18 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a resource, Abednego, assurance, begun a good work, being confident, Christ-like, comfortable living, compassionate heart, confession, curse, Daily Bread Devotiaonl, divine protection, faith, flooding in Toronto, for he is faithful that promised, from an evil conscience, generously share, god, God's faithfulness, Grady Nutt, grow, guisdance, having a high priest, having our hearts sprinkled, hold fast, hope, in full assurance of faith, in the struggle, Jesus Christ, let us draw near, mature in our faith, Meshach, negative word, not a way around it, of this very thing, one smigden, our bodies washed, over the house of God, personally testify to, prosper, pure water, self-control, self-discipline, selfishly hoard, shadrach, springs eternal from God, succeed, the best reason for hope, the less fortunate, the profession of our faith, the smell of smoke, Thursday's Blessings, until the day of Christ, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, will complete it, witha true heart, words of wisdom, works in progress
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Oh brother, I can’t believe it’s Thursday already nuh! The week’s flying by so fast, it gets sorta blurry! (smile) And was yesterday ever a strange sorta day. In my area we had intermittent periods of sun and rain, until in the early evening hours the sun finally prevailed. But Toronto seemed to be completely different. They apparently had long periods of steady rain that resulted in severe flooding in several areas.
And today it looks cloudy out there again, plus I’ve got to go into the city for a doctor’s appointment. What a life! But what to do eh? Nothing but put our sincere trust and hope in Jesus and believe that He will do as promised; meet all our needs through His riches in glory. (Phil.4:19) That’s what our faith is all about people, and it’s in times of adversity and trouble that we need it to show up in large amounts.
Consequently, I want to share two interesting and reassuring quotes. The first one is comprised of these wise words reputedly attributed to Grady Nutt (1934-1982) a Southern Baptist minister. It says: ‘God should be a resource in the struggle, not a way around it.’
And is that ever so true my fellow believers. We ought to use God to help us get through the adversity rather than as a way to get around it. But in these days of easy and comfortable living, no one wants to go through anything, we all want to avoid, to go around it. But the truth is that it’s only when we go through stuff with God that we really grow and mature in our faith.
And the second quote is from a Daily Bread Devotional footnote that dispenses these words of wisdom: ‘The best reason for hope is God’s faithfulness.’ Oh my people, my people, that is indeed gospel truth! Our God is so wonderfully faithful that there’s nothing we can’t face when we place our hope and trust in Him! All praise and glory be to Him, my faithful brethren! If we were even one smidgen as faithful as our great God, what amazing changes would take place in our troubled world!
That brings us to these intriguing and most interesting, uplifting and reassuring words of scripture found in the Book of Hebrews. ‘And having a high priest (Jesus) over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb.10:21-23)
Oh friends, if there’s anything I can personally testify to it’s God’s faithfulness, because that’s the only way that I can write this Bit everyday. He called me to do it, and without His faithful help to do His work, I’d be lost without a prayer and /or a hope. But through His faithfulness, His guidance and assurance, I come down here every morning, not knowing what I’m going to write about most days, but eventually write more than I can ask or imagine.
Like today, I only had the beginning and the end, absolutely nothing in the middle. But look at how much I’ve written. And most of the time it does make sense. (smile) And those of you who are mature in faith know what I’m talking about, because you’ve put in the time and effort and patience and waiting and seen Him work wonders on your behalf.
For you young believers though, you just have to take our word for it and go up to bat assuredly with your great God, for that’s the only way you’ll ever discover His true faithfulness. You’ve got to go through the fire with Him and experience Him bringing you out like the three Hebrew Boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, without even the smell of smoke on you. (Dan.3:27)
Yes mih people, faith and faithfulness are works in progress, you’ll never stop needing them and having to grow in them until the day you go over to the other side. And don’t think that just because you seem mature in faith that you’ve conquered it all nuh, because the more you grow in faith and get promoted, the more the Lord will test you.
Oh we don’t want to hear that, but it’s an unavoidable fact. We like to think that once we reach a certain level, we’ll free from all temptations and tests and troubles, but Bruh Paul’s words to the Philippians seem to contradict that. ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:6)
So friends, that seems to mean until we die or Christ comes back we’ll be growing and becoming more Christ-like every day. That’s the Lord’s plan, and once He begins it, He won’t stop until we go home to Him, so we’d better be prepared to face adversity and negative stuff throughout our lifetime. And the best way to do that is through hope, faith, trust and surrender in Almighty God.
As Cousin Sol so wisely puts it: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’ (Prov.3:5-6) There’s no wiser advice in all the world my brethren, so please let’s take it to heart as we go home declaring (yeh!) our Thursday Blessings. Out loud now, because a blessing is not truly a blessing until it’s declared.
‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And every Thursday I have to warn us that those blessings are not granted for us to selfishly hoard, but to generously share with the less fortunate, with those who don’t know Christ. So let’s go out and do just that nuh, and thus warm the cockles of Jesus’ heart. Much LOVE!
…you can’t have faith without hope…and hope is that which springs eternal from God…
10 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a glorious future with Christ, a substitutionary sacrifice, and not of evil, at the right time, atone for our sins, by the Holy Ghost, calamity, can't give up, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, coming or going, confusion, damnation, despair, destroying the world, disappointments, disasters, dissension, divisions, does not disappoint, fallen world, forgiveness, glad to be alive, God has generously granted us, grace, hands on the plough, hellfire, hope, hope in Almighty God, hope maketh not ashamed, human frailty, I know the thoughts, I think toward you, in due time, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, keep on fighting, kindness, looking forward to, LOVE, mercy, no sense of darkness, not a wishy-washy God, not looking back, one more day of life, only begotten Son, only light, rulers of darkness, saints of Christ, shed abroad in our hearts, sincerity, sinless, sonsistency, strength, strife-filled times, the breath of life, the Lord offers the best hope, the LOVE of God, the price of sin is death, the straight and narrow path, the world hopes for the best, thoughts of peace, till Jesus comes back, to die on the cross, to give you an expected end, to pay our sin debt, troubled, truth, uncoditional love, ungrateful sinners, walk with the Lord, war-like tendencies, Wednesday Wail, while we were yet sinners, woe-be-gone world
Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).
One more day friends, the Good Lord has generously granted us one more day of life on His great planet earth, so let’s live it the way He intended us to nuh. That’s with forgiveness, mercy, kindness, grace, mercy, LOVE and joy; all to the max, in abundance and overflowing! It’s the reason Christ gave His life selflessly and sacrificially on the cross of Calvary for us. So as His supposed followers, it behooves us to live as He desires, not as the world dictates.
And to support that doctrine, (smile) here are some meaningful words of John Wesley (1703-1791) one of the founders of the Methodist church. He reputedly said that ‘The world hopes for the best, but the Lord offers the best hope!’ Wow! What words of truth and wisdom my faithful saints of Christ! It was true in Wesley’s day, and it’s even truer in these mystifying, troubled and strife-filled times!
For as Bruh Paul told the Romans: ‘And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (has been poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom.5:5) And is that ever so true! Without a doubt, we, as believers in Christ, have the Holy Spirit abiding within us to lead and guide us in all truth and sincerity.
On the other hand though, right now the world doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going; there’s so much despair in it, with so many divisions, dissensions, directions and disappointments that the natural outcome is simply confusion and war-like tendencies.
The one still strong, solid and sure option left is that of Christ, of hope in Almighty God because He doesn’t change, there’s no sense of darkness in Him, only light and unconditional LOVE! His direction has been the same from day one, and will be the same until eternity! He’s not a wishy-washy God, unlike the rulers of darkness of this woe-be-gone world. With Him there is strength, consistency, and a known path; the straight and narrow one.
With Him, you know exactly what you’re supposed to do and where you’re going. And I just LOVE how He lays it out through the prophet Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’
Yes friends, when you walk with the Lord, you know you’ll be getting the best, because there’s no evil in Him. He created us and He still LOVES us dearly. So much so that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay our sin debt! Hn! Why would He do such a crazy thing eh, if He didn’t hold us in very high regard?
Bruh Paul puts it in the right perspective in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly…But God commendeth his LOVE (demonstrates His own LOVE) toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5: 6,8)
Oh mercy, mercy me! What a validation of the Father’s LOVE that is my brethren! And the great thing about Christ’s death on the cross is that He didn’t die merely for our benefit, but in our place, as a substitutionary sacrifice! Yeh people, the price of sin is death. It can only be atoned for by the shedding of blood.
And whereas all through the Old Testament the Lord was prepared to accept the sacrifice of animal blood to keep sin death at bay, because that’s all the animals did. They themselves could not truly atone for our sins, just give us a li’l leeway. However, come the New Testament, the Lord decided it was time to get the sin problem over and done with once and for all.
The problem though was it needed a pure and unblemished, sinless sacrifice, and since all men were the output of sin, no man however holy could accomplish that task. And I’m sure when the Lord looked at His options and saw the only one possible, He shuddered in distaste. How could He not eh?
Being a living and LOVING Father, He must have felt some trepidation at committing His Son, His ONLY Son to boot, to die for a bunch of ungrateful and disgusting sinners. But that just goes to show how much He really cared for us. How much He wanted to give us another option beside death, hellfire and damnation in the arms of the evil one, that He broke His own heart and sacrificed His Son for us.
And how are we repaying that awesome LOVE eh? By trying to drive Him out of our society and our lives. Taking His Word, His commandments out of our schools and public places, replacing them with the evil, incestuous, sinful, ungodly acts and attitudes of this fallen world.
Ah friends, unfortunately there are consequences for all of our actions, be they godly or ungodly, and believe me, the chickens will soon come home to roost for our current ungodly behaviour. The Lord is getting tired of our sinful attitudes. Just look around and you’ll see it emblazoned in the natural and man-made disasters and changes that are destroying the world as we know it.
The end might be nigh friends, but we still can’t afford to give up, we have to keep on fighting valiantly until our Lord and Saviour comes back for us. Therefore, in the fighting spirit we possess as followers of Jesus Christ, let’s vociferously and sincerely declare (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the evil world know our certain position in Christ.
As one 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!’
And believe me friends, it will indeed be a glorious future if we just hold on in faith, hope and LOVE! Much LOVE!
…only in Christ…can you find the answers…to the world’s problems…
P.S. For those of you who noticed (smile) I apologize for the discrepancy in the dates on the headings of yesterday’s Bit. . One said 9 July and the other said 8 July. The first one was the right one. Just goes to show my human frailty. (smile) Much LOVE!
27 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a candlestick, a compassionate heart, ability, absence of light, absolute truth, abundance, before men, Christian body, conspicously lacking, curse, darkness, diligent, does not hold back anything, down and out, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, evil doings, expects to win, extra effort, generously share, gives all he's got, glorify your father in heaven, go through the fire, good for nothing, hardworking, hid under a basket, hope, hypocrites, immorality, increase our faith, Jesus riding shotgun, lack, lack intelligence, lampstand, let your light so shien, lost our salty flaovur, LOVE, LOVE Jesus, move you to success, negative word, not obeying hsi commands, pursues excellence, scandals, see your good works, self-discipline, selfishly hoard, set on a hill, sitting on one's laurels, success, talent, talk a good talk, the church, the great power, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, Thursday Blessings, to be purified, trampled underfoot, under a bushel, untenable situation, walk the good walk
Matthew 5:13a;14a. Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world.
Well like another beautiful summer’s day is in the offing friends! Glory to our great God! How many is that eh…like four straight without any serious rain during the day! Mama Mia!
And with Jesus riding a sure shotgun with us, how can we not make assured and confident declarations (steups!) as these: ‘I am an overcomer through Christ!’ I am above and not beneath. The head and not the tail.’ (Deut.28:13) ‘I am more than a conqueror, through Christ who LOVES me!’ (Rom.8:37) ‘And the God of all grace, who has called me to His eternal glory in Christ, after I have suffered a little while, will Himself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast.’ (1 Pet.5:10)
Glory to God my brethren! And I can speak personally to that last acclamation because that’s exactly what our God is doing in my life right now, making me strong and steadfast after all the medical problems I’ve experienced over the last few years. Yes friends, our God won’t allow us to go through what He’s not prepared to bring us through.
But please remember, oftimes we need to go through the fire, not escape it, if, like silver and gold we need to be purified, and thus increase our worth and value with greater faith. And to help us believe that, here is this encouraging quote from Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the pastor, positive thinker, and author of several books, amongst which is the memorable one, ‘The Power of Positive Thinking.’
Dr. Peale reputedly said: ‘Hope is the great power that can move you to success. Why? Because when a man expects to win, he does not hold anything back, but gives his project all that he’s got. Most people fail not because they lack ability, intelligence, or opportunity, but they fail because they don’t give it all they’ve got.’
Words of absolute truth my people, especially in this lazy, sitting on one’s laurels, expecting someone else to do it society in which we’re currently living! We’ve become so addicted to easy and cheap and right away, that putting out any extra effort is anathema, repellant, repugnant, to us, even when the extra effort will assure us of success.
But friends, if we’re living and working for Jesus, then we’re required to make that extra effort, to go that extra mile, because that’s what His economy is based on. In fact no economy whatsoever can succeed unless that extra effort becomes a basic part of it. Only when one is diligent and hardworking and pursues excellence, will one be successful!
No wonder our society is on its way down and out, because those elements are conspicuously lacking from it. But if we supposed believers actually behaved like real believers, and not like worldly people, you’d be surprised to see the difference in our world. But we only talk a good talk, and not walk the good walk we’re supposed to. That’s why the evil element of the world is now holding the upper hand.
Remember what Jesus declared and expected of us: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world.’ But somewhere along the way we have lost our salty flavour and have hidden our lights under a bushel? Why? Perhaps through fear of the enemy, or more likely the extra effort it takes to be bright and salty.
But look at what Jesus said about those situations nuh: ‘but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt.5:13) And also: ‘A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt.5:14-15)
Oh my fellow believers, as a group, the church, the body of Christ, we have lost our salty flavour and our light is no longer shining forth into this evil world as brightly as it ought to, and thus we are being trodden underfoot by the rulers of darkness. Now that is a most untenable situation in the sight of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who admonished us to: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16) And unless we obey that command, then the church, Christianity will be of very li’l or no use to mankind.
Hear this most interesting explanation from the scholars on all that nuh. ‘5:14-16. Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity. He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is a basket. Darkness is the absence of light, and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’
Oh friends, the Christian body, the church today is certainly not helping to reduce the world’s depravity, in fact it is contributing greatly to it, because we have become like the world, seeking the things of the world more than the things of God! Just look at the immorality, the scandals, the evil doings that are daily being uncovered in our churches eh! No wonder the unbelievers look at us and laugh and rightly shout out ‘Hypocrites!’
But to those of us who sincerely try to be salt and light, let’s go home today declaring (right ho!) our Thursday Blessings that the Lord has generously granted us to help us in our earthly work. As one, with sincere belief now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And unfortunately, I have to remind us every week, that those blessings were not granted to us to selfishly hoard, but to share with the less fortunate, as we spread our salty flavour and shine the light of Jesus throughout this dark world! Much LOVE!
…how can we say we LOVE Jesus…and are a part of His body…his church…when we ‘re not doing as He commands eh…
24 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grain of mustard seed, according to your faith, ask in my name, aura of love, be it unto you, by fasting and prayer, Christians, confidence, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fellowship, friends, have faith in God, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, impossible to please God, Jesus answering, Jesus Christ, Jesus is waiting, joy, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nothing shall be impossible, o ye of little fiath, on the front lines, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rise and shine, rise to the occasion, said unto them, salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Son glorify the Father, thy faith hath made thee whole, to join the battle, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, warriors in Christ's army, wisdom, withouth faith
Mark 11:22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Rise and shine fellow warriors in Christ’s army! The trump has sounded! It’s time to gird ourselves in our protective armour and head for the frontlines, where our General, Jesus, the most highly named and exalted Commander in the universe is already there waiting for us. And like His snow-white steed that’s pawing the ground in great anticipation, He’s also eager to join the battle this good-looking summer morn, which just happens to be Monday, the first day of the new workweek (smile).
And yes, sometimes it’s hard to get back on the merry go round of work after a couple days off, especially with summer in the air and weekend trips to the cottage up north getting into full gear. But work we must if we want to survive, so we have this fail-safe pick-me-up we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Let’s declare (yeh!) it all together now nuh, so that we can rise to the occasion.
‘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!’
And brother, yuh see how quickly we start feeling better; our eyes light up with a new gleam, our souls suddenly feel refreshed and we feel like we could fight an army or move a mountain single handedly! Wow! That’s because the Holy Spirit is working in us to give the Lord’s answer to our humble, sincere, but ever-confident prayer! And why yuh think that is eh?
That’s because Jesus says that whenever we pray, whatever we pray for, if we believe, we will get it. ‘Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ (Mark 11:24) And He also says that if we ask for anything in His name, He will do it. ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:13-14)
What great promises friends! But we also know that there are certain provisos to those promises, they all depend on them being in the Father’s will, timing and purpose for our lives and coming from sincere motives of the heart; they just can’t be wishy-washy, selfish, self-aggrandizing prayers.
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘14:13-14. In my name means “as My agent.” The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus’ will (cf.16:23-26). It is also linked here especially in the accomplishment of the “greater works.” (vs.12) The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God.’
But what is Jesus really talking about here eh? It’s basically about faith; the level of our faith in Him and the Father. In the passage in Mark above, He had just cursed the fruitless fig tree and caused it to suddenly wither up. That gave Him ‘the occasion to expound concerning faith, prayer and forgiveness.’ And He began thus: ‘Have faith in God.’ And that’s the whole sermon right there in a nutshell my people!
Remember He also said these things on the subject: ‘According to your faith be it unto you,’ when He touched the two blind men’s eyes. (Matt.9:29) And when the disciples couldn’t heal an epileptic child, and wanted to know why, He admonished them: ‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt.17:20-21)
Some important points to notice there; even a li’l faith is a powerful thing, and some jobs call for not faith alone, but also for fasting and intense prayer. And please note that in almost every occasion on which He healed someone, Jesus made it a point to invoke his or her faith into the healing.
Note the occasion when the Roman centurion approached Him for his servant’s healing, then said that Jesus did not need to come to his house to do it, He had the power to do it right there. Jesus replied in astonishment: ‘Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ Matt.8:10) Yes friends, a heathen Roman centurion showed more faith in Jesus’ awesome power than any of His own people!
And what a wonderful example of great faith is the woman with the twelve year issue of blood who fought through the throng believing if she only touched the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed. And when she did, she was healed instantly. But Jesus also noticed that something was wrong, because He felt some of His power go out of Him, and asked: ‘Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?’ (Mark 5:25-33).
But Jesus persisted in looking around to find the culprit, (smile) and eventually the woman fell down before Him and admitted the truth. ‘And he (Jesus) said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (affliction).’ (Mark 5:34) And there are many more instances of Jesus calling on people to show faith, which we have no time or space to get into today. But I’ll leave us with one of Jesus favourite jibes to those who reused to belief Him. ‘O ye of li’l faith.’
And sadly, in these ungodly and evil times, He’s saying that about a lot of us supposed Christians. Please friends and fellow believers, let’s rise up today and begin giving Him serious occasion to change it nuh to ‘How great is thy faith!’ That would surely warm the cockles of His holy and oh so LOVING heart! It’s about time we did something to cause that, don’t you think? Much LOVE!
…without faith…it is impossible to please God… (Heb.11:6)
P.S. Sorry that the Bit’s somewhat late…and somewhat long, but good, (smile) but I had some pressing problems that I had to deal with first. Much LOVE!
17 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a useful purpose, antidote, aura of love, behind thee, bread of adversity, confidence, courageous, engines running smoothly, enthusiasm, friends, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, listen to our teachers, LOVE, mercy, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, moving like a magnet, prosper, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, returning, righteousness., saints of Christ, salvation, shall hear a word, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strong, thine ears, this is the way, trust, trust in God, truth, turn to the left, turn to the Lord, turn to the right hand, ungodly world, waiting, walk ye in it, water of affliction, wherever you go, wisdom
Isaiah 30:21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Well it was a beautiful Father’s Day yesterday! The weather was stellar! NO RAIN! Wow! And for the first time in about three years my church was able to hold their annual outdoor picnic outdoors. (smile) Who knows what’s going to happen today though, as it’s somewhat cloudy out there. But it should be okay for most of us to get in our early morning commute to our places of daily grind and common task. (smile)
Oh my people, we might as well smile yes, because being sad and miserable and crying won’t change the situation. We’ve got to go to work if we want to eat, and it’s best to do that in good and high spirits. And yes, I know that that’s easier said than done, but we’re children of the Most High God, which means that nothing is too difficult, or even impossible for us, once we have His wonderful Spirit operating within us.
So if you’re just not up to scratch this morning, let’s just dissipate those Monday Blues by declaring (steups!) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, the antidote that ALWAYS gets our engines running smoothly.
So as one strong voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
YES my brethren! Yuh feel it? Yuh feel the awesome power of the Holy Spirit moving…moving just like a magnet.within you….moving here, moving there, like on the day of Pentecost (smile) raising your own spirit, enabling you to get yourself together and go out and face the enemy with brass and panache, all for Jesus’ sake? That’s what it’s all about my fellow saints of Christ – empowering us to do Jesus’ work with diligence and excellence!
And I was just going to write: Now where is all of that going to lead us to this morning eh, when I opened the Good Book and behold, there it was in bright and living colour, our Bit for today! The words of the prophet Isaiah as he appeals to his people to turn to the Lord for help.
‘And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is.30:20-21)
Yes friends, the Holy Spirit has been given to us to lead and guide us along the right and righteous pathways of this earthly life. But that can only happen if we listen to and pay serious attention to what the Holy Spirit tells us to do. As Isaiah says at the top of that section: ‘For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness, and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke (threat) of one; at the rebuke (threat) of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon (a pole) upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign (banner, flag) on a hill.
And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy on you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is.30:15-18)
How many times friends, did the Israelites turn away from God and suffer eh? But He, in His grace and mercy, always offered them a way out, if they returned to Him in sincere sorrow and repentance. And though they oftimes refused, He, in His longsuffering, waited for them.
It’s the same way He’s calling us to come back to Him today, but we’re not listening; too busy doing our own earthly things to be concerned about His heavenly stuff. But He’s patiently waiting. But please note, that even the Lord’s patience will run out at some time, and when He gets tired of waiting we will pay a hefty price for our disobedience.
And the scholars offer this explanation of those verses. ‘30:18-33. Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God. The reference to the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction shows that God teaches us lessons through circumstances when we will not listen to our teachers who call us to walk in the way (i.e., the way of God).’
So please friends, please listen to me, and walk in the way of God, (smile) so that you won’t have to eat the bread of adversity and drink the water of affliction. That’s wisdom at its highest level! Much LOVE!
…be thou strong and courageous…turn not from the Lord’s law…neither to the right nor to the left…so thou can prosper…wherever you go…(Josh.1:7)
10 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Absalom, antidote, aura of love, bring it on, Christians, confidence, Davind encouraged himself, delivered me, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, fear the Lord, fellowship, foolish mistakes, friends, from all my fears, fun, glory hallelujah, good intent, grace, he heard me, his bread was buttered, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, hunted by Saul, I sought the Lord, in the Lord his God, invincible, Jesus Christ, join in prayer, joy, let us exalt His name together, lies, like a wild animal, living in exile, LOVE, loving kindness, magnify the Lord with me, mercy, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, on which side, peace, rebelled against his father, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, ride to battle, righteousness, righteousness., salvation, saved him out of all his troubles, sincerity, spiritual armour, stay alive, steadfast faith, taunts, the Lord's positive answer, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, Ziklag
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
And then it was Monday…And all God’s people shouted: ‘Bring it on Lord! Bring it on! We’re ready and able to go out and meet the enemy in Your Name this Monday morning!’ Now that would be the day eh! (smile)
And don’t think that the Lord doesn’t want to hear that kind of response from us, because that’s exactly the kind of thing He expects His true followers to do; just get up with good intent every day, especially on Mondays, when it’s usually the hardest to get going, and fearlessly mount their horses and ride…ride to battle with the evil enemy!
But don’t worry friends, our God is a just and good God, and He knows just what we’re capable of. And though we may never reach the plateaus He desires of us, once He sees us sincerely trying, then He will be merciful and gracious to His people.
And so for those of us who just can’t seem to get it together this first day of the new workweek, let’s all join in prayer, in what we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we call on the Lord, humbly, but with the utmost confidence that He will hear and answer us in the affirmative, because it’s His will and work that we need energy and enthusiasm to go out and do.
So altogether, in strong voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh friends, what an antidote to the Monday morning blues that prayer is! And what I LOVE about it, is that before we’re even finished praying it, we begin to feel the effects of the Lord’s positive answer in our souls and spirits! Oh give Him much praise, thanks, glory and exaltation my believing brethren, because He is ever so faithful to those who call upon Him in sincerity and truth!
And I’m chuckling here because I also seem to get carried away in the excitement and enthusiasm of the moment and can’t write or type fast enough to match the thoughts and words that quickly fill my mind! But that’s all because of the Lord’s mercy and LOVING-kindness, not my exceptional skill and writing talents. (smile)
Oh my people, my people, that’s exactly why we need to do as Bruh David so wisely and rightly declares (yes!) ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ Wow! What words of wisdom and righteousness! And although Bruh David made a lot of foolish mistakes in his time, and paid for them dearly, he did know on which side his bread was buttered. And it came through hard experience too.
But his words after our Bit are certainly telling ones, and explain why he had such an awesome reverence for the God of his forefathers. ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears… This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.’ (Ps.34:4; 6) Bless His Holy Name my people, for He still delivers those who sincerely call on Him out of their troubles and from their fears!
How yuh think Bruh David managed to stay alive through all the times that Saul hunted him down like a wild animal eh? It was the Lord’s doing! And when his son Absalom caused the people to rebel against him, the Lord warned him and carried him to safety.
And think about when he was living in exile, in the Philistine territory in Ziklag, and came home one day, only to find that the Amalekites had plundered the city, then burnt it and took all the women and children captive. Then, to make matters even worse, his men wanted to stone him, because they blamed him for the loss of their families, notwithstanding that he had lost his wives and children too.
Where do you think he got the strength and wherewithal to stand up strong and stare them down? From the Lord his God! The Good Book tells it thus: ‘But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam.30:6) Yes, friends, likewise we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord our God; every day, as often as we need to, so that we can get through each and every day successfully living for Jesus.
Otherwise, life will just beat us down and keep us down, and have us living for the devil instead. And that’s one thing we don’t want to do, because there’s no good future in that, only hellfire and eternal damnation. And we’ll end with some encouraging verses from the psalm.
‘The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps.34:7-10)
Oh friends, if those words don’t move you, then I don’t know what will nuh. They moved Bruh David, so much so that he became the greatest king that Israel ever knew! It’s now all up to you to decide whether to accept his words as truth or not. But I know, as for me and mine, we will serve the Lord. Much LOVE!
…of the two options we have…serving God…or serving mammon…the former is the wiser choice…
27 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken spirit, a continual feast, a foothold in your soul, a kind word, a merry heart dooeth good, anxiety, aura of love, blessings, causes depression, cheers the heart, Christians, confidence, drieth the bones, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, friends, good words, gospel truth, Granny's warning, Happy Memorial Day, heaviness, him that is weary, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, in the heart of man, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, laughter, lies, lightheartedness, like a medicine, LOVE, mixed and mingled, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the tongue of the learned, trust, truth, ungodly world, veterans, wisdom
Proverbs 17:22. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Well a Happy Memorial Day Holiday to all our Scrip-Bit friends and family in the U.S of A! Please enjoy it, but also, please remember Granny’s advice: ‘Sonny Boy, drunk or sober, mind yuh business,’ and don’t let the enemy get a foothold in your soul.
Now it’s all well and good to remember those who gave their lives for our democratic way of life, but please don’t forget the veterans who are still alive and are suffering because of their service on our behalf. We can’t do much for those who have already passed on, but we can certainly do much better than we’re currently doing for the ones left behind, maimed, disabled, and suffering mental, economic and psychological difficulties.
So today, please take a moment to remember them, offer up a heartfelt prayer on their behalf, and sometime soon lobby your political representatives to improve their quality of life. They deserve at least that much!
And now, for all of those who have to go out and labour, let’s raise up our spirits by declaring (right ho!) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes friends, there’s nothing like good, sincere, heartfelt prayer to boost our spirits! And I can see that by just looking at the sudden light that’s come on in your eyes, and the way you’re holding yourself straighter and moving more briskly! (smile) And yeh, those loud, hoarse, slurry voices belonged to those who don’t have to go to work today. What else is new eh? (smile)
And since we smiling so much this morning, (smile) I guess it’s a good time to talk about what good cheer can do for us. Here’s how Cousin Sol puts it nuh: ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth! Laughter, does act like good medicine on us! And it’s free to boot! And too many of us supposed believers are too serious and withdrawn, wrongly feeling that to be a Christian one must always have this sourpuss face and attitude. That’s so wrong!
Look at Jesus nuh! He was never sour and miserable, but always pleasant and outgoing, not holding himself as some paragon of virtue, even though He was. He mixed and mingled with both the rich and the poor, the sick and the healthy, because He came to save all who were lost, and there indeed were, and still are lost souls in every category of human life.
So please, let’s get rid of the false, idea and attitude so prevalent amongst us that laughter and lightheartedness are not becoming of a true Christian. I believe it’s the exact opposite! Since we’re so blessed and cared for, we should be lighthearted and show it, so others can see it and want the wonderful blessings that we have.
And listen to Cousin Sol earlier on nuh: ‘Heaviness (anxiety) in the heart of man maketh it stoop (causes depression): but a good word maketh it glad.’ (Prov.12:25) Oh my people, yuh hear that? The scholars’ explain:‘12:25. A good word is a kind word that cheers the heart.’ So please, let’s go out today and try to use good words nuh, and make Jesus proud of us.
And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to Isaiah: ‘The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.’ (Is.50:4) Yeh friends, our wonderful God whispers learning each morning to us when we awaken, expecting us to go out and share it with others. Let’s not disappoint Him nuh.
And we’ll end with some more wise words from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol: ‘A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance (face): but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.’ (Prov.15:13) And I’m sure all of us can attest to that from personal experience. When we’re happy, we wear a happy face, but when we’re not, we’re sour and sorrowful.
And this last word from Cousin Sol. ‘All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.’ (Prov.1515) So my people, if we want to be continually feasting, then we have to have merry hearts! It’s as simple as that! So let’s go out today, and every day, with as merry a heart as we can handle nuh. That’s unadulterated wisdom, which brings everlasting joy! (smile) Much LOVE!
…if Christians would only lighten up…and laugh a li’l more…there wouldn’t be so many sour and miserable ones… (smile)
25 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong purpose, a yardstick of quality, an understanding heart, Anselm, approve things that are excellent, being filled with, blame it on the rain, Calvin Coolidge, cleaning up, compassion, confidence, crooked, despair, DETERMINATION, don't have a clue, education will not, environment of excellence, facing life head on, falling standards, friend, genius will not, hope, I speak of excellent things, inner contentment, Jesus your Guiding Light, life, life is advantageous, mediocre stuff, mire of evil, partner with Jesus, passion, persistence, perverse, Portia faces life, prudence, right our wrong world, sad state of affairs, sincere, social media, soothing sounds, speak truth, spineless, strength, talent will not, the fruits of righteousness, the reins of life, the wave of life, till the day of Jesus, understand wisdom., univiting spectacles, unto the glory of God, warms the cockles of Jesus' heart, wishy-washy, without offense, ying and yang
Philippians 1:10. That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.
Blame it on the rain! Yes friends, we can blame my late arising on the rain…well partly, because I went to bed around 3 a.m and could not fall asleep for a little while. But I was up earlier on…and then I heard the soothing sounds of the rain falling outside, and entranced by it, I rolled over – mind you, just for a minute more, to enjoy its delicious flavour… And wonder of wonders, it lulled me back to sleep! Now that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! (smile)
And since we’re already late, let’s get straight to our Saturday theme, looking at quotes our friend Anselm sent us during this past week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Hear this first one: ‘Well-being can only happen from within you.’
That’s a fact! Regardless of our outer circumstances, be they good or bad, that sense of satisfaction, of happiness, if you will, can only come from within us. Just look at all the wealthy and powerful people who lack inner contentment nuh. And then there are so many poor who have it. It’s all because of how we view our circumstances and handle them. And obviously with Jesus as your Guiding Light, you’ll do even better.
Then there’s this: ‘Are you riding the wave of life or are you being crushed by it?’ Now that’s a very good question my people! Are we handling life like an animal trainer handles unruly animals; with confidence and strength, but also with some compassion? I assure you that if you don’t take a tight hold on the reins of life, it will take a tight hold on you, for life is advantageous, and will never miss a chance to put you down.
So it’s our responsibility to do like Portia, and stand up strong and face life. And there I’m talking about an old radio drama from way back when, called ‘Portia Faces Life.’ And unless you’re up there in age, and possibly come from T&T, most of you won’t know it, but in the days before television down there, it was real popular, like the soaps we have nowadays, and it just became a cliché for standing up and facing life head on.
Consequently, ‘If you have a strong purpose in life, you don’t have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there.’ That’s true to a great extent. Usually your passion will push you forward if it’s in agreement with your purpose. But for many of us, our purpose and passion often don’t gel. Let’s say the Lord calls you to do one thing, but you have a passion for something else.
And I’m a perfect example of that! My passion was never to write scriptural stuff, to write yes, but not write on the scriptures. However God seems to have made that my purpose and so I had to develop a passion for it. Now it comes almost naturally. We’ve got to get our ying and yang lined up before we can make real progress.
And let’s not forget those memorable words attributed to Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), the 30th President of the U.S.A, serving from 1923-1929. He reputedly said: ‘Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.’ Take from that what you will, but it’s gospel truth! (smile)
And our final quote from our friend Anselm wisely advises us to ‘Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.’ And is that ever so true, especially in this new world, where mediocrity is seen as something so great, where you have so many superstars! We use the word super for every li’l foolishness or person doing really mediocre stuff nowadays.
The age of celebrity attention is hard upon us, and the sad fact is that most of these supposed celebrities and supposed superstars don’t know their ‘A’ from their ‘E.’ They have no class whatsoever! Yuh see how they dress? Sloppy and dirty! But that’s style! Utter Foolishness! And they don’t know how to behave either. Just look at the sad, uninviting spectacles of so many of their lives!
And sadly these are the very people that we have our very culpable children looking up to as heroes and mentors! Steups! And then we wonder why our children turn out so wishy washy and spineless! Ask any of them about any of the new fads on social media, or about social media itself, and they can answer you in an instant! But ask them anything about God, and they don’t have a clue!
And who’s to blame? We the parents because we have given up our God-given responsibility to train up our children in a godly atmosphere and have allowed the world and all its evil perpetrators to bring them up instead. And then we wonder why we have so many li’l demons and devils on our hands! And if you don’t believe me, then go take a look in the mirror! (smile)
But this sad state of affairs is very near and dear to my soul, and it just hurts my heart to see the way our society, our young people are falling lower and lower in everything. What use to be a ‘C’ mark in our days, is now and ‘A’, so how can our society be improving eh, if our standards keep falling eh?
However, when we sincerely decide to partner with Jesus, then our behaviour, etc, etc, has to be excellent, because that’s all He deals in! Listen to what Bruh Paul told the Philippians in talking to them about thanksgiving and prayer. ‘That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil.1:10-11)
Yeh friends, as true believers we have to pay serious attention to things that really matter, the vital and worthwhile things in Jesus’ realm, not the trivial things of the world! That means we need to have diligence and excellence as our goals, because that’s what Jesus expects of us!
Hear how Cousin Sol puts it nuh as he calls us to wisdom. ‘O ye simple, understand wisdom (prudence): and, ye fools, be of an understanding heart. Hear; for I speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing forward (crooked) or perverse in them.’ (Prov.8: 5-8)
Now, if the wisest man ever said that, who are we to doubt him eh? (smile) Oh my people, there is much truth in the saying that while there is life, there is always hope, so please, I implore us, let’s never give up trying to right our wrong world nuh! We’ve already made a mess of it, but we can’t afford to let it fall any further into the mire of evil and despair. So with Jesus’ help, let’s stand up strong and do some cleaning up nuh! It will benefit everybody! Much LOVE!
…it warms the cockles of Jesus’ heart…when He sees us…exhibiting diligence and excellence…in His name…
20 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, aura of love, Christians, Comforter, confidence, diligence, divine revelation, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, excellence, faith, friends, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God is a Spirit, God's plans, grace, Granny's warning, Helper, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, in spirit and in truth, in truth, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, near to all, orphans, our undoing, peace, privilege, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, sense of purpose, spiritual, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Lord is nigh, the Spirit of God, the spirit of the world, trust, truth, ungodly world, Victoria Day holiday, who call upon Him, wisdom, worker bee of the Trinity, worship Him
Psalm 145:18. The Lord is nigh (near) unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
‘Monday morning… Oh boy! No work today, no work today! Party all day…eat, drink and play, cause there’s no work today! Glory be!’ Yes friends, that’s the song a lot of people are chanting this Monday morning, as we in Canada, celebrate the Victoria Day holiday. And who’s to blame them eh? You have to take it and enjoy it when you can get it.
But just remember Granny’s warning all you party people: ‘Drunk or sober mind yuh business!’ Don’t give the enemy a chance to infiltrate your souls by throwing caution to the winds and behaving in an unacceptable bacchanalian fashion! (smile) And you know that’s what we’re liable to do when we get too party conscious and let it all hang out. So enjoy yourselves, but please be on your p’s and q’s because it’s at these sorts of times that the devil is able to get in some licks.
And unfortunately, some of us always have to go to work because of our modern 24/7 society where stuff never stops, and it’s always more difficult when the majority of workers are off. So for all you unfortunate ones, we’re going to be nice and join you in singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to get you started on your journey. (smile)
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And why aren’t we surprised that the loudest, most raucous and gravelly voices were those from the partygoers eh? That’s just the way it always is; man’s natural habit to be loudly and deeply involved when the onus, or the rough time is not on them.
But I do hope that that jaunty rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn did lessen the jealousy of those of you who have to go out and labour, and that you will do it with a true sense of purpose, with diligence and in excellent fashion, as becomes a sincere follower of Jesus Christ. Give Him all the glory people!
That brings us to our Bit; some rather interesting and reassuring words of Bruh David. ‘The Lord is nigh (near) unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.’ And that’s no lie my people! If we call on the Lord with a sincere and truthful heart, He will always hear our prayer and respond to it.
As Moses said to the Israelites so long ago: ‘For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh (a God so near) unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for.’ (Deut.4:7) It didn’t change in Bruh David’s time, and neither has the situation changed in our time my faithful brethren! Our great and wonderful God is still there, ALWAYS NEAR, when we need Him!
But it takes two actions from us to communicate with Him. We first have to call on Him, and then do so in truth, with sincerity and right motives. Jesus said it thus: ‘God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.’ (John 4:24) So since God is a Spirit, then our connection to Him must be spiritual in nature, namely through His Holy Spirit which dwells within us to lead and guide us, help us to pray, to understand God’s plans for us.
Jesus promised His disciples: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever. Even the spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)
What awesome promises my people! And they all came true! Give God the glory! And as Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that LOVE him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man save (except) the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given of God.’ (1 Cor.2:9-12)
And we’ll end with this interesting explanation from the scholars on verse 10. ‘2:10. Revealed…unto us: ‘Unto us’ is in the emphatic position in Greek, emphasizing the enormous privilege granted the recipients of divine revelation. The magnificent treasure of God’s revealed truth is accessible to the mature believer.’
Oh friends, please, please, I implore us, let’s not abuse that great privilege of divine revelation that we’ve received through the Holy Spirit nuh, else it will surely be our undoing! Much LOVE!
…The Holy Spirit…is like the worker bee of the Trinity…the action oriented third person…
18 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a certain sure belief, a dealer in hope, a leader, Achilles heels, affirmation, Anselm, believers in Jesus Christ, believing in jesus, colour commentary, condemn the world, delusion, discipline, don't find fault, eternal life, eternal living, exalt His name, faith, find the remedy, fleeting treasures, forgiveness, friend, God anointed Jesus, God so loved the world, good to be alive, goodness of jesus, great expectations, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, hope, how high you've climbed, Immanuel, Jesus Christ, justification, long weekend, Lord, making a positive difference, Master of Hope, mercy, name that's higher than any other, part of the problem, part of the solution, prince of peace, promises, Redeemer, sanctification, saviour, should not perish, success, the blame game, the greatest, the world might be saved, to whom all knees must bow, Triune God, Victoria Day, went about doing good, whosoever believeth in him, words have power
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, how good it is to be alive on this Saturday morning in May, the Victoria Day long weekend! Brother, life might not always be great, but it sure is good to be living with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, our Leader, Redeemer, Prince of Peace, our Immanuel, and the many other things He means to us! Glory to His holy name! The Name that’s higher than any other name in the universe, and the one that all knees will eventually bow to!
Wow! That’s our Jesus! Give Him much praise and glory my people! Exalt His name in all the earth, as Bruh David so rightly says! Oh, I guess the ole fella is really feeling it this morning! (smile) But why not eh? Life might not be fair, but our wonderful God is Good! That’s all we can ask! And as the man said: ‘Don’t ever confuse life with God, cause they are two entirely different things!
Now let’s see if I can get my head around these quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. (smile) It’s not always easy. And we’ll begin with this one: ‘Don’t find the fault, find the remedy.’
And oh, are we ever so good at finding fault in this modern day society. It’s known as the blame game, and we play it so well. But as the saying goes too, ‘If you’re not a part of the answer, then you’re a part of the problem!’ So let’s just remember that today nuh, and act accordingly.
And then there is this: ‘Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.’ I don’t know if it’s the beginning of delusion or not, but I do know that you will get nowhere in this earthly life without discipline…and plenty of it too. For everything you attempt to do down here on earth requires discipline to some degree or other.
So mouthing a lot of proactive words but not doing what it takes to put them into action, is a useless exercise. Remember friends, though our words have power, they don’t manifest themselves without some kind of action on our part!
Now hear this: ‘Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.’ And that is ever so true my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! The evil and ungodly world in which we dwell considers success as rising high in power, politics, wealth and other worldly things.
But in Jesus’ economy, those things are mostly colour commentary. What He considers important is what you’ve done to help your fellow man, how you’ve tried to pursue peace and LOVE in His name! That’s because all the things the world considers important are but fleeting treasures which you can’t take with you to eternal life!
But the peace, LOVE and goodness of Jesus go with you till eternity! So please, let’s stop trying to run down the things of the world nuh, because we’ll only kill ourselves in the process, then have to leave it all to others here to waste and fight over.
And then we have this interesting quote: ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ Now there is a lot of truth in that. If you inspire others to rise above their current station in life, be it for good or evil, then you do have some leadership qualities.
Jesus just wants you to inspire others to do good and not evil, as the Good Book says of Him. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ (Acts 10:38) Oh my people, there is no better example in God’s great world for us to follow than that of Jesus!
And that brings us to our last quote which encapsulates all the others that have gone before. It seems like our friend Anselm was on a leadership kick this week. (smile) But this last one says: ‘A leader is a dealer in hope.’ And that’s no lie! Else why would you follow someone if they don’t give you hope in whatever area you’re choosing to follow them in eh? No reason whatsoever! You might as well just do it yourself!
The sad part though is that leaders are also human and thus have Achilles heels so they can sometimes fall apart or lead us astray. But friends the greatest Leader in this universe is our one and only Leader, Jesus Christ! Talk about being the Master of Hope! Hn! He has that name so cornered that it’s impossible to ever take it away from Him!
Just look at the things He’s done for us nuh! Coming down from His comfortable perch in heaven to die for a bunch of ungrateful sinners! Going to the cross with nary a whimper, like a lamb being led to innocent slaughter, suffering the ultimate in humiliation, shame and ‘sufferation,’ just because the Father asked him to.
So that we could have hope for a better tomorrow; a tomorrow not wrecked by sin, shame and eternal damnation, but one securely and sincerely rooted in peace, LOVE, mercy, grace, forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, salvation and eternal life!
Wow! Which other Leader has ever promised that kind of stuff eh, much less given it like Jesus has? NONE!That’s why Jesus is the GREATEST: because He gives us the most HOPE of any Leader that this unfortunate world has ever known! Listen to these immortal words of His: ‘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!’
Now where else is it possible to find such HOPE like that eh friends? Nowhere else but in Jesus! And He didn’t end there either: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
Oh my people, don’t those fateful, faithful and true words just lift your spirits and give you a feeling of peace and HOPE, that you can’t find anywhere else in this world? It surely does for me! And what really is HOPE eh Friends? Merely a longing for something, preferably something good!
And the long and short of the story is that God promises, if we believe in His Son, have HOPE in Him, that feeling of great expectations, which lead to faith, a certain sure belief, and which grows ever stronger, as we see His awesome promises come true, that our lives will be filled with wonder and amazement, leading to days of beautiful, exhilarating, eternal living with our Triune God!
Now what can we long for that’s better than that eh, what better HOPE can there ever be? NONE whatsoever! Much LOVE!
…the beginning of true HOPE…begins with believing in Jesus…
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SCRIP-BITS 
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 May 2019 John 3:16.
18 May 2019 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a certain sure belief, a dealer in hope, a leader, Achilles heels, affirmation, Anselm, believers in Jesus Christ, believing in jesus, colour commentary, condemn the world, delusion, discipline, don't find fault, eternal life, eternal living, exalt His name, faith, find the remedy, fleeting treasures, forgiveness, friend, God anointed Jesus, God so loved the world, good to be alive, goodness of jesus, great expectations, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, hope, how high you've climbed, Immanuel, Jesus Christ, justification, long weekend, Lord, making a positive difference, Master of Hope, mercy, name that's higher than any other, part of the problem, part of the solution, prince of peace, promises, Redeemer, sanctification, saviour, should not perish, success, the blame game, the greatest, the world might be saved, to whom all knees must bow, Triune God, Victoria Day, went about doing good, whosoever believeth in him, words have power
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, how good it is to be alive on this Saturday morning in May, the Victoria Day long weekend! Brother, life might not always be great, but it sure is good to be living with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, our Leader, Redeemer, Prince of Peace, our Immanuel, and the many other things He means to us! Glory to His holy name! The Name that’s higher than any other name in the universe, and the one that all knees will eventually bow to!
Wow! That’s our Jesus! Give Him much praise and glory my people! Exalt His name in all the earth, as Bruh David so rightly says! Oh, I guess the ole fella is really feeling it this morning! (smile) But why not eh? Life might not be fair, but our wonderful God is Good! That’s all we can ask! And as the man said: ‘Don’t ever confuse life with God, cause they are two entirely different things!
Now let’s see if I can get my head around these quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. (smile) It’s not always easy. And we’ll begin with this one: ‘Don’t find the fault, find the remedy.’
And oh, are we ever so good at finding fault in this modern day society. It’s known as the blame game, and we play it so well. But as the saying goes too, ‘If you’re not a part of the answer, then you’re a part of the problem!’ So let’s just remember that today nuh, and act accordingly.
And then there is this: ‘Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.’ I don’t know if it’s the beginning of delusion or not, but I do know that you will get nowhere in this earthly life without discipline…and plenty of it too. For everything you attempt to do down here on earth requires discipline to some degree or other.
So mouthing a lot of proactive words but not doing what it takes to put them into action, is a useless exercise. Remember friends, though our words have power, they don’t manifest themselves without some kind of action on our part!
Now hear this: ‘Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.’ And that is ever so true my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! The evil and ungodly world in which we dwell considers success as rising high in power, politics, wealth and other worldly things.
But in Jesus’ economy, those things are mostly colour commentary. What He considers important is what you’ve done to help your fellow man, how you’ve tried to pursue peace and LOVE in His name! That’s because all the things the world considers important are but fleeting treasures which you can’t take with you to eternal life!
But the peace, LOVE and goodness of Jesus go with you till eternity! So please, let’s stop trying to run down the things of the world nuh, because we’ll only kill ourselves in the process, then have to leave it all to others here to waste and fight over.
And then we have this interesting quote: ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ Now there is a lot of truth in that. If you inspire others to rise above their current station in life, be it for good or evil, then you do have some leadership qualities.
Jesus just wants you to inspire others to do good and not evil, as the Good Book says of Him. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ (Acts 10:38) Oh my people, there is no better example in God’s great world for us to follow than that of Jesus!
And that brings us to our last quote which encapsulates all the others that have gone before. It seems like our friend Anselm was on a leadership kick this week. (smile) But this last one says: ‘A leader is a dealer in hope.’ And that’s no lie! Else why would you follow someone if they don’t give you hope in whatever area you’re choosing to follow them in eh? No reason whatsoever! You might as well just do it yourself!
The sad part though is that leaders are also human and thus have Achilles heels so they can sometimes fall apart or lead us astray. But friends the greatest Leader in this universe is our one and only Leader, Jesus Christ! Talk about being the Master of Hope! Hn! He has that name so cornered that it’s impossible to ever take it away from Him!
Just look at the things He’s done for us nuh! Coming down from His comfortable perch in heaven to die for a bunch of ungrateful sinners! Going to the cross with nary a whimper, like a lamb being led to innocent slaughter, suffering the ultimate in humiliation, shame and ‘sufferation,’ just because the Father asked him to.
So that we could have hope for a better tomorrow; a tomorrow not wrecked by sin, shame and eternal damnation, but one securely and sincerely rooted in peace, LOVE, mercy, grace, forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, salvation and eternal life!
Wow! Which other Leader has ever promised that kind of stuff eh, much less given it like Jesus has? NONE!That’s why Jesus is the GREATEST: because He gives us the most HOPE of any Leader that this unfortunate world has ever known! Listen to these immortal words of His: ‘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!’
Now where else is it possible to find such HOPE like that eh friends? Nowhere else but in Jesus! And He didn’t end there either: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
Oh my people, don’t those fateful, faithful and true words just lift your spirits and give you a feeling of peace and HOPE, that you can’t find anywhere else in this world? It surely does for me! And what really is HOPE eh Friends? Merely a longing for something, preferably something good!
And the long and short of the story is that God promises, if we believe in His Son, have HOPE in Him, that feeling of great expectations, which lead to faith, a certain sure belief, and which grows ever stronger, as we see His awesome promises come true, that our lives will be filled with wonder and amazement, leading to days of beautiful, exhilarating, eternal living with our Triune God!
Now what can we long for that’s better than that eh, what better HOPE can there ever be? NONE whatsoever! Much LOVE!
…the beginning of true HOPE…begins with believing in Jesus…