18 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a death cloud, a spirit of fear, brilliant deduction, dr robert h schuller, fabricated a terrifying ghost, fear not, fearless hearts, God is not the inventor of fear, God's peace, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I am the Lord your God, I the Lord thy God, I will help thee, in god's eyes, indescribable peace, it's our own fault, joint pains, let not your heart be troubled, like a deer in the headlights, my peace I give unto you, not like the world giveth, not loving perfectly, not what I have, not who I am, of power love and a sound mind, our trembling world is so frightened, pain pills, painful effects, pandemic, Peace i leave with you, perfect love has no fear, positive promises of God, preponderance of pain, racial protests, saying unto thee, share His love with the world, spiritual therapy, stand strong in the Lord, steadfastness, strong voice, studying the Word, take God's promises in vain, the Holy One of Israel, the joy of living, the living truth, thou worm Jacob, thy Redeemer, trust, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, whether you do or don't do, will hold thy right hand, worry
Isaiah 41:13. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Aye mih people, the last couple of days been pretty rough on the ole fella. Yeh, the joint pains and them just been disgusting, and the pain pills and them not helping all that much either! And the sad part is that I don’t remember doing anything to exacerbate them to that extent. But on further ‘ponderation,’ I’m beginning to think that that’s the very reason for the preponderance of my recent pain: I haven’t done anything, meaning like exercise.
It certainly seems like whether you do, or don’t do, the same painful effects follow. Our bodies are certainly wonderfully made yes! (smile) But enough of my complaining, I should realize by now that the process of aging includes the preponderance of pain! Wow! What a brilliant deduction! (smile)
But here’s another brilliant deduction, this time from someone from whom we haven’t heard for a long time; one of the foundation stones of our Bit. We talking about Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) And from His Hour of Power Devotional he enlightens us on ‘God’s Peace.’
‘We take God’s promises in vain. No wonder our trembling world is so frightened!’ And isn’t that the living truth! That was written way back in at least 2004. Can you imagine what He would say if he was alive to see how frightened and panicked we are today over the pandemic and racial protests situations?
But listen to how he continues: ‘Let’s have an honest understanding. God is not the inventor of fear. He is not responsible for our worry, fear, and anxiety. It’s our own fault. If we took God’s promises seriously, we would mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, walk and never faint.’ (Is. 40:31)
Now that lines up very nicely with Bruh Paul’s revelation to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) So what does that mean eh? Simple; when we feel fear, especially the kind that just seems to trap us in an immovable position, like a deer in the headlights, then that situation is not of God but of our enemy, the devil.
And Gramps Schuller uses the example of a man who goes to bed fearing he won’t be able to fall asleep, and that will lead to lack of energy on his job, which will further lead to mind problems; he’ll crack up. And there goes his career! ‘So his imagination works overtime and before he knows it, he has fabricated a terrifying ghost that haunts his mind, and robs him of the joy of living!’
And don’t we do that sort of thing all the time my brethren? We certainly do! We imagine all sorts of problems that could crop up, but in reality will not, and then we give ourselves unnecessary headaches over them! And I like Gramps Schuller’s remedy for such situations. ‘What he needs is spiritual therapy!’ Mama Yo! Now isn’t that the gospel truth? It certainly is!
‘Let him read some of God’s wonderful promises of peace and LOVE and power and in quietness of mind he will rest in a natural sleep.’ Yes friends, that is exactly what we all need in these difficult and uncertain times, when the twin aspects of fear and panic are constantly hovering over our society like a storm, even a death cloud.
Gramps Schuller recommends this solution. ‘Quietly, gently, tenderly, let the promise of God fall softly and sweetly into your tense, tight mind.’ Then he quotes salient parts of these wonderful scriptures. I will give us the full scriptures though. ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Is. 26:3) “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)
The last quote of Gramps Schuller was simply “I am the Lord your God.’ However there are so many passages of scripture with those words attached to them, that I am not sure which one he meant; possibly all of them. (smile) I will quote this one though that seems appropriate to our current topics of fear and peace.
Hear what our great and wonderful, merciful and gracious God says through the prophet Isaiah. ‘For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.’ (Is.41:13-14)
Oh precious saints of Christ, what more must out God do to receive our sincere trust, faith and surrender eh? He’s given us so many wonderful promises in His holy Word, it’s now our duty to accept them and hold on to them and use them in a positive manner. But hear how Gramps Schuller ends this devotion nuh. ‘Reach for your Bible, friend, and underline the positive promises of God and trust them. Indescribable peace is bound to follow!’
And that I can personally testify to! So can many of you. But the problem persists: we don’t read our Bibles enough, and don’t hold on as securely to the promises found there as we ought to! We let the devil and the world infiltrate our thoughts with their fear and other nonsense too much, that’s why our minds are so uncertain and fearful when troubles come.
And my people, right now troubles are coming a mile a minute, so we need that peace, steadfastness, and trust, so we can stand strong in the Lord! That means much more of reading and studying the Word, and accepting it and living it! That’s the only way we’ll ever find peace in these trying times.
Now let’s go home declaring (yeahh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere and fearless hearts: ‘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!’
So let’s go out and do just that nuh; be the salt of the earth, rise on wings like eagles, be the light of the world! Much LOVE!
…if perfect LOVE has no fear…and we have fear…that means we’re not LOVING perfectly…
11 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light unto my path, a spiritual light, all flesh is as grass, all praise and honour, all the glory of man, as the flower of grass, continues to all generations, deluged with problems, emanates from Christ, feel helpless, friendship of Jesus, glory hallelujah, God has a plan, he who has ears to hear, hold me to the facts, I can't make it, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, in god's eyes, let him hear, no one can take that from me, ominous looking, omni-present deity, omnipotent, omniscient, our Lord and Saviour, oversized egos, physical darkness, puny minds, Ruth Harms Calkin, saints in Christ, share His love with the world, stand strong in god's promise, stands firm in the heavens, strange twistings of life, the beloved of God, the best is on the way, the fact is, the Facts, the flower falleth away, the gospel is preached unto you, the grass withereth, the greater the assurance of victory, the greater the enemy's strategy, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the word will endure forever, there is no way out, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to the Father Son and Holy Spirit, trust, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, twisting journey of life, your faithfulness, your word is eternal
Psalm 119:89-90. Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations: you established the earth, and it endures.
This Tuesday morning has opened somewhat dark and cloudy in my area, but the sun is valiantly trying to push through the dark, ominous looking clouds. How successful it will be though, is anyone’s guess. But I just want to remind us that despite the physical darkness or light of this world, we have a spiritual light that emanates from our magnificent Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ which NOTHING in this world can ever dim or darken! Wow! And all God’s children declared a loud, and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and honour be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!’
Yes friends, on those three omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present deities or God-heads, is where ALL of our praise, honour, thanks and glory ought to rest. And yuh won’t believe it nuh people, but I just went upstairs to reheat my caffeine, and lo and behold, was greeted by a brilliant burst of sunshine! The sun has actually won the battle! Just goes to show the awesome power of light over darkness! (smile) And what other encouraging words or news do we have to offer today? Well just this: ‘The Facts!’
Yeh bredrin, some awesome facts of life are what we’re talking about, as released in this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. So please pray with me: ‘Lord When I feel I can’t possibly make it When I feel deluged with problems When I feel helpless Against the strange twistings of life When I feel there is no way out The FACT is You have a plan You know what You’re about. The FACT is The greater the strategy of the Enemy The greater the assurance of victory. The FACT is The worst may seem to happen But the best is on the way. God, hold me to the facts.’
And it’s all so true my fellow saints in Christ! Whenever life seems to come against us, as the poem says so sweetly ‘the strange twistings of life,’ we need to remember that we have a heavenly Father who is the most powerful, most generous and most LOVING Being in this universe, who will not let anything evil overtake us! But the FACT is, that WE have to remember it and stand strong in His promise! And don’t worry, If we hold on to God, He will help us to hold on to the facts. The facts which are contained in these eternal words of truth, that are associated with today’s poem.
Now I’m faced with a dilemma here: you all know I’m partial to my King James version of the Word, but the NIV, the New International Version used with the poem sounds good and somewhat more appropriate than the KJV. Steups! And I was just guided by the facts: share them both! Yeah! So here goes. The KJV says: ‘For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled (stands firm) in heaven. Thy faithful ness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth (stands, endures). (Ps. 119:89-90) Now hear the NIV: ‘Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations: you established the earth, and it endures.’
Yeh mih people, they say the same basic things but just in a slightly different fashion. And for today, I think I’ll use the NIV as our Bit. Now don’t get worried my purist friends, the KJV will always be our favourite, but sometimes we do need to use other resources. (smile) That brings us to this other powerful verse from Psalm 119. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And that’s exactly what the Word was given to us for; to lead and guide us on this strange, twisting journey that we call life on earth!
But we have to read it, study it, and then keep it, do as it says. Otherwise it is of absolutely no use to us. And that’s why so many of us supposed believers are not living the full and abundant lives that Christ sacrificed his sinless life for us to have: we don’t read, study, or put the Word into action, like we ought to.
Oh fellow saints in Christ, the Word of the Lord is our most important asset and guide for earthly living. But we have to use it. Hear how Jesus describes it nuh. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ (Matt.24:35) Now that’s as simple and straightforward as it can get! Everything else may, and eventually shall pass away, but the Word of the Lord will endure forever!
So why do we doubt the Word of God eh, and not put it to proper use in our lives eh? Because we’re proud and foolish and believe that we no longer need God in our lives, we can do it all on our own. But if we look closely at the state of our world right now we’d see that we cannot make it on our own, the problems of life are too big for our finite, puny minds and oversized egos!
But please listen as Peter uses the words of Isaiah 40:6-8 to address us. ‘For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.’ (1 Pet.1:24-25) What more can I say eh friends? Not a whole lot. But just remember that one day we’ll all have to stand and answer for our deeds here on earth, and as Sun Rise says, we can’t take the big house, the big car and the plenty money with us to the grave, we have to leave them all here for others to use and abuse. (smile)
So let’s go home now declaring… (brother, can’t spell that word right for LOVE nor money!) So let’s go home now declaring (yeahh!) our Tuesday Mantra telling the world who and whose we are, to whom we gloriously belong. All together now, in strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 obvious corollary to all that is for us to now go out and share the wonderful LOVE, trust and friendship of Jesus that’s supposed to distinguish us from the rest of the world. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…
04 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chosen generation, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a temple of the Holy Ghost, bought by the Lord, called you out of darkness, covered me, different characteristics, disease, distinct, enough sleep and exercise, feel undue pressure, for a specific purpose, formed my inward parts, God has created you for a reason, God has for each individual, grow in wholeness, guide the life energy, hurry, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, I will praise thee, I'm not what I do, in god's eyes, intelligence, into his marvellous light, line up right well, mental health, my soul knoweth right well, not what I have, on a rainy note, profound significance, purity among beleivers, realing all negative thoughts, respect for God, reverence, right eating, roll off and assembly line, saints in Christ, sanctified, set aside for God's special purpose, share His love with the world, spiritual faith, take comfort, teach my body, the beloved of God, the specific plan, thou hast possessed my reins, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unique, weakness, weaved me in my mother's womb, web site what Christians want to know, Wholeness, with the precious bllod of His son, worry, your body
Psalm 139:14a. I will praise thee: for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
Well it looks like this summer Tuesday has begun on a rainy note. Wonder if we’re going to have a recurrence of yesterday with rotating rain and sunshine? It’s an interesting situation if you have nowhere to go or no weather restricting duties to perform. (smile) And thankfully I don’t have anywhere to go, or any weather restricting duties to perform… Chuh! I just remembered I have a church meeting to attend later, but that’s not until the evening time. So I should be fine with whatever happens during the day.
And do we ever have some interesting facts apparently on ‘Wholeness’ to share with you this morning. And I say apparently because there is no title to the stuff on the piece of paper and no mention of where I got it from. I just found it in my ever-growing, untidy bits of paper with great info. (smile)
And today’s info goes like this: ‘Your intelligence can guide the Life Energy in your body – I began to teach my body and got marvellous results. Speaking words of Strength and Power. Raise the life in every part of your body. Pray, asking for strength to think only kind, LOVING and sincere thoughts about your body. Release all thoughts of weakness or disease. In steadfast faith, praise and bless the life energy, the cells of your body and mind. Realize Wholeness!!! See Wholeness!!!’
That’s it friends! A teaching moment: one to raise your Life Energy and bring Wholeness to your body! But to grow in Wholeness, just like growing in spiritual faith, we have to not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. It won’t happen on its lonesome, but through our actions. So let’s begin teaching our bodies today nuh: releasing all negative thoughts of weakness and disease, while embracing wholesome ones of health in mind, body and soul. Yes, thinking only kind and LOVING thoughts about our wonderfully and marvellously made bodies!
How did Bruh David put it in Psalm 139 – The everlasting presence and power of God? ‘For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered me (weaved me) in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee: for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right (very) well).’ (Ps. 139:13-14) Yeh friends, the Lord made each one of us to be a unique and different individual! We didn’t roll off an assembly line, all one size or kind or whatever. But we each have different characteristics that line up right well with the specific plan God has for each individual.
And the web site ‘What Christians want to know,’ per David Peach, says these very true and interesting things about verse 14 above. ‘Verse 14 praises God because God created the psalmist, as well as each one of us, in a wonderful way. God made us the way we are and for a specific purpose. When we understand that, then we can have peace that whatever ailments or perceived problems we have in life are there because God ordained them. Let’s look at some beautiful truths that we can learn from this short verse.
While these truths apply to everyone, only people who have accepted Christ and have become a child of God can truly appreciate all the meaning in these verses. As you grow more in your Christian life you will probably enjoy this verse even more as you look back and see how the Lord has uniquely made you. Are you completely happy with your body and mind? What about your mental health? Take comfort in knowing God has created you the way you are for a reason. You don’t have to feel undue pressure to be like other people because God didn’t make you like other people.’
And isn’t that an awesome truth! You were made ‘fearfully’ – with reverence and respect for God, and also ‘wonderfully’- distinct or unique, which means we have to be thankful and respectful to God for our bodies as well as look after them. For as Bruh Paul says in talking of purity among believers: ‘What? Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
Yes mih bredrin! We have been made in the spiritual image of God, so that means our bodies are very important since the Spirit of God lives within them. We don’t even belong to ourselves anymore because we have been bought by the Lord with the precious blood of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and this ought to have profound significance for all believers.
As Peter puts it in describing God’s own people: ‘ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (God’s own special people); that ye should show forth (proclaim, manifest) the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’ (1 Pet. 2:9-10)
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, we are indeed special; in body, soul, spirt and God’s individual as well as corporate plans! We have been sanctified, set aside for God’s special purpose to proclaim His sovereignty and thus we need to keep ourselves, bodies, souls, and minds as clean and healthy as possible, so that we can do the job to which we have been called in a diligent and excellent manner. That means right eating, enough sleep and exercise, right thinking, reading and meditating on the Word, and generally doing good and showing compassion like our leader and example Jesus did. (Acts 10:38)
So let’s get all of that going on from today nuh, or improve it with God’s ever-available help. Now it’s time to go home, declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, boldly and confidently telling the world who and whose we are. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 natural consequence of such a bold statement is for us to now go out and share that wonderful and amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with those who don’t know or recognize Him as their Lord and Saviour! Much LOVE!
…it’s time to concentrate on wholeness…of body, soul and mind…
28 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful entity, a new commandment, amabssadors, as I have loved you, at break-neck speed, brotherly LOVE, Burt Bacharach, but for everyone, by this, disciples of Jesus, epoxy, followers of Christ, glue, God's been placed on the back burner, greetings, Hal David, his death and resurrection accompliashed, hold our world together, honour, hurry, I give unto you, in god's eyes, increase more and more, Jackie DeShannon, Jesus Christ, justified, keep his commandments, LOVE, LOVE one another, love sweet love, made righteous, non-existent in our society, not just for some, on the cross at Calvary, our Comforter, our Lord and Saviour, pandemic, perfected, political strife, praise, provider, reconciled to God, reverence, room for improvement, sacrificed His sinless life, sanctified, shall all men know, share His love with the world, sincere hearts, strife filled, strong voice, taught of God to love, the beloved of God, the evil mire, the LOVE of God, the Son of God, Top o' the morn, topsy-turvy state, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, walk as Christ walked, what the world needs now, worry, ye are my disicples
John 13:34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.
Top o’ the morn my people! And wonderful greetings from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who’s also our Comforter and Provider! And He’s asked me to convey these most faithful and worthy assurances this Tuesday morning at the end of July 2020, when our world is in a most turbulent and unrighteous state. ‘Fear Not: For, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’
Wow! What reassuring sentiments from the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so that we could be reconciled to God, justified, sanctified, made righteous and all the other wonderful things His death and resurrection accomplished. Mama Mia! How can we not LOVE and honour, praise and reverence and sincerely worship such a mighty and faithful entity eh?
That brings me to these momentous words of His to all who believe in Him. ‘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)
Oh my people, those words are ever so important on at least two levels. The first is that the attribute of LOVE, God’s highest, strongest and most pervasive attribute should also be very strong and pervasive amongst us. But then too, by us showing that wonderful thing called LOVE to each other, mankind will see and know that we are truly disciples of Jesus!
Yes friends, our showing LOVE to each other is the surest way to point out, to manifest to the world, that we are real and true ambassadors of the Son of God; the One who’s name is above every other in the universe, except the Father’s, and to whom every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of the Father.
Unfortunately though, that attribute of LOVE is not being displayed enough amongst the supposed followers of Christ, much less amongst those who deny Him. And that’s why our world is in such a divided, disunited, strife-filled and topsy-turvy state! The LOVE of God is almost non-existent in our current society. But then how can we expect it to be when God Himself doesn’t hold much sway in it. He’s been placed on the back burner, or simply kicked out of many of our lives and activities.
But the truth of the matter is that the LOVE of God is what’s so badly needed in our society to stop it from further crumbling and sinking right down into the evil mire that it’s currently headed towards at break-neck speed. But each of us supposed disciple must get up, get up NOW, and perform the actions of discipleship, particularly the showing of LOVE for each other if we’re to reclaim the world for our Lord and Saviour.
Listen to these most informative words of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians on the subject nuh. ‘But as touching (concerning) brotherly LOVE ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to LOVE one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.’ (1 Thess. 4:9-10)
Yeh friends, we’ve all been taught by God to LOVE, and many of us are trying our best to do it, but in these most trying and uncertain times, we desperately need to ratchet up that effort so that our world won’t fall apart. It’s as Jackie DeShannon’s popular song of some fifty five years ago, written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, so rightly says:
‘What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is LOVE, sweet LOVE. No not just for some, But for everyone.’ It was appropriate then when we were in the throes of the Vietnam War, and it’s ever so appropriate now when we are in the throes of a pandemic clothed with serious political strife.
And John explains what the true test of knowledge, of discipleship is. ‘And hereby we do know that we know him, 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 also to walk, even as he walked.’ (1 John 2:3-6)
Yes my people, the only way to know if we truly LOVE God and He is in us, is if are walking in His will, keeping His commandments, of which the most important is that we walk in LOVE! So please, let’s check our LOVE walk nuh, and see if it can hold up to close scrutiny. And whether it can or cannot, let’s do as Bruh Paul asks, and improve it, with God’s help obviously. We all have room for improvement, that’s for sure!
Now let’s; go home telling the world who and whose we are, as we declare (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 what true discipleship is; trusting our friend Jesus and sharing His wonderful, amazing and unconditional LOVE with the world. So let’s show some true discipleship nuh! (smile) Much LOVE!
…LOVE… the ONLY epoxy…the only glue…that can hold our world together…
21 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a complicated balancing act, a fool's wisdom, a little faith, between a rock and a hard place, bring heaven to your soul, bring your soul to heaven, calamity, called by my name, Christians, compassions, corruption, deception, disaster, explosive times, forget the Lord thy God, forgive their sin, from all my fears, from the ole school, God gives us power to get wealth, great faith, he delivered me, heal their land, heumble themselves, holy spirit, hurry, I sought the Lord, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, if my people, in god's eyes, lies, life, LOVE, manna, multitasking, negative stuff, new mercies, o magnify the Lord with me, physical distancing, pray, prayer, saints, saved him out of all his troubles, seek my face, share His love with the world, sincere hearts, social interaction, social media, summer's day, take a page from the Israelite's book, that moves heaven on earth, the abundant life, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the lack of God and godliness, the purpose of life, the tool, their faces were not ashamed, then will I hear from heaven, this poor man cried, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, turn from their wicked ways, vexing problems, walk after other gods, wise enough to repent, works of the evil one, worry, ye shall surely perish
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Aye mih people, can you believe we almost at the end of July already? Not really nuh, because my mind is saying we just celebrated Canada Day and the 4th of July so how can it be the 21st already eh? But that incredible thing we call time doesn’t seem to be waiting on me at all. The duchess tired telling me that, but I can’t seem to understand it. (smile) Anyway, it’s Tuesday, and another wonderful summer’s day in my neighbourhood, so I’ll just get out there and enjoy it, with all the new mercies and compassions and manna and whatever else that’s been showered down for our enjoyment today!
And here’s a super thought for today…don’t remember where I got it from: ‘A little faith can bring your soul to heaven. Great faith will bring heaven to your soul.’ Now isn’t that an awesome truth! All it takes is a li’l faith to get to heaven, but when your faith is strong, heaven will come to you! Wow! Now that’s something to work towards my people!
And yuh see why I don’t like social media… One of my sisters bothering me here, but still want me to write a good Bit. (smile) She doesn’t realize that I’m only black and beautiful, not superman! And also from the ole school – no good at multitasking. But yuh know what – I’ll just ignore her until I’m done! But she won’t take my ignoring…
But what’s the purpose of life if you can’t have a li’l fun with your friends and family every so often eh, especially in these highly explosive times, with all the physical distancing and lack of our normal social interaction? None whatsoever! That’s all a part of the abundant life that Christ came to earth and died that we could have. (John 10:10) And yes, we must take life seriously, but sometimes we take it too seriously, while at other times we don’t take it seriously enough!
Life is a complicated balancing act which we can only successfully balance with the help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit that dwells within us for that very purpose! That’s why these words of Bruh David from Psalm 34 are ever so important in our LOVE walk. ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.’ (Ps. 34:3-6)
Oh friends, what magnificent and encouraging words! Who else can do all of that for us eh? NOBODY! None but the great God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! That’s why we need to turn to Him in these trying and troubled times, why prayer and repentance should be our number one priorities, because He is the ONLY ONE who can help us solve the very vexing problems that are currently consuming us and driving so many of us crazy! And as I keep saying, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that some of the negative stuff we’re now experiencing is directly related to the lack of God and godliness in our society!
You can’t denigrate and try to kick out your Creator from amongst you and still be successful. As Moses asked the people of Israel: ‘Do ye thus requite (repay) the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee? Hath he not made thee, and established thee?’ (Deut. 32:6) Yeh friends, foolishly, like the Israelites, we’re repaying our great God with corruption, lies, deception, and all the other works of the evil one! So what can we expect eh?
Like Israel, every time they turned away from the God of their fathers, they experienced calamity and untold disaster. So why should we be any different eh, when it’s the very same God that we’re supposed to be worshipping? Some people seem to think we’re different, but I think that’s a fool’s wisdom. So why don’t we take another page from the Israelites book eh? When they disobeyed God and found themselves between a rock and a hard place, they were wise enough to repent and run back to Him. So why can’t we do the same thing now too? I’m sure that’s all He’s asking.
And I want to point out some scripture here that ought to drive home the point to us. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other Gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.’ (Deut. 8:18-20)
Now isn’t that exactly what we have been doing in our society? And we like to say that the Lord and His Word never change, they are the same today and forever. That means the negative consequences of disobedience won’t change either. That sounds like good logic to me. (smile) But He’s such a wonderful God and Father that He’s made provision for us to turn again to Him, whenever we’re ready. Hear what He told Cousin Sol at the dedication of the first temple. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ (2 Chr. 7:14)
Back then, they had to go to the temple to sacrifice and pray, but we’ve had Jesus sacrificed for us once and for all time, and His Spirit now dwells within us, so we don’t need to go to the temple, we can come boldly to the throne of grace, and pray anywhere, without ceasing. That’s the most significant change in that area. So please fellow saints, fellow Christians, called by Christ’s name, let’s wise up and repent and pray and seek His face nuh, so that He can hear us and heal our land…in Jesus name.
Now it’s finally time to go home, declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 obvious corollary to that is for us to go out – with care – or stay at home, and share Jesus’ amazing LOVE and beautiful friendship! Much LOVE!
…prayer…the tool that moves heaven on earth…
14 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a state of confusion, actions speak louder than words, amazing salvation, beautiful light of Jesus, brawtha, cast not away your confidence, Christians, confidence, endurance, epitome, fervent charity, friend of Jesus, gifts, God be glorified through Jesus Christ, God's unmerited favour, godly folks, godly grandmotherly woman, gossipy, great recompense of reward, helpful, hurry, icing on the cake, in all things, in god's eyes, lagniappe, LOVE, love covers a multitude of sins, loving kindness, Mavis harvey, need of patience, pandemic, perseverance, petty cliques, physical weather, proportion of faith, rango tango, resentful, reward, share His love with the world, sincere hearts, stand tough, strife, the beloved of God, the grace of God, the measure of faith, the only solution: Jesus Christ, tough people, tough times, Tuesday Mantra, tumultuous times, understanding, unified, what people say about me, worry
Hebrews 10:35. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.
And then it was a cloudy and uncertain Tuesday morning, just like the cloudy and uncertain Monday we had yesterday! But it’s oh so refreshing and wonderful when you don’t have to depend on the physical weather to get your sunshine; when you have the bright, amazing and beautiful light of Jesus and His everlasting salvation shining in your souls! Mama Mia! Yeh friends, you can tell that the ole fella is definitely glad to be alive to see another glorious day, be it physically rain or shine! It’s the only way to live this life! It also means that once we’re still here the Lord has big plans for us! Glory be!
One person who’s no longer here with us though enjoying our earthly friendship is our ever-faithful church sister Mavis Harvey. Mavis died last week, thankfully with her family by her side, after being in poor health for a long time. But you would never have known it from her staunch and positive behaviour. She was the epitome of the sweet, quiet, godly, grandmotherly woman. Didn’t say much, but whatever she said had value. She was one of the few people who religiously attended our Wednesday morning service.
And talk about stubborn! In the days before the church was shut down, Mavis, who lived a few blocks away and had some ambulatory problems, most always refused a ride to or from church unless the weather was real bad. She had her walker and that gave her exercise. She will always be remembered for her LOVING-kindness; baking stuff for the church, as well as knitting blankets and other baby stuff. It was good that our pastor, Father Jeff, was able to spend some time with her before she went home to glory. Our sincere condolences and prayers go out to her family. May your wonderful soul rest in peace Mavis, my sister.
Ah friends, for more saints like Mavis in our church families, instead of the rango- tango, gossipy, resentful, petty cliques and divisions that seem to currently proliferate. Sometimes it makes one belief that the world is more inside the church body than outside, the way we behave so much like it. And especially in these tumultuous times when unity is so badly needed, it’s sad and sorrowful that we have such a divided and fractured church.
But I firmly believe that these tumultuous times are instances that our great and mysterious God has allowed to come upon us partly for the purpose of bringing us together and showing the world that His people, Christ’s church are actually whom they claim to be; kind, LOVING, understanding, unified, helpful and godly folks, by actually doing Christ-like work amongst the poor, sick and needy. Yes, I know it’s a rather convoluted sentence, but full of truth, what I like to call a Bruh Paulian sentence. (smile)
That’s why precious people of God, I’m here to encourage us, to exhort us to take a true and sincere stand in these uncertain and trying times to be salt of the earth and lights of the world like Jesus desires of us, so that we can rebuild, renovate, fix, make right, whatever is currently wrong with His church. Remember, actions speak much louder than words, and if ever there was a time that plenty action was needed from the church it’s right now! So let’s not faint and give up during this time of pandemic and strife nuh.
Instead, let’s write this scripture indelibly in our hearts and action it with much vim and vigour. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance, perseverance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36) Yes friends, remember giving up is not in Christ’s vocabulary. And whosoever will endure to the end will receive a crown of glory. And even then, it’s not so much about the eventual reward nuh, but the fact that we LOVE and admire Jesus and all that He’s sacrificed for us and we just want to do His will as best we can. The eventual reward is just lagniappe, brawtha, icing on the cake. It’s not what should really move us.
And I think this scripture from Peter is very useful for us in these non-understandable times. ‘But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling). As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles (utterances) of God; if any man minister. Let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 4:7-11)
Oh friends, please remember that whatever we have, be it earthly wealth and power, or spiritual gifts they still belong to God, and we are only stewards down here on earth to ensure that they are well used and distributed. And please allow these words of Bruh Paul to sink deeply into our consciousness and truly live by them. ‘For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office (function): So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.’ (Rom. 12:3-6)
Ah mih people, the long and short of the story is that through the grace, the generosity, the undeserved favour of God, we have all been given certain gifts in different areas, and we must use them diligently, without grumbling or greed, to effectively promote Christ’s church. That’s it in a nutshell! (smile) And there’s truly no better time for us to come together and do our thing (stir up the gift of God) than right now when the world is in such a state of confusion and we are the ONLY ones with the ONLY solution: Jesus Christ!
Now let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 do we ever need to share Jesus’ LOVE and friendship with this sad and sorrowful world! Much LOVE!
…in tough times…tough people…namely Christians…stand tough…
07 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little child, abides for ever, at the same time, be of good cheer, bitterness, Divided Heart, facades, filthy rich Christians, foolishly mix weeds with seeds, gain the whole world, glorious summer days, hate, he that doeth the will of God, history of 2020, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, i have overcome the world, if any man love the world, in god's eyes, in me ye might have peace, lack of direction, lose his soul, love not the world, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, maelstrom, naturally sinful nature, One Year Book of Bible promises, pandemic, personal desires, physical desires, pride of life, relying on the authority of the Scriptures, resentment, righteousness., rock her doll, Ruth Harms Calkin, seek ye first the kingdom of God, self-interests, set apart for godly purposes, share His love with the world, skip rope, stife, temptations, the love of the Father is not in him, the secret chamber, the things that are in the world, the world passeth away, there will be your heart aslo, tormented, tribulation, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, U.S. presidential election, violence, walk the straight and narrow, what is a man profited, where your treasure is, why do you
1 John 2:15. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in Him.
And the glorious summer days of 2020 keep rolling along like the tumbling tumbleweed! We could certainly use a li’l rain though to cool the parched ground… and even more, some respite from the ever-present pandemic and the strife and protests that are stirring up our world into a maelstrom of bitterness, hate, resentment and violence. Ah Lord eh people, when the history of this summer – well not only of the summer, but the entire year of 2020 is written, it will consist of nothing but disturbing events – and we still have the important U.S. presidential election to come later this year.
Bubba! Can you imagine how that will resonate around the world, regardless of how it ends up! Ah Lord eh…! Will mankind ever learn? Or do we have to wait until Jesus comes back? It certainly seems like the last proposition is the correct one! (smile) And that brings us to this most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘Divided Heart.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord I am so often tormented By my lack of direction – So often disturbed By my divided heart. I am like a little child Who wants to rock her doll And jump rope at the same time. I want to obey You in part If I can choose the area of obedience. I want to be real except at those moments When compromise is more appealing.
I want to be half-motivated And half-satisfied with things as they are. I want to walk a straight path If now and then I can enjoy A few side trips into the far country. I don’t want to be a miserable sinner But neither do I feel excited About being a stoic saint. I want to be partly Yours And partly my own. But in the secret chamber Of my divided heart I am so often disquieted By the pointed question “Why do you so foolishly Mix weeds with seed?”
And yuh know what my friends, we all do just that! We want to sit on the fence and do a li’l to please God and a li’l to please ourselves. But the problem with that situation is that God doesn’t want our leftovers, or what we so generously choose to give Him. He wants ALL of us or NOTHING at all! Remember Jesus’ words as part of our discipleship: ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ (Matt. 16:26) Those are very good questions that we should all consider my people!
And Remember Jesus’ earlier advice: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yeh friends, if we seek God and His righteousness first, He will give us all the worldly things we need to make it comfortably in this world. Believe me, there are quite a lot of well off, even filthy rich Christians in this world, so it’s not like God isn’t generous when we try our best to walk the straight and narrow path and not sit churlishly on the fence.
And remember also when Jesus prayed for the disciples… ‘I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them… They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17: 9-10; 16-17) Yes friends, Jesus was very plain and straightforward about it. He knew we had to live in the world to do His will, but He did not want us to be a part of it. Instead, He desired of the Father that we be set apart for godly purposes!
But because of our naturally sinful nature, we are so enamoured of the world and all its sinful things, so easily fooled by their pretty but false, empty and deceitful facades. Oh, I know it’s not easy to bypass all those outwardly beautiful things that the world favours, but as true followers of Jesus we must do our best to stay on the straight and narrow road. That’s why John in his first epistle seriously warns us.
‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2: 15-17)
Oh my people, it couldn’t be put any clearer than that nuh! The world and all its supposedly beautiful things are run by the enemy and he wants nothing better than to get us saints of Christ, so bemused and in LOVE with his stuff that we forsake the things of God and thus besmirch or tarnish our godly reputation and testimony. But my people we need to be strong and ignore all the empty and false advances of the enemy.
And to help us, hear this explanation of the scholars re Temptation. ‘2:16. Though all people are tempted differently according to their individual weaknesses, temptations follow patterns. They appeal to three fundamental areas of life: (1) the lust of the flesh (physical desires); (2) the lust of the eyes (personal desires); and (3) the pride of life (self-interests).
Illustration: when Satan caused the fall of the race, he appealed to each of these areas of weakness (Gen. 3:6). He also appealed to them when he tempted Christ (Matt. 4:1-11), who defied Satan’s temptations by relying on the authority of the Scriptures. Application: The Christian today should also depend on the Scriptures to defeat temptation. (First Ref. Gen. 3:1-6; Primary Ref. 1 John 2:15-17; cf. Rom. 5:12.)’
And we all have been thus tempted, and it’s not always easy to refute or refuse them, but let’s hear our Lord and Saviour one more time. ‘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)
Wow! What assurance my brethren! That means we can go home today in such good spirits declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
So what we waiting for eh? Let’s go and do just that nuh! Much LOVE!
…for where your treasure is…there will be your heart also… (Matt. 6:21)
P.S. Don’t pay attention to the lateness, just check out the great substance! (smile) Much LOVE!
30 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spring of water, Always there, blessed they who hunger and thirst, but and eat, buy wine and milk, call on the name of the Lord, can't make him drink, come to the waters, comfort ye my people, condolences, eternal rest and comfort, every that thirsts, faith, for free, hurry, I'm not what I do, impoverished, in god's eyes, in the arms of the Lord, invitation to all men, Jesus Christ, lead a horse to water, like a well-watered garden, magnanimous god, make fat thy bones, merciful God, my friend Jesus, new reulations, no money, One Year Book of Bible Promises our spiritual eyes, only begotten Son, physical distancing, put foot in a church, rest in peace, righteousness., Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, satisfy thy soul in drought, seek ye the Lord, self-sufficiency, share His love with the world, the ability to see far, the beloved of God, the darkest times, the Lord shall guide thee, the New Covenant, they shall be filled, Tuesday Mantra, visited the Lord's sanctuary, whose waters fail not, worldwide sickness and strife, worry
Isaiah 58:11. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought (times of need), and make fat (strengthen) thy bones: and thou shalt be like a well-watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Oh my people, my people, finally, after about three or four months, the ole fella actually visited one of the Lord’s sanctuaries yesterday! Glory be! And was it ever good to put foot in a church again, although it was for a sad occasion, the funeral of one of our long-time friends, Herman George Gabay. And it was a fairly new Catholic church, so you know it was fine, (smile) but with all the new regulations, we could only sit in every other pew and not too close to anybody not family.
And it was indeed strange to see the fifty people now allowed for public gatherings all spread out over the large church and all the tape and ribbon and signs to keep us safely separated from each other, plus everybody, even the priest and his helpers in masks. But I guess that’s the new normal now. So, hopefully, we’ll do it responsibly and thus not have to lockdown the society again.
Anyway, my condolences go out to the Gabay Family. Herman was indeed a kind, friendly, quiet and generous man, and led a long and interesting life. And did he ever look beautiful and at peace lying there in his coffin yesterday in his off-white suit! (smile) He will be missed by all of us though.
And I have one more set of condolences to send out to the Wilson family in Tobago, as I understand that the neighbour of my youth and big brother Neil also passed away recently. He was much older than me, but I can remember growing up and seeing him dressed in his B.W.I.A (British West Indian Airlines) uniform.
In my time that was a position to which many aspired. We were never bosom chums or anything like that, but whenever we met each other, he was always friendly. I haven’t seen him in many a year, and never knew that over the years, he had become such a stalwart in Tobago politics; Chairman of the PNM party Council in Tobago, as well as ‘the heartbeat of Tobago tourism.’
May you both Herman and Neil rest in peace in the arms of the Lord, because that’s where eternal rest and comfort are to be found. And that’s not only for the dear departed my friends, but even more so for the living, as the prophet Isaiah long ago declared: ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.’ (Is. 40:1) The prophet saw salvation and comfort in Israel’s future, and that has become even more firmly entrenched for us under the New Covenant with Jesus.
And do we ever need comfort and consolation and assurance in these uncertain and trying times my brethren. We need all consuming faith so that we can stand strong and steadfast in the mighty purpose of God! And the minster at the funeral yesterday said he teaches the children that faith is the ability of our spiritual eyes to see beyond the short distance that our physical eyes can see.
And that’s oh so true friends. If we can’t see figuratively far beyond the literal distance of our physical eyes, then there’s li’l or no chance for us. If we can’t see, feel and understand that our great God is ‘Always There’ for us, as described by this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, then we’re in sad trouble.
Please pray with me: ‘So often, Lord I reach the bottom of the abyss. So often, I taste the dregs Of my own helplessness. Yet it is there, exactly there That You come to my immediate rescue. When I feel totally impoverished Of all self-sufficiency When I want to vanish into nowhere From the depths of despair I call Your name And You are always there for me!’
Now that’s the gospel truth friends! Our God is ALWAYS THERE for us – especially in the darkest times of our lives! All we have to do is call out to Him in true sincerity! And I know that these current times of worldwide sickness and strife are amongst the worst ever for many of us, that’s why I’m encouraging us, pleading with us, to call on the name of the Lord through our Saviour Jesus Christ, for He is the ONLY ONE, who can provide care, comfort, true wisdom and guidance and release from our earthly troubles!
And when we read His Word, we see that He constantly and faithfully promises to look after us if we come to Him, like in this passage from Isaiah, that’s used as the Bible verse for today’s poem. ‘And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought (times of need), and make fat (strengthen) thy bones: and thou shalt be like a well-watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.’ (Is. 58:11) And the Lord does keep His promises, but He can’t help us until we come a calling on Him. That’s why faith, strong faith is absolutely necessary in these troubled times!
And just in case you didn’t believe what Isaiah says above there, listen to him again with more substantial and faithful promises of our magnanimous and merciful God. (smile) ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.’ (Is. 55:1)
And the scholars explain thus: ‘55:1-7. God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come to eat and drink without money (or freely). He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to all men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’
Oh my people, the Lord has done all He can, right down to giving us the New Covenant though the sacrifice of His only begotten Son Jesus! Now it’s up to us to make use of all that He’s provided. And if we don’t, we can’t blame anyone else but ourselves, although nowadays we take great pleasure in playing the blame game! As they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. I can only lead you to Jesus, I can’t make you accept Him. But for those of us who have wisely done so, let’s go home now declaring {steups! – and I thought I was spelling it right oui – smile} our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 time to seriously action those statements! Much LOVE!
…blessed…are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness…for they shall be filled…
23 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a season, a time for everything, adversity, alive and kicking, be not proud, breath of life, carried away captive, cause darkness, Dr. Charles Stanley, give ear, gross darkness, hear ye, heed the warning, humble yourselves, I am the beloved of god, I am the Lord, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, in god's eyes, leave all the consequences to Him, look for light, mine eye shall weep sore, my glory will I not give to another, my praise, no one can take that from me, obey God, one and only living God, one way, pandemic sickness and unrest, run down with tears, shadow of death, share His love with the world, simultaneous onslaught, that is my name, that's who I am, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Lord hath spoken, the Lord's flock, the sin of pride, time of peace, time ot laught, time to die, time to hate, time to love, time to plant, time to sew, time to war, to everything there is a seaon, to graven images, trying to turf God out, Tuesday Mantra, turmoil, turn turn turn, turning back to Almighty God, what the world needs now is love, your feet stumble
Jeremiah 13:15. Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.
‘Turn, turn, turn!’ Oh friends, remember that popular sixties song written by Pete Seeger and made famous by the British band ‘The Byrds’? Oh, I forgot that some of you might be too young to remember! (smile) You can look it up on You Tube though. And yes, it was based on Cousin Sol’s marvellous and ever so true words from Ecclesiastes 5: ‘A time for Everything.’ Oh my people, those words are ever so important and appropriate for these troubled days. Hear them nuh, and please take them to heart.
‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born (to bear), and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get (gain), and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend (tear apart), and a time to sew (sew together); a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ (Eccl. 5:1-8)
Oh friends, oh friends, right now our world is so filled with turmoil, adversity, hate, war and tearing apart, of throwing stones, of weeping and mourning, that if we seriously hope to survive, we desperately need to turn it around and instead make it a time of LOVE, healing, sewing together, of peace, of gathering stones, of embracing, and building up, so that we can eventually laugh and dance together! As the song says, ‘What the world needs now, is LOVE, sweet LOVE!’ That’s the ONLY thing of which we have a real shortage!
But then again, how can we ever find that abundance of true LOVE that we need to make our world livable and sustainable for our descendants eh? Only ONE Way, and from ONE Place! By turning back to Almighty God, the ONE and ONLY LIVING GOD! He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Because we’ve turned away from Jehovah God, our Creator and Provider, and become dependent on our own inferior and finite wisdom, our world has fallen apart! It’s obvious that we are not fit, either in mental or emotional acumen to successfully rule ourselves.
When God gave us free will, He expected us to see that and remain under His august umbrella of safety, freedom, peace and LOVE! But when we got so big and bright and full of ourselves, we decided that we no longer needed Him. But my people, that’s the furthest thing from the truth! How can we not need the One who made us and keeps us alive and kicking through His breath of Life eh? But the long and short of the story is this my bredrin!
As Jeremiah told his people of Israel when they were turning away from God and experiencing the same sort of calamity and disaster like we’re now doing: ‘Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.’ (Jer. 13:15-16)
Yes people, the Lord is giving us a serious warning and we need to heed it without delay, otherwise we might end up like Israel, who did not listen. ‘But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive. Say unto the king and to the queen (queen mother), Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down (your rule shall collapse), even the crown of your glory.’ (Jer. 13:17-18)
And that is exactly what’s happening right now friends, the proud, evil rulers and leaders are beginning to lose their power and their glory under the simultaneous onslaught of pandemic sickness and worldwide unrest. These things have never happened together on such a worldwide scale before this, and any fool ought to see it as a serious warning of some kind. A warning that things are not right in our world and we need to change.
Now listen to this interesting explanation of the scholars: ‘13:15-17. A third illustration concerns a weary traveller in danger of being overtaken by the falling darkness of night. Such was Judah. It must renounce all pride and give God His rightful glory before the final darkness of national catastrophe engulfs it.’
Ah friends, our warning above was Jeremiah’s third example of what would happen to Judah if they did not renounce their foolish pride and return to the God of their forefathers. And, unfortunately, the same thing is being said to us today: we are in danger of being swallowed up in the evil and frightful darkness of the enemy if we don’t swallow our pride and stop trying to turf God out of our society, His Creation!
And if there’s one thing the Lord hates more than any other is the sin of pride, because it says, shouts out loud, that we don’t need Him! That’s a situation to which He has long ago made clear: ‘I AM the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is. 42:8) So for those of us who are currently bowing down to all sorts of ungodly images and idols, please let that be a serious and timely warning!
And having said all of that, let’s go home now declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
So then, let it be, let us go out and do Jesus’ will and share His awesome LOVE and friendship with a dark and unfriendly world! Much LOVE!
…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)
16 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a night of hard labour, acknowledge God's sovereignty, arise cry out in the night, at the top of every street, before the face of the Lord, cried for help, faint for hunger, for the birds, for the life of thy young children, forty years in the wilderness, get God out of our lives, godly society, going to bed early, great is thy faithfulness, hear my voice, his compassions fail not, hunger, I am the beloved of god, I can trust my friend Jesus, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I hoped in thy word, I prevented, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, in god's eyes, It is of the Lord's mercies, Lamentations, let us rejoice and be glad in it, lift up thy hands toward Him, listen, LOVE, manna, meditate in thy word, negative stuff, no one can take that from me, obey, only sensible option, pained in body and soul, pandemic sickness, pandemic struggles and protests, pour out thine heart like water, poverty, rose before, share His love with the world, strife, testimonies, the dawning of the morning, the grim reaper, the Lord fed the Israelites, they are new every morning, this is the day the Lord has made, thy commandments are truth, thy loving-kindness, Tuesday Mantra, we are not consumed, well-nourished spiritually, words of Jeremiah
Psalm 119:147. I prevented (rose before) the dawning of the morning, and cried (for help): I hoped in thy word.
‘This is the day…Yes! This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!’ Oh friends, that’s the only sensible option of the two we have today and every day: either to rejoice and be glad in it, or be miserable and sad in it! (smile) And sadly, too many of us will indeed choose that latter option – believers included.
But friends, please, please, let’s remember the momentous words of Jeremiah in his Lamentations nuh: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23)
Yeh mih people, it’s the Lord’s mercies, his LOVING-kindness that keeps us going, and they’re new every day! Wow! No stale mercies for His people! But bright and fresh ones every day, like fresh bread from the oven every morning and you just slather it with butter…Ohhh, awfully good!
It’s like the manna that the Lord fed the Israelites with for forty years in the wilderness: everyday, except on the Sabbath, they picked it up fresh. They might not have liked it, but it kept them well-nourished in their rough times. Likewise, our Lord’s new mercies everyday keeps us well-nourished spiritually every day, and we’d be foolish not to accept them and cherish them. End of sermon! (smile)
And lemme make a salient point here before we move on nuh: this thing about going to bed early is really for the birds oui, not for me. I tried it last night, went to bed much earlier than usual, spent most of the night in the bed, but did not sleep as much as I expected, and still got up late. And worst of all, I got up severely pained in body and soul, as if I’d done a night of hard labour! Steups!
So all yuh could keep this early night nonsense yes! But as for me, I’m going to stick with my night owl business yes, because although I might wake up late the odd time (smile) I don’t get up as pained in body or soul! Now that’s my position…and I’m sticking to it! Chuh! No more of this early night foolishness! And it even make me less productive too…! And now that I’ve said my piece, (smile) let’s see what the Lord has to say to us nuh.
But this morning looks like a Jeremiah Lamentations morning yes, because the Lord is also pointing out the words of Jeremiah to his people Israel when they were facing extremely rough times like we are currently. Hear him nuh: ‘Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.’ (Lam. 2:19)
Oh my people, there is so much hunger and poverty and strife and negative stuff in our world that we can never correct or even attempt to fix it without the Lord’s help! But we’ve become such a proud, haughty and know it all civilization that we blatantly refuse to acknowledge our Creator and de facto Controller and try to do it our way. With what results eh – pandemic sickness and pandemic struggles and protests in our streets! And yet we still refuse to turn back to Almighty God. How foolish is that eh?
When we were a fairly godly society, did we have as many problems? I really don’t know nuh. But I know for sure that trying to get God out of our lives right now is definitely not going to work, because He’s not going to allow us to do it. It’s His world and as He said so profoundly a long time ago: ‘I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.’ (Is. 42:8) And if we don’t believe that, then we can continue to fight the losing battle we’re currently fighting.
Oh my people, when are we going to truly realize and accept that the Most High God Jehovah is the Ruler of the universe eh, and that nothing happens without Him allowing it? We can’t control the most important aspect of our lives, that’s life itself. Regardless of how much money and power we have when the Grim Reaper comes a calling, we have to go. And even when we want to go before time, by taking our own lives, just look at how often we fail.
But listen to what the psalmist said nuh: ‘I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes. I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies. I prevented (rose before) the dawning of the morning, and cried (for help): I hoped in thy word. Mine eyes prevent (are awake through) the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.
Hear my voice according unto thy LOVING-kindness: O Lord, quicken (revive) me according to thy judgement (justice). They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law. Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.’ (Ps. 119:145-152)
Yes friends, until we begin again to seriously do the words of the psalmist; cry out sincerely for help to God, acknowledge His sovereignty, and obey His Word, our world will remain in turmoil. It’s as simple as that. The Lord is now crying out to us to turn back to Him in true repentance and acknowledgment, but unfortunately we’re not hearing His cry. So what’s to be done eh? For the relatively small amount of us who do acknowledge his sovereignty, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the rest of the world know who and whose we are.
Altogether now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 what we waiting for eh? Let’s go out and do just that nuh! Much LOVE!
…we expect the Lord to hear us when we call out to Him…but He also expects us to listen and obey…when He replies…
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