07 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a firm footing, a new beginning, a new day, a witness, afflicted, age of the Gentiles, betray one another, birth pangs, concern, conviction, deceive, diligence, disposition of our souls, diverse places, drenched in darkness, earthly journey, earthquakes, endure to the end, false prophets, false teachers, famines, for my name's sake, friend of Jesus, Gentile nations, hate one another, hated of all nations, hurry, impersonators, in all the world, iniquity, Jesus answered, Jews, kill you, kingdom against kingdom, lawlessness, lead me, LOVE, maintain my rights, messiahs, missionary expansion, my friend Jesus, nation shall rise against nation, no man deceive you, offended, omnipotent, on the outside looking in, our way, peace, pestilences, preached, Psalm 43, rooted in Jesus, rumours of wars, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfaction, saved, selfish to a fault, sense of purpose, share His love, stand above my foes, staying true to God's word, sunshiny morning, take heed, Take Over, teach me, testament, the beginning of sorrows, the beloved of God, the church age, the end come, the end is not yet, the end times, the gospel of the kingdom, the land of uprightness, The Lord is for me, the Lord's mysterious hand, the love of many, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, the rush hour, thou art my God, thunderstorm, thy spirit is good, thy will, tribulation, trust, Tuesday Mantra, understanding God, utter confusion, warning, wars, washed clean, wax cold, what a good God we serve and worship, with the Lord's help, worry
Matthew 24:4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Oh friends, it’s a bright and sunshiny morning in my neighbourhood, everything having been washed nice and clean by the wicked thunderstorm we experienced last evening.
Now if my plans had worked out, I would have been out on the road in the heart of the rush hour and the storm, but due to the Lord’s mysterious hand working on my behalf, my plan fell through and I remained safely ensconced at home for it all. Thank you Lord!
One friend later told me she had been caught in the storm on the highway, and it wasn’t a very nice experience, but also with the Lord’s help she managed to get through it safely. What a good God we serve and worship my people!
Anyway, today’s a new day, and a new beginning, so let’s get some new info into us by means of a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, this one simply titled ‘Take Over.’
And it says: ‘At first, Lord, I asked You To take sides with me. With David the Psalmist I circled and underlined “The Lord is for me… Maintain my rights, O Lord…” “Let me stand above my foes…” But with all my pleading I lay drenched in darkness Until in utter confusion I cried “Don’t take sides, Lord Just take over.” And suddenly it was morning.’
Yeh friends, that’s how we usually are, selfish to a fault, wanting it all our way. But we’ll never get satisfaction until we leave it ALL to our wonderful, omnipotent and understanding God!
And the Bible Promise for that comes from Psalm 143, wise words of Bruh David: ‘Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness (on a firm footing).’(Ps.143:10)
Ah mih breddren, that’s exactly how and where we need to walk if we’re to be successful in this our earthly journey. Now let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with a true sense of purpose and strong conviction.
As one 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.’
Oh isn’t that just a great testament my people! We are the beloved of God, and the friend of Jesus! Nothing can be better than that eh!
That brings us to the serious warning of Jesus in our Bit. ‘And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.’
Now that my fellow believers is a warning that we ought to heed with all diligence and concern, for it holds the very disposition of our souls in the end times. If we allow false teachers and messiahs to deceive us, then we’ll most certainly end up on the outside looking in, not a very nice place to be.
That’s why Jesus specifically warned His disciples, and consequently all those who came after, about the great importance of staying true to His Word and not following any of the many impersonators that would come after Him.
Listen to His description of how it will all pan out. ‘And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse (various) places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.’ (Matt.24:6-8)
Oh my brethren, there’s no doubt that we are currently in the end times, ‘the beginning of sorrows,’ for all that Jesus spoke about is currently happening around the world.
And He continues: ‘Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted (tribulation), and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax (grow) cold.
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all of the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ (Matt.24:9-14)
Oh friends, we’re not quite there yet, but we’re well on our way!
Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘24:5-14. Wars and rumours of wars refers to peace being taken from the earth and the constant wars that have continually marked the “age of the Gentiles.” Famines and pestilences: These events mark only the beginning of sorrows (Gr. odin), “birth pangs.”
This is followed by martyrdom and the rise of false prophets and the abounding of iniquity. The “gospel of the kingdom” refers to the missionary expansion of the church in all the world. The gospel shall be preached in all the world (Gr. oikoumene), the inhabited world, and unto all nations (Gr. ethnos), “Gentile nations,” as contrasted with the Jews. Then shall the end come would then refer to the end of the church age.’
Oh friends, we even teaching Greek in the Bit. (smile) But on a serious note, there’s no doubt that we’re moving, and moving fast too, towards the end of the church age, when the world will be plunged into even more iniquity and disaster than we already are seeing.
Now can you imagine that? I don’t even want to imagine it, much less experience it, that’s why I’m doing my level best to stay rooted in Jesus, and you would be wise to do the same too. Much LOVE!
…to be saved…one must endure to the end…
05 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmation of faith, angels, anger, as for me and mine, at his feet, blameless, cease from anger, Christendom, come alive, commit thy way, confidently trust the Lord, consequences, crown him Lord of all, cut off, death, delight, destroyed, discouragement, do good, dwell in the land, encouraging, envious, ever-faithful, everlasting song, evil men, evildoers, exciting life, failure, faith, formula, forsake wrath, fret not, glory, Glory be, God's sanctuary, grace, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, I will move, immoral, inherit the earth, iniquity, Israelite, life boring death, majesty ascribe, move forward, National Anthem of Christendom, omnipotent god, pardon, peace of mind, pious, power, praise, prayer, prostrate, providence, raised the roof, ransomed, recipe, responsive, rest, reversal of fortunes, righteousness, robert h schuller, rooted out, sacred throng, saves you by his grace, seed of Israel, shame, short-lived, strange women, strength, success, Sunday, the Lord's Day, the Lord's presence, the perfect, the power of Jesus name, the Promised Land, the royal diadem, the upright, the wicked, tongue, transgressors, tribe, uplifting, wait patiently, wait upon the Lord, we will follow the Lord, weakness, wickedness, wisdom, worship, wrath
Proverbs 2:21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect (blameless) shall remain in it.
Welcome my fellow believers to this blessed and glorious day called Sunday – the best day of the week! And so it should be since its’ the Lord’s Day. And what better way to begin our proceedings than with some praise and worship, so please sing with me this popular old hymn, which is sometimes called the ‘National Anthem of Christendom.’
As one now my people, let’s raise the roof of God’s sanctuary with the passion of our praise and worship. ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!
O seed of Israel’s chosen race now ransomed from the fall, hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all. Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all! Let every tongue and every tribe responsive to his call, to him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all. To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all!
Oh, that with all the sacred throng we at his feet may fall! We’ll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all. We’ll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all. Amen!’
And having raised the roof not only of our sanctuary, but also of heaven, let’s tone it down a little with some heartfelt prayer as devised by Gramps Schuller (Robert H Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, titled ‘I Will Move…’ I’m fairly sure that we’ve prayed it before, but as we keep on saying, once it’s nice, it’s okay to pray it twice. (smile)
So please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
Oh friends, what an awesome prayer! It highlights all we can do and become, how we’ll move positively forward when we acknowledge and sincerely maintain the Lord’s presence in our lives! Glory be!
And all of that just nicely and naturally segues into our Bit; wise words from Cousin Sol, as he talks about staying away from evil men and strange (immoral) women. ‘For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect (blameless) shall remain in it.’
And that’s a fact my brethren, as Cousin Sol explains in the next verse. ‘But the wicked shall be cut off (destroyed) from the earth (land), and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.’ (Prov.2:22)
Precious people, it couldn’t get any plainer than that. Righteousness will undoubtedly overcome wickedness. That’s the promise of our ever-faithful and omnipotent God, so I wouldn’t go doubting His Word in favour of Lucifer’s lies.
And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to his father, Bruh David, from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon (look diligently for) the Lord, shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:1-9)
Ah mih breddren, what wonderful words of wisdom…and from a man who lived them! Now let’s hear some interesting explanations from the scholars on those verses.
‘Psalm 37. The psalm is written in the form of an acrostic, although our numbering is out of step with the Hebrew. There is no logical outline to the psalm, so it is best studied according to its topics. The major point of the psalm seems to be that the wicked’s prosperity is short-lived.
Though David was troubled by the prosperity of the unrighteous, he knew by faith that their undeserved bounty would be cut off. His underlying belief is that God will intervene in His time. Then the present, temporary reversal of fortunes will be set right and the righteous “shall inherit the earth” (vv.9, 11, 22, 29, 34).
The mention of inheriting the earth would be encouraging and uplifting to the pious Israelite since all of God’s blessing was connected with the Promised Land. In contrast to this blessed destiny the wicked “shall be cut off,” an expression used often in the Old Testament of a violent death.
The psalm also contains the simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not…neither be thou envious (v.1), trust…do good(v.3), delight thyself also in the Lord (v.4), commit thy way…trust (v.5), rest…wait patiently…fret not (v.7), cease from anger…forsake wrath…fret not (v.8).
All of those exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust the Lord with all of life’s problems. The psalm concludes appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God.’
What more can I say eh friends? Right there you have the perfect recipe for the best life here on planet earth. It’s now up to you to choose whom to follow. But as for me and mine, without a doubt, we will follow the Lord. Much LOVE!
…it all boils down to…trust, faith and belief in Almighty God…you either do…or you don’t…but remember to consider the consequences of each option before making your choice…
14 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abhor, adrenaline, asaph, atonement, aura of love, backsliding, blessings, calamitous, calamity, Christian, confidence, conquerors, covenant, disgrace, enthusiasm, evil, expectant faith, famine, fireworks, Frank Lloyd Wright, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God of our salvation, grace, greatness, holy spirit, hope, hungry hope, idols, iniquity, inroads, invincible, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, joy, labouring, lethargy, lies, life, look at life, LOVE, mature in Christ, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new eyes, patience, peace, pitfalls, problems, purge away, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rise and shine, sacrificial death, salvation, sentimentality, sinned, sleep, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, substitutionary, superlative, the glory of thy name, the weekend, thy name's sake, two step jig, ungodly world, wickedness
Psalm 79:9. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away (provide atonement for) our sins. for thy name’s sake.
Awright mih people, the weekend is over, it’s time to rise and shine and get back to labouring, for Monday calls us to battle once again. Shake off the sleep and lethargy and get thee hither! (smile) There’s no time for pussyfooting and complaining, because the Lord’s work is out there waiting to be done.
So to help us get in the right spirit, the right frame of mind, let’s deliver one of our best renditions ever of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one glorious, heavenly choir, let’s blow them away my brethren, put a spark in Jesus’ eyes and get the Father to dancing and thus even more eager to bless us than normal.
All together now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes friends, yes! That was superlative! You could see the pride in Jesus eyes as He realized that we were poised for greatness today. And you better believe, we were so sweet that the Father had to come down of his throne and do a li’l two step jig. Glory to God!
Yes mih breddren, it’s the right beginning to a new day, especially a Monday. So let’s keep that spiritual fire burning nuh as we go out into the evil and ungodly world, with expectant faith and hungry hope and do the will and work of Jesus!
And today I have a quote to share, attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) the famous American architect, interior designer, writer and educator. And it says: ‘The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes.’
And I definitely agree with that, simply because the longer you live the more you know and learn about life, especially if you are a Christian, for as you mature in Christ, you find life much more rewarding and interesting, despite its many problems and pitfalls.
So for all of us who are getting older, entering the winter of our years, please let’s look at life with new eyes nuh, let’s expect that we will achieve the best each day has to offer, as we journey on, in and with Christ.
Oh friends, the ole fella’s on a roll this morning. The Holy Spirit is working… no doubt about that… and our beautiful rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn just has the adrenaline gushing through my veins.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away (provide atonement for) our sins, for thy name’s sake.’
And that strikes me as being a rather appropriate one during this Lenten season, where the Lord did just what the psalmist Asaph asked; ‘purge away ( provide atonement for) our sins,’ through the substitutionary, sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on Good Friday.
And you know what I particularly like about that plea? How Asaph invokes God’s sentimentality re His glory and His name: ‘for the glory of thy name… for thy name’s sake.’ We all know how touchy He is about His glory and His name, as He declares through Isaiah. ‘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)
Yes friends, nothing gets our God angry as not giving Him His rightful praise and glory. But Asaph’s plea was no doubt sincere as the heathen; the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and taken its citizens into captivity. The Lord had allowed this because of Israel’s backsliding and worshipping of idols.
And he continues in the same vein. ‘Wherefore should the heathen (nations, gentiles) say, Where is their God? Let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging (avenging) of the blood of thy servants which is shed.’ (Ps.79:10)
During a time of severe famine in Judah, the prophet Jeremiah also prayed a similar prayer to Asaph’s. ‘O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.’ (Jer.14:7)
Oh my people, I believe the very same thing can be said about our recent behaviour. We have tossed God out of our public institutions, with the worship of all sorts of man-made idols daily increasing, while parents no longer seem to instruct their children in the Word of God, which leads to their utter sinfulness.
And I like how Jeremiah continues pleading for his people, although God tells him not to. ‘We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.’ (Jer.14:21)
Oh friends, our society right now is in the same khaki pants that Israel was in back then, and only acknowledgement of our sinfulness and repentance will cause God to possibly relent from whatever calamity He has planned for us. And yuh better believe He has something big planned, if we continue our wicked ways, something that will eventually evolve out of all the relatively small stuff that’s happening now.
All I can ask is that we wake up and do our best to turn things around, a.s.a.p. otherwise the ending will be real calamitous, and our children will bear the brunt of it. Much LOVE!
…the Lord’s patience endures for long…but when it snaps…then come the fireworks…
15 Feb 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a happy wife leads to a happy life, a hard row to hoe, affectionate, arrogant, as I have loved you, aura of love, bears all things, brotherly LOVE, Buccoo, cling to the good, common task, confidence, conquerors, Creator of the universe, daily grind, doesn't envy, enthusiasm, envious, evil, excellent service, friends, further God's glorious kingdom, generous giving, Goat races, good food, harmony, hate his brother, holy spirit, humble servants, hypocrisy, iniquity, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus Love Revolution, jobs, keeping lives and families together, kind, lead and guide, Lent, liar, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, LOVE one another, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, naive, never fails, outward show, rejoices in truth, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, right with God, rude, serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, suffers long, surrender our all, sweet Tobago, taunts, thinks no evil, this is my commandment, truth, ungodly world, Valentine's day, wiles, wisdom
John 15:12. This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.
And then it was Monday friends; time for laboring again; time to continue the daily grind and common task. And I know that some of you are ‘chuhing’ and ‘steupsing’ and complaining because you have to go to work, but by now we should all realize that it’s a part of life, and the sooner we get accustomed to it and accept it, the better off we will be. End of sermon.
So to help us all, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great enthusiasm, in perfect harmony, as our conductor Jesus leads us in song.
As one voice now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh my people, that was only a mediocre rendition! Jesus wasn’t really displeased, but He certainly expected more from us.
Anyway, having boosted our spirits, let’s go out this first Monday in Lent and do our bounden duty nuh as specified by our Bit. ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’
Yes my brethren, it’s all about LOVE! If we live in LOVE, then all will be well!
Listen to what the Good Book says on the subject. ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (LOVE) envieth not; charity (LOVE) vaunteth not itself (doesn’t boast), is not puffed up (arrogant), Does not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no account of evil);
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (LOVE) never faileth….’ (1 Cor.13:4-8a)
Oh my fellow believers, I must admit that according to Bruh Paul’s words, real LOVE is indeed a hard row to hoe, but hoe it we must, as true followers of Christ. Christ did it for us, and we are expected to do it for each other, as our Bit directs.
Now something here amazes me; yesterday we celebrated Valentine’s Day, a day supposedly of LOVE, now why can’t we just continue that attitude eh? Why do we have to revert to our less than LOVING selves eh?
It certainly defies my understanding…unless what we show on Valentine’s Day is not real LOVE, just an outward show of gifts per the world, who treats it like just another big shopping day, a day to make money, to boost the economy.
Oh I’m not that naïve to believe that we all share true LOVE on days like those, but even then why stop the generous giving afterwards?
As Bruh Paul encourages us in Romans 12, when speaking about the service of LOVE to all. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another.’ (Rom.12:9-10)
And as the scholars tell us: ‘12:9. Without dissimulation (lit. “without hypocrisy”). The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional caring for others, LOVING faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
I certainly can’t argue with that friends! And as John tells us in his first epistle: ‘If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God, whom he hath not seen?’ (1 John 4:20)
Now friends, that is the million-dollar question. We all claim to LOVE God, whom we’ve never seen, but yet hate our brethren, whom we have seen. It just doesn’t sound logical, but it’s a problem that we will all have to deal with, individually and as the church of Christ, as soon as possible, if we want to remain right with God.
Now enough preaching for the day, (smile) you all will do whatever you want anyway. On a practical note, the duchess and I went to the Goat races yesterday in Buccoo. Yes you read right, ‘goat races!’
Usually it’s only held during the Easter weekend, but what with a new, good-looking facility, just built for goat racing, they need to have them more often, both to encourage the locals and to provide entertainment for the visitors.
And believe you me, it’s organized just as a horse race; an approximately hundred yard running lane, with starting gates and jockeys, who don’t ride, but run behind the goats to guide them.
The goats are equipped with numbers, the jockeys with whips, and they are divided into classes, with owners and trainers, and a commentator on the race, and no doubt betting on the sly. The only thing they lack is a camera at the finish line. Only in sweet Tobago!
After watching about four races, we came home and rested, then later in the evening I took the duchess out for dinner to an exquisite, expensive restaurant she had been wanting to go to all along. I must say though that the food was good and the service excellent, so it was not a waste of time or money.
And above all it kept the duchess happy. For remember, a happy wife, usually leads to a happy life. (smile) And on that note of wisdom, we’ll end for today.
So friends, let’s try and boost the LOVE quotient in our lives nuh, for it is indeed the desire of Jesus, and the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…only genuine and consistent LOVE on our part…will boost Jesus’ LOVE Revolution…and eventually bring it to fruition…
18 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a standing O, asaph, at the front lines, aura of love, calamitous, Caleb, compassion, confidence, conquerors, covenant, Creator of the universe, disobedience, enthusiasm, evil, evil minions, facade, faith, flatter with their mouth, forgat his works, forgiveness, from whence comes our help, glamorous, glitzy, glorious kingdom, God was their rock, God's children, God's goodness, good life, grace, his wonders that he had showed them, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, iniquity, into the breach, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, jobs, Joshua, joy, lip service, LOVE, Lucifer, lusting, manna, meat, meet the enemy in battle, mercies, miracles, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, on which side his bread was buttered, pageantry, pomp, Praise the Lord, prosperity, Psalm 78, Redeemer, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, soldiers, sought God, spiritual armour, spreading God's Word, steadfast faith, surrender, taunts, the early bird catches the worm, the high god their redeemer, the Love Revolution, the Promised Land, the things of the world, the wilderness, turned away his anger, ungodly world, victorious army of Christ, we can't fool God, wiles, wrath, you will reap what you sow
Psalm 78:11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.
Once more friends, once more into the breach on this cold, frosty Monday morning in mid-January! As good soldiers in the victorious army of Christ let’s get a move on! Remember the early bird catches the worm. (smile) The LOVE Revolution calls! And like any good leader, our Field Marshall, Jesus Christ is already at the front lines reconnoitring the enemy’s positions.
So let’s not be found wanting in these crucial times nuh, let’s get on with the task bequeathed to us; that of spreading God’s Word, His faithful, unconditional LOVE, His tender mercies, His everlasting grace and His endless forgiveness!
And all of God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord!’
And with that bit of energizing, let’s take it one step further by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with even greater pomp and pageantry. (smile)
As one now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Beautiful friends! That was beautiful! Jesus was in His essence as He conducted us. Heaven even gave us a standing O and called for an encore! Mama Mia! What a morning it’s turning out to be!
Ah mih breddren, we serve such a wonderful God that I don’t know how people can turn away from Him. But sadly they are doing it, and recently in droves too, lured by the glitzy and glamorous come on by Lucifer and his evil minions.
Unfortunately though, it’s only after they are caught in that evil web that they realize it’s all a façade, a trap from which it is very difficult to break free. They can’t do so without the help of Jesus, and it’s our job to win them back, as well as those who never believed, by the way we walk and talk and glorify His holy name.
That means we obviously can’t be like the Israelites of old, who turned away from God ‘And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.’
Now that is so mind boggling, I can’t even imagine it! Hn! In spite of all the miracles he did on their behalf, from down in Egypt to the provision of manna and meat in the wilderness, they still turned away from him. They must have been a really hard-headed and stubborn people – just like so many of us nowadays. So God, in His anger, slew some of them and made the lives of the remainder futile and calamitous. (Ps.78:33)
Now let’s listen in as Asaph continues his story in Psalm 78. ‘When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early (sought diligently) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.’ (Ps.78:34-35)
Ah friends, at last they smartened up and learned on which side their bread was buttered. I ‘ve been hoping and praying that the same thing can happen in our society today; that we can wake up and realize from whence comes our help, our prosperity and good life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be happening.
However, we cannot give up hope, for there’s no giving up in Jesus, we just have to continue talking our talk and walking our walk as we have been instructed to do, and the Lord will do the rest.
And Asaph writes on: ‘Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.’ (Ps.78:36-37)
Yes friends, the repentance wasn’t really true, it was just lip service. And I suspect that a lot of that is happening today. Many of us are merely paying lip service to God, while our hearts are truly lusting after the things of the world. Oh precious people, we can’t fool God, because He looks at the state of our hearts, rather than just listen to the words of our lying lips.
However, He’s such a wonderful Deity that Asaph tells us: ‘But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke (rebel against) him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.’ (Ps.78:28-41)
What a slap in the face eh! In spite of all God’s goodness, His chosen people rebelled against Him several times on the journey through the wilderness. But in His compassion and wisdom, He did not fully destroy them, just made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until all those who had come out of Egypt died. Not even Moses entered into the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the original lot who did so.
So my fellow believers in Christ, let’s remember that though the Lord might not destroy us for our constant disobedience, He will find other ways to make us pay. Much LOVE!
…whatever you sow…is exactly what you will reap…so you can’t sow disobedience and expect to reap salvation…
09 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a child of God, a prayer for cleansing, Adam, at my worst, Bathsheba, blameless, blot out my transgressions, bone of contention, Christmas, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, come short of the glory of God, confess our sins, confession, create in me a clean heart, David, decorations, disobedient, Dr. Robert H. Schuler, evil, exciting thought, fantastic lesson, for all have sinned, forgive our sins, free spirit, gladness, glory hallelujah, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, God LOVES me, gone astray, good news, graceful truth, happy report, have mercy upon me, heartache, his word is not in us, holy sentence, honour and glorify, Hours of Power Devotions, hyssop, I acknowledged my sin, I will confess my transgressions, incomprehensible, iniquity, joy, justified, lights, lost sheep, LOVE, mine iniquity have I not hid, my faith is dim, no one can take away from us, Psalm 51, purge me, relaxation, renew a right spirit within me, repentance, rest, salvation, the Garden of Eden, the weekend, thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, top o' the morning, transgressions, True LOVE, we make him a liar, whiter than snow
Psalm 32:5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Top o’ the morning to you my Scrip-Bit family on this bountiful Saturday! I know it’s been an exhausting week, but that’s what the weekend is there for – rest. And I do hope that we’ll all get plenty of rest and relaxation as we take down our Christmas decorations and lights from the tree and from around our homes. Now the physical Christmas season might be drawing to a close, but the spiritual season of peace and goodwill to men never closes. Let’s remember that and act accordingly.
And I definitely could not pass up this poem from Gramps Schuler’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuler) Hours of Power Devotions, because I believe it deals with something we desperately need to acknowledge, believe and remember in this most promising year of 2016, that ‘GOD LOVES ME!’ That’s the title.
And it says: ‘Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson. God LOVES me! Even when I’m at my worst – God LOVES me. Even when my faith is dim – God LOVES me anyway! It is incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father. Amen.’
Ah friends, what incomprehensible and fantastic news indeed that Almighty God LOVES each and every one of us! Glory Hallelujah! God knows us each by name my people, and He takes great interest in all the goings ons in our lives.
And if you don’t believe that He knows and LOVES us like… like an earthly father LOVES His children, then just think about the heartache He endured on our behalf when He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, on the cross so that we could be reconciled to Him. If that wasn’t true LOVE, then I don’t know what true LOVE is nuh.
So, as we go about our daily lives, please, let’s hold that fact first and foremost in our hearts and minds, and let it boost our faith, for it’s something NO ONE can ever take away from us.
And our Bit bears out the Father’s LOVE in spades: ‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.’
Oh my fellow believers, why would a holy God forgive us our sins, if He didn’t truly care about us eh? Even when He knows that we’ll keep on being disobedient, He still continues to forgive, once we come to Him in sincere repentance. I don’t know about you all nuh people, but I will LOVE and honour and glorify anyone who treats me with such LOVING-kindness! Ah friends, from the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, sin has been the bone of contention between God and man. For as Bruh Paul says in Romans: ‘For all have sinned, and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.’ (Rom. 3:23)
And that’s no lie mih breddren, all of us have gone astray like lost sheep, doing our own thing, not obeying God’s law. And as John tells us in his first epistle: ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John1:8-10)
Ah friends, it is ever so important that we own up to our sins, otherwise we’d not only be deceiving ourselves, but also making God a liar by denying His Word that says we’re all sinners. On the other hand, confessing our sinfulness, leads to a just and faithful God cleansing us of our unrighteousness, our sin. What more can a sinful man ask eh? Not much more my fellow believers.
And we’ll conclude this series of messages on sin, its confession, repentance and forgiveness with the words of a well-known sinner, but also a man after God’s own heart, Bruh David, from Psalm 51 – a prayer for cleansing, after his disastrous episode with Bathsheba.
‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightiest be justified (found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest….
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not away thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’ (Ps.51:1-4, 7-13)
Ah mih people, yuh see sin can affect any human being regardless of their power and status! God was generous to a fault to Bruh David, but yet the sinful nature we’re born with keeps trying to pull us away from God. ‘Behold, I was shapen (brought forth) in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.’ (Ps.51:5)
But friends, the great part of it all, is that though Bruh David sinned grievously against the Lord, He forgave him when he confessed and repented of his transgressions. The price he paid was steep, with confusion reigning thereafter in his family, but the forgiveness was surely worth it, because it meant that he was still a child of God, sincerely LOVED and cared about by the heavenly Father. There can be no better situation than that my people.
So please, let’s be wise and confess our sins to Almighty God nuh. And even though the consequences of our sin might be pretty tough, believe me, the forgiveness will always outweigh it. Much LOVE!
…the forgiveness of sin…can only be accomplished…on the heels of sincere confession and repentance…
08 Jan 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a licence to sin, a penitent heart, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, Bathsheba, be not far from me, believers in Christ, burdens our hearts, celebrations, charles stanley, chasten me, confession, crying out for rest, displeasure, fellowship, forgiveness, forgives sin, forsake sin, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, God's good graces, Holy God, I acknowledged my sin, I am bowed down, I made it through, I will confess my transgressions, in Jesus' name, iniquity, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, loving kindness, magnanimous, makes haste to help me, mine iniquity have I not hid, mourning, my wounds stink, negative consequences, O Lord of my salvation, obey God, our talk, our walk, penalties, play, psalm 38, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, repentance, rest, Selah, sin, soul body and mind, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the devil's handiwork, the one and only true living God, the weekend, them's the breaks, thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, work, working enables us to play, your arrows pierce me deeply
Psalm 32:5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Well Friends, I can just imagine how you all must be shouting it from the rooftops this morning eh: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God that the weekend is here at last! Wow! It certainly has been a tiring week! Thank God it’s Friday oui, and no more work for a couple days! The body certainly crying out for some rest!’
Ah mih people, I know that this first Friday of work in the new year has indeed been somewhat trying and tiring after all the season’s celebrations. But unfortunately, them’s the breaks. (smile) We can’t just play alone, sometime or other we need to work too.
And remember that it’s working which enables us to play. And I have to laugh how we crying out for rest, rather than the usual party scene. Hn, hn! Anyway, let’s all hang in there and chant our Friday Chant that will give us a better perspective on the weekend.
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.’
Yes friends, rest and worship are essential parts of our weekend, so that we can come back out strong on Monday and continue the cycle of building Christ’s LOVE Revolution. Remember that this is the year that the LOVE Revolution must sweep the world if we want to have any chance of turning things around.
It’s our job, as believers in Christ, to go out there and make believers of the unbelievers through both our talk and our walk. Nothing else is going to change them!
Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.’
Ah mih people, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! There’s no other supposed deity who forgives sin! Just the ONE and ONLY TRUE and LIVING God; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Yes my brethren, our God is indeed a truly magnanimous and forgiving Deity! But that doesn’t mean it gives us the right to keep on participating in sin, because on the other side of the coin, sin bears serious penalties from a holy God.
We saw yesterday, how God’s friend and man after His own heart, Bruh David paid an enormous price for his sin with Bathsheba, although he repented and was forgiven. But his sin had caused great occasion for God’s enemies to blaspheme His name, and that was definitely not acceptable.
So though we may sincerely repent and be forgiven, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be no negative consequences. So the best remedy is to sin as little as possible. (smile) Oh we all know that that is easier said than done, but we must always give it our best effort, with God’s help of course.
Now hear this gem on sin from Cousin Sol. ‘He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.’ (Prov.28:13)
Oh glory to God my people for His mercy and LOVING-kindness! But please note that Cousin Sol didn’t just say to confess our sins, but also to forsake them, stop committing them; especially the same ones over and over. That is also a necessary part of the whole scenario my brethren.
Remember, though confessions and repentance and forgiveness are ours, it doesn’t give us a licence to sin. But when we do sin, it is essential that we come to God in repentance and confession as soon as possible, because any sin that burdens our hearts, also keeps us out of God’s good graces, and we definitely don’t want to be excluded from that.
Now let’s look at some scripture on sin and its effects on the human body and psyche. Listen to Bruh David from Psalm 38 – The prayer of a penitent heart.
‘O Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows stick fast in me (pierce me deeply), and thy hand presseth me sore (down). There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest (health, peace) in my bones because of my sin.
For mine iniquities have gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt (are foul and festering) because of my foolishness. I am troubled (bowed down) greatly; I go mourning all the day long.’ (Ps.38:1-6)
Yes friends, that’s how sin ought to make us feel, so that we can come running to God and sincerely declare: ‘For I am ready to halt (to fall), and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin…. Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.’ (Ps.38:17-18, 21-22)
Ah my fellow believers, sin is no joke, so please let’s not encourage it in our lives, because we’re liable to pay a hefty price of negative consequences if we do. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) so wisely declares: obey God and leave all the consequences to Him. Now that is indeed the wisest way to live! Much LOVE!
…sin is the devil’s handiwork…and it can only be erased through…confession, repentance and God’s mercy…
23 Dec 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, absolute power corrupts absolutely, Asa, Baasha, Bathsheba, Benhadad, Bruh David, Christ the Lord, Christmas, cleanse me, cry out to God, diseased in his feet, glory to God, God made him to prosper, Hanani, he sought God, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, I'm so glad to be alive, iniquity, Jesus is the reason for the season, joyful and triumphant, leprosy, loving kindness, mark indelibly in our hearts, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my sin is ever before me, Nathan, O come all ye faithful, O come let us adore Him, oppressing the people, power corrupts, relied not on the Lord thy God, relied on the king of Syria, repentance, sacrficially, sacrificial praise, selflessly, taking all his problems to God, the breath of life, the Christ child, the Lord gives power to get wealth, the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh, the priest's job, transgressions, truth, understanding in the visions of God, Uriah, Uzziah, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
2 Chronicles 26:5. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah who had understanding in the visions (fear) of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.
Well mih precious people, we down to two days now! Yes, only two more days to that wonderful and marvellous day called Christmas, when the Christ-child, our Saviour, Lord and Redeemer was born! So in honour of that most auspicious occasion let’s give some sacrificial praise and thanksgiving nuh, by singing this beautiful carol.
All together, in full voice now: ‘O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant Oh come ye O come ye to Bethlehem; come and behold him born the King of angels; Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
God of God light of light Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb; Very God begotten not created: Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ The Lord.
Sing choirs of angels sing in exultation Sing all ye citizens of heaven above; Glory to God in the highest: Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ The Lord.
See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle, leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear we too will thither hend our joyful footsteps; Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.’
Oh Friends, I do hope that brought some Christmas cheer and joy into our spirits as we sang about the imminent birth of Jesus. We need to be continually reminded that Jesus IS the reason for the season! Glory to God!
And since it’s Wednesday, we also need to proclaim our Wednesday Wail. Again, as ONE, in full voice. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And isn’t that the glorious truth my brethren! We’re all glad to be alive, with our hands fixed securely on the plough, looking towards the wonderful future with Jesus that’s ahead of us. Give Him some well-deserved praise my people for what He’s done so selflessly and sacrificially for us!
Now let’s turn to our Bit. I believe today is the final day for it, but it’s something we should mark indelibly in our hearts minds and souls so that we can wisely do what it says.
‘And he sought God in the days of Zechariah who had understanding in the visions (fear) of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.’
Now that’s truth in spades friends! Whenever we seek the Lord in sincerity and truth, He will allow us to prosper in all facets of life. But if we don’t, then we’ll pay the price.
Yesterday we saw how Uzziah got ahead of himself when he tried to burn incense in the temple, when he full well knew that that was the priest’s job, and he was immediately felled with a lifetime of leprosy.
Today, we’ll look at another king Asa, who also thought he was above God’s power and presence, and after starting out good, ended up poorly by not taking all his problems to God, but tried fixing then himself. And the Good Book tells us that after Asa straightened out Judah, with the Lord’s help obviously, there was no more war for thirty-five years. (2 Chr.15:19).
However, thereafter, Baasha, the king of Israel, the other Jewish kingdom, made war against Judah, but unwisely, instead of turning to the God of his fathers for help, Asa made a treaty with Benhadad, king of Syria. And although with the help of the Syrians, Judah won the war, the Lord’s displeasure fell on him.
The Good Book reports it thus: ‘And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host (army) of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen?
Yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward (at peace with, or loyal to) him.
Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.’ (2 Chr.16:7-10)
Oh friends, how come we so quickly forget what the Lord has done for us eh? So much so that when we get strong, we become too big for out britches and turn away from the Lord.
And the sad part of the story is that even after Asa was shown his fault, he never remembered that God had caused him to be all that he was, and was so angry with Hanani that he threw him into prison and began oppressing his people.
Now contrast that attitude with Bruh David’s when the prophet Nathan draped him up over his behaviour with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. His response was to cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness instead of getting on his high horse like Asa:
‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.’ (Ps.51:1-3)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s how we are to react when the Lord convicts us of our transgressions, not like Asa. And the Lord forgave Bruh David in his humble repentance. But listen to Asa’s fate for his foolish pride.
‘And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not the Lord, but to the physicians.’ (2 Chr.16:12)
Oh how sad my people! Even in the time of his tribulation, he refused to turn back to God! What happens to our minds when we get strong and powerful eh? How can we ever forget that it’s God who brought us to the dance and who will also take us home?
There must be something about strength and power that curdles our minds like milk gone sour and bad. I guess like the man says, ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’
Please my people, let’s never forget where all our blessings and mercies and grace and forgiveness come from, so that we won’t have to be cut down to size by our heavenly Father. Now that’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…it is the Lord who gives us power to get wealth…the Lord also removes that power…therefore…the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh…please remember that…
P.S. Sorry about the lateness of the Bit Friends, but it was one of those late nights and thus late mornings. (smile) Much LOVE!
17 Nov 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afflicted, all glory and honour to God, all heads will bow, all knees will bend, be hated by all nations for my sake, children of God, Christians, come up over our problems, distrust, earthquakes, false prophets, famines, friends of Jesus, function successfully without God, glory to God, God's Word, hatred, he that shall endure to the end, 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'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, I'm not what people say about me, iniquity, invoke God's help, Isis, Israel, knowledge of God's word, Lebanon, LOVE, love shall wax cold, made it through, Paris attacks, persecution, pestilence, promises of Jesus, put on the whole armour of God, rumours of wars, shall be saved, share His love with the world, stand, strife, Syrian Civil war, take the cake, the beginning of sorrows, the beginning of the end, the best thing, the Creed of the Beloved, the disciples came unto Him privately, the end of the world, the Mount of Olives, the name of Jesus, the Olivet Discourse, the wherewithal to pull through, to withstand in the evil day, torrid emotions, tribulation, Tuesday Mantra, violence, wars, what shall be the sign of thy coming, what the world needs now, when shall these things be, wisdom, with God's help
Matthew 24:3. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (age)?
Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s Tuesday – all day too! (smile) And yuh see how, with God’s help, you made it through Monday without any real worries or anxieties?
Well the same thing is also applicable to Tuesday. All you need to do is sincerely invoke God’s help, and He will give you the wherewithal to face down whatever you are facing, and come up over your problems.
Wow! All glory and honour to the great, to the magnificent God we serve and worship! I truly don’t understand how so many people can believe that they can function successfully without Him in their lives nuh.
Anyway, since today is Tuesday, it means that we should declare our Tuesday Mantra, or what’s otherwise known as ‘The Creed of the Beloved.’
Altogether 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.’
Oh glory to God my people! As Christians, as children of God and Friends of Jesus we have the best thing going in this whole wide world! Absolutely no need to worry or hurry!
Unfortunately though, not enough of us fully appreciate and enjoy it, otherwise we’d all be much happier and our world would not be in such a sad state of strife, distrust and deterioration.
Ah Lord eh! Just thinking about the recent Paris attacks, the Lebanon debacle, and the violence that’s fomenting in Israel… and we’re not even including the Syrian Civil war, or the Isis nonsense… we certainly are in a time of serious danger and difficulty.
If the strife isn’t soon abated, then it’s very liable to blow up into a big inferno that engulfs the whole world. And believe me friends, if we think the last world wars were terrible, I believe this next one is going to take the cake, since there are so many more dangerous weapons around and much better methods of spreading them.
That brings us to our Bit. ‘And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (age)?
Now yesterday we read the beginning of Jesus’ answer to His disciples, where he talked about all the wars and rumours of wars, the pestilence, earthquakes and famines that will happen in various places.
And all of that stuff is definitely happening in our world right now. Sadly though Jesus said that was just the beginning of the end. Can you then imagine what the real end will be like? I hesitate to even think about it.
Now let’s continue with Jesus’ monologue, or what is called the Olivet Discourse, as it was delivered on the Mount of Olives (Olivet). ‘All these are the beginnings of sorrows (birth pangs). Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted (to tribulation), and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my sake.
And then shall many be offended, and betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax (grow) cold.’ Matt.24:8-12)
Oh my fellow believers, doesn’t it just seem as though Jesus is sitting on a hilltop somewhere today, talking about all the negative stuff that’s currently happening in our world? It certainly does! Beside the strife that we’ve already talked about, the persecution of Christians and the hatred that’s now been directed at them simply because of their belief and faith and trust in Jesus Christ is appalling.
Have you ever noticed though, that no other word in any language at all, seems to stir up such torrid emotions than the single, solitary name of ‘JESUS.’ Hn! It must then be a very powerful name indeed!
In general too, betrayals and hatred are on the upswing. And don’t talk about false prophets… there are so many of them around that one has to be very, very careful whom you listen to and follow.
The same goes for iniquity and lawlessness. Sin is now so rampant and official by man’s standards, that unless you have a good knowledge of God’s Word, you’ll find it extremely difficult to know what’s right from wrong.
And obviously from all those negative circumstances will flow the terrible lack of LOVE that’s now so prominent in our world. The words of the old song: ‘What the world needs now, is LOVE, sweet LOVE,’ have never been as true or as necessary.
However my precious people, my fellow believers, as always, our Lord and Saviour has provided a way out for us, ever faithful to His promises to never leave nor forsake us. Listen to His solemn words. ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt.24:13)
Oh glory to the Lamb of God, who is so worthy of our praise and adoration! Yes Friends, if we stand strong and steadfast, holding securely and sincerely to Jesus during these rough and unpredictable times, we WILL be saved in the end!
That’s a promise of Jesus, and so far he has never reneged on one of them, so why will He now eh? No reason whatsoever my brethren!
So with all of that in mind, let’s continue reading and studying and meditating on God’s Word, so that we will know right from wrong and receive strength for our faith. Let’s also continue to meet and fellowship regularly with other believers, encouraging and edifying each other so that we are able to withstand the flaming arrows of the enemy.
As Bruh Paul so wisely advised the Ephesians. ‘Wherefore take unto you (put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:13)
Yes Friends, that is indeed the wisdom of all wisdom! Much LOVE!
…there’s no name in the world as powerful as…JESUS…to whom all heads will bow…and all knees will bend…
27 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Prayer for Success, Absalom, as waters that pass away, be humble, be open, Bruh David, communicate with God, confidence, converse, correctable, creative imagination, direction, educable, failure is never final, faith, faith stimulates success, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God's great earth, God-given powers, Gramps Schuller, guidance, hear God's voice, hope, hope sustains success, Hour of Power Devotional, I cried unto the Lord, I laid me down to sleep, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, I will not be afraid, inherit the earth, iniquity, Jesus Christ, Job, lift up thy face without spot, misery, none shalt make thee afraid, O Lord thou art a shield, obedience to god, obeying Almighty God, prayer of confidence in God, prepare thine heart, responsibility, rest in safety, robert h schuller, see God's plan, Selah, steadfast, stretch forth thine hand, success, success is never-ending, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the largesse of God, the Lord sustained me, the one who lifts up my head, the wisest thing, there is hope, thou hast put gladness in my heart, thou Lord only makes me dwell in safety, thou shalt be as the morning, thou shalt be secure, thou shalt shine forth, thy life shall be brighter than noonday, time waits on no one, trust, what I am is more important than what I do, wickedness, words of wisdom, work of nature, Zophar
Psalm 4:7-8. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
Well Friends, it’s another glorious day on God’s great earth! Glory Hallelujah! And everyday that we wake up to behold His awesome work of nature, means that He still has something important planned for us to accomplish in His name. There is always good reason to what we consider God’s madness. (smile)
So it’s up to us to converse, to communicate with Him every morning that we arise, and find out what He desires of us on that particular day. It’s our responsibility to ask for guidance and direction, wisdom and blessings, so that we can bless others, because that’s basically what we’re about; spreading the largesse of our great and wonderful God.
And on this fantastic Thursday morning at the end of August 2015 … but can you believe that August is almost done already? It just began the other day with the Caribana Festivities. Now school’s going to be reconvened in another few days. Time truly is waiting on no one.
Anyway, as I was saying, on this fantastic Thursday morning in August, let’s check out this poem from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, which I believe I’ve shared before, but which is still relevant and necessary for us to partake of, especially in these rough and tough times. It’s aptly titled ‘A Prayer for Success.’
Please pray with me. ‘As I become a success with your help, Lord, let me never forget that what I am is more important than what I do. Faith stimulates success. Hope sustains success. So I cannot and I dare not succeed without your power, peace, and pressure in my life, Jesus Christ. Amen.’
Then Gramps adds a footnote. ‘Be open. Be humble. Correctable. Educable. Then you will hear God’s voice. You will see God’s plan. Grab on to it, give it all you’ve got, and you will inherit the earth.’
Remember too that ‘Success is never- ending and failure is never final to that person who knows how to revitalize and renew the God-given powers of creative imagination.’ Those are also words of wisdom from Gramps Schuller, and if we practice it all, we will surely succeed in whatever endeavours we undertake.
Yes my people, success is not easy, but it surely is attainable if we work with God, in bringing to pass the plans He has for our lives. Now let’s look at our Bit; wonderful promises which derive from our obedience to God
‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’
Oh Friends, obeying Almighty God is the wisest thing we can ever do on this earth!
Now listen to Job’s friend Zophar, as he continues to lecture him, believing that he is a sinner, but also reminding him that the Lord will forgive his sin, if he confesses and repents.
‘If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles (tents). For then thou shalt lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear: Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:
And thine age (life) shall be clearer (brighter) than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee (court your favour).’ (Job 11:13-19)
Oh what gospel truth my brethren! Though Zophar was falsely accusing his buddy Job, he was giving him excellent advice, advice that is still pertinent and relevant to our situations today. If we confess our sins to God, and repent of our wrong doing, He is merciful to forgive us and lift us up like we can’t imagine or fathom.
Now let’s end with some more pertinent and relevant words of wisdom from Bruh David, taken from Psalm 3 – A prayer of confidence in God. This is when he fled from the rebellion of his son Absalom. ‘But thou, O Lord, art a shield for (around) me; my glory, and the lifter up of (the one who lifts up) mine head.
I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill (mountain). Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps.3:3-6)
Oh my people, my people, what confidence flows from our trust and faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Bruh David was running for his life from his son, but he still slept in peace, and awakened safely because the God of his fathers, whom he adored and generally obeyed, kept him safe and gave him the confidence not to be fearful, regardless of how many enemies surrounded him.
Oh glory to God my brethren, for He will do the same for us today, if we place our utmost faith and trust in Him. So please, let’s be wise and do that nuh, for anything else is mere foolishness. Much LOVE!
…when we truly trust in our saviour Jesus Christ…a confidence so great rises up in us…that no amount of enemies surrounding us, can shake it…
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