24 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, and he shall strengthen thine heart, be of good courage, bind up the testimony, Christians, crook, deliverance, descent into Hades, exhort, expectant faith, follow God's guidance, glad to be alive, glorious appearing, Glory be, glory hallelujah, God is still on the throne, going to hell in a hand-basket, halfway home, hungry hope, I'm not turning back, immediacy, impatience, in God's capable hands, in our best interest, Jacob, judgements, looking back at the past, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, now for now, patience, place all our cares, rebuke, redeem us, salvation, seal the law., Second Coming of Christ, seek the Lord, sense of immediacy, the breath of life, the Christian life, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the love of our children, things of God, things of the world, Titus, to a glorious future with Jesus, wait I say on the Lord, wait in patient faith on the Lord, waiting patiently, Wednesday Wail, zealous of good works
Psalm 27:14. Wait (in patient faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in patient faith), I say, on the Lord.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella had a rough night. Mama yo!
I went to bed around twelve, much earlier than usual, but unfortunately the sleep wasn’t great, for I woke up twice during the night with cramps in both legs. Glory Be! (smile) What else can I say eh? Even now I can still feel the knot in my right calf.
But yuh know what my fellow believers? This is a brand new day, and we have to embrace it as such. The sun’s shining brightly, and the construction noise is starting up in my area. (smile)
So though this earthly life might be a bit rough at times, we desperately need to remember that our great God is still on His heavenly throne running things and consequently place all our cares in His most capable hands. I don’t understand why I’m having cramps when I believe I’m doing all the things I should do to prevent them.
But them’s the breaks, and as I keep preaching, I just have to grin and bear them, believing that God must have some higher purpose that my small, finite and fragile mind can’t comprehend.
And since today is Wednesday, let’s wail our most appropriate Wednesday Wail. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And that’s exactly how it ought to be my brethren! And our most encouraging and uplifting Bit demonstrates the point very nicely. ‘Wait (in patient faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in patient faith), I say, on the Lord.’
Oh my people, if only we were a society imbued with patience eh, what wonderful and marvellous things our God would do in our midst!
But sadly we are not. All our modern inventions have driven us down the road of impatience, because they are making things happen quicker and quicker. In some respects that’s good, but in others it’s not, because it only breeds a wrong sense of immediacy in everything.
And that’s the current state of our society, where we want everything now for now, if not yesterday. And unfortunately that now for now attitude is moving us even further away from the God of our fathers, who desires us to wait patiently in faith on Him. No wonder our world is so quickly going to hell in a hand basket.
As a result, we are in desperate need of Christians to delay, or rather to stop that descent into Hades. And how do we do that?
By turning sincerely and seriously back to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, once again honouring Him with our lives and waiting patiently with hungry hope and expectant faith for Him to guide us on the straight and narrow path that leads directly to Him.
Ah mih people, it’s a sad commentary on our lives, but way too many of us supposed believers are still too hooked on the flashy, but flimsy things of the world, and are not sufficiently focused on the everlasting things of God. And until we change that, things will never get better. It certainly is sad, but it’s oh so true!
Now let’s look at some scripture that support our Bit. And we’ll begin way back in olden times, when Jacob in his last days was blessing his sons. After blessing Dan, Jacob faithfully declares: ‘I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.’ (Gen.49:18)
And knowing the ole crook that Jacob had been earlier in life, and how he ended up, gives us a positive outlook, that we too can turn our lives around if we so desire, and if we partner sincerely with Jacob’s God.
Now listen to Isaiah as he foreshadows Israel’s deliverance. ‘Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.’ (Is.8:16-17) Yeh Friends, deliverance is in the offing, but one needs to wait for it, to seek the Lord with all thine heart, body and soul!
And again in a hymn of praise, Isaiah unconditionally declares: ‘The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh (make level) the path of the just. Yea, in the way of thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.’ (Is.26:7-9)
Oh Friends, what wonderful sentiments! But it’s obvious that the Lord’s judgements aren’t yet in this world, for we surely have not learned righteousness.
And we’ll close with these words of Bruh Paul on the Christian life to Titus. ‘For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (age);
Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing (Second Coming) of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar (His own special) people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.’ (Titus 211-15)
Oh my brethren, those words of heavenly wisdom also apply to us today. As we look with expectant hope and faith for the Second Coming of Jesus, let us make sure that we do the best we can in all aspects of our lives. We know exactly what is required of us, so please, let’s do it nuh. It’s all in our best interest. Much LOVE!
…if for nothing else but the LOVE of our children…Christians would be well advised…be wise…to follow God’s guidance…
25 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abound, be not conformed to this world, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, beseech, bible reading, commandments, Controller, Creator, defraud, don't worry, exhort, expectant faith, faith, fornication, grateful, Guide, holiness, hungry hope, living for Christ, look in the mirror, Lord jesus, LOVE, lust, maturity, painful, Paradise, passion, practical words of advice, prayer, provider, react negatively, react positively, remakes us into the image of Jesus, rewards, sanctification, see Jesus smiling back at us, sexual immorality, strong fortress, sweet Tobago, take advantage, test, thankful, the will of God, to walk and to please God, trust in God, uncleanness, unfair, ups and downs, Wednesday, words to live by, zig zag
Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
And then it was Wednesday – the middle of the work week, and sadly too my pen-ultimate day in Paradise! And I was just about to go for possibly my last morning work along the shoreline, when strong winds and a sudden shower of rain put paid to that little jaunt. So I began writing the Bit before I intended to.
Ah Friends, it’s been a wonderful time in sweet Tobago! I met so many people and went to so many places, places and people I haven’t seen in donkey years. (smile) Several of them that I never even remembered. And now that it’s drawing to a close, there’s an underlying sadness in my spirit.
But I won’t complain, get greedy, resentful or any of those negative things. Instead I’ll thank the Lord for granting me this wonderful reprieve from the cold! In His great wisdom and mercy, He obviously realized that I needed a break from the harsh, unforgiving weather, and from the exceeding busyness of my usual surroundings. And for that I will be most thankful and grateful!
In, and through the vacation, the Lord has certainly raised the level of my hope, faith and trust in Him! The way certain things came together to make it all possible meant only one thing; that His faithful hand and LOVING –kindness were working on my behalf. And all I can say is: ‘Thank You Lord, thank You!’
Ah mih people, as I keep telling us, the more we put our trust and faith in God, and wait on Him in hungry hope and expectant faith, the more we see of His blessings and great favour. But we have to believe, truly believe, and surrender our entire lives to Him. It’s not always easy to do, especially in the negative and ungodly kind of world in which we’re now living.
But it is essential, if we want to enjoy the peace, LOVE and understanding that He brings to those who put their faithful and undying trust in Him. And the beautiful thing about our magnificent, majestic and magnanimous God is that He WILL help us to understand His ways and means when we sincerely ask for His help to do so.
Which other supposed deity does that eh; put’s you through tests, then helps you work through them? NONE! And that’s because there is no other true, real and living deity besides the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! All the other stuff that man worships, are either inanimate, dead, or will die someday. Only the Holy One of Israel is alive and kicking; has been from day one, and will still be there till eternity!
Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here because I don’t know where all of this is leading to. But with the Lord leading and guiding me, I know that whatever it turns out to be, it will be helpful and useful to somebody who reads it. And unusually, in this dry season, another shower of rain has just come down. I like how the rain’s been falling during my stay here; fall strong for about ten or fifteen seconds, then let up, no continuous downpour.
But enough of my rambling, let’s turn to our wonderful Bit, chocked full of so much wise and wonderful advice from Bruh Paul. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
Ah mih breddren, those are indeed golden words for us to live by! When we have found God, when Jesus comes to live in our hearts as our personal Lord and Saviour, then we definitely need a do over in our lives, to turn over a new page. New things have to happen in our lives, and some of the old things have to be consciously put aside, because they just don’t fit into the lifestyle of the followers of Jesus.
And don’t worry, the changes won’t happen overnight, for you didn’t become what you are overnight. But the Lord will gradually show you what He wants you to give up, and what He wants you to take up. But to successfully do that, you have to seriously communicate with Him, through prayer, Bible reading and study, and fellowship with other believers.
And what I LOVE about Jesus is that if you don’t understand what’s happening, you can always go to Him and ask about it, and He WILL give you an answer. Not necessarily right away, or in a manner that you like. But an answer will be forthcoming, involving a test of your faith and maturity, dependent on how you react to the answer.
If you react negatively, then it’s your loss. If you react positively, even if you don’t like the answer, then it’s your great gain, it might even be accorded to you as righteousness, as happened with Abraham. But know one thing Friends, our lives in Jesus are one unbroken line of tests.
From the moment we claim to believe, we are entered into a lifelong test; a cycle of ups and downs, zigs and zags, that sometimes seem unnecessary and even painful and unfair.
But fellow believer, if we have put our complete trust in Jesus, we have the faithful promise that in the end, it will all work out for our good. The Lord God is our Creator and Controller, and as such, His thoughts and ways are much higher than ours, and we won’t always understand what He’s all about. In fact we don’t need to understand everything, just trust Him to be our strong fortress, guide and Provider.
That’s where our level of faith comes into play. God deals with us according to the level of our faith, and we must realize that until the day He decides to take us home, our earthly lives will always be bound up in tests, trials and tribulations that we don’t enjoy, or even deserve. But it’s the Lord’s way of remaking us into the image of His Son Jesus!
And that’s what the whole programme is about my brethren – when we look in the mirror, to see Jesus smiling back at us.
And we’ll go home with some words of practical advice on Christian living, on truly living for Jesus from Bruh Paul’s second missive to the Thessalonians. ‘Furthermore then we beseech (urge) you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication (sexual immorality): That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence (passion of lust), even as the Gentiles, which know not God:
That no man go beyond and defraud (take advantage of ) his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us into uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth (rejects), despiseth (rejects) not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit.’ (1 Thess.4:1-8)
Yes Friends, those are some practical words of advice in living for Jesus! So please let’s consider them today and try to inculcate them in to our daily lives as required nuh. That’s wisdom at its highest level! Much LOVE!
…living for Christ is no easy matter…but the rewards…both earthly and heavenly…are certainly worth it…
27 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a rough day, all praise to the lamb that was slain for us, almighty god, Amen, and he heard my voice, Anselm's Quote, anxious, approach God's holy throne, Asa, ask, ask and it shall be given to you, ask for Your help, attitude of positive expectation, Azariah, believers in Jesus Christ, Bruh David, burdens, Calvary, Creator, cup of java, enjoy God's goodness, ever-generous God, expectant faith, fallen world, fearful, freedom, friends, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God's goodness, God's Holy Will, good things of God, grace, he will be found of you, he will forsake you, Healer, heavenly Father, heavenly wisdom.the giver of success, hot cup of coffee, hungry hope, I cried unto the Lord, I will not be afraid, if ye forsake him, if ye seek him, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, it's up to us to look for God, joint heirs with Christ, knock and it shall be opened, lead and guide us, lighten our load, look forward to a brighter day, loving kindness, mercy, naysayers, needful times, new blessings, new mercies, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, option, our be all and end all, out of his holy hill, petitions, precious blood, provider, reaching out to God, reconciled, safely, saved children, seek and you shall find, smile, strength to bear our load, succour, superior personality, Thank you Father, thanks and praise, the Father's good graces, the Lord is with you, the Lord sustained me, the Spirit of God, the undeserving children of men, time of need, Tuesday, warning, we love and adore you, while ye be with him, wisely
Psalm 3:4. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Oh Friends, yesterday was indeed a rough day! I haven’t had one like that for a long while, and in truth, I don’t want to have another one for an even longer while! (smile) I guess though, that I was due for one of those rough and miserable days.
But the reality Friends, is that today is Tuesday; a brand new day, and I’m certainly looking forward to the brand new mercies and new blessings which the Lord prepares for us every day!
I’m still tired and a tad woozy (smile) but I am feeling better, although I could not get up to write an early Bit. However, I am waiting with hungry hope and expectant faith for all the good things that the Lord has in store for me today, and I would strongly advise that you do the same thing too.
And believe me, that first cup of java, tinged with some cough syrup, is certainly going down warm and soothing on the chest! (smile) Let the naysayers say what they want, but you can’t beat a hot cup of coffee on any morning, especially a cold one, and it is cold an snowy by me.
But enough of my woes, you have your own to contend with, and the only thing that’s going to help either of us, is reaching out to our Creator, our Healer, our Heavenly Father and generous Provider; the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
So let’s do that nuh. Please pray with me. ‘Heavenly Father, our be all and end all, Your grateful children come to you this morning bearing heavy burdens that we cannot carry. We sincerely ask for Your help, either for strength to bear them, or for Your LOVING-kindness to lessen and lighten our load.
We’re doing our best, but You know we can’t do much in our own strength, that’s why we’re looking to You this morning for grace, mercy and succour in our time of need.
We LOVE and adore You, and give You thanks and praise in our own simple way, and ask that You lead and guide us safely and wisely on this blessed day, as we make our way through this fallen world, trying to do Your holy will.
This we pray, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose precious blood that was shed at Calvary, enables us to confidently come to You with our petitions. Thank You father. Amen.’
And you know what my people? If you sincerely prayed that prayer, I truly believe that our gracious Father in heaven heard it, and is right now getting ready to act on it on all our behalves! So let’s all look forward to a brighter day! Glory to God for His goodness to the undeserving children of men!
And rather appropriately, here is my friend Anselm’s quote from yesterday that inspires for a better tomorrow. ‘An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of a superior personality.’
And that’s no lie, my brethren, for all successful achievers have a positive attitude and outlook on life! Our Bit today is also rather appropriate. It comes from Psalm 3, Bruh David’s prayer of confidence in God. ‘I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.’
And that’s exactly what we did earlier on my people; we cried out to our ever-generous God for help and succour in these very trying and needful times.
We have that option because we are believers in Jesus Christ, which has made us new creations, with the freedom to approach God’s holy throne of grace, since we are now reconciled to Him once more. We are now His saved children, joint heirs with Christ in the kingdom.
And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise to the Lamb that was slain for us, so that we could get back into the Father’s good graces!’
By the way, the second cup of caffeine is going down just as good as the first! (smile)
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that reinforce our Bit. And we’ll begin with the verses right after it. ‘I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps.3:5-6)
Oh Friends, I do hope that we can all say those things in sincerity, because until we can, we will always be fearful and anxious about our lives.
And from way back when, comes this warning of the prophet Azariah. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet (before) Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr.15:1-2)
Now my brethren, the matter couldn’t be stated any simpler or more straightforward than that! It’s up to us to look for God.
And we’ll end with these famous words of Christ that convey the same basic message. ‘And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Luke 11:9-10)
Yes Friends, it’s time we start seeking, asking, and knocking, if we want to enjoy God’s goodness! That’s heavenly wisdom! Much LOVE!
…to be successful…one must seek the Giver of success…Almighty God…
P.S. Please be forewarned that tomorrow’s Bit may be even later than today’s because I have some stuff to do out of town that will push my whole schedule back. But please wait with baited breath, because it will be good – as always. (smile) Much LOVE!
09 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heartfelt sigh, a hymn of praise, a thankful look up to heaven, actions, Alexandre Dumas, almighty god, another week of work, awareness, be of good courage, Bruh David, expectant faith, faith, Friday chant, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, Glory Halleujah, he shall strengthen thine heart, he will save us, hope lets me face each day, hope renews me, hoping, human wisdom, hungry hope, I desired thee in the night, I have waited for thy salvation, in Jesus' name, in the land of the living, inspiring verses, Isaiah, Jacob, Jehovah, joyful spirit, judgements, LOVE, maturity, Old Testament, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, party animal, plans, promise of God, relaxation, remembrance, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest, righteousness., salvation, set priorities, song of the redeemed, take stock of our lives, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the best possible attitude, the eyes of faith, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Good Book, the goodness of the Lord, the Lord is my light and salvation, the Lord will swallow up death in victory, the Lord's salvation, the weekend, this is our god, to fall into place, trust, truth, wait and hope, wait I say on the Lord, wait on the Lord, waiting, waiting for and hoping in God, walking in closer harmony with Jesus, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation, wipe aways tears, wisdom
Genesis 49:18. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.
Oh Friends, we’re awesome! Yes indeed we are! We have successfully made it through the first real week of work in 2015! Glory Hallelujah!
Yes my people, it’s Friday and the weekend looms large and very inviting. And with a heartfelt sigh and a thankful look up to heaven, God’s people declared, with more reverence than usual: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God it’s Friday, and we’ll get some much needed rest!’
Now that’s how I like to see us behave; more attuned to the rest and restoration factor than to the party animal attitude. (smile) I guess some of the partying exuberance for the weekend has worn off because we’re still suffering the after effects of the Christmas celebrations, and a week of work hasn’t helped matters any.
Anyway, to get us into the right frame of mind, let’s chant our Friday Chant with more maturity and awareness than we’ve hitherto done. As one harmonious chanter 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 Friends, now that everything has wound down, it’s time to take serious stock of our lives and set the priorities for this new year. Of course the first and foremost one will be to walk in closer harmony with Jesus, and that will bring certain things into line.
But then there are a host of other things that we need to seriously consider doing or not doing. These are the days to make a sincere and serious plan, and then without much hesitation, put it into action, for plans that are not actioned are dead and useless.
And today I have an interesting quote to share from the famed French playwright and author, Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), the writer of such acclaimed novels as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. Alexandre is reputed to have said that ‘All human wisdom is summed up in two words: wait and hope.’
And there is a lot of truth in that statement my brethren, because that’s what we spend a large portion of our earthly existence doing; waiting and hoping. Most things or plans of action don’t happen right away, so after putting them into motion, generally speaking we then have to wait for all the necessary pieces to fall into place.
And while we’re waiting, we’re hoping that they will fall into place as we hope, expect and desire. In fact, life is one long journey of hoping and waiting; especially in regard to our great and wonderful God Jehovah! The Good Book tells us innumerable times about waiting for and hoping in God.
And Jacob, in our Bit, made one of the earliest statements of hoping and waiting, when he prophesied about the fate of his sons and their offspring. ‘I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.’
Simple, but true words my people, words which we all ought to be able to say in sincere truth. The only difference is that we have seen the Lord’s salvation in the person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
But the Old Testament people weren’t that lucky, all they had was the promise of God’s salvation. They had to wait and hope through the eyes of faith.
As Isaiah says in the song of praise by the redeemed: ‘He will swallow up death in victory (forever); and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:8-9)
Then again, in chapter 26, a hymn of praise, Isaiah declares: ‘Yea, in the way of thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.’ (Is.26:8-9)
Yes my brethren, hoping and waiting and trusting in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is indeed a large part of our lives! And it’s something we ought to do with a joyful spirit, otherwise we’ll just be miserable most of the time.
And as I read somewhere, this wise and sensible person declared: ‘I reached out to God in expectant faith and hungry hope.’ Now that, my people, is exactly how we ought to reach out to Almighty God.
And we’ll close with one of the best known Bible verses on hoping and waiting for God; fateful words of Bruh David from Psalm 27 – the Lord is my light and my salvation. Bruh David ends that psalm with these awesome and mightily inspiring verses.
‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith) I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:13-14)
Oh Friends, that’s the best advice we can take in these tense and troubled times, for they are words of veritable truth and wisdom! Much LOVE!
‘…hope renews me…and let’s me face each day…with the best possible attitude…’
03 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anti-Jesus world, Bruh Paul, burnt our bridges, Calvary, Christ's sacrifice, Creator of the universe, eternal life, expectant faith, forge ahead, friends, give us strength to carry on, glorified, gospel truth, halfway to home and freedom, help others achieve their dreams, hungry hope, in the evening, in the morning, Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour, Most High, no looking or turning back, reconciliation, resonate in our souls, righteousness., salvation, sanctified children, sins, son jesus christ, sow thy seed, Wednesday, withhold not thy hand, word of encouragement, worth to be praised, you don't know which will prosper, you reap what you sow
Ecclesiastes 11:6. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper (which will succeed), either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
Welcome to Wednesday Friends; the halfway to home and freedom day!
And all God’s people shouted a hearty ‘Yeah! Welcome Wednesday!’ (smile)
Ah mih people, Wednesday is the day of no looking or turning back, because we have already burnt the bridges of Monday and Tuesday behind us.
Therefore, our only option now is to forge ahead with hungry hope and expectant faith in the Creator of the universe and His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ!
The sinless Son who selflessly gave up His all and sacrificed His life on Calvary’s hill, taking our burdensome sins upon His strong shoulders, giving us righteousness, reconciliation with the Father, salvation and eternal life. Oh what a mighty Lord and Saviour is our Jesus!
And the sanctified children of the Most High burst out: ‘Oh Thank you Jesus! We praise and glorify your holy name, for you are indeed worthy to be praised and glorified!’
And that’s an indisputable fact my brethren! So please, let’s allow that to resonate in our souls, bodies and minds today and give us strength to carry on, as we face an increasingly anti-Jesus world.
And our word of encouragement for today comes from Les Brown, (1945- ) a world-renowned African-American motivational speaker, and it points out a rather intriguing and beautiful aspect of human life. It simply says: ‘Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.’
Now that’s gospel truth Friends! It’s just another take on God’s universal principle of ‘what you sow, you will reap.’
And it works nicely in tandem with our Bit: ‘In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper (which will succeed), either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.’
Yeh mih people, we have to sow some kind of seed, hopefully good ones, every day, so that we can reap their harvest at a later date. Like the farmer sows and waits patiently, but with eager expectation for the former and latter rains to water his fields and produce a bountiful harvest, we must also do likewise.
And as Cousin Sol says in the opening verse of the chapter: ‘Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.’ (Eccl.11:1)
And the scholars have this to say about those verses. ’11:1-6. These verses contain a series of sayings about the uncertainty of human industry, and are held together by the fourfold occurrence of the expression thou knowest not. Although man cannot comprehend God’s work, nor predict success, he needs to be involved in life’s activities and trust God for the results.’
Absolute truth my brethren! To achieve success, we have to sow good seed, then trust God to bring forth the harvest in His good time.
As Bruh Paul tells the Corinthians in his first letter. ‘I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth: but God that giveth the increase.
Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God (God’s fellow workers): ye are God’s husbandry (field), ye are God’s building.’ (1 Cor.3:6-9)
Meanwhile, Isaiah testifies: ‘Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.’ (Is.32:20)
Yes Friends, we need to be continually sowing good seed in all kinds of places, everywhere we go, helping and encouraging others, so that they can stand steadfast in God. And there’s immense truth in the saying that nothing helps and heals us like giving to others, be it time, money or talents.
Again we turn to the wise words of Bruh Paul, this time in his second missive to the Corinthians. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap also bountifully.
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things (never lacking anything), may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor.9:6-8)
The scholars offer this explanation: ‘9:7. Cheerful giver: The giver is to have a willing heart and a sincere desire to participate in the offering. Paul is not so much interested in their money. Nor is God, for that matter, as the passage from Proverbs 22:9 indicates.
The Greek term ‘hilaron,’ from which the English “hilarious” derives, is best rendered as the English text suggests, “cheerful.” Giving is not a joke. It is a serious business, but it is a delightful experience all the same.’
And so it should be! But sadly my people, giving these days is the bane of our existence! That’s because giving, both generously and cheerfully, is no longer one of our strong points. This version of our society is rather averse to giving, even though we have more people and institutions asking.
And when we give, it’s…it’s like pulling teeth. (smile) We oftimes have to beg and beseech to get a little of anything, because we have now become a real selfish and greedy society.
Anyway Friends, let’s take this message to heart today nuh and go out and seriously put into practice, for it is wisdom of the highest order and benefits us like nothing else does. Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley)likes to say…you reap what you sow…more than you sow…and later than you sow…
04 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Acts, afflicted, all bets are off, anointing with oil, balance, be gracious to me, best decision you can ever make, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, busy day, by a riverside, call for the elders, calm my quivering nerves, came to faith, cast out them that bought and sold in the temple, coming or going, committments, confess, consider my groaning, continual prayer, continue in prayer, den of thieves, destiny, details, distress, Elijah, eternal lot, everlasting separation from God, evil, expectant faith, faithful lives, faithful to the Lord, faults, forgiven, frenzied schedule, fruitful, give ear to my words, God has no pleasure in wickedness, have mercy upon me, hear me when I call, hear my prayer, hear my voice, hearty chuckle, House of prayer, hungry hope, I will look up, in the midst of turmoil, in the morning, in the name of the Lord, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, Jesus cleanses the temple, keeping god in first place, lifeline, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, LOVE, Lydia, Macedonia, make peace with Jesus, Martha, Mary, meditation, mental flashes from god's Word, my god, my King, no time to lose, O God of my righteousness, omnipotence, One Year Book of Bible promises, peace, pray for one another, prayer, prayer of faith, prayer was made, preserve my sanity, Psalm 5, reach out to God with prayer, see over my head, semblance of balance, sense of humour, sick, sins, sort priorities, suffering, tenuous connection, thanked God, thanksgiving, the Creator of the universe, the earth brought forth fruit, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man, the heaven gave rain, the money changers, the power of prayer, the Sabbath, the sound of the mighty trump, them that sold doves, trespasses, trivial tasks, troubled, turmoil, umbilical cord, watch in the same, who don't win lose, who knows if Jesus will come today, worried, you relieved me when I was in distress
Psalm 4:1. Hear me when I call , O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.
Ah Friends, can you believe it’s already Tuesday? Wow! The days are certainly flying by quickly, which means we have no time to lose in getting to know our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
We need to make our peace with Him ASAP; in fact RIGHT NOW, for who knows if He will come without warning today and pluck His people from wherever they are, and from whatever they are doing. And once He comes, heralded by the sound of the mighty trump, all bets are off, or as they say, who don’t win lose.
And I’m sure you don’t want everlasting separation from God to be your eternal lot and destiny. So please get a move on, give your all to Jesus Christ! It’s the best decision you can ever make as a mortal being!
Now here is another excerpt from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, one that’s rather appropriate for our current, modern-day lifestyle. It’s titled ‘Busy Day,’ and says: ‘Lord, this is one of those days I must ask You to preserve my sanity In the midst of turmoil. I’m so pressed by commitments– Plus a thousand trivial tasks- That I can scarcely see over my head.
So I plead for enough wisdom To sort my priorities carefully. Regardless of my frenzied schedule May I keep my sense of humour And even enjoy a hearty chuckle or two. Calm my quivering nerves With mental flashes from Your Word. Help me to maintain At least a semblance Of Mary-Martha balance.
And tonight when we’re together again Should my husband confront me with “What have you been doing today?” May my answer be genuine and gentle: “Part of the time, darling I’ve thanked God for you.’
Yes Friends, that definitely sounds like many of us! And the accompanying scripture is: ‘And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful (worried) and troubled about many things (the little details).’ (Luke 10:41)
Ah mih people, balance is so sadly lacking in so many -too many- of our lives, that most days we don’t know whether we’re coming or going! And balance is ever so important, if we want to live fruitful and faithful lives.
And the best way to achieve balance is by keeping Jehovah God in first place in our lives, and giving ourselves to continual prayer, which brings us to our Bit. ‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.’
And some of you will be glad to hear that this is the last day for that particular Bit. (smile) And as usual, we’ll get into the scriptures with a story about Jesus on the subject; the one where He cleanses the temple.
The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew (overturned) the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
And would not suffer that (allow) any man should carry any vessel (wares) through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of (for) all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves.’ (Mark 11:15-17)
Yuh see Friends, the constant desecration of the Lord’s house, His haven for prayer, was one of the few things that made Jesus so angry that He resorted to violence.
Meanwhile, the awesome power of prayer is shown in Acts, where Bruh Paul is in Macedonia. ‘And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a riverside, where prayer was wont to be (customarily) made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither (met there).
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple (purple dye), of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto (took heed of) the things which were spoken of Paul.
And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought (begged) us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained (compelled) us.’ (Acts 16:13-15)
Oh my people, how great indeed is the power of prayer, because it works through the omnipotence of the Creator of the universe and all therein!
And I don’t believe that there’s anybody who cried out to Jehovah God as much as Bruh David did. Listen to his plea from the opening verses of Psalm 5 – a prayer for protection. ‘Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my meditation (groaning). Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell (sojourn) in thee.’ (Ps.5:1-4)
And we’ll close this series of messages on prayer; its uses and its amazing power, with the moving and memorable words of Jesus’ half brother James, who only came to faith after the resurrection.
‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.
Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are (with a nature like ours), and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by (land for) the space of three years ans six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.’ (James 5:13-18)
Oh my fellow believers, those are indeed words of awesome wisdom! It is ever so important that prayer occupies a central place in our daily lives. As such, we ought to be devoted to prayer, because it’s the strong lifeline, the umbilical cord between our mortal selves and the divine God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
If it’s broken, then we perish, like a baby in its mother’s womb when its lifeline breaks. So please, I implore us to be wise and not break that very tenuous connection, reach out to God with prayer, in hungry hope and expectant faith. Much LOVE!
…continue in prayer…and watch in the same…with thanksgiving… (Col.4:2)
07 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Adam's fall from grace, all the days of my appointed time, almighty god, an appointed time, an emergency to meet God, art of waiting, baptized with the Holy ghost, beehive-like activity, Bruh Paul, Day of Pentecost, Emergency, expectant faith, faith, family, father of patience, fellowship, first day of the week, first fruits of the Spirit, focus on God, get our priorities in order, give thanks, go go mentality, God's omnipotence, God's promises will be faithfully fulfilled, habakkuk, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, hope, hungry hope, if a man die, jehovah god, Jesus, Job, keep the Sabbath holy, light, LOVE Revolution, my refuge is in God, patience, patience is a virtue, persevarance, refresh our attitudes, regain physical and spiritual strength, rest, righteousness., salt, salvation, Selah, shall he live again, sing praises, suffers birth pangs, Sunday, the Good Book, the Sabbath Day, the vision, to everything there is a season, trust, truth, waiting, waiting on god, will I wait till my change has come, wisdom, worship
Job 14:14. If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.
Okay mih people, we’ve come full circle, it’s Sunday, the first day of the new week! Time to fellowship, worship, sing praises and give plenty thanks to our wonderful God!
Remember Friends, that the way we treat today, the way we prepare, will have an immense impact on the other six days of the week. If we prepare well, then the rest of the week will flow smoothly. So let’s be sensible and get our priorities in order today nuh.
As the Good Book proudly proclaims: ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’ (Ex.20:8) That means focusing on God, family, worship and rest, as much as possible today, given the 24/7 beehive-like activity of our current society.
Much as we would like to, we simply can’t shut down everything like the old days, but that doesn’t mean we can’t lay aside many of our supposedly oh so important activities. We like to claim that everything needs doing today, right now, but in reality that isn’t true. It’s just the natural go, go, go mentality of modern society that has us trained that way.
Just look at how we react when an emergency crops up; we immediately drop everything else and concentrate on that, leaving the supposedly so very important activities untended for hours, sometimes even days. Then when the emergency is over, we come back and pick up those activities where we left them off.
I guess then the best way to handle the Sabbath in the right way, is to consider it an emergency; an emergency to meet and greet our great Creator, so that we can refresh our attitudes, regain both our physical and spiritual strength to face the world without fear and trepidation for the following six days.
If God, in His omnipotence, could rest from His labour for one day after creating the universe, why can’t we feeble, finite humans do the same eh? And that’s all I have to say on the subject! (smile)
So let’s now turn to our Bit: ‘If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time (hard service) will I wait, till my change come.’
Waiting, my Friends, waiting on Jehovah God is everything! As Bruh Paul said to the Galatians: ‘For we through the Spirit wait (eagerly wait) for the hope of righteousness by faith.’ (Gal.5:5)
And the scholars’ explain that verse thus: ‘5:5. Through the Spirit means that by the Holy Spirit’s help, which is obtained by faith, believers wait for the hope of righteousness, that is, live the Christian life awaiting the consummation of their salvation.’
No doubt about it my brethren; if we believe in God, then we will wait on Him and His perfect timing. And as Bruh Paul also informed the church at Rome: ‘For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain (suffers birth pangs) together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for (eagerly awaiting) the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait for (eagerly await) it.’ (Rom.8:22-25)
What Bruh Paul is basically talking about here is the senseless pain we’ve been made to suffer through Adam’s fall from grace, and the waiting we’re doing for us to be redeemed in body.
And not only on heavenly things must we learn to wait, but also on earthly things. It takes time to build, to grow, to put together anything at all, and in the process there’s always a period of waiting, which this current society doesn’t do well at all, with its gung ho, always on the go, now for now approach. But that’s why patience, the art of waiting, is called a virtue, and why Job is called the Father of patience.
Now hear these wise and wonderful words of Bruh David from Psalm 62: God only is my rock and my salvation. ‘My soul (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved (shaken).
In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62:5-8)
Words of absolute truth and wisdom my people! Now listen to how the Lord instructed the prophet Habakkuk, when He told him to write the vision of his prophecy on stone tablets. ‘For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ (Hab.2:3)
Yes my fellow believers, all things promised by Almighty God WILL come, when He considers the time to be right! Our part is to do our best and hang in with hungry hope and expectant faith till the God appointed time.
And we’ll close with one of the most direct and important instructions of waiting in the Good Book; that from Jesus to the apostles before He ascended into heaven.
‘And being assembled with them (the apostles), commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5)
And we all know that some forty days later, at the feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended ‘from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2-4)
And from that time on Friends, the Holy Ghost has indwelt EVERYONE who believes, who puts their trust and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. What more can I say eh my people?
It’s now up to us to follow through with a strong passion and focus on the things of God, led by the Holy Spirit, be the figurative salt and light of this ungodly and evil world, so that Jesus’ LOVE Revolution will prevail, and God’s great wish will come true – that ALL will come to salvation. Much LOVE!
…to every thing…there is a season…and a time…to every purpose under heaven… (Eccl.3:1)
02 Aug 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cry of Bruh David, action, affirmations, alive on planet earth, all things are possible with God, Be merciful unto me O god, behaviour, believers, blame, Bruh David, Burlington Skyway bridge, byelaw, Caribana, come against us, confident prayer for help, declaration of faith, deliver my feet from falling, delivered my soul from death, devour our spirits, evil cohorts, expectant faith, faith building words, feeble, for God is for me, frail, freedom, Gath, given voice, glorifying God's name, God's plan for my life, God's vows are binding, gospel truth, guidance, help, hungry hope, I can, I can do all things through Christ, I will not fear what flesh can do to me, I will praise god's word, I will trust in God, I'm determined to be who God wants me to be, I'm pursuing what God's put in my heart, if god be for us who can be against us, In god I have put my trust, in times of troubles, inebriation, inferior, LOVE, Lucifer, man daily oppresses me, man would swallow me up, manipulations, mediocre, Most High, my enemies hound me, nefarious activities, on which side his bread was buttered, opportunities, Pan Alive competition, Philistines, praising, price of experience, render praise unto God, rest, soldiers of faith, stand on God's promises, stand strong, stretching myself, succour, the evil one, the light of the living, tiredness, traffic problems, turn confidently to Almighty God, walk before God, What time I am afraid, wisest action, words of faith and trust, written in the depths of our souls
Psalm 56:1. Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
Ah Friends, the Big Day, Caribana Saturday is finally here! And I don’t know why, but in the past week or so, there’s been a persistent bug in my ear, urging me to go down to the parade this year. I haven’t been for the last couple of years due to the condition of my ole knees and my lost enthusiasm for what the parade has morphed into.
And I was seriously considering it, but after the traffic problems I experienced going into the city last evening to check out the Pan Alive Steelband competition, I very much doubt that I’m going. With the major highway shut down to just two lanes right around the site of the parade, can you imagine the traffic jam that’s going to be out there this morning?
People are already having problems getting into area with the closure of a major bridge, the Burlington Skyway, due to an accident on Thursday evening. Anyway, I’m suffering from Caribana Friday-itis…Hn!
And NO, I’m not referring to the after effects of inebriation – I’m too old and wise for that (smile) – I’m just talking about tiredness from a busy day and not getting to bed until after three this morning, hence the lateness of the Bit.
And I’m not even going to say much about the Pan competition either, because this year I found it to be rather mediocre. The attendance wasn’t as great as it usually is, and only ONE band out of the 13 that played really moved me – Pan Fantasy.
And to make matters worse, just as the last band, Pan Masters came on stage, they put out the main stadium lights, the ones focused directly on the band. Steups! What utter nonsense eh! So it was eleven o’clock, the byelaw wasn’t going to be in jeopardy for another five or ten minutes! Chuh!
So the poor band had to play in the darkness, with only the backlights of the stadium on. The fans couldn’t even see them. That just soured the whole situation for me, and I got up and left before they were finished. Subsequently I don’t know the results of the competition.
However, the organizers have to accept a large share of the blame, because they know about the eleven o’clock byelaw, though I can’t ever remember seeing it so rigidly enforced, but a show that was billed to start at six p.m. didn’t get underway till about 7.45, almost two hours after the announced starting time. Unfortunately I was one of those who rushed down there for six o’clock.
Anyway that’s all over and done with now, time to move on. Let’s get some ‘I CAN’ affirmations to counteract the prevailing sense of tiredness and lethargy nuh.
So please say with me: ‘I CAN do ALL things through Christ. God has new opportunities for me. I’m not settling for where I am now, I’m stretching myself and pursuing what He has put in my heart! God’s plan for my life is greater than I could imagine, and I’m determined to be who He wants me to be. This is my declaration of what I CAN do through Christ.’
And now that we’ve declared it, my fellow believers, let’s go out and make it reality nuh. For it doesn’t make sense to declare something, then not do it.
And that affirmative declaration of what I CAN do through Christ, fits nicely in with our Bit; a cry of Bruh David when the Philistines took him in Gath. (1 Sam.21:11)
‘Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up (hound me): for they be that fight against me, O thou Most High.’ (Ps.56:1-2)
Yeh Friends, daily, without fail, Lucifer and his evil cohorts come against us, trying to devour our spirits, to make us feel frail, feeble and inferior. But with our omnipotent God, we know that all things are possible!
Therefore, when the enemy comes against us, we can say a confident prayer for help, as Bruh David did: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps.56:3-4)
Oh my brethren, my brethren, what simple but powerful words of faith and trust! Bruh David certainly knew on which side his bread was buttered! That’s why the Lord blessed him so much, despite his nefarious activities.
Can we truthfully say those words? We ought to. When the enemy comes against us, do we with hungry hope and expectant faith turn confidently to Almighty God for help, guidance and/or succour? I certainly hope so Friends, because it is ONLY in our heavenly Father that there is rest and freedom from the manipulations of the evil one.
Listen to Bruh David’s great faith at work: ‘When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.’ (Ps.56:9)
Oh my people, that is a declaration of faith that ought to be written in the depths of our souls, and then given voice through our mouths, as well as action through our behaviour, EVERYDAY that we’re alive on planet earth, since it’s gospel truth for ALL believers!
We need to be sure and confident enough in our God to be able to stand on His promises. For as the Good Book says: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31)
And the glorious answer to that my fellow believers is NOBODY!
And now with that affirmation boldly declared, let’s go home with some more faith building words from Bruh David: ‘In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Thy vows are upon me (are binding upon me), O God: I will render praise unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?’ (Ps.56:10-13)
Yes Friends, our great and wonderful God will surely deliver us in times of trouble, so that we can walk faithfully with Him, to continue praising and glorifying His Holy Name here on earth!
So let’s continue to stand strong and be numbered amongst His most awesome soldiers of faith nuh, for it’s the wisest action a human being can ever take! Much LOVE!
…faith in God is great…but it doesn’t come cheaply…it is paid for with the exacting price of experience…
15 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admit our wrongs, all things are possible, be not afraid only believe, be right with Jesus, belief in Jesus, believe, believe and you're halfway there, bounden duty, Chinese Proverb, early to bed early to rise, exhibiting belief and faith, expectant faith, faith, fall on our knees, fearful, glorifying Jesus, go in peace, hungry hope, issue of blood, Jairus, Jesus Christ, Jewish law, late to bed late to rise, LOVE, rebuke, Red Letter Day, riddim of the falling rain, strong belief, the longest journey begins with the first step, Theodore Roosevelt, thy faith hath made thee whole, tools in man's arsenal, truth
Mark 5:36b. Be not afraid, only believe.
Oh Friends, it was one of those nights when the early to bed, early to rise situation was replaced by the late to bed, therefore late to rise tactic. And believe me, the rising wasn’t made any easier by the gentle riddim of the falling rain. (smile) But we all know that once there’s hungry hope and expectant faith, all things are possible.
And that’s worthily enhanced by our word from my almanac for today: ‘BELIEVE!’
Now that’s one of the strongest tools in man’s arsenal, my people! So much so that Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), the 26th U.S. President, is reputed to have declared: ‘Believe and you’re halfway there.’
And there’s certainly a lot of truth in that statement, my brethren. The first action in any thing is usually one of belief; believing you can do it, or that the action is possible. As the Chinese Proverb also declares: ‘The longest journey begins with the first step.’
But Friends, we cannot take that first step until we believe that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is worth journeying for, is worth sacrificing whatever is necessary to achieve it. And believe me Friends – yes it’s a day of belief – anything that’s worthwhile striving for, will include a fair amount of sacrifice.
But the elementary position in it all must first be belief. As we said earlier, belief that the thing is possible, and also belief that you can carry it out to a successful ending. That’s why our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ placed so much emphasis in His teaching on belief.
Our Bit says it quite clearly: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’
And a very important aspect of any situation is that once we believe, we need to keep on believing, for belief is not a one time, one and done thing, but a continuous process, especially where Jesus Christ is concerned!
Now let’s look at the situation under which Jesus spoke the words of our Bit. And it was indeed a red-letter day, one of the many in Jesus’ earthly sojourn. For on that day, as He was on His way to heal a ruler of the synagogue’s (Jairus) daughter, a woman in the huge crowd who had suffered from an unusual blood flow for 12 years, BELIEVED!
She had spent all her money on medical treatment, but instead of getting better, she just got worse. But that day, when she heard that Jesus was in town, she hurried down to see him. ‘For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.’ (Mark 5:28)
What belief, what faith my people! So she surged through the crowd and touched His clothing. ‘And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague (affliction).’ (Mark 5:29)
Yes Friends, the power of belief is a helluva thing, especially if that belief is in Jesus Christ!
And the scholars explain the woman’s possible reasoning. ‘5:28. Popular belief had it that a person’s dignity and power extend to what he wears.’
And in that light, her actions make complete sense. But what’s also interesting is that with all the crowd milling around Him, and everybody pushing and shoving to get a better position, Jesus knew immediately that something was amiss; ‘knowing in himself that virtue (power) had gone out of him, turned him about in the press (crowd), and said, Who touched my clothes?’ (Mark 5:30)
The disciples were obviously astounded by His question, as there were so many people around Him. ‘And he (Jesus) looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (affliction).’ (Mark 5:32-34).
Yes my people, faith can only come from belief! In fact, simply put, faith is strong belief!
And the scholars give us this interesting explanation of the woman’s behaviour. ‘5:33. The woman would be fearful of a rebuke, since her bleeding rendered her “unclean” according to Jewish law. She ought not to have been mixing in the crowd, nor reaching out purposely to touch a man. That she owned up indicates that her interest lay not only in physical health: she wanted to be right with Jesus Himself. Her faith, not the grasp of her hand, brought restoration to her.’
That brings up an interesting and oh so important question my brethren; how many of us sincerely want to be right with Jesus eh? So right that we fall on our knees and admit our wrongs?
Hopefully all believers, since it’s a rite of our faith, of our belief in Jesus! For now though, we’ll just leave that question and its answer to circulate in our souls, (smile) and continue with the story of that red-letter day.
The Good Book describes it thus: ‘While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master (Teacher) any further?’ (Mark 5:35)
And to that statement, the scholars declare: ‘5:35. Obviously, Jesus has intentionally let the time pass in which He might have preserved the girl’s life.’
And the Good Book continues: ‘As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.’ (Mark 5:36)
Yes Friends, all we have to do is BELIEVE!
So today, let’s get the ball rolling on belief nuh; particularly in strong belief in Jesus! And for those of us who already have that strong belief in Him, let’s go out and teach and show others by our words and actions how that belief plays such a great and wonderful part in our lives. For that’s what Jesus expects of His followers, of His true believers. In fact it’s our bounden duty as a true believer!
So let’s go out and do our duty, make Jesus proud of us by exhibiting belief and faith as strong as, if not stronger than the woman in the story with the issue of blood, thereby glorifying Him to all with whom we come into contact. Much LOVE!
…one can’t truly believe in Jesus…without it being showed in one’s actions and words…
P.S. Oh my people, the lateness of the Bit was even further aggravated by my security company wanting to do an important update in the middle of my writing, then needing me to shut down the computer so that the update could take effect. It certainly was aggravating. But I guess that’s a part of the whole computer scene, and we just have to grin and bear it. Again, my humblest apologies. (smile) Much LOVE!
08 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affliction, anything is possible, appreciation, bail out, bears all things, beautiful summer, behave like leggo-beasts, believes all things, Bruh Paul, Christian faith, Christian walk, christianity, Church of Christ, complain, conquer, cooped up, cross, discouraged, do good, dreadful winter months, dreary nights, endurance, endurance is a must, endure, endure to conquer, endure to the end, endures all things, ensnares us, enthusiasm, expectant faith, express need, faint not, faith, fear of winter, Galatians, gladness, go crazy, hallmark, Hebrews, hopes in all things, hostility, household of faith, hungry hope, in due season, indisputable truth, Jesus, joy, laughter, lay aside every weight, light, lightheartedness, long-suffering, looking unto Jesus, lose heart, LOVE, LOVE is of God, muggy, no root, offended, opportunity, optimism, parable of the sower, paramount, passion, patience, persecution, perseverance, persist, pilgrimage, power, practice what you preach, praise and honour God's glorious name, prevailing circumstances, reap, run with patience, shall be saved, shame, sin, souls, sprout forth, steadfast, steadfastness, stir crazy, stony ground, stumble, summer, summer weather, Thank You Lord, the race, the word's sake, thrilling rays of the sun, trials, tribulation, true believer, truth, venerable emotion, weary, welldoing, Winston Churchill, wisdom, witnesses, year round treat
Matthew 24:13. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Summer, oh beautiful summer! What would we do without you eh? Hn! Possibly go more than stir crazy from being cooped up inside for so long. And I hear a lot of laughter coming from down south.
Yes you southerners, you can laugh because summer is a year round treat for you all. But we northerners do appreciate our summer, after those long, cold, winter days and nights cosseted in close quarters.
That’s why we go crazy, behave like leggo-beasts, when the summer time comes around and we experience the thrilling rays of a sun that shines not only bright, but also hot and heavy, and we can get outside in the heat, half naked – sometimes totally naked – (smile) and let loose all the passion and enthusiasm we’ve stored up during the dreadful winter months.
And so far we’ve had beautiful summer weather; not too hot, but hot enough, with decent winds to keep us comfortable, so that the days and nights aren’t too muggy and sweaty.
And all God’s people declared a loud and hearty cheer of ‘Thank you Lord for this delightful summer weather! We hope that it continues like this all summer long! And in grateful appreciation, we praise and honour your glorious name! Amen!’
But Friends, please remember that the summer has just begun, so everything and anything is still possible. But we’ve just got to hold on to our optimism with hungry hope and expectant faith, without thinking about what lies ahead after summer – winter, with its cold, lonely days and dark, dreary nights.
And now that I’ve put the fear of winter into us, (smile) let’s turn to the word from our almanac today that shouts at us: ‘ENDURE!’
Yes Friends, we need to endure those long, dark, lonely days and nights of winter, be they physical or emotional, so that we can eventually come into the light and lightheartedness of summer. Whatever we’re going through my people, whenever we go though it, ENDURANCE is a MUST!
For as the ensuing quote from the war days British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill (1874-1965) declares: ‘Sure I am of this, that you have only to endure to conquer.’
And that’s indisputable truth my brethren! You may not always conquer when you endure, but you’ll NEVER CONQUER, UNLESS YOU ENDURE!
And that goes for our Christian faith more than anything else in this whole wide world! Jesus clearly states the need for endurance in our Bit: ‘But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.’
Oh Friends, there are so many Scripture passages that call for the express need of endurance on our earthly pilgrimage, that I’m just going to quote a few of them. Let’s begin with something from the gospel of Mark, where Jesus is relating the parable of the sower.
‘And these (seeds) are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in them selves; and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction (tribulation) or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended (caused to stumble).’ (Mark 4:16-17)
Yes my people, in God’s great universe, even seeds need to endure in the darkness of the earth for a time, until they are ready to sprout forth. And unfortunately, too many of us today are like those seeds that are sown on stony ground. As soon as any difficulties arise, we are quick to complain and bail out.
But my brethren, the hallmark of a true believer in Christ is in our strong power of endurance, our perseverance and steadfastness, regardless of our prevailing circumstances! That’s why Jesus also told the disciples: ‘In your patience (perseverance, long-suffering) possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:19)
Patience and perseverance are paramount in Christianity my people!
Meanwhile, in Bruh Paul’s famous chapter on LOVE, he boldly declares of that most venerable emotion: ‘(LOVE) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’ (1 Cor.13:7)
Yeh Friends, true LOVE is of God, and it endures everything that’s thrown against it, and in doing so, also lasts forever!
We also know Bruh Paul’s memorable words to the Galatians on the subject: ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart). As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal.6:9-10)
And we’ll end with some more memorable words from Hebrews, re running our earthly race. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (endurance, perseverance) the race that is set before us.
Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb.12:1-3)
Ah mih people, standing strong and steadfast in faith, with patience, perseverance and endurance is of the utmost importance in our Christian walk!
So let’s take all we’ve heard this morning to heart and let it re-energize us nuh, help us to stand strong, bear all things, in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and thus persist, endure, and see our race of life through to the very end. That’s wisdom of and for the ages! Much LOVE!
…only as believers steadfastly endure their trials and tribulations…will the church of Christ grow…and more importantly…endure…
P.S. Oh Friends, the ole fella’s shaking it somewhat rough this morning, due to a pretty late night and the untimely acting up of my allergies. But I’m practicing what I preach…I’m enduring. (smile) Much LOVE!
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