14 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new commandment I give unto you, a personal relationship with Christ, anger, bitterness, by this shall all men know, Christ's body of followers, full of dead men's bones., full of hypocrisy and iniquity, given you an example, His rewards are outstanding, His yoke is easy to bear, hurry, I am the beloved of god, if ye have love one to another, in god's eyes, lack of togetherness, LOVE, love one another as I have loved you, negative emotion of hate, not what I do, not what people say about me, petty differences, sad state of affairs, share His love with the world, strife, that ye are my disciples, the best of all worlds, the goodness and mercy of Jesus, the love of God perfected, treasure Christ as Lord and Saviour, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, walk even as he walked, whited sepulchres, woe unto you Pharisees, worry
John 13:35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.
So mih bredrin, a warm and wonderful Tuesday to all you who treasure Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour! May His light and LOVE shine through us today, as we go about doing His awesome earthly work, encouraging others to come to Him and enjoy the amazing benefits of being in His blessed organization, His church, and also having a most splendiferous personal relationship with Him!
What could be better than that eh mih people; belonging to Christ’s body of followers, but also having a personal friendship with him? Absolutely nothing! Yes friends, in Jesus we have the best of ALL worlds! Never forget that! So let’s stop selling both Jesus and us short by thinking and consequently acting like He is not enough, for He surely is…and much more too!
Ah friends the ole fella’s just getting excited, as I usually do when I talk about the goodness and mercy of Jesus, because I’ve experienced so much of it during my long life, even when I didn’t know what it was. Yes, in hindsight, I can now see and realize that it was indeed the goodness and mercy of God that kept me going through some serious situations before I fully gave my life to Him.
And since I’ve done that…Brother! I’ve seen so much of His undeserved grace and mercy, that I can’t even count or remember half of them! That’s why I can confidently tell you that Jesus is an awesome friend and Saviour. His work is demanding, but His yoke is light and easy to bear, while His rewards are outstanding! Glory be my faithful brethren!
And all Jesus really desires of us is to show that most worthy and amazing attribute of LOVE in our everyday lives. When you break it down it looks like this: to LOVE the Father, LOVE Him, and LOVE ourselves and each other. Now that should not be as hard to do as we make it seem, since it’s basically showing kindness and goodness to those we meet. But unfortunately, it seems that the opposite and very negative emotion of hate, found in things like anger, bitterness, resentment, strife and unkindness, are much easier for us to propagate, since it’s that negative stuff that’s now holding our world hostage.
How sad it is my people, that goodness and mercy can’t seem to outweigh hate and its evil companions. And it’s only when we receive Jesus and hold on tightly to Him and what He stands for that we can ever hope to defeat the enemy and His wicked ways. That’s why Jesus said to the disciples: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Yes, my fellow saints, that’s the big difference between the followers of Christ and the non-followers; the followers are supposed to have LOVE for each other in words and deeds, not just meaningless talk, nor as He blasted the Pharisees. ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outside, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).’ (Matt. 23:27-28)
And sadly, that’s how too many of us supposed believers and followers of Jesus behave nowadays. That’s basically why the unbelievers don’t pay more attention to us, because we don’t truly walk our talk, that LOVE for each other is most definitely not shown in our daily dealings. Just think about all the divisions in the church of Christ nuh, with umpteen religions, sects, denominations etc., which only breed petty differences, resentment, anger and the whole host of negative emotions amongst supposed Christians.
How can that sad state of affairs draw others to Jesus eh? The enemy is more together, more as one, than we believers are. No wonder they are in the ascendance right now, while we believers are running a far second place because of our many differences and lack of togetherness.
And in his own way, John repeated Jesus’ invocation to the disciples in his first epistle. ‘And hereby we do know that we know him (Jesus), if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the LOVE of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.’ (1 John 2:3-6)
Yes friends, as the scholars so rightly inform us: ‘The test of knowing God’s LOVE is keeping His Word… While no one can or need duplicate Jesus’ atoning (earthly) ministry, His disciples are called to imitate His devotion to God and compassion for others. See John 13:15; 1 Peter 2:21.’ Those are indisputable facts, but unfortunately, our devotion to God and compassion for others is sadly lacking in these terrible times. And I believe it’s my bounden duty to highlight those two passages the scholars referred to above there.
Listen to Jesus after He had washed the disciples’ feet. ‘If I then, your Lord and Master (Teacher), have washed your feet; ye ought also to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.’ (John 13:14-15) It couldn’t get any clearer than that friends! Jesus is the example we ought to follow. Granted, we can’t do all that He did, but we surely can have much more reverence and devotion to the Father and show more simple compassion for each other.
And Peter tells it to us thus: ‘For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps.’ (1 Pet. 2:21) Don’t know what else to say nuh. So, for those of us who sincerely try to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, let’s go home declaring (yeah!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, telling the whole world who and whose we are; to whom we truly belong.
Altogether now: ‘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!’
Now, it’s our duty to go out into the world and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with the many who don’t know it! Much LOVE!
…it’s time for Christians…to play a strong and true game of…follow the Leader…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
07 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acquire a true reverence and love for God, all that do wickedly, all the proud, and share His love with the world, ashes under the soles of thy feet, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, fat like stall fed calves, God is a keeper of His promises, grow up as calves of the stall, I am the beloved of god, I am the Lord I change not, in god's eyes, in sincerity and truth, living an ever-increasing sinful lifestyle, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, our chickens are now coming home to roost, our worst nightmare, separated from God, shall be stubble, shall leave them neither root nor branch, shall the Sun of righteousness arise, summer's done, that shall burn like and oven, the day cometh, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, the one constant in our ever-changing lives, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, time to turn back to God, tread down the wicked, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, turn from our evil ways, unto you that fear my name, walk the earth in shame and disgrace, with healing in his wings, worship and reverence God
Malachi 3:6. For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Well, the summer’s done now: school’s open once more, adults back to work, whatever can open is open. But unfortunately, many of our problems are still there; the virus and its ever-expanding family, the strife, the natural disasters and their consequent fall out…and all the other negative activity that’s choosing this particular time to come against us! And sadly, we don’t seem to be handling the situation properly, for there’s no unity, no agreement on how to go about solving our problems, thus our efforts are unsuccessful.
But friends, let’s be thankful for the one constant in our everchanging lives and world: that’s Jehovah God, our Creator and Provider! Let’s be thankful that He doesn’t change…and it’s not me who says so, but the Lord Himself. Yes, He declared it long ago, through the prophet Malachi. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And it’s only through His awesome grace, mercy and great LOVE for us that we have not already been destroyed, since we have delighted in moving away from His ordinances and living an ever-increasing sinful and evil lifestyle.
And I believe that our chickens are now coming home to roost in these strange, unexpected and trying times. And if we ever hope to be rid of our many problems, or even lessen them significantly, then it’s absolutely time for us to turn back to the God of our forefathers, for He is the ONLY One who can help us solve them. The sad part is that many of us are very aware of that fact, but yet we hem and haw and find all sorts of excuses not to turn back to Almighty God, to worship and reverence Him in sincerity and truth.
I don’t know what we are afraid of. Are we putting the foolish and short-term pleasures of this wicked world above the eternal and everlasting benefits and security of our souls? It certainly seems so, since many of us, in this time of tribulation, are turning away from God, rather than turning towards Him, the God of our salvation. Now listen to some more interesting words from the prophet Malachi, re the coming day of the Lord, which the scholars tell us refers to the time of the Great Tribulation, ‘which is in view as the birth pangs for the millennial kingdom.’
Malachi declares: ‘For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.’ (Mal. 4:1) Now I think that says quite clearly that the proud and wicked will suffer irreparable harm when the Lord comes. But for some reason, many of us believe it when the Lord says that He will do good, but then erroneously think that because the Lord is good and LOVING and all that, He won’t really destroy the proud and the wicked.
Friends, that’s a rather foolish theory, because you’ve seen down through history how God has indeed destroyed the wicked. Just look at what He did to the Israelites, His chosen people, in the wilderness when they began complaining and behaving foolishly, hating the manna that they were being divinely given and wishing they back in bondage in Egypt. The Good Book says: ‘And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.’ (Num. 21:6)
Yes my people, whatever the Lord says He will do, He will do, be it good or bad in our eyes, for there is always good reason for His actions. He has been warning us since the beginning of the Good Book that the wicked will be destroyed and the faithful saved, but we obviously don’t take His warnings seriously otherwise our world would never be as sinful and evil as it currently is.
And we obviously have lost a lot of our brain power, or logical thinking as we have evolved down through the years, for the Israelites when they found themselves in hard times because of their sinful behaviour, quickly repented and returned to the God of their forefathers, like they did with that snake attack. They ran to Moses and repented and asked him to pray for them, and the Lord told Moses to make a brass serpent and hang it upon a pole, and whoever got bit by a snake could look upon the serpent and live.’ (Num. 21:7-9)
But we brainiacs of this modern world, think we invented ourselves and we don’t need God, thus we try to push Him out of our society. Well good luck with that! It won’t ever happen! Because the Lord won’t allow it to. Why can’t we learn from the fall of the very fool we follow in our wicked and sinful behaviour nuh? Lucifer the archangel had great hopes of becoming El Numero Uno and overthrowing Almighty God his Creator. So, he and some other foolish heavenly creations rebelled. And what happened to them? They were ungraciously kicked out of heaven to walk the earth in shame and disgrace and to eventually be destroyed.
But still, knowing the lying, deceitful and wicked nature of those rebellious creations, we listen to them and follow them, going against the dictates of our Creator. And yet, we don’t think that we will be eventually destroyed, just like them, if we don’t turn from our evil ways before the end of our mortal lives. Hn!
The problem here my people, is that we don’t know when our mortal lives will end. It can happen at any time, and very often the grim reaper gives us absolutely no warning. That makes it necessary for us to be always prepared. For if we die without accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we will end up separated from God, our worst nightmare. Only thing is, it won’t be a nightmare then, but a stark and frightening reality!
However, if we wisely turn back to the Lord, listen to His promise through Malachi. ‘But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall (grow up fat like stall fed calves). And ye shall tread down (trample) the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Mal. 4:2-3)
And He did it friends, when He sent Jesus Christ (the Sun of righteousness, the Messiah) to earth to die in propitiation for our sins. So please believe that God is a keeper of His promises, be they in our favour or not, and let’s wise up and realize that the many problems we and our world face will not be solved or even lessened until we once again acquire a true reverence and LOVE for Almighty God!
Now, for those of us who have already done that, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are, who we belong to lock, stock and barrel. (smile) Altogether now: ‘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 made those significant statements, it now behooves us to go out and share that awesome friendship and LOVE of Jesus with others who don’t know Him. Much LOVE!
…these times are…the beginning of sorrows…(Matt. 24:8)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
31 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a parade eof false messiahs, all glory to our Lord and Saviour -Jesus Christ, all these things must come to pass, as the days of Noah, breathing His breath of life into us, but my Father only, but of that day and hour knoweth no man, but the end is not yet, creative flamboyant stubborn nature, curtailing their celebratory agenda, deliver you up to be afflicted, don't have to worry, experiencing the ravaging power of Covid 19, false religious cults, famines and pestilences and earthquakes, for my name's sake, hanging on to the end, hated of all nations, he that shall endure to the end, I don't have to hurry, in god's eyes, iniquity shall abound, killing us willy nilly, lawlessness, LOVE, many false prophets shall rise, many shall come in my name, martyrdom, nation shall rise against nation, not what I do, see that ye be not troubled, share His love with the world, still on His throne running things, T&T Independence Day, take heed that no man deceive you, the age of the Gentiles, the beginning of sorrows, the beloved of God, the brithplace of steelpan limbo kaiso and carnival, the church age, the coming of the Son of man be, the gospel shall be preached in all the world, the level of degradation, the Lord God Jehovah, the love of many shall wax cold, the same shall be saved, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, what people say about me, work it all out for good to those who love Him, ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars
Matthew 24:13. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Awright friends, it’s Tuesday! That means we got through Monday beautifully, with the help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ of course! And if He saw fit to keep on breathing His breath of life into us today, it obviously means He has a job for us to do, and will again help us get through today in fine shape and form! All glory to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And let’s not forget that this is the last day of August, which means that cooler weather is now in the offing, as the summer season winds down. It’s also Independence Day in T&T, that marvellous li’l twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago down in the Southern Caribbean, the birthplace of Steel Pan, Limbo, Kaiso and Carnival!
Now that tells us that they are the possessors of a very creative, flamboyant, colourful and stubborn nature. Consequently, we can be assured that despite the tight Covid 19 virus lockdown, there will be much celebration today in T&T. You can bet your bottom dollar on that! Even with Babylon out in full force, the Trinbagonians will find a way to celebrate, because celebration is just a part of their natural nature! (smile)
Anyway, we’re wishing them a safe and wonderful Independence Day, and hope that they will faithfully do whatever it takes to rid themselves of the Covid 19 virus as soon as possible, since it is curtailing their celebratory agenda. All those things above there for which they are famous have now been shut down causing endless loss in all sectors of life, so the sensible thing would be to try and get rid of the virus so that life can continue in in reasonable shape.
And that’s not a message for T&T alone, but for the whole world, because all of us are still experiencing the ravaging power of the virus or bacterium or whatever you choose to call it. And it doesn’t say much for the wisdom of man, the only creature who supposedly has brains to think, when we cannot come together and destroy a sickness that’s killing us willy nilly.
Yes friends, it’s awful to see us in strife over something that’s so deadly, instead of trying to come together, learn about it and rid our society of it. Just shows the level of degradation to which our world has fallen, when cooperation in a time of a serious pandemic is so sadly lacking. But thankfully, the Lord God Jehovah is still on His throne running things, and in the long run, He will make them all work out for good to those who LOVE Him! That’s what we people of faith in Christ Jesus have to depend on and look forward to; His ever-faithful promises to guide and lead us and eventually bring us into eternal fellowship with Him.
That brings us to these interesting words of Jesus to His disciples, re signs of the end times. ‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers (various) places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.’ (Matt. 24:4-8)
Ah mih people, right now we are certainly witnessing a lot of what Jesus spoke of there. And if that’s only ‘the beginning of sorrows,’ can you imagine what the end of sorrows will be like? Hn! Obviously not very nice! But let’s continue listening to Jesus. ‘Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted (see tribulation), and they shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ (Matt. 24:9-14)
Now, that’s Jesus’ explanation of how things will wind down. And yuh better believe we have seen a lot of what He says increasingly happen down through the ages, but right now I believe it’s worse than it’s ever been. So, if we are wise, we would certainly put our house in order, for as Jesus also said of His Second coming. ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’ (Matt. 24:36-37)
Yes, just like how the people of Noah’s day were living in sinful oblivion, and the flood suddenly came and ended their good times, likewise Jesus’ Second Coming will be unexpected in a time of much sinful revelry. But let’s get back to those signs of the end time that Jesus spoke about, and try to put them into context with some explanations from the scholars.
‘24:5-14. Many shall come (vs. 5) refers to the parade of false messiahs who have now spanned the centuries of church history and have led many astray into false religious cults. Wars and rumours of wars (vs. 6) refers to peace being taken from the earth and the constant wars that have continually marked “the age of the Gentiles.” Famines and pestilences: (vs. 7) These events mark only the beginning of sorrows, “birth pangs.”
This is followed by martyrdom and the rise of false prophets and the abounding of iniquity. (vs. 9-12) The “gospel of the kingdom” (vs. 14) refers to the missionary expansion of the church in all the world. The gospel shall be preached in all the world, the inhabited world, and unto all nations, “Gentile nations,” as contrasted with the Jews. Then shall the end come would then refer to the end of the church age.’
And yuh know what mih bredrin? All those signs have happened, or are happening right now, but please note that last one, where the gospel will preached to all the inhabited world. That has been almost accomplished, and with the sudden rise in technological prowess, it won’t be long before that last sign is fulfilled. So please, let’s wake up and get ourselves together, for the day of reckoning is closer than it’s ever been. And as Jesus faithfully promised: ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ End of sermon! (smile)
Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to live right, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are, who we unequivocally belong to! Altogether now: ‘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 that’s exactly what we need to go out and do; trust our wonderful friend Jesus, and share His amazing LOVE with this crazy, ungodly world! Much LOVE!
…hanging on to the end is not easy…but with Jesus’ help…we can surely do it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
17 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great spiritual harvest, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, all men have not faith, as sheep having no shepherd, be delivered form unreasonable and wicked men, but the labourers are few, casteth out devils, do God's bidding, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, in god's eyes, in the strife of the congregation, it was never so seen in Israel, live on the broad and winding road, live on the straight and narrow road, moved with compassion, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, paid a hefty price, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, rebelled against my commandment, send forth labourers into his harvest, share His love with the world, that the word of the Lord may have free course, the god of the spirits of all flesh, the harvest truly is plenteous, the Lord is faithful, the peace and love of God, the Promised Land, they fainted and were scattered abroad, through the prince of the devils, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra
Matthew 9:37. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few:
Oh my people, may the peace and LOVE of God be with us this cloudy and humid Tuesday morning! Life might be rough, but with the Spirit of God flowing through us we can most definitely handle it without too many problems! That’s one of the many benefits that accrue to us when we sincerely accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of our lives!
So why don’t more people accept Him eh? I really don’t know nuh! Possibly because He desires His followers to live on the straight and narrow road, while many of us desire to live on the broad and winding road that has no boundaries or serious responsibilities. Who knows? That’s why it is important we pay attention to this scripture that Jesus imparted to His disciples when talking about there being few labourers for the enormous task He had in mind.
But first, let’s get the context of the situation. The Good Book relates it thus: After removing a demon from a demon- possessed man, and the people marvelled, saying, ‘It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils (demons) through the prince of the devils (demons -Satan). And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.’ (Matt. 9:32-35)
Now that’s where we pick up the story. The Good Book tells us of His reaction to the situation He encountered in His travels around the country. ‘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. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few: Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt. 9:36-38)
Oh friends, those were certainly true words back then, and with many more people in the world today than in Jesus’ time, there is an even greater need for labourers in His harvest. And the scholars give us this interesting explanation. ‘Fainted means they were distressed. The observation that they were as sheep having no shepherd is taken mainly from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, of Numbers 27:17. Verses 37 and 38 constitute one of the great missionary passages of the New Testament. Jesus pictures the world as a great spiritual harvest in need of labourers to gather it into the storehouse.’
And that’s no lie my brethren, for the amount of people who refuse to receive Christ in this modern day and age is truly amazing, despite knowing and seeing all the good and desirous things He has done, is doing, and has promised to do for mankind! And since I can’t help spoon feeding us, (smile) let’s look at that scripture in Numbers from which they say Jesus’ words were partly taken. It’s just before Moses dies, and the Lord calls him up on to mount Abarim, so that he could see the Promised Land, which he would not enter because of his earlier disobedience.
‘For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify (hallow) me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.’ (Num. 27:14) That’s when Moses disobeyed the Lord’s command. Instead of speaking to the rock, as the Lord told him, in anger at the constantly complaining Israelites, he struck the rock with his rod to produce water. (Num. 20:1-13) And for that weighty disobedience, the Lord punished him by not allowing him to lead the people into the Promised Land. But in His magnanimity, the Lord did bring him up the mountain to show him the Promised Land in the distance.
And Moses knowing and accepting his fate, ‘spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.’ (Num. 27:15-17)
Ah friends, yuh see the price we pay for sometimes what we consider small disobediences. After all the problems Moses endured while leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he was refused entry into the Promised Land because he smote the rock instead of speaking to it. It produced the same result, water for the people, but it’s ever so important for us to do exactly as the Lord tells us, because He always has a good reason. In this case, I guess He wanted the Israelites to see and experience the power of just His words, having already seen the power of His actions through Moses striking the rock with his rod.
But whatever the reason, Moses blew it and paid a hefty price. And so too can we, if we don’t pay close attention to what the Lord tells us to do. As we said before, though we might think His instructions can be changed or disregarded, He always has a good reason for them, and we ignore them at our peril. However, after wandering all over, though gleaning good information, (smile) let’s back to our topic, of there being much to harvest, but few labourers to do the work.
It’s obvious that we do need to pray that the Lord will send forth more of us to do His ever so important work of showing the many needful people in the world, the wisdom of accepting His Son, Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. That brings us to this interesting scripture of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, where he calls for prayer. ‘Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course (run free), and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).’ (2 Thess. 3:1-3)
And that’s our prayer for all of us today; that we be kept safe and sound as we go forward into this evil world to do God’s bidding. And we know that He is indeed a faithful God who will give us all we need to do His will, and won’t allow us to suffer more than we can handle. So there’s no cause for worry. Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are.
Altogether now: ‘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 made that declaration, (steupsss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others who don’t know Him, but desperately need Him! Much LOVE!
…a shortage of labourers…causes a lot of the harvest to not be reaped…thus it spoils and dies…unsaved…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
10 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a time for every purpose under heaven, a time of peace, a time of war, a time to hate, a time to love, abolished death, according to his own purpose and grace, all things work together for good, banish them from memory, be patient, before the world began, brought life and immortality to life, calamity, called according to His purpose, called us with a holy calling, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, endure until the end, fall from our lips like honey, given us in Christ Jesus, God has a sovereign design behind everything, hath long patience, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, LOVE, no one can take that from me, not according to our works, not receive evil, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, receive good at God's hand, run with patience, share His love with the world, summertime, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, the early and latter rain, the virtue all the others need, through the gospel, to every thing there is a season, to them that love God, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra
Ecclesiastes 3:1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Summertime, summertime, summertime! Well, at long last, we are getting some serious summer weather! It’s been hot and humid for the last few days, and promises to be the same for the next few! I haven’t turned off my a/c in days now…and the duchess has not complained. Wow! That means it must be really hot…or she’s just showing true LOVE, by considering my feelings more than hers. (smile) Whatever the reason, I do appreciate it since it causes less disagreements.
That brings me to these awesome words of Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher. ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:’ (Eccl. 3:1) Yes friends, he’s telling us that Almighty God has a sovereign design behind all events of life.
This we can see, read and understand from that famous passage of Bruh Paul to the Romans, that we all like to quote but don’t truly believe, or at least act like we truly believe it. The scripture says: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) In the good times, those words fall from our lips like honey, but when the rough times show up, we banish them from our memory.
But as another wise man, Job said to his wife when calamity befell them: ‘What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job.2:10) Now that’s the dilemma that we believers face: expecting good, but knowing that calamity can and most likely will happen, but nonetheless not blaming God, and believing that He will eventually work everything out for out good in the end. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially in these unprecedented times we are currently experiencing. But here are a couple of scriptures that might possibly help us to bear up under the pressure.
This first one comes from Bruh Paul to his young protégé Timothy. He reminds him of God, ‘Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’ (2 Tim. 1:9-10)
Yes friends, we need to understand that we are not here for our purposes but for God’s, and whatever He allows in our lives has a good reason behind it, whether it’s to test us, or to grow our faith. Remember, our God doesn’t go around willy nilly, without a purpose, like some of us do, but He has a reason for every move He makes. And if we have surrendered our lives to Him, then it is expected that we bear up under any strain that manifests itself in our lives. Remember too, that He never gives us more than we can bear, and with every temptation gives us the wherewithal to face it or get away from it.
And the next scripture comes from James, Jesus’ brother, as he reminds us of the need for patience in our affliction. He encourages us to ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient, stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (draws near.’ (James 5:7-8)
Oh my people, patience…patience… we need it so badly in these trying and exasperating times. And it’s one fruit of the Spirit that can only be achieved by going through unpleasant stuff. But please don’t allow those unpleasant times to cripple us or get us downhearted and ready to give up. We need to remember all those wonderful promises of the Lord to look forward to if we endure until the end.
No, it’s not easy working and living for Jesus. Neither Him nor any of His prophets and major workers had it easy. So why do we think we should have it easy eh? Because we live in a world of ease and wonderful amenities? That doesn’t make a difference because the world is still full of evil and sin, and our job is to try and reduce those negative aspects by showing others the wisdom of accepting Jesus by living a life that’s pleasing to Him, and that most definitely includes rolling with the bad times, as well as with the good.
Ah mih people, our God has provided us with all we need to do His earthly work, so it’s not as if we don’t have the tools or the wherewithal to do it. What we need is to use those tools, use them often, for like everything, practice makes perfect. Look at how we study and work hard to make our way in this earthly life. It’s the same way we need to study and work hard to make our way in the kingdom of God.
That brings us back to where we began; with the words of Cousin Sol, as he warns that there is, ‘A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ (Eccl. 3:8) Yes, a time for everything does exist. Although I don’t know how to characterize these present times. But please note that the time ‘to hate means to withdraw from intimacy and should not always be taken in an absolute sense.’ And I sincerely hope that these few words (smile) have provided some much-needed encouragement, renewed our strength, and boosted our faith in Almighty God.
Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, telling the whole world who and whose we are. As one strong 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 if those words sincerely came from our hearts, then we now need to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with the many others who don’t know Him, but so badly need Him! Much LOVE!
…patience…the virtue that all the others need…to work properly…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
03 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, a mirage, acknowledge and honour God in our celebrations, activities of the mind, All thanks and praise to the Lamb of god, all things are naked and opened, breathed into his nostrils, celebrations are not bad things, dividing asunder of soul and spirit, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, give an account of our earthly behaviour, I am the beloved of god, imperfect beings, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, just our imagination playing tricks on us, keep thy heart with all diligence, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, man became a living soul, mano a mano, no creature not manifest in his sight, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, of the joints and marrow, opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, out of it are the issues of life, pagan style rituals, part of the human's bone structure, prince of peace, reaches into the inner secrets of man's mind, ruling the roost, set our minds to it, share His love with the world, sharper than any twoedged sword, spies an oasis, the Battlefield of the mind, the breath of life, the Immaterial Part of Man, the seat of the intellect, the soul lives on forever, the Word of God is quick and powerful, to know Jesus is to love Him, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus christ, whatever captures our minds captures our hearts, who gives us the victory, whole spirit and body be preserved blameless, Wise counsellor
Hebrews 4:12a. For the word of God is quick (that’s alive, living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,
So what’s up this Tuesday morning eh friends, after a riotous Civic Holiday long weekend? Hope your work doesn’t, or didn’t interfere too much with your celebration. (smile) On a more serious note though, the Lord does expect us to enjoy our days down here on earth. So, celebrations are not bad things. Have you ever noticed the amount of feast days He mandated for the Jewish people back in the old days? Several…some even a week long! But the important thing is that we acknowledge and honour Him in ALL of our celebrations. They ought not to be just pagan style rituals, celebrations for celebrations sake, but in some manner glorify and honour our great God.
Unfortunately, in these current times, we are seeing less and less celebrations with God’s name and honour glorified, and more of them based on Satan’s desires and lifestyles. It certainly seems like our society has thrown Jehovah God to the back of the bus. We no longer consider Him, Number One, El Numero Uno. The evil enemy now seems to be ruling the roost. But friends, that’s just our imagination playing tricks on us; like a thirsty man in the desert who spies an oasis in every step he crawls…but it’s never real, always a mirage…existing just in his mind.
And that’s the same way the enemy believes that he’s winning the war. Oh, he might win a battle here and there, but the victor of the overall war is a foregone conclusion, Jehovah God, through His majestic warrior Son, Jesus Christ, possessor of the mighty two-edged sword, the Word of God! And all God’s children shouted a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All thanks and praise to the Lamb of God, who gives us the victory!’
Yes my brethren, Jesus is our mighty warrior King, our Lord, Saviour, Prince of Peace, Wise Counsellor, and ALL that we can ever hope or long for! Please, please, let us continually remember the Word of God, and let it lead and guide us in these most trying and troubled times, for it is only by, and through it, that we can ever hope to have victory in our individual lives.
And I just LOVE how the scriptures describe it. ‘For the word of God is quick (that’s alive, living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in (hidden from) his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (to give account).’ (Heb. 4:12-13)
Wow! What powerful, enlightening and remindful scriptures! So let’s see what all of it means. Listen to the scholars. ‘4:12-13.For the word of God: The reason given for one’s careful scrutiny of his life involves the reality that God is intently scrutinizing it. His word is quick (living). This word is first in the Greek and is the emphasis. God’s Word is not old or archaic; it is alive. It is not inept or inactive; it is powerful (active). It reaches into the inner secrets of man’s mind to discern even his thoughts and intents. Likewise, God’s eye sees man as though he were naked, unable to hide behind excuse or pretense.’
Now friends, that reality alone, that God can see right down into our very souls and discern our thoughts and intentions, see us as though we were naked, ought to give us serious pause and make us truly consider the way we live our lives. And don’t forget, that at the judgement day, we have to stand before Him and give account of our lives. So we cannot come with any excuses or lies, because He will know every single thought, intention and action we’ve ever done.
And then, based on verse 12, re the ‘Immaterial Part of Man,’ the scholars further offer: ‘The writer here draws an interesting parallel between the joints and the marrow, which have different functions, yet both are part of a human’s bone structure. Thoughts and intents are also two distinct activities, yet both are activities of the mind. And while the soul and spirit are distinct in function, both have an immaterial character (nothing you can actually touch or see).
When considering the nature of humanity, we must realize a person is a two-part being, that is, with body and soul. But in activity or function the body, soul, and spirit of a person each has a different function. Paul desired that his converts’ “whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23). (First Ref. Gen. 2:7; Primary Ref. 1Thess. 5:23; cf. Prov. 4:23).’
So what does it all mean eh? That since we will stand and give an account of our earthly behaviour, that we ought to try and make that earthly behaviour as good and blameless as possible. The Lord knows we will never be perfect, because He made us as imperfect beings, but He does expect us to try our best as we have daily communion with Him.
And since I like to spoon feed us so much, (smile) I am going to quote the two verses of scripture that the scholars mentioned above there. The first one says: ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen. 2:7) That’s how man came alive – both in body and soul; by receiving the breath of the living God! The material or mortal body dies, but the soul is immaterial, immortal and lives on forever.
And next up, in the words of Cousin Sol: ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ (Prov. 4:23) And per the scholars: ‘4:23. Heart could often be translated “mind” in the book. Since the Hebrews had no separate word for “mind,” the word “heart” often served to represent the seat of the intellect. The key to the whole man is his mind. Whatever captures the mind captures the man.’
And that’s the indisputable, gospel truth my people! Whatever our minds focus on, that’s where our lives will lead. Hence the truthful saying, ‘The battlefield of the mind.’ And that’s why the enemy strives to gain control of our minds above all else. But let’s remember that God’s word is stronger than anything in this world, and that through prayer and thanksgiving we can fight the enemy mano-a-mano and defeat Him. We just have to set our minds to it.
And for those of us who have made that marvellous decision, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, proudly and sincerely telling the whole wide world who and whose we are. As one strong 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!’
That means we now have to go out and put our big talk into action; sharing Jesus’ amazing LOVE and friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do. Much LOVE!
…to sincerely know Jesus…is to LOVE Him…LOVE Him like nothing…or no one else in this whole wide world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
27 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a thousand years in thy sight, abnormal weather patterns, and be glad all our days, are but as yesterday when it is past, as a watch in the night, disobedient, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, gain a heart of wisdom, glorious heights of evolution, godless lifestyle, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, intimacy with god, LOVE, natural disasters, new mercies and compassions, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, O satisfy us early with mercy, our dwelling place, place of refuge, plagued by sickness, poverty, prideful, rulers of our own destiny, share His love with the world, sinful human pride, smelling our aram, strife, teach us to number our days, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the greatest thing since sliced bread, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, we may apply our hearts unto wisdom, we may rejoice, worship idols
Psalm 90:12. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).
More new mercies and compassions from heaven on this new morning friends! Wow! Who else blesses His people with such wonderful gifts each and every day eh? No One but the mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! So why do so many of us obstinately refuse to praise and worship Him eh? Just stupid, sinful human pride yes! We think because we’ve reached such glorious heights of evolution that we are the rulers of our own destiny…
Hn! What a joke! And if we’re so great, why can’t we avoid things like death and taxes eh? (smile) Because we are not the greatest thing since sliced bread. Yeh, I know that we are supposed to be the smartest and most wonderful creation in the universe. But we certainly don’t show our wisdom when we deliberately turn away from our Creator, the One and Only Living God Jehovah and worship all sorts of idols and dead things that can do absolutely nothing for us.
And though the Jewish people way back in time might have been dense and obstinate, when life got rough and tough with them because of their disobedience, they immediately turned back to the God of their forefathers and were once more gently and LOVINGLY ensconced in the arms of their Creator. But not this generation of humanity!
Because of the medical and technological strides we’ve made, we simply think that we are so great, we don’t need anybody else, especially some God far away in someplace called heaven. So this pandemic that’s been riding roughshod over our world for over a year now, and shows no signs of really going away anytime soon, hasn’t even made us think about returning to the fold of God. Instead, many of us are still touting the disgraceful and foolish idea of ridding our society of God period!
That’s why Moses in his only psalm, Psalm 90, and thus the oldest one in the Psalter, wrote these marvellous words of truth and wisdom. ‘Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place (place of refuge) in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.’ ( Ps. 90:1-2) Yes friends, those statements must have great truth in them because no other human being had as much intimacy with God as Moses did. So he should know a thing or two about God.
And thus, he continues: ‘Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return ye children of men.’ (Ps. 90:3) And that’s exactly what our heavenly Father is pleading with us to do right now in these sick and oh so turbulent times my people! Our magnificent and magnanimous God desperately wants us to come back to his fold, so that He can heal both us and our land. But instead of listening to and obeying Him, we are becoming more stubborn, arrogant, prideful, disobedient and stupid with each passing day!
Listen to how Moses explains it nuh. ‘For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled (terrified).’ (Ps. 90:4-7)
Yes my brethren, we ought to be terrified at God’s wrath, but obviously we are not, if we’re still being totally sinful, disobedient and ungodly! And any sensible creation would realize that something is dreadfully wrong with its way of life if at one and the same time its world is being plagued by sickness and poverty, strife and all kinds of natural disasters, even to the point of abnormal weather patterns. But no, mankind, the supposed greatest creation ever, doesn’t seem to think anything’s seriously wrong with his immoral, sinful and godless lifestyle. It’s not a factor in the troubled times he’s now experiencing.
But hear Moses again nuh: ‘Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told (a mere sigh). The days of our years are three score years and ten (our lives are seventy years long); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength (boast only) labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.’ (Ps. 90:8-11)
Friends, please, let’s wake up and realize that our God is not a joke or a plaything. He’s been in existence long before we were, and will still be there long after we aren’t! Remember a thousand years to Him is only like a night watch, three hours, and consequently our lives are like a vapour that floats away after a li’l time. It’s ‘like a blade of grass that sprouts, fades, withers, and dies in a day.’ So why do we insist on being so arrogant, stubborn, prideful and disobedient eh, when we have no proper grounds to do so?
As the old people would say ‘we just smelling our aram.’ Meaning we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, we believe ourselves to be wiser and more powerful than we really are. And these words of Moses, written so far back in the past, are surprisingly still of immense importance today. He writes: ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom). Return, O Lord, how long? And let it repent thee concerning (have compassion on) thy servants. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.’ (Ps. 90:12-14)
Yeh precious people, the indisputable truth is that our world will only get better if we turn back to our God in repentance and obedience. For regardless of what or how we think, in the long run, we are definitely not masters of our own fate! And the sooner we wake up and realize that li’l fact, the better off we’ll all be. Now, for those of us who already recognize it (smile), let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In strong 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 the upshoot of that, is we must now go out and share that awesome LOVE and amazing friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him! Much LOVE!
…it’s so wonderful living and working for Jesus…but not always easy… (smile)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
20 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things are become new, as far as the east is from the west, Chirst died for us to have, come unto me all ye that labour, enjoying the abundant life, God is omniscient, God's goodness and mercy, he is a new creature, I am come that they might have life, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I will forgive their iniquity, I will give thee rest, I will remember their sin no more, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, if any man be in Christ, in god's eyes, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, no one can take that from me, not as the world giveth, old things are passed away, Peace i leave with you, share His love with the world, so far hath he removed our transgressions, sufficent unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the peace of Christ, the thief cometh but to steal, they might have it more abundantly, this is the day the Lord has made, to kill and destroy, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, we will rejoice and be glad in it
John 10:10b. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
And as we move on through life with another new day, I do hope that we are appreciating and enjoying the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. What? You don’t know anything about the abundant life Christ died for us to inherit. Oh, poor souls! Please listen to Jesus, as He talks about 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)
Yes friends, Jesus didn’t die only so that we could go to heaven, but that we could also enjoy life down here on earth. Our heavenly life doesn’t begin when we physically get to heaven, but when we receive Jesus. That’s when all the good things kick in, like the entrance of the Holy Spirit and all its wonderful fruit and God’s goodness and mercy that He lavishes on all believers in His Son Jesus Christ.
So, although life on earth can be rough, with Jesus in our hearts and souls, we can still enjoy what we have down here, boosted by the promises of what awaits us in heaven. Why do you think the psalmist wrote these marvellous words way back when eh? ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) Because God gives us a new day every 24 hours so that we can awaken fresh and bright and enjoy it. He wants us to leave the old day behind and enjoy the new one.
Why yuh think Jesus told His listeners: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (do not worry about tomorrow); for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof. (Matt. 6:34) That’s because we ought to concentrate on the day in front of us, today, for everyday has its own problems, most of which you can’t control, or even know about until you come to it. So, we should not place as much emphasis on tomorrow as we do on today.
And just a gentle reminder; (smile) you know tomorrow never comes, because we call every new day ‘today.’ That means we are always living in today, the present, not yesterday, or tomorrow. That’s why the Lord only allows us to live one day at a time. We can barely handle today, much less to worry about tomorrow, or be overly concerned about yesterday, which we can do absolutely nothing about, since it’s already long gone.
But that doesn’t stop so many of us living in the past, allowing the things that have already gone and been forgiven and forgotten by the Lord to haunt us, make us miserable so that we cannot enjoy today. Remember the words of Isaiah on the Lord’s behalf: ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.’ (Is. 43:25) And Psalm 103 graciously informs us: ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he (God) removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:12)
So why can’t we remove our own sins too eh, instead of allowing them to cloud and clog our hearts and souls and stop us from enjoying the abundant life Christ died for us to have? And remember too, God’s promise through Jeremiah of a new covenant, to put His law in the hearts of the people, so everyone will know Him and turn to Him: ‘For I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more.’ (Jer. 31:33-34)
And that’s what God did when He gave His Son’s life for us, made Him pay for our sins, then placed the Holy Spirit in the lives of all those who choose to believe in Him, that they could have close and intimate communion with Him. What’s the purpose then of Christ dying on our behalf, if we refuse to enjoy the things He died for us to have eh? None whatsoever!
Now here is an interesting question, one commentator asked. ‘Does God really forget our sins?’ The answer is not so much He forgets, but more like He chooses not to remember. God is omniscient, so He knows everything, and truly forgets nothing. He just chooses to forget our sins because Christ has already paid for them. Just like when we forgive, we choose not to remember the wrongs committed against us. But until we learn to let the past that currently burdens us, dwell in the past and live in the present with great hope for the future, we will never be able to enjoy what Christ has died to provide us.
Oh my people, our great and wonderful God desires great and wonderful things for us in this earthly life, but we have to let go of the old things before we can get those new ones. We need to take these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Corinth very seriously. ‘Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)
Yes friends, when we come to Christ, we need to become a totally new person, throwing away old bad habits and taking up new godly ones. And that’s the job of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, but He cannot do anything on His own, He needs our participation to bring about those new godly changes. And they don’t happen overnight either, that means patience is necessary. But it’s most definitely time to be wise and begin throwing away all the baggage that’s weighing us down. And we can do that if accept Christ’s invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that are labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matt. 11:28)
That’s right precious people, Christ is the answer to whatever ails us this Tuesday morning, and if we sincerely turn to Him, He will indeed give us rest from our problems. And the great thing about Christ is, that although our problems might not disappear, we can still have His peace in the midst of the mightiest storm! Hear His awesome promise: ‘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)
Oh mercy, mercy me! And that’s the gospel truth! With the peace of Christ circulating in your body and soul, you can be peaceful even amid serious calamity. But to get it, you have to go to Him and ask for it. It won’t come to you by osmosis or simply wishing for it. (smile) Now, for those of us who have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour and are revelling in His constant communion, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are.
Altogether now: ‘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!’ Glory be mih bredrin!
And it now behooves us to go out and share that awesome friendship and amazing LOVE of Christ, so that others will want to know Him by the good example we set. Much LOVE!
…when you become a new creation in Christ…life becomes…oh so exciting and adventuresome…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
13 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ascribe or attribute something to someone, Christ's redemptive work, everlasting life, forgiveness of sins, Got Questions website, grace, he hath made him to be sin for us, heading directly for hell, helps you to hold on, hope for a brighter day, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, Jesus is Love, Jesus is the power...and the glory, Jesus never leaves nor forsakes you, justification, LOVE, manifested to take away our sins, mercy, neither was guile found in his mouth, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, redemption, righteousness., sanctification, sanctified in Christ Jesus, seals you as His child, share His love with the world, spiritual discernment, surrender to Jesus, that we might be made, the doctrine of imputation, the good news, the necessities of life, the One who can heal us, the promise of eternal salvation, the righteousness of God in him, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, ump for joy, who knew no sin, wisdom, with no means of escape
2 Corinthians 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Now what’s the good news this new Tuesday morning eh friends? Well, let me tell you about it… It’s big, it’s wonderful, it’s exciting and everlasting! Yes my bredrin, the good news this morning is that Jesus is LOVE! Wow! He’s the One whom we can turn to for all the necessities of life! And be assured that He won’t let us down. He’s the One who can heal us, who can lead and guide us successfully through every which kind of storm or problem.
His is the power…and the glory…the joy and the promise of eternal salvation. He’ll pick you up when you fall, heal you when the world’s medics can’t, help you to hold on when you seem to be slipping, and comfort you when the cares of this evil and ungodly world get you down. Now, ONLY Jesus can do all of that my people! ONLY Jesus!
So, if this Tuesday morning, in these pandemic times you need any of that stuff, then the best advice, the best thing you can do, is turn to Jesus; surrender your life to Him, make Him the captain and pilot of your life. I promise you that you will never regret it. In fact, when you look back at your life, you will recognize that it was the best decision you ever made! And you’ll jump for joy and sing His praises loud, while giving Him much thanks for the awesome work He’s done in your life.
You’ll sit down and wonder, how you ever could have lived so long without Him, and bless His holy name that He finally came and found you and scooped you up in His wonderful comforting arms when your whole world was about ready to fall apart. Yes friends, that’s the kind of person our Jesus is! He comes to you when you are at your lowest point and picks you up both literally and figuratively and changes your whole life, brings it into alignment with His heavenly kingdom, providing hope for a brighter day, taking away the negativity that’s all this world offers.
And you know what precious people, the most important thing is, when you accept him as Lord and Saviour, when you surrender your soul to Him, He never, never, never leaves nor forsakes you! Wow! He seals you as His child, as His brother, friend and co-heir in righteousness forever! Now how could the news get any better than that eh?
But it does! In all that Jesus is and does, we find mercy, grace, forgiveness of sins, and everlasting life! And they endure forever, based on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, where He shed His holy, sinless blood so that we could be forgiven, took ALL of our sin on His shoulders and gave us His righteousness. And it says so right in the Bible, the Good Book, the Word of God: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21)
Now what does that verse mean eh? The first thing we need to understand was that Jesus NEVER sinned, as several Bible verses tell us. Hear John in his first epistle. ‘And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.’ (1 John 3:5) He came to take away sin, but had no sin Himself. And Peter in his first epistle, quoting Isaiah 53:9 says of Jesus. ‘Who did no sin, neither was guile (deceit) found in his mouth.’ (1 Pet. 2:22)
Even the demons knew Him, as recorded in Mark when He cast them out of an unclean man. They said to Him: ‘Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.’ (Mark 1:24) So that all points to Jesus as being totally sinless. And furthermore, if He had even had one spot of sin on Him, then He would have ceased being God, and would therefore would not have been able to save us, or pay for our sins, because only a sinless being could do that.
Anyway, I found this interesting explanation on the Biblical website ‘Got Question.’ It says: ‘If He became sin for us does not mean Jesus was sin, or a sinner, or guilty of sin, the proper interpretation can only be found in the doctrine of imputation. This is confirmed by the second part of 2 Corinthians 5:21: “So that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
To impute something is to ascribe or attribute it to someone. On the cross, our sin was imputed to Christ. That is how Christ paid our sin debt to God. He had no sin in Himself, but our sin was imputed (attributed) to Him so, as He suffered, He took the just penalty that our sin deserves. At the same time, through faith, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us. Now we can stand before God sinless, just as Jesus is sinless. We are not righteous in ourselves; rather, Christ’s righteousness is applied to us.
So, “God made him . . . to be sin for us” means that Jesus, although sinless, was treated as if He were not. Although He remained holy, He was regarded as guilty of all the sin in the world. Through imputation of our sin to Him, He became our substitute and the recipient of God’s judgment against sin. Having saved those who believe, He is now “our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
So that’s how we are saved; our sins were imputed to Jesus and now, all that He was and is, are imputed to us. ‘But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us (became for us) wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.’ (1 Cor. 1:30)
And the scholars explain: ‘Because of the Father’s work we have become intimate with Christ Jesus. Paul concludes that all of the riches of salvation exist in Christ Jesus. All that the Corinthian believers are (and consequently all believers), they owe to Him. Thus it is not in oneself, or in party alignment, or in supposed human ability that any believer ought to glory. Paul tabulates the qualities that belong to the believer in Christ. Wisdom is not merely the acquisition of intellectual skills but the gaining of spiritual discernment based on the wisdom of God as demonstrated in the cross.
Righteousness is a legal concept and has in mind the righteousness that is applied to the believer’s account the moment he believes (Rom. 5). Sanctification has already been mentioned in verse 2, “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” This contemplates the work of Christ “in” the believer, as opposed to that which he does “for” the believer in justification. Redemption underlies all the above. Christ’s redemptive work opened the way for God to extend His grace to sinful man and to pour out upon him such benefits as wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.’
Mama Mia! What more can I say eh friends? Christ has done so much for us, that we would be very foolish not accept His selfless sacrifice, for if we don’t, we will, without a doubt, end up eternally separated from God. And that can by no means be a good thing! So, for those of us who are serious about accepting Christ, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are.
Altogether now: ‘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!’
Our next step is to now go out and share that awesome LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, so that they too can come to know him. Much LOVE!
…without Jesus’ awesome sacrifice…where would be eh…heading directly for hell…with no means of escape…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
06 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pit of darkness, awesome generosity, called I upon the name of the Lord, gracious is the Lord and righteous, he has heard my voice and my supplications, heartfelt thanks, hellish times, I am not what people say about me, I am the beloved of god, I am thy servant, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I found sorrow and trouble, I Love the Lord, I will pay my vows unto the Lord, I will take the cup of salvation, I will walk before the Lord, in god's eyes, in the land of the living, in the presence of all his people, LOVE, mine eyes from tears, my feet from falling, new mercies and compassions, no one can take that from me, our God is merciful, return unto thy rest O my soul, share His love with the world, tempestuous day, the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee, the love and peace that flows from Jesus, the pains of hell, the sacrifice of thanksgiving, thou hast delivered my soul from death, thou hast loosed my bonds, Tuesday Mantra, undeserving children of men
Psalm 116:9. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
We moving on friends! It’s Tuesday – a brand new day, with new mercies and compassions! Thank the Lord! So let’s leave all the heartache and anxiety of yesterday behind there nuh, where it so rightfully belongs. Today we must show gratefulness for this new day and the new blessings from our wonderful Creator. And it’s only right that we take a moment now to offer a li’l thanks.
Please pray with me. ‘Dear Lord, you are so awesome, so generous to us undeserving children of men. That’s why we want to give you thanks, and praise your holy name this Tuesday morning, as we embark on our daily journey in this sinful and ungodly world. Only with your amazing help, your awesome generosity will we be able to make it through another tempestuous day down here on earth.
So please accept our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your mercy and grace, which enable us to make life worthwhile living. And we sincerely promise to continue honouring and praising your name and walking in the path that you have chosen for us to tread. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!’
Ah mih people, I don’t know what we would do without our Lord God Almighty nuh! For certain, life would be an even greater hell than it already is. But, thankfully, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we have the God-given ability to create a heaven-like atmosphere even in the midst of hell! (smile)
And that’s the beauty of Christ Jesus – no matter what hellish times you might be going through, with Him by your side, and His Holy Spirit as your guide, you can always find peace and comfort in them! The surrounding negative circumstances won’t necessarily change, but your heart, your soul and spirit will be lifted with the LOVE and peace that flows from Jesus.
And if you don’t believe me, then please listen to the psalmist as he gives the Lord praise for deliverance from death in Psalm 116. He opens spectacularly: ‘I LOVE the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto (listened to) me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.’ (Ps. 116:1-2)
Yes friends, we must never forget to praise our great God when we come to Him, especially when He has done wonderful things for us, as the psalmist recalls. ‘The sorrows of death compassed (surrounded) me, and the pains (distress) of hell gat (laid) hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.’ (Ps. 116:3-4) Now how many of us have been ofttimes mired in such a pit of darkness eh, and called out to the Lord for help and succour? An uncountable number of us, an uncountable number of times!
And why did we cry out to Him for help eh? Because we knew what the psalmist says: ‘Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped (saved) me.’ (Ps. 116:5-6) Oh my people, my people, right there is all the cause and reason we need to give the Lord our undying thanks, LOVE and praise! For we know that He will help us in times of trouble if we call out to Him with a heavy and sincere heart!
And like the psalmist, we will be able to say: ‘Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.’ (Ps. 116:7-8) And isn’t it marvelous when the Lord lifts us out of our pit of darkness and shows us His bright lights of grace and mercy? For certain sure! Then we thankfully declare: ‘I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: I said in my haste, All men are liars. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?’ (Ps. 116:9-12)
Yes mih bredrin, that is when we have to stand tall and offer up some form of thanks and gratitude for the Lord’s awesome goodness and LOVING-kindness. And we cannot do any better than what the psalmist offered. ‘I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of all his saints.’ (Ps. 116: 13-15)
Wow! What a promise, and what an acknowledgement! Do we ever think along those lines my fellow saints of Christ? We ought to. The free gift of salvation is from the Lord and we need to tell others about it, about how He helps us in times of need, how He doesn’t’ want to lose any of His awesome creation, and the end result of eternal life with Him in heaven. Our thanks and praise must become our public witness.
Like the psalmist, we need to come to the point where we can say with utter sincerity: ‘O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid (maid servant): thou hast loosed my bonds. I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. In the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord…shout Hallelujah!’ (Ps. 116:16-19)
Oh friends, nothing less than what we have said above is worthy of God’s unfailing goodness to us! Yes, I know that we can never repay, or even come close to repaying His awesome generosity and mercy, but we do need to go to the utmost lengths that our puny and finite minds and souls will allow. It’s not a joke, but serious business, and we ought to treat it as such. Therefore, to all of us who have firmly embraced the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and are sincerely endeavouring to make known His holy name, let’s go home now, declaring (steups!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are.
Altogether now: ‘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 since we’ve promised to keep our vows to God, we are now duty bound to go out and share the awesome LOVE and amazing friendship of Jesus with others. Much LOVE!
…the Lord hath no pleasure in fools…pay that which thou hast vowed… (Eccl. 5:4b)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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