07 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a time of peace, a time of war, a time to every purpose under heaven, a time to hate, a time to love, afraid, and have it more abundantly, anxious, broken, Bruh Paul, celebration for peace, Christ is the only judge, church bells are tolling, Cousin Sol, cowed, depart from evil, diverse voices, do good, downtrodden, Ecclesiastes, edify another, encouraging, fearful, food and drink, friends, glory to God, God's largesse, gracious, I am come that they might have life, jeans, Jesus Christ, joy in the Holy Ghost, let not your heart be troubled, magnanimous, Mahatma Ghandi, merciful, miserable, Mother Teresa, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, one voice for peace, painted lady butterflies, peace, Peace i leave with you, Peace Pole, poor, praise, prosperity, put on our Sunday best, reassuring words, rejoice, righteousness., run life, seek peace and pursue it, shorts, sing, sloppy attire, St. Francis Parish, take the bull by the horns, the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God, the love of power, the power of love, the return of Jesus christ, the state of our hearts, to everything there is a season, we belong to each other, with loud voice, worried, worship the Lord
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Well mih lovelies, it’s the first day of the week, Sunday! And would you know that all the church bells are tolling, inviting the faithful to come and sing and praise and worship the Lord, to fellowship with those of like belief, and receive the many blessings which come from engaging in those activities!
Wow! What a mouthful Friends, but nonetheless, very true sentiments. So let’s put on our Sunday best and get us hither to the sanctuary and rejoice with loud voice in our Creator and our God, for it is indeed the wise thing to do.
And speaking of Sunday best clothing, I remember the olden days when everybody dressed up to go to church, some possibly overdressed too. (smile) You wouldn’t be caught dead in church with shorts and jeans and sloppy attire.
Now it’s true that back then there was possibly too much emphasis on your clothing, and technically speaking, the Lord cares more about the state of our hearts than our dress, but I’m sure He still appreciates and prefers to see a congregation praising and worshipping Him looking good. It does say something about the people’s prosperity and reflects well on the Lord’s largesse.
If you see people gathering to worship a Deity and they are all looking sloppy, poor and downtrodden, why would you want to join them eh? All I’m saying though is that when we go to church we ought to look as decent as we can.
Now yesterday at our church, St. Francis in Meadowvale, we held a celebration for peace around the Peace Pole on the lawn of the property. Or as the bulletin put it: ‘The Diverse Voices in Meadowvale United in One Voice for Peace.’ We prayed for Peace in our World, our Country, in our Community and in our Families. And then we set free some painted lady butterflies to commemorate the occasion.
We were also graced with the presence of City Councilor Pat Saito celebrating with her annual barbecue and answering the many questions her constituents had. All in all, it was a very pleasant and successful venture.
Now here is one of the quotes from the peace service bulletin that I never knew, but which took my breath away and captured my heart. It’s attributed to Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) the Indian peace activist and leader of the fight for Indian Independence from Britain. He reputedly said: ‘The day the power of LOVE overrules the LOVE of Power, the world will know peace.’
Mama Mia! I like it! And it’s also very true. The only problem though, is when will that blessed day come eh? Most likely not before the majestic return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who spoke the most celebrated words on the somewhat ephemeral and hard to capture or attain subject of peace.
Listen to our Messiah in today’s Bit. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’
Wow, mih breddren! What encouraging and reassuring words! And please notice the most important words in the promise ‘not as the world giveth…’ Yes Friends, our Leader is not of this world, so the peace He offers is way different to that which the world acclaims. And because His peace is different to that of the world, we don’t need to be worried, anxious or afraid of anything or anyone in the world.
Now how do you like them beans eh? (smile) I LOVE them, and sure hope you do too, because if you don’t, then your life here on earth will be miserable and fearful. And that’s definitely not what our Saviour came to give us. He said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
Yes my people, our Saviour came that we should enjoy this earthly life, not to live it cowed and broken. That’s why when we are filled with the peace that He offers, we won’t be terrified of life, but will take the bull by the horns and run life, instead of letting life run us.
Oh Friends, like the ole fella’s in fine form this Sunday morning, obviously being led by the Holy Spirit. Glory to God! Now let’s look at some scripture passages that deal with the very elusive term called peace. And we’ll set the scene with the well-known words of Cousin Sol in his role as the Preacher or Teacher in Ecclesiastes.
‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven… A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ ((Eccl.3:1, 8) There’s no disputing those facts Friends, the only problem is that the time for peace seems to be taking rather long to come.
Then we have this very wise advice from Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. ‘Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:14)
Yuh see my brethren, peace is something we ought to actively seek out, to pursue, for it doesn’t just come about automatically. It is a lifestyle that we definitely have to be actively interested in and then get actively involved in. And the peace we’re talking about here is the peace of Jesus, not that of the world.
And we’ll end with the words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. He’s talking about Christ being the only judge, therefore we should not judge each other, in this case in the things that we eat. ‘For the kingdom of God is not meat (food) and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost… Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify (build up) another.’ (Rom.14:17, 19)
Oh Friends, with those wise words and thoughts uppermost in our minds this Sunday morning, let’s ponder them as they pertain to our individual lives nuh, and then make the necessary improvements, of course with the help of our magnanimous, gracious and merciful God. Much LOVE!
…if we have no peace…it is because we have forgotten…that we belong to each other… (Mother Teresa)
16 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new creature, ackee and saltfish, all things are become new, and have it more abundantly, anger, anxious, as God for Christ's sake, be angry and sin not, be kind to one another, be not conformed to this world, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, be transformed, bondage of sin, bread and sherk, Bruh Paul, by the renewing of your mind, callaloo, cartwheel dumplings, Christ-like, corrupt communication, curry crab, curry goat, easier said than done, edyifying, Ephesians, evil, expectant faith, faith, flying fish, followers of Jesus, forgiving, fretting, give place to the devil, glorified Lord, gospel truth, gungo peas, heathen, I am come that they might have life, if any man be in Christ, in the flesh, Jesus, let all bitterness, let not the sun go down on your wrath, living the new life in christ, making changes, malice, members one of another, mouth watering, new creation, old things are passed away, patties, perceives Christ in a new way, pigeon peas soup, practice what you preach, prisoners of hope, problems, put away lying, put on a new man, rice and peas, roti, salvation, selfish, shackles of sin, sin, speak truth, stressing, tenderhearted, the day of redemption, the good shepherd, the moment of salvation, the West Indies, the will of God, to destroy, to kill, to steal, to the lusts of men, ungodly world, vital union, West Indian menu, will of God, with God's help, wrath
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.
So Friends, it’s Saturday! What’s cooking? No I don’t mean what’s on the fire literally cooking, like pigeon or gungo peas soup, or callaloo – the T&T kind made with dasheen bush, or the Jamdown kind made with spinach, or even some rice and peas and curry goat, a roti or bread and shark…
And what about some ackee and saltfish, some patties, or even a big cooking oil tin filled with curry crab and some big, cartwheel dumplings, or even some flying fish eh… Mama Yo!
But that sounds like a rather good West Indian menu though. As I keep telling these northerners the best tasting, the sweetest food in the world comes from the West Indies. And you better believe that they have come to realize that I was right, because if you see them nowadays in the West Indian restaurants and food stores, buying up we food.
And just talking about it, I know that mouths are watering for a taste of one, or many, or all of those delicious meals! (smile) And why not, is excellent food!
But that’s a different story for another day. I meant what’s happening in our lives, how are we handling the situations that currently exist, be they good, bad or indifferent? Are we anxious, fretting and stressing ourselves over them, or are we calmly going to Jesus with our problems, and being prisoners of hope, waiting with expectant faith for His answers? I do hope it’s the latter scenario, because that’s the only one that befits a follower of Jesus Christ.
Yeh Friends, we all know that putting that stuff into practice in this selfish, evil, ungodly world is much easier said than done, but as Christians we are expected to do it, because it’s all a part of our faith, our pilgrim’s journey. That’s why Christ came to earth and died, so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin that this world has us locked up in.
As Jesus says, when referring to the sheep of His pasture and His role as the Good Shepherd: ‘The thief cometh not but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
Oh my people, that is such a mighty statement, but to have life like Jesus gives it, one must become a whole new creature by shaking of the shackles of sin that’s keeping us in total bondage. And to do that we have to start in our minds, like our Bit says. ‘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 that’s gospel truth, for we can’t make any serious or lasting changes in our lives without first processing it through our minds and then keeping the other stuff out of them. But please note that all of that can only happen with God’s help. So why don’t we start making those changes right now eh Friends?
That’s provided you truly and seriously want to be freed from the shackles of sin that now bind you. But you have to go to Jesus in faith and believe that He, His precious blood spilled on Calvary can cleanse you, and then do your part, for it’s a two way street.
As Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.’ (2 Cor.5:17)
As the scholars further explain: ‘5:17. When a man comes into vital union with the risen and glorified Lord, he is a “new creation” (cf. John 3:3; 15:5; Rom.8:1,9; Gal.6:14-15) and perceives Christ in a new way, making a decisive break with the old life at the moment of salvation, bringing new things into being.’
And Peter puts that transformation thus: ‘Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.’ (1 Pet.4:1-2)
Yes Friends, that’s how a follower of Christ is expected to live his or life; by the will of God, not by the lusts of men!
And in closing, let’s listen to Bruh Paul tell the Ephesians about living the new life in Christ. ‘And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour; for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 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 malice: and be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:23-32)
And there we have it Friends, a general guide of how Christians ought to live. Now do we live like that, or anywhere close to it? I’d say no. That’s why we have such a bad reputation amongst the heathen. We spout a whole lot of scripture, but then live a completely different life style.
But it is possible to live much closer to those ideals than we currently do. So please my people, let’s wake up and get our act together nuh, if we want to bring others to Jesus, rather than drive them away as we’re doing now. Much LOVE!
…for Christians to bring people to Christ…we have to begin living more Christ-like lives…practice more of what we preach…
16 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A genuine Christian loves himself, a heavenly nature, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd, because they fainted, brilliant sunshine, But when he saw the multitudes, carry them in his bosom, Christ alone eliminates your guilt, Christ alone fills the human heart with love, Christ alone forgives, Christ alone is the answer, Christ alone save, Christ alone understands, christ jesus, comfort, compassion, cyclists, Dr. Samuel Shoemaker, enemy, enter not by the door, faith, faith in christ Jesus, fateful words, fighting, flee from a stranger, frustration, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, glory hallelujah, he calleth his own sheep by name, He was moved with compassion, hot rod cars, Hour of Power Devotional, I am come that they might have life, I am the door of the sheep, Isaiah, joy, late mornings, late nights, light and joy of Jesus, like sheep gone astray, long and harsh winter, LOVE, LOVE for God, loving kindness, madness, might have it more abundantly, NHL Hockey Playoffs, oh what a joy, passion, peace, peeved, pent up winter frustration, Pharisees, prophecy, reinforce, reinvigorate, Religion can never be the answer, renew, reward, robber, runners, self-confidence, spring has finally sprung, stranger, strong hand, the sheep follow him, the sheep hear his voice, the shepherd of the sheep, the straight and narrow path, they know not the voice of strangers, they were weary, thief, to human problems, trust in the Lord, truth, understanding, upset, walkers, wisdom, wonder, work, worthiness
Matthew 9:36. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Oh Friends, please be advised that the NHL Hockey Playoffs began last night, with several games on every night. And since I am a fan of the game, it means there will be several late nights, like last night, in the offing. Unfortunately, those late nights will obviously lead to late mornings, like this one.
So please don’t be too peeved and upset with me if the Bits are somewhat late in the next few weeks. (smile) It’s just a fact of life. There isn’t much I watch on the tube, but hockey is one of those things.
And a much better bit of news is that it looks like spring has finally truly sprung. Yesterday was warm, not hot, and beautiful, with loads of brilliant sunshine, and today is forecasted to be more of the same.
The temps are getting up to the mid to high teens, and that’s bringing out the pent-up winter frustration, so the hot rod cars with their loud engines and mufflers are now out on the road, the walkers, runners, cyclists and the ‘motorbikers’ are getting into gear too. So look out for the madness, especially after such a long and harsh winter.
And Friends, on this Thursday morning in mid –April, I want to remind us of some rather important facts as they pertain to our faith. It comes from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, but they are the words of the prominent American churchman, Dr. Samuel Shoemaker.
And he reputedly said that: ‘Religion can never be the answer to human problems. All of the religions of the world are inadequate. Christ alone is the Answer. Christ alone understands. Christ alone forgives. Christ alone eliminates your guilt.
Christ alone saves and then assures you that you are God’s child and the most wonderful person possible! Christ alone fills the human heart with LOVE –joy- peace- self-confidence. No wonder a genuine Christian really LOVES himself.’
Oh my people, my people, what wonderful words of utmost truth and wisdom! There is nothing in that passage that can be disputed! So please, please, this morning let’s allow those fateful words of truth to sink into our hearts, minds and spirits, so that they can reinforce, renew and reinvigorate our passion and joy in our faith and in Christ Jesus!
We need that sort of renewal regularly, because in these last days the enemy is fighting mightily, to keep us from believing and acknowledging the wonder and worthiness of our faith.
And I like that last part of Dr. Shoemaker’s statements: ‘No wonder a genuine Christian really LOVES himself.’
Why, you ask? Because if all of the previous statements are true, which they are, we ought to have such LOVE for our God, ourselves and our neighbours, that nothing whatsoever can diminish the light and joy of Jesus in our souls and lives.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’
Oh Friends, can you imagine the sorrow that filled Jesus’ heart when He saw His people so lost and scattered, without any proper guidance, just going astray any which way? Remember Isaiah’s prophecy, re comfort through trust in the Lord?
He said: ‘Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is.40:10-11)
And that is exactly what Jesus came to do my people! He was the fulfillment of that prophecy. Read John 10 and you can hear Him expound on the theory of the sheep and the shepherd, as pertains to Himself.
First, He tells them a parable. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter (doorkeeper) openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.’ (John 10:1-5)
Ah my brethren, all of that is oh so true! Now listen to some useful explanations by the scholars. ‘10:1. Door is the one who stood in the opening of the (stone) fold. (the pen where the sheep were kept at night). The thieves and robbers were the Pharisees. See also verse 8.’
’10:3. Sheep know only their shepherd’s voice. In the Near East several flocks belonging to different shepherds may be in one fold (a fenced in area). But only a shepherd’s own sheep will follow him out of the fold. Cattle can be driven, but sheep must be led.’
Obviously the people listening to Jesus didn’t understand what He was talking about. ‘Then Jesus saith unto them again, verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:7-10)
And at the remembrance of that wonderful news, all God’s people gave a mighty and glorious shout of ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and thanks be to the awesome shepherd of our flock; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly!’
So my people, in ending, let me remind us, that if we are the sheep of Jesus’ flock, then it is of the utmost importance that we listen to His voice, and follow Him and Him alone. If not, then we’ll be marked for certain death, as all else are merely thieves and robbers, come to kill, steal and destroy.
So let’s open our ears and quite clearly hear our Master’s voice and follow Him down the straight and narrow, but safe path where He will inevitably lead us. That my brethren, is certainly wisdom and understanding of a heavenly nature! Much LOVE!
…all we like sheep have gone astray…but Jesus in His LOVING-kindness…has found us and brought us safely back to His fold…oh what a joy…
17 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: actions, and have it more abundantly, anger, as for my house we will follow Jesus, bitterness, burying our heads in the sand, business people, climate change, composition of our souls, destroy, etch themselves into our facial expressions, feelings, fight tooth and nail, for our children's sakes, forgiveness, friends and neighbours, gospel truth, Guide, he epitome of wisdom, he shall be saved, healthy looks, hearsay, humour, I am come that they might have life, I am the door of the sheep, I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep, Jesus is our Good Shepherd, joy, kill, leader, loneliness, LOVE, mirrors, my sheep knows me, openess, our inner selves, our outer appearance, personal experience, personal relationship with Jesus, politicians, provide, robbers, shepherd, the future is an opaque mirror, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the thief cometh but to steal, thieves, understanding, wisdom, with Jesus' help, worry
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Well hello there Friends and neighbours! What a lovely Saturday morning! It’s only about minus 15 Celsius or something in that region. And the beauty of the whole thing is that by tomorrow evening it’s supposed to rise to about plus one! Wow! Is that a head shaker or what? And they say that climate change is not a serious reality! Steups!
Those of us who are burying our heads in the sand like ostriches had better wake up soon yes, else they will be swept away by it all. And that pertains to a lot of politicians and powerful business people who doubt the reality of the situation because they don’t want to do anything positive and concrete about it.
But Friends if we don’t take this seriously, it will eventually come back to bite us in the butt. So please let’s talk to our leaders and get them to see the truth of the situation, if not for our sakes, then certainly for those of our children.
Anyway, here’s an interesting quote from one Jim Bishop, I couldn’t find out which one, because there are so many of them out there today. But according to Jim: ‘The future is an opaque mirror. Anyone who looks into it sees nothing but the dim outlines of an old and worried face.’ In our youth, mirrors reflect our outer appearance, but later on they also seem to reflect our inner selves.
As the One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness says: ‘Worry and joy can etch themselves into our facial expressions; anger or LOVE can gaze out from our eyes. If we have refused to forgive, our bitterness stares back at us. If we have chosen to isolate ourselves, our loneliness is there. But if our choices have been openness, humour, and understanding – all these clearly shine out for all to see.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Our mirrors are more than just a reflection of our outer selves, they also reflect what we have inside; bringing the true composition of our souls to light. So please, let’s all go to our mirrors sometime soon and see what jumps out at us nuh; anger or LOVE! Hopefully it’s the latter. And if by chance it isn’t, then let’s work on changing it, with Jesus’ help of course.
Therefore, let’s all say: ‘Today I choose healthy looks, feelings and actions.’ So when we look in the mirrors, those good things will look back at us. (smile) That’s just like when we have Jesus as our Good Shepherd, our lives get better. Listen to Him expound, from where we left off yesterday.
‘Verily, verily, I say unto you; I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.’ (John 10:7-9)
What a proclamation my people! And a very true one at that! So I don’t know why we are so hesitant and reticent about being in Jesus’ fold and accepting Him as our Shepherd, Leader, Guide and Provider. Oh Friends, being in Jesus’ flock has no comparison; it’s just wonderful, for He is a very considerate and LOVING shepherd, who cares for each of His sheep and makes sure that they are safe, secure and well-fed.
Now hear Him expound even further on the topic. ‘The thief cometh not for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.’ (John 10:10-11)
Oh my fellow believers, what indisputable truth; for Jesus did give up His life for us! So why then aren’t we clinging to Him like a grape to a vine eh? Now that’s a good question that only the individual can answer, since the whole situation is about a personal and individual relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately my brethren, nothing else will do.
And Jesus continues: ‘But he that is a hireling (hired man), and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:12-14)
Oh Friends, what more can I say eh? Not much nuh. We all know how we behave when we’re working for others and how we behave very differently and more interested when we are working for ourselves. That’s why Jesus specifies the difference between the hired hand who is working for money and flees when danger comes, while the owner of the flock, in this case Jesus, will fight tooth and nail for each and every one of His flock, even to giving up His life for them!
Now how can you not LOVE and admire someone like that eh? I really don’t know. But in closing, I am recommending very strongly that if you haven’t given your all as yet to Jesus, that you do so as soon as possible, perhaps right now, because the longer you wait to do so, the worse off you will be. And I’m saying this from personal experience, not from hearsay. So please come and join Jesus’ flock, for it’s the epitome of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…as for my house…we will be members of Jesus’ flock…from now…right through till eternity…
24 Sep 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, abundant life, adventurous, all should come to salvation, all thanks and praise to god, amazement, and have it more abundantly, as I have loved you, Bless His Holy Name, blessings, bondage of sin, Bruh Paul, busy society, came together to break bread, celebrate the life death and resurrection of Jesus, collective family, cut-throat, do whatsoever I command you, enjoy each other's company, eternal optimist, everybody's doing their own thing, exciting life, faith, family life, family togetherness, favour, fellow believers, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, forgiveness, friends, get together, God's greatest desire, God's promised to work things out for our good, grace, greater love hath no man, greedy, hope, hurts my heart, I am come that they might have life, in exile, influence of Jesus, interesting, Jeus reigns supreme, joy, laughter, lay down his life for his friends, LOVE, love and togetherness, LOVE one another, mercy, merriment, obedient to God's will, opportunity, our Creator and sure Provider, overflowing grace, personal experience, physical treasure and pleasures, pick sense from nonsense, sacrificed Jesus, selfish, sins, some of the best days of my life, Son Jesus, soulful, spiritual enlightenment, such a blast, sufferation, tenderness, the first day of the week, the Good Lord, the greatest of these is love, the thief comes to steal, there am I in the midst of them, to go to be late is to be up early, undying LOVE, unending wisdom, ungrateful, unworthy, wisdom, wonder
John 10:10. The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Oh Friends, it’s been a Willie Shakespeare kind of night, in the sense of when he says in one of his plays – don’t remember which one – to go to bed late is to be up early. Hn, Hn! Well I was up very early because I went to bed very late, around 3:30 a.m. (smile)
Anyway mih people, what I want to say is that the last couple of days can be numbered amongst some of the best of my life. That’s because it’s the first time my brother and I have spent so much time continually together.
We were always Friends, but never hung out much together, and the thirty years I spent away from Tobago, in exile in the North Country, obviously reduced those opportunities.
However mih breddren, the Good Lord, our Creator and sure Provider, in His usual mysterious way, in His unending wisdom and overflowing grace, thirty odd years later has provided a surprise get together. Mama Mia! All thanks and praise to Him!
One day, a couple weeks ago, right out of the blue, I received an e-mail from my niece saying that her parents were coming to Canada. And they’ve been here with us the last two days, and oh my people, it’s been such a blast!
There hasn’t been that much laughter, merriment and family togetherness in the house for a while, because in this busy society everybody is usually off doing their own thing. But yuh know what Friends?
These last couple of days have shown me what Jesus truly means when He says in our Bit: ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’
It’s family life Friends, family togetherness He was talking about. That’s basically it. When family and friends and fellow believers get together and enjoy each other’s company under the overwhelming influence of Jesus, then life truly is graced and gifted with abundance.
I don’t believe Jesus was referring so much to the abundance of physical treasure and pleasures, but more to the abundance of soulful and spiritual enlightenment. And again we see Jesus emphasizing togetherness, when He says: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20)
And what we often forget, especially in this current selfish, cut-throat, greedy society, is that God’s greatest desire is that ALL should come to salvation; that we should live as ONE, in LOVE, joy and tenderness towards each other, as a part of His one, big, collective family. Otherwise He wouldn’t have sacrificed His One Son Jesus, to pay the price for our abominable sins.
And believe me people, Jesus did pay and enormous, a terribly high price to free us from the bondage of sin. Every time I consider what He went through to save us unworthy, ungrateful wretches, the very thought of His immense ‘sufferation’ hurts my heart.
But then, on the other side of the equation, I’m oh so thankful and grateful that He paid that exacting price, because it shows that the Father and Him truly LOVED, and still LOVES me!
This brings to mind Jesus’ directive: ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 12-14)
Then He went out and did exactly that – sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. Bless His Holy Name!
But please remember that one proviso: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ So if we’re not obedient to the will of Jesus, then we’re not His friends.
And sadly, that means a great proportion of mankind are not friends of Jesus, since we have so rudely and foolishly removed Him from all areas of our lives; at home, at work, at school and at play.
But Friends, Jesus is the eternal optimist. He believed in the saying that if you build it, they will come. So He died to give us the wonderful opportunity to come to Him in LOVE and togetherness.
And staying with that theme of togetherness and abundant life, let’s look at a scripture that appropriately describes it. It deals with Bruh Paul at Troas. ‘And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached (spoke) unto them, ready to depart on the morrow (the next day); and continued his speech (message) until midnight.’ (Acts 20:7)
Again, it was a coming together of the disciples to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Oh my fellow believers, there can be no greater joy than when Jesus is amongst, reigns supreme in the lives of a group of people! That’s when the abundant life truly kicks in, and why we need to take togetherness more seriously than we currently do, both as family and fellow believers.
Oh my people, being obedient to Jesus so that you can be numbered amongst His friends, is not always easy. In fact it can be very rough at times, when the Lord chooses to test us. But remember that He’s promised to ALWAYS work things out for our good.
And I can tell you from personal experience, that if you sincerely try to live obedient to God, then you WILL certainly lead an interesting, adventurous and exciting life, filled with wonder and amazement!
And how can we not eh, when our lives are constantly connected to: God’s Faith, God’s Grace, God’s Favour, God’s Blessings, God’s Mercy, God’s Forgiveness, and God’s undying LOVE!
So please my brethren, let’s get our acts together, and COME TOGETHER IN LOVE AND OBEDIENCE TO JESUS! That’s the wisdom of all the ages! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth…faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE…
P.S. Oh Friends, I surely hope that this Bit makes sense yes, stands together as a structural whole. But even if it doesn’t, I know that you all are smart enough to pick sense from nonsense. (smile) Much LOVE!
01 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good hearty laugh is therapy for our minds and bodies, a time to dance, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to weep, abundant life, Arnold Glasow, Blessed are ye that weep now, bringing in the sheaves, cause for joy laughter and celebration, Christmas, crapaud smoke we pipe, crying, dancing, depressing economic times, faith walk, fixing our affairs with Jesus, follow Christ, friends, functions of a believer, God shall wipe away all tears, gospel truth, I am come that they might have life, I make all things new, indisputable truth, Isaiah, Israel, Jesus, laughing, laughter cause a feeling of well being and joy, laughter costs nothing, Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects, laughter loosens all the cares and woes of the day, laughter makes trouble easier to bear, living fountains of water, LOVE, mourning, New Year's, no more death, no more hunger or thirst, no more sorrow, not backsliding, pain, positive attitude, rebirth, reconciliation, sighing and sorrow shall flee away, songs and everlasting joy and gladness, the faithful are called to courage, the former things are passed away, the Lamb, the ransomed of the Lord, the tabernacle of god is with men, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy, true and faithful words, we shall come rejoicing, weeping
Ecclesiastes 3:4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
Oh Friends, can you believe it’s already the first of June? Wow! Half the year has already gone by, and it seems like it was just yesterday we celebrated Christmas and New Year’s, and it’s almost time to celebrate them again. Hn, Hn, Hn!
Yeh mih breddren, the days are quickly flying by, and thus we have no time to lose in getting our affairs with Jesus fixed right, since He can return at any time, and if we’re found wanting, then crapaud smoke we pipe. And we obviously don’t want that to happen, so please let’s get smart and get right with Him nuh mih people.
On a point of interest, not because I haven’t been on our case to see if and how we are adhering to our New Year’s resolution to follow Christ more completely, means that you shouldn’t review it yourself on a periodical basis. One of the functions of a believer is to police him or herself without outside pressure. Anyway, I’m going to take it for granted that we are indeed improving our faith walk. I refuse to believe that we could be backsliding! (smile)
And in light of all that, here’s a rather appropriate and interesting quote from Arnold Glasow (1905-1998), an American author and humorist. Arnold says that: ‘Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.’ And that’s quite true – except for the stitches in your side and the tears you shed when you laugh too much.
And to back up Arnold’s theory, here are some thoughts from my One More Day Daily Devotional for People with Chronic Illness. ‘Unlike medicine, laughter costs us nothing, and can be partaken of as often as we see fit… A good, hearty laugh is therapy for our minds and bodies. Mirthful laughter can cause a remarkable feeling of well-being and joy. Laughter loosens all the cares and woes of the day and makes them somehow easier to bear.’
And all of that Friends in indisputable truth! But unfortunately laughter has become less prevalent in our current society, than it was just a few years ago. Today we’re all so busy, concerned and anxious about our lives and livelihood, especially with the depressing economic times, that we find it difficult to laugh much and make laughter a treasured part of our lives.
But Friends, as the Preacher tells us in our Bit, there is ‘A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.’
However, it seems like we’re doing way too much weeping and mourning, when we should be instead laughing and dancing. Oh Friends, weeping and mourning very seldom help the situation. They don’t ease our troubles and woes. But laughter and dancing do. They might not solve our problems, but they surely do make us feel better, bring a more positive attitude to our perception, which in turn helps us to better solve those same problems.
And Jesus did tell us in the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.’ (Luke 6:21b)
Likewise, Isaiah, in talking about Israel’s eventual return to Zion declared: ‘And the ransomed of the Lord shall return to Zion with songs and everlasting joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.’ (Is.35:10) Now Isaiah felt that verse so keenly that he reiterated it in chapter 51:11, when he talks about the faithful are called to courage.
And that’s another bit of gospel truth there Friends. To be truly faithful to serving and worshipping Jesus, we need to be very courageous, for walking with Him causes all sorts of stuff to come out of the woodwork at us.
But the psalmist greatly reassures us by steadfastly proclaiming: ‘They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth (to and fro) and weepeth, bearing precious seed (a bag of seed for sowing), shall doubtless come again with rejoicing (shouts of joy), bringing his sheaves with him.’ (Ps.126:5-6)
Oh my fellow believers, that brings to mind the joyful hymn that says: ‘Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves. We shall come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves!’
It’s obvious my people that Jesus wants us to have a good, pleasant and happy life overall. That’s why He came and died for us.’I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) And having abundant life certainly doesn’t mean more weeping and mourning and sorrow and tears, than dancing and laughing and joy.
And we’ll end with two very important scripture passages that uphold that theory. This deals with the numberless multitude when Jesus ascends His throne. ‘They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on (strike) them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed (shepherd) them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears (every tear) from their eyes.’ (Rev.7:16-17)
And if you didn’t believe those verses, (smile) then try these: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.’ (Rev.21:3-5)
Oh my people, my people, yuh see what a wonderful future we have to look forward to! So please, let’s stop with all the sorrow and mourning nuh, and get some more joy and laughter into us, for that’s why Jesus came to earth and sacrificed His sinless life: so that we could enjoy a rebirth, a reconciliation with the Father. Hn! And if that isn’t great cause for joy and laughter and celebration, then I don’t know what is! Much LOVE!
…laughing openly and spontaneously…will always make me feel better… (From One More Day Devotional for People with Chronic Illness).
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