20 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new creation, a time of renewal, accept Christ as Saviour, adrenalin flowing, aura of love, blessings, bounden duty, bowing down to idols, children of Lucifer, cleave unto him, commandments, confidence, disobedience, Easter Sunday, evil, faith, fear, fear him, fellowship, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, Hades, hard-headed, heavenly blessing, highways and by-ways, hold on for dear life, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Israelites, Jesus arose from the grave, Jesus Christ, keep his commandments, laid out on a silver platter, lies, life changing proposition, living for Jesus, living obedient to God's dictates, LOVE, material things, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Moses, newness, nourishment, obey his voice, Oh Lord God Almighty, our duty to God, Praise the Lord, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., seek ye first the kingdom of God, spiritual armour, sprout up with new life, spting, steadfast faith, steady drizzle, stubborn, studying God's Word, the season for rain, these things will be added to you, true followers of God, truth, ungodly world, walking with Jesus, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, world of unbelief, ye shall serve him, ye shall walk after the Lord your God
Deuteronomy 13:4. Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.
Oh Friends, the first day of this new workweek isn’t shaping up to be so wonderful in my area nuh. It’s been raining for quite a while now; not mighty downpours, but a steady drizzle. Who knows when it’s going to end, so be careful when you get out on the highways and bye-ways, even leave a little earlier if possible.
And though the rain complicates the driving, we know that this is spring; the season for rain. The ground and the plants need that nourishment that the heavenly blessing provides, so that they can sprout back up again with new life, just like Jesus arose from the grave at Easter Sunday with a brand new life.
Spring is definitely a time of renewal, of refurbishment, when all things old and dead become new again. Just like when we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we become a new creation. What a life-changing proposition that is my people! Glory to God!
But yuh know what Friends? Like any new thing, after a while the newness wears off. The same thing goes for being a new creation in Christ. After you’ve been a new creation for some time, the newness wears off, so you have to keep on renewing it by continually walking with Jesus, studying the Word and living obedient to God’s dictates.
And the way our society is set up, it seems like every Monday morning we need a boost, a renewal so that we can get the necessary strength, faith and courage to go out and labour and bring lost souls to Christ. And that’s what our Monday Morning Hymn is all about. So let’s sing it with great gusto this wet spring morning!
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now Friends, that rendition wasn’t bad, but it lacked the cohesiveness, the oneness and harmony that last week’s had. That’s because we went back to our old bad habits, being unfocussed and not paying close attention to Jesus, our eminent choirmaster. But the important thing is that our motors are idling smoothly, and the adrenalin’s running now, so we have the wherewithal to go out fight the good fight in Jesus’ name.
And our Bit is an erstwhile reminder of all that we’ve been saying. ‘Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.’
Ah mih breddren, those were the fateful words of Moses to the Israelites many eons ago, and though some may not like it, they still apply to us today. We can’t be true followers of God unless we have constant communion and fellowship with Him, which includes obeying His statutes, having a reverential awe of Him, and last but not least, holding on to Him for dear life, because if we let go of Him, we’ll be lost and most likely end up in Hades with the evil crook Lucifer. And that’s something we want to avoid at all costs.
So listen to Moses exhortation to the Israelites earlier on. ‘And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all thy ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good (benefit or welfare).’ (Deut.10:12-13)
Oh Friends, the Israelites were a stubborn, hard headed group and Moses had to be continually reminding them of their bounden duty. But unfortunately, though we have everything, including Jesus laid out on a silver platter for us, we’re still hard-headed and stubborn to this day, and need to be constantly reminded of our duty to God.
And please note the last words of that scripture passage; ‘for thy good.’ Yes my people, it’s for our benefit and welfare, not for God’s! So if we don’t follow it, whom do you thing will suffer the dire consequences of disobedience? We sinful, backsliding believers of course!
That’s why I don’t understand how some of us behave as though we’re doing God a favour by serving and worshipping Him. That’s absolutely wrong. All that God has said and done, right from the beginning of time was for our benefit. Please remember that and stop the foolish disobedience and bowing down to the worthless idols of this evil and sinful world.
Remember too that Jesus said: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yes Friends, our major goal should always be seeking and serving God! And if we do that faithfully, then He will give us all the material things that we need. That’s a faithful promise from an ever faithful God! And if we’re wise, we’ll do our best to follow His leading.
So my fellow believers, as we go out into the world of unbelief today, please let’s show them our wisdom in action nuh, by living for Jesus as best we can. That’s the only way to bring the unbelievers to Him, which is what He desires. Much LOVE!
…truly living for Jesus…is the greatest wisdom that exists…
13 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a call to arms, a shout of praise, almighty god, aura of love, Christian walk, confidence, enthusiasm, eternal life, eternity, faith, fear, fellowship, forefront of battle, friends, furtherance of our faith, glorious kingdom, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, Greater than Great, Higher than High, holy spirit, honour, hope, humble servants, I have not refrained my lips, I have preached righteousness, in the great congregation, invincible, Jesus Christ, John Hagee, King of Kings, lamb of god, lies, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving kindness, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Praise the Lord, proclaimed the good news of righteousness, rejuvenation of spirit, righteousness., selfless sacrifice, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, thanks, the army of Jesus, the one and only superstar, the sacrificial Lamb, the Word of god, truth, ungodly world, wisdom, worthy is the lamb that was slain
Psalm 40:9. I have preached righteousness (proclaimed the good news of righteousness) in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained (restrained) my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
Spanah na na na nah! Spanah na na na nah! Hear the early morning bugle blowing mih Friends! Sorta late now though. (smile) It’s a time of call to arms for the mighty army of Jesus, one more Monday morning.
And the great thing with this army Friends, is that our wonderful Leader, our Supreme Commander, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; He is ALWAYS in the forefront of the battle! No other supposed deity does that. They are always safe from harm, cloistered in their big and fancy palaces. Steups!
But out Saviour, our Lord and leader, Jesus Christ is ALWAYS in the trenches with us, His obedient and ever faithful foot soldiers! Glory to God! Oh give our Lord and God a shout of praise my people!
And all God’s people uttered a loud, proud and heaven directed shout of: ‘Oh Jesus Christ, Lamb of God, we LOVE and honour You and give You all the glory! For worthy is the Lamb that was slain on our behalf!
Thank You for saving us. Life would truly be unbearable without Your selfless sacrifice. Please help us to praise and glorify You all our days! This we pray in Your name. Amen!’
Oh Friends, it hurts me deeply when I consider the horrendous time and things Jesus went through for our ungrateful sakes. But I also LOVE and adore Him for doing it – without complaining too. Hn! Only wish we, His earthly followers nowadays could be so obedient and non-complaining too.
But that selfless sacrifice means that we can now look forward to spending eternity with Him in the many mansions of the Father, which he has gone to prepare for us. And that my fellow believers, we all know is the not only the BEST, but also the BESTEST thing that has ever happened in this whole wide world! Glory Hallelujah!
So after all that build up, (smile) let’s now sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty feeling, with plenty verve and gumption, as we get ready to go out into the evil world and fight the heathen with the sword of LOVE; the LOVE of Jesus Christ.
Now let’s sing a real good rendition here mih breddren, As one big, sweet, harmonious and heavenly choir, let’s light up God’s universe.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh mih people, mih people, that was wonderful, marvellous, the mostest! Wow! I don’t think we’ve ever sung any louder, sweeter and in greater harmony!
And yuh know why that is? It’s simply because this is the first time that we’ve ever truly followed the leading and direction of our most awesome and revered Choirmaster, the ONE and ONLY Superstar, Jesus Christ! Mama Mia!
And as Uncle John (John Hagee) would say: ‘Give the Lord a shout of praise in the house of God!’
And all God’s people responded with a loud and vibrant cheer of ‘Praise the Lord! Give Him thanks, honor and glory, because he is most deserving of them! All praise to the sacrificial Lamb, who is Higher than High, and Greater than Great!’
And now Friends, having sung the praises of our great God so much, it is essential, of the utmost importance that we go out and follow the words of our Bit. Words that Bruh David proclaimed eons ago, but which today are still applicable, appropriate and relevant to the continuation and furtherance of our wonderful faith.
‘I have preached righteousness (proclaimed the good news of righteousness) in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained (restrained) my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.’
Yes my people, we need to go out and let the heathen and the heretic hear the Word of God! That’s our Great Commission! (Matt.28:19-20) It’s also the only way they will hear the Word. Remember too that faith is born, can only come by hearing the Word of God. (Rom.10:17)
Oh yes my people, we not only have to say like Bruh David says in Psalm 22 – A cry of anguish and song of praise – but also do it. ‘I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.’ (Ps.22:22)
We can’t afford to be afraid, and/or bashful and shy about proclaiming the Lord’s Word, for that’s our bounden duty, what’s totally expected of us!
Oh Friends, I had some other stuff to add, but we’ll leave that for tomorrow, the Lord willing, because I don’t want to stretch our short attention span too much (smile)
But let’s get real nuh, it’s high time we not only talk, but also truly walk the Christian walk, for it’s only by us doing so, will the Word of God flourish and last till time everlasting. Much LOVE!
…for the children’s sake…let’s shout the Word of God…from every rooftop…to every living creature…
08 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abide with you forever, adversaries, adversity, an integral part of our lives, attitude of prayer, baptism, be ready to suffer the consequences, beset by temptation, blessings, Christ resurrected, Christ-like, civil disobedience, close relationship with God, Comforter, control our emtions, crucifixion, explicit commands of God, fellow believers in Christ, foresight, goodness of heart, gospel truth, gratitude, great drops of blood, guidance, hope, I give myself unto prayer, if ye love me, in everything give thanks, joy, keep my commandments, keep our focus on Jesus, LOVE, make a way where there is no way, my delight, my neck of the woods, obey God, our behaviour, peace, power, pray, pray that ye enter not into temptation, pray without ceasing, prayer, preaching Christ crucified, promise, temptation, the great I AM, the Holy Spirit, The Lord delights in those who fear him, the Mount of Olives, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the river Jordan, the river of God's love, those who put their hope in his unfailing love, thy will be done, We ought to obey God not man, wisdom, you are my delight
1 Thessalonians 5:17. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!
Ah Friends, I wish I could say that it was a bright and beautiful morning in my neck of the woods. But unfortunately I can’t, because it ‘s damp, like some rain fell a while ago, and it’s cloudy.
But you know what, as fellow believers in Christ, we don’t have to allow the weather or anything else really to dictate how we feel, to control our emotions and our behaviour, since in Jesus we have the great I AM, the wonderful Saviour who gives us His peace and wisdom and guidance and blessings anew each day.
That’s whom we must take our direction from, not the things and powers of this world. For remember what Peter and the other apostles told the Jewish council when they upbraided them for preaching Christ crucified and resurrected, after being warned to cease and desist? ‘We ought to obey God rather than man.’ (Acts 5:29)
And the scholars explain here: ‘5:29. Peter is not sanctioning civil disobedience, as he makes clear in his first epistle (1 Pet.2:13-17; cf. Rom.13:1-7). We are to obey civil government, but when it goes contrary to the explicit commands of God, we must obey God and be ready to suffer the consequences.’
So please lets remember that and keep our focus on Jesus. And here’s a nice little ditty (smile) from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is titled ‘MY DELIGHT!’
And it says: “You are My Delight…” This dear God You said to Jesus At the moment of His baptism There in the river Jordan. He is Your Son I am your child Forever related to You through Him. Baptize me dear God In the river of Your LOVE Your Joy Your Power Until with deep and widening gladness You can say to me Your chosen child “You are my delight.”
Oh Friends, what a delightful wish! It’s one that all God’s children can desire, for it causes us all to become more Christ-like, which is the Father’s intention anyway. And the scripture promise for that ditty is: ‘The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing LOVE.’ (Ps.147:11, NIV)
And that’s the indisputable, gospel truth my people! Our most LOVING God wants us to be delighted in dealing with Him and the things of His realm. And one of those things that delights Him and should also delight us is prayer; prayer that brings us to a close relationship with Him.
That’s why Bruh Paul told the Thessalonians in our Bit, and consequently us to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:17-18)
And the scholars have an interesting note to that last verse. ‘5:18. In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17, will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
Yes my brethren, even when times are rough and we don’t see any way out, we still need to have a prayerful attitude, because our God has promised to make a way for us to bear whatever comes against us, when there seems to be no way. (1 Cor.10:13) So we have to keep that attitude of prayer always with us as Jesus did.
Luke tells us that on the night before His crucifixion: ‘And he came out, and went, as he was wont (accustomed), to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.’ (Luke 22:39-40)
And that Friends, also applies to us today. We ought to keep praying that we enter not into temptation. And that doesn’t mean we should not be beset by temptation, because we will always be while on this wicked earth, but that we won’t fall into or give into it.
And we all know what Jesus did after He told the disciples that. He went apart and prayed to His Father, desiring Him to take away the cup of the crucifixion, if it was His will. And Jesus prayed so hard and intensely that His sweat seemed like ‘great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’ (Luke 22:44)
But we all know too that Jesus bowed to the Father’s will ‘nevertheless not my will, but thine be done,’ (Luke 22:42) although He knew that things were about to get real rough. Like wise Friends so are we to bow to the Father’s will for our lives, even though we know that serious adversity is in the offing.
And as pertaining to prayer, Jesus is again a perfect example. When promising the Holy Spirit, He tells the disciples: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.’(John 14:15-16)
And later on Jesus prays for the disciples. ‘I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.’ (John 17:9) And Jesus was so brilliant and beautiful that He even prayed for us: ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.’ (John 17:20)
Oh my people, what a wonderful Lord and Saviour we have. Imagine Him having the foresight and also the goodness of heart to pray for those who would believe in Him through the words of the disciples and other teachers when He was long gone! Wow! How can I not LOVE Him eh!
Ah Friends, prayer should be such an integral part of our lives, like breathing, we should always have it on our minds. Like Bruh David says in Psalm 109: ‘For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ (Ps.109:4)
Yes my people, giving ourselves unto prayer is one of the wisest and most beautiful things we can do in this life. It’s wisdom that truly comes from heaven! Much LOVE!
…at the time of decision…or indecision…our first urge should always be …to pray…
07 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all is well, all year round, an abomination to the Lord, an attitude of prayer, angry tensions, as in heaven, as we forgive our debtors, be not afraid to pray, buoy us up, but deliver us from evil, but even pray, ceaselessly, celebrations, Christian, chronic illness, controlling the universe, Cousin Sol, die for our sins, disputes, earthly pilgrimage, Easter Monday, Easter Season, erroneous idea, eternal wisdom, faith, forgive us our sins, give us our daily bread, god is still on his throne, God's desire for us, God's Word, godly advice, good and bad, gratitude, hallowed be thy name, Hartley Coolidge, hope, in the face of adversity, keep prayer uppermost in our hearts, keep us strong and faithful, lead us not into temptation, life's forces, lifeline to our Creator, lifting up holy hands, live according to God's will, Lord teach us to pray, LOVE, make it a habit to pray, malfunction, men pray everywhere, Our Father which art in heaven, our loving God, our sins forgiven, our souls washed white as snow, personal satisfaction, pray if thou canst with hope, pray without ceasing, prayer is a creative expression, prayer is our lifeblood, raise our spirits, reconciled to God, right and wrong, rise triumphantly from the grave, Sacrifical Lamb, sacrifice of the wicked, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, spiritual needs, the evil one, the prayer of the upright is God's delight, the substance of faith, the wonders God works, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, to pray is right, total obedience, umbrage, unbelieivng hordes, unconditional love. the heathen, warms the cockles of God's heart, wisdom, without wrath and doubting, work dilgently
1 Thessalonians 5:17. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!
Ah Friends, it seems like the ole fella’s Easter Monday celebrations were a bit much for him, because he could not get up at a reasonable time this morning. Hn, hn! But the sad part is that the celebrations weren’t anything big, just a simple gathering of immediate family.
Now can that mean the ole fella is getting too old for even the simple celebrations? Definitely not! And I take great umbrage at anyone who endorses that erroneous idea! (smile)
For here are some great truths; the caffeine is hot and sweet and strong, and our great and LOVING God is still on His throne controlling His universe, which means all is well!
Now why wouldn’t things be okay eh, especially since the Father sent His only Son to be a sacrificial Lamb, to die for our sins, and then rise triumphantly from the grave a couple of days ago, so that our sins could be forgiven, our souls washed as white as snow, and we could be reconciled to Him?
That testimony Friends, I now put to us, should be the uppermost thought in our lives, not only at this Easter season, but all year round! We ought to let it buoy us up, keep us strong and faithful.
Just thinking about what Jesus did for us should raise our spirits to great levels and cause us to want to work diligently and ceaselessly to bring His Word and undying, unconditional LOVE to the heathen, to the unbelieving hordes.
And you know that’s all He really asks of us; to live according to His will and let others see the wonders He works in the lives of those who display total obedience to Him.
And I have a most appropriate and beautiful quote from my One More Day Devotional, Meditations for People with Chronic Illness. Someone in their innate wisdom gave me that devotional long before I even had any chronic illness. (smile) But this quote is attributed to one Hartley Coolidge, for whom I couldn’t find any proper info, although it seems he might have been the son of the famous British poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Anyway, Hartley is reputed to have made this statement which I’ve shared with you some time before, but it is so noteworthy that it needs to be shared again and again: ‘Be not afraid to pray, to pray is right. Pray if thou canst with hope, but even pray.’
Oh my people what wisdom and godly advice! Prayer should indeed be our number one response to our every problem and our every need. And further to that, here is how the devotional describes prayer. ‘Prayer is a creative expression of my spiritual needs. It offers me a deep sense of personal satisfaction and continuously reminds me of all life’s forces.’
And is that ever so true my people! Prayer is our lifeblood, our lifeline to our Creator, and it should never be broken! We can’t afford to have it malfunction in any way whatsoever, otherwise our lives will lose all semblance of hope, of right and wrong, of faith, of good and bad, of God and the evil one. That means, as our Bit so rightly informs us, we should ‘Pray without ceasing.’
Now it doesn’t mean we should always be audibly praying, but we should constantly have an attitude of prayer about us, which will help us ‘maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
That means Friends that prayer is ever so important in the life of a Christian. Even to the extent that Bruh Paul tells Timothy: ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8)
So whatever your geographical position or location, you ought to pray, espousing a pure and truthful life, without disputes and angry tensions.
Meanwhile Cousin Sol tells us in Proverbs that ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.’ (Prov.15:8)
Yes my people, our God delights in the prayers of His people. Nothing warms the cockles of His heart like when His people come to Him in sincere prayer. Remember that is our most important line of communication with Him. Prayer is so important that even Jesus, though being of the Godhead, resorted to it each and every day, in every situation.
Mark informs us: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Jesus made it a habit to pray, to get with God before He began His day, so the Spirit of God would be there to guide and lead Him on a right and true path, give Him the wisdom to make proper decisions.
Oh Friends, so do we also need to come to God in prayer, as early as possible on each day of our lives, so that we can receive the wisdom, strength and guidance to handle our day in a way that pleases God.
And we’ll end with this eye-opening situation, where Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer. The Good Book describes it thus: ‘And it came to pass, that, as he (Jesus) was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
And he said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil (the evil one).’ (Luke 11:1-4)
There we have it Friends, the basic foundation of our foundational prayer! So as we go about our earthly pilgrimage in this wild, woolly and wicked world, please let us never forget to keep prayer uppermost in our hearts and lives, for that is God’s desire for us, as well as eternal wisdom on our part. Much LOVE!
…to pray…to pray… and yet to pray…that is the substance of faith…
06 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great King above all Gods, almighty god, atone for our sins, aura of love, blessings, Christ's Resurrection, compassionate, confidence, day of temptation, Easter Monday, eternal life, evil powers, faith, fellowship, For he is our god, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, Hades, harden not your heart, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful noise, kneel beofre the Lord our maker, let us make a joyful noise, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, O come let us sing unto the lord, o come let us worship and bow down, provocation, rebellion in the wilderness, reconcile, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, shout joyfully, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Lord is a great God, the sheep of his hand, to the rock of our salvation, today if ye will hear his voice, trust, ungodly world, we are the people of his pasture
Psalm 95:1. O Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation.
And then it was Monday Friends – Easter Monday with the joyful celebrations of Christ’s resurrection and victory over the dark and evil powers of Hades and the world still in full cry! Glory Hallelujah!
That’s only for some of us blessed ones though, unfortunately the remainder have to go back out to work today and won’t be able to participate in the Easter Monday frivolities. Oh don’t you feel so sorry for them? For sure we do, but that’s just the luck of the draw, whether where you work recognizes Easter Monday as a holiday or not.
However to show our solidarity with them, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much zeal and fervour. As one marvellous choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh Friends, that was pretty good, though there were a few hoarse and out of tune voices, obviously from the hard and heavy partiers. (smile) Jesus just chuckled and shook His head knowingly when He heard them.
Now that ought to get us revved up and just rearing to get out into the world and show the unbelieving hordes exactly what true Christians are like, and have them panting with longing to come to Jesus and get what we have, salvation and eternal life. That’s why my people, Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God – is so appropriate at this Easter time.
And our Bit leads it off: ‘O Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto Him with psalms (songs) (Ps.95:1-2)
And that is very meet and right my people, since the Lord went to such great trouble to have His Son sacrifice Himself to atone for our sins. It’s a no-brainer that we should be everlastingly grateful for that wonderful action on His part. He didn’t have to do it, but He LOVED us so much that He just couldn’t live with Himself and see us simply go down to the pits and dungeons of hell with the evil Lucifer without giving us a fighting chance to do better.
And as the psalmist continues: ‘For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ (Ps.95:3) And isn’t that the indisputable truth my brethren? It certainly is! Who else, other than a great and compassionate God and King would have put Himself to so much trouble and heartache to give us an opportunity to atone for our sins and reconcile us to Himself eh? Definitely not some small time god and/or king, who was only interested in their own welfare.
The palmist then reminds us that: ‘In his hand (In his possession) are the deep places of the earth: the strength (heights) of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.’ (Ps.95:4-5) More gospel truth my brethren, since the Lord made the universe and all therein and still controls it with His mighty right hand!
Therefore the psalmist next words are quite in order. ‘O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion), and as in the day of temptation (trial or testing) in the wilderness: When your fathers proved me, and saw my work. (Ps.95:6-9)
Oh Friends, that would be so foolish on our part, especially since we now know about Jesus and all the wonderful things He has to offer.
Now listen to what happened to those foolish forefathers of ours. ‘Forty years long was I grieved (was I disgusted) with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err (go astray) in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter my rest.’ (Ps.95:10-11)
And my people, our God wasn’t joking nuh, for none of those who left Egypt ever entered the Promised Land besides Joshua and Caleb. Even the great messenger of God, Moses, only saw the Promised Land in the distance from a hill top.
So my people, please don’t be taken in by the false and deceitful promises of the evil world, for our God might be very LOVING and generous and magnanimous, but He values obedience to His will above everything else, and His wrath is not something we ever want to feel.
And also, if you should hear Him knocking on the door of your heart today, be wise, please open it with a big, glorious and welcoming smile, for He is the only One who can give us all that we need, both down here on earth, and in heaven above. Much LOVE!
…when you open your heart to Jesus…all heaven shouts for joy…for one more is added to the godly flock…
24 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 1 John, abusing our blessings, all bets are off, allow us to earn money, be prepared, be warned, believers in Jesus Christ, blessedness, blessings, bound for glory, breath of life, burst of inspiration, cleansing light, come short of God's glory, compassion, condemn, condemnation, confession, covered with mud, crapaud smoke we pipe, deceive oneself, deny our sins, empower, empowers, encourage, eternal life, faithfully serve, fight to keep our rights, fleeting glimpse, fluctuating heart, foolishness, for we have all sinned, friends, give thanks, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, God's greatest creation, gone mad, gospel truth, gratefully appreciate our blessings, greedy enemy, handcuffed spirit, His key of infinite love, hope, hope for forgiveness, I am blessed, if we confess our sins, Jesus Christ, Jesus is coming back, joy, lack of wisdom, lesser creatures, liar, lost our minds, LOVE, lustful ways of Beelzebub, misery, New Testament, Old Testament, omipotent, omni-present, omniscient, One Year Book of Bible promises, options, our forefathers, our godly empowerment, our jobs, our Lord and Saviour, pamper, plays hooky, purify our hearts, recognize their blessings, refuse to obey, resonated, restful hours, restores joy, reverberated, Ruth Harms Calkin, safe fortress, share our good fortune, shortcomings, sinful path, sins, sit on the fence, spiritual irregularity, stand up strong, stretch spiritual muscles, taking them for granted, the birds singing, the centre of God's will, the clothes on our backs, the food on our tables, the freedom to worship Jehovah God, the fruit of our loins, the Giver of light, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the last train, the less fortunate, the Master, the prince of darkness, the righteousness of jesus Christ, the roofs over our heads, The Truant, there is therefore now no condemnation, thouroughly cleanses, time to waiver, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, to provide necessities, truths, universality of man's sin, unrighteousness, uplift, wisdom, wrongdoings
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Oh Friends, ‘I, I am blessed! I want to tell the world, that I, I am blessed!’
Yes my people, last night in one of my late night sessions, I heard that tune by Mello G, one of my favourite reggae songs. And apparently it reverberated and resonated through my mind during those restful hours of sleep, because I got up this morning still singing it. I took that as a sure sign that I was expected to share it with you on this chilly Tuesday spring morning.
And to further solidify that theory, when I went outside just now to put out the garbage, I heard the birds singing it too. (smile) So if these lesser creatures can recognize their blessings and give thanks for them, why can’t we, God’s greatest creation eh?
So please sing the chorus with me: ‘Oh we, we are blessed! Let’s shout to the world, that we, we are blessed! Yes indeed, we are truly, truly blessed!’
Yes my brethren, if you can read these words and mentally process them, then you are indeed blessed! The roofs over our heads, the clothes on our backs, the food on our tables, the fruit of our loins, our children, the jobs we go to which allow us to earn money to provide those necessities, those all indicate that we are greatly blessed!
The freedom to worship Jehovah God, all of that shouts out blessings and blessedness my brethren! For there is a very large portion of the earth’s population who can’t say those things at all.
So please, let’s gratefully appreciate them nuh, instead of simply taking them for granted and abusing them, and learn to share our good fortune, our godly empowerment with the less fortunate, and stand up strong and fight to keep those rights that our forefathers fought so long and hard to get, but which the cruel, evil and greedy enemy now wants to take away from us!
Wow Friends! That certainly came in a sudden burst of inspiration! (smile) Now here is this touching story entitled ‘The Truant,’ from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin.
It says: ‘What does God do with a truant who plays hooky from her heavenly Father? What are the options? One thing is sure: He doesn’t pamper her. He knows she needs to stretch her spiritual muscles. He doesn’t shout, “Get up, foolish child!”
She’s so covered with mud she can’t move. He doesn’t condemn her, because His promise is “There is therefore now no condemnation.” In the end he does what He always does for any half-demolished child of His: He unlocks her handcuffed spirit with His key of infinite LOVE.
He checks her fluctuating heart with its spiritual irregularity. He gives her a fleeting glimpse of things as they could be. He accepts her confession. He thoroughly cleanses her, then He holds her close to His tender heart. He restores her joy and empowers her to obey.
Suddenly she knows with great gladness that her one safe fortress is the centre of her Father’s will. At least so it is with one truant child: me.’
And Friends, that story is ever so true! It’s repeated thousands of times a day by our wonderful heavenly Father! No other supposed god does anything like that. They put you through even more misery for your sins and shortcomings.
But not our wonderful God! When we confess our wrongdoings, He instead cleanses us and shows us LOVE and compassion! And yet so many of us still refuse to obey and faithfully serve Him. What foolishness, what lack of wisdom, my people!
And the Bible promise that’s quoted for that story is our Bit for today. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
Oh my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, those are just more beautiful truths that ought to empower and uplift us, to encourage us to keep on faithfully following our wonderful Lord and Saviour! But they obviously don’t do that for a large part of our population, who prefer to follow the sinful path of the prince of darkness.
Now listen to the verse after our Bit. ‘If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:10) More unfortunate truths again my people!
And the scholars offer these interesting explanations on those verses. ‘1.9. This is a restatement of verse 7. We ought not to deny our sins (v.8), but rather to confess them before God. This opens the door for His forgiving and cleansing light to purify our hearts. Unrighteousness is another way of saying “sin”.
1:10. To deny one’s sinfulness (v.8) or sins is not just to deceive oneself; it is to make God a liar by denying His word. Both Old and New Testaments stress the universality of man’s sin. (e.g. Job 4:17; Ps.14:3; Is.53:6; Rom.3:10-18, 23).’
Yes Friends, that’s all gospel truth: ‘For we have all sinned, and come short of the glory of God.’ (Rom.3:23)
So, after hearing all of that, we have no good or real reason not to believe in and serve the omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. None whatsoever! Unless we’ve lost our minds and literally gone mad.
Sadly though, it seems that a lot of us have succumbed to that dreaded illness, because too many of us have chosen, and are choosing to follow the worldly, lustful ways of Beelzebub, the prince of darkness, rather than the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Master and Giver of Light and Eternal Life!
The wonderful thing about our God though, is that we can always get another chance! While there is His breath of life in our mortal and sinful bodies, there’s always hope for His forgiveness.
But please be warned, there isn’t time to waiver and sit on the fence, because Jesus is coming back in majesty and glory at any time! And when He does… all bets are off!
So please be wise and get yourselves straightened away with Him today; better yet, RIGHT NOW! That is the wisdom of the righteous! Much LOVE!
…let us be wise…be prepared…for we know not when…the last train bound for glory…will be steaming out of the station…and if we’re not on it…hn!…then crapaud smoke we pipe…
23 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, anger, atonement for our sins, aura of love, be kind to one another, beautiful truth, bitterness, bring people to Christ, Bruh Paul Ephesians, cliches, confidence, Cousin Sol, Creator of the universe, derogatory feelings, detriment, Each day is a gift from God, evil speaking, faith, fellowship, folk wisdom, forgiving one another, glorious kingdom, God for Christ's sake has forgiven you, God sent His only begotten Son, gossipmongers, hatred stirs up strife, he that covereth a transgression seeketh love, holy spirit, Holy Spirit of God, hope, humble servants, inappropriate information, into each life some rain must fall, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, lord god almighty, lots of gusto, LOVE, Love covers all sins, malice, manifested, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative, personal example, Praise the Lord, prayer, propitiation for our sins, Proverbs, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, social media, social platforms, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, stepping stone, stumbling block, tenderhearted, Thank You Lord, thank-you prayer, the day of redemption, the greatest of these is love, the LOVE of God, the righteous, truth, ungodly world, untenable situation, weekend partying, wisdom, wrath
Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.
Aye Friends, today we’re going to open with some quotes from Grandma, taken from the Family Circus in the Weekend Funnies. And those of us who do read the funnies – incidentally the best part of the newspaper – will also realize that it often reflects truth and real life in a way that no other platform does.
Listen to some of Gran’s truths. ‘Whenever you find a stumbling block, use it for a stepping stone; Into each life some rain must fall; Each day is a gift from God, So it’s only polite to send Him a Thank-You prayer.’
Wow! What folk wisdom Friends; all bristling with truth. We call them clichés, to which we tend to have negative, derogatory feelings, but the fact is that they tend to be true, and I guess that’s what bugs us about them. However, in accordance with Gran’s wishes, since we’ve been gifted by God with today – a brand new day- let’s be polite and send Him a Thank-You prayer nuh. Let’s voice our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with lots of gusto.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah shucks mih people, that wasn’t so wonderful nuh! Too many hoarse and gravelly voices from the weekend partying. (smile) But our God is such a wonderful God, He will accept our efforts since they came straight from our hearts.
Now what we have to do, since we’re up and about and flowing over with adrenalin (smile) is to get out into the wicked world and show our true godly colours, so that others can see them and want what we have. That’s the best way to bring people to Christ; by personal example. And the Number One godly quality we need to display in our dealings with others my brethren, is that of LOVE!
As Cousin Sol so wisely reminds us in our Bit: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’
And isn’t that a beautiful truth! It just shows the mighty power of LOVE! It’s an awesome quality that originates and emanates from the Creator of the universe Himself. And John, in describing God’s undying, everlasting LOVE, tells us in his first epistle.
‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:9-10)
And all God’s redeemed children shouted a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Lord! Thank You for sending Jesus to be the atonement for our sins! We LOVE You and praise and glorify Your Holy Name!’
And Cousin Sol further tells us in Proverbs 17: ‘He that covereth a transgression seeketh LOVE: but he that repeateth a matter separateth very (the best of) friends.’ (Prov.17:9) And that is ever so true my people. Gossipmongers are amongst the worse people in our society; untrustworthy and just like to run their mouths.
And this explosion of social media is making that aspect of our lives even worse. People are posting all sorts of inappropriate information on these social platforms, whether true or not, to the detriment of others, even their close friends and families and themselves. And that certainly doesn’t fall under the umbrella of the godly, helpful and protective quality of LOVE!
And we’ll close with these appropriate words from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians, which quite nicely address that untenable situation above. ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake (in Christ) hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:29-32)
And that my Friends, is how true followers of God ought to behave! So let’s go out today and behave thus nuh, so that we can be counted amongst the righteous, the true children of God. That’s what Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…and now abideth… faith, hope, LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
17 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable sins, be filled with the Spirit, beloeved son, bounden duty, breathtaking knowledge, Calvary, calypso on the radio, Catholicism, Christ's Church, Christians, communing with Jesus, Cousin Sol, demonstrate undying love, dissipation, doubt, driving the snakes out of Ireland, drunk with wine, encourages, epitome of wisdom, eternal declarations, Ethan the Ezrahite, evil times. Beelzebub, faithfulness, fellow believers, followers of Jesus, foolish and fleshly lusts, forgiveness, giving thanks always, glorious green colours, God's sure promises to David, grace, grateful, gratitude, heavenly Father, hell-bent for destruction, hope, hymns, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord, inferiority complex, Ireland's patron saint, it's a good thing to give thanks, It's Good, it's good to be loved by you, Jesus Christ, joy, kaiso, lazy, Lent, lethargic attitudes, life-giving love, LOVE, majestic life symphony, make them known to our children, making melody in your heart to god, mercies, miserable, misery, mortal lives, nothing compares to god's love for us, One Year Book of Bible promises, playing both ends against the middle, praise, protective umbrella of Christ, psalms, pseudo followers, reconciliation, reverence, rings chimes in my tremulous heart, sacrificed on the cross, Saint Patrick, scripture, sentiments, shouting the Lord's goodness from the rooftops, sing about them, sing and make merry to God, sinners, sitting on the fence, sour, St.Patrick's Day, thankfulness, Thanks be to God, thanksgiving, the assembly of saints, the fear of God, the heavens shall praise thy wonders, the Lord's loving-kindness, the Love Revolution, the new generation, things that flow from God, this wicked world, triumph in the work of thy hands, true believers, trust, unconditional, understanding, unsettled questions, we're alive and kicking, wisdom, wishy-washy, with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Well Friends, Thanks be to God, we’re alive and kicking this Tuesday morning; especially on this 2015 St.Patrick’s Day! A Happy St. Paddy’s Day to all and sundry!
And remember to come out bedecked in your glorious green colours today, drink your green beer and other beverages, celebrating the life and death of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick, the man credited with driving all the snakes out of Ireland. (smile)
And I always remember St. Patrick’s Day fondly, for growing up in T&T that was the only day that you heard a calypso on the radio during Lent. Such was the staunch Catholicism and the inferiority complex that our local music wasn’t good enough to be played during Lent.
That however has now come full circle, with kaiso been played everyday of the year, even some of those that should not be played at all. But that’s the new generation, and you either like it or leave it.
Now here is a little ditty from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that suitably acknowledges and gives thanks to our wonderful heavenly Father. It’s simply titled ‘It’s Good.’
Please say with me: ‘Oh God, it’s good to be LOVED by You! The breathtaking knowledge of Your life-giving LOVE rings chimes in my tremulous heart. It fashions eternal declarations Out of unsettled questions. It creates a majestic life symphony From a solitary note. God, it’s good to be LOVED BY You!’
And is it ever my fellow believers! There is NOTHING in this world that even comes close in comparison to the LOVE that our heavenly Father has for us! It’s unconditional, it’s pure and true…it’s everything we can ask!
But unfortunately too many of us don’t seem to recognize and/or appreciate it. Neither do we return that LOVE, opting instead to rush and grab for the foolish and fleshly lusts of this wicked world. That’s why there’s so much doubt and misery in our souls in these trying times.
Oh Friends, if we’d only consider the great LOVE that God has for us, and it’s not only talk, for He showed it by sending His only BELOVED Son, Jesus Christ to be sacrificed on the cross of Calvary for our abominable sins, so that we could find hope and reconciliation through Him.
And that while we were yet sinners, hell-bent for destruction. So if that doesn’t demonstrate His great and undying LOVE for us, then I don’t know what does!
And our Bit for today is the promise to which our poem is devoted. ‘I will sing of the mercies (the LOVE) of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.’
Wow! What wonderful sentiments my brethren! They are the opening words of Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David – the contemplation by Ethan the Ezrahite; one of the wise men and great songwriters of Bruh David’s time.
He was even used as a comparison for Cousin Sol’s wisdom. ‘For he was wiser than all men; Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol:’ (1 Kin.4:31)
And yuh know what Friends? If we are indeed grateful for the unconditional LOVE, the mercies, forgiveness, grace and all the other good and wonderful things that flow from our great God, then we ought to sing about them constantly and make them known to our children and grandchildren!
But we obviously don’t do that as much as we ought. Is it because we don’t truly appreciate the Lord’s LOVING-kindness, or do we just take it for granted? Either way, we’re wrong. My fellow believers, we ought to be shouting out the Lord’s goodness from the rooftops, each and every day of our mortal lives!
Now let’s look at some scripture that encourages us to do just that. Ethan himself, later on in Psalm 89, wisely declares: ‘And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him.’ (Ps.89:5-7)
Yes Friends, there’s none as mighty and as faithful in this universe as our Lord and Creator! Therefore we ought to acknowledge Him with much praise and thanksgiving!
Now listen to the words of the psalmist from Psalm 92 – Praises for the Lord’s goodness. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To show forth (declare) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.
Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute or lyre); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou, Lord hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps.92:1-4)
Oh what a joy to be living under the protective umbrella of our most faithful God! And my people we need to make that known much more than we currently do. Most of the time we just sing and make merry to God when we go to church, but we ought to be doing it all the time, every day.
As Bruh Paul so wisely put it to the Ephesians, when talking about the ways of the believer. Hear him: ‘Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation), but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
Yuh see Friends, if we consider ourselves a part of God’s flock, then we ought to be always singing and making merry in His name, not going about sour and miserable like so many of us supposed Christians do.
We have been granted a great and wonderful life through Jesus Christ, so let’s be thankful and show that thankfulness and gratitude nuh, so that the unbelievers can see the joy and faithfulness that communing with Jesus truly brings!
If we’re not joyful and thankful for the great mercies and blessings being daily bestowed on us by God, then we’re not true believers or sheep in His flock, just pseudo followers, sitting on the fence, trying to play both ends against the middle.
Ah Friends, at no time in the life of Christ’s church has the necessity for our sincere display of joy and trust in the Lord’s goodness been more important.
Sadly, in these evil times, Beelzebub’s power is on the rise and we desperately need to counteract it with the singing of songs of praise and thankfulness to Almighty God, if we ever hope to regain the running of our world and the success of Christ’s LOVE Revolution.
So please, my brethren, let’s wake up and smell whatever we need to, and do whatever we need to, so that we can rise above the lazy, wishy-washy and lethargic attitudes we currently display. That my people, is the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…if we’re truly glad to be followers of Jesus…then we need to show it outwardly…so that others will come to Him…and find the joy that we have…that’s our bounden duty…
05 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abide in me, against all odds, almighty god, because of mine enemies, blessings, bolsters our spirits, breath of life, brings us joy, Bruh David, cherish every moment with those you love, Clark Gable, confidence, destruction, do God's will, faithfulness, followers of Jesus, furthering God's glorious kingdom, gospel truth, gratitude, guidance, guilt, heavenly Father, hope, I am the vine, I lift up my soul to thee, image of Jesus, improvement, in league with the Creator of the universe, in thee do I trust, Jack Layton, jehovah god, lead me in a plain path, learn God's word, Lent, lessen's regrets, LOVE, loving kindness, make thy way straight, meditate, mercies, misleading, moving onward and upward, my help cometh from the Lord, O Lord, omni-present, omnipotent, omnisicient, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, prayer for protection, privilege, read, remakes us into the image of Jesus, righteous and godly life, righteousness., saviour jesus christ, Spread God's Word, strength, study, teach me thy statutes, Teach me thy way O Lord, thanks and praise, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the land of uprightness, the potter's wheel, the Spirit of Jesus, the ungodly world, the wonderful God we serve, Thursday, thy spirit is good, unconditional LOVE, walking with Jesus, wickedness, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing, ye are the branches
Psalm 27:11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.
Aye Friends, it’s Thursday, and we’re moving onward and upward with our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Wow! What a great privilege that is my people! To be in league with the Creator of the universe and all therein is truly something else!
So let’s give Him some thanks and praise this Lenten Thursday morning nuh, for first imbuing us with His awesome breath of life, then for the new mercies and blessings He has specially prepared for us today, and finally ask for strength and guidance to go out into the ungodly world that surrounds us and do His will; that of attracting souls to Him and thus furthering His glorious kingdom. Now that is indeed a mouthful, but not an impossible one. (smile)
Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, we sincerely thank You for the breath of life You’ve breathed into each of us at our birth, and has allowed it to continue to this day. We thank You for all the wonderful work You’ve done in us, and are still doing. Being on Your potter’s wheel can sometimes be rough, but we understand the need for it. It’s the only way you can remake us into the image of Jesus.
Lots of thanks are also forthcoming for the many gifts of grace, mercy and forgiveness that You’ve bestowed on us. Your unconditional LOVE also calls for expressions of gratitude. Please help us this day to LOVE You as we ought to, and grant us your undying peace and wisdom, so that we can go out and diligently do Your Will, spread Your Word and Your LOVE! This we pray in the name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!’
Yeh mih breddren, it’s ALL about Jehovah God! And I found this quote on a piece of scrap paper yesterday. Don’t know if I’ve shared it before, but even if I have, it’s certainly worth sharing again. It’s attributed to Jack Layton (1950-2011) the late leader of the Federal Opposition party, the N.D.P. Jack has been reputed to advise: ‘Cherish every moment with those you LOVE, at every stage of your journey.’
And that is certainly wisdom for the ages my people! LOVING those around us not only bolsters our spirits and brings us joy each day, but it also lessens the regrets when a LOVED one passes away, whether suddenly or after a long illness. We don’t have the guilt and those negative feelings of not having told or shown them how much we LOVED them. And that takes a lot of pressure off of us when circumstances don’t go the way we want them to.
So Friends, starting NOW, let’s truly cherish those around us, as much as we can. Let’s both show and tell them that we LOVE and appreciate them. I’m sure we’ll see a big improvement in all the lives involved. And your luck’s in today Friends. (smile) Here’s another quote, this from Cark Gable (1901-1960), the famous American movie star of yore. Clark says: ‘The things a man has to have are hope and confidence in himself against all odds.’
And I quote this because though there’s some truth in it, those words ‘in himself’ can be quite misleading, for basically our hope and confidence is supposed to come from our union with our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God.
As Jesus warned His disciples, and consequently us: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5-6)
Now that’s truly telling it like it is! It’s gospel truth my people! Without the Spirit of Jesus working in and walking with us, we can do nothing really worthwhile. That’s why I took issue with Clark’s comment. Only when we’re walking sincerely with Jesus, and only then, does that hope and confidence truly blossom in our souls!
That’s why our Bit is so necessary and so powerful. Bruh David truly lays it on the line. ‘Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain (smooth) path, because of mine enemies.’
Yes my brethren, it’s only by doing it God’s way that we can truly live a righteous and godly life, despite the enmity that surrounds us. And Bruh David knew this from hard experience and used it to his advantage. Listen to him from Psalm 5 – A prayer for protection.
‘Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness (uprightness) in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness (destruction); their throat is an open sepulcher (an open tomb); they flatter with their tongue.’ (Ps.5:8-9)
Ah mih people, our world is so full of wickedness and flattery, that if we’re not careful, we can fall for some ungodly stuff every minute of every day. And the writer of Psalm 119, in the Daleth section – Make me to understand thy way- prayerfully beseeches God:
‘My soul cleaveth unto (clings to) the dust: quicken (revive) thou me according to thy word. I have declared my ways, and thou heardest (answered) me: teach me thy statutes. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of (meditate on) thy wondrous works.’ (Ps.119:25-27)
Oh Friends, that’s only logical! We can’t talk about God and His wondrous works if we don’t know anything about Him! That’s why it’s ever so important, necessary and essential that followers of Jesus, read, study, meditate on and learn His Word. And having done that, we can then explain, expound and talk about the wonderful God we serve!
And we’ll end this series of messages on calling out to God for direction and help to learn His statutes, with these fateful, faithful and fruitful words of Bruh David from Psalm 143 – Teach me to do thy will.
‘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. Deliver me O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me (unto thee I take cover). Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.’ (Ps.143:8-10)
Oh my fellow believers, please let those words lift us up today, and keep us centred and focused on Almighty God as we go out to do His will, for it’s only from Him, can true hope and confidence come. Much LOVE!
…I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills…from whence cometh my help…my help cometh from the Lord…which made heaven and earth… (Ps.121:1-2)
23 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, aura of love, baubles and bangles, be not conformed to this world, be transfromed by the renewing of your mind, Christians, confidence, decisions, devotion, direction, eternity, glorious kingdom, God's Word, gospel truth, guidance, Hades, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus, Jesus Christ, living sacrifice, lord god almighty, LOVE, loving kindness, loyalty, meet the enemy in battle, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, rejuvenation of spirit, serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, spirituality, St. Francis, steadfast faith, stop loving the world, sure conquerors, the will of God, trust, truth, ungodly world, wealth of this world, wisdom
Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
‘Monday, oh Monday, how beautiful you are to me! Monday, oh Monday, how I do LOVE thee!’
No Friends, I’m not under the influence of anything but life – life with Jesus, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and cool breezes blowing across Paradise, with the frothing waves rushing up to the shore as the tide comes in! (smile) The only sad part is that this is my last Monday on Paradise for a while. The cold North Country calleth.
But Friends, we have to like Mondays, because it means that we’re out and about for another week, intermingling with others; other believers, as well as unbelievers, who are ideal, fertile soil on which to sow good seeds for Jesus!
That’s how we ought to be looking at Mondays, or any other day for that matter, instead of being foolishly and selfishly caught up in our own problems, re getting up and making our way to work. Please remember too that in these trying and poor economic times, a whole lot of us don’t have jobs, and thus are suffering serious deprivation and want.
So those of us who have jobs, ought to be very thankful and grateful that we do, rather than indulge in the morbid self-pity that we tend to indulge in on Mondays. Again, I want to remind us that if we treat Sundays, the Lord’s Day, as it is supposed to be treated, then we won’t have any problems rising and shining on Mondays.
But enough with the preaching now, (smile) because many of us still aren’t listening, aren’t buying it, and are yet allowing the wicked ways of the world to hold sway over us. Let’s get to our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get our adrenaline running. In loud, harmonious voice now, like the congregation at St. Francis down here does it.
‘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 my people! The St. Francis congregation would be proud of us. (smile) Jesus was clapping and tapping too, looking at the Father and smiling, intimating with His look; ‘Yuh see how mih people bright and energetic this Monday morning?’ The Father answered with an indulgent smile, nodding His head in assent.
But He knew that as soon as we got out into the world, we’d allow the ways of the world to confound us. We won’t be following Bruh Paul’s advice in our Bit, as closely as we should. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
Yes my people, it’s not all fun and games in this crazy, dangerous and evil world. But we, as believers in Jesus Christ, fortified by His strength, power and guidance can handle whatever comes against us. We just have to keep Jesus at the forefront of our lives.
Now hear this explanation from the Scholars, re ‘Dedication to the Will of God.’ ‘12:1-2. God’s will refers to His purpose for the life of the believer. It implies His guidance or direction in all of life’s decisions. Dedication is an act of surrender or submission to His will for our lives whereby we become a “living sacrifice.” Daily dependence on God results in our transformation into the image of Christ.
Illustration: When we seek to discern the will of God we must also be committed to doing the will of God as it is revealed in the Word of God (John 7:17). Application: The believer should evaluate EVERY decision on the basis of biblical principles, knowing that obedience brings God’s blessing. (First Reference, Gen. 22:12; Primary Reference, Rom. 12:1).’
Yes Friends, ALL the decisions we make should first be tested against God’s Word, regardless of whether they are very big or very small! Remember too that oft times it’s the small, seemingly unimportant decisions that start our trending away from God’s Word and His Will for our lives.
And we’ll end with these immortal words of gospel truth from John. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
And here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘2:15. LOVE not the world is a command implying that action now in progress must cease: “Stop LOVING the world!” There is, of course, one sense in which Christians should LOVE the world, since God Himself did and does (John 3:16). But in the sense of pledging personal loyalty and devotion of one’s whole being and means, Christians are to “LOVE” God first and foremost (Deut. 6:5; Mark 12:30).’ ‘2:16. World for John signifies the evil desire and sin so much a part of human existence.’
What else can I add to all that eh mih bredddren? Nothing really. Except to tell us to pay serious attention to all that’s been said, if we truly want to dwell with Jesus in eternity. Much LOVE!
…the baubles and bangles, the wealth of this world…are of NO use even in Hades…much less in heaven…
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