10 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: burdensome, care, chant up a storm, Christ's Church, cloven tongues, Comforter, commandments, concern, Day of Pentecost, drinking, dwell in light, eating, fallen angel, fellowship, followers of Jesus, foreign languages, Friday chant, fun, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, grievous, grow, hasn't been easy, if you love me, in Jesus name, indisputable truth, joyous abandon, keep my commandments, leggo beast, lewdness, like fire, living it up, LOVE, loved of my father, Lucifer, made mas in Jerusalem, master of your life, overcome the world, party, prince of darkness, promises, prosper, refreshed, regulations, relaxation, renewed, rest, restraint, rules, rushing wind, safely, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the extreme, the LOVE of God, the prince of light, the Spirit of truth, the weekend, the workingman, time to party, toe the party line, tomorrow you may die, truth
John 14:15. If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.
And then it was Friday…already? Yes already. Remember, it was just a short workweek, what with the Caribana Monday holiday. Ah yes! I remember now! That means we into the weekend. Yes. We’re into the weekend.
And does it ever warm the cockles of the workingman’s heart that he sings out with joyous abandon: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! And we only work four days this week! Mama Yo! Ah don’t see why they can’t make it just a four day week all the time nuh. Then we’ll have so much more time to party. Party…Party…Party!
Yeh, life is all about partying, about living it up, about eating and drinking and having a good time, wining down like we did this past Caribana weekend. What did Solomon, the wisest man ever say? Something like eat and drink today, for tomorrow you may die. Well that is exactly what we doing! So if we die tomorrow, we won’t have no regrets. Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
Ah friends, that is how the world thinks, how the unwise adherents of the prince of darkness behave. But as followers of, and true believers in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Light, we cannot afford to think or behave like that. Our Crown Prince wants us to behave with a tad more restraint than the workingman. It’s not that we can’t enjoy ourselves, but not to the extent that the world does, in terms of lewdness and leggo beast behaviour.
That difference shows up in our weekend song, our Friday Chant, a much more responsible ditty. So let’s chant up a storm now nuh, in response to the workingman’s proclamation. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that’s more like it mih breddren! We still have fun and enjoy ourselves, but we just don’t take things to the extreme, we exhibit a li’l more care and concern, like Jesus desires of us. As He says so simply and explicitly in our Bit: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’
It couldn’t get any plainer or simpler than that my people. If we LOVE Jesus we WILL keep His rules and regulations, for every organization has to have a stated, streamlined and orderly manner in which to carry out their business, if they want to grow and prosper. And that’s what Jesus definitely desires of His organization, the church!
So if we want His church to grow and prosper, we must abide by His commands, toe the party line as it were, and not behave like the irresponsible workingman. Jesus said those words in our Bit to His disciples when He was preparing to go back to heaven. Obviously they were grieved and disappointed, but He solemnly promised.
‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (orphans): I will come to you.
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that LOVETH me: and he that LOVETH me shall be LOVED of my Father, and I will LOVE him, and will manifest (reveal) myself to him.’ (John 14:16-21)
Oh mih people, what marvellous and miraculous promises, all of which have been kept! And we especially talking about the promise of the new Comforter, the Holy Spirit, which came to earth on the Day of Pentecost and made mas in Jerusalem, with a rushing wind and cloven tongues like fire sitting on the followers of Jesus.
It caused them to speak in foreign languages, and they were so excited, behaving like the workingman I suppose,(smile) that the people of Jerusalem thought they were drunk at that early hour in the morning. And Peter preached one of the best sermons ever preached. You can read all about it in Acts 2.
That’s when the Holy Ghost began to indwell ALL believers…and it still does today! Yes friends, that’s the Comforter Jesus promised, the Spirit of truth, and it certainly does all the things He promised it would. And the world still cannot see it because they don’t believe in and follow Jesus.
And we’ll end with some reinforcements from John in his first epistle. ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). For whatsoever (whosoever) is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:3-5)
Mama Mia! What indisputable truth! Only those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God can overcome this dark and evil world controlled by the fallen angel Lucifer! That’s it, plain and simple! So what shall your decision be eh? Do you want to overcome the world? I certainly hope so. Then you know what to do. Much LOVE!
…if you want to dwell in the light…and overcome the world…then you must accept Jesus as the Master of your life…
09 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a faithful ambassador brings health, allowing us to see it, be not afraid, be of good cheer, be wise, blessings, cast into hell, Christians, courage, creativity, curse, death, displeasing God, don't fear, don't let fear destroy you, easter morning, enjoy the day, every secret, fear, fear not, fearful times, fearing for his life, forgiven, forgotten, give the Lord thanks, go into Galilee, God is the revealer, indisputable truth, It is I, Jesus is the resurrection, Jesus' resurrection, Jesus' return, John Hagee, judgemental behaviour, jurisdiction, kill the body, lightning, little flock, more firepopwer, negative word, new mercies, omnipotent rule, one lawgiver, powers, precious possession, principalities, righteousness, rule our lives, seek the kingdom of God, self-control, self-discipline, share them, spiritual maturity, spoon feed, take courage, the Life, the name of Jesus, the past, the power of Jesus name, the power of Jesus' blood, the power of the cross, the power of the Word, the U.S. President, the unknown, Thor, thunder, thunderclap, Thursday Blessings, to give you the kingdom, under Jesus' umbrella, upheaval, wait, watch, wisdom, your Father's good pleasure, Zeus
Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Oh mih people, it’s a brand new day with new mercies and blessings, so let’s be wise and enjoy it and give the Lord thanks for allowing us to see it nuh!
And I’d certainly like to know what it is between me and lighting yes! Remember a couple of days ago I told you about going out on my front porch to see the rain and how two flashes of lightning immediately drove me back inside?
Well yesterday afternoon I was sitting on my porch reading, waiting for my young daughter to come and pick me up and take me out. The rain was merely drizzling, when out of the blue, a fiery bolt of Zeus’ lightning suddenly lit up the dark and dreary-looking sky. Then soon thereafter, Thor unleashed a thunderous thunderclap of thundering thunder! (smile) Hn! Yuh know where I ended up? Back inside, of course!
Ah Lord eh! A body can’t even sit down quietly on his porch without being threatened eh, without fearing for his life! (smile) And quite appropriately, today we’re going to talk about fear, starting with some wise insights on the subject from Uncle John (John Hagee).
And the first thing he says is ‘Don’t let fear destroy you.’ But sadly we live in such fearful times, when both the physical world and mankind seem to be in serious upheaval that fear is rampant, even among Christians. However, according to Uncle John, the two words that Jesus used most were ‘Fear not!’ And He did indeed tell us quite often not to be afraid, but so many of us lack spiritual maturity that we let fear rule our lives.
Now hear are some things Uncle John said we should not be afraid of in particular and good reasons why not. The first is: ‘Don’t fear death – For Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Don’t fear the past – Because it’s forgotten and forgiven. Do not fear the unknown – Because God is the revealer of every secret. Do not fear powers and principalities – Because you have the power of the cross.
You have the power of Jesus’ Name. You have the power of His Word. You have the power of His blood. You have more firepower than the U.S President… (smile) And it comes to you just with the mention of the name of Jesus!’
Glory be mih people! Yuh see all the reasons why we should not be afraid. Jesus is the omnipotent ruler of this world, and if we’re supposed to be living under His umbrella, His jurisdiction, then we should have little or no cause to be afraid of anything!
And we’ll continue by highlighting a few scriptures where Jesus told His people not to be afraid, beginning with our Bit. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’
Yes friends, that’s the indisputable truth! Why else would He have sent his most precious possession, His Son, to die for a bunch of ingrates like us eh? But we can’t just sit on our fannies and do nothing. We have to genuinely seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, as well as watch and wait for Jesus’ return.
And earlier on, while telling them whom to fear and whom not to fear, Jesus declared. ‘And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.’ (Luke 12:4-5) Oh my, my!
And as the scholars explain: ‘12:4. The body’s death is not the end of a person’s life. 12:5. God is the One with this power (to cast into hell) (James 4:12).’ And since I LOVE you all so much, and want you to know the scriptures, and know you won’t look it up for yourselves, I’ll spoon-feed you with that verse. (smile)
It occurs when James is talking about us having consideration for our brother. ‘There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?’ (James 4:12) And that’s a very good question with all the unsubstantiated judgemental behaviour that’s going on these days.
But turning back to Jesus. Listen to Him on Easter morning, having triumphantly risen from the dead. To those who first saw Him, He said: ‘Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.’ (Matt.28:10) What an occasion was Jesus’ resurrection eh friends! The most momentous occasion the world has seen so far!
And we have time for just one more of Jesus’ ‘be not afraid.’ This one to His disciples on the boat on the stormy sea, and He comes walking towards them on the water. When they saw Him, were they ever afraid and cried out in fear that it was a spirit. ‘But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I, be not afraid.’ (Matt.14:27) Ah mih breddren, what else can I say eh? You heard it all from Jesus Himself!
Now let’s go home loudly and proudly and sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings, a mark of Jesus’ bountiful benediction to His followers. All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
The next step is to go out now and share those wonderful blessings with the less fortunate, because that’s why Jesus so generously endowed us with them. Much LOVE!
…the only fear mankind should have…is that of displeasing Almighty God…
19 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a guidebook, anger, commandments, courage, creativity, curse, discern justice, fools, fresh through all the ages, generous, God's wisdom, God's Word, greed, honour, important announcement, indisputable truth, inherit glory, inspiring the prophets, legacy, lengthen thy days, long life, lustful, magnanimous, mighty in strength, negative word, none like thee, penultimate day, positive changes, poverty, promotion, putting it into practice, riches, self-control, self-discipline, selfishness, shame, share with others, sickness, statutes, strife, studying God's Word, success, successful living, summer frolic, the BIBLE, the Good Book, the principal thing, Thursday Blessings, truth, understanding, walk in my ways, ways of the world, wicked, wisdom, wise, wise in heart, workweek
Proverbs 3:35. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of the workweek, and consequently all thoughts are turning to the weekend; considering the summer frolic it will bring. And nothing’s wrong with that, it’s all a basic part of life, but friends, I have an even more important announcement to share this morning; one that will bring enormous positive changes to your life if you embrace it in the spirit it was meant to be taken.
Please remember this: ‘The Bible is God’s Word to us, still fresh through ALL the ages! And if we read it, we WILL find God’s wisdom on its pages!’ That’s indisputable truth my brethren! So please let’s do the sensible thing and read God’s word so that we can find His wisdom and apply it to our lives nuh. That’s why He spent so much time inspiring the prophets and them to write it; so that we could have a Guidebook for successful earthly living.
And if you don’t believe me, just look at the messy, disgusting, evil and foolish lives we are currently living nuh. If we were truly reading and studying God’s word and putting it into practice our world would never be in such a state of anger, hatred, strife, power hunger, greed, poverty, economic deprivation and sickness.
But unfortunately, too many of us, including supposed believers are heeding the wicked and lustful ways of the world and not seeking God and His righteousness first in our lives. Remember Jesus said that if we sought God and His righteousness FIRST, all the things of the world that we NEED would be given to us. (Matt.6:33)
But our actions prove that we don’t believe it. We still attempt to work for them in our own strength and that’s never going to work properly my people! That brings us to our Bit, immortal words of wisdom from Cousin Sol. ‘The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion (the legacy) of fools.’
And that’s gospel truth my fellow believers! The problem though is that once you go down that foolish road and discover what will be your end, it will be too late to turn back then. That’s why you need to embrace the wisdom of the Good Book and the wonderful things it offers NOW!
Let’s take a look at a few scriptures to prove our point. We’ll begin with Job’s question as he acknowledges God’s justice. I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God (can a man be righteous before God)? If he will contend (if one wished to argue) with him, he cannot answer him one (one time out) of a thousand. He (God) is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?’ (Job 9:2-4)
And the sure answer to that is ‘NOBODY has done it, and NOBODY ever will!’ Glory be my brethren! For an infinite God, our Maker and Controller, who’s ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours, is the epitome of wisdom and justice! And there’s no better passage in the Bible that speaks to the importance of the acquisition of wisdom than the situation between God and Cousin Sol in his early days as Israel’s king.
One day Cousin Sol went to Gibeon to sacrifice to the Lord, and the Lord appeared to him in a dream by night: ‘and God said. Ask what I shall give thee.’ (1Kin.3:5) And we all know Sol’s response. ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ (1 Kin.3:9)
Oh my people, my people, is that the kind of thing we ask for when God asks what we desire of Him? Very seldom! Most of the time we ask for things of the world.
And I like how the Good Book puts it: ‘And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon has asked this thing. And God said unto him. Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgement (justice);
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour: so that there shall not be any (anyone) among the kings like unto thee all thy days.’ (1 Kin.3:10-13)
Yes friends, that’s how magnanimous and generous our God can be when we ask for the right things; not stuff in pursuit of greed or selfishness. And let’s note the corollary to God’s goodness to Cousin Sol. ‘And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.’ (1 Kin.3:14)
What more can I say eh friends? Nothing but to implore us to seek the face of God and His wisdom; to read His word and apply it to our lives, so that we may dwell in the peace and joy that accompany His promises. Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on us.
In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And the next step is to go out and share it all with the less fortunate. God blessed us so that we could bless others. Much LOVE!
…wisdom is the principal thing…therefore get wisdom…and with all thy getting…get understanding… (Prov.4:7)
27 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: assurance, audacity, be glad, blood, boldness, celebration, Christ the solid rock, Christian praise, cleanness of my hands, comfort, covenant, darkness veils, day of my calamity, delighted in me, delivered me, deliverer, do our part, edifice crumbles, fall in our laps, faultless stand before the throne, flood, fortress, fruitful results, guiding light, high tower, holiness, hope, horn of my salvation, I will trust, immortals words, indisputable truth, Jesus' blood, kept the ways of the Lord, lean on Jesus' name, LOVE, many waters, mine enemies, my anchor holds, my god, my hope, my stay, my strength, oath, partnership, reap what we sow, receptive to the Word, recompensed, right hearts, righteousness, Sabbath, saved, secure foundation, sincere spirits, sinking sand, stony hearts, stormy gale, stronghold, support me, the goodness of God, The Lord is my rock, the Lord's blessings, this is the day the Lord has made, took me out, trumpet sound, unchanging grace, we will rejoice, worthy to be praised
Psalm 18:2. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).
Ah mih people, it’s that day again, the Sabbath! That means it’s time for celebration as well as holiness. And we can begin by joyfully declaring, as the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
And while we do that, we can also be wending our way to the Lord’s house to fellowship with other believers, to offer up sincere prayers, worship and give thanks for all the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, as well as to hear His word and regenerate our confidence. Wow! What an awesome God we serve my brethren!
And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with song, to loosen up our stony hearts and make them more receptive to the Word. Today’s song is an old but wonderful hymn titled ‘My hope is built on nothing less,’ written by Edward Mote back in the 19th century. And on a point of interest, have you ever noticed that many of our beloved hymns were written way back when.
Maybe it says something about the level and intensity of Christian praise and worship back then. Anyway, let’s sing, with raised voices and truthful hearts. ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in ev’ry high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the ‘whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.’
And isn’t that the indisputable truth my fellow believers! The only real safe and secure foundation on which to build is on Christ, our Rock and our Saviour. Anything else is merely sinking sand, and it’s only a matter of time before the whole edifice erected thereupon crumbles.
That’s why Bruh David could stand up and declare our Bit with utmost confidence, and so too can we many thousands of years later. ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength; in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold).’
Ah mih breddren, mih breddren what immortal words of comfort and assurance! And if we have Jesus as our guiding light, then we too ought to be able to declare them with audacity and boldness, for Jesus is indeed all those things to those who sincerely and truly believe in Him.
And if Jesus is so mighty then, Bruh David is indeed right to declare after our Bit. ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:3) And he did call upon the Lord, and the Lord saved him. (Ps.18:.4-16) Friends, yuh see how much time and trouble our Lord took to save Bruh David from his enemies? It’s the same way that He will save us if we call on Him with right hearts and sincere spirits.
Hear Bruh David again: ‘He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented (confronted) me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay (support).
He brought me forth also into a large (broad) place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.’ (Ps.18:16:21)
Oh my people, none of us have as many enemies or problems as Bruh David had back in his day, and if the Lord saved him out of them all, why would He refuse to do the same for us if we bow down and faithfully worship Him and keep His will eh? No reason whatsoever!
That means it’s all up to us. If we want to see the goodness of God, then we have to do the things that will produce it. We can’t just sit back and expect it to fall in our laps. So let’s get serious and do our part of the partnership nuh, if we want so see fruitful results.
Remember, we only reap what we sow. And if we don’t sow righteousness and LOVE, we won’t receive the Lord’s blessings. Much LOVE!
…For who is God…save (except) the Lord…or who is a rock…save (except) our God… (Ps.18:31)
11 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious day, abase, able to humble, be merry, be required of thee, be righteous, birds' claws, break off thy sins, covetous, Daniel, delivers from death, drink, drinks, driven from men, eagles' feathers, eat, eat grass, extol, extremes, fellowship, food, fool, foothold, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, give an inch, God's great earth, gorgeous weather, gospel truth, greedy, his ways justice, honour, humiliation, in Jesus name, indisputable truth, iniquities, LOVE, much goods, Nebuchadnezzar, not rich toward God, on the outside looking in, one helluva weekend, party scene, praise, profit nothing, recovery state, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, righteousness, shark0like lawyers, showing mercy, spring weather, stronghold, take a nail, take thine ease, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the dew of heaven, the King of heaven, the weekend, the workingman, thy soul, tighter guidelines, toehold, tranquility, treasures, walk in pride, week of work, wickedness, works are truth
Proverbs 10:2. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Welcome to another glorious day on God’s great earth friends! Wow! They are happening so fast and furious that I don’t know what to do with them, especially in my recovery state. I certainly can’t go out and about as I’d like to, so I just have to enjoy them in and around my li’l area. And by the way, yesterday did turn out to be bright and sunshiny too, just a bit of a strong breeze in the afternoon.
And this beautiful spring weather is just falling right into the lap of the workingman this Friday morning, as he sings his song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! The weekend is here at last mih people! And can you imagine the gorgeous weather, what that will do for our party scene? Brother! I can’t wait to get into the food and drinks and whatever else there is to get into! (smile) This will surely be one helluva weekend! Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’
And believe you me, not only the workingman is glad to see this glorious weather, we believers are equally as glad to see it, we just don’t plan on going to the extremes that he does – at least I hope so. (smile) And as we know, the major difference in our positions is one of extremes. We have tighter guidelines per Jesus’ standards than the workingman. And our Friday Chant certainly reflects it. So let’s chant up a storm now nuh:
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh friends, as believers and followers of Christ, we’re not allowed to get into the licentious behaviour that the workingman values. We have to keep our wits about us and prepare to go back out next week to work diligently for Christ again.
Now that doesn’t mean we can’t or don’t have enjoyment. It just means that we don’t go overboard with it and allow the enemy even a toehold in our souls, for then he’ll take a foothold and before you know it he’s developed a stronghold in our lives. As the old people would say, ‘you give him an inch, he’ll take a nail.’ And that’s the gospel truth! Haven’t heard that one in along while (smile)
That brings us to an interesting Bit. The wise words of Cousin Sol. ‘Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.’ More indisputable truth friends!
Stuff acquired through wickedness doesn’t give us any real benefit. We might be able to enjoy some of it down here, but in the long run, we’ll surely be left out of the kingdom of heaven. And as I keep saying, there’s no situation worse for a human being than to be left on the outside looking in when Jesus comes again.
However, when we aspire to be righteous, we’re assured of eternal life with Christ, the most blessed situation there is in all the world. Glory to God my people!
And we have a couple of examples to share. Listen to Jesus, as He tells the parable of the rich fool. This fellow had so much earthly possessions that he didn’t have space to store them. And his solution to the problem: ‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.’ (Luke 12:19)
Oh friends, that’s how too many of us behave! We consider the treasures of the world more important than they really are, and run behind them too much. But look what happens to this rich fool. ‘But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’ (Luke 12:20)
Ah mih people, that happens all the time. We store up much earthly treasure, then we die and leave those behind to fight over them, and the shark-like lawyers end up getting most of it. Does that make sense? Certainly not! And what is Jesus’ solution to that problem? ‘So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:21) Yeh friends, believers cannot be covetous and greedy, for our lives aren’t only about possessions.
Now here is an example from the other side of the coin. Remember when King Nebuchadnezzar had this dream and Daniel eventually interpreted it for him? Hear Daniel’s advice: ‘Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness (being righteous), and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening (prolonging) of thy tranquility).’ (Dan.4:27)
But yuh think king Neb listened to Daniel? No way! Twelve months later while walking in the palace and admiring all that he had done, patting himself grandly on the back, the edict from heaven came down, and immediately, ‘he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like the birds’ claws.’ (Dan.4:33)
Yeh mih breddren, for seven years king Neb was a mad man! But our God is so great and merciful, that He eventually restored Neb to sanity. And finally Neb got it, as he declared: ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the king of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he is able to abase (humble).’ (Dan.4:37)
Friends, please, let’s not forget who and whose we are, and take no great credit for our doings, because if we do, we will eventually suffer the ultimate in humiliation. Much LOVE!
…living right is the only sensible way to live…
29 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, as it is written, awesome relationship with God, be sent, belief in Jesus, blessed, bring glad tidings, call on, call upon the name of the Lord, captivity, Christ's cross, Christ's gospel, comapssionate heart, courage, creativity, curse, Daily Bread Devotional, dilemma, essential to belief, expensive price, faith, favour, friends of God, give back, glory to God, God reigns, God sends, God's Holy Will, good news, good things, hear, hearing, Holy Thursday, how beautiful, in the name of Jesus, indisputable truth, iniversal proclamation, Isaiah, knowledge, LOVE, negative word, no better news than the gospel, Old Testament, on our behalf, paid for our freedom, pains my heart, paramount, passe, preach, preach the gospel, proclaims peace, prosperity, sacrifice of Jesus, Salvation is from God, saved, selfless sacrifice, share our blessings, stalwartly endured, success, surrender, tad tardy, take everything for granted, talent, thanks and praise, the bondages of sin, the feet of them, the Son is shining, Thursday Blessings, trust, truth, wisdom, without a preacher, Zion
Romans 10:15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Ah mih people, it’s a somewhat dark and dreary looking Holy Thursday morning, and I’m making my apologies right up front. (smile) I’m a tad tardy today because I went to bed somewhat later than normal last night, or rather this morning.
But not to worry, everything’s in fine shape. The sun might not be shining but the SON definitely is, and no more brighter than on this penultimate day before we celebrate His selfless sacrifice on our behalf some two thousand years ago.
Give Him plenty thanks and praise my fellow believers, for when I think about what He so stalwartly endured for us, it severely pains my heart, although I know that if He hadn’t done it, our lives would not be as wonderful as they are today.
And this quote from a Daily Bread Devotional shows exactly what I’m talking about. ‘Because of Christ’s cross, we can become friends of God.’ Yeh friends, it’s as simple as that. If Christ had not gone to the cross, we would not be able to have the wonderful and awesome relationship we now have with Almighty God!
Mama Mia! How blessed we are but don’t truly recognize or appreciate it! Too many of us just seem to take everything for granted, but that’s not how it ought to be. A serious and most expensive price was paid for our freedom from the bondages of sin, and now we are expected to be grateful and give back something in return.
And we’re talking about things like belief in Jesus, trust, and surrender to His Holy will, living and working diligently for Him. And as another Daily Bread quote tells us: ‘There is no better news than the gospel – spread it.’ Yes my fellow believers, spreading the good news of Christ’s gospel is paramount in our living for and serving Him, because that’s how others will know and understand what He died for and come to also believe in Him.
For as Bruh Paul so plainly wrote in his missive to the church at Rome: ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Rom.10:13) But then he puts forth the dilemma inherent in accomplishing that task. ‘How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?’ (Rom.10:14)
Now those are all important questions re the furthering of the gospel: how can people believe and hear and thus call on God if no one tells them about Christ eh? That’s impossible. Thus the next verse in Bruh Paul’s message, which is our Bit for today.
‘And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’ And that’s the indisputable truth my friends and faithful believers! There’s nothing as beautiful in this whole wide world as the preaching of the good news of Christ’s gospel! Glory to God!
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘10:14-15. In presenting the universal proclamation of the gospel, Paul presents the reasons why a universal proclamation is necessary: first, because the call must be preceded by faith; second, because faith must be preceded by hearing.
This shows that knowledge is essential to belief. Faith must have a valid content; third, because hearing requires a preacher; fourth, because preaching requires being sent. The One who sends is God. Salvation is completely from God.’
And we all know that indelible truth my brethren! Without God and His great unconditional LOVE and concern for us, there’d be NO salvation whatsoever!
Now here’s a li’l something for those of us who think that the Old Testament is passé, but that’s where Bruh Paul got the basis for his proclamation above. Listen to Isaiah as he reassures his people that the Lord will deliver Zion from captivity.
‘How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings (good news), that publisheth (proclaims) peace; that bringeth good tidings of good (good news of good things), that publisheth (proclaims) salvation; that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth!’ (Is.52:7)
And several thousands of years later my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, that is still the absolute truth! Our God reigns supreme in the universe that He created! And He HAS brought salvation to us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ! Oh what better news can there be eh? NONE WHATSOEVER! Glory to God my brethren!
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, that our wonderful God has so magnanimously showered down on us because we believe. With strong conviction now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And if we sincerely believe that, then let’s go out and share those awesome blessings with others as Jesus desires. Much LOVE!
…believers lives and words…ought to be all about sharing the good news of Christ…
04 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a load of care, a sun and sheild, all is lost, angels, because of Jesus, believers in Christ, blessed, burdened, Christ has promised, comfort, confidence, conflict, constant prayer, count your blessings, courage, discouraged, enjoy the good things, everything belongs to God, face the world, fear, generosity, give thanks, God's sanctuary, grace, he who has an ear, help, hymn of praise, I can do all things, in everything give thanks, in heavenly places, in my mouth, in the face of adversity, indisputable truth, Johnson Oatman, journey's end, life's billows, lord of hosts, LOVE, maintian gratitude, makes the Lord his trust, mercy, name them one by one, plentiful, praise unto our God, put a new song, put us through our paces, respects not the proud, rise up in our hearts, sacrificial praise, song of praise, sons of Korah, spirits low on fuel, spiritual blessings, spiritual tanks, take for granted, tempest tossed, through Christ, tough times, trust in the Lord, turn aside to lies, walk uprightly withhold, wealth untold, weekly refuelling, who strengthens me, your cross seems heavy
Psalm 40:3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Oh my faithful believers in Christ, it’s time once again for the weekly refuelling of our spirits at God’s fuelling station, His sanctuary! Praise the Lord! We all can use that refuelling as the world and the enemy have certainly put us through our paces this past week and thus our spirits are low on fuel. That’s why we are coming in droves to church; to hear His word, sing praises to His holy name, fellowship with each other, and consequently refill our spiritual tanks, so that we can face the world with confidence and courage this upcoming week.
And as we’re wont to do, let’s open with a hymn of praise, an old favourite, ‘Count Your Blessings.’ It was written by one Johnson Oatman (1856-1922), born near Medford, New Jersey. And it’s said that he wrote over three thousand hymns, which means that ‘no gospel song book is considered as being complete unless it contains some of his hymns.’
Glory be mih people! Three thousand hymns are a lot of hymns yes! Wonder where he found time to write them all, especially when he was apparently a local preacher, a businessman with his father and an Insurance Agent? The important thing though is that he penned this one that we know and LOVE so much. Let’s belt it our now with sacrificial praise from our lips, and while doing that, see how many blessings we can also count. (smile)
As one harmonic choir now: ‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, *see what God has done. {*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.)
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by. (Refrain) When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy] Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. (Refrain)
So, amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, *see what God has done. {* And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.)’
Oh faithful followers of Christ, if we truly sit down and count the blessings that the Lord has poured down on us because of Jesus, will we ever be surprised! Why? Because they are so plentiful. Some of them we don’t even notice, they’ve been around for so long, that we now take them for granted. But please remember that everything in this world belongs to God, and it’s only through His wonderful generosity, mercy and grace that we can enjoy the good things that we do enjoy.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.’ Yes friends, it is an appropriate scripture for this morning. Having counted our blessings and finding so many, it’s only natural that a new song of praise to our heavenly Father will rise up in our hearts and souls!
And Bruh David follows up our Bit with this other momentous verse: ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. (Ps.40:4) What an awesome statement of indisputable truth! That’s the best way to receive blessings from Almighty God, both down here on earth and put aside some in heaven for eternal life.
As Bruh Paul said to the Ephesians: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’ (Eph.1:3) Ah mih people, the Lord has blessings stored up for us in heaven, all done through the work of Christ. That’s why Bruh Paul also advised us: ‘In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:18)
And the scholars add this explanation. ‘5:18. In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17, will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
Yeh friends, we know it’s not always easy to look up in the tough times and give thanks, but please remember what Jesus has done for us, and that it’s only through and because of him, the Father is showering so many wonderful blessings on us. And with His help, we can do ALL things. As Bruh Paul so succinctly put it: ‘I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13)
And we’ll close with these words from the sons of Korah in Psalm 84 – Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12) That says it all friends! Much LOVE!
…he who has an ear…let him hear what the scripture says…
27 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: assurance, Behold, beloved, beloved of God, bestowed on us, blasphemous, born again, breath of life, by God's hand, came unto his own, children of God, Christian faith, come running back, disobedient, enduring effect, fellow believers, finite, friend of Jesus, glory to God, grasp the concept, grow, hurry, I love you, in God's image, indisputable truth, Jesus, laugh too loud, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, LOVE one another, love personified, loving, mature, mortal man, my own way, never be in doubt, not of blood, One Year Book of Bible promises, our hearts and minds, penetrate, power to become, propitiation, put you first, quiet, reminder, reservation, right, Ruth Harms Calkin, serene, share His love, sinful, sinful nature, sob too long, spring break, steady, strong, talk too much, tenets of our faith, the Father, the sons of God, the will of man, the will of the flesh, to the very core, troubled society, true light, Tuesday Mantra, uncertain, undeserving, unsure, weak, what manner of love, willingly obey, winter season, without love, worry, wretched, wrong, You love me
1 John 3:1a. Behold, what manner of LOVE the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God.
And then it was Tuesday…and the much appreciated spring break amidst the winter season continues seemingly unabated. Oh Glory to God! And on top of that, both the sun and the SON are shining forth brilliantly today. Mama Yo! What more can a mortal man ask for eh? Not much really.
But yuh know what, in our undeserving, sinful nature, our wonderful God gives us even more. Read with me, as I share this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s simply titled ‘You LOVE Me!’
‘God When I am wretched and weak You LOVE me. When I am steady and strong You LOVE me. When I am very right Or terribly wrong You LOVE me. When I talk too much Or laugh too loud Or sob too long You LOVE me. When I am quiet and serene You LOVE me.
When I willingly obey You LOVE me. When I insist on my own way You LOVE me. When I fail to put you first You LOVE me. When I come running back to You You LOVE me. I need not beg You to LOVE me For You who are LOVE Cannot exist without LOVING.
And yet this very day, dear God I have no real assurance Of Your LOVE at all. I wonder why? (And the Lord answered) BELOVED child The fact remains I LOVE you.’
Isn’t that something now mih people! Regardless of who we are, or how we behave, our amazing God LOVES US! Even when we don’t feel His LOVE, the indisputable truth still stands; He LOVES us! He just cannot help LOVING, because He is LOVE personified!
And He caused me to share this particular poem today because He wants to remind us of that fact. He apparently sees that we don’t appreciate the true nature of His LOVE enough, that’s why we are so unsure and uncertain of ourselves in this crazy, troubled society.
Please accept this reminder my fellow believers, and let it penetrate our hearts and minds right to the very core, so that we’ll never be in doubt, in any situation whatsoever, of our great God’s true and unconditional LOVE for us. It’s one of the elementary tenets of our faith, and if we can’t accept it without reservation, then our faith will be lacking, and won’t be able to grow and mature, as it ought to.
That’s why John, in his first epistle thought it so necessary to remind us of God’s great LOVE for us, as stated in our Bit. ‘Behold, what manner of LOVE the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God.’
Ah mih breddren how can we not appreciate such an awesome bestowal eh? God didn’t have to, but He wanted to. Why? Because we are His; created by His hand, in His image, and we breathe His breath of life. And even though we have become sinful and disobedient, the facts of the matter cannot be changed.
Now listen to the scholars on our Bit. ‘3:1. Bestowed is in the perfect tense, suggesting the enduring effect of the LOVE God has given. Believers are children of God by virtue of being born of Him (2:29). Jesus stressed a connection between how the world related to God and how it would in turn relate to Christ’s true followers (John 15:18). After ‘sons of God’ the phrase “And we are” should be added, according to many ancient manuscripts.’
Yeh friends, for some reason or the other that definitive statement got left out of our version of the Good Book, but there is no doubt that we are indeed children of God, once we are born again and believe in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I think though that a part of the problem is that our minds are so small and finite, that we cannot truly grasp the concept of a mighty and holy God LOVING us, despite our sinful and blasphemous nature. But don’t we still LOVE our children though they are disobedient and go astray? So why should it be any different with God eh? Children are children, and fathers are fathers in whatever situation you place them.
Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that corroborate our Bit. John says in his gospel: ‘He (the true Light) was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power (the right) to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’ (John 1:10-13)
We couldn’t get more authority than that to become children of God. Now hear this most momentous and eye opening scripture, re the LOVE of God from John’s first epistle. ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. BELOVED, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11)
That’s our Christian faith in a nutshell right there my brethren. Please let’s practice it in all sincerity and truth nuh. Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are in strong voice.
‘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 declared it, let’s go out now and action it nuh! Much LOVE!
…regardless of what we have…if we don’t have LOVE…we are nothing…
16 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a garden plot, a good man, accumulation of things, balmy winter, beloved of God, by thy words, check out your heart, common sense, concentrate on faith, condemned, corrupt, day of judgement, deep freeze, evil man, evil things, evil treasure, evil world, faith, faith is cultivated, faithful service, friend jesus, give account, Glory be, God's LOVE, God's wisdom, good things, good treasure of the heart, grow in Christ, grow in faith, gush, hold closest to out heart, hurry, idle word, indisputable truth, justified, LOVE, lures, meritorious benefits, monitor your heart daily, moth, Our Daily Bread Devotionals, pay cnstant attention, people, plenty talk, rewards, ruin, rust, safe, share jesus' love, spiritual growth, state of our hearts, talking through their hats, there will your heart be, thieves break through and steal, treasure, treasures in heaven, trust, Tuesday Mantra, unattended hearts, unsullied by man, wandering, warned, weeds, where your treasure is, wisdom, worldly stuff, worry
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Ah friends, it’s obvious that the weather people who forecasted a mild and balmy winter were talking through their hats, (smile) as so far it has been anything but balmy. Except for the couple days last week, when the temps were above freezing, we’ve been in a deep freeze since before Christmas and the snow has been plentiful; more again yesterday afternoon and last night.
And it amuses me that every time I look outside and see the place covered in snow, I gush about how beautiful it is. Hn! Hn! Oh, it does look beautiful when it’s unsullied by man. But then, we all know that man sullies everything he touches!
And I have some wise words to share this morning from Our Daily Bread Devotionals. The first says: ‘Monitor your heart daily, to avoid wandering from God’s wisdom.’ And the second declares: ‘Spiritual growth occurs when faith is cultivated.’
Oh my people, what words of indisputable truth! Unless we pay constant attention to what’s happening with our hearts, it’s ever so easy to move away from God’s wisdom, especially with the many lures that the evil world has in place to do just that. It’s like a garden plot; if you don’t pay serious attention to it, the weeds will soon grow up and overrun it. The same thing is possible, no, inevitable with unattended hearts.
And it should be obvious that to grow in faith, we have to concentrate on faith. We won’t grow in Christ unless we specifically cultivate that growth, for whatever we concentrate on, that’s the direction in which we will go and grow. Yeh friends, we can easily be known by the state of our hearts. As Jesus so rightly states in our Bit: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’
Ah mih people, our treasure is never far from our heart, neither is our heart far from our treasure, because our treasure is what we hold closest to our heart. And Jesus warns before our Bit. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.’ (Matt.6:19-20)
What everlasting wisdom friends! In this world our treasures can be ruined by worldly stuff and people, but in heaven that’s impossible. Therefore the common sense to store treasures in heaven rather than on earth. (smile)
And the scholars add:. ‘6:19-21. The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term ‘treasures’ implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven). The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather of rewards for faithful service, as is illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’
Please note that significant difference my brethren! It’s not how much stuff we accumulate in heaven, like it is on earth, but it’s all about rewards for our faithful service here on earth. So it’s based on how much good we do here on earth. And, unlike money, and power and physical stuff, they can never be lost or destroyed. Hence again, the wisdom of storing up treasures in heaven, where they are everlastingly safe.
That brings us to another instance where Jesus links treasures with the heart. Here He is talking about good and corrupt fruit. ‘A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.’ (Matt.12:35)
There again friends, we see that what’s in our heart is what we treasure, and vice-versa, and it can be either good or bad, but we can only bring out what’s in there, be it good or bad.
Note though how Jesus continues: ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt.12:36-37)
Powerful stuff that, my fellow believers: powerful enough that we should pay special attention to it! Remember the world was created by the Lord speaking words, which means that words are indeed very powerful, and we shall be judged by the words that we speak on this earth.
So it behooves us to be very careful about not only what we do, but also about what we say. So don’t say we have not been warned. (smile) Please take it very seriously, because in these times of plenty talk, it’s very easy to say the wrong thing and thus make our judgement day even more difficult than it’s already going to be.
Now let’s go home this Tuesday morning declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. All together in strong and sincere voice now: ‘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 my people! How blessed we are! Now let’s go out and share Jesus’ LOVE and friendship with the rest of the world, as He so generously desires. Much LOVE!
check out your heart…what does it treasure most…worldly stuff…or God’s LOVE…
24 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ., 24-7, attention, believers, Black Friday, blessings, boundaries attuned to Christ, bounden duty, celebrations, Christians, conform to, creed, cued to God's work, destiny, drunk or sober, emporium, enthusiasm, ever-faithful, exaltation, excellent, fatness, fellowship, flowing like water, fortress, fountian of life, Friday chant, fun, generous help, give thanks, glorious kingdom, glory, glory to God, go overboard, gospel truth, Granny's warning, gravitate to excess, heavenly Father, holy spirit, honour, in Jesus' name, indisputable truth, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, latter times, libations, light, LOVE, loverly, loving-kindness, mercies, mind yuh business, minefields, modicum of circumspection, mortal danger, navigate, obedience, of thy wings, ole, open every day, party time, partying, pitfalls, precious, put their trust, rejoicing, relaxation, rest, river of pleasures, sales, satisfied, some form and fashion, steadfast love of God, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, thanksgiving weekend, the best deal, the children of men, the church, the weekend, the workingman, time for food, tower of strength, trust, under the shadow, week of work, wisdom, wonderful god
Psalm 36:7. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Another new day…more new mercies, blessings etc. flowing generously from the open hand of our wonderful God! But this day is special to most of us because it’s Friday, which announces the start of the weekend, our short break from work.
And as the workingman sings his song: ‘Ole, Ole, TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Ole, Ole, Thank God for the weekend…Thanksgiving weekend to boot! No more chupid labour. Is party time! Time for food and family and friends and endless libations flowing like water. Yuh can’t give thanks just so. It have to be accompanied by rejoicing and partying! Thank the Lord for this big Thanksgiving weekend party!’
And no doubt many of us will conform to that creed and live it out this weekend. But we have to remember there is mortal danger where and whenever we gravitate to excess, especially as Christians. Our Leader, Jesus Christ has provided us with boundaries that we should not exceed, if we wish to stay attuned to Him and His organization, the church.
That’s why we don’t go overboard in our celebrations, but retain a modicum of circumspection, like our Friday Chant attests to. Let’s chant it now like we truly mean it nuh. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Ah friends, it’s not as excessive as the workingman’s anthem, and most importantly, it is cued to God’s work, furthering His kingdom in some form and fashion in all that we do. As believers, that’s our bounden duty, our destiny. So we always have to have our wits about us.
As Granny would warn: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ (smile) And though it sounds funny, it’s gospel truth. We all need to be careful how we go about in these latter times, as the world abounds with numerous pitfalls in every direction we look or take. And it’s only with the help of Jehovah God and His Spirit which dwells within us, that we are able to successfully navigate the many minefields that surround our daily lives.
And all God’s children gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Glory to God! Give Him the praise! Exalt His Holy Name! For His LOVING-kindness endures forever!’ That’s why Bruh David could declare with overwhelming confidence and assurance the immortal words of our Bit from Psalm 36 – The steadfast LOVE of God.
‘How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.’
Now that is indisputable truth and true wisdom to the max! Our God’s goodness is indeed outstanding, and wise children of men choose to adore and obey Him, to live under the shadow of His mighty and everlasting wings! Glory to God mih people! I just had to say it again, so great was the enthusiasm those words and thoughts produced in my spirit that my mouth needed to declare His honour and glory. (smile)
And if you don’t believe our Bit, listen to how Bruh David continues, how he states his case, like any good lawyer. ‘They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fullness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.’ (Ps.36:8-9)
Oh friends, oh friends, that is the best deal going on this Thanksgiving Black Friday where all those businesses are touting their sales! Steups! But NONE of them can match God’s promotion! Life and light and fatness and pleasurable drink! And the great thing about God’s offer is that it’s open and available every day that you are alive, 24-7!
Mama Mia! Which child of men’s offer can match that eh? Absolutely NONE! Consequently, my brethren, I would strongly advise us that the first place to visit on this Black Friday Sale morning is that of Almighty God. Right in that one place you will find everything you want, lack, need and can ever desire! Wow! What a mighty fortress and tower of strength is our God!
And believe me friends, I’m chuckling here, because this is all the work of the Holy Spirit, of our great and ever-faithful heavenly Father, because I had no clue what I was going to write about when I first began, except our Friday Chant. I didn’t even know how today’s version of the workingman’s song would pan out. But as always…my God came through for me. Glory Hallelujah!
And He will come through for you too, if you give Him the attention and obedience and exaltation He requires. Much LOVE!
…Jehovah God’s Emporium…the BEST place to do business…in all the world…
P.S. Oh, it’s a li’l bit late, but I think it’s ‘loverly!’ and worth the wait.(smile) Much LOVE!
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