13 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant in goodness, all his works are done in truth, and new wine the maids, anxious, aura of love, being obedient to God's will, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, confidence, corn shall make the young men cheerful, Creator of the universe, encouragement, faithful, fearful, For how great is his goodness, friends, get up and go, God's favour, godless world, gospel truth, gracious, harmonious voice, hectic weekend, holy spirit, how great is his beauty, humble servants, in the land of the living, invincible, Jesus Christ, justice, labouring time, lies, long-suffering, LOVE, loving kindness, merciful, mercy, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, Mt. Sinai, O Lord God Almighty, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, repentance, rest, right motives, righteousness., rightousness, Rome, sincere, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, the BIBLE, the goodness of the Lord, the judgement of God, the Ten Commandments, the word of the Lord is right, trials and tribulations, truth, ungodly world, uptight, wiles, wisdom
Zechariah 9:17. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn (grain) shall make the young men cheerful (thrive), and new wine the maids.
Ah mih people, it’s labouring time once again! That beautiful day of Monday has come around so that some of us can go to work and rest after a hectic weekend. (smile) Yeh, a few of us have life easier at work than at home; no family and/or children to constantly yell at and clean up after. Thus you are happy to get out of the house after a couple of hectic days at home.
But whatever your situation, all of us can always use some encouragement, some get up and go, come Monday morning. So let’s stir up the adrenalin with a loud and lusty rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn nuh.
As one harmonious voice 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 good Friends, not great, but good enough to bring a smile to our conductor, Jesus’ face. And anytime we can bring a smile to Jesus’ face, then we are surely on the right track. But now we have to venture out into the cruel and godless world and try to keep that smile on His face by being obedient to His will, otherwise our day will be all for naught.
That doesn’t mean we have to be uptight, fearful and anxious about Jesus’ reaction to our daily walk, because He knows our frail and fragile human nature and has experienced firsthand the trials and tribulations of this world. We just need to be faithful and sincere and do our best out of a heart flushed with right motives.
And we don’t need to worry if we don’t accomplish all we set out to do in a manner glorifying Him, because as our Bit says: ‘For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn (grain) shall make the young men cheerful (thrive), and new wine the maids.’
Yes my people, the Lord’s goodness has been legendary right down through the ages. And He doesn’t wait for anybody to say it, He said it Moses, the second time he went up Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. The Bible details it thus: ‘And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…’ (Ex.34:6)
And since our God cannot lie, that means His words were gospel truth! And eventually people began believing after seeing it for themselves. As Bruh David says in Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation. ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps.27:13)
Ah Friends, that is also indisputable truth, for where would be if we couldn’t expect to see God’s favour and goodness down here on earth eh? Things would have been even rougher than they are now. But such is the wisdom, compassion and mercy of our wonderful God! He knows that we need to experience His favour down here on earth so that we can handle all the stuff that comes against us in a wicked world.
Then in Psalm 33 – Praise to the Lord for his creation, the psalmist boldly and confidently declares. ‘For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He LOVETH righteousness and judgement (justice): the earth is full of the goodness (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord.’ (Ps.33:4-5) And that’s no lie Friends; otherwise our world would be even more cruel, evil and topsy-turvy than it currently is.
Now listen to Bruh Paul in his missive to the church at Rome, where he’s telling them that to judge others is to condemn themselves. And by the way, that still applies to all of us today. ‘And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest thou the same, that thou shalt escape the judgement of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?’ (Rom.23-4)
Oh Friends, oh Friends, never were truer words spoken! As I keep saying, I don’t know what we would have done without the goodness of our magnanimous God!
And we shall end with the words of Bruh David from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘I will speak of the (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.’ (Ps.145:5-7)
My brethren, Bruh David did as he declared, and was amply rewarded for his faithfulness. Now it’s our time to passionately talk of God’s goodness and sing of His righteousness. Please, let’s go out and do that today and every day, for it is undoubtedly wisdom from above. Much LOVE!
…the goodness of God is what keeps us keeping on…
09 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doddering old man, aches and pains, affirm, attribute of God, batting my gums, blessings, Bruh Paul, bubbling broth of love, comfort zone, communicative, communion, compassion, confession, confidence, Corinthians, count for something, deceitful enemy, faithful, faithful is He that calls you, faithfulness, fellowship, for he is faithful that promised, forgiveness, friends, God is faithful, God's Word, grace, heartrending, help of the Holy Spirit, hobbling, holy spirit, hope, it's found, Jesus Christ, jesus christ our lord, keep you from evil, kindness, leading and guiding, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, love is like wildflowers, loving kindness, mercy, on the lookout for love, on the winning end, our sins forgiven, P.S. I Love You, patient waiting for Christ, promised to redeem us, shaking it rough, souls washed clean, Spread God's Word, temptation, that's life, the cross at Calvary, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord is faithful, the LOVE of God, the most unlikely places, trials and tribulations, troubled world, understanding, ungrateful sinners, union with Christ, what's cooking, winter years, wisdom, without wavering
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Aye Friends, what’s cooking on this terrific though cloudy looking Thursday morning eh? I do hope that it’s a bubbling broth of LOVE, grace, mercy, blessings, kindness, compassion and forgiveness, because that is exactly what our topsy-turvy, troubled world needs right now.
Unfortunately though, the ole fella’s shaking it a bit on the rough side this morning, walking around like a doddering old man, (smile) with all the aches and pains choosing to act up at the same time. I don’t know nuh, but I went to bed early last night, planning to get a decent night’s rest…
Hn! That was only in my imagination. I got up several times during the night unable to find a comfort zone, and then when it was really time to get up, I fell asleep, then got up hobbling. Hn, Hn! But that’s life folks, especially in the winter years.
But yuh know what my brethren? The aches and pains are not holding back the ole fella, that’s for sure! They might slow me down some, but they are definitely not going to stop me from doing the work that’s been laid out for me by the Almighty! And I’d like all you old geezers out there, who are similarly wracked by aches and pains to affirm the same thing.
All together now: ‘Aches and pains are not going to stop us from doing the work Jesus desires of us in this life!’
What a way to go mih people! Remember we can overcome anything that comes our way with the help of the Holy Spirit which indwells us. We might not be as quick and physically supple as in our youth, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with our minds.
So let’s not give in to the temptation thrown at us by the deceitful and wily enemy, we can still be very useful and productive members of society.
And I have to laugh here Friends, because I don’t know where all of that is coming from. I surely hope it’s the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.
Now here is a li’l something from my ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ poster. Some of you long time readers might remember it. And it reminds us that ‘LOVE is like wildflowers. It’s often found in the most unlikely places.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth Friends? We often find LOVE in places that we never dreamed of finding it. That means that wherever we are, we should always be on the lookout for LOVE since it can appear anywhere, at any time, under any circumstance! It’s the attribute of God, so wherever God is, LOVE ought to be there too.
Now let’s turn to our Bit, which is a terrific piece of scripture, filled with godly assurance and encouragement. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’
And for those of you paying attention, you’ll notice that I have the dates right on both headings today. That is what comes from laziness, but it also lessens the pain of having to transcribe the same Bit everyday.
Anyway Friends, it is a proven fact that the Holy One of Israel, whom we worship and adore, is undeniably, unconditionally and extremely faithful! We’ve seen it in the lives of His servants, as well as the most heartrending act of sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary, so that our sins could be forgiven and our souls washed clean.
He promised to redeem us way back when, and ever so faithfully, He did it through Jesus. Now I don’t know what else He has to do to prove His faithfulness. I doubt that any of us would give up our only son to be sacrificed for a bunch of ungrateful sinners. But the Lord God Jehovah did! And that ought to count for something – in fact count for a lot.
But enough of me batting my gums, (smile) let’s look at some scripture that enhances my contention. And we’ll begin with Bruh Paul stating it blatantly to the Corinthians in the introduction to the first epistle. ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:9)
And the scholars offer this explanation of that verse. ‘1:9. Unto the fellowship of his son: The term ‘fellowship’ includes both union and communion. The Corinthian believers had been brought into union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly this great truth implies that they had been brought into communion with one another. Here in a nutshell is the theme of this epistle.’
And Friends, that still holds true, even to this day. We believers have been brought into union with Jesus Christ as well as communion with each other. That means we ought to be more into Jesus than we currently are, as well as being more understanding and communicative with each other.
Then in 1 Thessalonians, Bruh Paul again states the faithfulness of God without any doubt or concern. ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess.5:24) And who should know about God’s faithfulness better than Bruh Paul eh? All the trials and tribulations he went through to spread God’s Word, but he always came out on the winning end.
And we’ll wrap up this morning with another word from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, this one from his second epistle to them. ‘But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish (establish) you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).
And we have confidence in the Lord touching (concerning) you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the LOVE of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ (patience of Christ).’ (2 Thes.3:3-5)
Oh my people, I wish the exact sentiments on all of us today; that the Lord will direct our hearts into His wonderful and unconditional LOVE, and give us the patience of Christ, to wait patiently and work diligently until His return. That my brethren is wisdom of the highest level! Much LOVE!
…thy mercy (LOVING-kindness) oh Lord…is in the heavens…and thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds… (Ps.36:5)
06 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, ambition, aura of love, be rich in good works, Bruh Paul, caressed the air, complaining, compromise, confidence, Cousin Sol, coveted, destruction, eternal life, fall into temptations, friends, generous, glorious kingdom, glory to God, godly enthusiasm, godly purpose, guiding light, haughty, highminded, holy spirit, humble servants, hypocrites, idol, in great spirits, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, love for money, lusts, materialistic, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not on the things on the earth, on the ball, peace, pitfalls, praise and worship God, Praise the Lord, Proverbs, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., root of all evil, ruin, salvation, set your affection on things above, spiritual armour, spiritually concerned, steadfast faith, the goal of life, the house of God, the moral of the story, the Ten Commandments, the true light of the world, truth, ungodly world, wicked taunts, wiles, wisdom, working for the almighty dollar
Colossians 3:2. Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, a fair number of hypocrites came to church yesterday, (smile) and did we ever sing and dance, praise and worship God, and enjoy each other’s company! Wow! So much so that we all left the house of God in great spirits, with our LOVE, peace and godly enthusiasm boosted sky high! Oh Glory to God, my people!
That’s why on this summer’s morn, this Monday morning, we are able to get up and get ourselves together to go out and labour without a lot of fuss and complaining. We set the tone for the rest of the week by affirming our convictions with Almighty God on the first day. And that’s why I keep advising us, that our Sundays set the tone and tempo for our Mondays.
Now for those of us whose spirits are still burdened and heavy laden, let’s get our act together by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much verve and gusto. As one earthly, but angelic sounding choir, 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!’
Oh Friends, that was wonderful, marvellous! And most importantly, Jesus was thrilled. You could tell by the dazzling smile on His face as lost in the music, He swayed and wielded – no, not wielded, because that carries a sense of a crude, rough and heavy manner – but rather, as He gently, lightly, but firmly caressed the air with His conductor’s baton. (smile)
Yes my people, I don’t know what happened, but we are definitely on the ball this morning. As we sang, we must obviously have done what our Bit says. ‘Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth.’
Oh, if we could only do that in all the other areas of our lives, what a truly wonderful world this would be! But unfortunately that’s not the case; the things of the world still hold too much sway over us; we’re way too materialistic and not sufficiently spiritually concerned. And per the Good Book, my brethren, that is not a very good or wise way to be.
Cousin Sol puts it this way in Proverbs. ‘Labour not to be rich (do not overwork): cease from thine own wisdom.’ (Prov.23:4)
And why is that? As Bruh Paul explains to Timothy. ‘But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil; which while some coveted after, they have strayed from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many arrows.’ (1 Tim.6:9-10)
Ah Friends, what absolute truth! When our main ambition is to be rich, to be materially wealthy, we lose sight of our godly purpose and fall into all sorts of compromises and wrong doing, just to make money. In other words we make money our idol, our god.
And that’s obviously not right. At least not in the eyes of our Creator and heavenly Father, who has faithfully promised that if we seek His righteousness, He will provide us with all we need to be successful in this world. (Matt.6:33) Unfortunately, too many of us don’t seem to believe Him and thus kill ourselves working for the almighty dollar.
Now here is an important explanation from the scholars. ‘6:10. The root of all evil means a root or source of all kinds of evil. The LOVE for money is not the only source from which evil comes. Coveted after means that some have “striven after” money as the goal of life.’
Yes my brethren, money, in and of itself is not bad, and we definitely need it to live, but when we make amassing it our be all and end all, begin coveting it, that is when we lose our way. Remember the last of the Ten Commandments; thou shalt not covet. (Ex.20:17) And that means anything that belongs to someone else. Any time you covet anything, it’s a sin. So the moral of the story is to not let material wealth be your guiding light, but rather Jesus, the true light of the world.
Now let’s conclude with some more wise and wonderful advice from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘Charge (command) them that are rich in this world (present age), that they be not highminded (haughty), nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute (give), willing to communicate (share); Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.’ (1 Tim.6:17-19)
Oh Friends, what powerful and wise words! The scholars explain them thus: ‘6:17-18. Paul charges wealthy believers (1) not to be proud and look down on those who are not rich, (2) to confide in God, rather than in unstable riches, (3) to be rich in good works by generously sharing their surplus of financial resources with the needy. To be ready to distribute is to be generous in sharing. To be willing to communicate is to be liberal in giving.’
Now please notice as the scholars remind us: ‘Salvation is not purchased by the giving of money, but generosity demonstrates the reality of one’s faith. Since the believer trusts God and not money, he gives. This giving shows where his heart is and that he views his wealth in light of eternity.’
More words of wisdom Friends, so please let’s ponder on it all and then come to some right conclusions re our attitude towards money, for that will certainly make or break us. Much LOVE!
…money is good and necessary…but LOVING it…allowing it to rule your life…is fraught with many serious pitfalls…
29 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night, abounding in mercy, affliction, attributes of God, aura of love, blessed, brazen, Caleb, christianity, comapssion, comapssionate, commandments, common sense, confidence, consequences, corrupt, corruption, Creator of the universe, dealt proudly, did not heed thy commandments, disobedience, Egypt, elections, endure, enthusiasm, forgiveness, friends, Glory be, Hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, inefficient, inept, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Job, Joshua, kindness, lacked nothing, lies, long-suffering, LOVE, loving kindness, manna, mercy, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morning drive, Nehemiah, Oh Lord God Almighty, our Lord and Saviour, Pan Am Games, pardon, patience, persevarance, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., sinfulness, slow to anger, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, stiff necked, stubborn, the Lord is merciful and gracious, traffic snarls, two-faced, ungodly world, wine and roses, wisdom
Psalm 103:8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).
‘Aye ah yie, mih people is Monday! (background voices) -Glory be now! – Oh yah yo, mih breddren is Monday! -Hallelujah!- That means is time to get up and get ready, ready to go out and labour; Labour for Christ Jesus, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour! -Praise His Holy Name! – Sing the chorus Friends. Aye ah yie mih people is Monday! -Glory be now! – Oh yah yo, mih breddren is Monday! -Hallelujah…!’
Yes Friends, just a li’l ditty, a li’l kaiso to lively up ourselves, to put a li’l amusement in our spirits as we face this Monday morning at the end of June. (smile) Thankfully, the rain seems to have stopped in my area, but the ground is still soggy and the roads might still be a tad wet and slippery, so please be careful in your morning drive.
And talking about morning drive, please remember that as of today, all the major highways are down to one lane less, because those lanes, in somebody’s false wisdom, have been converted to HOV lanes, where only cars with at least three passengers can travel for the next month. Ah Lord eh! And all of that was done so that people involved in the Pan Am Games beginning sometime this week, can get around quicker.
Chuh! Obviously the people who pay for all the expenses and the corruption that goes on in these artificial games don’t really matter. They will just have to endure even more traffic snarls with one lane lost to the already parking lot status on our highways. Normal HOV lanes only require two people in the car, so this will force those who carpool to avoid the traffic, right back into even more congestion.
Steups! Let’s just hope I don’t get caught up in too much of it nuh. But there’s no use complaining now, since there’s nothing we can do about it, except in the next elections not vote back into power, this brazen, inept, inefficient, corrupt and two-faced government. So let’s move on and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto, and leave them to the Lord.
Altogether 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 pretty good Friends…in comparison to last week. (smile) Jesus wasn’t as disappointed. And we’ll get right into our Bit. ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).’
Oh Friends, I don’t know what we would have done without such a wonderful God nuh. Just listen to this litany of wrongdoing that the Israelites committed, and yet the Lord did not destroy them totally. The scripture comes from the book of Nehemiah.
‘But they and our fathers dealt proudly (acted presumptuously or insolently), and hardened (stiffened) their necks (became stubborn), and hearkened not to (did not heed) thy commandments. And refused to obey, neither were they mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt and had wrought (worked) great provocations (wonders); Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way, neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old (did not wear out), and their feet swelled not.’ (Neh.9:16-21)
Oh my brethren, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! No other Deity would have put up with the shenanigans of the Israelites; they would certainly have been destroyed, or just left to paddle their own canoe, as best they could. But instead our magnanimous God showed them mercy and forgiveness and looked after them in the wilderness, in spite of their gross disobedience and sinfulness.
But it was not all wine and roses, for none of those who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, even Moses, never set foot in the Promised Land. So though our God is wonderful, there are consequences to be paid for continual disobedience.
And we’ll end with a passage from James, where he’s talking about patience in affliction. ‘Behold, we count them happy (blessed) which endure. Ye have heard of the patience (perseverance) of Job, and have seen the end of (intended by) the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful (compassionate), and of tender mercy.’ (James 5:11)
And every believer ought to be able to vouch for that because He has shown compassion, mercy and forgiveness to each and every one of us at one stage, or more like several stages of our lives. Now let’s go out and live up to the expectations and standards He expects of us, for that is indeed the zenith of wisdom and common sense. Much LOVE!
…how could anyone with even a drop of wisdom or common sense…not greatly appreciate the mercy…the long-suffering… the grace…the compassion…and all the other wonderful attributes of Almighty God eh…
22 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Absalom, adversity, apply our hearts unto wisdom, aura of love, bear the yoke, before the evil days come, Blessed is the man whom the Lord chastens, Bruh David, call in sick, confidence, consequences, days of adversity, discern between good and evil, do good like Jesus, Father's Day, glorious kingdom, grief of soul, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, I have no pleasure in them, in his youth, in the days of thy youth, invincible, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, joy, judgement, Lamentations, lies, LOVE, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Moses, nor years draw nigh, Oh Lord God Almighty, rejuvenation of spirit, remember now thy Creator, renewed vitality, righteousness., serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, taunts, teach us to number our days, the evil days, the Lord will not cast off his people, the pit be digged for the wicked, the thoughts of man, the voice of singing men, ungodly world, upright in heart, vanity, when thou shalt say, wiles, wisdom
Ecclesiastes 12:1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.
Oh Friends, before you realize it, the Father’s Day celebrations are over, and it’s Monday once again! Yeh, that means we have to force ourselves to get up to go and labour, under masa’s critical and constant eye and stinging whip. No doubt many are going to call in sick today, regardless of the consequences, but that’s a choice the individual has to make.
However, to help us get ourselves together, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, with as much verve and harmony as possible. (smile)
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!’
Ah Friends, let me just say that that definitely was NOT one of our better renditions. Hn! Our choir director, Jesus, only shook His head and smiled knowingly. But it ought to get us started in some form and fashion, so we can go out into the mish-mash world and do good like Jesus did in His earthly sojourn.
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.’ Yes my brethren, that’s a wise and powerful warning for all of mankind, especially the youths.
And we have one remaining scripture passage that points toward the first part of our Bit. ‘Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth…’ It comes from Jeremiah and his Lamentations. Jerry solemnly declares: ‘It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. He sitteth (let him sit) alone and keepeth (keep) silence, because he (God) hath borne (laid) it upon him.’ (Lam. 3:27-28)
It’s wisest to remember our Creator in our youth, but even then, as so many other saints besides Jeremiah found out, it’s still possible to experience ‘great grief of soul.’
And as pertaining to the second part of our Bit ‘…while the evil days come not (before the evil days come), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.’ Listen to this interesting scripture which takes place when Bruh David is returning to Jerusalem after the death of his rebellious son Absalom. (2 Sam.19)
This older fellow, Barzillai had looked after Bruh David with supplies while he had been on the run and now that he was going back to Jerusalem, Bruh David wanted Barzillai to go back with him. (2 Sam.19:31-33)
‘And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil (bad)? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? Wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king.’ (2 Sam.19:34-35)
Yeh Friends, there comes a time when our earthly days are drawing to a close that we don’t, or can’t enjoy the pleasures of life like we used to. And we need to respect and accept it, like Barzillai, otherwise we’ll just make ourselves even more miserable than normal.
Meanwhile, Moses, in Psalm 90 declares: ‘The days of our years (lives) are three score years and ten (seventy); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength (boast only) labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’ (Ps.90:10-12)
Oh my people, it’s always best we can get on the right path from young, but unfortunately many of us never do so until we’re quite mature, then we have no choice but to stand the consequences of our unwise behaviour.
As the Psalmist says in Psalm 94 – How long shall the wicked triumph. ‘The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity (futile). Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest (instructeth), O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;
That thou mayest give him rest (relief) from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off (abandon) his people , neither will he forsake his inheritance. But judgement shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.’ (Ps.94:11-15)
Yes Friends, no matter how you slice it up, the result is still the same: the Lord will chasten those he LOVES and be forever faithful to them, while He destroys the wicked. So please, let’s advise the young to put their trust in Him as early as possible, so that they can fully enjoy the benefits of His many blessings. That’s just simple common sense and heavenly wisdom. (smile) Much Much LOVE my people!
… oh, if only the parents would teach the young about the Lord…and the young would listen…what wonders would be wrought throughout the earth…
15 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse the weekend, almighty god, aura of love, blessings, Colossians, comfort your hearts, complaining, confidence, conquerors, corrupt communication, Creator of the universe, enthusiasm, eternal life, evangelism, everlasting consolation, evil, faith, fellowship, for by grace you have been saved, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, glory in my infirmities, good hope, gospel truth, grace, His only begotten Son, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, lies, living God, lord god almighty, lord jesus christ, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, minister grace, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Monday Morning, my grace is sufficent for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, negative, not of yourselves, Oh Lord God Almighty, opportunity, pep in our step, pity parties, redeeming the time, rejuvenation of spirit, rise to the occasion, sacrifice, saved through faith, seasoned with salt, self-serving, sins, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that which is good, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the power of christ, the thorn in his flesh, to the use of edifying, ungodly world, unmerited favour, walk in wisdom, whining, wisdom, wise behaviour, witnessing
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Oh Friends, unfortunately the two big days off for the weekend are now over… And I hear a loud ‘Steups!’ in response. (smile)
That means today is Monday…yes Monday, and we need to get ourselves up and out to labour for another week, so that we can earn some money, often a pittance, to try and lead a half-decent life.
We all know it’s not the ideal scenario, but it’s what we have, so let’s just get over ourselves, stop the pity parties, the whining and complaining and rise to the occasion as Jesus desires of us. And remember that if you abuse the weekend, you won’t be fit for anything come Monday morning. So enough with the sermon, (smile) instead let’s belt our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with a whole lot of vim and vigour.
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!’
Oh chuh people! That was a rather hoarse, half-hearted and off-key rendition! Jesus wasn’t thrilled at all. You could see Him shaking His head all through it, while His face bore an unhappy, puzzled ‘what else can I do eh?’ expression.
Anyway Friends, it’s too late to worry about that now. Hopefully though, just singing it boosted our adrenalin output and put a li’l pep in our step, enabling us to go out and do a good job in Jesus’ name.
We also need to remember quite clearly from whence all our blessings flow; from Almighty God. And one of the biggest blessings, if not the biggest, ever to befall mankind is enshrined in our Bit. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’
Mama Mia! I can’t help but say it Friends – what a magnificent and magnanimous God we serve and worship! And there should be NO DOUBT whatsoever about that, just judging from the fact that He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our disgusting sins. Has any of the other supposed gods ever done anything like that? Obviously not, because they are all dead, inanimate, ephemeral objects. But the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the ONE AND ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD!
And all God’s people shouted a loud and lusty: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ Yes Friends, our God is a true living and breathing Being, who sees and knows all that goes on in our world.
Now let’s turn to some provocative scriptures that deal with grace. And one of the most famous ones occurs when Bruh Paul asks the Lord three times to take away ‘the thorn in his flesh.’ But the Lord’s response is certainly interesting. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Cor.12:9)
Yes my people, in our weaknesses God’s power is demonstrated, for when we are unable to bear up in our own strength, God’s grace pulls us through. Please remember that in times of weakness and frailty. He doesn’t always solve our problems, but He ALWAYS gives us the wherewithal, the grace to handle them in our weakness.
Now hear what Bruh Paul says later on to the Ephesians, re the new life in Christ. ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.’ (Eph.4:29)
Ah mih people, are we following those wise words of advice? I certainly hope so, because it is imperative that our words lift up, benefit those who hear them. We can’t expect others to come to Jesus if our words are negative and self-serving.
Then to the Colossians, he says: ‘Walk in wisdom toward them that are without (outside), redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.’ (Col.4:5-6)
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘4:5. Paul turns from his responsibilities for evangelism (v.3-4) to the Colossians’ evangelistic duties (v.5-6). They are to walk in wisdom or “live wisely” in their relations toward them that are without, that is, unbelievers. Redeeming the time is to make the most of every opportunity. They are to seize every opportunity to display wise behaviour toward the unsaved and to use it as a chance for witnessing.’
And yuh know what Friends? Those same sentiments apply to us in these worrisome and difficult times.
‘4:6. An example of wise conduct (v.5) is daily speech that is gracious (with grace) in nature. Such speech is to be seasoned with salt, that is, characterized by the wisdom of verse 5. Gracious, wise conversation will enable the Colossians to know how to answer every man when speaking to him about the gospel.’
That also applies to us today my brethren!
And we’ll end with Bruh Paul’s words to the Thessalonians. ‘Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath LOVED us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish (establish) you in every good word and work.’ (2 Thess.2:16-17)
Oh Friends, I wish those exact sentiments upon us all today, as we go out into the crazy world to live and work for Jesus. Much LOVE!
…grace…the totally unmerited favour of God…given to totally undeserving men…a true and wonderful testimony…of God’s great LOVE for us…
13 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, Bruh Paul, charles stanley, Christ-like example, concern, Dr, Ephesians, for by grace you have been saved, forgiveness, free gift of grace, full of grace and truth, glory hallelujah, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's Riches at Christ's Expense, good works, grace, guidance, Hades, heaven, hell, his own received him not, holy spirit, in the eyes of the Lord, In Touch, it is a gift of God, lest any man should boast, LOVE, Lucifer, mercy, my name's written in the Book of life, Noah found grace, not od works, not of yourselves, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, righteousness., salvation, Saul, saved through faith, spiritual birth, strength, thanks and praise, the Damascus road, the power to become the sons of God, the world knew him not, them that believe on His name, thw will of the flesh, unmerited favour, wisdom
Ephesians 2:8. For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Aye Friends, in some parts of our world night is swiftly falling, while in others, day is slowly dawning, but be it known that the controlling factor in both circumstances is the hand of Almighty God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
So while some on the other side of the world are praying, asking for a restful and refreshing night of sleep, we on this side of the pond are giving thanks for being able to see the Son’s glorious light for another wonderful day.
And we’re also asking for strength, guidance and wisdom to do God’s Will as we go about our day, hopefully doing good like our Lord and Saviour Jesus did while He sojourned here on earth. Later on tonight, the situations will be reversed, but in His absolute wisdom, that’s just the way God planned it.
Now this past week on In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley, I heard a male quartet open the proceedings with a beautiful spiritual song that touched my heart mightily. (smile) Some of you who watch Uncle Charles might have also heard it. I don’t remember the verses of the song, but the chorus was so memorable that it stuck in my mind.
Please sing it with me. ‘Saved by grace. I have been saved by grace. My name’s written in the Book of Life. And my sins are washed away. Saved by grace. I have been saved by grace. It’s not what I deserve. But I have been saved by grace.’
One more time people, so that the truth of those statements can sink right down deep into our souls. ‘Saved by grace. I have been saved by grace. My name’s written in the Book of Life. And my sins are washed away. Saved by grace. I have been saved by grace. It’s not what I deserve. But I have been saved by grace.’
Yes Friends, it’s by God’s free gift of grace that we are saved, not by anything else! And yuh know what too? We absolutely don’t deserve it. But nonetheless, we have been saved by God’s grace.
‘And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Give the Lord much thanks and praise for His great LOVE and concern for us!’
Yuh better believe that too yes Friends, for without God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness we’d all be heading for Hades with Lucifer, with no chance for, or of redemption. Glory be for such a wonderful Deity!
Now let’s check out our Bit and delve a little more into the ramifications of the whole situation. (smile) ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’ That’s Bruh Paul telling it to the Ephesians plain and clear!
And the scholars offer this explanation re the Grace of God. ‘2:8. The grace of God is the expression of His goodness toward the undeserving. Grace means unmerited favour, and can be expressed by the acrostic “God’s riches At Christ’s Expense.” This grace is the basis of our salvation (1:7; 2:8).
Illustration: In salvation, men who deserve hell obtain heaven. This cannot be explained apart from God’s grace. When Paul (Saul) met the Lord on the Damascus Road, Paul was a persecutor of the church. Yet God made him one of the church’s chief preachers. Application: We need to remember that we are saved, given the Holy Spirit, and allowed to serve God – by His grace. (First Ref. Gen.6:8; Primary Ref. Eph.2:8; cf. Ps.139:1).’
Yes my brethren, the whole shebang has nothing to do with us, but all with God. As Bruh Paul continues after our Bit. ‘Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:9-10)
Now listen to the scholars’ explanation of those two verses. ‘2:9. The reason, in part, that salvation is not achieved by good works is to prevent men from bragging of having earned a place in heaven by themselves.’ ‘2:10. For verifies the assertion of man’s good works having no part in obtaining salvation.
Workmanship refers not our original or physical birth, but our spiritual birth: what we are spiritually in the good sense is due to God, not ourselves. Created in Christ Jesus unto good works means “having been (morally) re-created by Christ Jesus for good works”; that is, Jesus remade our spiritual lives so that we could then do good works.
The apostle’s thinking is this: since the Christian has been given spiritual life for the purpose of doing good works, there could have been no good works by him prior to conversion that would merit salvation. Good works follow – do not precede – salvation.’
And there we have it my people, some basic facts about that most wonderful attribute of God, called grace! Unfortunately though, not a whole lot of us seem to appreciate it, because we don’t hold God in high esteem. Many of us refuse to even believe that there is a God. I’m sorry for that poor lot, but there’s not a whole lot that we can do except tell them about Christ and live the way He wants us to live. Hopefully our Christ-like example will make a bigger difference than our talking.
And we’ll end with these moving words of John. ‘He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:10-14)
Oh Friends, that puts it all into a nutshell, so that we can see it at one glance. Please ponder all that we’ve said to day, so that we can improve our faith, our Bible knowledge and our righteousness as befitting true believers. Much LOVE!
…but Noah found grace…in the eyes of the Lord… (Gen.6:8)
12 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Bathsheba, beguiling, belief in Jesus christ, Bruh David, cast me not away from thy presence, count it all joy, create in me a clean hear, divers temptations, dominion, faith, Friday chant, friends, glorious kingdom, glory, Glory be, God's joy, holy spirit, honour, hypnotizing power, I am called by thy name, iniquities, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful presence of god, LOVE, Lucifer, lulled back to sleep, majesty, more precious than gold, my soul shall be joyful in the Lord, negative experiences, O Lord God of Hosts, ole crook, power, praise, prayer for cleansing, prophet Nathan, rejoicing to our hearts, rejuvenation of spirit, renew a right spirit within me, rest, salvation, sinners shall be converted, stand strong in Jesus' Name, steal our joy, temptations, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the appearing of Jesus Christ, the joy and rejoicing of my heart, the joy of Jesus, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the joy of thy salvation, the rhythm of the falling rain, the trial of your faith, the Word of god, transgressors, tried with fire, trust, truth, uphold me with thy free spirit, wisdom
Nehemiah 8:10b. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
‘Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain…pita pata, pita pata. Oh listen to the rhythm of the falling rain…’ Hn! And next thing I knew I was hypnotized, lulled back to sleep for a couple hours. Wow! That’s the hypnotizing, beguiling power of the falling rain!
Yeh Friends, I was up at six o’clock, but lay there listening to the beguiling sounds of the falling rain, and then it was suddenly after eight. And going to bed fairly late this morning didn’t help matters any. Well at least I got a couple more hours rest. Glory be!
Anyway, today is Friday…as if you all didn’t know, and consequently sang back to me, the Friday mantra. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The weekend is finally here, and it’s going to be wonderful; lots of rest, relaxation, fun and fellowship. Thank God it’s Friday!’
Hn? What are you doing to me my people? Am I hearing right, or are you all just saying that to lull me into a false sense of believing that you are turning around your lives, giving up the things of the world for the things of Jesus? (smile) I really don’t know, but like Jesus, I’m going to have hope and faith and believe for the best; that you’re really changing.
Nonetheless, let’s chant our Friday Chant like we mean it nuh. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my brethren, without that revitalization of our spirits we won’t be able to do the job that Jesus desires of us. But even more importantly, we also need the groundings of our Bit to successfully do Jesus’ work. ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
That’s for certain sure my people! Without the joy of God flowing through our souls, we won’t be able to do much of anything at all! That’s why, as I said yesterday, the ole crook Lucifer tries to steal our joy in God, since without it we are weak and powerless. We therefore need to maintain that joy of Jesus in our spirits ALL THE TIME, so that the enemy can’t get a successful shot at us!
And we’ll continue today looking at some scriptures which declare the importance of God’s joy in our lives. And there’s no better place to see the importance of God’s joy in our souls than in Psalm 51 – Bruh David’s prayer for cleansing, after Nathan had confronted him with his abominable sins re Bathsheba.
Bruh David cries out to God: ‘Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’ (Ps.51:9-13)
Yes Friends, Bruh David had gotten the evil desires of his heart, but he had lost the joy of his God. We need to be very careful about what we ask for or desire, because oftimes it can move us away from the redeeming and joyful presence of God and make us sorrowful.
Now listen to Jeremiah in his personal lament. ‘Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.’ (Jer.15:16) Oh my people, does the Word of God bring joy and rejoicing to our hearts? It certainly ought to.
Meanwhile Peter tells us this about being distressed when caught up in much temptations. ‘That the trial (genuineness) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.’ (1 Pet.1:7-8)
What powerful tools are faith and belief in Jesus Christ, my brethren! For though we’ve never seen Him face to face, yet we so strongly believe and trust in Him that even when we’re tried and tested, we still retain the unspeakable joy found in His Spirit.
And James puts it in simple straightforward terms. ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials).’ (James 1:2)
And the scholars explain that ‘These “negative” experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing.’
Yes Friends, when we look at everything from the standpoint that it comes from God, who has promised to work everything out for our good, then we can accept whatever comes against with joy, knowing that we will come out better, more Christ-like in the end.
Then Jude tells us: ‘Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling (stumbling), and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.’ (Jude 24-25)
Ah mih people, with those words of absolute truth and wisdom we’ll end today’s message. Now let’s ponder all that we’ve read and make the conscious decision to keep the joy of God always in our hearts, minds and souls, so that we can reject the advances of the enemy and stand strong in the name and faith of Jesus! For that is indeed the zenith of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…and my soul shall be joyful in the Lord…it shall rejoice in his salvation… (Ps. 35:9)
08 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aberrant behaviour, aura of love, believers in Christ, confidence, Creator of the universe, do good, ever-faithful God, evil, fellowship, follow peace, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, good report, gospel truth, holy spirit, honest, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lay me down in peace, let not your heart be troubled, lies, LOVE, maturing, meditate, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my peace I give unto you, noble, not as the world giveth, Oh Lord God Almighty, Peace i leave with you, Philippians, praiseworthy, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, reverence, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the God of peace, trust in God, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Well, well Friends, if it isn’t Monday again; the day we all like to hate! And while I’m expecting that announcement to bring forth some exasperated moaning and groaning and a cuss word or two, am I ever surprised by the shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ that emanates from God’s people.
Wow! Are we growing up, maturing or what? I surely hope so, and this not some kind of aberrant behaviour that will fizzle out next week. (smile)
Ah Friends, I know that getting up to go to work any day is difficult, but it’s especially so on Mondays, after you’ve had a couple days off. But that’s the way our society has been framed, and there’s not much we can do about it, so we might as well get used to it, and rise up over it. And as true believers in Christ, that is exactly what is expected of us.
But since we are not all good at the Monday wake up call, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn which energizes us, gets our adrenalin going. So with one voice, sweet as a heavenly choir, 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!’
Ah mih people, that rendition wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t get a standing ‘O’ in heaven. (smile) However, I hope it got our motors running and that we’re now fully in tune with Almighty God, so we can get out and perform to the level of excellence that’s expected of us. Yes Friends, we’re now ready to go out into the calamitous world and like Jesus during His earthly sojourn, simply do good. That’s all He asks of us.
And to help us in that most worthwhile endeavour, He granted us strong encouragement and assurance in our Bit. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’
Oh Friends, without that peace of Jesus we will not be able to successfully navigate this evil and sinful world. We’ll continuously be filled with fear, anxiety, dread and worry; none of which are good stabilizers. But when we embrace Jesus and all that He stands for, then we are supernaturally empowered, through His Holy Spirit to fight the good fight…and win!
Now let’s hear some scripture verses which support our contentions. Listen first to that mighty prophet Isaiah from his hymn of praise. ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on (sustained by) thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).’ (Is.26:3-4) What beautiful, reassuring and absolutely true sentiments my brethren!
Now hear Bruh David, first from Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God. He ends with these faithful and powerful words of trust. ‘I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps.4:8) And then, this ending from Psalm 29 – The voice of the Lord in the storm. ‘The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.’ (Ps.29:11)
Oh my people, we all know that Bruh David was no goody-two-shoes, but he had abundant faith and trust in the God of His Fathers, and that magnanimous and ever-faithful God kept him from going under, though he stumbled several times, he never fell. And if we genuinely believe, trust in and reverence the Lord of Hosts, He will undoubtedly do the same for us.
Meanwhile, the author of Hebrews wisely advises us to: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb.12:14) I couldn’t put it any simpler or clearer that that Friends.
And we’ll end with some of Bruh Paul’s advice to the Philippians, re things to think on. ‘Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil.4:8-9)
I can’t add anything to that Friends, except to implore us to do exactly what Bruh Paul advised the Philippians, because it is gospel truth, as well as heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…mercy unto you…and peace…and LOVE…be multiplied… (Jude 2)
05 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wonderful weekend, acknowledge God in all thy ways, and he shall bring it to pass, antidote, be not wise in thine own eyes, Bruh David, cease from anger, Christ-like, Commit thy way to the Lord, communication with Jesus, compassion, Cousin Sol, depart from evil, directed by the Lord, evil minions, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, faithful, family time, fear the Lord, fellowship, food, forgiveness, forsake wrath, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, get down to brass tacks, glorious kingdom, glory to God, God doesn't give us more than we can bear, good relationships, gospel truth, gracious, he shall direct thy paths, he shall not be utterly cast down, he will never turn you away, health to thy navel, holy spirit, jehovah god, joy, laughter, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, Lucifer, marrow to thy bones, merciful, negative situations, praise, prayer, promises, Proverbs, relaxation, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, Rest in the Lord, sadness, saviour jesus christ, smile, sorrow, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the great invitation, the steps of a good man, the Word of god, though he fall, trials, tribulations, trust also in him, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, wait patiently for the Lord, weather, wisdom, worship
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
So what it is eh my people? (smile) How all yuh doing? Hope all yuh doing good! But just in case oonoo not doing so good, then I certainly hope that you all are in constant communication with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For He is the ONLY One who can truly ease and/or solve our problems.
Yes Friends, He’s even invited us with the Great Invitation to come to Him when we are heavily burdened, and He will give us rest and peace for our tired and burdened souls. (Matt.11:28-30) And that is not an invitation to be sneered at or taken lightly, for He will indeed do as promised.
Ah Friends, it’s a proven fact that when we’re doing poorly, that’s when we most need to communicate with the Saviour. For the best antidote for sadness and sorrow, or anything that discombobulates us, is prayer! Never forget that.
So having said all of that, I guess we can get down to brass tacks now. (smile) And I guess you all know that today is Friday…
And as expected, I’m greeted with a joyous shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And we going to have a wonderful weekend; good weather, good food, good LOVE, plenty laughter, joy, compassion and forgiveness…Oh Glory to God! Thank Him for the weekend!’
What wonderful sentiments my brethren! And I do hope that our weekend does turn out that way, as we get involved in praise and worship and fellowship and enriching family time, for the name of the game is good relationships; both with each other and with Jehovah God!
Now let’s chant our Friday Chant to help us stay on the straight and narrow path. As one chanter now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, that is how we ought to use the weekends, not merely for partying and our own amusement. And yuh know what? If we follow the wise advice of our Bit, we won’t have any real problems living life the way we ought to. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’
Oh Friends, there’s absolutely no doubt in that statement, for our gracious and most merciful God is indeed a faithful keeper of His promises! So whenever you come to Him, He will never turn you away.
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, in his exhortations to obedience. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) your paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov.3:5-8)
Oh my brethren, in all the Good Book, there is no better advice than those four verses. If we live our lives by them, we will never go wrong… Oh you know what I mean; we’ll live under the shade of the golden umbrella of our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God!
Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have trials and tribulations, but when we go through them, we’ll know, we’ll be assured that Almighty God is there with us through all the sadness and mayhem. And on top of it all, He won’t give us more than we can bear, and will bring us out of the negative situations better than before, meaning more Christ-like, for that is often the purpose of our problems.
And Bruh David offers these wonderful words of advice after our Bit. ‘And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (plans, schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:6-9)
Oh mih lovelies, why is it so difficult for us to take such simple advice and live faithfully by it eh – especially when we know that it’s all gospel truth? I don’t know the answer nuh. I can only surmise that our natural sinful nature is getting the upper hand of us in these relatively sinful and godless times.
Plus the fact that Lucifer and his evil minions are in control of the day to day world, and are making a protracted push with lots of worldly things and advice, to get us to move away from God.
But my people, we are supposed to be the best creation of our God, therefore we cannot allow the wicked and wickedness of this world to get the better of us. But we can only do so if and when we take the Word of God seriously and truly live by it. Otherwise we’ll be very susceptible to the wiles and lies of the enemy.
And we’ll end today with some more encouraging advice from Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps.3723-24)
Oh Friends, that’s gospel truth! And I can personally vouch for it, because though I’m not the greatest or the most godly and righteous, yet the Lord has upheld me with His mighty hand several times over the years! So you can imagine what He’ll do for the very godly and righteous.
Oh mih people, mih people, there’s only one wise and sensible path to follow in this crazy, calamitous and disaster-prone world – the straight and narrow one, which leads directly to Jesus and our heavenly Father! And we can successfully do that if we allow the Holy Spirit which indwells us to lead and guide us in all truth. That’s our ‘ponderation’ for today my people. (smile) Much LOVE!
…only as we sincerely trust…and have true faith in God…will we see Him work in our lives…
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.wordpress.com
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 