15 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a commandment with promise, a figment of the imagination, a heartfelt occasion, all nature sings, all ye stars of light, call to the judgement seat, creator king and God, declare their Maker's praise, established it upon the floods, faith, father figures, fire hail and snow, God is the ruler yet, God reigns, going out to see the father's world, good bad or indifferent, Happy Father's day, he hath founded it upon the seas, he shines in all that's fair, he speaks to me everywhere, his hand the wonders wrought, holy spirit, honour thy father and mother, I have a glorious father, I hear him pass, in the rustling grass, Jesus Christ, let earth be glad, let the heavens ring, LOVE, Maltbie Davenport Babcock, mercy, O let me ne'er forget, of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, our most important father, perfect for showing appreciation and gratitude, praise the name of the Lord, praise ye the Lord from the heavens, rest me in the thought, salvation, sing Hallelujah, sweet sacrifices of praise, the birds their carols raise, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the lily white, the Lord is king, the Lord thy God giveth thee, the lord will take me up, the morning light, the music of the spheres, this is my Father's world, though the wrong seems oft so strong, thy days may be long, to honour the strenght love and guidance of fathers, to my listening ears, to the men who raised us, truth, upon the land, when my father and mother forsake me, why should my heart be sad, wisdom
Psalm 27:10. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up (take care of me).
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Well, a Happy Father’s Day to all you Fathers out there, be you good, bad or indifferent! I certainly hope that I am numbered amongst the good ones, but who knows, everyone has their own opinions however, the only one that really counts is the Lord’s. (smile) And what is Father’s Day supposed to mean? This commentary explains: ‘It’s a heartfelt occasion to honour the strength, LOVE, and guidance of fathers and father figures. Whether it is through a thoughtful message, a warm wish, or an inspiring quote, this day is perfect for showing appreciation and gratitude to the men who raised us.’
And so it ought to be, for remember what God said in the Ten Commandments: ‘Honour thy father and mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex. 20:12) Yes friends, it is the only commandment with a promise: honour your mother and father and you’ll live long. However, as it is with mothers, our fathers might be no good or not around, but it’s still our children’s duty to honour them in the Lord’s name.
And on this memorable Father’s Day of 2025, we’ll sing a most appropriate and popular Christian hymn penned by an American Presbyterian minister from New York, Maltbie Davenport Babcock, (b. Syracuse, NY, 1858; d. Naples, Italy, 1901), which reminds us of our most important Father, our heavenly Father. The song is aptly titled “This is My Father’s World”, but was apparently born as a poem from a time when Babcock resided in Lockport, and would take strolls along the Niagara Escarpment to savour the scenic view of upstate New York and Lake Ontario, telling his wife he was “going out to see the Father’s world”.
And it seems that soon after Babcock’s death in 1901, his wife released a collection of his poems entitled Thoughts for Every-Day Living that contained the poem “My Father’s World.” The original poem was composed in 16 four-line stanzas, each beginning with “This is my Father’s world.” One of Babcock’s friends, Franklin Shepherd (1852-1930) adapted an English folk song inserting portions of Babcock’s text into three, eight-line stanzas. The hymn in this form first appeared in the composer’s hymnal Alleluia, a Presbyterian Sunday school book published in 1915. The central theme of the song is joy and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world.
And now that we know the story behind the song, let’s offer up our sacrifices of praise in a sweet, soulful, scintillating mid-tempo version, letting the LOVE for our Father and the beauty of His awesome creation, Mother Nature, to pour out in all sincerity from our hearts. Singing: ‘This is my Father’s world, And to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas– His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world: The birds their carols raise, The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker’s praise. This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair; In the rustling grass, I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere. This is my Father’s world: O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King: let the heavens ring! God reigns; let earth be glad! I have a Father, a glorious father, He reigns in power and in LOVE, We have a Father, our glorious Father, creator, King and God. This is my Father’s world: O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: Yes…This is my Father’s world…’
And is that ever so true my people! This is indeed God’s world as Bruh David so rightly and wisely declares in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) And the Lord is not only the Creator of the universe, but as the song says ‘O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.’
That’s for sure! And although it may seem that Satan and his evil cronies are in control right now, that’s only a figment of the imagination, for when the Lord is ready, He will bring everyone to the judgement seat and the evildoers will perish, while the righteous will have eternal life. So don’t go believing the lies and deceptions that the evildoers are spreading. Christians might not be doing their best to spread the gospel, but God is certainly in control of the universe He created, and if you look around, you will see many signs and wonders of His hands still being on the wheel.
We see God in all of His wonderful creations, like a beautiful sunrise or sunset, in the birds and the bees, the lilies of the field, the rustling grass, a newborn baby, the stillness of the night, even in the stormy seas and mighty winds, we see our God! And to top it all, He speaks to us everywhere! There’s no one place we must go to hear His still, quiet voice, that’s because He dwells within us in the form of His Holy Spirit, our Guide, Helper and Comforter.
That’s why Psalm 148 could boldly and confidently proclaim: ‘Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah). Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise ye him, all ye stars of light. Praise ye him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also stablished (established) them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
Praise ye the Lord from the earth, ye dragons (sea creatures), and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent (exalted); his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn (strength, dominion) of his people, the praise of all his saints; even the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord (sing Hallelujah).’ (Ps. 148: 1-14)
And I like how the scholars categorize this psalm. ‘Since nothing in heaven above or on earth below is left out in this praise psalm, it may be appropriately designated as the psalm of universal praise.’ So, on this day of celebrating fathers, let’s not forget the One in heaven who created us, and still looks after us, for He’s promised to never leave nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5) And as Bruh David so rightly puts it in Psalm 27: ‘When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up (take care of me). (Ps. 27:10)
Let’s never forget that my fellow believers! Our heavenly Father is the greatest Father ever! Much LOVE!
…our earthly fathers may reject us…but our heavenly Father will NEVER do so…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a legacy of saving power, a mother's love is unconditional, a new spiritual family, a shield from every earthly trial, a single mother, a steady anchor, above the world's noise, all one in Christ, always there for her, always there to protect her children, an enthusiastic person, be generous, be responsible, behold thy mother, calm assurance, Christ's love for his mother, created another human, every waking hour, faith, God's tender caring, God-given strengths of a mother, good bad or indifferent, guide me still today, Happy Mother's Day, heartfelt version, her caring ways, her hugs feel like home, her source of inspiration, her words calm our fears, holy spirit, honour thy father and mother, I hear my mother's voice, I reach to feel God's grace, in each challenge, in god's spiritual image, Janice Kapp Perry, Jesus Christ, keep God first place, live in my soul, LOVE, loving hands, mankind can never repay their debt, mercy, mind boggling, misfortunes, moments of despair, my mother's faith, my mother's voice, my reaching soul, painful task, prayers of earnest pleading, sacrifices go unnoticed, salvation, soothed my fevered brow, taught me, the august privilege, the bsasis of everything good in her life, the challenging cycle of giving birth, the disciple Jesus loved, the essence of her being, the Lord thy God giveth thee, the only commandment of promise, the power of her teachings, the safe place we run to, the world feels too big, those united by faith are family, through my darkest days, thy days may be long upon the land, timeless words of wisdom, to Christ and their mothers, to forget all the pain, to turn to God in prayer, trials, truth, turned me to God, wisdom, Woman behold thy son
Exodus 20:12a. Honour thy father and thy mother:
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.
Well, a Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there in God’s great universe, be you good, bad or indifferent! But on this bright, warm, sunshiny Sunday, the important thing is that you’re a mother, and you’ve behaved somewhat like God; created another human being in His spiritual image. Only mothers can do that! And you’ve felt the pain and discomfort that came with that august privilege, (smile) and sincerely promised yourself NEVER to do it again. But after seeing the beautiful creation to which you gave life, you forgot that promise and did it over and over again.
Now that’s one of the God-given strengths of being a Mother; to be able to forget all the pain and discomfort and go through the challenging cycle of giving birth again. Men think that they’re the stronger sex, and in a physical sense they might be, but when it comes to emotions and the things involved in bringing a child into this world, they can never hold a candle to a mother’s power, patience and perseverance. And if only for that, mothers ought to be treated with much more respect and reverence for being able to handle such a mind boggling and painful task without going crazy.
Well, in honour of Mother’s all over the world, today we’re going to sing a wonderful song written by Janice Kapp Perry (born October 1, 1938) an American composer, songwriter, and author, in honour of her mother Ruth. When she was asked to write a new Mother’s Day song, her source of inspiration had to be her own mother, because she was a good mother.
And according to Perry, her mother’s LOVE was the basis of everything good in her life. She was always there for her. A very enthusiastic person, energetic, she LOVED projects played in a dance band with their father, wrote musicals for the community. As far as her children were concerned, she was just a cheerleader. She LOVED everything they did. Made them feel like they could do things.’
Now that’s what a Mother’s LOVE is all about! So, let’s stop talking and sing the song ‘MY MOTHER’S LOVE,’ in a soulful, scintillating, heartfelt version, showing true appreciation for all those good mothers so many of us, like me had, and fortunately some still have.
Singing: ‘My mother’s voice, the power of her teachings, Live in my soul and guide me still today. her caring ways, her timeless words of wisdom Come forth to help me through each day.‘
In each challenge, each choice, Above the world’s noise, I hear my mother’s voice. My mother’s faith, her prayers of earnest pleading, Turned me to God in moments of despair. Her calm assurance of His tender caring Taught me to turn to Him in prayer. Through my darkest of days I reach to feel His grace. Such was my mother’s faith.
My mother’s hands that lifted and protected, Those loving hands that soothed my fevered brow Were as a shield from every earthly trial, And still, the memory helps me now. And my heart is aware, the strength that I now share Came from my mother’s hands. My mother’s voice will live in me forever. A steady anchor for my reaching soul,
As generations climb the path together to sweet eternities untold. My mother’s LOVE, the essence of her being, Flows in and through me every waking hour. A quiet strength grew from her constant caring, A legacy of saving power. By her words and her touch she strengthened me so much. I felt my mother’s LOVE… I felt my mother’s LOVE.”
What beautiful words in honour of Mothers! And some of them do resonate with me towards my mother Molly. Like the opening words of the song: ‘My mother’s voice, the power of her teachings, Live in my soul and guide me still today. Her caring ways, her timeless words of wisdom Come forth to help me through each day.’ And that’s a veritable fact my brethren, because she was also a strong, enthusiastic self-reliant, woman, despite the many trials and misfortunes she suffered, being a single mother.
But in my formative years, she taught me a few basic lessons about life: to keep God first place, to be responsible and to be generous. She not only taught me them, but also lived them out in her life, although it’s only as I got older, I realized the truth in all those lessons. (smile) Oh friends, we cannot put a price on a Mother’s LOVE, because like God’s LOVE for us, it’s unconditional, no matter what! She will always LOVE her children and shower them with care.
As one commentary describes it: ‘Mom’s LOVE: Often characterized as unconditional, maternal love is typically nurturing, protective, and self-sacrificing. A mother’s LOVE is generally focused on the well-being and development of her child, often prioritizing their needs above her own.’ Yes, that’s what Mothers do.
And why is a mother’s LOVE so powerful? This commentary answers it thus: ‘Because she’s the one who LOVES us before we even take our first breath. She’s the safe place we run to when the world feels too big. Her hugs feel like home, her words calm our fears, and her sacrifices often go unnoticed but never unfelt. Mothers aren’t perfect, but their LOVE is powerful.’
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers. The only LOVE stronger than a mother’s is that of the Lord! That ought to tell you how strong a mother’s LOVE is. You see it even in the animal kingdom, where mothers are ever so protective of their young ones, they will fight a bigger and more powerful animal to protect their children. No wonder, the Lord in issuing His Ten Commandments placed within them this one: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex. 20:12)
Yes my people, that’s the ONLY commandment with a promise at the end, so it must truly be important in God’s eyes to honour your parents. Please note, He didn’t say like or LOVE them, but simply to honour them, and I guess that means even if they are not what we consider worthwhile parents. And what better way to end today’s Bit on Mother’s Day than with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ showing His LOVE for His mother.
The Bible tells us that while hanging on the cross in the throes of death, ‘Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he LOVED, (John), he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.’ (John 19:26-27) Now that was very thoughtful and considerate of Jesus! And what does it signify?
One commentary says: ‘This act is interpreted as Jesus providing for his mother’s care and establishing John as her guardian. It also highlights the concept of a new spiritual family within Christianity, where those united by faith are considered family, even without biological ties.’
More gospel truth my people! As Bruh Paul would say, be we Jew or Gentile, we’re all ONE in Christ! So let’s not only celebrate our mothers today, but try to remember them more all through the year, as we ought to! Much LOVE!
…mankind can never repay the debt they owe…to Christ…and to their mothers…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a gift to God, a leader who fears nothing but the Lord, a man who trusts in the Lord, an honourable person, curse, doing good works, endued with knowledge, enlarge my coast, faith, favour, God granted him his request, God rewards honour and integrity, has understanding, honour thy father and mother, honouring your parents is your bounden duty, if you are wise and understand God 's ways, it is corban, keep our word, LOVE, meekness of wisdom, more honourable than his brethren, negative word, one who believes in truth and does the right thing, praopserity, prove it by living an honourable life, respect ourselves and others, shew out of his conversation his works, son of sorrow, success, supernatural wisdom, that thy thy days may be long, the humility that comes with wisdom, the Prayer of Jabez, thine hand might be with me, thou wouldest keep me from evil, Thursday Blessings, who is a wise man
James 3:13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge (has understanding) among you? let him shew out of a good conversation (conduct) his works with meekness of wisdom (that his works be done in wisdom.)
It’s Thursday…and it’s sunny…Glory be! We won’t even bother to talk about the cold because it’s now wintertime in my area, and that means cold. (smile) So what shall we talk about today? Well, I just opened the Good Library and it opened unto the story of Jabez in 1 Chronicles, which is a marvellous story on honour and integrity. So let’s check that out nuh.
The chapter opens by talking about the descendants of Judah, then, out of the blue declares: ‘And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez (He will cause pain, Son of sorrow), saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.’ (1 Chr. 4:9) Now, we know how Old Testament names were very important and usually spoke of a person’s character and behaviour, however the next verse of the scripture, which we call ‘The Prayer of Jabez’ tends to disagree with the name Jabez’s mother gave him.
It says: ‘And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast (border), and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me (cause me pain)! And God granted him that which he requested.’ (1 Chr. 4:10) And that’s all we know about Jabez. Now why is that eh?
The scholars surmise that ‘the retention of this historical information probably indicates that God had granted Jabez’s request. His good accomplishments thus contradict his name “Son of Sorrow.” But I think it’s somewhat more than that. It shows that honour and integrity are very important in God’s framework. And was included in the scriptures as an example for us. Remember, nothing is in the scriptures unless there is a specific purpose. And Jabez’s story is there to show us that God rewards honour, integrity and good character.
And I like this explanation of what makes a man honourable. ‘The word honorable has to do with people and actions that are honest, fair, and worthy of respect. An honorable person is someone who believes in truth and doing the right thing — and tries to live up to those high principles.’ And those traits are shown to be treasured all throughout the Bible. So let’s look at a few examples nuh.
This first verse comes from Isaiah. ‘But the liberal (generous, noble) deviseth liberal (generous) things; and by liberal things shall he stand.’ (Is. 32:8) Now that doesn’t sound as explanatory as most of us would like, but this explanation says it much better. ‘A man who is bold, humble, responsible and worthy of respect; a man who trusts in the Lord and obeys Him alone. The honourable man is a leader who fears nothing but the Lord. If you seek to be this man; then this one’s just for you’
Yes friends, between those two passages we have a basic definition of honour, and it all traces right back to the things that God finds acceptable in His people. Remember God’s most important mention of honour; so important that He placed it in the Ten Commandments. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex. 20:12)
Now that’s the first commandment of promise, meaning that if you do as it says your earthly life will be worthwhile. Unfortunately though, many children don’t treat their parents with respect and honour. And please note the Lord didn’t say if your parents raise or treat you right, you should honour them, but to honour them regardless of their behaviour. That’s your bounden duty.
And Jesus even called out the Pharisees on it, when He said: ‘Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whosoever curseth father or mother let him die the death (be put to death). But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say a gift (dedicated to the temple), by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free. And ye suffer (allow) him no more to do ought (anything) for his father or for his mother. Making the word of God of none (no) effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered (handed down): and many such like things ye do.’ (Mark 7:9-13)
That’s right, the Jews evaded responsibility to their parents by saying their substance was ‘Corban, ‘or dedicated to God,’ which obviously contradicted God’s law to honour their mothers and fathers. And sadly, many of us do the same thing today; finding all sorts of ways to ignore our parents or not help them in whatever aspect they have need. But one day it will certainly boomerang back on us, either right down here on planet earth, or in the day of judgement.
And James tells us: ‘Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge (has understanding) among you? let him shew out of a good conversation (conduct) his works with meekness of wisdom (that his works be done in wisdom.)’ (James 3:13) That’s the King James Version, but the New Living Translation (NLT) puts it thus: ‘If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.’
Meanwhile, Bruh Paul tells it to us in a simple overall manner in Romans. ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another.’ (Rom. 12:10) Oh my brethren do we ever need to be devoted in honour and LOVE to each other, especially in these very dark and trying times. We need to show great respect for both ourselves and others, as well as the rules we live by. When we are honourable, we keep our word, and do the right thing, regardless of what others are doing.
And that’s why the Lord has bestowed these amazing Thursday Blessings on us, so we can live the life that honours Him and our fellow man. But we need to declare those blessings to activate them. So let’s do that right now nuh, in strong and sincere voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, having declared them, let’s go out and use them to bless others, just as generously as God blessed us with them. Much LOVE!
…from the beginning of time…HONOUR…has been one of man’s important watchwords…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
16 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a long and prosperous life, Acknowledge God's word, admonishments, declare their Maker's praise, delegated power, dishonouring, disobeying, earthly fathers, earthly representatives, enjoy the beauty of nature, enthusiasm, exaltation, fall by the wayside, giveth thee, God is the ruler yet, God reigns, God Tube, godly commands, good bad or indifferent, Happy Father's day, heavenly Father, his hand the wonders wrought, His sovereign will, honour thy father and mother, in God's will, let earth be glad, Maltbie Davenport Babcock, Mothers, parents, praise, provoke not your children to wrath, rearing duties, recalcitrant fathers, saints in Christ, sweet harmony, that thy days may be long, the birds their carols raise, the Christian vocabulary, the family crumbles, the first commandment, the lily white, the Lord is king, the morning light, the music of the spheres, the Niagara Escarpment, the rustling grass, the Ten Commandments, the wrong seems oft so strong, this is my Father's world, to my listening ears, ungodliness of today's youth, upon the land, waywardness, we won't give up, which the Lord thy God, with promise, worship
Exodus 20:12. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Well a Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there, be you good, bad or indifferent! (smile) Yes, today is the day we spend celebrating that wonderful and godly gift called Fatherhood. And no, it’s not as big as the day we spend celebrating Motherhood, because the world tends to see Motherhood in a somewhat better light than Fatherhood. Therefore Mother’s Day seems to have a bigger impact on both our psyche and our active involvement than Father’s Day.
And though fathers’ traditional role of bread-winner and ruler of the roost might have changed some, with more working mothers and more irresponsible and absentee fathers than ever before, they are still an important part of our society. (smile) But more on all of that later, because it’s Sunday and we’re going to the sanctuary to participate in faithful and exultant worship to the GREATEST FATHER there is…our heavenly Father!
And that’s why our song of praise today is the popular Christian hymn ‘This is My Father’s World,’ written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock around the end of the 19th century. According to the website ‘God Tube’ when Babcock lived in upstate New York, in Lockport, ‘he would take strolls along the Niagara Escarpment to savour the overlook’s scenic view of upstate New York surroundings and Lake Ontario, telling his wife he was “going out to see the Father’s world.”
The central theme of the hymn is joy and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world.’ So let’s sing it like we really mean it nuh, like we really enjoy the beauty of nature that our heavenly Father has created for our enjoyment and pleasure! Let the enthusiasm, sweet harmony and true exaltation just gush out of us on this Father’s Day.
Altogether now: ‘This is my Father’s world, And to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas– His hand the wonders wrought. This is my Father’s world: The birds their carols raise, The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair; In the rustling grass, I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere. This is my Father’s world: O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King: let the heavens ring! God reigns; let earth be glad!
I have a Father, a glorious father, He reigns in power and in LOVE, We have a Father, our glorious Father, Creator, King and God. This is my Father’s world: O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. This is my Father’s world!’
It certainly is my fellow saints in Christ! He made it, and He looks after it! Why do you think that the birds sing their songs of praise, and the morning light and lily white declare His praise eh? And so should we humans, His most wonderful creation! Just listen to these touching words nuh: ‘In the rustling grass, I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere!’ That’s the gospel truth friends! In every aspect of nature we can view our great heavenly Father…if we would just slow down and take the time to smell the roses!
And even more important are these immortal words: ‘O let me ne’er forget That though wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet!’ That’s for certain sure my people! Therefore why should our hearts be sad eh? ‘The Lord is king. So let the heavens ring! God reigns!’ That’s something we oftimes forget; ‘So let the earth be glad, because we have a Father, a glorious Father who reigns in power and in LOVE!’ Truer words were never spoken friends!
But what we also have to take into account my brethren is that the Lord delegated a lot of His power here on earth to the earthly Fathers, and consequently they are required to lead us in His sovereign will, and we are also required to show them the respect demanded of that high and godly office. Parents are His earthly representatives.
And the Lord taught it so important that He made it a part of His rules for godly living; the Ten Commandments: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ As always, our God says it simply and straightforward. Our fathers and mothers are the two most important people in our lives, after Him, of course. And regardless of if they are bad, good, or indifferent, it is our job to honour and revere them.
And as Bruh Paul says later on to the Ephesians: ‘it is the first commandment with promise.’ (Eph.6:2b). That means it’s the first injunction given that has a promise attached to it; honouring and obeying parents ensures a long and prosperous life. Now, unfortunately, as our society gets less and less godly, the honouring and obeying of parents is also becoming less practiced, and a lot of us are even cursing and smiting them too.
And the dishonouring and disobeying is especially true of fathers, many of whom, for whatever reason, are never around or don’t take any active part in their children’s lives. Remember friends, parents, especially fathers are supposed to bring up children with the word of God richly ingrained in them, starting from very young.
So if many fathers aren’t around, or are around and don’t do it, then this exacting and rather important job is either going to fall by the wayside, or the poor mother will be forced to take it on, in addition to her many other rearing duties. That’s a lot for any parent to handle, hence the waywardness and ungodliness of so many of today’s youth.
Ah friends, as the most important part of our society, the family crumbles, the godly commands also fall by the wayside. But we won’t give up, because that’s not in the Christian vocabulary. Instead, we’ll keep trying to push parents and children to be better, beginning with these warnings from the Lord a long, long time ago, re, honouring parents. He that smites or curses his father or mother shall surely be put to death. (Ex.21:15,17) That just goes to show how important God thought parents were.
And a couple more admonishments from Bruh Paul: ‘Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right….And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph.6:1,4) Yes friends, children ought to obey their parents when instructed to do anything that’s in God’s will, and fathers need to use their authority wisely, giving them proper spiritual training, as well as teaching them their responsibilities and duties.
Let’s hope and pray that this Father’s Day will bring some recalcitrant fathers and children to the place where they see and acknowledge God’s Word and His awesome desire for their lives. Have a blessed and happy Father’s Day! Much LOVE!
…fear (revere) every man…his mother…and his father…and keep my Sabbaths…I am the Lord your God… (Lev.19:3)
26 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a generation, a useful purpose, Agur, all things are possible with Jesus, arrogant, changes, communicate with God, complain, confidence, curse words, curses their father, dep darkness, devour the poor, disservice, does not bless their mother, energizing prayer, expletive deleted, fight for Jesus, filthiness, for Jesus' sake, gifts, go out to labour, greedy, grumble, hard labour, honour thy father and mother, humble servants, incriminating charges, inroads, jobs, join the battle, knives, laid at the feet, laid down His life, lamp shall be put out, lies, lift up Jesus name, lifted up in arrogance, make life easy, mitigate the situation, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, niceties of society, on a golden platter, our blessings, rejuvenation of spirit, rewards, rude to parents, ruthless, sacrifices, selfish, sinners, sufferation, taunts, teeth are as swords, the current generation, the enemy's ranks, the human animal, the trump of Jesus, thy days may be longput to death, to no avail, to work for Jesus, ungodly world, weary souls, went to the cross, wiles
Proverbs 30:11. There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
One more time friends, one more time, the trump of Jesus is calling us to come out and join the battle for the world in His name! This Monday morning is another precious and purposeful day in our earthly sojourn, where we put our blessings and gifts to work for Jesus. So let’s not grumble and complain because we have to get up and go out to labour nuh.
Jesus didn’t grumble and complain when He went to the cross and laid down His sinless life for us. It was rough yes, and He pleaded with the Father to mitigate the situation, but to no avail, because that’s the ONLY way we useless sinners would ever be able to communicate with a most holy God. So though things might be rough with us, let’s remember Jesus’ sacrifices on our behalf, and do whatever we can to lift up His name on the earth, without feeling too put out or sorry for ourselves.
And since we know that getting up on a Monday morning is difficult for many of us (smile) we have that wonderful, energizing prayer, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to raise our spirits and get us going. Let’s sing it out as one 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!’
Yeh friends, that just gets the adrenaline flowing, which enables us to staunchly and confidently fight on for Jesus in this evil world. And today we have a rather interesting Bit from Proverbs, but not from Cousin Sol. These are the wise words of Agur, possibly one of the sages of Cousin Sol’s day. And he tells us that ‘There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.’
How sad that is my people, because one of God’s Ten Commandments is: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex.20:12) And the Good Book goes on to say: ‘And he that curseth his father and mother, shall surely be put to death.’ (Ex.21:17)
That means a lot of this current generation ought to be put to death, because I believe this generation perfectly fits the bill described in our Bit. Some of the things I’ve personally heard children telling their parents just drives me bonkers. Hn! In my time I’d never dream of being rude to my parents, much less cursing them real curse words; words of the expletive deleted variety. And the sad part is that they get away with it. But that’s we, the parents fault. For whatever reason, we allow them to talk to us how they want, with little or no respect.
And Cousin Sol’s contribution to the subject is this: ‘Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure (deep) darkness.’ (Prov.20:20) And so it should be! Now hear these words of Agur after our Bit. ‘There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up (in arrogance). There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.’ (Prov.30:12-14)
Now those are certainly serious and incriminating charges and unfortunately I believe they can all be laid at the feet of this current generation. They are indeed selfish, arrogant, greedy and ruthless. Other generations have been bad, but I don’t think they can touch this one for their blatant disregard for the niceties of society.
But again, my contention is that we the parents reared them that way. In trying to make life easy for them, we did them a great disservice, because now they feel the world owes them a living, they are entitled, and they don’t appreciate all that they’ve been so sweetly and easily handed on a golden platter. And the human animal in general only seems to appreciate stuff when he/she personally has to work or suffer to acquire it.
However my faithful brethren, all is not lost. As we say, while there is life there is indeed hope, and that ALL things are possible with Jesus. That means we can still bring about some changes, if not in our children, certainly in our grandchildren. But we need to get serious and begin doing it NOW! So please, for Jesus’ sake, let’s get a move on with it nuh. Much LOVE!
…only through hard labour…or ‘sufferation’…do we truly appreciate our rewards…
20 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a waste of time, all for one, aura of love, Beelzebub, Christ's Church, commandment, confidence, courage, enthusiasm, evil, faith, Father's Day, friends, fun, godly manner, Guide, harmony, holy spirit, honour thy father and mother, hope, hullabaloo, humble servants, in the land God gives thee, invincible, ism, Jesus Christ, joy, laughed him to scorn, lead, lies, lip service, LOVE, members, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, one for all, Oneness, peace, promise, reality of work, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, righteous, sally forth, schism, sincerity, spiritual armour, standing 'O', steadfast faith, taunts, the body is not one member, the body is one, the business of the day, the enemy, the rear end, thy days may be long, trust, truth, ungodly world, unity, warning, wiles, wisdom
1 Corinthians 12:14. For the body is not one member, but many.
Aye friends, the hullabaloo of Father’s Day is over now, time to get back to the reality of work! (smile) However, before we embark on that subject, I want to extend one reminder, and not to the fathers, but to the children.
Please children, please don’t ignore your fathers, in fact your parents, during the remainder of the year. I know we get all gushy and lovey-dovey come Mother’s and Father’s Day, and even then, plenty of us only pay lip service to the occasion, but what happens during the rest of the year eh?
Too many children basically ignore their parents during the rest of the year. And my warning is all for your benefit. Remember the only commandment that has a promise tied to it. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex.20:12) So for your sakes, I’d suggest you children do a better job of honouring your parents than you’re currently doing. Nuff said!
Now let’s get down to the business of the day and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn as though we genuinely mean it, with plenty enthusiasm 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!’
It wasn’t bad friends, but not one of those renditions that creates a standing ‘O’ in heaven. And Jesus, our choir director wasn’t really displeased, so we doing okay. (smile)
But mih people, is time now to get down to brass tacks and go out and face the music with strength, courage, faith and trust that the Holy Spirit that indwells us will truly lead and guide us in a godly and righteous manner and enable us to do God’s will and fulfill His plan for our lives.
If we don’t seriously and sincerely try our best to do that, then our entire faith will be a waste of time, and we won’t be encouraging any others to come to Jesus for safety and succour, but rather turning them away, into the greedy, evil, waiting hands of Beelzebub. And friends, we don’t want to do that EVER! Jesus sacrificed too much for us to let Him down like that.
That’s why we have to stand strong, in unity and harmony, displaying the oneness that Jesus desires in His earthly organization; His body, the church. And that sense of harmony and oneness of purpose is indicated in our Bit. ‘For the body is not one member, but many.’ And that’s why it’s so difficult to get true harmony and unity amongst the members of Christ’s church.
And Bruh Paul likens the church of Christ to the human body. ‘For as the (human) body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one (human) body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.’ (1 Cor.12:12)
But we all know the different parts of the body have different functions, and none are really supposed to be more important than the other, but they all still jockey for importance. (smile)
As Bruh Paul puts it: ‘If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were the eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body (where would the body be)? But now are they many members, yet but one body.’ (1 Cor.12:15-20)
Ah friends, it’s the same with Christ’s church; we consist of many members with different roles, but with our sinful and lustful human nature taking precedence, we foolishly fight amongst and against each other to see who is more important. But my people that is so counterproductive.
And as Bruh Paul so wisely points out later on: ‘but God hath tempered (composed) the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether (if) one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.’ (1 Cor.12:24-26)
But obviously it isn’t working that way in Christ’s body these days, for there is lots of ism and schism disfiguring it, making it the joke of the town. That reminds me of the story where all the parts of the body wanted to be the boss, including the rear end, and all the other parts laughed him to scorn. But when he decided to shut his doors, the rest of the body became sick.
Hn! Just goes to show that even the lowest member is important in God’s set-up. So let’s try to live in harmony and unity nuh my people, so that we can do Jesus’ will productively. Let the heathen fight amongst themselves, but let the Christian church stand strong as ONE! Much LOVE!
…Christians unite…one for all…and all for one…
21 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a father's wisdom, before the evil days come, Cousin Sol, darkness, deteriorate, discipline, economic providers, egotistical, emotionally tiring, even when he is old, evil, Father's Day, fatherly responsibilities, first day of summer, forsake not my law, glory hallelujah, God-given authority, godless world, good doctrine, he will not depart from it, honour thy father and mother, I have no pleasure in them, in the days of thy youth, in the way he should go, irresponsible, live up to expectations, LOVE, nor the years draw nigh, obey your parents, prideful, receive my sayings, remember now thy Creator, right paths, spiritual guides, spiritually tiring, spring, Sunday, sunshine, take fast hold of instruction, teaching our children, the annals of mankind, the bread of wickedness, the family, the instruction of a father, the path of the just, the perfect day, the things of God, the way of wisdom, the wine of violence, the years of thy life shall be many, thou shalt not stumble, train up a child, understanding, ungodly, upside the head, warm weather, when thou shalt say, winter, worth their weight in gold
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.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Oh Friends, welcome to a most auspicious day in the annals of mankind! (smile)
And why do I say that? First of all, we’re alive and doing relatively well. Then it’s also Sunday; the day we gather together to sing and praise and worship and glorify our wonderful God and Creator. Thirdly, it’s the first day of summer in the northern climes… And triumphant shouts of ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ reach up to heaven for that blessing.
Yes my people, I know that the winter and spring seasons have been long, spiritually and emotionally tiring and just flat out disgusting and depressing. Now we expect to have at least have a couple months of constant sunshine and warm weather. Although we might soon start complaining that it’s too hot. (smile) But that’s just the nature of the beast.
And last but certainly not least, today is Father’s Day. Wow! If all of that doesn’t make this an auspicious occasion, well then I don’t know what does.
And I’d like to wish ALL the Fathers around the world a Happy Father’s Day! It doesn’t matter whether you’re a good, bad or indifferent Father, today is your day, so please enjoy it.
Now I don’t intend to preach a sermon about being a good father, (smile) but just highlight scriptures that point the way. Before we get to that though, just let me say that good fathers are definitely worth their weight in gold; as economic providers, as well as emotional and spiritual guides.
The father is supposed to be the head of the household, the one with the God-given authority to lead and guide the family with a fine balance of LOVE and discipline as we saw in the scholars explanation yesterday.
Sadly, that is not an easy task, and not all men are capable of doing it, or are even willing to try. And that’s when and where the main unit of society, the family, begins to deteriorate. And once that bed-rock foundation goes, then the society itself will eventually crumble. Unfortunately we’re seeing a lot of that, in fact way too much of that deterioration nowadays.
Men aren’t standing up to their responsibilities as they should, thus leaving the mothers with too much to do. And though mothers are great, can withstand plenty pressure, they are only human and can only do so much with so little. So all I’m asking us men to do is to please accept our responsibilities as fathers, to live up to the expectations that the name implies.
Children weren’t brought into the world by mothers alone, and if, as many of us are, such big, prideful, egotistical men when we impregnate the ladies, then we ought to be just as big and proud and conscientious to help raise the children that we bring into this evil and godless world. End of sermon. (smile)
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.’ And we couldn’t find a more appropriate one for this Father’s Day message, because it’s all about teaching our children about the things of God.
Remember yesterday we highlighted this scripture from Proverbs. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov.22:6) Well that’s what being a father is all about.
And earlier on in Proverbs, re a Father’s wisdom, Cousin Sol declares: ‘Hear ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law…. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
When thou goest thy steps shall not be straitened (hindered), and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it (do not travel on it) turn from it and pass away.
For they sleep not, except (unless) they have done mischief (evil); and their sleep is taken away (they are robbed of sleep), unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as the shining (bright) light, that shineth more and more (ever brighter) unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.’ (Prov.4:1-2, 10-19)
Ah mih people, those are some of the things a father ought to be teaching his children; showing them the two ways of living this life, the wise and godly one, and the wicked, ungodly fleshly manner.
Now let’s end with these famous words of advice from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and thy mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph.6:1-4)
Yes Friends, it’s a two way street, but it all begins first with the Father, who must teach the children the right and godly way, which includes spiritual education as well as responsibilities and duties. Sad to say, we have not done a good enough job of that with this current generation, that’s why they are so ungodly and irresponsible.
Fathers, and mothers where necessary, please let’s try and improve that nuh, for without those strong foundational building blocks our children will be lost forever. Much LOVE!
…the home is the training ground of the young…and what they learn there…they will practice outside…
P.S. Friends, will somebody please slap me upside the head for being too lazy to type the headings anew every day, and then making matters worse by forgetting to change the date on some of them. I did it again yesterday.
Chuh! I know many of you don’t notice it, but when I do, it just drives me crazy, because it means I am not doing as excellent a job as I should on the Lord’s business. Anyhow, I know the Lord and you my readers will forgive me, let’s just hope that I can forgive myself. (smile) Much LOVE!
10 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sin against God, a soft spot in my heart, admiration, adore, advice, appreciate, be grateful, Bruh Paul, bubble-buster, bundle of joy, by the wayside, charles stanley, cherish, compassionately, dire straits, disappoints me, distinction, dote, esteem, exhausting, faith, fallible, favour, forgive, friends, God's saving grace, godless, godly attitudes, godly guidance, good and acceptable before God, Happy Mother's Day, honour, honour thy father and mother, honour widows, in the land God gives you, In Touch Devotional, kudos, labour, left to languish, longevity, LOVE, love uncoditionally, loving kindness, magnanimity, make a big fuss, mercy, Mother's Day, Mothers, my six mothers, no charge, on god's earth, open to mistakes, orphan, overwhelming, painful, piety, pitiful, powerful things, privilege, put on a pedestal, recognition, requite, respect, responsibilities, revere, shirley Caesar, sin, smile, that thy days may be long, the best, the BIBLE, the Holy Spirit, the lifeblood of our society, the Lord has never let me down, the Lord thy God giveth, Timothy, undisciplined, unruly, what a letdowm, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, widows, wisdom, wombs
Exodus 20:12. Honour thy father and thy MOTHER: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Well a Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful and not so wonderful Mothers out there! That special day of the year, where we specially celebrate Mothers is upon us once again. And you know I’ve been wondering what to write for the last half an hour or so, while researching stuff in the Bible.
And I did come up with a few things. But then, the Lord in His wisdom guided me to read last year’s Mother’s Day Bit. And was I ever surprised, and somewhat disappointed, that last year I had already written about all the things I was now considering. Chuh! What a letdown! What bubble-buster!
Now I have to think about other stuff to say, because I can’t give exactly the same message as I did last year. And even if I do say so myself, I was rather taken with last year’s Mother’s Day Bit, for it covered a lot of ground, some of which is worth repeating.
But this is a different year, and I’m depending on the Holy Spirit to guide me in a somewhat different direction. Have faith Friends, for it will happen eventually. (smile) The Lord has never let me down yet, so why would He choose a day like today to do it eh?
You know it disappoints me some, that today we’ll make a big fuss over our mothers, but what happens to the rest of the year eh? Many of them are forgotten, left to languish as it were by the wayside. That’s certainly not right my people, because mothers are the lifeblood of our society.
They physically bear us in their wombs for nine months, then have a hard time getting us to come out. And even though the labour required for that can be quite painful and exhausting, as soon as we’re out, they forget about the pain and just dote on us, the beautiful bundle of joy they’ve just produced. (smile)
And then they spend the rest of their lives raising and nurturing us with LOVE and all the other good things that mothers do. All of it, for ‘NO CHARGE’ as the Shirley Caesar song I heard on the radio yesterday evening so truthfully declares. So why then don’t we pay more and better attention to our mothers eh?
Look at our Bit: ‘Honour thy father and thy MOTHER: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’
Our God taught it of such importance that He placed that directive in one of His ten most important rules to His people. Now if the Lord, in His great wisdom could make such a declaration, who are we to dispute it and not follow through with it eh? And please notice the last part of the commandment: ‘that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’
Yes Friends, our longevity depends to a certain extent on the way we treat our parents. So you godless, unruly, undisciplined children out there, who treat their parents terribly, especially their mothers, I’d very strongly suggest that you smarten up right now and follow that directive of God, otherwise your days may just be short and pitiful on the earth.
And what exactly does our Bit mean by ‘HONOUR’ eh? I’ve found a whole lot of synonyms for that word, so let’s hear some of them. ‘HONOUR’ means to cherish, show respect, put on a pedestal, give kudos to, show esteem, favour, recognition, admiration and privilege, to look up to, to appreciate, to adore, revere, and show distinction.
Oh my people, there are so many ways to show ‘HONOUR’ to our parents, that we truly have NO excuse whatsoever for not doing so. And that’s one of the reasons why our world is such a mess; ignoring our parents, treating them terribly, especially our mothers, is a sin against Almighty God.
And from the In Touch Devotional message from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) for today, I picked up these wonderful guidelines for honouring our Mothers. First off, we should LOVE them unconditionally, just the way God LOVES us. Now that surely makes a lot of sense, because we can’t be truly godly folks if we’re not practicing godly attitudes and actions.
And then Uncle Charles says to forgive our mothers compassionately. We seem to forget that mothers are humans too and thus fallible and open to mistakes, and will have some baggage from their earlier days that made them a certain way. We’re no angels ourselves, so we should not judge them too harshly.
Then we’re to remember our mothers gratefully, consider all the things she’s done for us over the years; from bearing and raising us to oftimes burying us. And for all she’s done, there’s usually ‘NO CHARGE!’
And finally, we ought to treat our mothers kindly, make them feel LOVED and appreciated, even though in the natural many of them don’t seem to deserve it. But remember we didn’t, and still don’t deserve God’s saving grace, but because of His great LOVE and magnanimity, He bestowed it on us. Thus the least we can do is to also bestow it on others.
Ah Friends, when it comes to mothers, I have a very soft spot in my heart for them, beginning with my biological mother Molly who throughout my whole life showed me what a true mother ought to be like. Aye Molls baby, can you imagine that it’s now four years since you left me an orphan? (smile) But don’t worry sugar, you’ll always have a place of great esteem and respect in my heart and my memory banks. And so too will the five other mothers I’ve had during my lifetime.
And I know that some of you are laughing at that, but believe me people, there were several times when I was in dire straits and the Lord, in His mercy and LOVING-kindness, sent those women into my life to assist, to lead and guide me on the right path. How could I ever forget you eh my six mothers? No way! For without you all I definitely would not be writing these words today. Thank you all so much for showing and showering me with your LOVE and godly guidance.
And we’ll end today’s message with a word of advice, instructions concerning widows, from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews (grandchildren), let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite (repay) their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.’ (1 Tim.5:3-4)
Yes Friends, supporting our parents, especially our mothers, is indeed acceptable and wonderful in God’s sight. So please let’s get a move on and do it nuh, for it’s the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…a mother’s responsibilities are so overwhelming…that very few men can carry them out successfully…and her LOVE…ohhh…it is one of the most powerful things on God’s earth…
P.S. Yuh see mih people, the Lord didn’t disapoint me. (smile) He did guide me to write something somewhat different. That’s why I keep saying, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! He is definitely the BEST! Much LOVE!
15 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a wrathful man, Abraham, admonition, anger, appropriate behaviour, bane of our society, bear the blame, bear the brunt of damage, Bruh David, chief teacher, child education, children, common sense, contention, do right, don't provoke your children, duties, epitome of a father, Father's Day, fatherly guidance, godly father, gospel truth, Happy Father's day, head of the family, honour thy father and mother, houeholds without fathers, injustice, intruction, irresponsibility, justice, keep God's Word, keep the Lord's way, loss of temper, LOVE the Lord with all our hearts, Moses, necessary tools, patience, respect for parents, responsibilities, responsible father, righteousness., self-control, society is going downhill, strife, teach your children God's Word, the Ten Commandments, training, understanding, undue severity, ungodly households, ungodly world, what goes around comes around, wisdom, wrath
Genesis 18:19. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement (righteousness and justice): that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Oh my fellow Fathers out there in God’s great world, here’s wishing us a Happy Father’s Day!
And no doubt you’ll be surprised to hear that on such an auspicious day, I don’t know what to say. (smile) Or rather, I have so much to say, that I don’t know where to begin. Hn, Hn! So then, let’s begin at the most appropriate place nuh; the beginning.
The Lord thought that respect for one’s parents was so important that He enshrined it in His basic rules for living; the Ten Commandments. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex.20:12) And Moses repeats it in Deut.5:16. So one of the rules we must adhere to is honouring our parents, and on this particular day, our blessed fathers.
Now I don’t know how coherent this message will be, (smile) because I’m leaning towards just pulling out bits of scripture dealing with earthly fathers and what’s expected of them. Anyway, let’s see where the Lord leads us.
In the meanwhile, listen to what the Lord had to say in our Bit about Abraham as a father: ‘For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement (righteousness and justice): that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.’
And that my people, is what our God would like to say, and have said of all earthly fathers! The epitome of a father is one who directs his household to keep God’s Word!
For as Moses reminded the Israelites in the wilderness: ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thine house, and on thy gates.’ (Deut.6:4-9)
That my people is how important the word of the Lord is! Unfortunately though, in this modern day and age, very few families are doing that. And since the father is the acknowledged head of the family, (Eph.5:23) it rebounds badly on him. Consequently, there are way too many ungodly households in our society, and that’s partly why it is going downhill.
A responsible father ought to be saying, in the words of Bruh David: ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord. (Ps.34:11) That’s because, as the caretaker of the family, a father is expected to have wisdom. No wonder Cousin Sol declares: ‘Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.’ (Prov.4:1)
But then again, in this modern day and age too many fathers are definitely not showing the wisdom that they ought to, and a lot of that stems from their not having fathers who had the necessary tools to teach them properly. This brings up the major problem of too many households without fathers.
Without a strong and godly father at the head of a household, that household will undoubtedly suffer some disadvantages, for a mother can only do so much, although there are many mothers who raise godly children. And even in households with fathers, the behaviour of the father is not always appropriate.
Cousin Sol says: ‘A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife (lessens contention).’ (Prov.15:18) And unfortunately, today a lot of fathers don’t have the patience and self-control and thus stir up a lot of strife in their households.
That brings us to Bruh Paul’s famous warning to the church at Ephesus. ‘And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph.6:4)
And the scholars tell us: ‘6:4. Fathers can provoke their children to wrath by injustice, loss of temper, undue severity, cruelty, favouritism, suppression, sarcasm, ridicule, and misuse or abuse of authority. Nurture basically means “training,” here denoting spiritual education. Admonition is instruction that points out one’s responsibilities and duties. Of the Lord is in Greek a subjective genitive. This indicates that behind the parents’ rearing and instruction of their children stands the Lord as the chief teacher in child education. Parents do not rear children alone.’
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! So you can see from that how important it is for a father to be a man of understanding and common sense, of justice and righteousness. But sadly, in this ungodly world we’re raising far too many ignorant, unfaithful fathers.
And I won’t even bother to get into the aspect of fathers siring so many children with different women and not even supporting them. Right now that’s the bane of our society. And you mothers have to bear some of the blame for that.
I’ll just end by saying, by pleading to the fathers out there, please, let’s start taking our responsibilities seriously nuh. It’s the children, our children who are going to suffer, who are in fact suffering from either poor fatherly guidance, or no fatherly guidance at all. And that does not bode well for the future of our society at all, for that trait will just keep being handed down from generation to generation, until it just turns into complete irresponsibility, and thus further damage to the children.
Oh fathers, please wake up and realize that when we don’t do right, it’s always the children who bear the brunt of the damage! It’s high time for us to try and replicate the behaviour of our Father in heaven towards us. I’m sure we wouldn’t like it if He ignored and abandoned us. Remember do so ent like so…and what goes around comes around! Much LOVE!
…fathers…provoke not your children to anger…lest they be discouraged… (Col.3:21)
11 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a breath of spring air, a mother's love, appreciation for mothers, backbone of families, balancing act, chattel, children, christ's character, christianity, commandments, condemn, courage, create and carry life, Deborah arose as a mother, emotionally stronger than men, emotions, encouragement, faithfulness, favour, females more like god than males, first world countries, foolish stigma, footstools, foresight, fortitude, friends, from the heart, fruits of the Spirit, full due, gentleness, God's Word, godliness, good guidance, goodness, heavenly choir, hindsight, honour mothers, honour thy father and mother, human frailties, inherent characteristics, Israel, joy, joyful mother, kindness, long-suffering, LOVE, loving, loving kindness, major responsibility, meaningful jobs, meekness, Mother's Day, natural ability to lift expectations, no charge, paid in full, patience, pay tribute to mothers, peace, perseverance, praise, priase the Lord, provide succour and nourishment, recognition, reproductive capacities, restraint, rightful respect, second class citizens, semblance of order, sense of dedication, sense of purpose, sexual objects, standing up for rights, strength, temperance, tender care, the ABC's of life, the glass ceiling, third world countries, tight hold of the reins, times of pregnancy, token appointment, tribute to Mothers, true paths to tread, true spirit of Christianity, uncanny sense of wisdom, unconditional LOVE, understanding, upper echelons, village life, women not pro-active enough
Judges 5:7. The inhabitants of the villages (village life) ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY !
Well Friends, once again we have come to that memorable day in springtime when we pay tribute to Mothers. And what shall we say to honour them today eh? Well, first let’s say that they are usually like a breath of clean, fresh, pure spring air, as opposed to the oppressive heat of summer and the frigid cold of winter. They just seem to have that pick me up character built into them. They are usually so refreshing when everybody else is dragging and down in the dumps. They just have the natural ability to lift expectations and emotions.
Now here is something that recently struck me. Mothers, or the female of all the species are more akin to, more like God than males, in terms of their inherent characteristics. In the sense that they have reproductive capacities, can create and carry life, and provide succour and nourishment for their young, nurturing them through their childhood, and even into their adult years. Mothers possess an uncanny sense of wisdom, even without any formal schooling.
They generally give good guidance and show their children the true paths they ought to tread. They are usually imbued with a greater sense of dedication, patience and perseverance and restraint than men. In fact the fruits of the Spirit – LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (faithfulness) are more likely to be found in mothers than in fathers. In the human family, it’s usually the mothers who teach the children the ABC’s of life, and keeps the family tightly knit and together.
In other words, she is basically responsible for bearing, birthing, raising and caring for the children and the family as a whole, oftimes while also working outside of the home. And you better believe Friends, that’s a major responsibility, one that requires a big juggling and balancing act, a feat which most men would not be able to handle. I guess that’s why the Lord made them emotionally stronger, more understanding and LOVING than men.
But unfortunately, Mothers, women on the whole, still don’t get the recognition they deserve from society. In numerous places, all over the world, they are still being treated like second class citizens, like chattel. And it’s not only in the supposed backward, third world countries that this happens, but also right here in the first world countries, women and mothers are not given their full due and rightful respect.
We see that in the fact that they earn less than men while doing the same job. They are seldom promoted to meaningful jobs in the upper echelons of the big companies. And if they do get a bligh, it’s often a token appointment that doesn’t really carry much weight or responsibility.
Oh don’t get me wrong, nowadays a few women are breaking through the glass ceiling, but still not in sufficient quantities, definitely not in proportion to their numbers involved in the work force. And they still bear the foolish stigma of being unable to be a mother, a wife and a career person at the same time. Consequently they are still being fired or passed over for promotions during times of pregnancy. Steups!
And sadly, ladies and mothers, men are not the only ones to blame for this sad state of affairs. Some of the blame has to be laid at your doorstep too; possibly for not being pro-active enough and standing up for your rights, allowing men to still treat you as footstools and sexual objects.
Anyway Mothers, today we’re not here to condemn, but to praise you for being the strength, the backbone of our families and therefore our societies. We’re here to praise you for your fortitude and courage, for the many times when all seems lost, but somehow or other you get a tight hold of the reins and restore some semblance of order, along with a sense of purpose and encouragement.
I’ve learned from a young age that the male of the species might be physically stronger – and I’m not even sure about that – but in all other respects, the female of the species wins out. Oh we know that mothers are not perfect, some of them are even downright disgusting, but we have to realize that they are only human and thus suffer from all the human frailties and weaknesses.
But overall, mothers are truly the ones who make the world go round fairly smoothly with their kindness, their LOVE, their nurturing, their encouragement, and all the other little but ever so important things they do. And our Bit points that out so nicely. ‘The inhabitants of the villages (village life) ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.’
Yeh Friends, Israel was a mess under most of the judges, until Deborah rose up as a mother and shepherded them back to some form of godliness and decent community life. You can read her story in Judges 5.
And hear these choice words from the psalmist, re God’s mercy. ‘He maketh (causes) the barren (childless) woman to keep house (dwell in a home), and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.113:9)
And we see examples of that all through God’s Word; e.g. Sarah (Isaac), Hannah (Samuel), Elizabeth (John). So it’s obvious that the Lord has a soft spot in His heart for women who are unable to conceive.
Anyway my people, I hope this all makes sense. I just wanted to do something a little different, especially since I have a great appreciation for mothers, having had six of them. Yes my brethren, the Lord blessed me with six different motherly women to look out for me during certain rough periods of my life. And believe me, all six mothers were beautiful persons, treating me with such LOVE and tender care, that I don’t know how I would have made out if the Lord had not brought them into my life at those most appropriate times.
And looking back on my life now, I can definitely see the Lord’s favour working in my favour. What a great thing hindsight is eh! Oh, if foresight was only half as good!
Obviously my birth mother Molly was the first, and she did her best to give me a decent life. Thank you Molls baby! They wouldn’t know some of the stuff you went through to provide for me nuh, and I’m truly sorry I didn’t appreciate your efforts before I did. It’s amazing to think that it’s almost three years since you left us to sing in the heavenly choir, but sonny boy is trying his best not to sully your name and genuinely good character. (smile)
You know I won’t ever forget you, but sometimes I miss you, especially when I need someone to talk to, for you were truly my best Friend. I could bring any problem to you and know that you wouldn’t judge me. Ah Molls sugar, the tears are welling up in the ole fella’s eyes as I remember you and some of the interesting though often difficult times we went through. Not to worry though, the good Lord is looking after me.
And Friends, I won’t even bother to get into the problems that many mothers have, like little or no help from fathers, ungrateful and disobedient children etc. because it is all well documented. I’d just like us all to work together in the true spirit of Christianity, reflecting Christ’s character to help mothers, to help women all over the world to have better lives than many of them are currently having.
And yuh see how important Jesus’ mother was to Him, for even as He was dying on the cross, He made provision for her to live with John. (John19:25-27) So why can’t we mortal men appreciate our mothers too eh? And parents were considered so important by God, that He included them in His basic commandments for living. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex.20:12)
And we’ll close with a most fitting story based on an old song I believe was sung by Shirley Caesar, called No Charge. It begins with a mother being in the kitchen and her young son comes in and presents her with a list of all the chores he’s done and how much he is charging her for doing them.
The mother is obviously disappointed, but turns over the paper and writes stuff like, for carrying you for nine months – no charge… And she lists all the things she’s done for him since he was first conceived in her womb, and at the side of each there was the statement – no charge. And at the very end there was some thing like – in short…for my LOVE…THERE’S NO CHARGE…
And that my Friends is what a Mother’s LOVE is all about! It’s free, given from the heart!
And when the youngster reads his mother’s note, he cries, turns the paper over to his side and writes across it – Paid in Full.
So today my people, let’s truly honour our mothers nuh, for without them and their LOVING-kindness, our lives would have been even more difficult than they were. Much LOVE!
…the best reflection on earth…the closest image to the heart of God…that’s a Mother’s LOVE…unconditional and freely given…
P.S. Yes Friends, I know it’s long, extra long (smile) but, like a Mother’s LOVE, it comes from the heart. Much LOVE!
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