29 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night, abounding in mercy, affliction, attributes of God, aura of love, blessed, brazen, Caleb, christianity, comapssion, comapssionate, commandments, common sense, confidence, consequences, corrupt, corruption, Creator of the universe, dealt proudly, did not heed thy commandments, disobedience, Egypt, elections, endure, enthusiasm, forgiveness, friends, Glory be, Hallelujah, holy spirit, humble servants, inefficient, inept, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Job, Joshua, kindness, lacked nothing, lies, long-suffering, LOVE, loving kindness, manna, mercy, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morning drive, Nehemiah, Oh Lord God Almighty, our Lord and Saviour, Pan Am Games, pardon, patience, persevarance, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., sinfulness, slow to anger, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, stiff necked, stubborn, the Lord is merciful and gracious, traffic snarls, two-faced, ungodly world, wine and roses, wisdom
Psalm 103:8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).
‘Aye ah yie, mih people is Monday! (background voices) -Glory be now! – Oh yah yo, mih breddren is Monday! -Hallelujah!- That means is time to get up and get ready, ready to go out and labour; Labour for Christ Jesus, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour! -Praise His Holy Name! – Sing the chorus Friends. Aye ah yie mih people is Monday! -Glory be now! – Oh yah yo, mih breddren is Monday! -Hallelujah…!’
Yes Friends, just a li’l ditty, a li’l kaiso to lively up ourselves, to put a li’l amusement in our spirits as we face this Monday morning at the end of June. (smile) Thankfully, the rain seems to have stopped in my area, but the ground is still soggy and the roads might still be a tad wet and slippery, so please be careful in your morning drive.
And talking about morning drive, please remember that as of today, all the major highways are down to one lane less, because those lanes, in somebody’s false wisdom, have been converted to HOV lanes, where only cars with at least three passengers can travel for the next month. Ah Lord eh! And all of that was done so that people involved in the Pan Am Games beginning sometime this week, can get around quicker.
Chuh! Obviously the people who pay for all the expenses and the corruption that goes on in these artificial games don’t really matter. They will just have to endure even more traffic snarls with one lane lost to the already parking lot status on our highways. Normal HOV lanes only require two people in the car, so this will force those who carpool to avoid the traffic, right back into even more congestion.
Steups! Let’s just hope I don’t get caught up in too much of it nuh. But there’s no use complaining now, since there’s nothing we can do about it, except in the next elections not vote back into power, this brazen, inept, inefficient, corrupt and two-faced government. So let’s move on and sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much gusto, and leave them to the Lord.
Altogether 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!’
That was pretty good Friends…in comparison to last week. (smile) Jesus wasn’t as disappointed. And we’ll get right into our Bit. ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness).’
Oh Friends, I don’t know what we would have done without such a wonderful God nuh. Just listen to this litany of wrongdoing that the Israelites committed, and yet the Lord did not destroy them totally. The scripture comes from the book of Nehemiah.
‘But they and our fathers dealt proudly (acted presumptuously or insolently), and hardened (stiffened) their necks (became stubborn), and hearkened not to (did not heed) thy commandments. And refused to obey, neither were they mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt and had wrought (worked) great provocations (wonders); Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way, neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old (did not wear out), and their feet swelled not.’ (Neh.9:16-21)
Oh my brethren, what a wonderful God we serve and worship! No other Deity would have put up with the shenanigans of the Israelites; they would certainly have been destroyed, or just left to paddle their own canoe, as best they could. But instead our magnanimous God showed them mercy and forgiveness and looked after them in the wilderness, in spite of their gross disobedience and sinfulness.
But it was not all wine and roses, for none of those who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, even Moses, never set foot in the Promised Land. So though our God is wonderful, there are consequences to be paid for continual disobedience.
And we’ll end with a passage from James, where he’s talking about patience in affliction. ‘Behold, we count them happy (blessed) which endure. Ye have heard of the patience (perseverance) of Job, and have seen the end of (intended by) the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful (compassionate), and of tender mercy.’ (James 5:11)
And every believer ought to be able to vouch for that because He has shown compassion, mercy and forgiveness to each and every one of us at one stage, or more like several stages of our lives. Now let’s go out and live up to the expectations and standards He expects of us, for that is indeed the zenith of wisdom and common sense. Much LOVE!
…how could anyone with even a drop of wisdom or common sense…not greatly appreciate the mercy…the long-suffering… the grace…the compassion…and all the other wonderful attributes of Almighty God eh…
22 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a perfect heart, a prowling lion, abominations, Achilles heel, Beelzebub, Bruh David, cast thee off for ever, celebration, Christ-like life, Christians, Cousin Sol, destroy, distress, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, fellowship, fleshly lusts, forgive their sin, forsake, Friday, Friday chant, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, Granny's advice, greedy, heal their land, heathen, hellfire, I will hear from heaven, idolatry, imaginations, in Jesus' name, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, lose sight of our purpose, LOVE, Lucifer, Memorial Day, Memorial Day weekend, merciful, mire of sin, Moses, my people which are called by my name, negative, practice what you preach, pray, refreshed in soul body and mind, relaxation, rest, seek my face, seek the Lord thy God, shall humble themselves, spread the gospel, step up our efforts, sware unto thy fathers, the Lord searcheth all hearts, the weekend, times of celebration, tribulation, turn away from their wicked ways, turn to the Lord thy God, warlike, willing mind, win souls for Christ, words of wisdom
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well a fine Friday morning to you my brethren, my fellow believers in Christ! And the workers declare: ‘It is indeed a fine Friday! The weekend is here! Thank God for that yes! We going to wail down the place!’
And the ones shouting the loudest are those in the U.S. where they celebrate their Memorial Day weekend with joyous gatherings and memorials for those fallen in combat and struggle over the years. But as we keep reminding Friends, don’t leave home without Granny’s advice: ‘drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’
Yes my people, especially in these times of great celebration, it’s very easy to lose sight of our purpose and get involved in things we shouldn’t, and thus give Lucifer an opening to our soul. Remember he’s always prowling around like a hungry lion, just waiting to pounce on someone who’s gone even slightly astray. (1 Pet. 5:8)
Please let that not be us this Memorial Day weekend. And as always, to help us stay on the right track, let’s chant our Friday Chant with sincerity and purpose. 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.’
Yeh Friends, let’s not forget our earthly purpose; that of spreading the gospel of Jesus to all and sundry, to the entire earth. And it’s indeed a most worthy purpose, though I don’t believe we are doing it as seriously and diligently as we ought to.
Our world is definitely too negative and warlike, and greedy and full of fleshly lusts and abominations for us to be doing a great job. If we were, our world would never be as disgusting and ungodly. But that’s where our Bit comes in.
‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
What a great joy that would be my people! But unfortunately it doesn’t seem as though it’s going to happen anytime soon, for sadly we appear to be losing more people to Beelzebub than we’re bringing to Christ. That means we obviously have to step up our efforts to win souls for Christ.
And we can’t do that unless we are living a Christ-like life, which will draw unbelievers to Jesus. Right now, too many supposed Christians are living too much of a worldly life, not practicing what we preach, thus the heathen are not paying any attention to us. And that my Friends, will continue to be our Achilles heel until we come to terms with our Bit.
Anyway, let’s continue disecting our Bit, finding scriptures that pertain to each of the four things we need to do for God to hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land. And oh Friends, does our land ever need healing, in a bad, bad way! Today we’ll deal with ‘and seek my face.’
Oh my people, there are so many instances of that admonition in the Bible that I spent the last half an hour researching them. Conseqeuntly we can only get in a few in the time and space allotted. And we’ll start with Moses warning the Israelites about being taken in the throes of idolatry.
‘But if from then thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation (distress), and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto thy voice;
(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.’ (Deut.4:29-31)
Now Friends, that is exactly the position in which we find ourselves today; our world is in a serious time of tribulation and distress. But are we turning to God, to our merciful God to help right it? Not really. We seem to be more intent on following Beelzebub further down into the mire of sin and hellfire.
Then we have these beautful words of wisdom from Bruh David to Cousin Sol, re building God’s temple. ‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.’ (1 Chr.28:9)
And the scholars have an interesting take on the verse. ‘Although David’s charge to Solomon was directed primarily at his son, his point was doubtless not lost on the assembled congregation (cf. 29:9).’
That’s where the people rejoiced as they gave willingly, with a loyal heart, to the building of the temple. So Friends, I hope that Bruh David’s words will also resonate amongst us, so that we can seek God and give willingly to His cause.
And we’ll end with this famous discourse by Jeremiah. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:11-13)
Ah mih people, what more do we need to make us turn back to the God of our fathers eh? Do we need our world to be actually going up in smoke, when we’re on our last breath, before we run to Him for help, as so many of us do these days?
That’s not true wisdom Friends. We have the opportunity and the faithful promise of a wonderful Deity, so please, let’s take in front, before in front takes us nuh. Much LOVE!
…fools wait until the very last minute to seek succour…but as followers of Jesus…we should not embrace foolish ways…
19 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beacon, a feeling of peace, a relationship with Christ, almighty god, Anselm, background noise, behave godly, bounden duty, called by God's name, celebration, Christ-lie, Christians, come up higher, communing with nature, desires, disastrous state of our world, downfalls, duty, eternal life, evil, evil cohorts, fear not, forgive their sin, free gift of grace, friends, gentle breezes, give men for thee, God's chosen people, God's people, gospel truth, grace, guide others to Christ, heal their land, honoured, humble themselves, I am the Lord thy God, I will be with thee, individual hurts, ingrained in our nature, insincere pleas, Inspire us for a better tomorrow, irresponsibly, Isaiah's declaration, Israelites, Jesus Christ, light of the world, LOVE, low over me, Lucifer, mesh with God's will, more beautiful than silence, Moses, motives, my neck of the woods, negative actions, negativity, night insects, peace, people for thy life, people which are called by my name, ponder, pray, precious in my sight, Queen Victoria, quick communication, quiet of the morning, ransom, refresh our memories, rejuvenating the spirits, responsibility, responsible society, right conclusion, rocket science, rustle the leaves of the trees, sacrificing, salt of the earth, salvation, scans our hearts, seek God, seek my face, silence is golden, silence., sinful nature, sing songs of praise, social media, sounds of the highway, spread Christ's gospel, strife, talking nonsense, the blessings of obedience, the children of Israel, the flame scorch thee, the heathen, the Holy One of Israel, the lust of the flesh, the only redeemer, the rivers shall not overflow thee, the things of the world, the unbeliever, think before we talk, thou shalt not be burned, trillion dollar question, turn away from their wicked ways, turn back to God, ungodly society, when thou passest through the waters, when thou walkest through the fire, will I hear from heaven
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Aye Friends, please blame the lateness of this Tuesday morning Bit at the feet of Queen Victoria, as I was up till late last night, early this morning, celebrating her day. (smile) But not to worry, it was celebration of the good kind.
And then, before I went to bed, I obviously had to spend some time sitting out on my front porch enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning, communing with nature and my most wonderful God.
Oh my people, you wouldn’t understand how peaceful and quiet it is in my neck of the woods at that time! I sit out there and just let the gentle breezes blow over me, as they rustle the leaves of the trees, and the night insects sing their songs of praise to their Creator, with the sounds of the highway acting as background noise in the distance.
Such a feeling of peace washes over me, that this morning I had to force myself to get up and go to bed, the atmosphere was so amenable to sitting out there for much longer. (smile)
Ah Friends, what’s the point of God giving us these natural amenities for rejuvenating our spirits, if we don’t make use of them eh? None whatsoever!
Anyway, here’s an interesting piece of advice from my Friend Anselm, as he attempts to inspire us for a better tomorrow. He says: ‘Open your mouth only if what you are going to say is more beautiful than silence.’
What a wonderful bit of advice that is my brethren! It brings to mind the saying that ‘silence is golden.’ And it surely is, especially when what we’re planning to say is just going to provoke strife and negativity.
Oh, the many negative actions we can avoid if we’ll only think before we talk! But that seems to be one of our big downfalls, especially in this age of quick communication and social media.
Instead of cutting back on our talking, we seem to be talking even more than usual, and consequently talking more nonsense than usual too. The amount of confusion this social media is causing it’s not funny, yet we still insist on using it irresponsibly.
Ah mih people, until we put the words of our Bit into serious action, we’ll never become a responsible society. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
As we said yesterday, there are four areas we need to deal with if we are called by God’s name, and we are, as Christians. The first is to humble ourselves before Almighty God, then pray to Him, sincerely seeking His face, while turning away from our evil ways.
Oh Friends, it’s right there in black and white! And it’s not rocket science either. But the evil is so ingrained in our nature, and the lust of the flesh and our LOVE for the things of the world are so great that we don’t seem to want to turn back to God, or we find it difficult to do so.
But Friends, please be assured of one thing; if we truly want to seek God, we’ll find Him, because the Lord will certainly enable us to do it. The problem is that when He scans our hearts, He discovers that our motives and desires are wrong, they do not mesh with His will and desire, so He ignores our insincere pleas.
Now I had planned to share some scriptures that deal with the four areas in which we need to come up higher, so that God can hear us and heal our individual hurts, as well as our ungodly society. But before we can do that, we need to refresh our memories that we are indeed God’s people, called by His name.
Yesterday we saw one example of that through Moses laying out the blessings of obedience to the Israelites. Now listen to Isaiah’s declaration to the children of Israel, as he details to them the gospel truth that God is the only redeemer of mankind.
‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel. Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Sheba for thee (in thy place). Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable (honoured), and I have LOVED thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is.43:1-4)
Yes my brethren, the bunch of modern day people called Christians, belong to the Lord! We are called by His name, He has saved and redeemed us through the sacrificing of His Son Jesus Christ!
That means we have a responsibility, a serious duty to behave and act according to His desires and commands. But obviously we’re not doing that on a wide or strong enough scale, which results in our even more sinful nature and the disastrous state of our world.
Ah Friends, we are God’s chosen people, let’s behave like it nuh, and not like Lucifer’s evil cohorts. Our bounden duty is to behave godly, and spread Christ’s gospel, so that the heathen, the unbeliever, will have a chance to turn to God, to accept His free gift of grace that leads to salvation and eternal life.
Now, if we, God’s people, called by His name, don’t do it, then please tell me who will eh?
And we’ll end with that trillion dollar question. Friends, please, let’s seriously and sincerely ponder it today nuh, and with God’s help, come to the right conclusion. Much LOVE!
…Christians are meant to be Christ-like…the salt of the earth…and the light of the world…a beacon to guide others to a wonderful relationship with Christ…
21 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abraham, always enduring, awesome truth, basking in glorious sunshine, blessing, both thou and thy seed shall live, carry us, choose life, cleave unto God, Creator, cursing, death and evil, Dicoveries, enjoy the wonder, faithful, fear him keep his commandments, fearful, God is always there, God is the length of thy days, God is thy life, I have set before you life and death, if god be for us who can be against us, if thine heart turn away, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, joy, judgements, keep his commandments, life and good, live and multiply, living God, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, lowest ebb, merciful God, minds, never changing, new birthright in Christ, obey his voice, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, peace, promise, raise us up, Ruth Harms Calkin, saving, second wind, serve and worship, serve him, sincere prayer, sinning, souls, statutes, strengthen, strong, successful life, the best element, the brilliant sunlight of jesus, the Lord thy God shall bless thee, the One Year Book of Bible Promises, thou wilt not hear, two avenues of living, walk in his ways, warm and tender love, weak, what shall we then say to these things, wisdom, words to faithfully live by, worship other gods, write it deep in our hearts, ye shall not prolong your days, ye shall surely perish, ye shall walk after the Lord your God
Deuteronomy 13:4. Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.
Well hello there all you beautiful believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! I do hope that this Tuesday morning finds you all basking in the glorious sunshine of His oh so warm and tender LOVE, for that’s the only way to truly live a good and successful life on this crazy earth.
And if by some unfortunate chance, you’re not basking in that brilliant sunlight of Jesus, then I’d strongly advise that you go to Him in serious and sincere prayer and humbly ask Him to rectify the situation, so that you can enjoy the peace and joy that He genuinely desires each and every one of His followers to have. That is your new birthright in Christ, and it makes no sense not to enjoy it.
And here’s a li’l something from the One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin to support that contention. It’s aptly titled ‘Discoveries!’
And it says: ‘Lord God Today You have penetrated My entire being With three glorious discoveries: When I am most weak You are most strong. When I am most fearful You are utterly faithful. When I am at my sinning worst You are at Your saving best.’
And isn’t all of that the God-awesome truth my people? It certainly is! For when we are at the lowest ebb in any aspect of our lives, that’s when our God is at His best. He’s always there to strengthen and raise us back up to where we’re supposed to be, to carry us until we catch our second wind.
Oh Friends, I never cease to enjoy the wonder of the great and merciful God that we serve and worship! He is indeed the BEST element in our lives!
And the promise associated with that poem is one that we all mentally know and LOVE, but in reality, don’t always faithfully feel and appreciate. ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31)
More awesome truth my brethren! For if the omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present Creator of this magnificent universe and all therein is in our corner, then who in heaven’s name can successfully come against us eh? NOBODY, my people! Absolutely, NOBODY!
Please believe that. Today, let’s write it deep in our hearts, souls and minds, then allow it show in our lives, lives which are to be modelled on the never changing, always enduring command of our Bit.
‘Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.’
Ah mih people, those are certainly words of heavenly wisdom, words to faithfully live by!
Now yesterday we looked at some scripture that reinforced or recast our Bit in a slightly different light. Today, however, we’re going to look at another very important aspect of the command set out therein; what happens, or will undoubtedly happen if we don’t follow it.
Listen to Moses as he delivers the living Word of the living God to the Israelites. ‘See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to LOVE the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce (announce) unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest LOVE the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.’ (Deut.30:15-20)
Oh my people, eons ago the Lord laid down the situation in clear and simple terms for the Israelites. And whether we like it or not, the same conditions apply even unto this day. So what more can I say that will make any difference it eh? Nothing really, since it’s all written right there in black and white in simple, everyday language.
All I can realistically do, is reiterate the Lord’s Word: ‘therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live… for he is thy life, and the length of thy days…’ That my Friends, is indeed eternal wisdom! Much LOVE!
…God has provided two avenues of living for us…blessing and cursing…we’ll be well advised to choose the first one…blessing…
20 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new creation, a time of renewal, accept Christ as Saviour, adrenalin flowing, aura of love, blessings, bounden duty, bowing down to idols, children of Lucifer, cleave unto him, commandments, confidence, disobedience, Easter Sunday, evil, faith, fear, fear him, fellowship, friends, glorious kingdom, glory to God, Hades, hard-headed, heavenly blessing, highways and by-ways, hold on for dear life, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Israelites, Jesus arose from the grave, Jesus Christ, keep his commandments, laid out on a silver platter, lies, life changing proposition, living for Jesus, living obedient to God's dictates, LOVE, material things, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, Moses, newness, nourishment, obey his voice, Oh Lord God Almighty, our duty to God, Praise the Lord, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., seek ye first the kingdom of God, spiritual armour, sprout up with new life, spting, steadfast faith, steady drizzle, stubborn, studying God's Word, the season for rain, these things will be added to you, true followers of God, truth, ungodly world, walking with Jesus, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, world of unbelief, ye shall serve him, ye shall walk after the Lord your God
Deuteronomy 13:4. Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.
Oh Friends, the first day of this new workweek isn’t shaping up to be so wonderful in my area nuh. It’s been raining for quite a while now; not mighty downpours, but a steady drizzle. Who knows when it’s going to end, so be careful when you get out on the highways and bye-ways, even leave a little earlier if possible.
And though the rain complicates the driving, we know that this is spring; the season for rain. The ground and the plants need that nourishment that the heavenly blessing provides, so that they can sprout back up again with new life, just like Jesus arose from the grave at Easter Sunday with a brand new life.
Spring is definitely a time of renewal, of refurbishment, when all things old and dead become new again. Just like when we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we become a new creation. What a life-changing proposition that is my people! Glory to God!
But yuh know what Friends? Like any new thing, after a while the newness wears off. The same thing goes for being a new creation in Christ. After you’ve been a new creation for some time, the newness wears off, so you have to keep on renewing it by continually walking with Jesus, studying the Word and living obedient to God’s dictates.
And the way our society is set up, it seems like every Monday morning we need a boost, a renewal so that we can get the necessary strength, faith and courage to go out and labour and bring lost souls to Christ. And that’s what our Monday Morning Hymn is all about. So let’s sing it with great gusto this wet spring morning!
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!’
Now Friends, that rendition wasn’t bad, but it lacked the cohesiveness, the oneness and harmony that last week’s had. That’s because we went back to our old bad habits, being unfocussed and not paying close attention to Jesus, our eminent choirmaster. But the important thing is that our motors are idling smoothly, and the adrenalin’s running now, so we have the wherewithal to go out fight the good fight in Jesus’ name.
And our Bit is an erstwhile reminder of all that we’ve been saying. ‘Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto (hold fast to) him.’
Ah mih breddren, those were the fateful words of Moses to the Israelites many eons ago, and though some may not like it, they still apply to us today. We can’t be true followers of God unless we have constant communion and fellowship with Him, which includes obeying His statutes, having a reverential awe of Him, and last but not least, holding on to Him for dear life, because if we let go of Him, we’ll be lost and most likely end up in Hades with the evil crook Lucifer. And that’s something we want to avoid at all costs.
So listen to Moses exhortation to the Israelites earlier on. ‘And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all thy ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good (benefit or welfare).’ (Deut.10:12-13)
Oh Friends, the Israelites were a stubborn, hard headed group and Moses had to be continually reminding them of their bounden duty. But unfortunately, though we have everything, including Jesus laid out on a silver platter for us, we’re still hard-headed and stubborn to this day, and need to be constantly reminded of our duty to God.
And please note the last words of that scripture passage; ‘for thy good.’ Yes my people, it’s for our benefit and welfare, not for God’s! So if we don’t follow it, whom do you thing will suffer the dire consequences of disobedience? We sinful, backsliding believers of course!
That’s why I don’t understand how some of us behave as though we’re doing God a favour by serving and worshipping Him. That’s absolutely wrong. All that God has said and done, right from the beginning of time was for our benefit. Please remember that and stop the foolish disobedience and bowing down to the worthless idols of this evil and sinful world.
Remember too that Jesus said: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
Yes Friends, our major goal should always be seeking and serving God! And if we do that faithfully, then He will give us all the material things that we need. That’s a faithful promise from an ever faithful God! And if we’re wise, we’ll do our best to follow His leading.
So my fellow believers, as we go out into the world of unbelief today, please let’s show them our wisdom in action nuh, by living for Jesus as best we can. That’s the only way to bring the unbelievers to Him, which is what He desires. Much LOVE!
…truly living for Jesus…is the greatest wisdom that exists…
02 Apr 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: action, all things work together for good, Anselm, be brave, be content, be strong and of a good courage, beseeched the Father, Bruh David, buckle down, challenge, Christian, comfort, controversy, convenience, Cousin Sol, covetousness, endured, even unto death, fear not neither be dismayed, fight for what we know is true, fly by night operator, give up, God's will, gospel truth, great drops of blood, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, his sweat, Holy Thursday, I will never leave you, inner circle, Israelites, Jesus never wavered, Jesus talked His talk, Jesus walked His walk, Jesus' crucifixion, Jesus' death, Joshua, LOVE, loving kindness, mental anguish, mettle, modern day life, Moses, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, our duty as believers, prayed fervently, promise of Almighty God, quit you like men, roll over and play dead, rough times, sacrifical death, selfish desires, serious agony, sins, stand fast in faith, stand up strong and steadfast, sterner stuff, sufferation, take away the cup, tarry ye here, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord goes before thee, the Lord will be with thee, the measure of a man, the sacrificial Lamb, them that love God, thy will be done, to them called according to His purpose, true images of Christ, watch with me, watch ye, wisdom, words of advice
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Well Friends, it’s finally Holy Thursday; the day before the Big Day, meaning Jesus’ crucifixion. It ought to be a day of heartfelt prayer and introspection, pondering exactly what Jesus and His unbearable suffering and His sacrificial death truly means to us.
Remember, Jesus wasn’t some fly by night operator. He talked His talk, but even more importantly, walked that talk! And we need to check up on ourselves to see whether we are doing the same, or simply just talking the talk and not backing it up with sincere action.
Just think about Jesus’ mental anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before he was sacrificed for our abominable sins. The Good Book tells us he prayed, prayed fervently, saying to His inner circle of Peter, James and John: ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here and watch with me.’ (Matt.26:38)
He even beseeched the Father a couple times to take away the cup, relieve Him of His duty to die as the sacrificial Lamb. But please note Friends, that in each case He ended with the fateful words, ‘Thy will be done.’ (Matt.26:39,42)
Yes Friends, though Jesus’ soul was in serious agony, to the point where ‘his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground,’ (Luke 22:44) yet He never wavered from the plan the Father had set for Him.
Oh my people, are we made of such mettle, of such sterner stuff? Do we faithfully resign ourselves to God’s will, even though the circumstances are extremely difficult, and sometimes look impossible?
Oh, I know it’s not always easy to do, but it is our duty as believers to buckle down and do God’s will, forgetting our own selfish desires. And that’s the only way we will ever become true images of Christ, as God desires us to be.
Modern day life is so easy that we complain about simple set backs or difficulties. But my people, that’s not being like Jesus at all! And my Friend Anselm’s quote for today, inspiring us for a better tomorrow is a rather appropriate one for our purposes.
It says: ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Our true measure of a man, of a Christian is where we stand when the challenges and controversies face us. Do we give up, roll over and play dead? Or do we stand up strong and steadfast and fight for what we know is true and what we sincerely believe in?
You know we ought to be in the latter group, as Christ was. Look at the ‘sufferation’ He endured for our sakes, without complaining. That’s how we are expected to operate too, though we will never reach to the heights that Jesus did.
And the wonderful thing about it all my fellow believers, is that we have the sincere and faithful promise of Almighty God in our Bit to help us through whatever comes against us. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Wow! How cool is that eh people! And a few verses before that, Moses told the Israelites: ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.’ (Deut.31:6-7)
So Friends, in just three verses, Moses told both the Israelites and Joshua that they had to be strong, face up to their tasks like good soldiers, because if they did, the Lord their God would certainly look after them.
Oh my people, the same promise is extended to us today. Bruh Paul puts it like this: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Acts 8:28)
So when ever we are called by God, His LOVING-kindness will always be with us, regardless of the way the situation looks. We need to remember that and act on it my brethren.
Now listen to what Bruh David told Cousin Sol when he handed over the building of the Lord’s temple to him. ‘And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’ (1 Chr.28:20)
Oh Friends, oh Friends, what wonderful words of advice from a father to a son! And that advice must also reverberate amongst us today. It’s also what the Lord told Joshua, as we saw yesterday. ‘Be strong and of a good courage.’ (Josh.1:6) And Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men (be brave), be strong.’ (1 Cor.16:13)
Oh Friends, I can’t think of a better way to end this morning than with those words of encouragement, which we so badly need in these generally rough times, and on this occasion when we remember and relive Jesus’ upcoming death.
Please be strong and of a good courage, for that’s mark of a true Christian, and also the wisdom of heaven. Much LOVE!
…let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness…and be content with such things as ye have…for he hath said…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee…’ (Heb.13:5)
21 Mar 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a perfect heart, abhor justice, almighty god, behave wisely, best of intentions, blameless, bless thou the Lord, blessings, breath of life, Bruh David, Comforter, commitment, Cousin Sol, Creator, deity, Derrick Harriot, did evil in the sight of the Lord, for our own good, from the very depths of our soul, full of love, glorify Your name, god, gospel truth, grief, Healer, heartaches, heaven and earth, heavenly Father, his wives turned away his heart, holy living, holy spirit, humbly ask, I will be glad in the Lord, I will sing of mercy and judgement, in a perfect way, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Jesus our Blessed Redeemer., largesse, leads us astray, LOVE, loving kindness, meditation, mercies, mete and right to do, North country, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, pagan tribes, praise and thanks, praise him, provider, righteous pedestals, sacrfice, sincerity, sinful nature, sing O earth, sing of God's goodness, Solomon, spring has sprung, thank you, the Good Book, the Most High God, the shed blood of Jesus, the tried and true path to Jesus, truth, while I have my being
Psalm 101:1 I will sing of mercy (LOVING-kindness) and judgement (justice): unto thee, O Lord, will I sing (praises).
Who LOVES you my people? Who really and truly LOVES you? Your heavenly Father of course! The One who created you, who nurtured you in your mother’s womb, who knew you even before you existed, who called and caused you to be reconciled to Him through the LOVING sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ!
Wow! What a Father! There’s none other like Him; not on earth or in heaven! And that’s the gospel truth!
So Friends, on this Saturday morning, where spring has just sprung in the North Country, and hopefully will replace the cold, dead, deadly winter asap, let’s offer a few words of praise and thanks to our Creator, Comforter, Healer and Provider; Almighty God.
Please pray with me: ‘Oh Father in heaven, on this new day that You have created, and has so generously given us Your wonderful breath of life to be able to enjoy it, we give You plenty, plenty thanks and praise for being continually wonderful to us, even though we often don’t deserve Your LOVING-kindness. Just look at all the new blessings and mercies that you have specially prepared to shower down on us today.
Hn! No other supposed deity would ever dream of doing that. But Your heart is so full of LOVE and largesse … You’re such a magnanimous Deity, that even though we’re far from perfect, You still desire to bless us each and every day. Heavenly Father, You know that our minds are finite, and thus our vocabulary is small, and the best we do is say “Thank You! Thank You! Thank You from the very depths of our souls!”
We know too that we’re lost without You, can do very little without Your help, and we humbly ask that You continue to send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts and souls, so that He can work on us, and cause us to LOVE and worship You with all sincerity and truth, to glorify Your Name, the way You truly deserve. All this we pray on the basis of the shed blood of Your Son, and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.’
Oh Friends, that’s just how I was guided to begin today’s Bit and I do hope that it stirred even a small something in all our hearts, so that it will help us to stay on the tried and true path that leads to Jesus. And though we have a different Bit today, it is still one that encourages us to sing of God’s goodness and LOVING-kindness.
Listen to how Bruh David begins Psalm 101 – A commitment to holy living. ‘I will sing of mercy (LOVING-kindness) and judgement (justice): unto thee, O Lord, will I sing (praises). Ah mih people, that is how we should react to the Lord our great and wonderful God!
And Bruh David continues: ‘I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way, O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect (blameless) heart.’ (Ps.101:2)
Oh Friends and fellow believers in Christ, many of us claim, pray and desire to do just that, but it’s not an easy task to perform, especially in these days of rampant and blatant wickedness constantly hammering and jabbering at us. And please, when we do mess up, when we fall from our righteous pedestals, let us not beat up ourselves, for the Lord knows we are only human, and though we might have the best of intentions, our sinful nature often leads us astray.
And the best example of that is Cousin Sol, once renowned as the wealthiest and wisest man in the world because he sincerely humbled himself before, and trusted in Almighty God. Listen to the Good Book tell it: ‘For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect (blameless, at peace) with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father…. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after (did not fully follow) the Lord, as did David his father.’ (1 Kin.11:4, 6)
Yes Friends, in Cousin Sol’s old age, he forsook the God of his fathers, and followed the God of his many wives (700) and concubines (300). As Derrick Harriot says in the old reggae tune: ‘Solomon was the wisest man, but he didn’t know the ways of a woman…’ or something to that effect. (smile) It’s hard enough to deal with one woman, what else can you expect from so many eh, but grief and heartache?
And it’s not like the Lord didn’t warn the Israelites not to marry into the pagan tribes, ‘for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave (clung) unto these in LOVE.’ (1 Kin.11:2b) Yes Friends, the Lord’s wisdom is much greater than ours, so please, let’s listen when He speaks to us, because it is always for our own good.
And we’ll conclude today with some appropriate verses from Psalm 104 – God’s preservation of nature. ‘I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. (Hallelujah) Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps.104:33-35)
So my fellow believers, let’s concentrate on praising and singing the glory of the Most High God nuh, each and every day, for it is indeed mete and right for us to do so. Much LOVE!
…Praise Him, Praise Him…Jesus our Blessed Redeemer…Sing O Earth…His wonderful LOVE proclaim…
11 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cheerful heart, a willing heart, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, as we give God gives even more to us, blessings, compassion, every man shall give as he is able, feast of weeks, forgiveness, freewill offering, friends, generous, generously, give from our hearts, giving, giving is a delightful experience, God LOVES a cheerful giver, God never changes, having sufficiency in all things, he that sows bountifully will reap bountifully, he that sows sparingly will reap sparingly, iguana, Israelites, Jesus Christ, Losers compromise on values, loving, loving kindness, mercies, morning neighbour, no givinng up, no turning back, obedient, one hundred and ten percent, Pigeon Point, pressing forward, smile, the Lord thy God, the Word of god, Wednesday, what's cooking, which he hath given thee, Winners stand firm on values, wisdom
Deuteronomy 16:17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Morning Neighbour, morning! What’s cooking on this fine February day eh? A day filled with all sorts of new blessings, mercies and God’s LOVING-kindness!
It’s Wednesday, and we’re halfway through the work week. That means there’s no turning back now, we just have to keep pressing forward with all we’ve got; as the popular saying goes, give a hundred and ten percent! But’s that nothing new to us followers of Jesus Christ, because that’s how we’re expected to operate each and every day. And with God’s help that certainly is possible.
So please, let’s just keep pressing on, possibly faltering a little, but definitely NO GIVING UP! The words ‘giving up’ don’t exist in Jesus’ vocabulary, and neither should they exist in ours.
Now here’s an interesting quote of a few days ago from my friend Anselm, Inspiring you for a better tomorrow. ‘Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things; Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values.’
Oh Friends, oh Friends, if there’s one thing we should NEVER compromise on, it’s our values, for once we do that, we leave ourselves open to all kinds of evil and ungodly nonsense!
Now, because of the complexities and vagaries of life, there must be some compromises if we expect it to run fairly smooth, but as Anselm points out, they should only be on petty, basically unimportant things, NEVER on anything that has to do with the Word of God; its doctrine, it’s belief system and the way we should live obedient to God’s will.
For that will only bring it into disrepute, and there are enough people around the world already doubting the Word and spreading negative assumptions and assertions about it. No need for us to make things worse by compromising the godly values that it stands for.
As per adventures, I didn’t do anything much yesterday, just went to the beach, Pigeon Point, as the duchess desired. What a good, LOVING, and obedient husband I am eh! (smile) But I wasn’t happy with the beach, at least the one that she liked, because it was very shallow and with no sudden drop down as you entered the water.
But I disliked it with the stones on the beach and in the water, and I couldn’t even float properly, much less swim, since the water where the protective rope was placed, barely reached to my waist, and that’s a fair way from shore. The other side of the rock pile though was better. The rope was further out and the water reached my chest. Still not the greatest, by my standards, but good enough to enjoy.
Oh, at one stage where we were sitting at the top of the rock pile between the two beaches, a small guana (iguana) showed up, sunning himself on the rocks, completely ignoring the duchess, myself and an old British couple who were sitting nearby.
I tried taking some pictures of him, but since I didn’t have my glasses handy, and I’m not versed in the duchess’ I-pad – she was in the water then – I don’t know if any of them came out properly. I completely forgot about them, and must look at them later.
After the beach, we stopped at the grocery for a few things, then came home and rested for the rest of the day, simply enjoying the serenity and beauty of our surroundings. (smile)
And today my people, since we’ve spoken recently of compassion and forgiveness, we’ll talk about another most important aspect of a Christian’s life; giving. Our Bit put’s it admirably and very succinctly. ‘Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.’
Oh mih people, mih people, that was God’s command from way back when to the Israelites, when they celebrated their feasts! And since neither our God nor His Word ever changes, then that command applies even unto us in these present times.
And earlier on in the same chapter as our Bit, Moses spoke God’s command to the people thus: ‘And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. (Deut. 16:10)
Yes Friends, the basic idea is to give freely, from our hearts, according to the provisions with which the Lord has blessed us. What we give depends on what we have. Obviously if we don’t have a lot, we can’t give a lot, but of whatever we have, we ought to be generous with it.
For let us remember and practice these fateful words of Bruh Paul in his second missive to the Corinthians. ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings, generously) shall reap also bountifully.
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor.9:6-8)
Yes Friends, God LOVES it when we give with a cheerful heart, not grudgingly. And remember, as we give, He will give to us, we will always have sufficient for ourselves and some left over to give to others. That’s the beauty of our God!
Now let’s close with some explanations from the scholars re those verses. ‘9:6. One’s return is determined by his investment (cf. Prov. 11:24, Luke 6:38; Gal.6:7). The expression ep’ eulogiais ordinarily translated “with blessings” here has the sense of “generously.” While it does not suggest indiscriminate giving, it does denote “unrestrained” giving.’
‘9:7. Cheerful giver: The giver is to have a willing heart and a sincere desire to participate in the offering. Paul is not so much interested in their money. Nor is God, for that matter, as the passage from Proverbs 22:9 indicates. (Please check it out). The Greek term hilaron, from which the English “hilarious” derives, is best rendered as the English text suggests, “cheerful.” Giving is not a joke. It is serious business, but it is a delightful experience all the same.’
Ah mih breddren, those last two sentences puts giving in the right perspective. For giving is indeed a blessing in itself. When one gives, one feels good. Not a slimy, smarmy (smile) hypocritical, negative good like the Pharisees did. But a cleansing, healing and healthy good, as the Lord desires.
So please, let’s ponder our giving today, and try, with God’s help of course, to bring it into line with His Word. That is the ultimate in wisdom. Much LOVE!
…as we give…God gives even more to us…so that we can increase our giving…
P.S. I checked out the pictures of the iguana, and one is attached. You might have to zoom in or out to see him properly. He wasn’t a big boy, but big enough. (smile) Unfortunately readers of the Blog, I can’t put a picture of the reptile here. Much LOVE!
05 Feb 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anger, better late than never, breath of life, compassion, compassionate men and women, eternal separation from God, evangelical minister, Fatima High School, God's little Acre, godly leaders, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, greed, Hades, hatred, Israelites, Jesus, Jesus was moved with compassion, kindness, lifeguards, LOVE, poverty, propserous world, rebelling agaqinst God, Redemption Sound steelband, resentment, Santa Claus, sheep with no sheperd, Store Bay, thankful Thursday, the god of the spirits of the flesh, the lust for power, the things of God, Tobago, trust, unchristian, wait on God's timing, worldly things
Mark 6:34. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude), and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
And then it was Thursday! Thankful Thursday! Wow! Is it really Thursday already? That means a week of my vacation on God’s Little Acre has come and gone by… so quickly too. And I haven’t really done anything yet! Chuh! But I’m not going to complain because that’s obviously the Lord’s plan, and I’m trying my best to trust and wait on His timing.
So Instead I’ll say a simple ‘Thank You Lord for giving me Your breath of life to see another wonderful day in this wonderful garden of nature called Tobago! Thank You for helping me to get better with each passing day. I LOVE You and praise and glorify Your Holy Name. Amen.’
Yeh Friends, the best we can do is send up sincere prayers of thanks and gratitude to our heavenly Father, for complaining and grousing doesn’t net us any benefits and blessings.
And talking about prayer, here is a beautiful quote from Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. He tells us that ‘A simple grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! The Lord’s not interested in our long repetitive, involved prayers, but the simple, genuine and heartfelt words that we send up to Him. That’s when we touch His heart and cause blessings, mercies, etc. to flow down to us. So regardless of the complexity of our problems, let’s try to keep our prayers simple and genuine nuh, for then I believe we will see better results.
And per adventures…what happened yesterday? I went back down to Store Bay, planning on the way to leave the duchess at our friend with the bar, but she wasn’t there, so the duchess ended up going with me to the beach. And I made sure to stop and get my roti before I went. The lady claimed she had sold out the day before, that’s why she had closed earlier than normal. I ate it later and it tasted wonderful, nice pepper and some mango stuff. (smile)
Well Store Bay was kicking up again, although one of the lifeguards told me that it had been worse in the morning. I wouldn’t have wanted to see it then, because it was bad enough when I got there.
And does the Lord ever move in mysterious ways! As I got to the top of the steps to go down to the beach, a tall, dark fellow was standing up there and I mentioned the roughness of the sea to him and we got to talking, only to find out that he was someone from my past, whom I had recently asked about.
His family lived in one of the apartments below us up Darrell Spring, when I was going to High School. He was born on Christmas Day so we called him Santa Claus, and he in his early days of talking named me Rando. He was really too young to remember me, but heard about me when he was growing up.
Later on, on the beach, I met a fellow whom I had taught at Fatima High School in Trinidad, some forty odd years ago. Is it ever a small world!
This little bit of excitement happened while I was in the water, out some ways from the shore, before the waves broke. I saw a skinny, older white man come into the water, and soon thereafter a wave washed over him as it broke. I saw him struggling to stand up and thought he was okay. But the lifeguards’ urgent whistle, and three of them running towards him told me differently. They lifted him up out of the water and led him, rather unsteadily to the shore.
Later on, while complimenting one of the lifeguards on their excellent job, he told me that the fellow was drunk, and if it had been in the morning, when the water was really rough, the fellow would have drowned. People don’t believe me when I tell them that Store Bay is not only one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, but when it gets unruly, hn, it’s also one of the most dangerous! And I can testify to that from personal experience.
Nothing much happened after that. On the way home, we stopped at our friends’ bar on the main road, sat with them for a while, then came home and did the usual; eat, read, watch t.v. and went to bed. Oh, oh, I forgot! Later in the evening we went up Bethel and listened to Redemption Sound Steelband practice. That wasn’t for long though. By ten p.m. we were back home.
Another simple, uneventful, but welcome and thankful day in the life, very different from those Jesus had, as outlined in our Bit. ‘And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people (a great multitude), and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.’
Oh Friends, I can’t declare enough the urgent need for us believers to be more compassionate to our fellow man. I was listening to an evangelical minister on the t.v. last night, and he kept stressing that our biggest concern nowadays ought to be compassion; obviously citing Jesus as the best example.
Oh my people, there’s so much strife, anger, hatred, resentment, hunger, poverty and need in our prosperous world, that the only thing to lessen it is compassion. It’s unconscionable, and definitely unchristian to see our brothers and sisters suffering and not help in whatever way we can. And there’s always some way in which we can help, even if it is only through a genuine smile and a kind word.
But unfortunately we’re allowing the greed, the lust for power and other worldly things to take precedence in our lives, rather than the things of God. Listen to this scripture from way back when, at a time when the Israelites were rebelling against God.
‘And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, Which may go out before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.’ (Num.27:15-17)
Ah Friends, our current time is exactly like that! We’re rebelling against the commandments of God, and we need good, sincere, godly, compassionate men and women to lead us out of the terrible sinful situation in which we have found ourselves. Without such godly leaders, we’ll just plummet further and further down into the dark and dangerous depths of Hades.
But my brethren, even with good leaders, each of us still has our little part to play in returning our world to a godly stance. So please, today let’s embrace whatever plan the Lord has shown us for our lives. And whatever it is, I’m sure it’s filled with lots of kindness and compassion, so please put them into action. It’s our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…if our God hadn’t been kind and compassionate towards us…we would never have had Jesus die for us…and thus still be headed for eternal separation from Him…
P.S. Sorry it’s so late, but earlier on I got tied up in all sorts of unexpected stuff. But better late than never. (smile) And as the song on the radio’s saying, remember to pray for me. Much LOVE!
13 Jan 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mind of its own, almighty god, Bruh David, business acumen, chilly Tuesday morning, cold weather paraphernalia, divorce, Euripides, exhortation of obedience, faith, family feuds, family life, finicky behaviour, foolish, friends and neighbours, God is a refuge for us, God only is my rock and my salvation, God so near, hatred, hope, I hope in thy word, I shall not be moved, Internet conncetion, Israelites, jehovah god, judgements, live our faith, LOVE, Love our God, loving, Moses, my neck of the woods, no fan of computers, pour out your heart before God, Promised Land, reputation for wisdom, resentment, righteous, Selah, smile, Spread God's Word, statutes, success, surrender, tardiness, that state of affairs, the computer acted up, the law of the jungle, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, the rock of my strength, the values of god, the values of the world, thou art my hiding place and my shield, true test of wisdom, trust, unwise, windchill factor, wisdom, wisdom and understanding
Psalm 119:114. Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
A good chilly Tuesday morning, Friends and neighbours! And believe me, it is a chilly morning out here in my neck of the woods, something like minus 19 Celsius! And that’s without the wind chill factor, which usually makes it seem a few degrees colder.
Ah Lord eh! And it’s not supposed to get much warmer during the day either. So if you have to go out at all today, please make sure that you are dressed very warm, with hat and gloves and scarf and all the other cold weather paraphernalia. (smile)
And let me apologize for the tardiness of the Bit. I was first tardy in getting up, just one of those days when the ole body would not respond to my wishes, it has a mind of its own you know. (smile) And then, for whatever reason the computer acted up.
Although I had perfect Internet connection and it was doing some background backup, I still had a hard time opening the browser and getting to the net itself. Steups! That’s why I’m no fan of computers!
Don’t get me wrong, they are useful in their own way, but they are too finicky, like ….! No, I’m not going to say it (smile), and our world is so dependent on them now that when they fail or choose to act up, a whole lot of heartache follows. Remember though that they are man made, and thus not perfect.
Anyway, there’s not a whole lot I can do about it, so I’ll just have to learn to live with the finicky behaviour, as I’ve learned to live with that of you know whom. (smile)
Now here is an interesting quote attributed to Euripides (480-406 B.C) the ancient Greek dramatist born in the Athens area. It simply says: ‘Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom.’
And in today’s world, that is very true. We all consider successful people – as the world defines it – as persons endowed with wisdom. But the reality is that’s not always true, especially when defined by the values of God.
However Friends, that’s where the true test of wisdom is to be found – in the values of God, not in those of the evil and lustful world!
Just look at the track record of some of the world’s supposed successful people, and you’ll find that their personal lives are, or have been a complete mess. But their business acumen and their worldly success have them at the top of the list of wise people.
Their own lives though are filled with bitter family feuds, nasty divorces, lots of hatred and resentment; all of the things that are not considered wise under the values of Almighty God.
Consequently, the opposite is also true; the failed and unsuccessful business person, looked at by the world as foolish and unwise, might have a very LOVING and godly family life and relationships, which makes him wise using God’s values.
So, technically speaking, like a lot of other things, our take on success and wisdom depends on what values we base them on; the world’s, or the Lord’s. Let’s hope that we all use the values of the latter in ALL of our doings, for that’s where TRUE success and wisdom are to be found!
That brings us to our Bit, the same wise and encouraging words as yesterday. ‘Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.’
And right there my brethren, is where true wisdom lies! There is indeed no greater wisdom in all the earth than faith, hope, surrender and trust in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Now let’s look at a couple more scripture passages that cry out to us in that regard. And we’ll begin with words from Moses’ exhortation of obedience to the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness, en route to the Promised Land.
‘Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgements, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh (a God so near) unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgements so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?’ (Deut.4:5-8)
Wonderful questions my brethren? And the correct answer is none? Even to this day, there is no greater nation on earth than one that espouses the law of Jehovah God!
But it’s also very sad that those nations which have hitherto espoused God’s law, are now moving away from it to the law of the jungle that’s the world. Hopefully though, with our sincere and diligent efforts on God’s behalf, that state of affairs will change soon.
Now listen to Bruh David from Psalm 62 – God only is my rock and my salvation. ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense: I shall not be moved (shaken).
In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times: ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps.62:5-8)
Oh my people, truer words were never spoken! God is indeed our be all and end all! And thus there’s no better note to end on than that one. Yeh Friends, if God is our Creator and Provider, then it only stands to reason that He is the One we should be in tune with ALL THE TIME! That’s true wisdom!
Now let’s go out and practice it nuh, and show the evil and ungodly world a thing or two about our Mighty God! Much LOVE!
…our bounden duty is to…truly LOVE our God…sincerely LIVE our Faith…and diligently SPREAD His holy Word…
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