15 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be careful for nothing, cast your cares on God, divine help, dwell in the land of the shadow of death, eyes to behold, faith, give me now wisdom and knowledge, god moves in mysterious ways, gospel truth, He gave me wealth untold, he shall direct thy paths, holy spirit, I asked the Lord, I did not ask for riches, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in everything by prayer and supplication, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seen a great light, the God who heals, the Lord doth go before thee, the peace of God, the people that walked in darkness, trust in the Lord with all thy heart, truth, turn from our evil ways, worship
Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct (make straight) your paths.
Oh friends, for the last two days, my neighbourhood has been flooded with sunshine, which reflects so beautifully off the white snow that covers the land. That’s the good news. (smile) The bad stuff is that the holidays are winding down, heralding the steady grind of a five-day work week. And only time and perseverance will get us fully back into the routine. (smile)
Now, yesterday in worship we sang the popular song ‘I asked the Lord,’ but time and space ran out on us re the scriptural references in it, and we promised to finish it today. So, we’ve already spoken about God’s comfort in discouraging times and leading us through the darkness of this world, but I want to add two more verses to the latter section. The first one comes from Isaiah, and talks about the Great Light: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2) And that light was of course our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The second verse is God’s reassurance through Moses to His people Israel right from the very beginning. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee: he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ (Deut. 31:8) The Lord did keep that promise, and still keeps it to this day, for He NEVER reneges on any of His promises. And that’s something we believers ought to learn and accept as gospel truth! It’s all well and good to know of the promises, but it’s even more important to firmly believe them, for that’s the only way they will ever work in our own lives.
Turning now, to these lines: ‘I did not ask for riches, He gave me wealth untold- The moon, the stars, the sun, the sky, And He gave me eyes to behold.’ That’s ever so true my people! The Lord did give us eyes to see the beautiful planet He made for us to enjoy. That’s a wealth of natural riches we can never get enough of. But even more profound is this reference to not asking for riches but nonetheless being granted them. It speaks to Cousin Sol’s appointment as king over Israel. The Lord appeared to him in a vison at night and asked him what he wanted. And Cousin Sol said: ‘Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked for long life: but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.’ (1 Chr. 1:10-12)
Ah friends, yuh see how our marvellous God does move in mysterious ways! Because Cousin Sol didn’t ask for stuff for his own use, but for wisdom and knowledge to govern His people, the Lord gave him all the other stuff. Oh, we should ask for stuff that we need, but there should be a sincerity of heart and truth in it, not merely a desire for personal aggrandizement. Then we come to possibly the most important verse in the entire song: ‘I thank the Lord for everything, And I count my blessings each day;’
Oh my brethren, that’s crucial, especially in this cruel and evil world! Yes, instead of counting our problems, as we’re prone to do, every day we need to count the many blessings that God has so generously bestowed on us which will help to carry us through the tough times. And we all know that we have more blessings than problems, but we’re so enamoured of looking at the negative and complaining, instead of looking at the positive and giving thanks. As Bruh Paul so wisely advised the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)
And for brevity’s sake, (smile) we’ll say that that verse also encompasses these words of the song. ‘He came to me when I needed Him – I only had to pray: He’ll come to you if you’ll ask Him to – He’s only a prayer away.’ And there’s absolutely no doubt about that! Then this verse of the song is indeed a gem. ‘I asked the Lord to lead the way, When each step was getting so rough, He said to me “put your trust in me, and I’ll direct your path.” And the authoritative scripture that goes with those words, is none other than Cousin Sol’s wise advice found in Proverbs 3:5-10.
But for lack of time and space we’ll only quote the first two verses. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct (make straight) your paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) Now, if there were only two scriptures to live by, it’s those two. And the last verse also brings up interesting scriptures. ‘I asked the Lord to come inside And take all my struggles away. He said to me, “Cast your cares on me, and live each day by day.” And the predominant scripture for that comes from 1 Peter. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him: for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7)
And now my fellow believers, with all that wonderful scripture under our belts, (smile) let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and sincerely ask for divine help in these serious times of need. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we truly want divine help, then we need to seriously consider turning from our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…God cares for His human creation…above all others…let’s remember that…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
30 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, be not wise in thine own eyes, bind them about thy neck, curse, despise not the chastening of the Lord, faith, favour, fear the Lord and depart from evil, fellowship, find favour and good understanding, God always comes first, he shall direct thy paths, health to the navel, honour the Lord with thy substance, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in the sight of God and man, Jesus Christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, length of days long life and peace, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, LOVE, marrow to they bones, mercy, my son forget not my law, negative word, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him, self-control, success, Thursday Blessings, thy barns shall be filled with plenty, thy presses shall burst out with new wine, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, truth, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, wisdom, with the firstfruits of all thine increase, with the Lord's help, write them upon the table of thine heart
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
Well, the penultimate day of this work week, Thursday, and the last day of this month, November, has chosen to open bright and sunny, though somewhat cold. But this is the winter season, so what do we expect eh? (smile) Let’s at least give thanks for the sunshine, which I didn’t have when I was doing my errands yesterday. But with the Lord’s help we did handle them successfully though. And in the long run, that’s the important thing…We can do whatever the Lord desires us to do because He anoints and strengthens us to do it! All glory be to His blessed name!
And today friends, all we’re going to do is read, peruse, study and find some useful insights into perhaps one of the most important and insightful passages in the entire Bible. Yes, friends, if we follow these simple, but ever so important commands as outlined by Cousin Sol in Chapter 3 of Proverbs, our lives will be filled with the Lord’s grace, mercy and understanding. So let’s read from Proverbs Chapter 3, verse 1. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.’
Wow! Right there we have the ultimate in fellowship and discipleship. The overwhelming need to remember the commandments of God, if you are a follower of God. Why? ‘For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov. 3:2) And aren’t those things that all of us desire? For sure! So we now know the way to find long life, length of days and peace…keep the commandments of God. We therefore have no more excuses. (smile)
Then the next verse kindly informs us: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:3-4) There again we have the formula for finding favour in the sight of both God and man; the strong keeping of mercy and truth in our lives; so strong that they become like an adornment, like a necklace around our necks.
So now we know how to acquire long life, length of days, peace, favour and high esteem. Mama Mia! Are we ever going to go out and acquire them now! But wait a minute, not so fast, there are still a few other things we have to know and consider. (smile) Listen to the two basic, but perhaps the two most important verses in this section. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
Yes my brethren, if we practice those three things: trust in the Lord, don’t depend on our own native instincts and acknowledge God, that’s have fellowship and intimacy with Him all through our life, then He will guide our paths, make them straight before us. Now that doesn’t mean we won’t have problems, but when the problems come He will give us the wherewithal to handle them. So how can we ever go wrong if we do those three basic things eh? Never!
Then there are some other reminders that further build our lives in Almighty God. Hear this one: ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.’ (Prov. 3:7) Now that should be a no-brainer! It’s obvious we cannot put too much trust in our finite and puny understanding, while reverencing the Lord and staying away from evil are all important parts of being a Christian. And Cousin Sol tells us just how following that advice helps us. ‘It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:8) Now good health and strength are things we all desire. So now we know how to get them. (smile)
And here’s another bit of awesome wisdom: ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:9-10) There we have it friends; if we want to be blessed with abundance, we need to honour God and man and give generously of our firstfruits, not from the remainder. God must ALWAYS come first!
And having heard all the comparatively easy things to do in this section of scripture, here comes another important but ofttimes difficult bit of wisdom to handle. And Cousin Sol puts it as nicely as possible. (smile) ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of (detest) his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12)
Ah mih bredrin, we know that’s a hard pill to swallow, but we won’t always do right, and just like our earthly fathers correct us when we do wrong in their sight, likewise the Lord corrects us when we do wrong in His sight, not because He just wants to punish us, but because He LOVES us. Allowing us to do wrong and not correcting us is not LOVE, but and absence of LOVE, more like encouragement to do wrong.
And the author of Hebrews, using Cousin Sol’s thoughts, puts it like this: ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons). My son despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:5-6)
Yes my fellow saints, even the best of us have faults and foibles that don’t belong in us, which stop us from becoming more Christlike, which is the Lord’s end plan. Therefore, He has to remove them by disciplining us. So let’s not be upset and disappointed when He chastens us nuh, for it’s only for our good. And He’s such a wonderful God that He’s even bestowed numerous undeserved blessings on us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare (yesss!!!) them out loud now, so that they can be activated.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them on the Lord’s behalf, just as generously as He bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!
…the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (very) beginning of knowledge…but fools despise wisdom and instruction…(Prov. 1:7)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Nov 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a vulnerable strength, able to reach our destiny, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, be not wise in thine own eyes, beacons of humility, buy into God's plan, depart from evil, direct thy paths, eternal state of life, fear the Lord, God has a plan for every life, God's presence, going the extra mile, have the light of life, he that followeth me, health to thy navel, hellfire and damnation, I am the light of the world, I want to be in their number, in all thy ways acknowledge him, lazy Saturday, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, meekness doesn't mean weak, not fearful of being hurt, on the wrong side of the fence, one more excuse, redeemed people, shall not walk in darkness, steps into the fray, strength under control, the former things are passed away, the tabernacle of God, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, turning the other cheek, wipe away all tears
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Saturday, oh lazy Saturday, so glad to see you! And the good thing about Saturdays in the winter time, is that you don’t go out unless you really really have to! (smile) Especially if, as my computer tells me, it’s snowing now, which it isn’t in my area, although it might be in some other area, but that’s just one more excuse to enjoy a lazy Saturday. (smile) Anyway, enough laziness, let’s get to the Lord’s business and see what we can make of the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
Now, he only sent us three quotes, so today’s Bit ought to be short…Hn! I wouldn’t count on it, with my penchant for being long-winded. (smile) And the first quote says: ‘Being vulnerable is a strength, not a weakness.’ And that’s the gospel truth! For although the word ‘vulnerable’ is defined as ‘susceptible to, or able to be easily physically or mentally hurt, influenced, or attacked,’ in another sense, when one is vulnerable, one isn’t fearful of being hurt or abused, but steps into the fray in spite of one’s vulnerability.
And that comes out most forcefully in the emotion of LOVE, for when one LOVES, one is open to all kinds of negative things, but it doesn’t stop one from LOVING. And I think we also see a vulnerable strength in the word ‘meek, or meekness.’ Used in a negative manner it means weak and/or submissive, but used in a positive or biblical manner it means strength under control. And who are more vulnerable than Christians eh, if we truly follow Christ’s advice, like LOVING our enemies, going the extra mile, turning the other cheek, etc. etc.
As Bruh Paul quotes Ps. 44:22 to the Roman church. ‘As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:36-37) Yes, believers may seem vulnerable, but that doesn’t mean they are weak. In fact, we are the strongest group on earth, as we fight the devil and his iniquity workers with goodness not evil. Just look at the Beatitudes, in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. His descriptions of those who are heavenly blessed all seem to be weak, passive and very vulnerable, but in fact they show an active strength clothed in humility, peace and godliness.
Listen to this Beatitude from Jesus: ‘Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.’ (Matt. 5:5) He didn’t mean blessed are the physically or spiritually weak, but blessed are those who have humbled themselves before the Lord God Jehovah! And to be truly humble, one must have a strong spirit, because by nature humans are not created as beacons of humility, especially in this age of greed, selfishness and advantage taking.
As ‘Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said: “Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash.’ In other words, to be vulnerable means to not be afraid of being human, of living for Christ.
Now, the next quote says: ‘We have to let go of who we think we should be and embrace what is.’ I don’t know about that nuh. We should certainly live in the present, but the important question is what’s our present life like, is it intertwined with Christ, or is it just running loose and lustful like the world? Remember, God has a plan for each and every life He creates, and if we’re not living in His will for our lives then we’re on the wrong side of the fence. The truth of the matter here is that we should first ascertain from our heavenly Father His will for our life, then put it into action, not do what we think we should in our own strength, or meekly (negative use) follow the world.
And Cousin Sol wisely warns in Proverbs: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear (reverence) the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:5-8) Yes friends, it’s only when we buy into God’s plan for our lives that we truly blossom and are able to reach our destiny.
And the last quote tells us: ‘In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.’ I guess there’s truth to that statement for we cannot discern light unless darkness is first present. That brings us to Jesus, who is the light of the world. He said it Himself: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12)
Oh my people, isn’t that wonderful? It surely is! Jesus came to earth so that we could have the option of eternal life in the light of His heavenly Father and not merely the option of succumbing to the darkness and evil of Lucifer, the fallen angel, and ending up in hellfire and damnation with him. Unfortunately though, that darkness is covering our world right now with an overwhelming black cloud of sin and ungodliness, and it’s only as we accept Jesus and His bright shining light that the darkness of our world will lessen, for darkness is inherently evil, while light shows up goodness and godliness.
And what better way to end today than with the words of John the Revelator, as he saw the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven in his vision. He joyfully declares: (yesss!!!) ‘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.’ (Rev. 21:3-4)
What a marvelous, bright and shining day that will be my fellow saints, when the very presence of God will be with us, His redeemed people. And from thence, He will forever dwell with us in the eternal state of a life without pain and sorrow, just joy and gladness in His shining light. So, let’s wake up and reach for that glorious goal nuh my brethren! Much LOVE!
…oh when the saints go marching…I want to be in their number…oh when the saints go marching in…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
25 Oct 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a very present help in trouble, always go to God first, another day in paradise, be careful for nothing, but in every thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, casting all your care upon him, come unto me all ye that labour, come unto me and I will give you rest, fear thou not, fornicating with the enemy, God is our refuge and strength, he shall direct thy paths, hurry, hypocritical ingrates, I am the beloved of god, I am thy God I will strenthen thee, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in god's eyes, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, no unity no peace or prosperity, run crying to God, set out troubles at the feet of Jesus, share His love with my neighbours, sincere heart-felt action, strife, surrender, the greatest prob, the greatest problem solver Jesus, the heifer dust hits the fan, the peace of God which passeth all understading, therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, trust, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present (an abundantly available) help in trouble.
It’s another beautiful, warm, sunshiny day in paradise friends! Please give thanks that we have been blessed to see it. For no matter how grave and unsurmountable our problems might seem, I’m sure we are all mighty glad that we woke up this morning to have another go at solving them. (smile) And please don’t forget that we follow the greatest problem solver ever, Jesus Christ, He who calms the stormy seas and quiets the howling winds.
And believe me, if He can quiet the seas and the winds, then He can most certainly handle any of our mortal problems. But first we have to believe that He is able to do it, and then take those problems to Him, for He can’t solve what He doesn’t know we need solving. Oh, in His omniscience He certainly knows our problems, and might solve some of them of His own accord, but in general we need to take them to Him, not just wait on the off chance that He will do it on His own.
And I guess that’s one of the problems many of us face in these trying times; for whatever reason, we don’t take our problems to Christ, or at best we only take them when we cannot solve them in our own strength. But that’s not wisdom my people. The first place we should take our troubles to is at the feet of Christ, not the last place, like so many of us unwisely do.
Please remember these strong and encouraging words of the sons of Korah from Psalm 46. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present (an abundantly available) help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3)
Yes friends, our Creator and omnipotent God has all the parts to solve any problems in which we find ourselves immersed. Why not take them to Him eh? And His Word tells us so often, that that’s the very thing to do when troubles arise. So, let’s take a look at some of the many scriptures that encourage us thus nuh, hopefully then we’ll remember and go to God first, the next time we are tried and troubled. (smile)
Now, these next verses, wise words of Cousin Sol, are ones we all know and claim to LOVE, but obviously don’t sufficiently put into action, otherwise our problems would not be as overwhelming as they are. He wisely advises us to: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
And if we truly believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then that is Scripture 101! It’s the very essence, the very purpose of believing. Yes, you ought to trust and surrender your life to the one you claim to believe in, otherwise believing is just a figment of your imagination. And sadly, it’s that way with many of us supposed believers, because we only talk a good talk, but don’t walk it, and continue to live our lives in our own strength…until the heifer dust hits the fan. Then we run crying to God to fix it, and expect Him to do it, and do it immediately too!
Oh, what a bunch of sad, hypocritical ingrates we are my people! That’s why our lives and our world is so messed up. And why shouldn’t it be eh, when some of us are trying to push God out of His own creation, while some of us who claim to believe are not walking in true faith, not doing what true faith calls for, either sitting on the fence or happily fornicating with the enemy. What we unfortunately lack is unity, true unity, not just talk unity. And where there is no unity, there cannot be peace or prosperity, only confusion, strife, and all the negative problems those things bring.
And that’s why Bruh Paul so painstakingly advised us in his letter to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)
Yes my brethren, if we desire true peace in our souls, then we have to begin by taking EVERYTHING, yes EVERYTHING to God in prayer! And it doesn’t matter whether it’s big or small, significant or insignificant. Once it’s in our lives, then it’s also a concern of our God, for He is interested in EVERYTHING that goes on in our lives.
Why do you think the Lord caused the prophet Isaiah to write to his people in the time of their trouble: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) And why do you think Peter wrote these wise words to the early believers? ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7)
Yes my people, our Creator, our God, our heavenly Father indeed cares for us, else why would He send his sinless Son, Christ Jesus to die on the cross of Calvary to save our sinful souls eh? But we must take what He says and what He expects of us seriously, meaning be obedient to His Word, to His dictates. It’s foolish to expect to be disobedient, yet blessed with divine attention. And when we talk about our God so intently caring for us, how can one get any more explicit and understanding than these comforting words of Jesus from His Great Invitation. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt. 11:28)
Oh my fellow saints, that says it all! Jesus is the answer to ALL of our problems, for EVERYTHING in our lives! And until we get that straight in our hearts and minds, and begin truly behaving in the appropriate manner, our trials and tribulations will continue to perplex and discombobulate us. Anyhow, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Jesus, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, let’s go out and do just that nuh; share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…true trust and surrender are not found in mere talk…but in sincere, heart-felt action…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
20 Aug 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, aspires to inspire us, dance like nobody's watching, fear is all around us, fear not, health to thy navel, holy spirit, if there be any wicked way in me, in all thy ways acknowledge him, know my anxious thoughts, know my heart, lead me in the way everlasting, learn from your mistakes, let not your heart be troubled, lie down and die, live like it's heaven on earth, living for Jesus - the only way to go, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, love like you've never been hurt, marrow to thy bones, never be scared, no rest for the wicked, overcome fear by faith in Jesus, search me O God, self-examination, sing like no one's listening, spiritual peace, staring us straight in the eye, the abundant life, the author and finisher of our faith, the joy set before him, the unexamined life is not worth living, tired and worn out, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, try me, when life gives us lemons make lemonade
Psalm 139: 23. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts:
Saturday, oh blessed Saturday! Where we can laze about and do as we want. No alarm clocks, running to the baby-sitter or day care with the children and then facing the constant traffic jams that have become a normal part of today’s commute to work! No wonder we LOVE Saturday! And with all of that to do five days a week, it’s not surprising that so many of us are tired and worn out physically, emotionally and spiritually.
But not all of us can sleep in on Saturdays. The ole fella still has to be up and about the Lord’s business, figuring out something to say about the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. Ah Lord eh! No rest for the wicked. (smile) But I can’t really complain because the Lord usually helps me with that task since He’s allotted it to me, and He always gives us the tools to do the work He requires. So Lord, I ask you now to give me those tools, let your Holy Spirit lead and guide me to write sensible stuff today that will not only serve to open the eyes and hearts of our readers, but even more importantly, praise and glorify your holy name. Amen!
And the first quote goes off with a bang! ‘The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.’ Now that’s wonderful advice, but not so easy to put into action, since nowadays fear is all around us. Fear of disease, fear of fraudulent operators, fear of economic failure, fear of natural disasters, fear of government actions, fear of church brethren, and all of that leads to fear of life itself. Yes friends, everywhere we turn these days, fear seems to be staring us straight in the eye. But fear can be overcome through faith in Christ Jesus. Yes, that’s a guaranteed fact. Oh, we’ll always feel it, but with Jesus in our corner, it won’t get us down or cripple us like it’s doing so many people today.
One of Jesus’ favourite statements was ‘Fear not!’ And I guess it’s only right to quote two of His most famous sayings on the subject. Listen to this first one. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Yes friends, when we have true peace, fear cannot invade our souls or bodies. And the true source of real peace is Christ Himself! No one or nothing else can give you the kind of uplifting, spiritual peace that He offers; the peace that conquers fear.
Now listen to Him again. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) There you have it! With Jesus and His Holy Spirit in your life, you have the peace of God living right there within you, so there’s no need to fear anything, because your Lord and Saviour has already overcome the evil world and all its tricks and trade. But for good measure, (smile) here’s one more scripture that as we said yesterday ought to be continually in our mind’s eye. These famous words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
Ah mih people, the only way to numb fear is by having Jesus Christ in our lives, and then sincerely accepting what He tells us. But that doesn’t come easily or overnight, which leads us to this next quote: ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ Now that’s gospel truth right there my brethren! We simply cannot live a life without examining it, to see what kind of life we’re living. And I guess the best way to begin doing that is to by following Bruh David’s example in Psalm 139, where he pleads: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139: 23-24)
Oh friends, how refreshing and renewing is self-examination! Especially when we do it with God’s help. It shows up the things we need to drop, and the places we need to improve. But we need to take it seriously and do what the Lord shows us, or what we know needs to be done. And it helps when we go to the Lord with sincere sentiments like Bruh David does in Psalm 51: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.’ (Ps. 51:10) The Lord will never turn us away with those kinds of sincere sentiments in our hearts.
That brings us to this next quote which advises: ‘Turn your wounds into wisdom.’ And it does make sense to let our hurts teach us a wiser way to live. It’s basically learning from our mistakes. And that’s exactly what successful people do, for if you don’t learn from your errors, you will continue making the same mistakes and thus getting the same hurtful and wounding results.
And how do we do that? I believe this advice from Cousin Sol in Proverbs makes a good start. He says: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear (reverence) the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:5-8) Yuh know friends, if you must choose one passage of scripture to remember, one that encompasses all you need to know, that’s it right there! Once you have the basic knowledge of scripture in your hearts and souls, that’s all you really need to live by.
And that segues very nicely into our next quote, which offers great advice: ‘Don’t settle for what life gives you; make life better and build something.’ Ah mih bredrin, with Jesus in our lives, that’s exactly what He expects of us! When life gives us lemons, He expects us to take them and make lemonade. (smile) That means to improve on whatever we are given. Don’t just sit there and accept life’s handouts without any thought of making them better. Unfortunately though, that’s just what many of us do. Life hands us misfortunes and instead of trying to build something better on them, we simply accept them, and do the proverbial thing, lie down and die.
But when you’re follower of Jesus, that’s not acceptable. He expects us to be always improving, always learning, always persevering to become more like Him. Look at the hand that He was dealt when He came to earth nuh. One of persecution, rejection, and abnormal suffering, what I like to term ‘sufferation’ Most of us would have gone crazy and run away. But He stood up and faced it all, obviously with the help of His heavenly Father, and turned the whole world upside down, an upheaval from which it still hasn’t recovered two thousand years later, and never will!
And as the Good Book reminds us, He is the example we all must follow. ‘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 the throne of God.’ (Heb.12:2) So whatever life slings at us, we must let Jesus help us to take it and make it better. That brings us to our last quote: ‘Sing like no one’s listening, LOVE like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like it’s heaven on earth.’
Oh friends, that’s the abundant life, and it’s just how God intended for us to live! But nowadays, in this fallen and sinful world we can only live it if we’ve received Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and keep Him first and foremost in our hearts minds, bodies and souls! That’s the kind of life Jesus died for us to have. He said very clearly. ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) So, the long and short of the story friends, is that to do all those things our quotes tell us, we must be true and strong followers of Christ Jesus! Anything less than that will not cut it. End of story! Much LOVE!
…living for Jesus…that’s the ONLY way to go…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
04 May 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a state of spiritual perception, April showers bring May flowers, believing ye shall receive it, bow to the Father's will, climate change, confess your faults one to another, endure to the end, for God's greater good, fraught with all kinds of pitfalls, halfway home, hands on the plough, he shall guide thy paths, hits the nail on the head, if ye abide in me and my words abide in you, in all thy ways acknowledge him, is any among you afflicted let him pray, is any merry, lest ye fall into temptation, let him sing psalms, looking straight ahead, LOVE, not turning back, not what I will but what thou wilt, pray for one another, pray without ceasing, raise our maturity level, resist the enemy's wiles and schemes, right living, sufferation, take this cup away from me, the future will be even more glorious, the prayer of faith shall save the sick, this is the confidence that we have in Him, to a glorious future with Jesus, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, watch ye and pray, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer
Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Oh, it’s been a very persistent drizzle; right from yesterday afternoon, through the night…and believe it or not, (smile) it’s still happening in my neighbourhood! So, this middle day of the week, Wednesday is wet and cloudy. It’s the kind of day we expected in April, you know, April showers that bring May flowers. But it hasn’t worked out that way. It’s May, and we still haven’t seen any flowers. What’s with that eh? But after a somewhat colder than normal April, the trees are now venturing to bud.
And we’re laying it all at the feet of climate change. Now isn’t it strange that we always find something or someone else to blame for our problems rather than the usual cause, that’s ourselves? For sure! We don’t like to accept blame, even when it’s staring us full in the face. And our society is daily getting worse in that respect. But I’m not going to go any further into that topic, because it’s one fraught with all kinds of pitfalls. (smile) But rather, I’m going to revisit our Bit of yesterday, the reassuring and uplifting words of Jesus on prayer. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt. 21:22)
And why is that you ask? Simply because some of the scriptures I had planned to share yesterday never got shared, and I believe they are important enough for us to consider on the subject of prayer. And the first scripture we want to address is this one that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion, when His heart was heavy and His spirit pretty low. ‘And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.’ (Mark 14:36)
Yes friends, we need to note there, that although Jesus would have liked to be spared the ‘sufferation’ of the cross, He was willing to bow to the Father’s will. We saw the same thing with Bruh Paul yesterday, when the Lord refused to remove the thorn from his flesh because it showed the Lord’s power more in his weakness. And that’s the same thing we must understand. God will not always answer our prayers, the way we want them, when our problems serve for His greater good. You can see that instead of taking away the ‘sufferation’ of the cross, He gave Jesus the wherewithal to handle it, and likewise with Bruh Paul, He gave him the strength to handle whatever was the annoying thorn in his flesh.
So please don’t be dismayed if we ask for relief in some way and the Lord provides it in a different way. Remember, whatever we ask for, must be in line with the Lord’s will, and there will be times, when we truly believe we need genuine relief from problems, but facing those problems will accentuate His glory and raise our maturity level, so He might just give us the strength to face them, instead of removing them completely.
Then there is this very interesting and true statement from Jesus to the disciples, after He came and found them sleeping, instead of watching and praying with Him. He said to them: ‘Watch ye and pray, lest ye fall into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:38) And that’s the indisputable truth my people! Our flesh is easily ruled by our sinful nature, and we need to be in a state of spiritual perception to be able to resist the wiles and evil schemes which the enemy constantly throws at us.
And the best way to do that is through prayer. For when we are praying, temptation cannot overcome us. Now listen to Jesus again to the disciples after telling them that He was the vine and they the branches. (John 15:5) ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.’ (John 15:8) And that relates directly to the fact that we ask for whatever in Jesus’ name, because it’s only through His work on the cross and His name, that we have access to the Father. So only if we are His true agents and ambassadors, living His Word, will using His name work.
And these words of James, Jesus’ brother, on the topic of prayer, really tell us how important it is in the believer’s life. He says: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? 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.’ (James 5:13-16)
Yes my fellow saints, prayer should be our number ONE response to everything! As Bruh Paul said to the Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (2 Thess. 5:17) The Lord our God ought to be the first person we tell about any problem. Then He will direct us to the best road to take. As Cousin Sol so wisely and rightly says in Proverbs. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
Truer words were never spoken or written my friends! That’s why we can turn to the first epistle of John to read and hopefully learn these most valuable lessons. ‘Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.’ (1 John 3:21-22)
Now the scholars give us a very good warning about those passages of scripture. ‘We have confidence toward God if our lives are in line with the standard of Christian living set forth by John in the earlier passages. John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how he subjectively feels about himself. That is why John has given so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess themselves by. And one of the great results of a life lived in purity before God is a life where there is effective prayer. Right living is an important part of successful praying.’
And that hits the nail right on the head my brethren! Prayer is non-functional unless we are living right. In other words, right living determines the successfulness of our prayers! And for those of us who are endeavouring to live right, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And the corollary to that is this: if we endure to the very end, then the future will be even more glorious and marvellous than we can ever ask or imagine! Now doesn’t that give us good reason to endure right down to the very end? It surely does! Much LOVE!
…and this is the confidence that we have in him…that if we ask anything…according to his will…he heareth us… (1 John 5:14)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
09 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a word to the wise is sufficient, acclamations of faith, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, called me to his eternal glory in Christ, during the rough times, easy to be a friend in good times, endure to the end, Euripides, every idle word that men speak, fair-weather friends, friends show their love in times of trouble, friends show their true mettle, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, he shall direct thy paths, he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God, I am an overcomer through Christ, I will be debt free in God's time, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in the day of judgement, Karen Del Tatto, keep the door of my lips, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, more glorious than we can ask or imagine, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, night-owl activities, not turning back, restore me and make me strong, separate the sheep from the goats, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, sleeping all night experiment, social media platforms, the borrower is servant to the lender, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the God of all grace, they shall give an account of, time for Christians to stand up and be counted, to a glorious future with Jesus, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, who is he that overcometh the world, without fear of retribution
1 John 5:5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’
Well, I don’t think I’m going to try that sleeping all night experiment again for a long while nuh, because my back hurt all yesterday – and still hurts today, despite pain medication! Yes, I’ll stick with my few hours of sleep here and there and continue with my night-owl activities since I believe I can handle the lack of sleep problem better than the back pain one. End of story! (smile)
So today we’ll continue with a few more acclamations, to enlarge our repertoire of sayings that can quickly raise the level of our spirits and keep our faith strong. And this first one is accredited to the famous Greek tragedian dramatist Euripides. It says: ‘Friends show their LOVE in times of trouble, not in happiness.’ Now isn’t that saying something? It surely is! And what is it saying you ask? (smile)
That true friends come to our help in time of need, of disaster, when we are desperate and can’t see up from down. Yes, it’s easy to be a so-called friend in the good times, but it’s during the rough times that real friends show their true mettle, show that they are not merely fair-weather friends. And that’s the type of friends we all need to encourage in our lives, especially in these sad and desperate times which we are currently experiencing. It’s now that we can truly separate the sheep from the goats, like Jesus will do when he comes back. (Matt. 25:31-46)
Now listen to this great Bible acclamation from the pen of Peter. ‘And the God of all grace, who has called me to His eternal glory in Christ, after I have suffered a little while, will Himself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast. Glory to God!’ (1 Pet. 5:10) Oh yes my people, that is the gospel truth! Our great God will indeed bring us out of any trouble when He’s good and ready, when He’s satisfied that we’ve learned something valuable from the situation. And yes, it’s somewhat long, but it’s worth learning if it can lift our spirits.
Then there is this one: ‘I will be debt free in God’s time! Glory Hallelujah!’ Now that is an acclamation that many of us need to declare, believe and do our part in working towards it, because it won’t come through if we keep running up unnecessary debt which is so easy to get nowadays. And for that we have to thank Cousin Sol as he tells us in Proverbs: ‘The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.’ (Prov. 22:7) And that’s more gospel truth my faithful brethren, for the lender indeed has the borrower over a barrel and can use them as puppets, pulling their strings whenever they choose.
Now this next acclamation is also one that most of us need to pray every day, the profound words of Bruh David from Psalm 141 – A Prayer for help in trouble – where he petitions the Lord to: ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door (keep watch over the door) of my lips.’ (Ps. 141:3)
And yuh better believe that the Lord will be busy all day if we ask him for that protection, because these days our mouths run like never before. Even when we don’t what we’re talking about, we all have opinions and desire greatly to express them. And the social media platforms don’t help at all. In fact, they exacerbate the problem, because we can say all kinds of things on them without fear of retribution, since they can also keep us anonymous. But unfortunately, right now talk is very cheap and plentiful and lots of people are using it for their own evil and perverted purposes.
However, please, let’s remember these very important statements of Jesus about talking. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37) So, as they say, a word to the wise is sufficient. (smile)
Now here is an interesting acclamation based on so many Bible verses. ‘I am an overcomer through Christ!’ Oh yeah! We ought to be friends, because Christ told us in no uncertain terms that He has already overcome the world, so we don’t need to worry about it. And we all know this scripture: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now it’s up to us to sincerely believe it and put it to work.
And John corroborates Christ’s words in his first epistle, where he declares: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:3-5) He could not put it any clearer friends. Those who are born again, who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, are the ones enabled to overcome this evil and ungodly world.
And this article on the subject by Karen Del Tatto on the growingtogetheringraceandknowledge.blog.com website tells us that the best way to be overcomers in Christ is by following these verses from Proverbs that we already know, but don’t seem to put them into practice like we ought to. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
Yes my fellow saints those are two verses that if we sincerely live our lives by them, that’s confidently trust in the Lord and carry all our problems to Him, He will guide us so that we can become overcomers. Let’s remember that and put it into action nuh, especially in these turbulent and uncertain times. Now is the time for Christians to stand up and be counted, for this is the time and occasion that we were born for.
And having said all of that let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful and definitely enviable position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And believe me, if we endure until the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…why do we talk about trust in Jesus…but don’t show it in the way we live our lives…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
14 Dec 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bind them about thy neck, despise not God's chastening, disobedience, do not depend on your native instincts, endure chastening, evil ways, fellowship and intimacy with God, find favour and good understanding, God is standing by, grace and peace of God, he shall direct thy paths, honour the Lord with thy substance, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in subjection unto the Father of spirits, in the sight of God and man, it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness, lean not unto thine own understanding, length of days long life and peace, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, LOVE, my son forget not my law, no chastening for the present seems joyful, ride out any storm, share His love with the world, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, wisdom in spades, with all thy heart soul and mind, worldwide misfortune and calamity, write them upon the table of thine heart
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
The grace and peace of Almighty God to you my faithful brethren, this Tuesday morning in the Advent Season of this crazy year of 2021! And though the waters are troubled and there’s danger all around, I just want to remind us that our great God is standing by, and He’s faithfully promised that if we hold on to His marvellous Son, Jesus, the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so unselfishly for us, we will be able to ride out any storm that threatens to overwhelm us.
That’s why Cousin Sol wrote these wise words in Proverbs, under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck (like a necklace); and write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:1-4)
Ah mih people, it couldn’t get any clearer than that. Just look at the wonderful benefits that will accrue to us if we are obedient to God’s will and purpose and let mercy and truth guide our lives. We talking about seeing things like prosperous days in a long and productive life, with favour and high esteem from both God and man. Now it couldn’t get any better than that, could it? Certainly not!
And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to Moses as he instructed the Hebrew children long before that. ‘All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe (be careful to observe) to do, that ye may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto (promised) your fathers.’ (Deut. 8:1) Yes friends, the blessings of God will always fall on the obedient, faithful, truthful and merciful!
So, I wonder why our world is in such an angry uproar and consumed by so much violence and strife? Could it be because we have not kept those traits above there that please our Creator and heavenly Father? I would tend to say that our disobedience and evil ways have played, and are still playing a big part in our current worldwide misfortune and calamity. Now the Lord knows that living for Him will not always be easy, but He expects us to make a sincere effort and even went to the awesome length of sacrificing His only Son Jesus so that those who believe in Him will have divine help to live the way He desires.
And yuh know what, Cousin Sol was so conscientious and interested in our welfare that he broke down the rules for us into their most basic form. Listen as he admonishes and guides us in his wisdom. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) That’s wisdom in spades my people.
And if you still don’t understand it all, then listen as scholars explain. ‘3:5-6. Three commands are given: trust, meaning “rely on, depend on”; lean not, meaning do not depend on your own native instincts; and acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths of your life straight before you.’ Now that doesn’t mean you won’t have problems, but you can be assured that He will guide you through them, eventually working it all out for your benefit.
And Cousin Sol didn’t stop there. He continued with his wise advice. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength or refreshment) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruit of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:7-10)
Oh friends, the whole duty and wisdom of man is laid out in those verses from 1-10. If you follow them sincerely you will be so blessed and productive and prosperous that you won’t know what to do with yourself! (smile) As we said, it’s not easy to live that life in this world, but that’s why God gave us all the help He did. But we need to grasp that help and hold on to it tightly, if we want to receive the blessings that flow from living for Jesus.
And please excuse me, there’s one more important thing that Cousin Sol mentions. And this is probably the most difficult one to accept. (smile) He says: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction. For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12)
Ah mih bredrin, that’s a hard one, for none of us likes to be chastened or corrected, even when we do wrong. But our God knows that in our frailty and weakness we will make mistakes and since He is our heavenly father, it is His bounden duty to correct us, like our earthly fathers do. And He only corrects us because He LOVES us so deeply and doesn’t want to see us go astray and be lost from His fold.
And the author of Hebrews, in talking about God’s discipline, quotes those verses of Cousin Sol, then adds his two cents worth. ‘If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards (illegitimate), and not sons.
Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (as seemed best to them); but he (God) for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ (Heb. 12:7-11)
Yeh friends, living a disciplined life is tough, and when we make mistakes and get punished, we are never happy right then and there, but later on we realize that it was really for our good and it helped make us better people. And the purpose of all that we’ve said today is simply to have us use wisdom, the divine kind to live this earthly life, because when we do, it improves our entire life and existence and even flows down to the generations that come after us.
So, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live right, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and confident voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And having proclaimed that proclamation (smile), we now must go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know, LOVE and serve him like we do. Much LOVE!
…man was made to serve…to revere…and to LOVE God…with all his heart, body and soul…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
02 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be not wise in thine own eyes, bring ye all your tithes into the storehouse, compassionate heart, curse, divine protection, eternal life, faith, favour, fear the Lord and depart from evil, find favour and good understanding, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, hearing the same old lies, honour the Lord with thy substance, if I will not open the windows of heaven, if ye love me keep my commandments, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in the sight of God and man, it takes time to mature in the grace and mercy of God, lean not unto thine own understanding, let thine heart keep my commandments, living for Jesus is not a walk in the park, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, my son forget not my law, negative word, obedience, pitfalls, pour you out a blessing, prince of peace, promotion, prosper, prove me now, salvation, saved from eteranl damantion and separation, succeed, the enemy of our soul, the first fruits of all thine increase, the Lord giveth the the power to get wealth, the Lord's ever-faithful promise, the new mercies and compassions of God, there shall not be room enough to receive it, Thursday Blessings, thy presses' shall burst out with new wine, tribulations, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, walking the same old roads
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
Oh friends, this cool Thursday morning in early September is another day for us to live gratefully and enjoy the new mercies and compassions of God. And if you have been walking the same old roads that are leading you to sure destruction, and hearing the same old lies from the enemy of your soul, then it’s time to turn to the One who can change all of that, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Yes, He’s the One that LOVED us so much that He sacrificed His life that we could be saved from eternal damnation and separation from Almighty God! And yes, that’s a mighty fine thing He did there, the only One who could have accomplished it, for being eternally separated from the Creator of this universe is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human being. So please, it’s not wise to allow that selfless action of Jesus to go unused, to go to waste, by not accepting Him as Lord and Saviour, Redeemer, Prince of Peace and the many other things that He is and stands for.
But unfortunately, living for Jesus is not a nice easy walk in the park kind of life, for there are pitfalls and tribulations and all sorts of unhappy things can happen along the way. However, we are assured that despite the many problems we may face, there will also be lots of enjoyment and refreshment along the way, and eventually everything will work out for our good. That’s the Lord’s ever-faithful promise! And if you want to hook up with Jesus, you have to believe His many promises; that’s what we call faith! And with faith comes sincere obedience too.
And these wise words from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, as he exhorts us to obedience, should take first place in our hearts if we are to enjoy all the beautiful things that Christ has promised us, ending with salvation, eternal life in heaven with Him and our Triune God. So, let’s check out these most important words from the Good Book that ought to be our guide for daily living. Cousin Sol begins thus: ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.’ (Prov. 3:1)
Yes my brethren, it’s ever so important that we obey the rules and regulations involved in worshipping and living for Christ! All organizations have rules and regulations for its members to follow, otherwise there will be anarchy, with everyone doing as they please. And Jesus said it loud and clear to the disciples: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) So if you don’t intend to keep God’s commands, then you are just wasting His time and yours. And please remember that God doesn’t really need us nuh, but we definitely need Him. So all of this is for our benefit, not His.
And one of the major benefits that come from keeping His commandments is this: ‘For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov. 3:2) Oh mih people, who doesn’t want all of that eh? We all do! But we won’t get it unless we obey our heavenly Father’s commands. And Cousin Sol continues with his wise words. ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart (mind). (Prov. 3:3) And why should we do that? The answer is quite simple: ‘So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:4)
Oh people, people, there is always a good reason for accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour and obeying His commandments! It’s not just a disorganized, quickly thrown together thing. It’s taken thousands of years for this plan to come to fruition, and it’s not quite done yet. But for us to be a successful part of it we must do wise, though sometimes hard stuff like ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
Oh, how can we ever go wrong when we allow the Creator of the universe to guide our lives eh? No way! But it has to be a constant, continual way of life. Like Cousin Sol says: ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength, refreshment) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:7-8) Wow mih bredrin! Who again doesn’t want those benefits eh? We all do. But they don’t come by just wishing and hoping, but by being continually faithful, obedient and trusting!
Now hear this next directive from Cousin Sol nuh. ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:9-10) Ah mih people, that’s oh so important in the Lord’s economy, yet so many of us refuse to do it. We stubbornly refuse to give back to the Lord the first portion of what we earn or harvest through His bounty. Yes, it’s through the Lord’s bounty that we gain anything, as Moses reminded the Israelites long ago: ‘Remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth…’ (Deut. 8:18)
And it’s not like the Lord needs it nuh, but He just wants to see if we really and truly believe Him when it comes to giving. In the Old Testament times they called it a tithe, or a tenth of what you earned. And it was also a means for the priests and people who worked in the church and could not work the land or raise animals, to get food, and to have food to share with the poor and the stranger.
And it was so important to the Lord that in Malachi, He claimed that the Israelites robbed Him, then challenged them thus: ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ (Mal. 3:10)
Yes friends, that’s how generous and faithful our great God is! But we also have to be faithful and trusting by giving back a fair portion of our goods for His work. And believe me, no one that has ever tithed will tell you it doesn’t work! Now it’s not just a matter of giving to get, but it must come from a sincere place in our hearts; a place of true belief and trust. And it does take time to mature in the grace and mercy of God, so all that stuff we’ve spoken about won’t happen overnight, but we do need to make a serious effort to live it.
And when we do that, Almighty God blesses us even more, bestowing what we call our Thursday Blessings, so that we can do a good job for Him down here on earth. So let’s declare them together now nuh, because they don’t come into effect until they are declared. As one strong voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
That’s for sure my fellow saints! But now we must go out and share those blessings just as generously with others as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…for an organization to be successful…all members must obey its rules…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
01 Jun 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after their own pleasure, be not wise in thine own eyes, bind them about thy neck, despise not God's chastening, fear the Lord and depart from evil, find favour and good understanding, God dealeth with you as with sons, he for our profit, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, honour the Lord with thy substance, I am the beloved of god, if ye endure chastening, immovable unchangeable God, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in god's eyes, it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness, lean not unto thine own understanding, lenght of days, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, long life and peace, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, my son forget not my law, neither be weary of his correction, no chastening for the present seems joyful, scriptural wisdom, shall they add to your life, share His love with the world, the first fruits of all thine increase, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, to hearken than the fat of rams, to obey is better than sacrifice, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, with God and man, write them upon the table of thine heart
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Can you believe it friends, this is already the first day of June, the sixth month? The year is just flying by despite all the problems currently engulfing the world! And it’s certainly a good thing that we have a strong, staunch, unchangeable, immovable God, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, otherwise we would be an easy prey to the numerous evil elements lurking around almost every corner! So it’s rather wise to call out to our great God at all times; in the morning, in the evening and in the midnight hour, for He is indeed our very help in times of trouble and tribulation.
And that’s why these monumental words of scriptural wisdom from Cousin Sol are so important to our earthly travels. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to your life.’ (Prov. 3:1-2) Yuh see the importance of obedience to God’s commandments friends? It shall only add long life and peace to your days here on earth!
Then Cousin Sol continues: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:3-4) Ah mih bredrin, that’s the incomparable benefit of walking in mercy and truth! And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘3:3. About thy neck: The teachings should be made as much a part of one’s adornment as a necklace. The table of thine heart, that is, the mind.’
But Cousin Sol doesn’t stop there, he gets deeper into his exhortations on obedience. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) More incomparable wisdom friends!
Now hear the scholars on those two verses. ‘3:5-6. Three commands are given: trust, meaning “rely on, depend on”; lean not, meaning do not depend on your own native instincts; and acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’ Now what more can we ask for eh my fellow believers?
However, there is much more available, as Cousin Sol tells it, tells it straight and true. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with all thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:7-10)
Oh my people, if there was only one set of scriptures to describe the kind of life a believer in Jesus is supposed to live, those first ten verses of Proverbs 3, would be it! It covers everything from obedience to length of life, from trust to health, to increase and prosperity; the how’s, whys and wherefores of living for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Now why aren’t we living that wise kind of life eh? Who knows? But wisdom dictates that that’s how we ought to live, and if we don’t, then we will suffer the consequences for wrongdoing and sinful living.
But even then, our God is so wonderful, as Cousin Sol explains: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! As the scholars say of those verses: ‘God’s correction shows His LOVE (cf. Heb. 12:5-6).’
And we certainly will check out those verses which deal with God’s discipline. ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons), My son despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:5-6) So you see that discipline is as much a heavenly measure as it is an earthly one. (smile)
And the author of Hebrews takes the discipline matter a little further. ‘If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, wherefore all are partakers, then are ye bastards (illegitimate), and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (as seemed best to them); but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.’ (Heb. 12:7-10)
Now that’s a very good question my brethren? If we respect our earthly fathers who punish us according to their whims and fancies, why won’t we reverence our heavenly Father, the One who gives us life and all the good things thereof, when He disciplines us for our profit, our benefit eh? Because we’re foolish, sinful, prideful and disobedient!
And the author of Hebrews concludes that message with this insightful comment: ‘Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ (Heb. 12:11) And that’s the indisputable truth friends. Discipline or punishment never seems good for the present moment, but later on, when we look back at the situation, we usually see the benefits of it.
Anyway, if, after reading all of the above, we still continue in our foolish and disobedient ways, then what am I to say eh…except crapaud smoke yuh pipe! But for those of us who are sincerely trying to be wise and obedient, let’s go home declaring (awright!) our Tuesday Mantra.
As one strong, heart-felt voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And now, as our duty entails, let’s go out and share the awesome friendship and amazing LOVE of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…to obey is better…than to sacrifice…and to hearken…than the fat of rams… (1 Sam. 15:22)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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