldness and heal wounds. And when it stops doing those things, then it’s of no use, like Jesus said, ‘good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.’ (Matt.5:13b)
The same goes for the light, which is supposed to illuminate the darkness. However, when it’s hidden it cannot do so. That’s why the darkness of the world has recently become so expansive and powerful; the supposed children of God have not been effectively lighting and showing the way on that straight and narrow path that leads to heaven.
And we know that displeases both the Son and the Father. Why you ask? Because then it only makes a mockery of the Father engineering the Son’s sacrifice to pay for our abominable sins, and thus enable us to be reconciled to Him.
So at about twenty to six this morning, as I sit on the balcony of my little bungalow in Lowlands, trying to wear off the effects of an unusual headache which caused me to go to bed early last night and also rise up early, I’m pleading with us, my fellow believers, to regain the flavour and all the other wonderful properties of our salt, and remove the covering from around our brightly burning lights, so that we may show the unbelieving world the true meaning of Christ and Christianity.
Remember Friends, that’s the great commission that Jesus entrusted to each and every one of His followers. To go out into all the world and spread the gospel, the good – no great news of His Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension, the selfless sacrifice He made so that mankind could have salvation and eternal life. (Matt.28:19-20)
Now isn’t that a most worthy cause to give our all to? Absolutely! But unfortunately we haven’t been doing it sufficiently, or well enough, that’s why the darkness has enveloped, has taken over so much of our beautiful world.
My Friends, it’s high time we circle the wagons, regroup and seriously and sincerely get our act back together, cause that’s the only way the church of Jesus here on earth will ever rise up victoriously against the evil powers of this troubled and disaster prone world.
Now it’s not too late to turn this thing around, for remember while there is life, there’s always hope. And we still have lots of life left, which means that there’s also lots of hope that we can turn this undesirable situation around, thereby improving the quality of life for ourselves, this young generation and those to come.
I’m sure we’ll all prefer our legacy to be one of successfully building Christ’s church, like our forefathers did, rather than one of destroying it, as our current, fear, apathy and lust for the things of the world are doing. So please, let’s make this Monday morning at the end of January, in the year of our Lord 2014, a RED LETTER DAY nuh!
A day on which we can truly look back and say that it was the end of our dim and flavourless life, but enthusiastically and ecstatically, the beginning of our revival, our renaissance, when we truly put God first in our lives and began doing what we ought to. My Fellow believers, that is the ONLY WAY that Christ’s church will ever stand strong and grow.
And likewise, the only way we will ever be able to truly repeat the words of our Bit. ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.’
Now let’s go out and make Jesus proud of us. Much LOVE!
…the Lord blesses those…who praise Him… give Him thanks…and walk obediently to His Word…
26 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: armour of god, assaults, batting number two, bless others, blessed, breastplate of righteousness, breath in our bodies, cast off the works of darkness, church, coconut tart, conversion, curry crab and dumpling, defeat, etched indelibly, evil, evil day, far from the madding crowd, favour, fiery darts, fireworks, gird your waist, giving thanks, God's little Acre, good times, gospel of peace, hearts souls and minds, helmet of salvation, historic names, holy spirit, honeymoon, interesting, joyous, LOVE, magnanimous god, moment in time, Most High, new acquaintences, nostalgic memories, old friends, one in a lifetime occasion, partying, persverance, powers of darkness, prayer, put on, redeeming spirit, run for its money, saints, salt, sand, schemes of the devil, sea, sensible way, shield of faith, smile, soca riddims, soul searching, spiritual armour, stand, supplication, sword of the Spirit, take up the armour of light, Thank You Lord, the day's at hand, the night is spent, the whole armour of God, truth, ungodly planet, vacation, wiles, wind and rain, wisdom, wise, Word of God
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
And what is shaping up to be the second best vacation ever, keeps rolling along nicely! Yes Friends, it has indeed been a blessed and joyous eleven days so far on God’s Little Acre! But has it really been eleven days already? Let’s see. I arrived here on the 16th, and today is the 26th. Yeh people, that makes it 11 days inclusive!
Our magnanimous God has certainly shone His incredible favour down on me in those past 11 days. Almost everything I’ve wanted, I’ve been blessed with; from a clean, quiet, comfortable and spacious place to stay, to coconut tart, pigeon peas soup, curry crab and dumpling, sea, sand, salt and good times with old friends and new acquaintances. How can I ever complain eh?
Rather, I’m giving thanks and saying ‘Thank You Lord! Thank You ever so much for looking after me! And I pray that as I continue to serve You to the best of my ability, You will keep on blessing me, so that I can bless others.’ Oh my brethren, that’s the only wise and sensible way to go on this evil and ungodly planet!
Right now though, at about two thirty on what has turned out to be a bright, sunny and windy Sunday afternoon, I’m having a cup of caffeine, struggling to come awake. Hn, hn! It’s already been a busy day. I was up and off to church for 7.30 this morning. And though it ran for almost two hours, it was interesting and soul searching.
I then came home and fed my face and had to catch up with some lost night time rest, for yesterday was hectic. That included a trip in the hot afternoon sun to the Windward side of the island, after my episode in Store Bay. Passing through villages and towns with historic names like, Hope, Mt.St.George, Belle Garden, Roxborough and Delaford, certainly brought back nostalgic memories of my youth on the island.
Because of time constraints, we stopped in Delaford at a beach called Kings Bay and hung out there for a short period. Strangely enough though, although the beach seemed fine, either through laziness to change my clothes and then change back again, and /or the movement of the Spirit, I just did not feel like bathing in the sea, and that surely says something.
Oh I just had a bit of delicious watermelon from my brother’s garden to cool the heat in the body. (smile) The winding hilly roads of my youth are still there, with very little been done to straighten or widen them. However the surface quality in many parts is crying out for serious fixing.
Then by the time I got home and rested some, my half-brother and his wife showed up with the curry crab and dumpling that they had promised to make. Mama Yo! Was it ever delicious mih people! I even got a new convert in the Duchess. (smile) She finally appreciates why I’ve always talked so highly of the exotic T&T dish.
And while we were here visiting with my brother and his wife, a party was simultaneously happening somewhere nearby in the compound, with plenty talk, laughter and hot soca riddims rocking through the atmosphere, accompanied at one stage by some brilliant fireworks.
At one stage too, a strong wind storm and driving rain erupted. But as anyone from these parts knows, a little wind and rain doesn’t stop the party. It only prevents one from going to work. (smile) Oh the wind and rain were hot to trot this morning too. The radio announcer was warning people not to leave home without their umbrellas, and I drove to church amidst intermittent showers.
And that my Friends, is where we stand at this most auspicious moment in time!
And for those of you who are fast and inquisitive enough to wonder what was our Number One vacation experience. Well it was a trip the Duchess and I took, what… possibly 20 years ago, to Jamdown, (sweet Jamaica) and stayed far from the madding crowd down in the Parish of Trelawney, renting a townhouse there and going on some guided tours around the island.
Now we’ve never been tour people, always wanting to do our own thing, in our own time, but the Lord must have guided us to that, because it was the BEST TIME EVER! The things we did and places we went, are etched indelibly in our hearts minds and souls. And try as we want, we’ll never be able to recreate that enthusiasm and energy that arises in such one in a lifetime occasion.
We were young, no younger and stronger then, and could handle the hectic pace that was necessary for those endeavours. Our honeymoon, right here in Tobago, forty odd years ago, has so far been batting number two, but it’s certainly getting a run for its money from this current experience.
For your info, it seems that another joyful gathering is taking place nearby in the compound. I can’t see anybody, but the sound of talk, laughter and sweet soca are circulating through the airwaves. It sure seems like a partying compound.
And now that you know as much as I do, (smile) let’s see what out Bit has to offer. ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’
Yes my people, it’s certainly time for us believers to wake up and realize that the powers of darkness are smothering a lot of the world! Believers need to get serious about their Christian faith, to wake up and realize that Beelzebub is on a serious tear. And as Bruh Paul informs us, it’s only by putting on Christ’s armour of light, can we ever hope to beat back and eventually defeat those strong and evil powers that hide within the darkness of the world.
And the best way to bring that home to us, is by quoting Bruh Paul’s immortal, admonishing and ‘exhortatious’ (I just like how it sounds) advice to the Ephesians. ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities (rulers), against powers (authorities), against the rulers (world-rulers) of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (spiritual hosts of) wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Be ready for constant assaults from the wicked one).
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one).
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:10-18)
That says it all my brethren! I didn’t plan on quoting the last five verses which describe the spiritual armour, but I knew that very few of us would actually look it up, if I asked us to. So I decided to spoon feed us, (smile) so that we can get the full gist, the real importance of the subject.
It makes the Bit longer, but you can’t have it both ways. We need to get clothed, and stay clothed as long as possible in the strengthening and perceptive spiritual armour of God, if we want to bring the world to acceptance and conversion to Jesus.
So please, let’s go out and do that today, and every day, while there’s breath in our bodies nuh. That’s the wisdom of the age! Much LOVE!
…only as believers are filled with the redeeming Spirit of the Most High…will they be able to put up a good fight against the powers of darkness…
20 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, anointing, aura of love, blessings, call to arms, changing the world, Church of Christ, come together, confess, confidence, conquerors, day of the awakening, destruction, devastation, direct my prayer, divide and conquer, Elijah, enthusiasm, equal rights, eternal life, evil, faults, friends, further your glorious kingdom, get down to brass tacks, God's people, good news, harm, heaven, hiding their heads in the sand, holy spirit, humble servants, importance of prayer, in the morning, invincible, Jesus Christ, justice, lies, Lord God Jehovah, LOVE, make a difference, mickey-mouse stuff, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, natural disasters, nature, one day at a time, passions, peace, powers of evil, pray for one another, prayer, prayer of faith, prayer of the righteous, rain, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., rise up, rumours of war, saving and redeeming gospel, saviour, sins, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, strife, suffering, taunts, things of the world, trespasses, trust, ungodly world, unified fight, victorious, wake up call, wars, weary souls, wiles, wisdom, worthwhile inroads
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday: Monday 20 January 2014! The year that the Lord God Jehovah will make a mighty impact on this planet Earth, that He created! Fellow believers, this year we’re going to receive such a wake up call that we’ll be unable to avoid the Lord’s call to arms.
You’ll notice that since 2014 stepped in the strife around the world and the natural disasters have escalated. And believe me Friends, if we, the ones appointed by Jesus to take the good news of His saving and redeeming gospel all over the world, don’t do it, then we’ll see even worse strife and disasters, many of the latter man-made.
Oh my people, the talk about wars and rumours of wars is no longer prophetic, for it’s been currently fulfilled, with serious strife in more places than those where some semblance of peace reigns. So mih breddren, if we truly want our children to live to see a brighter day, then WE have to seriously step up to the plate and do some serious proselytizing, since it’s only by spreading the Word around the globe, that LOVE, peace, equal rights and justice will ever find a true foothold.
Oh my people, it’s high time we stop the mickey-mouse stuff we’ve been fooling ourselves with and get down to brass tacks, because the enemy; the powers of evil, Lucifer and his evil cohorts, have stepped up their programme of evil devastation and destruction. That means we have to take even bigger steps than them, if we even want to catch up, much less to pass them.
Friends, this is not just my feeling, but it’s right there out in front of us for all and sundry to see. But please remember that there’s none so blind as those who refuse to see. And sadly, a great many believers are either too taken up with the things of the world, or are foolishly hiding their heads in the sand like the ostrich, hoping that the evil tendencies will disappear on their own.
But Friends, I have news for us; that’s a fallacy, a very foolish one too! If we try to run and hide from the situation, it will only get worse, and eventually catch up to us and engulf us in its evil claws. So please, let’s stop trying to side step the problems nuh, for we’re only doing ourselves irreparable harm.
Oh Friends, this is the day of the awakening! This is the day that God’s people must rise up and take the fight to the enemy! And as our Bit so wisely advises, the best way to do that, is to begin the day in prayer, in serious communication with the Most High. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
So now my people, as we always do on a Monday morning, let’s look up, and raise our voices, direct our prayer, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to our wonderful Creator, Provider and Protector. As one harmonious, blessed union, let’s pray.
‘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!’
And with that adrenalin now pumping through our veins my brethren, let’s go out into the evil world that surrounds us, this first day of the work week, and make a serious and worthwhile difference in Jesus’ name nuh. I don’t like to keep harping on it, but it’s only through our strong, indefatigable and sustained efforts, RIGHT NOW, that our grandchildren will inherit a half-decent world.
Remember how we recently talked about changing the world, one day at a time? Well now it’s become imperative that we do so!
Now let’s get into the last scripture in this series of messages on the importance of prayer in a believer’s life. It comes from the epistle of James, recognized as Jesus’ earthly half brother. One of those who, in the early days chastised Him and didn’t believe, but who later came to see the light, as I’d like us to do.
And in talking about patience in affliction, James boldly proclaims: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent (supplication) prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are (with a nature like ours), and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth (land) by the space of (for) three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.’ (James 5:13-18)
Oh Friends, I can’t say it better than that! I can only hope and pray that this Monday morning, we will all go out and stand up steadfast and strong for Jesus. In His Holy name, we pray. And all God’s people gave a loud and rousing shout of ‘So be it! Amen!’ Much LOVE my brothers and sisters in Christ!
…only as the church of Christ comes together…and fights a serious and unified fight…will it ever be victorious…otherwise the enemy will keep on dividing and conquering us…
13 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer's life, adrenalin flowing, aura of love, awaken joyfully, blessings, courageous leader, crass demeanour, crossroads of decision, cursing, direct my prayer, diseased soul, early in the morning, earnest prayer, enemy's ranks, enemy's wicked taunts, enthusiasm, evil ungodly world, excellent advice, faint, fearless, further God's glorious kingdom, groaning, guidance, healing, holy spirit, humble servants, humbly ask, imperative, importance of prayer, important decisions, inspiring words, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping families together, lies, man's body, meditation, men ought to pray, miracles, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, motors revved up, necessary changes, new week of work, not afraid, not lose heart, Oh Lord God Almighty, persitent prayer, positive frame of mind, praise Your Holy Name, preaching of the gospel, protective spiritual armour, public preaching, recognition, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sally forth with confidence, seek guidance, sinful mortals, Son and Saviour, son of god, spiritual strength, standing 'O', steadfast faith, suffering, sure conquerors, surrender our all, temper tantrums, the Father's wisdom, visible fruit, voice of my cry, weary souls, weekend, wiles, wisdom, worthwhile inroads
Psalm 5:3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee.
And now Friends, it’s Monday… Easy now…easy does it… No cursing…no temper tantrums. So you overdid the weekend, and now your mental and physical states are not what they should be. As a believer you ought to know better, but it’s too late to worry about that now. Just take a deep breath and control yourself…
Now release it and thank the Lord for allowing you to see another day on His glorious planet earth, and ask for His guidance and blessings. Regardless of your mental or physical state, you know you have to get up and go to work, so why not do it the easy and smart way eh, by communicating with your heavenly Father?
Oh mih people, I’m still trying to get us to awaken joyfully, instead of right away developing a crass and miserable demeanour when the alarm goes off, especially on a Monday morning. And we’ll keep doing it until victory is achieved! (smile) Until then…and even after that, we’ll continue to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get our adrenalin flowing and our motors properly revved up.
So as one harmonious choir now, let’s sing: ‘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!’
Awright mih breddren, that wasn’t a bad rendition, though we’ve done better. It didn’t get us a standing ‘O’ in heaven, but the applause was polite enough. (smile) But seriously Friends, I can’t impress on us enough, the utmost importance of prayer in a believer’s life. Remember yesterday we saw Jesus tell His listeners a parable about how men ought to pray and not faint, not lose heart? (Luke 18:1) Now if He says so, then of a truth, it must be so!
Bruh David takes that a step further though. In Psalm 5, his prayer for protection, he solemnly declares these sentiments. ‘Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation (groaning). Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee.’ (Ps.5:1-3)
In our Bit there, Bruh David proclaims that in the midst of his suffering, he will make his supplication to the Lord early in the morning. And that’s excellent advice Friends, whether you’re in the midst of suffering or not!
As we said yesterday, and I advised right at the beginning today, it’s always best to start our day with prayer, because it starts us off in a positive frame of mind, gives us the necessary spiritual strength to face the day. And the good thing is that it doesn’t have to be an overly long session for the Lord knows how busy we are, but acknowledging Him as soon as we wake, certainly pleases Him.
And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these inspiring words from the Good Book. ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (quiet, deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Yuh know who Mark’s talking about there Friends? It’s our own beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, while out on His first preaching tour!
So my people, fellow believers and otherwise, if our wonderful, wise, fearless and courageous Leader, the Son of God, could get up early to pray, why can’t we eh? Because we’re too lazy, or just don’t believe that early prayer is valuable, or just don’t believe in prayer at all, who knows? The truth of the matter though my brethren is that prayer is extremely important, and praying as soon as we awaken is best.
Anyway, here is an interesting note on that verse from the scholars. ‘Mark emphasizes that it was a great while before day. Showing that Jesus began each day of His earthly ministry with prayer is only the secondary intention of this verse. The primary aim is to show how Jesus made important decisions: by earnest, persistent prayer. Here Jesus stands at the crossroads of decision.
His first year of public preaching (vv. 9-20) has borne little visible fruit. But His miracles of healing are drawing huge crowds (vv.31-32) and bringing Him recognition (v. 28). So the question is whether He should continue to put the stress of His ministry on the preaching of the gospel for the healing of man’s diseased soul, or place the stress of His work on the more popular performing of miracles for the healing of man’s body. To make the proper choice, He seeks by prayer the Father’s wisdom.’
And that my people, is the truest and highest state of wisdom that exists! So please, let’s ponder all that we’ve learned today, then, as always, get the Lord to help us make the necessary changes in our lives. Much LOVE!
…again I ask…if it was imperative for Jesus…the Son of God…to seek guidance through prayer…why should it be any less so for us…sinful mortals that we are…
09 Jan 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bed of roses, action word, agape, antibiotics, awesome truth, believers, between a rock and a hard place, bravely, Bruh Paul, charity, cooped up, disciples, doesn't boast, doesn't envy, dr robert h schuller, each generation, eros, evil, exciting thought, eye-opening experiences, faith is dim, fantastic, fantastic lesson, God LOVES me, God's help, God's LOVE, good fortune, good news, grace and favour of God, graceful truth, gumption, happy report, heahten, holy sentence, holy spirit, Hour of Power Devotional, hypocrites, ice, incomprehensible, iniquity, Jesus Christ, laugh, life's a blast, LOVE, Love does no harm, LOVE FOR EACH OTHER, Love fulfills the law, LOVE one another, LOVE Revolution, marathon session, negative emotions, never fails, new commandment, no waiting, not arrogant, not evil, not rude, not selfish, petty problems, pharmacy, prophecies, put in my heart, ran the race, rejoice, root canal, sadly lacking, scoff, short of Love, slush, snow, sparsely populated, suffers long, temptations, tests, Thank you Father, the Way of LOVE, tongues, troubled world, truth, ugly reality, unbeliever, ungodly world, unloving attitude, walking with Jesus, warm cocoon, wisdom, withstand
Romans 13:10. LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.
Aye mih breddren, life’s certainly a blast yes! For the first time in about ten days, I actually ventured out of my safe, warm cocoon yesterday, and faced the ugly reality that is the outside world. It’s the longest I’ve ever been cooped up in a house that I can remember.
At least when I had prostate cancer surgery a few years back, it was summer, and I could sit outside on either the front porch or the back deck. In any case though, I never really felt cooped up this past week because for most of it I was sick and the weather was terrible. And it seems that quite a few people did the same thing, for the same reasons.
Anyway, would you believe I did a marathon session out there yesterday! Wow! Bruh Paul would have been proud of how I ran that race! (smile) I left home, went up the street to a nearby Walmart, then went all the way down to the other end of the city, to the banker, the barber, the grocer and the doctor.
Mama Mia! In truth though, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds, because the last four places were in close proximity to each other, about two blocks separated them all. So I got up my gumption and bravely walked through the snow, ice and slush that covered the sidewalks and parking lots.
And wonder of wonders, in NONE of those four places did I have to wait, for all of them were sparsely populated! As soon as I walked into everyone, I was immediately served. I had to laugh at my good fortune, because as most of you know those four places usually call for a fair amount of waiting.
But then I realized that it was our wonderful God pouring out His abundant grace and favour on me, since I wasn’t in the best of shape, and it was still windy and cold. Obviously I let Him know that I was very thankful. The only place I had a short wait was at the Pharmacy later on where I went to get some antibiotics that the medic prescribed.
That’s why Friends, today, like Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) I can certainly attest to and loudly proclaim that ‘GOD LOVES ME!’ And also say along with His prayer from His Hour of Power Devotional.
‘Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson. GOD LOVES ME! Even when I’m at my worst — GOD LOVES ME. Even when my faith is dim — GOD LOVES ME ANYWAY! It’s incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father. Amen.’
Ah mih people, I keep reminding us that walking with Jesus is not a bed of roses, but betwixt and between the tests and temptations, there are indeed wonderful, refreshing, rejuvenating, interesting and eye-opening experiences. The only problem now is that I have to go to the dentist today for some root canal work. Let’s see how that will play out. (smile)
But enough of my petty problems, let’s turn to our Bit, which deals with LOVE, something that our troubled world so badly needs but unfortunately is sadly lacking.
As the old song so truthfully stated back then, and is even more appropriate now, in these sad days of strife and the preponderance of negative emotions: ‘What the world needs now, is LOVE, SWEET LOVE. That’s the only thing, there’s just too little of…’
And oh my brethren, is that ever so true! LOVE comes from our God, and is what makes our world go round, or function properly, but right now we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place because we’re so SHORT of LOVE.
We claim to know about God’s LOVE for us, but what we seem unable to fathom and put into place is OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER. And a long while back, Bruh Paul put it to the Romans this way in our Bit: ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’
Now that’s the awesome truth Friends! For even before Bruh Paul’s comment, Jesus Himself commanded His disciples, and therefore us, and all His true followers: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my fellow believers, Jesus was talking there about revolutionizing the world through LOVE! It was the beginning of the LOVE Revolution, which each generation of believers is supposed to carry on, but which, unfortunately we’re not doing, since we’re not showing LOVE to each other.
Remember it’s through our showing of LOVE to each other that the world will know that we’re disciples of Jesus. And since we’re not doing it, that means we’re not His true disciples.
No wonder the unbeliever, the heathens and many others laugh and scoff at us, and consider us hypocrites because they quite plainly see our ‘UNLOVING’ attitudes and behaviour towards each other and the world in general.
That’s why I keep reminding us that LOVE is an ACTION WORD! We simply can’t talk it and expect it to happen. LOVE only takes place when we DO SOMETHING TO SHOW IT!
Consequently, Bruh Paul, who saw the need for LOTS OF LOVE in the evil, ungodly world, penned one of the most beautiful chapters of the Bible; re the WAY OF LOVE. And we’ll close by quoting a few appropriate verses from it, just to remind us what TRUE LOVE is all about.
And we’re not talking about ‘Eros’ or romantic LOVE, but ‘agape’, the spiritual LOVE that flows from God, and is supposed to be so jubilantly and vibrantly working in us through the Holy Spirit that indwells us.
So please listen up Friends, neighbours, heathens, whoever you are, for only these things will ever right our wrong-sided world.
‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not (does not brag on) itself, is not puffed up (arrogant), Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no accounts of evil);
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (cease): whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.’ (1 Cor.13:4-8)
And that’s the God-awesome truth my people! Therefore, let’s ponder all these things today nuh, and with God’s ever-present, never-ending help, make the necessary changes in our attitudes and behaviour, so that we can leave this world a much better place for our children. That’s the only wisdom there is! Much LOVE!
…if we’re not actively doing LOVE…then we’re not true disciples of Christ…as simple as that…
P.S. Friends, the Bit’s long and late, but it’s what God put in my heart to write today. Much LOVE!
30 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2013, 2014, Anglican Journal, anxiety, appreciation, astute generation, aura of love, battle, blessings, blues, commandments, confidence, consequences, correct behaviour, covenant, Creator of the universe, curses, Deuteronomy 28, diligently, disastrous, disgusting behaviour, disobedience, disobedient, disobey, do as God commands, don't turn aside, edicts, enemy, enthusiasm, error of our ways, evil, further God's glorious kingdom, Holy Name, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Israelites, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, jobs, judgement, keeping lives and families together, lead and guide, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, Love God, Love your neighbour as yourself, material things, modern times, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, negative emotion, New Year's Eve, obedience, Old Testament, opinions, praise, Praise the Lord, promise, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, sally forth, saviour, sinful, sovereign God, spiritual armour, statutes, steadfast faith, stimulus, sure conquerors, surrender, Ten Commandments, the Good Book, tightening the screws, tiredness, to the left, to the right, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, walk in God's ways, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, wise, work week, worthwhile inroads
Deuteronomy 5:32: Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
And another bright Monday morning dawns my Friends; the last one in this topsy turvy year of 2013! But the good news is that we don’t have to work for the whole five days, because New Year’s falls in the middle of the week… And all working people gave a joyful shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’
Well mih breddren, please let’s allow some of that enthusiasm to flow into our spirits this morning nuh, so that we can leave the blues, the tiredness, the anxiety and whatever other negative emotion that has us in grip, far behind. Let’s concentrate on the mid-week joy of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and consequently belt out our last, but also our most emphatic and enthusiastic Monday Morning Battle Hymn of 2013. That’s the least we can do to show our appreciation for a shortened work week. (smile)
As one now mih people, let’s bring the roof down: ‘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!’
Oh Friends, that was most wonderful! We obviously can’t wait to ring out the old year and ring in 2014. But yuh know what? I have to tell us that if we behave the same sinful, disobedient way like we did in 2013, 2014 won’t be any better. In fact it might just be worse, be more disastrous, because I believe our God is truly getting tired of our disgusting behaviour and is intent on tightening the screws.
Again, I’m calling on us people, to walk in God’s ways, as He directed the Israelites so long ago in our Bit. ‘Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.’
Now is that so difficult to do my fellow believers, especially when the very existence of our way of life and our world is involved? I should think not!
I read recently in a copy of the Anglican Journal where one reader was castigating another for trying to hold this generation to the same edicts as the Israelites in the Old Testament. Now some of what he said was true, and he put forward the argument that what we should concentrate on in these supposedly modern times are the two commandments that Jesus gave us: LOVE your God, and your neighbour as yourself.
Now that’s all well and good, but the simple truth is that we can’t even seem to obey those two simple commands. Judging from the behaviour of our society and our world in general, too many of us obviously DON’T LOVE GOD, OURSELVES, OR OUR NEIGHBOURS!
So what kind of world do we expect to have under those conditions eh? Not a very good one. And in any case, to fulfill those two commandments of Jesus, we basically still have to live the life set out in the Old Testament; e.g. the Ten Commandments.
Ah my fellow believers, if we truly believe that the Good Book was inspired by God, and what it says is true, then we definitely need to refresh our minds by reading Deuteronomy 28, where Moses spells out the blessings of obedience, as well as the consequences of disobedience to the Israelites.
And remember, the Word of our Sovereign God DOES NOT CHANGE! That means those words still apply to us TODAY!
Listen up as I quote the first two verses of Deuteronomy 28: ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth: And these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.’ (Deut.28:1-2) Then the blessings are spelled out from verses 3 to 14.
Now hear the Good Book re the consequences of disobedience. ‘But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto (obey) the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do (observe carefully) all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.’ (Deut.28:15) And the curses are then spelled out from verse 16-68. That should tell us something people; that the curses are much worse than the blessings.
The scholars note: ‘This is probably due to human nature. The threat of severe judgement on the covenant-breaker seems to act as a stronger stimulus to correct behaviour than any promise of blessing.’
I beg to disagree though, for if it did, we would not be as sinful, evil and ungodly a society and world, as we are today. It’s obvious that we don’t care about the blessings or the curses, we’re just interested in the foolish material things and opinions that the evil world holds dear, considers so important that we must even disobey Jehovah God to have and do them.
Anyway Friends, enough for today. But Friends, please, please read Deuteronomy 28, for yourselves, and hopefully it will bring a lot of us to our senses, and we’ll finally realize the error of our ways, and try to do better, so that the curses of Almighty God won’t rain down on us anymore than they are currently doing. Then will we be considered a wise and astute generation. Much LOVE!
…in any language…or court of opinion…the blessings of obedience…are much, much more valuable…than the curses of disobedience…
26 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive and kicking, almighty god, Amen, beatiful soul, believe in God, believers, birth, Boxing Day, business owners, caring, celebrate God's Love, Christmas, Christmas tree, cold, colt, Creator, cross, dark, daughter, depressing news, disatrous situations, earthly pilgrimage, Easter, Emergency, eternal life, evergreen, exalted position, faith, faithfully fulfilled, forgiveness, G.T.A, God will stop at nothing, God-given ability, grace, guide and leader, hands that reach to touch, hanging on a tree, hearts that hurt, help, Holy Name, holy spirit, humble, inspiring and encouraging words, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, judge, just, king, lack of access, lack of power, lawgiver, life-giving, lift us up, Lord, lose one's mind, LOVE, lowly, manger, merchants, mercy, Ms. Wynne, negative, omnipotent force, outstrecthed arms, Palm Sunday, physical damage, pointing, praying, Premier, province wide, pushing on, quiet rest, reaching, rejoice, riding an ass, righteous, road-weary, rough time, sacrificial work, sales, salvation, saviour, Scarborough area, scriptures, setbacks, sharing, shoppers, significant difference, solid, sparkling, strong rooted in god's love, sturdy, suffering, The Christmas season, thoughts of God, three days, to save my soul, travel-worn, treasures, tree branches, trust, twinkling Christmas tree, two thousand years, wayfarers, whole world, young man, Zechariah, Zion
Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he shall save us.
And then it was Boxing Day! Yes Friends, most of the Christmas hoopla has died down now. Thank the Lord! The Christmas season itself is wonderful, but all the unnecessary fuss can get to be a bit much.
Unfortunately though, some 60-70 thousand people, primarily in the Scarborough area of the G.T.A, are still without power, and many trees and other impediments are still to be removed from the roads to provide access.
It’s certainly been a very rough time for those people, and though some are still complaining about the refusal to declare a state of Emergency, the Premier of the Province, Ms. Wynne, says that isn’t necessary because all the people who would have been called in province wide, are already here helping out.
But that’s cold comfort for those who still don’t have power. I spoke to a friend last night, she and her husband, both in their 70’s were without power for almost 72 hours over the weekend. At one point she thought she was about to lose her mind. Imagine two people in their 70’s in a cold, dark house for almost three days nuh!
Ah mih people, it’s truly been a harrowing Christmas for many people in the province. And sadly, on top of the ice, there’s been some snowfall over the last couple days, not a great deal, but enough to make matters worse. Please continue praying for us and helping in whatever way you can.
And another group that has certainly suffered is the business owners and merchants, since many of them couldn’t open because of lack of power and possibly physical damage to their properties. And even for those who were able to open, the number of shoppers must have been seriously curtailed due to the latter’s disastrous situations.
To spoil their Christmas even further, today, Boxing Day, usually Canada’s biggest sales and shopping day, has seen its importance steadily eroded as we try to compete with the U.S. Thanksgiving Black Friday sales pitch. So the merchants are seriously suffering, any which way you take it.
However my brethren, here’s something to lift us up after all that negative and depressing news. It’s a Christmas Prayer, from the Robert H. Schuller Hour of Power Devotional. I only read it after I wrote the Bit yesterday, otherwise I would have included it. But it’s still the Christmas season, so it’s still very appropriate.
And again I have to wonder how this prayer seems so new and unfamiliar to me, although I’ve been reading this devotional for a number of years.
Anyway, it inspirationally says: ‘You lead me, Jesus Christ, to thoughts of God. I see you in a manger carved from a tree. I see you as a young man with hands that reach to touch hearts that hurt. Your caring reaches out like the strong and kind branches of a gentle tree reach out to invite road-weary and travel-worn wayfarers to quiet rest.
I see you again hanging on a tree with outstretched arms taking in the whole world. From your cross, you show me that God will stop at nothing to save my soul. So, I celebrate God’s LOVE today as I celebrate your birth around a twinkling Christmas tree.
I pray my life, like yours, O Lord, may be tall and upright as a pine tree pointing, reaching, sharing, sparkling, life-giving; solid, sturdy, strong-rooted in God’s LOVE, a beautiful soul, evergreen forever: Amen.’
What inspiring and encouraging words my people! Though I had to chuckle at the end, because a lot of pines and other trees around the Province, certainly aren’t standing tall and sturdy today.
But the significant difference is that we believers, despite any setbacks, still have the God-given ability to stand sturdy, strong and deeply rooted in God’s amazing LOVE, becoming truly beautiful souls.
And we find that possible because of scriptures like our Bit. ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he shall save us.’
Yes my brethren, since Almighty God, the Creator and most omnipotent force in the universe is our guide and leader, we can stand strong in the power of His Holy Name, through the current working of His Holy Spirit, and the sacrificial work His Son, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, did for us two thousand years ago!
That just goes to show how strong and powerful is our God! Two thousand years later, He’s still alive and kicking, and pushing on as strong as ever. Wow!
In fact He’s becoming stronger every day, as more and more people come to recognize His tremendous power, LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, and thus believe in Him, put their trust and faith in Him, for help in their earthly pilgrimage.
Ah Friends, it’s time to close. I had envisioned getting to the ‘lawgiver’ aspect of our Bit, but that obviously wasn’t meant to be today. However, I’ll leave us with a wonderful scripture on the ‘king and saving’ aspect that I could not include yesterday.
Listen to these beautiful and encouraging words from the prophet Zechariah, as he prophesies about Zion’s future king. ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just (righteous), and having salvation; lowly (humble), and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech. 9:9)
And we all know that scripture was faithfully fulfilled on Palm Sunday!
So fellow believers, we’ve celebrated, sorry, we’re still celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, but we indeed have the next big occasion to look forward to, Easter, when He truly did His saving work and definitely earned His exalted position as our Lord and King. Much LOVE!
…to whom do we owe the treasures of salvation and eternal life…JESUS CHRIST…what a wonderful SAVIOUR…!
23 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accidents, adrenalin, ascension, aura of love, blues, circumstances, cold, commandment, confidence, crucifizion, damage, dangerous, deity, enthusiasm, evil ungodly world, faith, fallen trees, foot dragging, further your glorious kingdom, Gentiies, gospel, hazards, heavenly Father's business, heavens declare his righteousness, Holy Name, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, ice, invincible conquerors, Jesus Christ, jobs, judge, judge of the quick and the dead, keeping lives and families together, king, lawgiver, lead and guide, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, northern climes, ordained of God, our end all and be all, our Saviour, pain, Pentecost, Peter, power loss, ravages of storms, rejuvenation of spirit, remission of sins, renewed vitality, resurrection, sacrificed, sacrificially, Selah, sincere prayer, sinless life, sins, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strength, surrender our all, taunts, tiredness, truest truth, useful purpose, walk of faith, weary souls, weather, weight of ice, wiles, wintry
Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will save us.
Oh Friends, on this gloomy Monday morning, the eve of Christmas Eve, my area is still suffering from the ravages of the rain, freezing rain and ice storm. The storms themselves have abated, but the damage is there to be cleaned up now.
We’re talking about the emotional and physical pain of the populace, the numerous accidents, vehicular and human, the many trees that have fallen or lost sizeable portions of their limbs from the weight of the ice, the neighbourhoods that are still without power, the lanes and minor roads that are still ice covered or are slushy, making it very hazardous and unpredictable.
Yesterday morning I salted my drive way, and half an hour later when I came out to go to church, it seemed as though I’d never put down any salt at all, because it was covered with a clear sheet of ice. And later, on my way from church, I stopped to buy some more salt, and would you believe I couldn’t put them in the trunk of my car, because the ice wouldn’t allow the trunk to stay opened.
Mama Mia! You really can’t imagine the damage an ice storm can do, until you experience it. But believe me, it possibly does more damage, or is potentially more dangerous than just the normal snow. I remember one in Montreal some years ago, and couldn’t believe the serious damage it did. But now I believe! (smile)
A big, beautiful tree in my neighbour’s backyard is now a shadow of its former self, having lost about two thirds of its limbs, while a big one in my front yard has lost several branches, and has another sizeable branch dangerously hanging over the road. I will most likely have to find and pay someone to cut it down.
And the sad part is that we’re not quite sure what kind of weather to expect in the next few days, except that it will be cold and wintry. But nuh must! It’s winter in the northern climes! (smile) Anyway Friends, regardless of our circumstances this Monday morning, be they good, bad or indifferent, we need to get up and be about our heavenly Father’s business.
And to help us do that, to alleviate the blues, the tiredness and the foot dragging, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with grateful hearts, thankful that we’re still alive and full of the joy of our wonderful God.
In close harmony now, let’s sing: ‘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!’
And we can all feel the adrenalin flowing now my brethren! Our hope, faith and strength are on the increase, because our God is a most excellent Deity, He answers sincere prayer. Remember Friends, that our God is our EVERYTHING; OUR END ALL AND BE ALL!
As our Bit puts it: ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will save us.’ And that my fellow believers is possibly the truest of all truths that exist in this universe.
Now let’s corroborate our Bit with pertinent scriptures, taking each aspect of God’s majesty separately. Don’t know how much we’ll accomplish today because there’s lots of scripture to share, but let’s begin with the Lord being our JUDGE. In Acts 10, we find Peter preaching to the Gentiles, after the apostles had received the gift and power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
And having told them about Jesus; His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension (Acts 10:34-41), he then informs them of Jesus’ command. ‘And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of (the) quick and (the) dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission (forgiveness) of sins.’ (Acts 10: 42-43)
Oh Friends, we obviously can’t argue with Peter, because he walked with Jesus, was one of His inner circle of disciples, and saw and heard all that happened. Therefore we need to take what he says very seriously, and adjust our lives so that we can meet the Judge without too much anxiety.
And I like the scholars’ comment on that passage. ’10:36-43. Peter’s preaching presents in clear fashion the gospel: how Christ lived and died, was raised from the dead, and how He did this sacrificially and vicariously for our sins.’
And right there we have the answer my brethren! Because Jesus sacrificed His sinless life for our sins, the Father made Him JUDGE over all His creation, both living and dead. Please let that sink deep into our consciousness my people, because it’s ever so important in our earthly walk of faith. Much LOVE!
…and the heavens shall declare his righteousness…for God is judge himself… Selah (Ps.50:6)
16 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, actions of care, all praise and glory to God, aura of love, battle, believers in Christ, blessings, bombarded, buffeted, camels, children of men, confidence, counter-productive, Cousin Sol, damsel, drink, earthly pilgrimage, encouraging, enemy, enthusiasm, evil, exhorting, eyes of faith, eyes of the world, faithful, families, favour, friends, glorious kingdom, good speed, gratitude, guidance, Holy Name, holy spirit, humble servants, hymn, in faith, inroads, invincible, Isaac, Jesus Christ, jobs, kindness, lead and guide, lies, lives, living examples, lord god almighty, LOVE, make rich, Mesospotamia, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Nahor, no sorrow, not afraid, peace, prayer, productive, protective spiritual armour, Rebekah, reflected in our spirits, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, requests, sally forth, searching heart, sense of awe, shaking it rough, smart, steadfast faith, success, supplication, sure conquerors, the Good Book, the Old Testamnet, truly blessed, ungodly world, useful purpose, valuable truths, weary souls, wicked taunts, wiles, worship the Lord
Proverbs 10:22. The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, on this Monday morning in mid December, cold and snowy in my area, I want us to remember one outstanding thing about our situations on this earthly pilgrimage; that as believers in Jesus Christ, WE ARE TRULY BLESSED!
Yes my people, like the song says; ‘Oh we, we are blessed. Let’s tell the world that we, we are blessed!’ (my version)
And that’s exactly what Jesus would have us do my brethren! And not only tell them, but even better yet, show them by our gratitude to God, our actions of care, kindness and LOVE for each other, being living examples of His true LOVE for us!
So no matter how our situations look this morning, whether we’re shaking it rough or not, let’s remember that it’s only because we are truly blessed that we can sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in faith, and have it eventually reflected in our spirits.
So with that in mind, let’s sing that awesome hymn of prayer and praise to get us ready to face the outside world in this new workweek. All together now in one melodious 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!’
Ah mih breddren, reading that prayer always brings a chuckle to my spirit, as well as a sense of awe and gratitude.
Why? Because I don’t even remember the how, where, when and why of writing it. But I do know that I was indeed blessed, and had plenty of God’s help and guidance to write it, for I certainly could not have done it all in my own strength.
That’s why I keep preaching…oh no, not preaching…but what…possibly exhorting…because I’m much more an exhorter, an encourager, than a preacher.
So yes, that’s why I keep exhorting and encouraging us to turn to our Heavenly Creator first, and ask for guidance, before we embark on any task whatsoever!
Though sometimes that might seem foolish and counter-productive in the eyes of the world, yet through the eyes of faith in Jesus Christ, that move is ALWAYS PRODUCTIVE, since our God WILL NEVER lead us astray, if we come to Him in true gratitude and a sincere, searching heart.
That’s why Cousin Sol tells us in our Bit today: ‘The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.’
And that’s one of the many valuable truths contained in the Good Book my people!
Now we only have time and space left for two corroborative scriptures, and both come from the Old Testament. The first relates to Abraham, when he sent his servant to his homeland to seek a wife for his son Isaac. And what happened?
The servant took ten of Abraham’s camels loaded with goods, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city where Nahor, Abraham’s brother lived.
‘And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed (give me success) this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.
Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.’ (Gen.24:11-14)
Oh Friends that servant was truly smart and faithful! Wish more of us could be so inclined. (smile) For the Lord heard, and responded with favour and blessing.
‘And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.’ (Gen.24:15)
And she did all that the servant had prayed to the Lord for. (Gen.24:16-25) Please read it my people, either to familiarize yourself with it, or to refresh your memory.
‘And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute (forsaken) my master of his mercy (LOVING-kindness) and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.’ (Gen.24:26-27)
And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord, for His undeserving kindness to the children of men!’ Yes Friends, the Lord works with us when we work with Him.
Hn, hn! But apparently I wasn’t working with Him when I said that we had time for two examples of scripture, (smile) because we only have time for one. So tomorrow, God willing, we’ll continue with this topic.
Till then, may the Lord bless and keep us safe under His mighty umbrella of LOVE and safety, give us His wonderful peace, and cause us to live faithfully for Him. Much LOVE!
…be careful (anxious) for nothing…but in every thing… by prayer and supplication…with thanksgiving…let your requests be made known unto God… (Phil.4:6)
P.S. Oh Friends, it’s Monday, so it must be a bit long. (smile)
15 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, acclamation, all flesh is grass, assembly of saints, awe, big snowfall, black ice, born again, Canada, children's sake, Christian dedication, Christmas Season, claim to fame, climate change, compared to God, congregation of saints, control, Controller, corruptible, Creator, darkness, deity, depths of our souls, disciple, endless praises, endures for ever, Ethan the Ezrahite, extremely special, faithfulness, falls away, fear, fellowship, fervently, flower of grass, foolish, friends, gather in church, glorious majesty, glory of man, gospel, grow, heaven, holy spirit, impatient, imperishable, impetuous, in heaven, in the beginning, incorruptible, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, just desserts, justification, leaps and bounds, life, light of men, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, make known God's faithfulness, motivating force, number one, obeying, on earth, one true God, persihable, Peter, ponder, praise and worship, Praise the Lord, proof, pure heart, purified souls, raise our voices, raise the roofs, reconciled to God, relationship to God, respect, reverence, rightful due, sanctuaries, sincere, sing of God's mercies, sinless life, skids, Sunday, tell others about God, the Word, to all generations, total agreement, traumatized, truth, undying gratitude, universe, veneration, withers, wonderful god, wonders
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Oh Friends, at last my neck of the woods has received its first big snowfall of the season! Granted, it’s not as big as some of those experienced up north, or in places like Dallas and Philly recently, but it’s certainly big enough to get me going. (smile)
You know we’ve become so spoiled over the last few years with comparatively small quantities of snow in the winter time, that when we do get a fairly large amount, some of us get sort of traumatized. (smile) But we need to remember that this is the North Country, good old Canada, where in these days of climate change, anything is possible.
And though the snow made the roads slippery and icy, people were still driving as though they were clean and dry. I guess there will always be the impetuous, impatient and foolish amongst us.
I drove my wife’s car instead of mine because hers has on snow tires and mine doesn’t, but I don’t know if that was any better, because I feel more comfortable in mine, and on two stretches of relatively clean, clear, straight road, not going very fast, I still had two small skids, possibly meaning that there was black ice on the road, although it looked okay.
And the amazing thing is that there were still oodles of vehicles on the road. One would think because it was Saturday, with not as many people having to go to work, and the snow still falling, the roads would be fairly empty. I was only out there because I had to be.
Anyway, enough of my rambling about the snow, for it’s still out there, it’s still mucho cold, and nothing I say or do will change that. (smile) So let’s turn to something that we have some say in, our Bit; most likely on its last legs today.
‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
Now that my Friends, is something we have much control over! And isn’t it just great to praise and worship our wonderful God, and tell others about Him? It sure is, especially on a Sunday when many of us gather in church to fellowship and sing His endless praises.
Oh my people, today when we raise our voices in praise and worship, let’s make it something extremely special nuh, let’s raise the roofs on our sanctuaries! Let the feeling of acclamation come truly from the depths of our souls!
Let’s get in agreement with the psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite, as he proudly proclaims: ‘And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ (Ps. 89:5-7)
And in total agreement, all God’s people shouted a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes my Friends, there is NONE mightier or more worthy of praise than the ONE TRUE GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Creator and Controller of this mighty universe!
And there’s absolutely no doubt about that, for as John so wisely puts it: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.’ (John 1:1-5)
Ah mih breddren, what a magnificent description as it refers to Jesus and His relationship to Almighty God! No other supposed deity can lay claim to such fame, to such distinction! So please, my people, please let’s start paying Him the proper respect and reverence He so awesomely deserves nuh.
Not the wishy washy way too many of us currently behave towards our wonderful Lord and Saviour, who gave up His sinless life for us, so that we could be reconciled to the Father. That fact alone deserves undying gratitude and LOVE!
And we’ll end with further proof and justification of His glorious majesty, through the words of His staunch disciple, Peter, as He calls for true and serious Christian dedication.
‘Seeing that ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned (sincere) LOVE of the brethren, see that ye LOVE one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible (perishable) seed, but of incorruptible (imperishable), by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.’ (1 Pet.1:22-25)
Oh Friends, I can’t put it any better than that, so I won’t even try to clarify it. I’ll just say that it would be such a pleasure, such a motivating force, if more of us could truly rise up and give Jesus His just desserts; put Him first in ALL we do, with the awe and veneration that’s His rightful due.
Then His church and His LOVE Revolution would surely grow by leaps and bounds, and consequently, our world would be a much better place to dwell.
Let’s ponder that today Friends, and for our children’s sake, put it into action, as soon as possible. Much LOVE!
…to all believers…this Christmas season…let’s truly show our LOVE and adoration for Jesus…let’s truly make Him NUMBER ONE…on all the earth…as well as in heaven…
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