28 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart attack, alive and kicking, all flesh is grass, aura of love, but my words shall not pass away, come as a thief in the night, complaining, confidence, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, Creator of the universe, do the best we can, enthusiasm, evil, friends, friends and neighbours, glorious kingdom, glory to God, gospel truth, greetings friends and neighbours, Hades, heaven, heaven and earth, heaven and earth shall pass away, holy spirit, humble servants, in Jesus' name, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus' Second Coming, joy, keeping lives and families together, laze around, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our God is long-suffering, pussyfoot, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, repentance, rest, salvation, serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that all should come to repentance, that any should perish, the breath of life, the day of the Lord, the flower fades, the grass withers, the spirit of the Lord, the voice of wisdom, the word of the Lord will stand for ever, thou hast laid the foundation of the earth, trust, truth, ungodly world, wicked taunts, wiles, wisdom
Matthew 24:35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Greetings my wonderful Friends and neighbours on this most auspicious Monday morning! (smile) And I guess you’re wondering why it’s so auspicious eh? Well first of all we’re alive and kicking…sorry, not all of us are kicking, (smile) but God’s breath of life is certainly flowing through our mortal bodies.
And you better believe that’s a rather important and auspicious occasion. And I say that because just last Sunday at the early morning service in church, one fellow who usually comes with his wife, was there alone, and when I inquired of her, he said that she recently had knee surgery and was still recuperating.
Imagine my consternation when at the early morning service yesterday, the pastor announced that the fellow, Don, had unexpectedly and suddenly died of a massive heart attack this week. Ah Lord eh! Now the poor wife not only has to put up with her medical problems, but the sudden and unexpected departure of her spouse too. And we complain because we have to get up and go to work. Steups!
Look Friends, instead of being miserable and complaining, let’s just get up thankfully and get ourselves off to our jobs and do the best we can in Jesus’ name eh! For that’s what He has called us to do, not to laze around, pussyfoot and complain. And to help us get ourselves together this last Monday in September, which looks like it’s going to be another nice day in my area – oh glory to God – let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much joy, enthusiasm and appreciation.
As one trilling and harmonious choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that wasn’t bad at all my people. I guess the news of my fellow parishioners’ sudden passing woke some of you up to the reality that one moment we could be here on earth, and the next floating away to heaven or Hades. I don’t know if Don had any prevailing heart problems but it just highlights the predicament we’re all in, of being ready to meet the Lord anytime He chooses to call.
That brings us to our Bit, where Jesus, having explained some of the signs that would indicate His Second Coming in glory to the disciples, He declares: ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my fellow believers! It certainly is!
And there’s a whole lot of scripture to prove it. Let’s look at some, beginning with the words of the psalmist from Psalm 102 –A cry in distress. ‘I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.’ (Ps.102:24-27) More truth of an indisputable nature my brethren!
Now listen to Isaiah as he solemnly declares: ‘The voice said, Cry (out), And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness (loveliness) thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit (breath) of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.’ (Is.40:6-8)
Now listen as Peter adds his two cents worth. ‘’The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief (robber) in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet.3:9-10)
Yes Friends, our God is long-suffering and desires that all who trust Him will receive salvation. But He’s not going to wait forever, and the day of judgement is already set. So if you’re not amongst those who sincerely believe and trust in Jesus at the time of the Rapture, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe when the day of judgement comes.
That’s it in a nutshell my people. So please listen to the voice of wisdom that’s crying out to us get ourselves together, NOW, while we still have a chance, for that day could come like a thief in the night and take us unawares. Much LOVE!
…wisdom dictates that we should be ever ready…either for when the Lord returns…or if He calls us home first…
21 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all ye that hope in the Lord, almighty god, aura of love, battle armour, battle formation, be of good courage, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, come to save that which was lost, compassion, condemn the world, confidence, enthusiasm, expectant faith, expectations of victory, faith, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, good news, grace, he shall strengthen thine heart, helmet of salvation, holy spirit, humble servants, hungry hope, I came not to judge the world, in the land of the living, invincible, Jesus came to save the world, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, Love the Lord all his saints, mercy, our fearless Leader, peace, people of god, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, shield of faith, shoes, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strife-filled world, sword of the Spirit, taunts, the call to arms, the goodness of the Lord, the halls of heaven, the Lord is my light and salvation, the Lord preserves the faithful, the Lord rewards the proud doer, the Lord's power, the Son of man, the trumpet's sounding, trust, truth, ungodly world, wait on the Lord, wiles, wisdom
Psalm 31:24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Arise O people of God and put on your battle armour! Don’t you hear the trumpet sounding the call to arms? It’s Monday morning and there’s no time to waste, for the enemy is already lined up in battle formation and our fearless Leader, Jesus Christ is also out at the front surveying and reconnoitring the situation.
So get thee up and about, arm thyself with helmet, breastplate, belt, shoes, shield and sword, and having asked protection of heaven, join in the fray with enthusiasm, strength, wisdom and expectations of victory!
Yes Friends, it’s our favourite day Monday; the one we LOVE to hate, but one that we need to put to good use, if we want the rest of the week to go smoothly. That’s because Monday takes its cue from Sunday, and the remainder of the week from Monday.
Have you ever noticed that when you have a rough Monday, the rest of the week usually goes the same way? That’s why I keep on encouraging us to come out strong and vibrant, just rearing to go on Mondays.
Now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with zest, urgency and sense of purpose. As one harmonious choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh Friends, that rendition wasn’t bad at all! You could see traces of a smile forming on Jesus, our choirmaster’s face, but nowhere good enough for a standing ‘O’ from the halls of heaven. (smile) Anyway we’ve gotten the message, our adrenalin is running, so let’s get out in the evil, deceitful and strife-filled world and spread some LOVE and cheer, mercy, forgiveness, compassion and good news, Jesus style nuh.
And to help us do that with strong faith and sincere trust, listen to the encouraging and uplifting words of our Bit from the pen of Bruh David. ‘Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.’
Yes my fellow believers, when we come to the Lord with hungry hope and expectant faith, He will strengthen us and give us the wherewithal to do His will. So be not afraid to get out there and face the heathen, once you are dressed in your spiritual armour, backed up by prayer and the Lord’s power is running through your veins.
Now let’s back that up with earlier testimony from Bruh David 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. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:13-14)
Yes my brethren, if we don’t expect to see and receive God’s goodness and blessings down here on Mother Earth, then we might as well be dead. But when we expect the Lord’s grace and mercy to flow down on us, then in faith and with patience, we wait for it. He has promised to bless us if we are obedient to His Word, and we all know that He is faithful to keep his promises. So there’s no need to worry once we’re doing our best to follow His leading and guiding.
And this can all be reinforced by the words of Isaiah in the song of praise by the redeemed. ‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:9) And yuh know Friends, that is exactly what happened. The Father sent the Son, Jesus Christ to save us, to be our salvation… Oh glory to God!
Listen to Jesus talk about His role. ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) And again: ‘For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ (Luke 9:56) Then: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) And finally: ‘And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.’ (John 12:47)
Oh my people, Jesus couldn’t be any clearer about His main purpose in coming to earth…to save its inhabitants. He laid it all on the line for us, including His sinless life, so I don’t know what else we expect from Him. He threw down the gauntlet to us, now it only remains to see if we have the parts and the wisdom to accept the challenge. Only time and time alone will tell! Much LOVE!
…O LOVE the Lord…all ye his saints…for the Lord preserveth the faithful…and plentifully rewardeth (fully repays) the proud doer… (Ps.31:23)
14 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a meaningful relationship with Jesus, adulterous situation, aura of love, Bathsheba, broad is the way that leads to destruction, Bruh David, by their fruits you shall know them, confidence, conquerors, consequences for disobedience, create in me a clean heart, Creator of the universe, depart from me, doeth the will of my Father, enter into the kingdom of heaven, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, evil fruit, false prophets, few are chosen, followers of Jesus, friends, further God's glorious kingdom, good fruit, good news of Christ's gospel, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, jesus army, Jesus Christ, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, many are called, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Nathan, new workweek, obedience, of the abundance of the heart, rejuvenation of spirit, renew a right spirit within me, renewed vitality, sacrifice, salvation, saviour jesus christ, slackness, spiel, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, the evil things of the world, the first shall be last, the followers of Jesus, the good treasure of his heart, the last shall be first, the Light, the mark of a faithful soldier, the mouth speaks, the narrow gate, the powers of evil, the Way, true repentance, truth, ungodly world, unpreparedness, wiles, wolves in sheep's clothing, workers of iniquity, worthwhile inroads
Matthew 7:20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Come on my people, it’s Monday morning, the start of a brand new workweek, so let’s get up and get going! Time to join the battle against the infidel, and our Leader and Saviour Jesus Christ is already at the front waiting on us. So please let’s not keep Him waiting any longer than is necessary.
And if you’re tired, lazy and out of sorts this Monday morning, it’s your own fault. You knew that the battle would be joined early o’clock, but you just didn’t prepare yourself properly.
Now that’s definitely not the mark of any good and faithful soldier, much less one of Jesus’ army, fighting the most important fight in the universe against the powers of evil and darkness. That sort of slackness, of unpreparedness is definitely not becoming, and will not be tolerated amongst the followers of Jesus.
And now that I’ve railed at us, given us the management spiel, (smile) let’s see if we can do something about our tardiness and lack of enthusiasm by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty zest.
As one harmonious choir now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh Friends, that wasn’t bad, but we’ve surely done better. And though our choirmaster, Jesus, wasn’t displeased, He would have appreciated a much better showing. So to make up for that, let’s get out there and rail against the enemy, bombard them with the good news of the gospel of Jesus and thus enable them to see the true Light and the only Way to salvation and eternal life.
And remember what we were talking about yesterday? Re Jesus’ warnings about false prophets and entering through the narrow gate, and by their fruits you shall know them? Well today we’ll continue with that topic, headed by the same Bit. ‘Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’
Yes Friends, that’s ever so true; by their fruits we shall know the good and true ones from the corrupt and evil wolves masquerading in sheep’s clothing.
As Luke so nicely puts it: ‘A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.’ (Luke 6:45) Oh my people, what indisputable truth!
So my brethren it will be definitely in our best interest if we plead to the Lord, like Bruh David did when Nathan castigated him for his adulterous ad murderous liaison with Bathsheba. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.’ (Ps.51:10)
And we should also pay particular attention to Jesus’ words after the Bit. ‘Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils (demons)? and in thy name done many wonderful works (miracles)? And then will I profess unto them; I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’ (Matt.7:21-23)
Oh Friends, oh Friends, please remember the broad way that leads to destruction, and the narrow gate that opens unto the difficult road to heaven, which only a few find. (Matt.7:13-14)
Now listen to the scholars. ‘7:21-23. Not everyone professing Christ is genuinely saved. Even the outward verbal acknowledgement of His lordship is in itself not enough to save the unbeliever apart from true repentance and faith. A genuinely saved person is one that doeth the will of my Father, the Greek present tense suggesting that he is continually living in obedience to the will of God as the normal course of his life.’
I can’t put it any clearer and truer than that my brethren. If we want to enjoy salvation and eternal life with Jesus, then we have to make the sacrifice, forsake the evil things of this world and be obedient to His will, just like He was obedient to the Father’s will and sacrificed His holy and sinless life for us.
In the long run Friends, it all boils down to an individual decision to have a meaningful relationship with Jesus or not. Just remember that there are always consequences for disobedience. Much LOVE!
…so the last shall be first…and the first last…for many are called…but few are chosen… (Matt.20:16)
13 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit, adore, ambassadors, broad is the way that leads to destruction, by their fruits you shall know them, calamitous situation, cast into the fire, conformity of doctrine to the Scriptures, continue your merry way rejoicing, diligence, doctrine, earthly comforter, enter in at the strait gate, eternal life, eternal punishment, eternal separation from God, every good tree brings forth good fruit, every tree that doesn't bring forth good fruit is cut down, evil fruit, excellence, faithfulness, false prophets, few there be that find it, get down to brass tacks, give thanks, glorify, glory to God, good fruit, gospel truth, grateful, holy spirit, I am the way the truth and the life, Jesus Christ, no man comes to the Father but by me, not what goes into a man defiles him, our heavenly Father, praise, ravening wolves, reconciled to the Father, sacrifice, saints of Jesus, salvation, Sermon on the Mount, sheep's clothing, sinful wretches, sing, thankful, that which comes out of a man defiles him, the Christian situation, the consuming fires of hell, wide is the gate, wisdom, wishy-washy attitude, words and deeds, worship
Matthew 7:20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Welcome all you saints of Jesus to this blessed day called Sunday! It’s the day when most believers gather together to sing, praise, worship, give thanks, adore and glorify our most wonderful heavenly Father, His remarkable Son Jesus Christ and our earthly comforter, Holy Spirit.
What a triumvirate they are my brethren! There’s nothing else in this universe like them! And how could there be eh, when they created the universe and still control it? Oh glory to God my people!
And we all ought to be eternally thankful and grateful that they LOVED us so much, that the Father sent the Son to sacrifice His holy and sinless life so that we worthless and sinful wretches could be reconciled to Him, obtain salvation and the promise of eternal life.
Then to complete the cycle, when Jesus ascended back to heaven, they sent the Holy Spirit to live within us, to lead and guide and comfort us on our earthly pilgrimage. Oh all thanks and glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, now and forever more!
Unfortunately though, many supposed believers don’t seem to understand and appreciate the seriousness and gravity of the Christian situation and just muddle along nonchalantly. But Friends, that is the most important aspect of our earthly sojourn; where we will spend eternity. Now you can be frivolous about it and just continue your merry way rejoicing, hoping that it will all fall into place on its own.
But take my word, it won’t. We all have to make definite decisions about whether we’re going to follow Christ or not. And if we do decide to follow Him, then we have to get down to brass tacks and sincerely do what He desires of us. A wishy-washy, haphazard attitude won’t do, because Jesus desires diligence, faithfulness, and excellence from His followers.
As His earthly ambassadors we need to reflect a good and proper image of Him and all that He stands for, both in our words and deeds. Remember Jesus’ words of warning in the Sermon on the Mount? ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves.’ (Matt.7:15)
And believe me Friends, there are a lot of false prophets in existence nowadays leading God’s people astray. But Jesus gave us a way to figure them out. ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil (bad) fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.’ (Matt.7:16-18)
Simple logics that my brethren. If you’re corrupt inside, you cannot bring forth anything that’s good. And if you’re good, you cannot bring forth bad or corrupt fruit. No wonder Jesus later on declared: ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.’ (Matt.15:11)
Yes my people, it’s what comes from the depths of our souls and our hearts that defile us. So we had better make sure that what’s in our hearts is good, so that we can produce good fruit. For as Jesus continues before our Bit. ‘Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ (Matt.7:19-20) Gospel truth that Friends!
Now here are some interesting explanations on those verses from the scholars. ‘7:16-20. A true test of a prophet was the conformity of his doctrine to the Scriptures (cf. 1 Cor.14:37; Deut.13:1-5). Their fruits refers not only to actions of their lives, but also to the doctrines they proclaim. The two trees are contrasted in relation to the fruit they produce.
Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit consistently, while a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit continually. Therefore, the normal and consistent production of fruit, whether good or evil, in a person’s life will bear evidence whether or not that life is of God. Verse 19 illustrates the unfruitful life of the unregenerate who is cast into the fire, a picture of eternal punishment in hell.’
Now there it is in black and white Friends, exactly as I said at the beginning. To be a true and worthy follower of Jesus we have to know and proclaim His doctrines, then bear good fruit which comes from an internally good soul, spirit and heart.
On the other hand, if our internal self is rotten and wicked, then we won’t spread true and proper doctrines, neither will we able to bear good fruit, with the unfortunate result that we’ll eventually be cast into the consuming fires of hell.
Oh my fellow believers, I don’t think any of us wants to suffer that calamitous situation. Therefore, I will encourage us to pay close attention to the words of Jesus that we’ve discussed, as well as these ultra-important ones.
‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth to life, that few there be that find it.’ (Matt.7:13-14)
Yes mih breddren, as the scholars further explain. ‘One must come through the narrow gate in order to reach the path that leads to eternal life. Though many are on the broad…way, that leadeth to destruction (eternal separation from God), the gate that leads to life is so narrow that few there be that find it. Christ Himself is both the gate and the way (cf. John 14:6), and God enables men to find that gate (cf. John 6:44).’
So Friends, let’s get us off to church today and continually seek that strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life, for that is the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…Jesus saith unto him…I am the Way…the Truth…and the Life…NO man cometh unto the Father…but by ME… (John 14:6)
02 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a day begun with Jesus, a godly life, a good name is better than precious ointment, a good name is to be chosen above riches, a good report makes the bones fat, a good reputation, a shout of thanks, a shout out to Jesus, Advocate, Alpha and Omega, bawling, born again, conflict, earthly riches, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, excellence, faith, forgiveness, fruits of the Spirit, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, godly principles, good character, halfway home, head holding, high priest, holy spirit, hope, human nature, I'm not focusing on the past, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, in heaven alongside Jesus, in our own strength, integrity, jehovah god, Jesus christ is Lord, joy, kindness, King of Kings, Lord and Saviour, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving favour rather than silver or gold, material things, meekness, merciful God, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, no beating about the bush, praise, prince of peace, seek God's favour, self-control, stay focused on God, stress, the breath of life, the day of death, the day of one's birth, the light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart, the obits, the straight and narrow path, the vicissitudes of life, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, understanding, wealth, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, worries
Proverbs 22:1. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and LOVING favour rather than silver and gold.
Aye Friends, it’s wailing Wednesday! So let us wail nuh. (smile) ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes my people, it’s simple, straightforward and to the point! No beating about the bush! If it’s a day for wailing, then why not wail from the very beginning eh?
But you know something else my brethren? A li’l wail, a li’l shout out to Jesus when you wake up in the morning to face a brand new day, is the best way to begin it.
Why? Because it causes you to be more focused, filled with more joy, more LOVE, faith, hope, kindness, forgiveness and mercy…more of the fruits of the spirit, like meekness and self-control. And those of you who practice it, know that I am telling the truth.
Oh my fellow believers, as well as you unbelievers, believe me, a day begun with Jesus WILL outshine any that’s not begun with Him, where He is not the focus of our minds, body and souls! So please, let’s pledge that from here on in, every morning that we arise and don’t see our name in the obits, that we’ll give Jesus a wail, a shout out of thanks and praise and glory.
And if we do happen to see our name in the obits, (smile) well then there’s no need to worry, because we’ll be right there in heaven alongside Jesus, exactly where we want to be.
Oh Glory to God, for giving us such a wonderful Lord and Saviour, Prince of Peace, Advocate, High Priest, the Alpha and Omega, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, to whom each knee will eventually bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord indeed! Glory Hallelujah!
And like our good God is trying to tell us something significant this morning, because I was led to a rather interesting Bit from Cousin Sol, namely, that ‘A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and LOVING favour rather than silver and gold.’ Oh my people, is that ever so true!
And as the scholars explain it: ‘22:1. A good reputation is more important that wealth.’
Oh if we’d only believe that my brethren, and stop running down the worthless wealth of material things and earthly riches, our lives would be so much better; less stress, less conflict, less head holding and bawling.
That’s what our great and merciful God is trying to tell us today; be a person of good character, one of integrity and excellence, seek my favour, rather than the world’s, and your life will be amazing.
Oh Friends, I know that when the vicissitudes of life come upon us, it’s not always easy to stay focused on Jesus, but we just have to do our best, so that we can receive His best.
When the money and health and relationship worries tumble down on us, it’s difficult not to try and withstand and/or overcome them in our own strength, although we have the faithful promises of our Lord to look after and provide for all our needs. It’s just human nature.
But since we are born again in the Holy Spirit, we need to put away those worldly fantasies and seize the opportunity to stay focused on God and His things, which are way more lasting and edifying than the things of the world. We can’t buy a good name, integrity or character with earthly wealth, although a lot of us are trying to do it, especially in these heady times of upcoming elections.
Earlier on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol tells us that ‘The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat (healthy). (Prov.15:30)
That’s ever so true Friends! When our eyes are opened with wisdom, our hearts rejoice, and when we are commended for our stellar behaviour, integrity and character, it does raise the level of our health; physically, spiritually and emotionally. There’s nothing like people saying good and truthful things about us.
As Cousin Sol say in Ecclesiastes 7: ‘A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.’ (Eccl.7:1)
Yes Friends, wise living, and we’re talking about godly not worldly wisdom, is ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO GO!
And you cannot be led down that straight and narrow path by anyone else other than Jehovah God.
So please, let’s go to Him today nuh, right now, if necessary, and sincerely ask Him to grant us the wisdom and understanding we need to live a wise and godly life, one that’s ever so pleasing to Him. For that is indeed wisdom to the nth degree…everlasting wisdom! Much LOVE!
…godly principles cannot be bought with earthly wealth…
31 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a la Jesus, adrenalin, aura of love, baptizing them, believers in Christ, confidence, Controller, Creator, declare God's glory among the heathen, do some good, enthusiasm, faith, friends, further God's glorious kingdom, holy spirit, humble servants, I am with you always, in the beauty of holiness, invincible, Jesus Christ, kick some butt, let the earth be glad, let the heavens rejoice, let the sea roar, lord god almighty, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, motors revving, O sing unto the Lord a new song, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, proclaim the good news, provider, put our best foot forward, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., salvation, saviour jesus, sing unto the Lord all the earth, spiritual armour, spread some love, stand your bounce, steadfast faith, teach all nations, teaches you a lesson, the Great Commission, the Holy Ghost, the Lord comes to judge the earth, the Lord reigns, tremble before God, truth, ungodly world, weary souls, wisdom, worship the Lord
Psalm 96:1. O Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Awright Friends, the big day, Monday, has rolled around again. So how are we going to handle it eh? Are we going to whimper and complain, or are we going to make the best of a bad thing, put our best foot forward, like our Lord and Saviour Jesus expects of us?
Yuh know that if this morning you are tired and miserable, possibly hung over, it’s all your fault, you didn’t listen to my good advice and spend yesterday getting ready for today. So now you just have to stand your bounce; feel the pain, and get out there and do whatever is necessary. And I surely hope it teaches you a lesson, so that next Monday you’ll be up early, bright and fresh like a daisy. (smile)
Now let’s see about getting us going on the right foot this morning, by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto and gumption. 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 mih people, that was a tad scratchy, what with the sore throats and hoarse voices. But overall it wasn’t too bad. At least our choir conductor, Jesus, could see us making the effort. It’s just that our physical abilities weren’t up to par. (smile)
But at least the adrenalin is flowing now, and I can hear our motors revving, meaning that we’re ready to go out into the evil world and kick some butt, do some good and spread some LOVE, a la Jesus! Glory to our great God my people!
And if we’re ready to face the ungodly world, then that means we’re also ready to do what our Bit advises: ‘O Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.’
Yes Friends, we are called upon to praise our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Deity, for he is the Creator and Controller and Provider of ALL!
Now our Bit comes from psalm 96, which itself is a part of Bruh David’s famous song of thanksgiving, after they had brought the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem. (1 Chr.16:7-36) But we’ll just concern ourselves with Psalm 96 today, which continues thus after our Bit.
‘Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth (proclaim the good news of) his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen (the gentiles), his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.’ (Ps.96:2-6)
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, there is not one word of untruth in all those statements! Our God is what it says, and has done all that is stated. That is why we should do as the psalmist continues: ‘Give (ascribe) unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give (ascribe) unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him all the earth. Say among the heathen (gentiles) that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously.’ (Ps.96:7-10)
Oh Friends, more indisputable truth! We need to give our wonderful and mighty God His just due, and to let the world know about Him, by spreading His Word to all the ends of the earth as Jesus desired in the Great Commission. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway(s) even unto the end of the world. (Matt.28:19-20)
And you know what Friends? They did as Jesus desired. They spread his word far and wise, so that today we have it in all its rich and splendid glory. Now it’s our turn to continue that commission.
And as the psalmist wisely directs: ‘Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof (all that is in it). Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.’ (Ps.96:11-13)
Oh Friends, let us indeed rejoice with nature and be glad, for our Saviour cometh, and this time He is coming in all His majesty, power and glory to rule and to judge the earth with righteousness and truth!
That my people is no joke, so please let’s prepare ourselves for that awesome and glorious day, whenever it might be. For that is what is termed, heavenly wisdom. Much LOVE!
…if you’ve heard the word…then Jesus comes and finds you wanting…you’ve no one to blame but yourself…
24 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a positive attitude, a strong purpose, all things work together for good, almighty god, anxieties, aura of love, be confident of this very thing, begun a good work, believers in Jesus Christ, Bruh Paul, calamity, called according to God's purpose, Christian's security, complain about life on earth, confidence, diligence, enthusiasm, excellence, fears, fight a good fight, focused on Jesus, friends, gospel truth, head for heaven, holy spirit, humble servants, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, in Jesus' name, integrity, invincible, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, lies, Lord of Lords, LOVE, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not of evil, rejuvenation of spirit, righteousness., saith the Lord, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, thoughts of peace, to give you an expected end, to them that love God, under the weather, ungodly world, until the day of Jesus Christ, wiles, wisdom
Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).
Well a good Monday morning to you all, my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! Now I know that some of you are probably a bit under the weather, and are finding life rough down here on earth, but I doubt that many, if any of us are ready to check out and head for heaven, despite all the wonderful stuff that’s waiting there for us. (smile)
We humans are something else yes; we complain vociferously about our life on earth, but nobody wants to check out the alternative just yet, because deep down we’re afraid, still not sure of what exists after this earthly life.
So, since in our small-mindedness, we refuse to see through our eyes of faith and instead choose to stay with what we can see and touch, Mother Earth, then let’s stop complaining about our earthly lives, and do whatever it will take to make them better. We’re talking about things like going out to work this morning with a positive attitude and strong purpose, with our minds steadfastly focused on Jesus.
And to help us do that, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn as though we mean it. As one fantastic choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah Friends, that was good, heaven was pleased, but not good enough to deserve a standing ‘O’ and an encore. (smile) And to further help us with our earthly endeavours this Monday morning, we’ve been directed to a Bit that’s well known and full of promise, words of Almighty God spoken by the prophet Jeremiah.
‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ Oh my people, my people, what a wonderful promise!
And if we sincerely believe that our God is ever-faithful, then that should fill us with such joy and enthusiasm that we’d come out fighting each and every day. We wouldn’t be miserable, anxious and doubting, because then we’d truly feel that the Lord has our back, come whatever may. But it’s obvious that we don’t feel that strongly about it at all, since we are allowing the fears and anxieties of this world to determine our moods and attitudes.
Now we know it’s not going to be easy, but with true belief and strong faith in the awesome power of our God, we are certainly able to do much better than we’re currently doing. Remember too, that we also have this awesome promise via the words of Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom.8:28)
Yes my fellow believers, God is indeed working all things out for those whom He has called and who LOVE Him. And they are best able to appreciate God’s purpose because they LOVE Him come what may, regardless of whatever happens. So if God has called us, and we LOVE Him, then there should be no doubts or insecurities re His intentions towards us.
And all this is further enhanced and solidified by Bruh Paul’s words to the Philippians. ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it (keep doing it) until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:6)
Yes Friends, God will not stop working His good work in us until Jesus comes again. Then and only then will it be completed, finished. Until such time we have to keep on moving along with the Lord, strong in faith, diligence, integrity and excellence.
The scholars state it thus. ‘This speaks of the Christian’s eternal security. For God had a purpose in view when He began His saving work in the Philippians, and that purpose will neither be abandoned or unrealized.’
Have faith my brethren, for that also applies to us. The Lord had a purpose when He saved us, and that purpose will be carried out to the very end, that is, the Second Coming of Jesus in all His regal majesty, as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! Oh Glory to God for His wonderful promises, plans and purposes for our lives!
Now, with all that godly power working in us, let’s go out into the evil world and fight a good fight in Jesus’ name. Amen! Much LOVE!
…if Jesus called you…and you truly LOVE Him…then there’s no need to worry about anything…
17 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed day, a labour of love, almighty god, aura of love, blessings, confidence, conquerors, contentment, Cornelius the centurion, cycle of life, daily routine, enthusiasm, evil, faith, follower of Christ, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God anointed Jesus with the Holy spirit, God was with him, good news, he who doesn't work shouldn't eat, healing all that were oppressed by the devil, holiness, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ of Nazareth, Jesus went about doing good, joy, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peace, persecutions, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rewards, right attitude, right motives, spiritual armour, spread the good news, standing'O', steadfast faith, taunts, tears of joy, temptations, the breath of life, Thessalonians. Bruh Paul, trials, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, work ethic
Acts 10:38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Monday, Monday, Monday! Oh what a blessed day this Monday the 17th day of August 2015! Glory Hallelujah!
No Friends, the ole fella is not crazy, this Monday is certainly a blessed day. In fact, every day that the wonderful breath of life courses through our frail and fragile human bodies is indeed a blessed day! And until we truly believe and learn to appreciate that, we won’t ever be able to enjoy the LOVE, peace and contentment that are to be found down here on Mother Earth.
Oh, I know that many of us get annoyed, frustrated and disturbed because we have to go back out to work on a Monday morning. But Friends, that’s just the natural cycle of life in our society. So we might as well get accustomed to it and do it gladly, since we have no choice, except not to work.
But please remember Bruh Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians in his second missive. ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’(2 Thess.3:10)
Bruh Paul lays it down simple and to the point my brethren; you don’t work, then you don’t eat. I wish that could be implemented in these days of a very poor work ethic. But we just have to keep on working on our work ethic. (smile) And to help us do that, let’s sing our Monday Morning battle Hymn with much gusto and sincerity.
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!’
Now that wasn’t too bad my people, but nowhere as good as last week’s; no tears of joy flowing down Jesus’ cheeks and the Father and the angels giving us a standing ‘O’ and calling for an encore. (smile) But Jesus understands. He knows that we’re not perfect, so we can’t be wonderful every time. Once our hearts and motives are right, and we make a sincere effort, He’s happy.
That brings us to our Bit; Peter’s words when he preached to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius the centurion. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’
Now some might wonder, or question what that has to do with us? And the answer is EVERYTHING! For when we were born again, became full blooded Christians, heirs with Christ, we were also anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power. Now healing and casting out devils like Jesus did, is not in our everyday workbook or workload, but doing good, certainly is. Some might be able to heal and/or cast out devils, but ALL of us are certainly empowered to do GOOD, for Jehovah God is with us all the time!
Yuh know Friends, I believe that we make life much harder than it ought to be by our attitudes toward it. Let’s take a quick glimpse into Jesus’ lifestyle, His day. He would get up early, go out to a quiet place and pray; (Mark 1:35) then He would set out on His daily routine, going from place to place, preaching, healing and generally doing good.
Now we have it much easier than Him. We don’t have to go outside to pray, we can all find a quiet time and space in our homes, and we don’t have to walk everywhere we go, like He did, we have the comfort of cars and bikes. So we’re two up on Jesus right there. (smile)
My contention is that all we need to do is adopt the right attitude, a pleasant, positive one, which should come easily if you are a follower of Christ, then go out and simply concentrate on doing good, whatever it might be. Have no fear, the Lord will guide us to wherever we are needed if we ask Him to.
Now granted, we don’t have all the power and holiness that Jesus had, but we do have more than enough to do what is required of us. We just have to make up our minds to do it, then ask God to help us. And we all know that He won’t ever leave us in the lurch if we’re trying to do His will.
And as I keep saying, doing God’s will is not always easy; Jesus Himself said that there will be trials, temptations and persecutions, but the rewards, both here on earth and in heaven, will be well worth it. So it all comes right down to us Friends; having the right attitude, a warm and tender heart, with a willing and obedient spirit, and above all a great LOVE for Jesus.
If we have those prerequisites, getting up to go to work on a Monday morning will not be a problem, we will be rather eager to get out into the ungodly world and spread the good news of His sacrificial doings on our behalf. So let’s get out there this morning and put it all into practice nuh, for that’s wisdom of unbelievable proportions. Much LOVE!
…from a believer’s standpoint…doing good in Jesus’ name…is truly a labour of LOVE…
10 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant life, actions speak louder than words, aura of love, be exceeding glad, blessedness, blessings, cast not away your confidence, confidence, contagious passion, disposses the child of God, endurance, enthusiasm, enthusiasm for Jesus, eternal destiny, eternal life, everything is right with our world, evil, examples speak more forcibly than precepts, exult, faith, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, glory to God, great is your reward in heaven, great recompense of reward, heaven, heaven's on our side, Hebrews, hold fast the profession of our faith, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Love Revolution, Jesus sacrificed His life for us, joyful spirit, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, magnificent and magnanimous God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, passion, patience, peace, persecution, perseverance, pilgrim's journey, rejoice, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rise and shine, stay confident in the faith, steadfast faith, tears of joy, truth, ungodly world, wisdom
Hebrews 10:35. Cast not therefore away your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s Monday! Yes, Monday, the first day of this new workweek! Glory Hallelujah! So let’s rise and shine and greet it with a grateful and joyful spirit nuh! It’s our Christian heritage you know. Remember Jesus sacrificed His sinless life in part so that we could have a vibrant and abundant one ourselves. And there’s no knowing what wonderful things and situations our magnificent and magnanimous God has in store for us today.
Wow! Let’s get excited nuh my people! Oh I know that Job wisely said that we can’t have good without bad, (Job 2:10) but today, and everyday hence, we must be positive and believe that the good, whatever it may be, will certainly outweigh the bad. Glory to God!
And with all that passion and enthusiasm for Jesus bubbling up in us, let’s give the earth…and the heavens too, a rousing and most awesome rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
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 mih breddren, mih breddren, that was beautiful; magnifico, tres magnifique! – couldn’t get in the accents (smile). We were so into it, so sincere and true that tears of joy were flowing down Jesus, our choir director’s cheeks, as our passion was contagious, and He in turn wielded a tantalizing baton to direct us.
Oh Friends, the angels… in fact all of heaven was eventually singing along with us, including the Father. And they all stood up afterwards and clapped for an encore! What a wonderful way to begin our day my brethren! Heaven’s on our side, and thus everything is right with our world!
Now if we could only package that enthusiasm and emotion for Jesus and distribute it all over the earth, then there would certainly be great improvement all around. Jesus’ LOVE Revolution then would be in full swing. But unfortunately, the reality is that we cannot simply package it and send it off. Somewhere along the line we also have to live it, and let others see the passion in our souls.
For remember that actions usually speak louder than words, and people are most likely to do as we do, rather than as we say. If I remember correctly, ‘examples speak more forcibly than precepts (words),’ is how the author of the novel Joseph Andrews puts it. That brings us to the intriguing and encouraging words of our Bit. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.’
Yes Friends, in this earthly life, this pilgrim’s journey, one of the most important things we have to do is to stay confident in the faith, the belief and promises of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It’s not always easy, especially with the enemy and his evil minions constantly breathing down our necks and whispering foolish lies and deceits in our ears.
But as the author of Hebrews continues after our Bit: ‘For ye have need of patience (perseverance, endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb. 10:36) Yes my people, our faithful God will not fail to reward us for the sincere work we’ve done in His name.
The author of Hebrews also addressed that problem earlier on in the chapter. ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering: (for he is faithful that promised :)’ (Heb.10:23) Those are certainly words to live by my fellow believers. It’s even better than money in the bank! (smile)
Jesus even spelled it out for us in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt.5:11-12)
And the scholars have a great explanation of that verse. ‘5:12. Rejoice is the command that grows out of the blessedness of the believer. The phrase, ‘Rejoice, and be exceeding glad means even more, exult! Great is your reward in heaven focuses attention on the eternal destiny of all things. If God is as real as He claims, if the Bible is true, if heaven is to be gained, then no temporary earthly trouble or persecution can dispossess the child of God of joy in the prospect of the eternal glory that lies ahead.’
Wow! What powerful words! And we all know that there are no ifs and buts, doubts and questions about Jesus, heaven, salvation and eternal life. They are for real. So people, let’s do the wise thing nuh and Rejoice… be exceedingly glad, exult, for that is the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…true believers in Jesus…should be the most exultant lot on God’s planet earth…because of the reality and blessedness…of salvation and eternal life…
05 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a high priest, a mystery, a successful journey with Christ, all praise and thanks, an evil conscience, arthritis, as ye see the day approaching, aseembling together, atonement for sins, awesome truth, blazed the trail, boldness, by the blood of Jesus, Calvary's cross, confdence, conspiracy, encouraging, enter into the holiest, eternal life, evil hooks, exhorting one another, faith, fellowship, finished the course, friends, full assurance of faith, glory hallelujah, godless deeds, good works, gospel truth, hatred, hobbling around, hold fast the profession of our faith, holy spirit, hopes and dreams, I am halfway home, I am the way the truth and the life, I'm not turning back, Im not looking back at the past, Jesus Christ, Jesus is advocating for us, Jesus is the greatest, keep our focus on Jesus, LOVE, Lucifer, minion, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, no man comes to the Father but by me, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, pain, positive connotaion, precious blood, reciprocal encouragement, salvation, saviour jesus, spiritual food, stir up LOVE, stir up strife, strengthening, tentacles, the author and finisher of our faith, the breath of life, the evil one, the Holy Place of God, the Holy Spirit, the house of God, the Lamb that was slain, the light of the world, the one and only superstar, the straight and narrow path, the veil, to a glorious future with Jesus, to humble me, true heart, uplifting words, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, without wavering, worship, write indelibly in our hearts
John 14:6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Oh Friends, I don’t understand it nuh; it’s a mystery that I can go to bed feeling fairly okay and wake up a few hours later experiencing serious pain in places that weren’t paining before I went to bed. Hn! I thought rest and sleep were supposed to calm those things, not heighten them.
Chuh! I woke up a little while ago with my right knee giving me beans, and that hasn’t been hurting me, it’s the left one that’s recently been problematic. So there I was subsequently, hobbling around like the old man I refuse to be, trying to put out the garbage and chuckling somewhat unhappily to my self.
But yuh know what, it’s a conspiracy! Yes Arthur (arthritis), the minion of the evil one, is desperately trying to humble me before his wicked master. But please tell Arthur for me that that will NEVER happen!
Not as long as our great God sits on His throne in heaven on high, which He will do forever, neither as long as our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus stands by His side advocating on my behalf, or as long as the Holy Spirit dwells within me!
No Friends Lucifer will never get his evil hooks into me, or wrap his mushy tentacles around me, once the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are in control of things. And to bring that even more forcibly home to Mr. Arthur and his evil boss, let’s wail our Wednesday Wail, which is most appropriate in this situation.
Please wail with me people: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Oh yes my people, if we want to make it successfully through this wicked and ungodly world we have to constantly keep our focus on Jesus! There is no other way! Remember His promise of salvation in our Bit ‘I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: no man cometh to the Father but by me.’ And He is also the LIGHT of this evil and darkened world.
And I like how the scholars put it, re our Bit. ‘14:6. Jesus does not tell them about the way, nor does He show them the way. He does not even guide them along the way. He says He is the way!’
And that’s an awesome truth that ALL believers need to acknowledge, to write indelibly in their hearts, souls and minds if they want to have a successful journey with Him. Glory Hallelujah! All praise and thanks be to the Lamb that was slain for us, whose precious blood was spilled at Calvary’s cross so that we could gain atonement from our abominable sins!
Yes my brethren, Jesus is indeed THE GREATEST! The ONE and ONLY Superstar! All our hopes and dreams begin and end with Him. As the author of Hebrews so wisely reminds us; He is the author and finisher of our faith. (Heb.12:2)
Or as the scholars put it. ‘He has already blazed the trail and finished the course.’ So we don’t have to do any more trail-blazing, just follow the straight and narrow path that He has laid out for us, all the way to salvation and eternal life with Him and the Father. There’s absolutely nothing better than that in this confused and troubled world!
Now listen to these encouraging and uplifting words from the author of Hebrews, where he issues a plea to the early believers to hold on to their new faith. ‘Having therefore, brethren, boldness (confidence) to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say the flesh; and having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering: (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching’ (Heb.10:19-25)
Oh Friends, that same plea is crying out to us today, in these dark and dismal times! Jesus is the ONLY WAY to overcome them!
Now let’s get some explanations from the scholars re those verses: ’10:20. Jesus Christ is the new and living way by which believers have direct access into the very Holy Place of God (cf. 4:14; 6:20; 7:25; John 14:6).’ Please check out those references my people, as they will certainly help to enlighten us in the scriptures.
’10:24. The word translated provoke (Gr. paroxysmos) usually has a negative sense, as is witnessed by its only other New Testament usage (Acts 15:39). The positive connotation which the word has in the present text means to stir up. It is easy to stir up hatred and godless deeds; it take much more to stir up another to LOVE and to good works.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth Friends, it’s much easier to stir up strife than LOVE, especially in these godless times!
‘10:25. Not forsaking the assembling: This admonition involves far more than erratic attendance. It involves the entire worship of Christ and is the outward indication of an inner condition. The assembling of God’s people provides opportunity for reciprocal encouragement, strengthening, and the stirring up that can be gained from one another (cf. Col.3:12-16). It consists of participation in worship and fellowship. The church is a body interacting (1 Cor.12:14-27); it is not merely a dispensary of spiritual food and medicine.’
And I say a loud and proud ‘Amen’ to that! There we have it Friends, the reason for going to church, for Christians assembling together in the name of Jesus Christ!
Now let’s go out today, and every day, and work diligently, sincerely and faithfully on behalf of our Lord and Saviour nuh, for that is the ultimate wisdom of this life. Much LOVE!
…following the path that Jesus blazed…and doing His will…brings the greatest joy and eventual richest reward…spending eternity with Him…
P.S. Oh Friends, I know it’s long and late, but that’s all made up for in its wonderful information and its intrinsic beauty! (smile) Much LOVE!
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