21 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Inspirational Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a rollicking time, analogy, Anselm, as the heaven is as high above the earth, attributes, basic objective, believing is seeing, bless the Lord, blessings, catalyst, children's children, Christ's realm, compassion, edifying, Emotional Quotient, encouraging, EQ, everlasting, faith, fellowship, focused on God, forgiveness, free choice, friendships, generations, glory and honour to God, glory hallelujah, grace, grass, home away from home, hope, Hours of Power Devotional, Intelligence Quotient, IQ, Jesus Christ, joy, life, likeness of Christ, LOVE, loving kindness, memories, mercy, no place like Home, obedient to God's will, Radisson Hotel, relationships, righteousness., Sea Breeze, seeing is believing, so great is his mercy, Thanks be to God, to them that fear him, Tobago, truth, understanding, wander away from God, wisdom
Psalm 103:11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.
Once again friends and neighbours, on this bright and beautiful Sunday morning, I’m coming to you from my little cottage by the sea in sweet Tobago, aptly called ‘Sea Breeze.’ (smile)
Got back here late last night. And is it ever so good to be back home in Tobago again! As they say, there’s no place like home. And this is my home away from home right now.
Anyway, this morning I’m bringing words of LOVE, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, understanding, grace, and blessings from our heavenly Father; all the attributes of which He is the Supreme Possessor and Giver.
And all God’s people declared loudly: ‘Thanks be to God, who gives us generously of all His attributes!’ And we all know that as gospel truth friends!
Now I’ve got a lot to share today, so let’s begin right away with this quote from our friend Anselm, who delights in inspiring us to live a better tomorrow. And this rather appropriate quote tells us that: ‘Believing is seeing. You gotta believe something will happen for you before you see it. Have faith in the process of getting there.’
And that’s ever so true my people! In Christ’s realm, you have to believe it before you see it. With Christ, believing is seeing, not like the world thinks, that seeing is believing. That’s where those two great attributes, hope and faith come in; for without them we can’t believe without seeing.
And to help us along in that regard, Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from his Hours of Power Devotional tells us about our EQ as opposed to our IQ.
Now our IQ or Intelligence Quotient is naturally related to our intelligence. However, our EQ or Emotional Quotient is related to our hope and faith. Gramps defines a high EQ as ‘a heart that has strong faith, unquenchable hope, and passionate LOVE.’
Glory Hallelujah! Oh how I wish that all God’s children were blessed with such a high EQ! Unfortunately though, we’re not, but fortunately it is indeed possible and very necessary that we build up that high EQ. And that is all a part of what out Bit is about; trying to keep us focused on God, His Word and His plan for our lives.
Now remember though, that the Bit IS NOT sufficient reading and studying material for a child of God. It is a useful catalyst, but we all need to get deeply involved in the Word and fellowship with other believers on our own. That’s the only way we’ll ever truly grow to a likeness of Christ, achieve a high EQ, which is our basic objective.
Now I haven’t kept you all up to date on my recent activities, sorry about that, (smile) but I can only write what the Lord directs me to write. And thankfully He’s given me some room for that today.
Well you all know that I was in Trinidad for the last few days. You also know I went to the Southland by water taxi and had a great time.
On Friday evening we also had a rollicking time as some friends and family gathered with me in the lobby bar area of the Radisson Hotel where I was staying. The hotel has a happy hour every Friday evening from 5 to 7, but our happy hour lasted from about six to eleven. Hn, Hn!
We laughed and talked and drank and munched some chicken wings the hotel provided, shared old memories and made some new ones that we can share at a later date. Glory to God!
I saw a couple of friends whom I hadn’t seen since I left the UWI Mona campus in Jamaica in 1969. Brother! That’s something like 45 years. But what I like about these old friendships is that though we don’t see each other often, when we meet, it’s just like we saw each other yesterday, we pick up from right where we left off. That is what true friendships and relationships are all about!
Enough about my activities though. I’ll leave yesterday’s activities for tomorrow though, because it was truly an eye opener for me, and will take up too much time and space.
So let’s get to our oh so wonderful, encouraging and edifying Bit. ‘For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him.’
Yes Friends what a wonderful analogy to show how great God’s mercy is towards those of us who revere and worship Him – as high as the heaven is above the earth! Wow! That’s pretty high! So just imagine how much LOVING-kindness He has stored up and pours down on us nuh.
And all I can say in response is: ‘All glory and honour be to our magnificent and magnanimous God who is so interested in our welfare, in every aspect of our lives!’
The problem here though is that many of us have a problem in truly believing that Almighty God, that great entity on high, can be interested in our plain and simple, lowly and mundane lives. But my people, He truly does. He made us and has a big stake in everything that happens in our earthly sojourn.
Listen to how Bruh David continues in Psalm 103, from which our Bit is taken. ‘As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it (remember it) no more.
But the mercy (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (revere) him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.’ (Ps.103:15-17)
Ah mih breddren, our God’s mercy spans time from whenever it began to whenever it ends, if ever, and is available to all generations during that time. What more can we ask eh? Not a whole lot, except His guidance and strength to keep on LOVING Him and being obedient to His holy will, so that we can keep on enjoying His (LOVING-kindness.)
Yes friends, it is somewhat of a conundrum; we have to LOVE and obey God, but at the same time we do need His strength, wisdom and guidance to do it. Yuh see how we’re inextricably tied up with our Creator!
And we’ll end with these wise words from Bruh David. ‘Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers (servants) of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.’ (Ps.103:21-22)
Now that’s wisdom for all the ages! Much LOVE!
…yes…we do have free choice…but to wander away from God…means we’re not using that free choice wisely…
17 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a relationship with Jesus, adversity, apostate, assurance, atonement, Babylon, breath of God, calamity, courage, crying, dark night of sin, day of life, doomed to destruction, downfall, enemy, evil, exile, expectations, Ezra, fades, faith, Feast of Trumpets, final destination, for the joy of the Lord is your strenght, friends, glorious sunshine of Jesus, glory hallelujah, God shall wipe away all tears, God's plan for our lives, going to hell in a hand-basket, happiness, happy, heaven, holy spirit, hope, Hours of Power Devotional, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, I'm not turning back, indisputable fact, inner peace, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Truth, joy, joyful, joyfulness, kind, LOVE, merciful, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, no more death, paganism, pain, peace, planet earth, pleasure, ponder, robert h schuller, self-esteem, sorrow, steadfastly, superstition, thanks and praise, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the clouds will clear, the former things are passed away, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the law of Moses, the Life, the Light, the promise of heaven, the sun will shine again, the Way, they have not known nor understood, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, understanding, vim and vigour, walking faithfully, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, world of darkness
Nehemiah 8:10c. For the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Oh welcome my brethren to another interesting and satisfying day of life on God’s great planet Earth!
And as we keep saying, there must be a reason for us to have awakened this morning. So, after giving God some thanks and praise for bringing us through the dark night of sin into the glorious sunshine of Jesus, let’s get with His plan for our lives right away nuh.
And since today is Wednesday, it means declaring our Wednesday Wail with much vim and vigour. (smile) As one wailer now: ‘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 friends, life is all about looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus! As they say; our best days are still ahead. And I do believe that. And how can we not be ever-thankful for the beautiful breath of God’s Spirit that’s flowing through us to give us what we call life eh!
Now today I want to share something from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Schuller) Hours of Power Devotional. Don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but if I have, it’s certainly worthy of another go round in this dark and dismal world.
He asks the question ‘Are You Happy?’ But I want to change it to ‘Are you Joyful?’ because happiness conveys a sense of now for now pleasure that soon fades, pleasure as the world sees it, not the long lasting joy that comes from a true relationship with Jesus. So in this passage, wherever we see ‘Happiness,’ let’s read it as ‘Joyfulness.’
So here goes: ‘Happiness – that deep inner strength that is made up of courage, faith, hope, and peace. Mix them together and you have happiness! Happiness – the courage to hang on in the face of severe adversity! Happiness – the faith that God will have the last word, and it will be good! Happiness – the hope that, even though you can only see the shadow, someday the clouds will clear away and the sun will shine again!
Happiness – the quiet sense of self-esteem that comes when you know you have done your best. Happiness – the assurance that you have been merciful and kind to enemy and friend alike. Happiness – the quiet assurance that God will be merciful and kind to you, too. Happiness – the beautiful belief that this life, no matter how difficult it may be, is not your final destination.’
Oh what beautiful, words, thoughts and emotions my people! Especially knowing that our final destination is heaven, to live with Jesus forever! ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev.21:4)
And all God’s people loudly and proudly declared: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Thank the Lord for the promise of heaven!’
And that’s all fine and dandy my friends, but the truth, the reality is that we can’t have all those things, all that happiness, all that joyfulness here on earth, unless we are walking faithfully and steadfastly with Almighty God!
And you ask why? Simply because, as our Bit says: ‘For the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
And that my people is an indisputable fact! We cannot be truly happy or joyful for any length of time, unless the Lord’s joy is running through us. The Lord’s joy comes from a sense of inner peace, of expectations edged with faith in God’s promises, and the practical LOVE He showed to us by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for the atonement of our sins!
No other faith can boast of those things! That’s why Jesus is the Truth, the Life, the Way and the Light that lights up this world of darkness!
Now some of us might not know where our Bit comes from, or how it is tied in to the scriptures, so let’s go back in time. The Israelites had recently returned from exile in Babylon, and having settled themselves in their homeland again, in the seventh month they came together to celebrate and thank the Lord.
‘And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street (plaza) that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the scribe brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding upon the first day of the seventh month.’ (Neh.8:1-2)
Now friends, I think it’s very important that we listen to the scholars’ explanation here. ‘8:2. The time was the Feast of Trumpets (Lev.23:24) and was about September 27, 444 B.C. This was the most sacred of the new moons, and commenced the final month of the religious festivals (Lev.23:23-25; Num.29:1-6). The concept of understanding was important as Proverbs 1:2 indicates (cf. Ex.12:26-27; Deut.4:6; 6:6-9; 31:12-13).
Mindless superstition was the mark of paganism (“They have not known nor understood.” Is.44:18-20), and had been the downfall of apostate Israel (Hos.4:6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”). Notice the stress on understanding in verses 2-3, 7-8,13.’
Oh friends, that is exactly what’s happening to our world today! We are suffering from a lack of knowledge and understanding of God, just like Israel was back then. Paganism is rearing its ugly head more and more, no wonder our world is going to hell in a hand-basket like happened to the apostate Israel!
What do you think happens when a society, a nation, a world turns away from Almighty God eh? Obvious calamity!
Oh my people, look at the number of places, cities and societies cited in the Bible who were destroyed because they had turned from worshipping and serving the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, including His chosen Israel several times.
What makes us thing that our turning away from Him now will end any differently eh? And I’ll leave us to ponder that question today. Much LOVE!
…apart from Almighty God…mankind is doomed to destruction…
16 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive, another level, as I have loved you, assurance, atonement, attribute, bountiful, Cain, change, characteristics, children of God, earn another's love, endurance, events, faith, fellowship, friends, Glory be, glory hallelujah, God is good, God's great world, gospel truth, hope, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, indisputable truth, Jacques Maritain, Jesus Christ, joy, LOVE, LOVE one another, LOVE Revolution, perfection, persecution, Prayer of the Beloved, problems, propitiation, room for love, share His love with the world, steal our joy, strengthens, the essence of the situation, this is my commandment, this is the day the Lord has made, trust, Tuesday Mantra, unqualified love, values to our lives, walking with Jesus, we don't love qualities, we love persons, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom
John 15:12. This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.
Well mih people, it’s another bright and bountiful day in God’s great world! Glory Hallelujah!
Oh I know that many of us are facing all kinds of persecution and problems and it might not seem like a bright or bountiful day, but the essence of the situation is that we’re alive, and thus have the HOPE and assurance that things can and will change, once we keep on walking steadfastly with Jesus!
Therefore, let’s all loudly and proudly declare, like the psalmist did: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps.118:24)
Yes friends, regardless of what the day holds, let us endeavor to rejoice and be glad in it. Let us not allow the enemy to steal our joy by filling our heads with nonsense. Life might be rough, but remember that our God is good! Glory be!
And since today is Tuesday, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra or Prayer of the Beloved, right off the top to get us set on firm footing. All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’
Yes my people, we are not defined by any of the world’s standards; our true definition is simply, children of God, and thus LOVED by Him. Nothing else really matters.
All we need to do is trust Jesus, our Friend, Saviour, Lord, Brother, Master, etc. etc. and share His overwhelming LOVE with the world, as He so simply but eloquently declares in our Bit. ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’
Ah friends, it’s such a simple but profound statement! One which we are not following as strongly and steadfastly as we should, thus we are not getting the results that we ought to get, so that we can further the LOVE Revolution of Jesus.
Jesus is all about LOVE yuh know! It’s His greatest attribute; an attribute that encompasses everything else, and if we truly have it, we will be in the best place that we can be.
And today I want to share a passage from my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness. The quote is from one Jacques Maritain (1882-1973), a French Catholic philosopher of much renown, who was apparently raised a Protestant, then became an agnostic before converting to Catholicism.
He reputedly said: ‘We don’t LOVE qualities, we LOVE persons…’
And that’s how it ought to be. But instead we tend to qualify our LOVE for others by their behaviour, events or other actions and things. That’s not right my brethren. Our God LOVES us just for who we are, not because of anything we do or say.
And the devotional goes on to say: ‘No matter what happens to us in our lifetime, regardless of whether we are rich or poor, strong or weak, ill or well, we ALWAYS HAVE ROOM FOR LOVE. Unqualified LOVE and caring cost nothing. Despite out financial position, allowing ourselves to LOVE, allowing ourselves to be LOVED strengthens and lends greater value to our lives.’
And that my fellow believers in Christ is indisputable truth! When LOVE becomes the most important factor in our lives, we are raised up to another level, a level to which only LOVE can bring us.
Now listen closely to this next part of the devotional, which corroborates what I’ve said above. ‘In LOVING others and being LOVED, we are reminded that people, not events or even characteristics, are the important elements of our lives.
We don’t look for perfection in our LOVED ones, and we’re freed of the notion that we must earn another’s LOVE. LOVE balances our lives; it helps us to keep sight of our values and priorities.’
And that’s all gospel truth my brethren! The Lord would certainly not LOVE us if He was looking for perfection, because we are not perfect. So why do we try to put others in certain situations or force certain characteristics and traits in them before we LOVE them eh?
Please, let’s stop doing that and just LOVE others for who or whom they are nuh; creations of God. That’s the only way to truly LOVE!
And as John so wisely reminds us in his first epistle: ‘For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that ye should LOVE one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew (murdered) his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.’ (1 John 3:11-12)
Oh friends, ofttimes that’s why we don’t LOVE people; because our deeds or intentions are evil and theirs are not. But hear these poignant and ever so true words from the end of the Valentine’s Day writing in our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
‘LOVE knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.’
Glory Hallelujah my people! Yes, LOVE will always be left standing when everything else fails! Let’s truly believe that and work it into all aspects of our lives nuh.
And we’ll end this series of messages on LOVE with the timely words of John. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (atonement) for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11)
That’s the wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…I will remember today…that I LOVE people for themselves…not for their potential…the LOVE I receive…is given just as freely… (From the One More Day Devotional).
13 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fleeting moment, a name above every other name, alive, apologize, appearance, at the name of Jesus, awakened, cast not away your confidence, change, chronic illness, circumstances, compassion, disconsolate, endurance, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, everything can change, exalted, faith, feelings, frame of reference, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's gifts, God's plan for us, he is a rewarder, he that comes to God, holy spirit, hope, humble, humility, in a split second, Jesus as our guide, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, joy, joy waits for no man, joyfulness, labour of LOVE, let this mind be in you, LOVE, loving kindness, Lucifer, memories, mercy, ministered, more to be desired than gold, obedience, obedient, on a high note, One More Day Devotional, Paradise, patience, Praise the Lord, receive the promise, recompense, rewards, sacrifice, selfless, sinners, sweeter than honey, Tanhuma, the death of the cross, the Good Book, the Lamb that was slain, the will if God, them that diligently seek him, to the glory of God the Father, Tobago, trust, walking with Jesus, which also was in Christ Jesus, wisdom
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.
Oh mih breddren, it’s Saturday; another beautiful day in Paradise! Glory Hallelujah!
On second thought though, I think I need to apologize for my effusive opening to those of you who have not awakened to such a paradisaical situation as I have. (smile)
But friends, the most important thing, regardless of our physical situations and limitations is that we have awakened. Glory to God! And once we’re alive and walking with Jesus Christ there is ALWAYS that wonderful thing called HOPE! Hope that through Jesus, our circumstances can change, can improve.
Now that’s one of the reasons I’m in Tobago; I have the hope that the sunshine and saltwater will alleviate my physical ailments. So far though, there are plusses and minuses on the scoreboard, but I still have hope, am still believing that by the time I’m ready to leave in the next few weeks I will be healed. Or at least be in much better shape than when I came.
That’s hope, that leads to faith. And a little reminder here that we cannot have faith without hope. So please don’t be disconsolate even though your surroundings, though your life might not be on a high note right now, because with Jesus as our guide, everything can change, sometimes in a split second.
So NEVER stop having HOPE! And another thing too, once we’re alive, it means that God has a plan for us to carry out, otherwise we wouldn’t be here to tell the story.
And all God’s people said a loud, proud and grateful ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
And I’m chuckling here friends, because this was not what I had planned to write, neither was what is about to come, but this is where I was guided, so who am I to complain eh?
And I want to share something from my One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness, and you can count me amongst that lot.
Anyway, today’s quote is attributed to one Tanhuma, whom I believe is a Jewish sage from way back when. And he profoundly declares that ‘Joy waits for no man.’ And I know that all of us have found that our several times throughout our lives.
The text goes on to tell us: ‘Joyfulness is one of God’s greatest gifts. Joy transcends all time and place. Joy causes unmeasurable and often indescribable feelings which we might only have for a fleeting moment. Joy is like opening a special present. It is a state of mind, a frame of reference for future memories.’
Yes my people, joy is all of those things, but more importantly joy comes from a secure and comfortable walk with the Lord. As the Good Book says: ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ (Neh. 8:10)
That’s why the ole scoundrel Lucifer tries to steal our joy; because he knows without it, we are helpless and very susceptible to his evil charms. So please let’s stand strong and steadfast in that joy that our God provides, so that we can do His will in faith, trust and obedience, like Jesus did.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus.’ And as we’ve been saying for the last few days, only by thinking like Jesus can we do the things He wants us to do.
And we see the utmost importance of all that when we consider the scripture which says: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil.2:8)
Yes my people, Jesus became so humble and obedient to His Father’s will, that He went like a lamb to the cross for our benefit….
And all God’s people cried out a loud and grateful ‘Glory Hallelujah! Blessed is the lamb that was slain for us!’
And though we will never reach Jesus’ level of humility and obedience because of our built in sinful nature, the object of the whole living exercise is to try and get as close as possible to it. And you know what happens when we serve the Lord obediently and sincerely? He rewards us! Not always down here on earth, but He puts away some for us in heaven.
And we have the best example of that in the next few verses of Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Mama mia my people! What a wonderful God we serve and worship! Yuh see how He exalted Jesus for His selfless sacrifice on our behalf, by making Him ruler of all, where all must bow and confess that Jesus is Lord!
But please pay close attention to the end of that sentence; ‘to the glory of the God the Father.’ Yes my brethren, ALL that we do, is ALL for God’s glory! Even Jesus’ sacrifice was to show God’s mercy and LOVING-kindness to a bunch of ungrateful sinners!
So my fellow believers, though we are not working, not serving God because of the rewards we can get, we nonetheless have those rewards as something to look forward to. And we’ll close today by sharing a few scriptures that encourage us in that respect, beginning with Bruh David’s poignant words from Psalm 19 – The creation and covenants of God.
He declares that the keeping of God’s statutes and judgements are ‘More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (the drippings of the honeycomb). Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps.19:10-11)
Now hear the author of Hebrews, which I believe is Bruh Paul, because it sounds too much like him. ‘For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of LOVE, which ye have showed towards his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.’ (Heb.6:10)
And we’ll close with these most encouraging and uplifting words again from Hebrews. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36).
I couldn’t say it any better my people, so I implore us to go out today and do God’s will with mercy, compassion and LOVE in our hearts, being mindful of the rewards that are accruing in our accounts in heaven. Much LOVE!
…for he that cometh to God must believe that he is…and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him… (Heb.11:6b)
06 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: beating pan, believers in Christ, but to save the world, Christ-like, Christian, common sense, evil, fallibility, fellowship, fetes., fragile, friends, from the bottom of my heart, generous heart, glory to God, go to waste, God is good, God sent not His Son to condemn the world, hanging out, hope, humanity, Jesus Christ, Johnny Reid, joy, kind, laziness, lectures, lost, LOVE, mark of a true Christian, memories, need, neighbour, one day at a time, panacea, passing away, passion, peers, resolution, sacrifice, say hello, shake a stranger's hand, sincere, smile, taxes, the grim reaper, the shelter of God's arms, truth, try and change the world, zeppo
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Ah mih people, it’s a somewhat rough Saturday morning because when I opened my e-mail this morning I got some info re the funeral service of my old University pardner, Paul Emmanuel Lawrence. Just like I opened my e-mail a couple of weeks ago and found out about his unexpected passing.
But what to do eh friends? Not much really, we just have to move on, while enjoying the memories we made with each other. That’s what memories are for, so please be sure to make some good ones. As Johnny Bristol says in his old song; ‘Memories don’t leave like people do. They always stay with you. Whether they’ve been good or bad. They’re never something that you had.’
And we had plenty good ones, Pablo mih brother; whether it was beating pan, going to lectures, fetes, just hanging out on the campus, or going down to your home in Montego Bay, or going to other places which I can’t mention. (smile). Anyway mih brother, you certainly had a kind and generous heart, and you’re no doubt giving free rein to it now in heaven too. Till we meet again on that great day. Much LOVE!
Yeh friends, it’s not easy when your peers are passing away, because it suddenly makes you think about your own mortality. But that’s the only thing we’re sure about in this life, for sometimes you might be able to get away from taxes, but you can never cheat the grim reaper. So let’s just live life and enjoy it under the shelter of God’s mighty arms.
And I’d now like to apologize for a typographical error on yesterday’s Bit. Hn! That’s just giving it a nice name, but it really stemmed from pure laziness on my part. I don’t know how many of you noticed that the heading of the Bit said the Bible verse was ‘Psalm 40.4’ when the actual Bit came from 1 Peter.
That’s because I simply copied the previous day’s heading and then forgot to change. And somehow I never notice these things until after I send them out. But it only goes to show the ole fella’s humanity and fallibility. (smile)
Ah mih people, life can be rough, but please remember that our God is good! Now here is how I had planned to open today’s Bit until I got those e-mails about Pablo’s funeral. It’s a song that I shared some time last year, and while partying out on my patio last night with the duchess I happened to play it, and got the zeppo that it was time to highlight it again, because the times they are a getting worse and Christ’s people need another wake up call.
So here are the words of Johnny Reid’s marvellous, motivational and inspirational song starting with the chorus ‘Today I’m going to try and change the world. Gonna take it one day at a time. I’ve made my resolution, opened up my eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world.
I’m gonna say hello to my neighbour, going to greet him with a smile, and shake the hand of a stranger, sit and talk to him for a while. Gonna tell someone I LOVE them, from the bottom of my heart. (chorus) Today I’m gonna try and change the world….
Gonna make sure my children know right from wrong. Never turn my back on those in need, always gonna try to see myself through another’s eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world. I made my resolution, opened up my eyes. Today I’m going to try and change the world.’
Oh my fellow believers in Christ, that’s just what Christ is calling us to do; to make a serious resolution to change the world with His help, because it desperately needs changing! So please let’s join together today to do that nuh! And all it takes is one day at a time!
Hear the wonderful sentiments nuh: say hello to our neighbour, greet him with a smile. That’s not difficult to do, and a simple hello and a smile can ofttimes mean so much to others. Then shake a stranger’s hand and exchange a few words with him or her. Wow! What a Christ-like act! And remember friends, our God has a welcoming heart for strangers as we see all through the Bible. That means we too must have a welcoming heart towards strangers.
Oh, then tell someone we LOVE them from the bottom of our hearts! Mama Mia! What can be more Christ-like and endearing than that eh my brethren? Nothing really, if our greeting is sincere! And I just LOVE this next sentiment: make sure my children know right from wrong!
Oh my people, that is the basic panacea for what ails our world! We’ve not done a very good job on that front at all, otherwise our children would not be so lost and fragile that they can fall for all the nonsense the evil world has to offer. And it’s not too late my people. Remember while there is life there is ALWAYS hope, hope in Jesus, who can do ALL things!
And hear this other strong point of Jesus nuh; never turn my back on those in need! Oh fellow believers in Christ, that’s exactly what He did when He came down here from heaven to save us from the fiery halls of Hades; He offered us help in our time of need! Now it’s only appropriate that we should do the same for our fellow man.
And this last sentiment will help us to do all of them; try to see ourselves through the eyes of another person. Oh Glory to God my people!
When we can truly do that, and let it control our actions and emotions, then we are indeed being truly Christ-like! For we never truly know what others are going through and why they behave the way they do. So let’s stop being as judgmental as we now are nuh, because it’s the mark of a true Christian!
Oh friends, it’s obvious that the passion is flowing through the ole fella this morning, (smile) so please, I implore us, let’s not allow it to go to waste nuh, because it will also be a sad waste of Jesus’ sacrifice. As our Bit so wonderfully proclaims, in Jesus’ own words: ‘For God sent not his Son into world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’
Oh my people, if God sacrificed His Son to save us, why can’t we sacrifice a little of ourselves to help save our children, our neighbours, our friends, our families and our badly suffering world eh? That is just simple common sense in a heart beating for Christ! Much LOVE!
…let’s open up our eyes…and make that resolution…to try and change the world…one day at a time…TODAY…
31 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool, benefits, blessed is the man who trusts God, blessings, breath of life, Chrisitians, church time, computers, Cousin Sol, does not respect the proud, duty to gather, encourage each other, encouragement, exuses, faith, faithful God, fellowship, first fruits, friends, grow in faith, Harvest Sunday, hope, I lift up my soul, in the Lord's house, Jesus Christ, joy, laziness, let go, LOVE, loving kindness, man-made things, mature in Christ, mix and mingle, prosperous, proud heart, Proverbs, put confidence in man., put not your trust in princes, put your trust in the Lord, strength in numbers, strength to face another day, strife, such as turn to lies, Sunday, the god of Jacob, the Son of man, true believers, trust, truth, walk wisely, where two or three are gathered, wisdom, worshipping God
Psalm 40:4. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Oh friends, it’s Sunday! That means it’s church time!
Now please, no simpering excuses why you can’t attend. Remember Jesus said wherever two or three are gathered together He will be there. So please, let’s gather nuh, in great numbers too, because it’s also true that there is strength in numbers, and worshipping God together brings more benefits than if we continually try to go it alone.
Anyway, as true believers, it is our duty to gather in the Lord’s house and send up our thanks and praise and receive His blessings, encouragement, and strength to face another day and another week. We also need to mix and mingle with other Christians, hear their stories, share ours, encourage each other and thus grow in the faith.
That’s the only way we will ever truly mature in Christ. It simply cannot be done alone and/or in private! End of sermon!
Hn! But I’m now thinking why do we have to beg Christians to go to church eh? I mean it’s a part of their faith, the Good Book requires it, wherever Jesus was, He made sure that He attended the synagogue on the Sabbath day. So why are we so anti church eh?
Is it just pure laziness, or is there a deeper reason? I don’t know nuh friends, and I refuse to speculate. All I can do is encourage us to go, and to do so myself. And one of the reasons I’m up so early this morning, is so that I can write the Bit before I go to church. You know I hate the late Bits, even though occasionally I do indulge. (smile)
And today is Harvest Sunday up at St. Patrick’s in Mt. Pleasant! Glory be! All like that friends, where we are supposed to offer our first fruits to God, how can we do it when we’re absent from church eh?
When I was growing up we excitedly looked forward to Harvest Sunday, and more so the Monday after, when school was closed and all the produce was set up there to be sold. I doubt today’s children would have any interest in such mundane things. Thank the Lord I was born when and where I was yes!
But let us move on to the matter at hand, our Bit. ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’
Ah mih people, trust is such an important thing in our everyday lives. We trust that when we turn the switch, the lights will come on, the cell phone will also come on so that we can text. And when we turn on the tap, we expect to see water flowing out.
We trust all these man-made things, especially computers now, where our entire life is somehow tied to the man-made system, but we have problems trusting Almighty God; the Creator and Provider of EVERYTHING we have and enjoy.
Why do you think the psalmist so adamantly declared? ‘It is better to put your trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
Because man is untrustworthy! And all of us have suffered some sort of deceit or untrustworthiness at the hand of men at some stage in our lives, but yet we continue to trust them! However, the great and ever-LOVING and faithful God, who has never let us down or deceived us, we are rather reluctant to trust.
Hn! That just doesn’t compute my brethren. It makes no sense whatsoever. No wonder so many of our prayers go unanswered! The Lord looks at our hearts and sees that they are not truly right. Deep down our motives are wrong, we’re selfish and just want to grab the lusts of our flesh and do our own thing.
And if you don’t believe me, listen to the psalmist in Psalm 146 – The blessedness of trusting God. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:3-5)
Yes friends, even man’s breath of life is not his to control! One minute he’s here, then the next his life is extinguished and he returns to the earth from which he was formed. So why do we insist on trusting him above the One who made him eh?
Good question that? One which I can’t answer with any certainty, so I won’t try. I can just give us scriptures that will help us to trust in the Lord. So let’s start with the wisdom of Cousin Sol from Proverbs.
‘He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat (prosperous). He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.’ (Prov.28:26-27)
And believe me my people, we can only walk wisely when we walk with the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Without His eternal guidance we’re just like lost sheep wandering in the wilderness.
Now listen to Bruh David as in Psalm 143, he desires of God – Teach me to do thy will. ‘Hear (answer) me speedily, O Lord; my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be (become) like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.’ (Ps.143:7-8)
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, until we truly start not only believing and trusting God to direct our lives, but more so letting go, so that He can have free rein, we will forever be hampered and confused in our earthly sojourn. Much LOVE!
…truly trusting God…means to completely let go…and let Him do His thing in our lives…
25 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, appreciation, attributes of God, aura of love, blizzard, churlishness, compassion, complaints, confidence, conquerors, contention, Creator of the universe, Eastern coast of North America, enthusiasm, eternal life, everlasting life, evil, faith, false teaching, fellowship, foolish pride, for God so loved the world, freezing to death, glorious kingdom, God is LOVE, Gos id light, gusto, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, holy spirit, hope, human response, humble servants, immortal words, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, let us love one another, lies, life-giving words, LOVE, LOVE is of God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obedience to god, prayer, prayers, ravages, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, right belief about Christ, running out of gas, snow, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, suspicion, taunts, thankfulness, the BIBLE, the greatest of these, truth, understanding, ungodly world, useful purpose, weary souls, whoever believeth in him should not perish, wiles
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ah friends, this Monday morning is one day many of us should be ever so thankful that we’re not living on the Eastern coast of North America, because of the terrible blizzard that passed through that area on the weekend, dropping humongous amounts of snow on the ground. Ah Lord eh!
On the news, I believe it was Saturday, I heard a woman saying that she and her family had been snowbound on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for 12 hours. Another woman and her family, on another highway, had been snowbound for some twenty hours. Can you imagine that – sitting in a car for so long, the windows all frosted and you being anxious about running out of gas and possibly freezing to death?
One of those two women had their diabetic father with her, on his birthday to boot. Not a very pleasant way to spend your birthday at all. I believe though, that one of those families was fairly close to a gas station, so they were able to get some food and refreshment. I don’t how much that helped though, when you couldn’t drive, and you were still a long way from home.
Please let’s remember in our prayers the millions of people along the Eastern seaboard who are still undergoing the ravages of the snowstorm. So let’s have no complaints and churlishness because you have to get up and go to work. Let’s just sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with extra gusto and thankfulness.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
That was good friends, but I don’t think that our choir director, Jesus, heard enough thankfulness in our voices. (smile) But He does know that we believe His words found in our most encouraging and uplifting Bit. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
And how could we not believe those beautiful, eternal life-giving words eh, unless we’re real dense and full of foolish pride? And I know that some of you might be tired with the same Bit for so long, but my people, that is possibly the most important statement in the entire Bible. It was the ONLY reason that Jesus came to earth!
And if you can’t feast on those miraculous and momentous words for a few days, then I’d strongly suggest you question your faith. And I can’t guarantee that it will finish today either, for there’s still a fair amount of scripture to be studied on it. And we’ll begin with the immortal words of John’s first epistle, re God is LOVE!
‘BELOVED, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God.’ (1 John 4:7)
Now let’s stop right there and get some valuable explanations from the scholars. ‘4:7. John returns to the theme of mutual LOVE. Perhaps the false teaching he felt compelled to combat had contributed to suspicion and contention in the fellowship. In contrast, John is not saying that everyone who LOVES is a Christian, whether they trust in Christ or not.
He makes it clear elsewhere that true knowledge of God entails right belief about Christ, as well as right response to God, including LOVE of others. Mere human LOVE apart from Christ’s redeeming presence and motivation falls short of LOVE in its fullest dimension as a human response to God’s perfect and infinite compassion (cf. 1 Cor.13).’
Oh my brethren, I do hope that that helps us to better understand the precept of God’s LOVE; His LOVE for us, as well as our LOVE for Him and for others. It must be accompanied by true belief in Christ and obedience to God’s Word!
Now let’s continue with the scripture. ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:8)
We have to stop here again my people to get a little insight on that verse from the scholars. ‘4:8. John has also recorded that “God is light” (1:5) and “Spirit” (John 4:24). LOVE is one of the many attributes of God and is to be understood in relation to the others, such as holiness and justice.’
Yes friends, our God is what in sports parlance we’d call an all-rounder – has many parts to His nature! However, He is not just a jack of all trades, but indeed a MASTER of them all! (smile)
And you know what? I think we’ll stop there for today, since I don’t want the Bit to get too involved and difficult to understand. So, the Lord willing, we’ll just have to continue it tomorrow. (smile)
Bear with me friends, it’s all for a good purpose, to our benefit. And I do hope that our understanding and appreciation of God’s LOVE has improved, has grown today, because that’s what it’s all about. Much LOVE!
…And now abideth…faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1Cor.13:13)
24 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a body of believers, a majority, Anselm, apostasy, apostolic doctrine, Christian instruction, comfort your hearts, compromise your character, consolation, customs, day follows night, dilly-dally, edifying words, encouragement, feeble excuses, for God so loved the world, give thanks and praise, go to church, grace, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heresy, Holy Triumvirate, hope, integrity, lack of godliness, laziness, LOVE, obey God not man, on the right track, oral communication, peace, renunciation of faith, sacrifice your dignity, self-worth, selfish humans, Sherlock Holmes, soulful experience, stand fast, steafast, strengthening our faith, suffer the consequences, Sunday, the Father, the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's Day, the SON, the straight and narrow path, the teaching of men, the Thessalonians, the Word of god, tradition, true, upliftment, whoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom, worship, worthy of your love, write indelibly in our hearts
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Oh Friends, just as day follows night, so does Sunday follow Saturday, and yesterday was Saturday, which means that today is Sunday. Oh what excellent reasoning my brethren, worthy of our favourite fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes! (smile)
And since it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, then we should be preparing to go to church and worship, give thanks and praise with other believers to our wonderful Creator because that is His desire.
So let’s not dilly-dally in performing our duty nuh, raising up all kinds of feeble excuses, which we full well know don’t hold water, but merely reflects our laziness and lack of godliness.
Now friends, going to church is not merely our duty, it is also a means of upliftment for us, of encouragement, of strengthening our faith and keeping us steadfast and true and on the right track, the straight and narrow one.
And let me remind us that whatever God desires of us, it’s not for His benefit, but for ours. He doesn’t really need anything that we have, but we do need a lot of what He possesses.
Consequently, I shouldn’t have to badger us to go to church. And I’ll stop it right now. (smile) But if you don’t go, you’ll never know the beautiful soulful experience that comes from worshipping God as a body of believers. End of sermon.
Instead, here is some wisdom from our friend Anselm who always tries to inspire us for a better tomorrow. This quote wisely declares that ‘Someone who is worthy of your LOVE will never put you in a situation where you feel you must sacrifice your dignity, your integrity, or your self-worth to be with them.’
And that’s oh so true my people. Anyone who wants, or expects you to compromise your truthful and godly character is definitely not worthy of your LOVE! They definitely are not friends or LOVED ones, just users, only interested in their own selves and/or desires. So anytime that kind comes around you, just ignore them and move on.
And if they put up a fuss, just let them know that you already have truer and more important personages who sincerely care about you, as so passionately and powerfully declared in our Bit. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
Yes my fellow believers, once you have the Holy Triumvirate in your corner, you don’t need anyone else, especially selfish, uncaring human beings. Please remember that in whatever situation you might find yourself, you and the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit always constitutes a majority, and that there is NO circumstance that you all can’t successfully handle together!
Now let’s continue looking at some scripture that confirms and upholds our Bit. And we’ll begin with Bruh Paul’s second message to the Thessalonians. ‘Wherefore he (God) called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our epistle.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath LOVED us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish (establish) you in every good word and work.’ (2 Thess.2:14-17)
Oh friends, what uplifting and edifying words! Words for us to hold on to, to write indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls!
And here are a couple of scholarly explanations. ‘2:14. By our gospel (see Rom.10:17): “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ He is here referring to the oral communication of the gospel; what we hear brings about faith. ‘2:15. Traditions…taught refers to more than customs. In view here is the totality of the apostolic doctrine as it was given to them.’
Now I’d be rather amiss and falling down in my duty if I didn’t share this most interesting explanation of ‘Tradition’ by the scholars. 2:15. The word tradition literally means “a giving over by word of mouth or writing.” It refers to teachings handed down from one person to another. Tradition is not in and of itself wrong; it is only wrong when opposed to the Word of God.
In the early church, good tradition was the principal means of Christian instruction (Luke 1:2). Paul used this word to describe his teachings, especially at Corinth and Thessalonica (v.15; 3:6). False tradition ends up as heresy or apostasy (renunciation of a religious faith).
Illustration: The religious leaders of Jesus’ day erred in placing the traditions of men above the Word of God (Matt.15:1-9). In contrast, Luke sifted through existing records and apparently interviewed witnesses in writing an inspired record to instruct Theophilus in the faith (Luke 1:1-4).
Application: Christians need to sit under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, but when the content conflicts with the Scriptures, the teaching of men should be disregarded for the certain truth of the Bible. (First Ref. Matt.15:2; Primary Ref. 2 Thess. 2:15; cf. 2 Tim. 2:15).’
Oh friends, we on a roll! (smile) And I do hope that you appreciate the lengths the ole fella is going to, to give us all a better understanding of God’s Word, for if we don’t understand it, then how can we obey it eh? And for your benefit, I suggest that you look up the references mentioned, to make sure they make sense. (smile) I did before I wrote them down.
And now, may the Lord God bless and safely keep us all, grant us His unmatchable wisdom and unsurpassable peace, as we go about today to do His bidding! Much LOVE!
…when circumstances go against God’s Word…we ought to obey God…rather than men…and be ready to suffer the consequences… (Acts 5:29)
18 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a standing O, asaph, at the front lines, aura of love, calamitous, Caleb, compassion, confidence, conquerors, covenant, Creator of the universe, disobedience, enthusiasm, evil, evil minions, facade, faith, flatter with their mouth, forgat his works, forgiveness, from whence comes our help, glamorous, glitzy, glorious kingdom, God was their rock, God's children, God's goodness, good life, grace, his wonders that he had showed them, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, iniquity, into the breach, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, jobs, Joshua, joy, lip service, LOVE, Lucifer, lusting, manna, meat, meet the enemy in battle, mercies, miracles, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, on which side his bread was buttered, pageantry, pomp, Praise the Lord, prosperity, Psalm 78, Redeemer, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, soldiers, sought God, spiritual armour, spreading God's Word, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, the early bird catches the worm, the high god their redeemer, the Love Revolution, the Promised Land, the things of the world, the wilderness, turned away his anger, ungodly world, victorious army of Christ, we can't fool God, wiles, wrath, you will reap what you sow
Psalm 78:11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.
Once more friends, once more into the breach on this cold, frosty Monday morning in mid-January! As good soldiers in the victorious army of Christ let’s get a move on! Remember the early bird catches the worm. (smile) The LOVE Revolution calls! And like any good leader, our Field Marshall, Jesus Christ is already at the front lines reconnoitring the enemy’s positions.
So let’s not be found wanting in these crucial times nuh, let’s get on with the task bequeathed to us; that of spreading God’s Word, His faithful, unconditional LOVE, His tender mercies, His everlasting grace and His endless forgiveness!
And all of God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord!’
And with that bit of energizing, let’s take it one step further by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with even greater pomp and pageantry. (smile)
As one 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!’
Beautiful friends! That was beautiful! Jesus was in His essence as He conducted us. Heaven even gave us a standing O and called for an encore! Mama Mia! What a morning it’s turning out to be!
Ah mih breddren, we serve such a wonderful God that I don’t know how people can turn away from Him. But sadly they are doing it, and recently in droves too, lured by the glitzy and glamorous come on by Lucifer and his evil minions.
Unfortunately though, it’s only after they are caught in that evil web that they realize it’s all a façade, a trap from which it is very difficult to break free. They can’t do so without the help of Jesus, and it’s our job to win them back, as well as those who never believed, by the way we walk and talk and glorify His holy name.
That means we obviously can’t be like the Israelites of old, who turned away from God ‘And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.’
Now that is so mind boggling, I can’t even imagine it! Hn! In spite of all the miracles he did on their behalf, from down in Egypt to the provision of manna and meat in the wilderness, they still turned away from him. They must have been a really hard-headed and stubborn people – just like so many of us nowadays. So God, in His anger, slew some of them and made the lives of the remainder futile and calamitous. (Ps.78:33)
Now let’s listen in as Asaph continues his story in Psalm 78. ‘When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early (sought diligently) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.’ (Ps.78:34-35)
Ah friends, at last they smartened up and learned on which side their bread was buttered. I ‘ve been hoping and praying that the same thing can happen in our society today; that we can wake up and realize from whence comes our help, our prosperity and good life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be happening.
However, we cannot give up hope, for there’s no giving up in Jesus, we just have to continue talking our talk and walking our walk as we have been instructed to do, and the Lord will do the rest.
And Asaph writes on: ‘Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.’ (Ps.78:36-37)
Yes friends, the repentance wasn’t really true, it was just lip service. And I suspect that a lot of that is happening today. Many of us are merely paying lip service to God, while our hearts are truly lusting after the things of the world. Oh precious people, we can’t fool God, because He looks at the state of our hearts, rather than just listen to the words of our lying lips.
However, He’s such a wonderful Deity that Asaph tells us: ‘But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke (rebel against) him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.’ (Ps.78:28-41)
What a slap in the face eh! In spite of all God’s goodness, His chosen people rebelled against Him several times on the journey through the wilderness. But in His compassion and wisdom, He did not fully destroy them, just made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until all those who had come out of Egypt died. Not even Moses entered into the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the original lot who did so.
So my fellow believers in Christ, let’s remember that though the Lord might not destroy us for our constant disobedience, He will find other ways to make us pay. Much LOVE!
…whatever you sow…is exactly what you will reap…so you can’t sow disobedience and expect to reap salvation…
02 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2016, a rousing welcome, and all these things shall be added unto you, believers in Christ, bless the Lord, consolation of joy, crapaud smoke we pipe, devotion, exalted, faithfulness, forget not his benefits, forgiveness, glory, glory hallelujah, God's faithfulness, God's mercy, happy, Happy New Year, He is love, heals thy diseases, help, honour, hope, How good it is to sing God's praise, human beings, I sing a new song, I will be glad in the Lord, I will sing praises unto my God, iniquities, joy, joyful, LOVE, loving kindness, meditation, memory, mete and right to do, New Year's celebration, no bounds, no limitations, One Year Book of Bible promises, perseverance, pledge allegiance to Jesus, praise, Praise ye the Lord, put not your trust in princes, resolution, rocket science, Ruth Harms Calkin, seek ye first the kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, shout Hallelujah, sincerity, sing praises unto God, stand strong and steadfast, tender mercies, the best is yet to come, the future, the god of Jacob, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the Love Revolution, thoughts perish, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, truth, while I live I will praise the Lord, wisdom
Psalm 146:1-2. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
Ah Friends, the New Year’s celebrations are taking a toll on the ole fella. Chuh! I’m getting to bed late, so I can’t get up early. (smile) I had a hard time even getting up late this morning. But it’s not every day we ring in a New Year so it’s understandable.
Anyway, here is an appropriate prayer that I found written at the back of my mother’s Bible. Please pray it with me. ‘Father in heaven, we thank you for your faithfulness during the past year. Help us to remember that your faithfulness will go with us into the New Year. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, it’s ever so important to remember that the changing of the year makes no difference whatsoever to our God’s faithfulness. It will constantly be with us and consistently follow us wherever we go, on whatever day it may be, because it knows no bounds or limitations, we just have to remain faithful.
And here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that will help us to do just that. It’s titled ‘Happy New Year.’ Let’s declare it together: ‘This very first (or second) day Of the fresh new year I sing a new song – A joyful, exalted song!
With Israel’s sweet singer I exclaim: “How good it is to sing God’s praise How delightful and how right.” The volume increases The tempo accelerates. With glorious anticipation I shout a rousing welcome To the up-and-coming days.
The future cannot daunt me Every inscrutable memory Becomes a consolation of joy For with You in control, dear God The worst may happen But the best is yet to come.’
Oh my people, the best is surely yet to come! Please believe that. We definitely have sot seen the best of our great and wonderful God as yet! So please stay strong and steadfast in this year of HOPE, for lots of exciting things are forecasted to happen, amongst them the great surging forward of Jesus’ LOVE Revolution as we serious believers give our all to recapture our lost world.
Remember, if we don’t do it, nobody else will, and what kind of life is that going to entail for our descendants eh? Not a very nice one, I can assure you.
So in this momentous year of 2016, it’s essential that we re-pledge our allegiance to Jesus Christ, pledging to sincerely follow Him, to grow and mature in our relationship with Him, for that’s the only resolution we need to make. Once we do that, everything else will fall into place.
As Jesus so wisely and rightly stated in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yeh mih people, following Jesus doesn’t entail any rocket science, just a whole lot of sincerity, perseverance, devotion and faithfulness, which all adds up to simple and true LOVE for Him.
And quite appropriately, the verses to which our promise is attached will be our Bit for today. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.’
Ah friends, that is only mete and right to do, because Almighty God, our Creator and Provider deserves our praises, for all that we are and have come directly from Him. And in any case, that’s one of the reasons He made us. Praise and honour and glory are expected of us.
Hear how the psalmist continues. ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose HOPE is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:3-5)
And isn’t that the everlasting truth my people! Only in the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob is there any real help to be found for mankind!
Now listen to how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:1-5)
Oh friends, how can we not praise and worship and glorify a Being who is so kind and generous to us eh? We ought not to forget who brought us to the dance. But sadly too many of us do, that’s why our lives and the state of our world are in such a desperate, dangerous and destructive state.
And in this year of 2016 my brethren, we desperately need to turn that situation around, otherwise, crapaud smoke we pipe, the destruction and strife will just get worse, until it all goes up in one big fireball. And I’m sure that is not what we desire for our once beautiful world.
So let’s end with these beautiful, uplifting and encouraging words of the psalmist. ‘I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah).’ (Ps.104:33-35)
Now let’s go out and do all that my people, for it is indeed the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…Praise Him, praise Him…Glory Hallelujah…He is LOVE…He is LOVE…
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