10 Sep 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fleeting illusion, a laughing stock, ambassadors for Christ, Anselm, aspires to inspire, be not afraid, be string and of a good courage, Bob Marley, brilliant light of Jesus, Christian fashion, conspiracy, courage, courageous, declare the gospel, degrade, denied, dismayed, don't give up, enforced, equal rights, eternal life, fence sitting, fight the good fight of faith, for all to see, gospel truth, greetings, guaranteed, guidance, human-rights, hypocrites, ignorance prevails, indisputable truth, inherit, Jesus is alive and well, Joshua, justice, lasting peace, LOVE Revolution, make a difference, Moses, never attained, oppress, passion, passive, poverty, promises, pursued, race, rob, salutations, saving grace, serve christ, stand up, steadfast, strife, the Holy Spirit, the Lord thy God, to the very end, trials, tribulations, trying times, ungodly world, war, wish-washy, witness for Christ, world citizenship, zest
Joshua 1:6a. Be strong and of a good courage…
Greetings and salutations my fellow brethren in Christ! Welcome to what looks like a somewhat cloudy and hopefully rainy Saturday morning in my neck of the woods. And do we ever need some decent rainfall.
But the best part of the morning is knowing that regardless of what the weather is like, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is alive and well and that His brilliant light is shining in our hearts, minds, and souls for all to see.
And the most important part of that sentence is the last part, ‘for all to see.’ That’s because Christ is shining His light not only in, but also through us. The light is for us to share with the rest of the world who don’t know Him and cause them to come to Him for His saving grace, without which they can’t find eternal life.
And it’s especially in these difficult and trying times that the world needs believers to stand up and declare the gospel with great zest and passion, and live it in true Christian fashion.
We must not be seen as wishy-washy, fence sitting hypocrites, else that would just invalidate our witness for Christ and make His organization, His church, more of a laughing stock than it already is.
So friends, please, let’s promise ourselves this morning to be excellent ambassadors for Christ so that we can raise the level, the intensity of His LOVE Revolution, that’s the only hope for our misguided, evil and increasingly ungodly world.
Wow! Where did all of that come from eh? When I sat down just now to write, that was nowhere in my imagination, but as always, I asked for guidance, and I guess that’s where I was guided. Ah mih people, you never know with our great God nuh!
Now let’s check out a couple of quotes from our friend Anselm who always aspires to inspire us. And I like this first one: ‘Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth! For as Bruh Bob (Bob Marley) said in his song: ‘That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all, without regard to race. That until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizen ship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained… and everywhere will be war…ah say war…’
Yes friends, until equal rights and justice play a much larger role in our society, we will ALWAYS be engulfed in strife. And the second quote from Anselm tells us that, ‘The strongest people are not always the people who win, but the people who don’t give up when they lose.’
That’s more indisputable truth my brethren! The strongest are the ones who fight the good fight of faith right down to the very end, despite all the trials and tribulations that come their way. And it all segues so smoothly into our Bit: ‘Be strong and of a good courage…’
Yeh mih people, that’s all we dealing with this morning; being strong and of a good courage… Why, you ask?
Because I believe now, more than ever, Christians need to stand up strong and steadfast and be courageous, stop being passive and allowing ourselves to be pushed around and aside by the evil world powers.
Right now we’re definitely not doing justice to the ultimate power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, that’s supposed to lead and guide us along the straight and narrow path destined for us by our Creator.
The anxious and fearful way in which so many of us behave, one would never believe that the Spirit of God resides within us. We have to stand up strong friends, much stronger than we’re currently doing.
Poor Joshua was bombarded with that direction, both by Moses and the Lord. Listen up: ‘And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.’ (Deut.31:7)
The Good Book also tells us, per the Lord’s direction: ‘Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel. And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.’ (Deut.31:22-23)
And the Lord when He commissions Joshua as Israel’s leader, after the death of Moses, He reiterates in our Bit: ‘Be strong and of a good courage… Then in the next verse, He tells him once more; ‘Only be thou strong and very courageous…’ (Josh.1:7a)
And if that wasn’t enough, two verses later, the Lord reminds him. ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:9)
And that same message also applies to each and every believer today! Yes my people, it is ever so important that we Christians stand up proud and strong in these trying times, because that’s the only way we’ll ever serve Christ properly, and make a sincere and substantial difference in our world, which we are called to do. Much LOVE!…
Christians ought to be the strongest and most courageous people on earth…because of the awesome and ever-faithful promises of Christ…and His Holy Spirit which dwells in them…
18 Apr 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Adam and Eve, adopted children of God, agony, All praise honour and glory to Jesus, auspicious, bend our knees, Bless His Holy Name, bow our heads, Christian, cringe with fear, day of judgement, death, depths of our souls, dwell in harmony, Easter, everlasting thanks, exorbitant price, extraordinary thing, faithful, fear, fellowship, footsteps of love, for they know not what they do, forbidden fruit, forgive them, forgiving Deity, freedom, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, Garden of Eden, generous help, give Jesus everlasting thanks, glory, Good Friday, good news, goodness, graciousness, greatest gift ever bestowed on man, heartfelt prayer, heirs with Jesus, high price of justice, holy spirit, honour, human-rights, intercession, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is worthy, joy, justice, justified, King of Kings, lead and guide, light of Jesus Christ, loathing, Lord and Saviour, Lord jesus, lord jesus christ, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving, magnanimity, magnify Your Holy Name, marvellous works, memorable Friday, no bounds, no more tears sorrow pain, obedience, patience, pay for our ghastly sins, pay our sin debt, payment for all of mankind's sins, peace, perseverance, praise, reconciled, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rescue, rest, resurrection, right fellowship with God, righteous, rivers of blood, sacrificial deed, selfless, sincere gratitude and thanks, sinners, sins, Son of Jehovah God, stripes, terrible ordeal, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, TGIGF! Thank God it's Good Friday, Thank you Jesus, tragedy, trials, tribulation, truth, unblemished lamb to the slaughter, unconditional LOVE, unity, worship and praise Jesus, worthless sinners, worthy enough
Luke 23:34a.Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
GOOD FRIDAY !
Oh Friends, that fateful day called Friday has rolled around once again! However, today is not only a Friday, but an extraordinary one that we term GOOD FRIDAY! Today we remember and celebrate the most auspicious and memorable Friday that has ever occurred in man’s history!
And though the event that occurred two thousand years ago today was a horrific tragedy; the stuff that took place on the surface was certainly bad, but its outcome was the greatest gift ever bestowed on mankind, that’s why it can be called good!
So today instead of just singing ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ We need to sing ‘TGIGF! Thank God it’s Good Friday!’
And you know that we’re referring to that memorable day when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sacrificed His sinless life, went like an unblemished lamb to the slaughter, to pay for our ghastly sins, so that we could once again have right fellowship with our heavenly Father.
And all of God’s people, feeling the trembling and gratitude boiling in their hearts, spontaneously sang out: ‘All praise, honour and glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of Jehovah God! Bless His Holy Name! Worship and praise Him and give Him everlasting thanks, for He is indeed worthy of it all!’
Yes my people, Jesus Christ is certainly worthy of more praise and thanks and honour and glory than we can ever give Him! For there is nothing or no one else who could have satisfied the Father’s high price of justice to pay our sin debt in full.
And that’s payment for ALL of mankind’s sins, from day one in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, right down to the day of judgement, and that promised time when sin shall be no more. When there shall be no more tears, no more pain and sorrow, but we shall all dwell in harmony and unity under the everlasting light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Rev.21:3-4)
Oh what a wonderful person is our Jesus! Let’s give Him some more thanks and praise nuh mih breddren. ‘Oh Lord Jesus Christ, there are not enough powerful and thankful words in our vocabulary to truly praise and thank You for Your selfless, sacrificial deed on our behalf. But with whatever we have, we’re pouring out our most sincere gratitude and thanks this Good Friday morn, hoping that You accept it with Your usual graciousness.
We know that it was a terrible ordeal You underwent for us worthless sinners, though You and the Father thought us worthy enough to pay such an exorbitant price to save us. We know You didn’t have to do it, but Your obedience to the Father knew no bounds, so you bore with great patience, perseverance and magnanimity the trials and tribulations the Father decreed as the price of our freedom.
In Your most horrible moments of agony, You were even gracious enough to cry out the words of our Bit: ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’ Only a truly LOVING and forgiving Deity could do such an extraordinary thing! Thank You Lord Jesus, thank You, thank You, thank You!
Unfortunately, that’s the best we can say. But for that awesome sacrifice, we promise to bow our heads, bend our knees and acknowledge You as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. We will give You all the praise and thanks we can muster, and walk obediently in Your footsteps of LOVE, peace, joy, goodness, human rights and justice, from this day forth and forever more!
Please accept our heartfelt prayer, and let Your Holy Spirit lead and guide us into all truth, so that we can magnify Your Holy Name and spread the good news of Your Story, all over planet Earth! This we pray in Your Holy Name, on the rivers of blood that flowed from the stripes inflicted on Your broken and abused body on that horrible day, two thousand years ago! Amen! And again we say, Amen!’
Thank You Lord Jesus Christ for coming to our rescue! Just the thought of where we would have been, where we would have ended up, without your faithful and LOVING intercession, makes us cringe with fear and loathing!
But thankfully, through the amazing and unconditional LOVE of the Father, we now have nothing to fear, and instead are now gloriously declared righteous, reconciled, justified, adopted children of God, heirs to His kingdom with You, and so many other wonderful things that it would take us all day to name them!
Father in heaven… Lord Jesus… all we can say again is THANKS! Thanks from the innermost recesses of our hearts, and the very depths of our souls! We LOVE You, and will try our very best to walk obedient to Your dictates. In Jesus Name we pray all of this. Amen!’
Oh Friends, this is what I was guided to write this Good Friday morning. I do hope that the sentiments expressed therein will touch your hearts, minds, bodies and souls like it touched mine.
Over the last couple of years I’ve been guided to a greater appreciation of the suffering that Jesus underwent on our behalf, and now the Easter season has truly become the best part of the Christian calendar for me, for that’s where Jesus wrought His most marvellous works.
Please let us mourn the death of our Saviour today, while remembering the awesome good that came out of it. And as we close, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much enthusiasm! Thought I’d forgotten eh? (smile)
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now Friends, and fellow believers, let’s just remember that after the death, comes the glorious RESURRECTION! Much LOVE!
…the price of reconciliation can never be repaid…because it was born out of such unbelievable LOVE…
24 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: angry, believe and receive, blood was shed at Calvary, brothers and sisters, burdens, Christian house, churches, confidence, contrition, criminals, ecpectant faith, enough is enough, excellent standards, faith, fellow believers, fervent prayer, fight back, freedom, God's will, God's Word, godly assurance, heart and soul, heartfelt pleas, heavy heart, holy spirit, human-rights, in the name of religion, injustice, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, justice, Kenya, live our faith, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, mercy, Most High God, murderers, negate our rights, one true God, openly worship Jesus, opiate of the people, oppressed, Pakistan, perpetrators, persecution, positive hearing, prayer, prisoners of hope, put up, repay injustice, righteous, scripture, shut up, sins, slaughter of innocents, Spread God's Word, stand and be counted, stand strong, steadfast faith, stigmatized, suffering, teach our children, terrorists, the prayer of the righteous, troubles, unfortunate friends, unjust persecution, wake up call, war-like actions, wonderful Son, worship, worship jesus christ, yokes
1 John 5:14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.
Oh Friends, what is our world coming to eh? Everyday now brings some unnecessary slaughter of innocents, all in the name of some religion! Religion is supposed to be the opiate of the people, keeping them nice and quiet, peaceful and law abiding. But unfortunately, in these ruthless and cruel times, it’s doing the exact opposite; stirring them up to war-like actions.
Just look at the attack in the mall in Kenya last week, and that on the Christians coming out of church in Northern Pakistan on the weekend! No one, or nothing is safe and sacred anymore from these despicable murderers. They’ll even kill their own, if they think it necessary. And the sad part is that we allow them to get away with it, calling them terrorists, when they’re simply out and out disgusting criminals!
Ah Lord eh! My heart is heavy and angry this morning Friends, but I won’t write what I really want to, because it might not align with God’s Word or Will. I’ll just ask us to keep praying for our fellow believers in so many parts of the world, who can’t openly worship Jesus Christ, who are oppressed, stigmatized and murdered simply because of their faith.
Please pray with me. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, You know that we truly LOVE and worship You. The problem though is that some of us can do it in perfect freedom, but there are millions of Your children who are being innocently and unfairly persecuted for worshipping You.
Father in heaven, we implore You to help them this day. Lessen their burdens, lighten their yokes, help them to gain the freedom of worship that we blessed ones have, and please repay the perpetrators of this injustice, for You’ve promised to repay any injustice done to Your children.
Please, please help them Father, for their suffering is so great it’s now reached a stage where many may even consider giving up the faith, and we know You don’t want that. Please help them to stand strong, under all the oppression. Let Your Holy Spirit enable them to remain steadfast in faith, though their whole world seems to be falling apart.
Oh heavenly Father, we pray all this in the name of Your wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, whose blood was shed at Calvary in contrition for our sins. Amen.’
Oh my fellow believers, please let’s invoke a few pieces of appropriate scripture on behalf of our suffering brothers and sisters around the world. The first comes from the heart and soul of Bruh David in Psalm 34, titled, ‘The Lord hears the righteous.’ ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.’ (Ps.34:17)
And the next scripture verse comes from Cousin Sol. ‘The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.’ (Prov.15:29)
Then James tells us that ‘The effectual (effective) and fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:16b) And I know that there are many truly righteous people amongst us, so we ought to get a quick and positive hearing.
And finally, the most encouraging of all the scriptures, this from Jesus: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22)
Oh Friends, we’ve asked, and many are righteous who have done so. Now let’s perform the last requirement; that of believing. Let’s truly believe for God to help those many, many believers enduring injustice and ‘sufferation’ around the world.
And as a gentle reminder, (smile) let’s turn to heaven once more. ‘Father God, Your people are crying out today in all righteousness and faith! Please answer our heartfelt pleas with mercy and justice, on behalf of our unfortunate friends suffering such unjust persecution. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.’
Ah mih people, let’s be prisoners of hope and stand in expectant faith, that our merciful and mighty God will hear our prayers and alleviate the ‘sufferation’ of believers all over His world. Let’s keep praying for them, and at the same time, improve our own faith and strength in numbers in this supposed free part of the world, because the enemy is picking away, bit by bit, at our Christian house.
Like a bunch of wood ants, they’re finding the unguarded spots in our situation and slowly gnawing away at them. Note the absence of prayer in our schools, public places and numerous homes, plus the subtle attempts everyday to negate our rights to worship in freedom.
People of other faiths are coming to our Christian countries and getting rights that trample on ours. Friends, we cannot allow this to continue. At some stage, like RIGHT NOW, we’ve got to stand up and say, enough is enough, and fight back. Otherwise, in a few short years, our situation will surely deteriorate to such that we won’t have the freedom of worship anymore.
This is a wake up call my brethren! I’m therefore calling on all of us who claim to believe in Jesus, to stand up and be counted! Let’s build our churches! Let’s teach our children the Word! Let’s live the Faith we claim to have, and spread the Word of God, which is so powerful that He used it to create the universe and all therein!
Oh my people, these are the days of sad reckoning. We either have to put up and get some serious action going, or shut up! Which one will it be eh? Are we going to have our descendants living in fear, running and hiding to serve and worship the ONE TRUE GOD of this universe? I think not! So let’s get a move on nuh.
And we’ll end with the godly assurance and confidence that comes to us from our Bit. ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.’
Oh my brethren, please let’s not disappoint Jesus, let’s live up to the excellent standards that He requires of us. That’s the only way we can recapture our world and have it turn again to the Most High God Jehovah! Much LOVE!
…if we believers don’t do the Will of God…how else will it get done eh…
09 Aug 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mere pittance, baptism, barely survive, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, captains of industry, chasing demons, christianity, compassionless, controlled by circumstances, courage, deliverance, divine intervention, do thyself no harm, earthquake, faith, fellow believers, feudal times, fortune telling, foundations, Friday, Friday chant, fun, further God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glory hallelujah, god, God's purposes, good fortune, great things, greedy, human-rights, jesus name, loosed chains, LOVE, loving kindness, marvellous God, merry chase, mighty works, Paul, Philippi, pittance, positive results, Praise the Lord, prayer, prison episode, prisoners, profit, refreshed in body and soul, rejoicing, relaxation, religion, renewed, rest, reverence, right perspective, Silas, singing of hymns, stripes, suffer for my name's sake, testimony, Thank God it's Friday, Thank the Lord, the weekend, time to party, what must I do to be saved, wicked, wisdom, woe is me
Acts 9:16. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
And then it was suddenly Friday! And on realizing this, all the working population got up, danced and sang with great joy: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Thank God is Friday! This week’s been a rough one. But now the weekend is at hand. Time to get out and party!’
Not so fast mih people! The weekend isn’t only for partying. We also have other duties to fulfill. So before we get too carried away with this being Friday, let’s chant our Friday Chant that will give us the right perspective on how to use these upcoming very valuable two days off.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes mih breddren, that’s how we should use the weekend; as a combination of fun, fellowship and relaxation, not all out partying. And be thankful that we at least get a couple days off every week to rest and recuperate, because a lot of people around the world still have to labour seven days a week for a mere pittance, on which they can barely survive.
So let’s thank the Lord for our good fortune and pray for those who are still oppressed and have no rights or freedom to express their unfortunate and evil oppression. And don’t laugh either, for if the captains of industry have their way, we’d all be pushed right back to feudal times, so greedy, wicked and compassionless are they.
Neither did Bruh Paul often have the luxury to do as he pleased, because the Lord certainly led him on a merry chase, as He declares in our Bit. ‘For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’
And yesterday we saw some of the suffering Bruh Paul experienced in Philippi after chasing a demon from a young girl’s soul. Silas and him were dragged before the courts by the girl’s masters, for Bruh Paul’s actions had cause them to lose the ability to profit from the girl’s fortune telling. They successfully stirred up the crowd against the brethren, had them beaten and thrown into the innermost part of the prison. (Acts 16:16-24)
But Friends, our God is such a great Deity, and works in such mysterious and wondrous ways, doing just as He promised, to turn all situations to good for those who sincerely LOVE and revere Him.
Now listen as the Good Book tells the story: ‘And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises (were praying and singing hymns) unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was an earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands (chains) were loosed.
And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
Then he called for a light, and sprang (ran) in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (household).
And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat (food) before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.’ (Acts 16:25-34)
Oh my fellow believers what a marvellous God we serve and worship! And all God’s children said ‘Wow! Praise the Lord for His mighty works!’ That’s for sure! Just look at the lengths he went to save the jailer and his family.
Now here is the scholars take on that situation. ‘Verse 25 is the key to the prison episode, since the earthquake was not intended to deliver Paul but to convert the jailer. God knew that Paul would be released the next day; therefore the earthquake was not merely for Paul and Silas’s benefit. The earthquake would have been meaningless had not the jailer and prisoners heard Paul’s testimony in prayer and song.
Their singing brought about the divine intervention in the earthquake, and all would understand its significance. Hence the jailer would run to Paul asking how he could be saved. God’s purposes of Peter’s deliverance of chapter 12, and Paul’s of chapter 16, are apparent. The purpose of Peter’s imprisonment was his execution; for Paul, the intention was only to threaten him.
Surprisingly Peter sleeps whereas Paul prays and sings. Neither is controlled by his circumstances. In Peter’s case God puts the guards to sleep and delivers Peter by means of a silent angel. The guards are executed. In Paul’s case God awakens the sleeping jailer with an earthquake. The jailer is saved; Paul chooses to remain in jail.’
Oh Friends, yuh see the unique way in which the Lord used Bruh Paul to bring unbelievers to Jesus!
And even today, He’s still in the business of bringing unbelievers to Christ through our efforts. So please, whenever we find ourselves in difficult situations, let’s not simply hold our heads and bawl, ‘woe is me,’ but instead let’s take a serious look at what’s happening and consider how we can use it to influence others in Christ’s name, through prayers and singing of hymns, for that’s what Bruh Paul did, and we can all see the positive results.
And we can begin doing that right away by considering our current situations and instead of complaining, seeing how we can use them to further God’s glorious kingdom. Now that’s wisdom, faith and courage of the highest order! Much LOVE!
…Jesus expects ALL His followers to spread His Word…to manifest His LOVING-kindness…in whatever situation they find themselves…
23 Jun 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart of LOVE, affliction, centre of attention, egotistical Christians, enthusiasm, envy, favoured society status, frightened fannies, furthering the gospel, glory hallelujah, grin and bear it, human-rights, inconvenience, jealousy, lazy, LOVE Revolution, modern conveniences, nothing to fear, old crooks, pampered, persecution, preaching the gospel, pretence, price, propagation of the truth, rejoice, revenge, rough olden days, self-aggrandisement, selfish ambition, smooth sailing, spreading the gospel, the Good News of Christ, ulterior motives, unappreciative, wrong motive, zest
Philippians 1:12: But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.
Oh Friends, at long last my kitchen sink is operational again! Glory Hallelujah! But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. First off, the plumbers were supposed to arrive around 10 a.m. So I got up, got myself together and waited for them. But eleven o’clock came and went, then twelve, without any action or news.
So I eventually called the office, only to learn that they’d been sent out on an emergency call earlier in the day, but they would be there as soon as possible. Steups! That asap though was two p.m.
Obviously I wasn’t happy because I had wasted four hours of my time that could have been used much more constructively than just hanging around waiting for them. The plumber wasn’t happy either because he figured that the office had called me about the delay. On top of that, by the time they arrived it was raining intermittently.
Anyway, we put aside our unhappiness and did what was necessary to get the job done. There was a fair amount of grease in the drain, but not enough to cause any serious problems, and by four p.m. we were done. And the price was just a mere eleven hundred and forty something dollars! (smile) What else can I do but grin and bear it eh?
Much to my surprise though, I discovered that it included a charge for an hour’s travelling time…the ole crooks and them! And though I knew they didn’t travel anywhere close to an hour to get to my house, I didn’t argue over it. I was just glad to get the problem fixed, also reasoning that if I was being robbed, I’d let the Lord deal with it, since He says that’s His department, He’ll right the wrongs done to His people. (Deut.32:35; Rom.12:19)
Oh, I need to make one correction from yesterday, where I stated that the tax rate was 15%, it’s actually 13%. So my life is back to normal again. Thank the Lord! But those three days of inconvenience really brought home to me how unappreciative we are of our favoured society status, with all our modern conveniences. Not until we have to do without them for a period of time, do we truly see how they impact out lives.
We complain about the hard and rough olden days, but the places that we got water from then, the stand pipe or the river never got clogged. The clothes line in the backyard never jammed, or the scrubbing boards and the river stones break down, neither did the outhouse back up. (smile) We never had the problems we have now with these supposed modern conveniences. But we’ve become so lazy and pampered, that many of us can’t operate unless we have all the conveniences.
Anyway, let’s turn to our Bit now: ‘But I would ye should understand (want you to know), brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out (turned out) rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.’ It’s the same as yesterday, because I thought there was some more important scripture there for us to address.
Now yesterday, we saw where Bruh Paul’s imprisonment, unlike normal expectations, worked to further the spreading of the gospel amongst the unlikely Roman praetorian palace guards, and also emboldened the Roman Christians to get up off their frightened fannies and preach the Good News of Christ with zest and enthusiasm.
Oh that more of us today would do likewise my brethren, because the preaching and sharing of the gospel is very badly needed in these evil, ungodly, trying and troubled times! And we have nothing to fear, except fear itself, unlike the early Christians who faced serious persecution for their beliefs.
However, listen to Bruh Paul from where we left off yesterday. ‘Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention (selfish ambition), not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds (chains): But the other of LOVE, knowing that I am set (appointed) for the defense of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.’ (Phil.1:15-18)
And that’s an awesome fact Friends! Some people were preaching for the wrong motive, merely for self-aggrandisement, and sadly, many are still doing the same thing today.
But, per the scholars: ‘The right motivation is LOVE- LOVE for God, for Paul, and LOVE for unbelievers. Improper motives are envy, strife (v 15), and selfish ambition. Some egotistical Christians were jealous of the apostle and rejoiced over his imprisonment, for it gave them opportunity to be in the limelight. Supposing to add affliction to his bonds: They hoped that when Paul learned of their being the centre of attention, his chains would become particularly galling to him.’
But no such luck! Instead he gloried in the fact that the gospel was being preached, and his chains didn’t bother him one bit! Oh my people, are we thus conditioned, that whatever our circumstances we’re glad to hear the gospel preached? I surely hope so, because then we’ll truly be on our way to becoming mature Christians.
Per the scholars: ‘Paul was so selfless and so concerned for Christ that, whether the preaching came from proper or improper motives, he rejoiced in the truth being proclaimed. To be sure, he was grieved over the wrong motives of some, but to him motivation was secondary, while propagation of the truth was primary.’
Ah Friends, the gospel of Christ is so powerful that it causes even those with selfish, ulterior motives to preach it! However, since we are true believers, let’s all go out and preach it with the right motive nuh, that of LOVE: LOVE for God and LOVE for all mankind. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Much LOVE my brethren!
…spreading the Good News of Christ…from a heart of LOVE…is the only thing that will bring about the much needed…LOVE Revolution…
16 Jun 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse, admonition, architect of the family, bounden duty, christianity, cock of the walk, competent manner, cruelty, don't provoke your children, emotional succour, father figures, Father's Day, fatherly duties, fatherly responsibilities, forget not my law, God's eyes, good father, good understanding, harmony, human-rights, injustice, keep my commandments, lasting effects, loss of temper, LOVE, mercy, negative cycle, no vision, peace, quality time, ridicule, rules and regulations, sexual prowess, spiritual education, spiritual leadership, the people perish, titular head, training of God, trust in the Lord
Proverbs 3:1: My son forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Well a Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there! I surely hope that it finds us all in good health, and doing better than we did a year ago. And I’m talking there about our fatherly duties. That’s because too many of us don’t measure up to what’s considered a good father.
Oh, I know that it can be a hard task, especially with the way things are going in our world today, but that doesn’t give us the right to renege on, or abdicate our fatherly duties.
Remember that in God’s eyes, the father is the titular head of the household, and we need to represent Him in a competent manner. Fathers are responsible for providing both physical and emotional succour for their household, as well as spiritual leadership. (Eph.5:22-33)
It’s an awesome responsibility, that’s why we fathers have to consider our words and actions very carefully, because they can have lasting effects, good or bad, on our families. For as the father goes, so usually does the rest of the household.
That’s why Bruh Paul warns the fathers of Ephesus: ‘And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph.6:4) And really, that says it all, yes my people!
As the scholars explain: ‘Fathers can provoke their children to wrath by injustice, loss of temper, undue severity, cruelty, favouritism, suppression, sarcasm, ridicule, and misuse or abuse of authority. Nurture basically means “training,” here denoting spiritual education.
Admonition is instruction that points out one’s responsibilities and duties. Of the Lord is in Greek a subjective genitive. This indicates that behind the parents’ rearing and instruction of their children stands the Lord as the chief teacher in the child’s education. Parents do not rear children alone.’
And that’s an undeniable fact, my brethren! The Lord God should be the architect of our family building, with the father being the chief builder, following His well laid out plans as closely as possible.
But unfortunately our modern society is more concerned with moving away from God, which results in the breaking up of families, rather than the constructive building of them.
Consequently, in too many homes around the world, there are either no father figures, or not particularly good ones. Too many fathers have turned away from God, or never knew Him, which means that families are not God-centered, or spiritually minded. And that’s truly a sad state of affairs my brethren!
How many households are there in our society today eh, where fathers speak to their children like Cousin Sol does in Proverbs 3, exhorting them to obedience and trust in the laws and ways of God? Not too many, or rather far from enough to make our society a blessed place to live and raise children and families in a godly manner.
Proverbs 3 begins with our Bit: ‘My son forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.’
Friends, that applies to the rules and regulations of our earthly fathers, as well as those of our heavenly Father, which, in the first place, are supposed to guide us all. And throughout that whole chapter, Cousin Sol goes on to teach the right way; the right way for both earthly fathers to live, and to teach their children how to live.
Unfortunately though my people, not too many of us tell our children things like: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart (mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.
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 (make smooth) thy paths.’ (Prov.3:3-6)
Oh Friends, that’s the kind of stuff we ought to be teaching our children, especially in these godless times!
In many cases though, the fathers were never taught those things in their own childhood, and therefore don’t even know about them, so they obviously can’t teach them to their children, which only keeps the already negative cycle going from generation to generation.
And to make matters worse, our society is drifting away from God, increasing our already sad state of immorality, which allows young men to sire children all over the place without thought for the children or mothers, and shirking their fatherly responsibilities.
Oh Friends, there are too many single mothers in our society, and too many irresponsible fathers, who are only concerned about their sexual prowess and being ‘cock of the walk.’ That combination though is a sure-fire way to raise godless, irresponsible, immoral children, to the further detriment of our society.
Oh my people, please remember God’s promise; if we live according to His dictates, we’ll prosper, if not, then we’ll suffer. And we can see the ‘sufferation’ definitely happening now, as our entire world is facing serious hardships and disasters, though we are at astonishing heights of technological progress.
A lot of this is due to the poor leadership of the fathers amongst us. We’ve fallen down by paying more attention to the affairs of the world than those of God, and the affairs of God are the only things that will guide us aright in this evil, ungodly, troubled world. Then we’ve further failed our children by not spending enough quality time with them, then teaching them the wrong things, through our personal examples and words.
So Friends, fathers and fellow believers, let’s try and improve on our past performance nuh, because if we don’t, we’ll just keep going downhill until we perish in the mire of our own making. Please remember those wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov.29:18)
Yes Friends, where there is no divine revelation, with a lifestyle based on God’s will, then a society disintegrates. And we definitely don’t want that to happen to us. So let’s get behind our leaders, most of whom are also fathers, and raise a groundswell of dissatisfaction. Let’s tell them in no uncertain terms, that we’re not happy with the current state of affairs, and if they don’t do better, soon they’ll be looking for a job, just like many of us.
Now let’s enjoy our Father’s Day in peace, LOVE and harmony. Much LOVE!
….our children are our future…so father’s, let’s teach them right nuh… it’s our bounden duty…
07 Jun 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a just and righteous God, absolutely essential, austerity, bad government, belt-tightening attitude, breeding ground, captures the heart, captures the mind, consider your path, deceit, deceitful mouth, diligence, don't turn to the right or to the left, fellowship, Freedom Day, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, God faithfully promised, God's righteous kingdom, guiding light, heart, hold on to our faith, human-rights, jobless, jobs, lies, look straight ahead, lucky minority, mind, mire of greed, negative atmosphere, peace, perverse lips, productive society, refeshed in soul, remuneration, rest and relaxation, rightful entitlement, rush hour traffic, short attention spans, spirituality, successful society, sufficient fun, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, thanks and praise, the benefits of work, the weekend, wisdom, work ethic, worldwide dilemma, worsening economy
Proverbs 4:26: Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday; Freedom Day! Hn, hn! Yes, the weekend is finally here, and there are joyous shouts all around the world of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Freedom Day here at last!’
And though it’s only a measly two days off from labouring, for the lucky ones that is, we tend to so eagerly look forward to it from the very first day of work on Monday.
Ah Lord eh! Just imagine going to work in the rush hour traffic on Monday and already wishing that it were the Friday rush hour traffic taking you home. Something’s definitely wrong with that picture Friends!
How can we ever be a truly positive and productive society when work is perceived as such an invasive and negative action, such a terrible burden? This generation has lost the work ethic our parents and grand parents had, and which is absolutely essential in building a successful society.
I don’t believe that our forefathers really LOVED work all that much, but they certainly understood the benefits it brought, and there are indeed a whole lot of them. Just be out of work for any length of time and you’ll see what they are.
But unfortunately, we’ve raised our children not to value work, or the ethic that it instils in us, even though we’ve had to work our butts off to give them what they belief is their rightful entitlement.
And in this ever worsening economy, where jobs, decent and/or otherwise are constantly disappearing and thus shrinking, along with the remuneration offered, that negative atmosphere certainly doesn’t help those who are genuinely interested in work.
Ah Friends, the questions and answers to our worldwide dilemma are many and complex, and will not be easily solved, especially with the current misguided belt-tightening attitude that is sweeping governments across the world.
I was taught that the role of government was to help the people in tough times. But obviously the reigning principles are preaching the opposite lesson, with the new watchword being ‘austerity.’
May the Lord have mercy on us yes, and catch us before we sink even further into the mire of greed and bad government!
However Friends, as believers, the most important thing for us to do is to hold on tightly to our faith in a just and righteous God, who has faithfully promised to look after us, come what may.
So before we go out to labour today, we the lucky minority, let’s give some thanks and praise for whatever we have, be it much or little, and chant our Friday Chant. That will allow us to have and keep a right perspective on the upcoming weekend.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my people, please let that mindset hold and guide us for today.
And now for our Bit, which blends nicely with what we were just talking about. But we also need the scripture before and after it to get the context, the true picture, the true essence of our Bit, where Cousin Sol is talking of wisdom being life and health.
‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward (deceitful) mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov.4:23-27)
Ah Friends, what words of awesome wisdom! Cousin Sol has been called the wisest man ever, for very good reason.
Now here’s some good info from the scholars. ‘Heart could often be translated “mind” in the book (Proverbs). Since the Hebrews had no separate word for “mind,” the word “heart” often served to represent the seat of intellect. The key to the whole man is his mind. Whatever captures the mind, captures the man.’
And isn’t that the everlasting truth, my brethren! Whatever our mind conjures up, is what we tend to dwell on. That means we have to be ever so careful about the things we think on.
Consequently, deceit and lies must be eradicated from our minds. We have to look straight ahead, focus on what’s before us, always seeking God’s righteous kingdom, and not turning away either to the left or the right. It’s of the utmost importance that we truly consider the path we tread in this earthly life, not letting our feet lead us to where evil lies.
And this is not mere talk, my fellow believers, it’s stuff that should be completely rooted in our hearts and minds, for without that guiding light, our lives will continually veer from right to left and back again, bringing us no sense of peace or righteousness.
Now there’s more scripture to be addressed on this topic, but if I do so today, it will make the Bit too long, and I always have to keep in mind our busy schedules and short attention spans. (smile) So we’ll let that suffice for today. We have enough stuff to ponder anyway, and the Lord willing, we’ll continue on this subject tomorrow.
Till then my fellow believers, please let’s thoroughly consider the things we allow to engulf our minds, for therein lies the way to our hearts, and the direction we take in this earthly life.
And may the Lord bless and keep us, make His face to shine upon us, and give us His wonderful peace, until we meet again, be it here on earth, or in heaven above. Much LOVE!
…the mind is the breeding ground…for either good or evil…so the one we breed…depends entirely on us…
04 Jun 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: can't find jobs, captains of industry, communion with Jesus, corrupt politicians, don't be afraid, double minded, eternal life, excellent qualifications, excuse, faith, global village, globalization, God's faithful, gospel truth, greed, grow in faith, hold fast, human-rights, hunger and thirst for righteousness, hungry hope, in God's good time, inept leaders, inhumane practices, keep life and limbs together, lackeys, lay offs, LOVE, maximize profits, peace, peace of mind, prosperous society, ruse, salvation, shortsightedness, sufferation, thankful for jobs, the confession of our faith, the wicked will eventually pay, union with Jesus, unity, waivering faith
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Oh Friends, it’s already Tuesday! Wow! That means Friday and Freedom soon come! (smile) Yeh mih people, I know that many of us are labouring under less than ideal conditions, in less than ideal jobs. But as we sang in our Battle Hymn yesterday, we’re still thankful for them because they at least keep life and limbs together.
Unfortunately though, there are so many many today, in this supposedly prosperous society, who don’t have jobs, in fact can’t find one, even though they have excellent qualifications, and sadly, many more are being laid off every day.
Ah Lord eh! What a mess of things these foolish, misguided, inept, corrupt politicians whom we call leaders, have made of this world!
That’s because they aren’t true leaders, but just the lackeys of the greedy, short-sighted, inhumane captains of industry, who are only concerned about the almighty bottom line and the abnormal profits they can make. They don’t give a damn about those they condemn to ‘sufferation’ through their inhumane practices!
And all this talk about globalization and a global village is just that, a ruse, an excuse for them to move their money, means of production and power anywhere around the world so that they can maximize their profits on the backs of the struggling poor of the new country, without an iota of concern for those unfortunates they’ve left high and dry behind in their last location.
But Friends, as the Good Book says so many times over, the wicked, the greedy and the proud will eventually pay for their evil deeds. Yes, my brethren, all will be made right in God’s good time. There’s absolutely no doubt about that, because we know that our God has promised it, and He’s eternally faithful, as the end of our Bit declares.
Therefore ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’
Yes my people, since our great God promised us eventual peace, LOVE, salvation and eternal life, and since He never reneges on a promise, then it is absolutely essential, totally necessary for us to keep hold of the hope and expectation that’s to be found in our faith.
And I like how somebody termed it, a hungry hope. Yes my brethren, we must exhibit a hunger and thirst for righteousness as our faith demands. For without a palpable hunger gnawing at our souls, our faith is very liable to waiver, and then we’ll become insecure, double minded and very wobbly, with no peace of mind about the issues of our faith.
And that is definitely not a welcome trait in a believer, for as James so wisely points out: ‘A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:8) And that’s a proven fact Friends!
In any case, even if we have nothing else, a believer ought to have peace of mind, because that’s one of the reasons Christ sacrificed His sinless life for us on that ghastly cross.
Listen to His assuring words on the subject. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
So my fellow believers, having received that unsurpassable peace of Jesus, let’s look at some scripture that then assures us of God’s faithfulness, starting in 1 Corinthians.
Right from the very beginning, in his introduction and greeting, Bruh Paul confidently assures them that, ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor.1:9)
Now hear this useful explanation from the scholars. ‘Unto the fellowship of his Son: The term ‘fellowship’ includes both union and communion. The Corinthian believers have been brought into union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly, this great truth implies that they had been brought into communion with one another. Here in a nutshell is the theme of this epistle.’
And so have we also my brethren, been brought into union and communion with Christ and each other. Unfortunately though we don’t seem to regard those two things as highly as we should, otherwise our lives would not be as lacking as they are in true LOVE and unity, both with Christ and with each other.
But that’s a topic for another day. And anyway, if there’s real truth in our hearts, we all know that we’re not being as Christ-like and righteous as we ought to and can be.
Now let’s end with this scripture from 1 Thessalonians, where Bruh Paul exhorts them to stand strong in the faith, and do what is right, because ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess.5:24)
And that’s the gospel, gospel truth my Friends!
Once the Lord calls us to Him, or to do anything for Him, He will faithfully see us through it. Please have no doubts about that, cause I can testify to it from personal experience.
However, it is still very necessary that each and every believer should experience that faithfulness for themselves, because it’s only as each of us personally experiences God’s goodness, mercy, LOVE and faithfulness that we’ll individually grow in faith.
So please hang in there, even if times are rough, and do whatever God calls you to do. You’ll see that He won’t ever let you down, and your faith will grow as a consequence of it all. Much LOVE!
…if God had not planned on being faithful to us…He’d never have sent Jesus to die for us…
18 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a furious man, abundant wisdom, an angry man, anger, bickering, bitter pills, bitterness, busyness, charcoal, coal-pot, coals, contented, contention, forgiveness, God's handiwork, happy, human-rights, impatience, LOVE, mercy, mistrust, molten lava, nature, negative emotions, obedience, peace, petty actions, prince of darkness, resentment, rumours of wars, satisfied, selflessness, spirit of LOVE, spirituality, stirs up strife, strife, transgressions, troubles, wars, worthwhile attributes
Proverbs 29:22. An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.
‘Saturday, O glorious Saturday! What shall we do this Saturday eh? Take a walk in the park, or a drive out into the country and admire God’s handiwork in nature? Visit the open air markets and country fairs? Or just sit at home and do nothing, relax, take a break from the madding crowd that’s out and about this weekend?’ Oh Friends, there are any number of things we can do today, but there’s just one proviso to whatever it is we intend to do; make sure it includes Jehovah God, for without His active involvement, our actions have the sure potential to turn into disasters. And here’s an interesting quote from an anonymous source. ‘When you dig another out of trouble, you find a place to bury your own.’ And that’s oh so true, my people! I’ve experienced it, and so have many of you. When you help someone with their troubles, yours just seem to naturally fade into the background, at least for the time that you’re helping the other person. Then you’re more concerned with the unfortunate plight of your fellow man, than with your own. But this act of helping must be done out of selflessness, and not merely because it’s the right thing to do, or it will make us look good. That’s because helping others is an integral part of our faith and our general mission in life as followers of Jesus. We have to do it from a spirit of LOVE and obedience. Remember the Good Book tells us that Jesus spent His days going about doing good and healing people, (Acts 10:38) and so too should we. But unfortunately that’s not always possible on account of the negative attitudes some of us hold, as our Bit so wisely points out. ‘An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.’ That’s the gospel truth Friends, as many, or most of us can attest to, since we’ve been there and done that. Oh my fellow believers, anger is a dreadful poison. It’s possibly the most potent weapon in Lucifer’s arsenal, since so much negativity flows from it. Just look at all the turmoil and strife in the world right now; the many wars and rumours of wars, the mistrust and contention, most of it can be traced right back to anger. And too often that anger has been passed down through the ages, constantly simmering and flowing out like molten lava from a volcano. It’s so prevalent that in many cases the ones involved in the strife today couldn’t tell you why there’s such antagonism between their neighbours and themselves, just that it has always existed. And the sad part is that oftimes it began over some petty action or remark, but the human spirit is so aggressive and warlike in its natural state that the strife has been handed down through numerous generations. Friends, I’m putting it to us today that that’s no way to live! Unfortunately though, our world is currently programmed to produce anger: what with the sorry downturn in all areas of our once so prosperous lives, the busyness and inherent impatience born of that same busyness, as well as the egotistical pride and selfishness that’s running rampant. It’s a veritable breeding ground for instability, lack of self-disciple and control. And an angry man is certainly an unstable man. When we’re angry is the worse time to make important decisions, for then our out-of-sync emotions are in control instead of our reason, and we’re liable to do all kinds of crazy, negative things. That means, as the second half of our Bit points out, we’re liable to engage in much wrongdoing, since then it’s the prince of darkness who’s controlling our sprits and not God or wise reason. Cousin Sol wrote an interesting analogy earlier on in Proverbs 26. ‘As coals (charcoal) are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.’ (Prov.26:21) And there’s a whole lot of truth to that statement Friends! Most of the young people nowadays won’t even know what coals or charcoal are. I don’t even know for sure how the coals was made, since I was a town boy (smile) and we just bought the ready made coals to fire up the coal-pot. I just know that it was made from burning wood in some form and fashion. And a lot of people would contend that food cooked on a coal-pot or wood fire, tastes sweeter than that cooked on a stove, that’s why so many people are enamoured of their barbecues. But as far as I know the new fangled coals used in barbecues is somewhat different to what we grew up with in the West Indies. But just as coals and wood are very combustible, likewise a bickering, contentious, unreasonable person has a great tendency to cause or kindle strife. And what does strife do? Just cause negative things like bitterness, resentment, hatred, anxiety and fear to creep into our souls and set up shop. And once we have those negative emotions festering in us, we can never be satisfied, contented or happy, and will therefore be unable to lead a productive life based on the teachings and principles of Jesus. And Friends, that’s definitely no way to live this earthly life! It’s rough enough without us making it rougher. That’s why it’s so important to stay away from strife, anger and all the bitter pills they produce, as well as the people who like to induce them. Listen to this guideline Cousin Sol gives on the subject. ‘A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife (contention).’ (Prov.15:18) But my people the only sure way to avoid and/ or control that negativity caused by those emotions of darkness is to immerse ourselves in the body of Jesus; accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, read His Word, learn His statutes, and try to live our lives using His earthly sojourn as our example. When we do that, then the myriad of negative emotions won’t have any place in our lives. Instead, worthwhile attributes like peace, LOVE, mercy and forgiveness will reign supreme in our souls. So please, let’s seriously consider today, what part anger and its negative counterparts play in our lives, and penitently ask the Lord to help us get rid of them, so we can walk in the brilliant light of His Son Jesus Christ. Therein lies abundant wisdom! Much LOVE!… the best way to avoid the dangers of anger…truly LOVE our God… sincerely LIVE our Faith…and diligently SPREAD His Word…
12 May 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abuse, childbirth, commercial undertaking, emotional celebration, festive occasion, happy, heartache, honour thy father and mother, human-rights, joy and gladness, joyous, long life, mother, Mother's Day, negative recognition, neglect, nurturing, pain and sorrow, patriarchal societies, rough economic times, scorn, spirituality, strongest sex, Ten Commandments, ultimate in wisdom, unconditional LOVE
Exodus 20:12. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Oh Friends, on this comparatively chilly Sunday morning in May, where we’ve gone from highs of twenty odd last week, to highs of around ten this weekend, with rain in the forecast, a lot of Mother’s Day celebrations will have to be brought inside. But nonetheless, we wish each and every mother a joyous and happy Mother’s Day! It’s unfortunate that we only set aside one day every year to celebrate Motherhood, when in fact it should be celebrated every day, in view of their very valuable contribution to society. Do you realize that once a woman becomes a mother, she never has a real day off, because she’s always concerned about something in her family, be they old or young. And sadly too, like so many other festive occasions, Mother’s Day has become more of a commercial undertaking than a true emotional celebration. But regardless of all the negative aspects that have crept into the day, all mothers should be celebrated, whether they are good, bad or indifferent. And that’s the outspoken and provocative dictate of Almighty God, our Creator and Controller! Our Bit states it in no uncertain terms. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ Yuh see my brethren, honouring one’s parents was so important to our great and wise God that He made it one of the rules, one of the Ten Commandments He gave to the Israelites when He made them His chosen people. So giving mothers honour and respect should not depend on their individual qualities, but on the blanket command of our God. And really Friends, which member of all societies is truly the most important eh? Without a doubt it’s Mothers! For they carry us in their womb for nine months, imagine the discomfort nuh, all the time still working and keeping the home. Then consider the pain and agony of childbirth. No pain in this world can be as excruciating as that. That’s what mothers say, and I won’t doubt them. I’m just glad I don’t have to experience it. (smile) But yuh know what? After all that pain and anguish, when they think that their nether regions will be torn apart, they embrace the young one with such LOVE and joy, it’s unbelievable. And then, the many years they spend guiding the young, nurturing them physically, mentally and emotionally, having to put up with a lot of negative behaviour from the same ones they’re trying to raise and help. That reminds me of our behaviour with our LOVING God. And nowadays, in these rough economic times, many mothers are forced to go out to work, while still bearing the responsibility of looking after her husband, children and home. And yuh tell me they’re not worth much more LOVE and affection than we show! One day a year can never recompense them for all the LOVE, pain, heartache, neglect and abuse they suffer from the very ones they LOVE and care about. No wonder the Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites once again in Leviticus: ‘Ye shall fear (revere) every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.’ (Lev.19:3) Yes Friends, our parents are God’s representatives here on earth, so just as we revere the Lord, we ought to hold our parents in great reverence. And I know that there are many unworthy parents out their in our evil and troubled world, but the quality of parenting doesn’t really matter in the larger scheme of things, for they are all human and thus fallen and liable to make mistakes. The Lord however says to respect them, simply because they are your parents. And if you’re a believer, then you ought to do just that, whether or not their parental efforts deserve it. And it’s also very unfortunate that mothers bear the brunt of scorn and negative recognition in most societies, almost all of which are patriarchal, with the father figure holding enormous sway. But wise fathers know the real power behind their thrones, the mothers! For without them, family life would suffer even more than it’s doing now, because they are the cornerstones of the family, the ones who hold it together despite all the negative factors. There’s no doubt also that women are the stronger of the sexes, for men, with all their machismo and strong, well sculpted bodies could never do all the jobs that mothers do without whining and complaining every step of the way. I appreciate mothers, but sure am glad that I’m not one. (smile) And Molls baby, I haven’t forgotten you sugar. This is the second Mother’s Day that I’m without you, but you know you’re always right here in the centre of my heart, you and God. How could I ever forget you eh, after all that you’ve done for me? NEVER! NO WAY! I miss the good times we use to have, and the way I could come to you with any problem and you wouldn’t put me down, even though I was wrong. Above all, you showed me real unconditional LOVE in action. I know you never took an easy step in your life, and sometimes I didn’t understand what was happening, but you never complained, just did what you had to do. And your LOVE for the Lord enabled you to make it through those many rough spots in your life. You showed me the way a true mother ought to behave, though I didn’t always agree with you. And for that I will be forever thankful. I know that one day we’ll meet again, when there’ll be no tears, no pain, no sorrow, just joy and gladness in worshipping the Lord. Till then, I’ll do my best to be worthy of your LOVE and upbringing. Now Friends, let’s end this Mother’s Day Bit with appropriate advice from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.’ (Eph.6:1-3) That’s the ultimate in wisdom my people! So let’s honour our parents, especially our mothers today. The Lord will look upon us with favour for doing that. Much LOVE!…a mother is the closest thing to God on earth…conceiving, bearing, birthing, nurturing, guiding, providing, caring, LOVING…etc, etc…
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