05 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all authority is given unto me, all tongues confess, Christ is Lord indeed, defeated hell death and the grave, early spring, faith, friendship with the world is enmity with God, God so loved the world, groundhogs didn't see their shadows, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he that believeth is not condemned, he that does truth comes to the light, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour, LOVE, man could be reconciled to God, mass confusion in our world, men loved darkness rather than light, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, only believe, sacrifice His sinless life, salvation, spending eternity with Christ, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the God who heals, their deeds were evil, to whom all knees must bow, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
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.
Welcome to Monday friends… and sadly, we don’t have the beautiful sunshine like we had yesterday to open this new work week, but there’s a shadow of sunshine under the cloudiness. (smile) And just for your information, all the groundhog prognosticators, I believe it’s four of them, three in Canada and one in the U.S. came out of their lairs this past week to check on the status of our upcoming weather forecast. Now, the good news is that none of them saw their shadows, so the consensus is an early spring, and not another six weeks of winter, if they had seen their shadows.
What beautiful weather forecasting. Can you imagine it? In these ultra scientific times, such simple-minded folklore is still such a big deal. But I guess it’s okay to get back to some of our old ways, remember the simpler times when nature played a much bigger part in our lives, before the world was overwhelmed with scientific knowledge and logic. But yuh know what friends, there is some natural, or rather supernatural knowledge that the scientific community cannot disprove with their supercomputers and whatever instruments they use to measure their data.
That is that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour! That He came into the world from heaven above to sacrifice His sinless life, taking the sins of sinful man on His worthy shoulders, so that sinful man could be reconciled back to God, be saved through God’s grace and have the option of spending eternity with Him! Now let me see the scientists disprove that nuh! And the smart ones know that it is quite okay and wise to be a scientist and a Christian, for one does not negate the other.
Yes, it’s been proven that a man named Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem in Judea some two thousand years ago, was crucified on a Roman cross to save us from Satan and his evil lies and wiles. And He proclaimed to all and sundry, these marvellous words of encouragement and life. ‘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.’ (John 3:16) Now that’s possibly the most important words ever spoken on this planet earth! Words for all mankind to live by!
But foolishly, a majority of us are not living by them, but by the deceits, the treacherous plans that Satan has rolled out in this evil world. Remember what James, Jesus’ brother said in his epistle. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4) That says it all friends: you cannot be a friend of God and a friend of Satan. Or as Jesus so wisely said: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (material wealth.)’ (Matt. 6:24)
And we all know that we cannot sincerely and loyally serve two masters at the same time, so I don’t know why so many of us are trying to serve God and Satan too, trying to straddle the fence, having one foot in hell and one in heaven, hoping to enjoy the benefits of both camps at the same time. But that’s not going to work my fellow believers. You are either wholly in one camp or the other. This jumping back and forth is useless and will only get you more confused and in more trouble than you’re in already.
The wise money is on Jesus all the way! For He will win…in fact He’s already won, by rising from the dead and thus defeating hell, death and the grave, (1 Cor. 15:55) and all authority has been given to Him both in heaven and earth, which makes Him the Number One power in the universe, (Matt. 28:18) to whom all knees must bow, and all tongues confess that He is Christ the Lord indeed. (Phil. 2:9-11) So why be foolish and put your money on a dead horse like Satan eh?
Now listen to Jesus make His case, then tell me if Satan can do better. ‘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) And we’ve already seen how that will be accomplished, through belief. But let’s clarify it, just in case you did not get it the first time. (smile) Jesus warns: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18)
It’s simple friends; you just have to believe in Jesus, that He’s the Son of God and that He died to save you from your sins. What’s so hard about that eh? Nothing, unless you fall into the category Jesus further talks about. ‘And this is the condemnation, that light (the light – Jesus) has come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:19-20)
There it is friends, sweet and simple, not rocket science. If your deeds are evil, then you’ll certainly shy away from Jesus, because you don’t want your evil deeds exposed to the light. However, if they are wrapped in truth, goodness and LOVE, then you will gladly come to the cross of Christ and receive redemption! And since in some form and fashion, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and our world is in such a woeful state, let’s go to His throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, confidently, but humbly asking for divine help to handle our many problems.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
The next move friends is to turn from our evil ways…if we expect to receive divine help. Much LOVE!
…ONLY BELIEVE…that’s all Christ is asking…ONLY BELIEVE…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hypocritical world, and with what measure ye mete, As God for christ's sake forgave you, be ye kind one to another, blame others, evasive tactic, faith, forgiving one another, hiding from God, holy spirit, humble servants, I did eat, I was afraid, I was naked, irresponsibility, it shall be measured to you, its easier to cast blame than to accept it, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, judge not, LOVE, mercy, mincing words, minister grace unto the hearers, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not complaining, our nemesis, praise Your Holy Name, promote our interests, salvation, sincerely seek your face, social media, the antidote to all hypocrisy, the beam in thine own eye, the blame game, the God who heals, the mote in thy brother's eye, the serpent beguiled me, the throne of grace, thou hypocrite, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance
Genesis 3:13b. And the woman said, The serpent beguiled (deceived) me, and I did eat.
Aye mih people, our nemesis, Monday is on tap! Yes, the day we all LOVE to hate has come around again, as it does after every Sunday! (smile) And if we can’t beat it, then we need to join it, use it to promote our interests, which means not complaining about it, but being ready for it when it shows up and putting our best foot forward. And we very well know that if Sunday happens, then Monday also will happen. So it’s time to stop giving Monday the bad rap it has accumulated down through the ages, simply because we are not properly prepared for it.
We know the weekend will end, and that work will commence on Monday, but we’re always trying to push the envelope on the weekend, burn the candle at both ends, then when Monday shows up and work calls, we’re tired and miserable from too much partying and/or not enough rest, and unfairly lay the blame at Monday’s feet. But what else is new eh? That’s one of the things we do best in our modern society; that’s blame others for our problems, even when they are caused by our own irresponsibility.
Yes, taking responsibility for our actions is not a strongpoint of today’s world. It’s so much easier to blame others than ourselves. And I guess one of the earliest examples of the blame game happened right at the beginning, when in the Garden of Eden, the devil tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. Then, when the Lord came looking for Adam and Eve, they hid from Him. And when the Lord asked why they were hiding, Adam said: ‘I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and hid myself.
And he (the Lord) said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man (Adam) said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord said unto the woman (Eve), What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled (deceived) me, and I did eat.’ (Gen. 3:10-13) So, I guess we can blame our very first forefathers for starting the blame game. (smile)
Now, the scholars have some rather interesting comments on those verses. As per verse 10, they say: ‘Adam heard the ‘sound’ of the Lord God and was afraid (as most men are afraid of God today), and began the age long process of “hiding himself” from his Maker. And re verse 12, they write: ‘Adam blamed the woman and God, since God was the one who brought her to Adam in Gen 2:22.’ Then, per verse 13, they agree: ‘Eve was beguiled as 1 Timothy 2:24 confirms (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3). But she did not take responsibility for eating either. Blame shifting is another evasive tactic employed by fallen man.’
That we all know is gospel truth! And just to stir up the pot some, (smile) I’ll quote the verse from 2 Timothy. Bruh Paul writes: ‘And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.’ (2 Tim. 2:14) Now, I’m not going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole. (smile) Instead, we’ll turn to some wise words of Jesus on the subject of judging and being judged, which come from the Sermon on the Mount. He taught them: ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged (condemned). For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again (the same measurement will be used against you).
And why beholdest thou the mote (speck) that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam (plank) that is in thine own eye? Or how will thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote (speck) out of thine eye, and behold a beam (plank) is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam (plank) out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote (speck) out of thy brother’s eye.’ (Matt. 7:1-5) Jesus wasn’t mincing words there at all!
But nonetheless, we do that all the time in this society! It’s a very hypocritical world we live in Dr. Jack! We know everybody else’s mistakes and foibles, but refuse to look at our own, which are ofttimes greater or more damning than those of the people we criticize. And with the dubious help of social media, everybody nowadays is a critic, and can spread our unfair, unjust criticism worldwide without much fear of retribution. But sadly, that’s the kind of world we live in nowadays!
Now, we have time and space for one more exhorting and admonishing set of scriptures, and that from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he emphasizes: ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:29-32)
Yes friends, that’s the basic antidote to all the hypocrisy, complaining, deception and irresponsibility that’s currently engulfing our world. And being agents and ambassadors of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that’s how we are supposed to live! So please let’s get our act together and start doing it nuh. In the meanwhile, we need to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help for our many problems. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we truly desire to see divine help, then we’d better humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face! Much LOVE!
…it’s so much easier to cast blame…than to accept it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
08 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, a full work week, deceitfulness, faith, fiery trial, finished my course, fought a good fight, get us to lose heart, holy spirit, humble servants, if any man suffer as a Christian, in heaviness, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, let him glorify God on this matter, let him not be ashamed, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more precious than gold, pray, refining faith through trials, rejoice with joy unspeakable, reproached for the name of Christ, salvation, sincerey seek your face, some strange thing happened to you., suffer without complaints, temptation, the God who heals, the spirit of glory rests on you, the trial of your faith, them that love his appearing, to be discouraged, to faint, tried with fire, truth, wiles, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Peter 4:16. Yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (matter).
And the first full work week in a while has dawned damp and cloudy, and undoubtedly some of us will find it difficult to handle the full five days. But we must rise up to the challenge if this year is to be a very important one in the annals of the Christian faith. The one where we make a significant impact on the negative, sinful, ungodly and evil doings of our world, as encouraged by the enemy. And believe me Satan won’t take out offensive decisions and actions lying down. No! He will increase his efforts of temptation and deceitfulness to get us to lose heart, to faint and be discouraged.
But friends, we can only gain the victory if we stand strong and steadfast in the promises and LOVING-KINDNESS of Christ, and not fall prey to the tempter’s wiles and lies! And he is very good at what he does, so please don’t think we can ever defeat him on our own. We most definitely need the help of the Holy Spirit to do it successfully. We need to be as Peter describes in his first epistle.
‘Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:6-9)
Yes friends, while we are alive in this world our faith will be tried, first by the devil through manifold or diversified temptations, and also by God, to see if our faith can stand the test of those temptations better than gold can stand the test of fire. As the scholars explain: ‘The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’
Oh my people, if our faith is strong and true, then it will not be destroyed by God’s testing nor the devil’s provocation! And Peter solidifies that later in the chapter, when he talks about being partakers in Christ’s suffering. ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief or as an evildoer, or as a busybody (meddler) in other men’s matters. Yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (matter).’ (1 Pet. 4:12-16)
No doubt about it mih bredrin, the Christian life can be a difficult one to live, but if we stand up strong for Jesus and suffer whatever it is that comes against us in His name, with a true sense of purpose, then we will be well rewarded in the end. We need to be able to say like Bruh Paul did to Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (run my race), I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
So my fellow saints, that’s some of what we are up against if we truly desire to live for Christ and make a significant difference in this year of 2024! There’ll be temptations from Satan, tests from God, unjust accusations and trials, simply because we profess Christ’s name. However, in all these things we are expected to stand strong through Christ who strengthens us through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Now, there are times when we will falter and or fail, and God knows and expects that, but we must always get up and try again, for in Christ’s vocabulary the words ‘give up’ don’t exist. No friends, giving up is NEVER an option.
And if overall, we run a good earthly race and fight a good fight, then we will be handsomely rewarded come the judgement day with a crown of righteousness by the righteous judge, the Lord God Jehovah Himself! Now what can be better than that to look forward to eh? NOTHING my brethren, absolutely NOTHING! Now, with all of that possibly sitting on some of us like a heavy load, let’s take our problems to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, so that we can find help in time of need.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as our prayer so wisely advises, if we expect to receive divine help, then a good place to begin is turning from our evil ways, with sincere repentance in our hearts. Much LOVE!
…Jesus suffered much for us…without complaints…and we are also expected to suffer some for Him…without complaints…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beggarly society, a famine of the heart, a lack of God's word, denying the power thereof, economic deprivation, faith, from such turn away, gospel revivals, having a form of godliness, humble servants, hunger, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy, keep God first place, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, lovers of their own selves, materialism, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, New Year's Eve, no godly wisdom in leadership, no open vision, peace, perilous times, poverty, sincerely seek God's face, strife, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the prince of darkness, the word of the Lord was precious (rare), truth, violence, where there is no vision the people perish, wisdom
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Proverbs 29:18. Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Oh my Script-Bit friends and families, I do wish all of us a happy and prosperous 2024, with all of God’s grace and mercy enlivening our spirits, causing us to draw closer to Him and do better work on His behalf! That’s because our New Year’s resolution is to become more intimate with Him. (smile) And now that we’ve had some snow, but still no sunshine, and the big New Year’s bash is over for another 365 days – no 366, as this year is a leap year, what’s the result eh? Tiredness and/or inebriation from too much drink and too much partying, but everybody will agree on how they had such a great time. (smile)
All to what purpose, for nothing has changed since last night, and most likely nothing will change for better, but more likely for worse soon. Today there are still wars and rumours of wars, violence, strife, hatred, anger and all the evil and negative things promoted by the prince of this dark world. Hunger and poverty, economic deprivation and homelessness, as well as health care and education are still major problems in our world. But no one ever considers spending the money we spend on things like New Year’s Eve on those immediate and moral necessities.
No, there’s never any money to do those things, that’s why our modern-day society, which is rolling in material wealth, is in such misery and has become more beggarly than ever. Charitable associations abound, with everybody begging for a handout, supposedly to help others right in the rich, supposed first world countries. Why do we need so many charitable institutions eh? And where does all the money they collect go to eh? What gets me annoyed is that even the ones you give to, keep asking for more, and some you don’t even know about write for donations. These days when I go to the mailbox, if there are ten pieces of mail, at least eight are from Charitable Organizations asking for donations.
Meanwhile, in all this flurry of materialism and greed, the things of God; LOVE, peace, joy, wisdom and understanding, compassion and humanity are being relegated to the back burners of our society. In fact, in the last few days, several players in the war games have ramped up their positions, getting ready for possible engagement before long. What is it with the human soul, mind, body and spirit that we are so enamoured with war and violence eh, with gross inhumanity to our brothers, both literally and figuratively?
You certainly don’t hear of any countries ramping up for gospel revivals, or LOVE Revolutions, or any of those things that have to do with Almighty God. No, that would not be tolerated, but warmongering will always be welcome! Ah Lord eh! I believe that our sad situation has to do with two basic scriptures. The first being the wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18) Yes friends, where there is no prophetic vision, no redemptive revelation of God, the people perish because they cast off restraint and do as they want. But he who keeps God’s moral law, as well as the law of man will be blessed.
It’s as simple as that my brethren. If there’s no godly wisdom and leadership in a society, it will obviously crumble in short time. And we have a very good example of that back in the days of the judges of Israel, when the Good Book tells us: ‘In those days there was no king In Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ (Judg. 21:25) And that was definitely a chaotic time in Israel. These words from the first book of Samuel also illustrate the malady that happens when God is not present in a society. ‘And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those days; there was no open vision.’ (1 Sam. 3:1)
The scholars then explain: ‘The severity of Israel’s apostasy (turning away from God), as we see in the quote from Judges above, caused a dearth of God’s revelatory work. The condition was perpetuating and self-defeating as Cousin Sol says in the Proverbs quote. By God’s grace the prophetic institution would receive renewed impetus and standardization in the person and work of Samuel (cf. 3:21; 10 20) That’s where the Lord spoke to Samuel.
And the prophet Amos said the very same things. ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and from to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.’ (Amos 8:11-12) Oh my people, back then Israel suffered from a famine of the heart, a lack of God’s words to guide them, just like we are suffering from the same malady today!
It’s the same way that Bruh Paul warned Timothy. ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Ah my fellow saints, unless you are living on a different planet, you will undoubtedly see the wisdom of Bruh Paul’s words, for those negative things are rather prevalent in our world today. And there’s only ONE way to combat them; that’s sincerely seeking the wisdom the revelation of God’s Word, and putting it into practice. And to help us do that we need to go to God for His divine help, since we can’t do it on our own. And there’s no better time than on this New Year’s Day, the first day of 2024, to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking God’s face and His help.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And the moral of the story is that if we turn from our evil ways, the Lord will prosper us. So let’s enjoy the day, but remember to keep God first place in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls! Much LOVE!
…the Lord will prosper us…in direct proportion to our obedience…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disgrace to ther families, barren women, extraordinary people, faith, fear came upon all that dwelt round about them, he shall be called John, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, repentance in our hearts, salvation, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, the beginning of christmas week, the birth of John the Baptist, the God who heals, the hand of the Lord was with him, the Lord had showed great mercy upon her, the reason for the season- Jesus Christ, the throne of grace, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom
Luke 1:60. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
So friends, it’s Monday, which means we have to go to work…so what eh? And although it’s also wet and cloudy like yesterday, this is also the beginning of Christmas week, the celebration of Jesus’ awesome birth, which makes almost everything right with our world! (smile) Look at it this way nuh…next Monday we won’t be going to work but will be celebrating Christmas Day with friends and family. Now doesn’t that marvellous occasion make up for having to go to work today? It certainly does! And we all know anyway, that during Christmas week much work isn’t done in the many offices all around the world.
No! What with all the office parties and exchanging of gifts and all the other hoopla, Christmas week is perhaps the best week to go to work. (smile) However, in all the excitement and festivities, let’s not forget who and what is the reason for it all; Jesus Christ, His birth and the consequent saving of our sinful souls. So please make time, every so often in our busy schedules to stop, for even a moment, and give Jesus thanks for all that He’s done, is doing and has promised to do for us. End of Sermon!
And today we’re going to take a look into the birth of John the Baptist. Remember the Lord had made his father Zacharias dumb because he had not believed the words of the angel Gabriel, that he and his hitherto barren wife Elisabeth would have a male child named John in their old age. (Luke 1:5-25) So life rolls along with Zacharias not being able to speak. The Bible then continues the story thus: ‘Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins (relatives) heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.’ (Luke 1:57-58)
Isn’t it wonderful that Elisabeth’s relatives were happy that her barrenness was repealed through the Lord’s great mercy, and consequently rejoiced with her. In those days, it was a time of great joy when a hitherto barren woman became pregnant, because a married woman without children was looked upon as a disgrace to herself and her family. And along with the rejoicing there was also drama, because the Lord is a dramatist, and likes to create drama in even the simplest situations. (smile)
The Good Library says: ‘And it came to pass, that on the eight day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. and they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his (Zacharias’) mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.’ (Luke 1:59-64)
Yes mih bredrin, our God LOVES His dramatic moments! He could have loosened Zacharias’ tongue and made him say that the child’s name was John. But no, He made him remain dumb until after he had written down the name. Then, and only then, did God cause him to speak. And what was the response to the unusual situation? The Word says: ‘And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these saying (things) were noised abroad (discussed) throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them, laid them up (kept them) in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.’ (Luke 1:65-66)
Ah friends, when the Lord’s hand is on you in a strong manner, you will certainly be different, not be a normal, everyday, run of the mill person, as were all the prophets and people who manifested God’s Word down through the ages. Look at Noah; he bult an ark because God said so, and everybody laughed at him. But he proved them wrong when the flood came. Abraham left his home and family at the age of seventy-five to go wandering in the wilderness because God said so. Now he is the father of our faith. Bruh Joseph, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, Moses, Job, all had the strong hand of the Lord on them and they all lived extraordinary lives because they followed the Lord’s leading and guidance.
So why, when we ordinary folks today have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us, to lead and guide us in the Lord’s directions, are we so stubborn, hard hearted and foolish that we refuse to listen to His awesome and eternal wisdom eh? Who knows? But let’s hope and pray that in this Christmas Season, as the celebrations of Christ’s incarnate birth intensify, that many unbelievers will finally accept Him as their Lord and Saviour, and those of us who already know Him, will increase, or improve our faith in and LOVE for Him, so that we can become the extraordinary people He desires us to become.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to find the help we need to become more mature Christians. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So Lord, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And the irony of the situation is that the solution to our problem is found in our prayer…turn from our evil ways. Yes friends, that’s always the first step in receiving divine help. And if we’re wise, we’ll do just that! Much LOVE!
…extraordinary people…have the extraordinary hand of God on them…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
04 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glowing example of faithfulness, abundant in goodness and truth, all men have not faith, do Jesus' work, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, faithfulness, forgiving iniquity and transgression, Glory to God for his faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, he is faithful and just, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, He is faithful that promised, hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, humble ourselves, humble servants, if we confess our sins, in thy light we shall see light, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ the same yesterday today and for ever, keep you from evil, longsuffering, LOVE, make a living, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pray and sincerely seek your face, put our noses to the grindstone, steadfast love and faithfulness, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the Lord God merciful and gracious, the Lord is faithful, the Lord shall establish you, the undeserving children of men, thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds, truth, turning from our evil ways, unfavourable weather conditions, with thee is the fountain of life
2 Thessalonians 3:3. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).
Oh brother, what a cold, wet, windy, snowy, dreary weekend we’ve had! But thankfully, we won’t have to go out to work today under those same unfavourable conditions. (smile) The day has turned out to be dry with a touch of cloudy sunshine. (smile) Just having to get up and go out to work after a couple of restful, comfortable days is bad enough, but having to do it in such nasty conditions certainly doesn’t enamour us to it. Anyway, the important thing is we’ve got to make a living, as well as do Jesus’ work, so please, let’s get out there, enamoured or not, bad weather or not, and put our noses to the grindstone, knowing full well that Jesus will enable us to do anything He desires of us!
Glory to God for His faithfulness to the undeserving children of men! And there are so many scripture verses that talk about God’s faithfulness to mankind that we can go on for days on end and never completely finish them. (smile). But let’s check out a few anyway to remind us of His ever-faithful attribute. And the first scripture is a most appropriate one, where the Lord passes before Moses on Mt. Zion when He gave Him the two stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments.
The Good Library says: ‘And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him (Moses) there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (steadfast LOVE and faithfulness). Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.’ (Ex. 34:6-7)
Yes friends, that was the Lord blowing His own trumpet. But who knows better than Him, what He’s about eh? Nobody! Meanwhile Hebrews 10:23, encourages us: ‘’Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ And that’s the gospel truth as Hebrews 13:8 reminds us: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ Our Lord and Saviour does not change. If He was faithful yesterday, then He’s always going to be faithful!
Then Bruh David puts it this way in Psalm 36. ‘Thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains (the mountain of God); thy judgements are a great deep (ocean): O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fulness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see thy light.’ (Ps. 36:5-9)
Oh, what wonderful and true sentiments of our most excellent God! And if those verses don’t convince you that our God is ever-faithful, then try these from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, where he expatiates (elaborates) with full confidence. ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:21-23) Oh my people, truer words were ever spoken, for if it wasn’t for the Lord’s faithfulness and LOVING-kindness, we’d be consumed long ago!
And Bruh Paul said it thus in his second letter to the Thessalonians. ‘Finally brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course (run, rein), and be glorified, even as it is with you. And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil (the evil one). And we have confidence in the Lord touching (concerning) you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts unto the LOVE of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ (patience of Christ.)’ (2 Thess. 3:1-5)
And we’ll close with these words of John on the subject, from his first epistle. ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:8-10) There again friends, the Lord is faithful to do what He’s promised; that’s forgive us of our sins, if we sincerely confess and try to turn away from them!
Now, those verses we’ve quoted are only a few verses on the faithfulness of our God, and if they don’t convince you of the Lord’s faithfulness, then I don’t know what will. But believe me, there are many more scriptures on the subject that you can check out, and I’m sure before you’ve exhausted them all, you will believe, (smile) Now, let’s allow our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to take us to the throne of grace, as we seek divine help in these desperate times of need.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we truly expect to see divine help, then we need to get the ball rolling by turning from our evil ways. No divine help will come until that matter is sincerely addressed! Much LOVE!
…faithfulness…one of God’s great, unchanging attributes…and also a must for true believers…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong and steadfast burst of faith, abolished death, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, be not ashamed of the Lord's testimony, be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, brought life and immortality to light, confess before my Father in heaven, face adversity for Christ, faith, holy spirit, humble servants, I'll deny before my Father in heaven, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make full proof of thy ministry, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative response in our souls, please him who hath chosen him, salvation, saved by God's grace through faith in Christ, sincere repentance in our hearts, the distractions of the world, the God who heals, thou therefore endure hardness, truth, whosoever shall confess me before men, whosoever shall deny me, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Timothy 2:3. Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship) as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Ah friends, even on the fairest day, Monday is tough enough to execute, but when it’s also damp from yesterday evening’s rains, chilly and windy, as it is today, then it just triggers a bigger negative response in our souls. (smile) Oh, we know we are going to get through it all right with the help and guidance of Jesus and His Holy Spirit, but it just takes a li’l more out of us than normal, requires a strong and steadfast burst of faith, trust and surrender. I guess that’s when we have to do like Bruh Paul told Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship) as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Tim. 2:3)
Now that seems like a very simple scripture, but it is rather profound, and it is not always easy to do in this modern day society, with all the distractions and evil deeds that constantly bombard us from all different directions. However, like everything else Christ asks us to do, we can do it, because He always anoints us to do His will. But the doing then depends on us, if we are willing to stand up and face the adversity in His name. And again, it’s like Bruh Paul admonished and exhorted Timothy later on. ‘But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.’ (2 Tim. 4:5)
Yes friends, those words also pertain to us, because it’s not only pastors who have ministries, for every believer has a ministry; meaning whatever job the Lord has anointed us to carry out on His behalf, whatever plan He’s laid out for our life. So we don’t need to be the shepherd of a large congregation to talk about our ministry, for even if we’re only mentoring one new believer, or being the only believer in a group of unbelievers, then that’s our ministry, and we ought to carry it out with the zest and zeal like if we had a worldwide organization to look after.
For, as Bruh Paul continues to hammer home to poor Timothy. ‘No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.’ (2 Tim. 2:4) That means if Jesus has appointed us to be His soldier, disciple, agent or whatever, we cannot get entangled in the affairs of this world and all its evil and futile distractions, but we need to pay serious attention to Jesus’ work, concentrate on what He’s asked of us, because He’s the one that’s hired us to look after His affairs.
Suffering privation, or affliction is an essential aspect of any soldier’s job. Consequently, we must also heed these words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’ (2 Tim. 1:8-10)
Oh my fellow believers, one thing we should never be found guilty of is being ashamed of the testimony of Christ, that’s His gospel. It’s the story of His life and death and the good news of salvation, of eternal life and the reversal of sin that it brought about through the unmerited favour and grace of God, absolutely not of our doing. Remember too these very important words of Jesus. ‘Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is heaven.’ (Matt. 10:32-33)
And I know that scripture has some of us scratching our heads and wondering if we fall under it, because for whatever reason(s), we’ve denied Christ at some stage of our life. But I believe this excerpt from a commentary on the subject helps to clarify the matter. It says: ‘The full context of Scripture strongly suggests that a single, panic-driven denial of Jesus will not necessarily end a believer’s opportunity to spend eternity with the Father. Christians are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, not by perfect performance in acknowledging Him (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Peter will most famously deny Christ at a crucial moment because of his own fear of being arrested and killed (Matthew 26:69-74). After Jesus’ resurrection and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, though, Peter will spend the rest of his life powerfully acknowledging Jesus to others (Acts 2). Where this warning becomes more dire is in the lives of those who consistently, or easily, dissociate themselves from Christ for the sake of health, wealth, popularity, or freedom. Those who aren’t willing to be associated with Jesus on earth won’t be allowed to claim association with Him in eternity (Matthew 10:37; Mark 8:36).’
And I do hope that explanation settle the queries in some of our minds. (smile) And now, having spoken about some of the difficult but necessary stuff, needed to live sincerely for Jesus, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn asking for divine help to accomplish it. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And the easiest and best way to acquire divine help is by doing exactly what we say above there; turn from our evil ways. Yes friends, that’s the first step in any reconnection with Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…any soldier worth his salt…will stand up strong and steadfast in battle…so should Christians for Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
20 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a roof over my head, another day of work, become anathema, committed to the mission of Jesus, discipleship is a lifelong process, discipleship is not cheap or easy, entitled to an easy life, faith, fans instead of disciples, food on my table, fuel for our fire, holy spirit, humble servants, if any one will come after me, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, let him deny himself, live the abundant life, LOVE, major downfall of christians, mass confusion, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not content to watch from the sidelines, our passion for Jesus, sacrificing for Christ, sincere repentance in our hearts, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily and follow me, the God who heals, treasure in heaven, we have all sinned, without having to lift a finger
Luke 9:23. If any one will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Oh Chuh! Another Monday, another day of work!’ we complain. But let’s look at it from another perspective nuh. In the first place we should be thankful we do have a job to go to, for many of our fellow citizens don’t have one, and would gladly trade your situation for theirs. Then what about this perspective: I have a job and thus I am able to keep a roof over my head, and put food on my table. My family is not homeless or starving. We might be finding things a bit rough in this unstable and directionless economy, but we are amongst the blessed few.
And that ought to be fuel enough for our fire, for our passion for life and Jesus Christ, under whose safe umbrella we are sheltered and looked after in good style. But sadly, that’s one of the major downfalls of our Christian society; we think we should be entitled to an easy life, what with all the amenities in our technology driven world, and as soon as something doesn’t go the way we believe it should, we throw up our hands and complain from now till next never, and threaten to give up.
Oh, we Christians today are such wimps, it isn’t funny! As the body of Christ, His church, we’ve gotten both individually and collectively frail and feeble, forgetting the tough, but interesting and rewarding things we experienced with Christ at the helm of our earlier lives. But now, the words giving up something for Christ, sacrificing for His benefit, have become anathema to us. Yes, truly living for Christ has become repugnant and hateful to His believers, who only want to live the abundant life without having to lift a finger to enjoy it.
And I hope it will be of benefit to remind us here of what we signed up for when we became disciples of Christ. Jesus said it thus: ‘If any one will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now that is explicit as it can get. One commentator explains it thus: ‘Jesus called those who wish to be his disciples to discipline themselves in their everyday life by living in a way that is honoring to him and others.’ There is no hemming and hawing about it. You either are willing to sacrifice on behalf of Jesus and others or you are not, and it’s a lifelong process.
And that’s why believers are the laughingstock of our community. We talk a great talk, but our walk is far from credible. Now here are a few more commentaries on discipleship. This one says: ‘A disciple of Jesus is someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and is committed to the mission of Jesus.’ How many of us supposed believers can say we are truly committed to the mission of Jesus by the works that we do eh? Not a whole lot. For, ‘Being a disciple is more than just being a follower. In the time of Jesus, the relationship between a disciple and master (teacher) was deep commitment and loyalty by both the teacher and the disciple.’
Nowadays though, you certainly don’t see too many of us showing that deep commitment and loyalty to Jesus. What we are these days are more like fans of Jesus, rather than disciples, as this commentary explains. ‘In contrast to a disciple is what many call a fan. This is best illustrated by comparing the fan of a sports team with one of the players on the field. A fan sits on the sideline and cheers on their team. They may invest some time in learning about their team. And they may invest in purchasing some of the appropriate swag so that they can fly the team colors.
But the fan watches the performance from the stands or watches the game on TV. But they do not get directly involved. And if their team disappoints them, they may switch their allegiance to one they find more satisfying.’ Now that’s what so many of us do; watch from the sidelines and offer up glib, empty promises, and move from church to church seeking to satisfy our inner lusts. However, that’s not how true disciples operate.
‘Disciples are those who are not content to watch from the sidelines. Their commitment to the Savior means they are actively engaged in the kingdom even if it is inconvenient, or difficult, or even if they don’t fully understand what Jesus is asking of them. For example, when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God, even without perhaps knowing all that would be required of her, she nevertheless responded with faith and declared, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38)
Yes friends, those are the realities of the true disciple. Yuh see the different responses to Jesus calling Peter, Andrew, James and John, and that of the young rich man. Jesus said to the first four: ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.’ (Luke 4:19-20) They left lucrative business simply to follow a rabbi they didn’t know. But the pull must have been very strong for them to just walk away from everything they had spent their whole lives building. But that’s the kind of obedience and loyalty Jesus desires from His followers.
Meanwhile the rich, young ruler’s response to Jesus’ words was entirely different. When Jesus told him: ‘One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up thy cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved, for he had great possessions.’ (Mark. 10:21-22) Who knows if Jesus really expected the fellow to sell all his possessions and give away the proceeds to the poor, but He was surely testing the level of his devotion to God. And unfortunately, that’s how many of us react to God’s challenges; with a sad, grieved countenance.
But please friends, although none of us wants to go through the fiery furnace, let’s remember what we signed up for: just that, if the Lord deems it necessary. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for grace and mercy to live up to our promises. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now the seed we need to sow to get divine help is ingrained right there in our prayer…turn from our evil ways. Please, it’s high time we begun doing that! Much LOVE!
…being a disciple of Christ…is not cheap or easy…but the price is surely worthwhile…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: blowing away the heather, breathed the breath of life, faith, free choice, friendship with the world is enmity with God, giveth grace to the humble, he shall lift you up, heavenly light, holy spirit, humble servants, humble yourselves in the sight of God, I am the vine ye are the branches, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our everything, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nothing without Jesus, on the cross at Calvary, pray and sincerely seek your face, reconciled back to the Father, resist the devil and he will flee from you, sacrificed His sinless life, salty flavour, submit yourselves to God, the earth is the Lord's, the God who heals, the good shepherd, the grim reaper, the Lord giveth thee power to get wealth, the way the truth and the life, truth, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing
James 4:10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
And we’ve been blessed with a bright sunny Monday to begin our new work week, with double digit temperatures! Please give the Lord some thanks and praise for it, because it could have easily been rain and snow instead! (smile) Ah friends, I do hope that we’re out there blowing away the heathen with our superb salty flavour and blinding them with our heavenly light, so that they can know we’re not just ordinary people, but sincere followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so that our sin debt could be paid in full, and we could thus be reconciled back to our heavenly father. Glory be!
What a wonderful Lord and Saviour is our Jesus! He is the shepherd of our souls: He said it Himself: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep….I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:11, 14) And not only is Jesus our good shepherd, but He’s also the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but through him! (John 14:6) Wow! Jesus has the best way for us to live this earthly life! In other words, He’s our EVERYTHING! And we are NOTHING without Him!
Listen as He tells it loud and clear: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)
Mama Mia! What a powerful, all-encompassing statement! Without Jesus we can’t do much of anything. And that’s the gospel truth, for the universe and all there is belongs to Him, He created it, for His pleasure. Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2)
And likewise friends, the Lord created us in His own spiritual image to honour and glorify Him. He breathed the breath of life into each human being He created and can just as summarily take it away. And we had better learn to respect that li’l piece of info, for it’s why, when the Grim Reaper appears to take us home, we are helpless to say no.
Furthermore, since the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord, that means it’s also the Lord who allows us to get wealth and live the good and comfortable life. As Moses reminded the Hebrew children so long ago on their way to the Promised Land. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.’ (Deut. 8:18) In fact my faithful brethren it’s the Lord who gives us power to get or do anything whatsoever! And physical wealth and abundance is one of God’s great blessings for those who are obedient and follow His divine will.
And since God did not want us to be merely robots, He gave us what we call free choice; the ability to do as we please. However, that free choice does come with serious repercussions if we don’t do His will. He gave us the free choice expecting that we’d be wise enough to use it follow Him not the evil Satan, like so many of us are doing. And that’s why the sin and evil in this world are eating us up and spitting us out like wood chips from a wood factory. We cannot control the evildoers and their evil deeds by our own efforts. No, we need the health and strength and the complete wherewithal of Christ Jesus to do it.
And it’s not always easy to fight off the devil, but as James says it begins thus: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10) Now that right there says it all friends. We need to humble ourselves in God’s sight, not behave proud and arrogant and like we have no need for Him.
As James says earlier on: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants) to be a friend of the world, is (makes himself) the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy (yearns jealously)? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:4-6)
Oh my people, once upon a time we were complete enemies of God, but when the time was right He sent Jesus to die for us so that we could become His children once again. Now we have the choice, the option of being a child of God or one of Satan. It only makes complete sense to choose the best option, that of being a son of God, for the other option only leads to hellfire and damnation. But that calls for humbling ourselves before Him. So let’s do that right now nuh, approach the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for divine help.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we’ve truly learned our lesson, then we’ll turn from our evil ways and humble ourselves before Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…the Lord hates the haughty…they are an abomination unto Him… (Prov. 6:17)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a God of surprises, a man of knowledge increaseth strength, a wise man is strong, be not thou envious against evil men, blessed is the man, by knowledge, by understanding it is established, commit thy way unto the Lord, enormous favour, faith, fret not thyself because of evildoers, his delight is in the law of the Lord, hope of unending possibilities, humble servants, in his law doth he meditate, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped, neither desire to be with them, of unexpected affecction, possibilities filled with God's amazing grace, Rest in the Lord, sitteth in the seat of the scornful, soon be cut down like grass, standeth in the way of sinners, that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, the chambers be filled with precious and pleasant riches, the God who heals, their lips talk of mischief, then thou shalt have good success, then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, then understood I their end, through wisdom is a house built, to such as are of a clean heart, trust in the Lord and do good, turn from our evil ways, until I went into the sanctuary of God, wisdom, wither as the green herb
Proverbs 24:1. Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them.
And a big, bright welcome to Monday! Yes friends, that’s how we ought to greet the first day of our work week, with enthusiasm and great expectations. For, as believers in Christ Jesus, every new Monday that dawns, means we’re alive, we’ve lived through another weekend, and the upcoming week brings with it a stellar hope of unending possibilities, possibilities filled with God’s amazing grace, mercy and bountiful goodness! And we all know that if are walking obediently in God’s plan for our lives, anything is possible at any time, because that’s the kind of God we serve; a God of surprises, of unexpected affection and enormous favour.
And having said all of that, what shall we talk about today? Well the Good Library opened at an interesting place in Proverbs, where Cousin Sol talks about the wise man’s strength. So let’s investigate that passage and see what we can glean from it nuh. Cousin Sol opens that chapter by advising: ‘Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction (devises violence), and their lips talk of mischief (trouble). Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established. And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.’ (Prov. 24:1-4)
Now doesn’t all that sound very familiar? It should, because throughout the Bible we’re warned against evil doing and evil doers, and encouraged to take up wisdom and understanding instead. No wonder, in the very first psalm we’re poignantly warned: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder on) day and night. (Ps. 1:1-2)
And that was the very same message the Lord God gave to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh:1:8) Straight from the horse’s mouth my people, no hearsay or telltale gossip! That means it must be true.
It’s the same warning that the psalmist Asaph talked about in his own life. Thus he writes in Psalm 73: ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled); my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps. 73:1-3) And that’s exactly what’s happening to so many of us in these troubled times! Too many of us are being jealous of the prosperity of the wicked. That’s why Bruh David tells us in Psalm 37: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps. 37:1-2)
And luckily for the psalmist Asaph, he didn’t completely stumble spiritually, lose his faith and fall in his envy of the prosperous wicked. But as he says later on after experiencing the chastening of the righteous. ‘Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain (kept my heart pure in vain), and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I say I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against (would have been untrue to) the children of thy generation. When I thought to know (understand) this, it was too painful for me (too troublesome in my eyes). Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps. 73:13-17)
Yes my fellow believers, as the scholars explain: ‘Not until the psalmist entered God’s sanctuary and received a divine perspective on the wicked’s prosperity did he find his answer to the problem (vs. 17-28). He saw the destiny of the wicked (vs. 17-20); therefore he repented of his foolishness (vs. 21-22) and found his happiness solely in a warm and growing relationship with God (vs. 23-28) The point of the psalm is driven home even more dramatically when remembering that Asaph, the author, was a spiritual man who grew up with deeply religious training (1 Chr. 15:16-19; 16:4-7; 2 Chr. 5:12; 29:30).’
Oh my fellow saints, if Asaph, one of the highly spiritual and religious men who made music with Bruh David could be tempted to fall into the camp of the wicked through their prosperity, it’s obvious that the same thing could easily happen to many of us who are not so spiritually mature. That’s why we have to be ever so careful and do as the Lord told Joshua, meditate on His word day and night, because that’s the only way we will ever be truly prosperous and successful.
And Bruh David gave us some more practical tips in Psalm 37: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For the evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps; 37:3-9)
Yes my faithful brethren, you couldn’t find more practical advice on how to live this earthly life. That means we need to adopt those principles in our own everyday lives so we can reflect the wisdom that Cousin Sol talks about in Proverbs. ‘A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.’ (Prov. 24:5) And with those words, let’s go to the fountain of wisdom, Almighty God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help for the many problems that currently beset our world.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And we’ll do well if we take God’s advice and turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…don’t look at what the world offers…but at what God’s kingdom provides…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 